Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks
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Mysterious Sue
Strata Poster
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2014 Edition
For my top ten, parks have to have natural beauty, a good ride line-up and a focus on heritage. Many of my favourite parks also have a 'crammed' feeling to them. I love turning every corner to find something new and feeling that the rides are on top of one another.
1. Phantasialand
2. Efteling
3. Alton Towers
4. Tivoli Gardens
5. Grona Lund
6. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
7. Liseberg
8. Knobels
9. Hersheypark
10. Blackpool
For my top ten, parks have to have natural beauty, a good ride line-up and a focus on heritage. Many of my favourite parks also have a 'crammed' feeling to them. I love turning every corner to find something new and feeling that the rides are on top of one another.
1. Phantasialand
2. Efteling
3. Alton Towers
4. Tivoli Gardens
5. Grona Lund
6. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
7. Liseberg
8. Knobels
9. Hersheypark
10. Blackpool
Chris Coasters
Strata Poster
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2014 Edition
1. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
2. Kennywood
3. Dollywood
4. Knoebels
5. Holiday World
6. Kings Island
7. Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure
8. Hersheypark
9. Six Flags Great Adventure
10. Cedar Point
1. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
2. Kennywood
3. Dollywood
4. Knoebels
5. Holiday World
6. Kings Island
7. Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure
8. Hersheypark
9. Six Flags Great Adventure
10. Cedar Point
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2014 Edition
I've had a bit of a rethink from my previous list...
10. Plopsaland de Panne
9. Disneyland Hong Kong
8. Disney's Animal Kingdom
7. Universal Islands of Adventure
6. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
5. Disneyland California
4. Phantasialand
3. Silver Dollar City
2. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
1. Knoebels
So, yeah, 3 Disneys, 2 Busches and a Universal in my top 10!
I've had a bit of a rethink from my previous list...
10. Plopsaland de Panne
9. Disneyland Hong Kong
8. Disney's Animal Kingdom
7. Universal Islands of Adventure
6. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
5. Disneyland California
4. Phantasialand
3. Silver Dollar City
2. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
1. Knoebels
So, yeah, 3 Disneys, 2 Busches and a Universal in my top 10!
CookieCoasters
Giga Poster
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2014 Edition
I'm finding this extremely difficult, so I am going to split up European and North American Parks.
Europe:
1. Phantasialand
2. Europa Park
3. Port Aventura
4. Parque Warner Madrid
5. Liseberg
6. Alton Towers
7. Mirabilandia
8. Heide Park
9. Tivoli Gardens
10. Grona Lund
North America:
1. Six Flags Magic Mountain
2. Busch Gardens Tampa
3. Islands of Adventure
4. Kings Dominion
5. Hershey Park
6. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
7. Six Flags Great Adventure
8. Dorney Park
9. Knoebels
10. Sea World Orlando
Still found it very difficult. There are so many different components to each individual park, whcih makes it very difficult to rank them.
I'm finding this extremely difficult, so I am going to split up European and North American Parks.
Europe:
1. Phantasialand
2. Europa Park
3. Port Aventura
4. Parque Warner Madrid
5. Liseberg
6. Alton Towers
7. Mirabilandia
8. Heide Park
9. Tivoli Gardens
10. Grona Lund
North America:
1. Six Flags Magic Mountain
2. Busch Gardens Tampa
3. Islands of Adventure
4. Kings Dominion
5. Hershey Park
6. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
7. Six Flags Great Adventure
8. Dorney Park
9. Knoebels
10. Sea World Orlando
Still found it very difficult. There are so many different components to each individual park, whcih makes it very difficult to rank them.
ThomVD
Giga Poster
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2014 Edition
I thought I could elaborate a bit more on my top 10, so here I go,
1. Phantasialand - This park has some of the best theming I've ever seen, a lot of high quality rides and it's very immersive as a whole. I've been here four times now, and it is still as exciting as my first visit. I find it really hard to make a top 5 favourite rides in this park because there are just so many rides that deserve to be in it. Black Mamba, Colorado Adventure, Winjas Fear & Force, Chiapas, Mystery Castle, Talocan, River Quest and Maus au Chocolat all deserve a place. The rides are also mostly really unique, which adds to the thrill. The only downside I can think of is that the staff can be rude (or it's just the language they speak that always sounds angry :wink: ).
2. Efteling - My home park, and I couldn't wish for a better one. It's a gorgeous place. I feel like it depends less on theming than Phantasialand, and has a lot more natural beauty. It has a really unique, almost typical Dutch atmosphere that I can't get enough of. It also has some great rides (Droomvlucht, Fata Morgana and Joris en de Draak being the standout rides) and the fantastic Sprookjesbos (Fairytale forest). The music is second to none as well. At night, however, the park stands out above all other parks I've visited. It's the only time when a park truly feels magical. Such a surreal experience. In the snow it's pretty neat too. It could use some thrill rides, but the new dive coaster will take care of that. I've been visiting Efteling at least once every year since I was 1 year old, and it still hasn't lost its magic <3
3. Europa Park - A lovely, well landscaped park. Every country has very detailed theming and the theming on Wodan is on par with the two parks mentioned above. It has a couple of amazing coasters, and a crapload of rides in general. Definitely the best operations, and everything about the park just feels professional and well organised. My biggest complaint with the park (and the only reason it's not higher) is the fact that only the coasters are stand out rides. They lack top notch flat/dark/water rides.
4. Liseberg - I love the hillside setting, and it's home to my favourite coaster. It also has a lot of high quality back up rides with Balder, Lisebergbanan, the water rides and some solid flats. Plenty of thrills to be found in this park. It also has a nice atmosphere and the entire park has a lot of green.
5. Gröna Lund - Probably the most unique park I've visited. I love how crammed it is with coasters intertwining and built on top of each other. It has a fantastic atmosphere, some of the friendliest staff I've encountered and a selection of high quality rides. The best thing about the park is the setting though, in the center of Stockholm. The downside is the lack of water rides and green/theming.
6. Toverland - Another unique park. I love just how silly and quirky it is. Great fun with friends to just mess around and have fun. It has incredible theming at places, and some really good rides (Troy and Dwervelwind in particular). I love how the staff seems to love their job. One time the rides still operated at 18:30 despite the park closing at 18 and the park being mostly deserted. You just don't get that in the bigger, more professional parks. My biggest complaints is that it doesn't really feel like one coherent theme park. Some areas clash with each other, and some feel out of place now. Theming the exterior of the indoor halls would help a lot.
7. Holiday Park - Holiday Park has a really decent ride selection with EGF, Sky Scream, the intamin drop tower, the star flyer and a couple more. It is also a nice forest-y park with some decent theming in places. It felt really relaxed. Bad operations though.
8. Walibi Holland - While Goliath is the only great ride in the park, I still like the park a lot. It looks really nice in some areas, some ride have fantastic theming (Xpress, Speed of Sound, the madhouse), and the staff is very friendly.
9. Drievliet - We're getting to the small family parks now, but I wouldn't mind visiting Drievliet again. The park is small but it has some really solid rides. Both the afterburner and Formule X were quite re-ridable. Enjoyed my day there. They could use a new coaster though.
10. Hellendoorn - It has the weakest ride selection of all the parks I've been to, but it's still a lovely family park hidden away in a forest. The Vekoma rollerskater is very well themed, unique and fun to ride, and they have an AWESOME shooting dark ride. Also has some flats that keep me occupied for a bit longer.
The only park left is Slagharen, which I despised (something that doesn't happen often, I'm quite easily amused). Only two coasters (and only the looping star is actually good, but it's probably being removed next year which means that there is literally no reason to visit the park anymore), and a bunch of flats. Atmosphere was crap and depressing, staff and operations were the worst and rudest I've seen. All the rides were constantly closed for unknown unannounced reasons. Sometimes it was because the staff were having a break, other times it was just completely for no reason whatsoever. At one point all the major rides were closed for an hour or two. No signs at the queues either. At one point I had no idea what I was queuing for. Layout is stupid. All the rides are around two big squares, and there's a LONG path connecting the two squares. Takes 10 minutes to get to one square to the other, and there are no rides around the path aside from a ferris wheel. I have no clue how this park is the second most visited theme park in the Netherlands. Awful place.
I thought I could elaborate a bit more on my top 10, so here I go,
1. Phantasialand - This park has some of the best theming I've ever seen, a lot of high quality rides and it's very immersive as a whole. I've been here four times now, and it is still as exciting as my first visit. I find it really hard to make a top 5 favourite rides in this park because there are just so many rides that deserve to be in it. Black Mamba, Colorado Adventure, Winjas Fear & Force, Chiapas, Mystery Castle, Talocan, River Quest and Maus au Chocolat all deserve a place. The rides are also mostly really unique, which adds to the thrill. The only downside I can think of is that the staff can be rude (or it's just the language they speak that always sounds angry :wink: ).
2. Efteling - My home park, and I couldn't wish for a better one. It's a gorgeous place. I feel like it depends less on theming than Phantasialand, and has a lot more natural beauty. It has a really unique, almost typical Dutch atmosphere that I can't get enough of. It also has some great rides (Droomvlucht, Fata Morgana and Joris en de Draak being the standout rides) and the fantastic Sprookjesbos (Fairytale forest). The music is second to none as well. At night, however, the park stands out above all other parks I've visited. It's the only time when a park truly feels magical. Such a surreal experience. In the snow it's pretty neat too. It could use some thrill rides, but the new dive coaster will take care of that. I've been visiting Efteling at least once every year since I was 1 year old, and it still hasn't lost its magic <3
3. Europa Park - A lovely, well landscaped park. Every country has very detailed theming and the theming on Wodan is on par with the two parks mentioned above. It has a couple of amazing coasters, and a crapload of rides in general. Definitely the best operations, and everything about the park just feels professional and well organised. My biggest complaint with the park (and the only reason it's not higher) is the fact that only the coasters are stand out rides. They lack top notch flat/dark/water rides.
4. Liseberg - I love the hillside setting, and it's home to my favourite coaster. It also has a lot of high quality back up rides with Balder, Lisebergbanan, the water rides and some solid flats. Plenty of thrills to be found in this park. It also has a nice atmosphere and the entire park has a lot of green.
5. Gröna Lund - Probably the most unique park I've visited. I love how crammed it is with coasters intertwining and built on top of each other. It has a fantastic atmosphere, some of the friendliest staff I've encountered and a selection of high quality rides. The best thing about the park is the setting though, in the center of Stockholm. The downside is the lack of water rides and green/theming.
6. Toverland - Another unique park. I love just how silly and quirky it is. Great fun with friends to just mess around and have fun. It has incredible theming at places, and some really good rides (Troy and Dwervelwind in particular). I love how the staff seems to love their job. One time the rides still operated at 18:30 despite the park closing at 18 and the park being mostly deserted. You just don't get that in the bigger, more professional parks. My biggest complaints is that it doesn't really feel like one coherent theme park. Some areas clash with each other, and some feel out of place now. Theming the exterior of the indoor halls would help a lot.
7. Holiday Park - Holiday Park has a really decent ride selection with EGF, Sky Scream, the intamin drop tower, the star flyer and a couple more. It is also a nice forest-y park with some decent theming in places. It felt really relaxed. Bad operations though.
8. Walibi Holland - While Goliath is the only great ride in the park, I still like the park a lot. It looks really nice in some areas, some ride have fantastic theming (Xpress, Speed of Sound, the madhouse), and the staff is very friendly.
9. Drievliet - We're getting to the small family parks now, but I wouldn't mind visiting Drievliet again. The park is small but it has some really solid rides. Both the afterburner and Formule X were quite re-ridable. Enjoyed my day there. They could use a new coaster though.
10. Hellendoorn - It has the weakest ride selection of all the parks I've been to, but it's still a lovely family park hidden away in a forest. The Vekoma rollerskater is very well themed, unique and fun to ride, and they have an AWESOME shooting dark ride. Also has some flats that keep me occupied for a bit longer.
The only park left is Slagharen, which I despised (something that doesn't happen often, I'm quite easily amused). Only two coasters (and only the looping star is actually good, but it's probably being removed next year which means that there is literally no reason to visit the park anymore), and a bunch of flats. Atmosphere was crap and depressing, staff and operations were the worst and rudest I've seen. All the rides were constantly closed for unknown unannounced reasons. Sometimes it was because the staff were having a break, other times it was just completely for no reason whatsoever. At one point all the major rides were closed for an hour or two. No signs at the queues either. At one point I had no idea what I was queuing for. Layout is stupid. All the rides are around two big squares, and there's a LONG path connecting the two squares. Takes 10 minutes to get to one square to the other, and there are no rides around the path aside from a ferris wheel. I have no clue how this park is the second most visited theme park in the Netherlands. Awful place.
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2014 Edition
1- Alton Towers
I have several reasons why this park has made it to my No 1 of the 57 parks that I have visited. When I took the monorail for the first time to the entrance of the park, I was literally drooling on my pants as we pass by all those wonderful rides. Multiple B&M's in one park is something that you won't find that often in European parks ... the staff is so friendly and helpful. As one of my fellow travelers collapsed and had to be transported to the hospital, we were looked after in every detail, it has a fantastic medical care and has an ambulance on standby.. Moreover, the attractions are all fantastic and unique things and it is a finished park with variation of dark rides, thrills and coaster rides. Therefore ... my No one.
2- Mirabilandia
3- Parque Warner Madrid
4- Hansa park
5- Phantasialand
6- Europa park
7- Disneyland Paris
8- Movieland Studio's
9- Heide park
10- Efteling
1- Alton Towers
I have several reasons why this park has made it to my No 1 of the 57 parks that I have visited. When I took the monorail for the first time to the entrance of the park, I was literally drooling on my pants as we pass by all those wonderful rides. Multiple B&M's in one park is something that you won't find that often in European parks ... the staff is so friendly and helpful. As one of my fellow travelers collapsed and had to be transported to the hospital, we were looked after in every detail, it has a fantastic medical care and has an ambulance on standby.. Moreover, the attractions are all fantastic and unique things and it is a finished park with variation of dark rides, thrills and coaster rides. Therefore ... my No one.
2- Mirabilandia
3- Parque Warner Madrid
4- Hansa park
5- Phantasialand
6- Europa park
7- Disneyland Paris
8- Movieland Studio's
9- Heide park
10- Efteling
Smithy
Strata Poster
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2014 Edition
erm don't think I've done any in here before and it'll be not a patch on most of you well-travelled folks but I'll pad it out with detail none the less.
1. Port Aventura - Flown over twice solely to visit the park and overall have had 5 days there. On the surface it doesn't actually have that many good rides, it's just the quality of the ones they do have coupled with the climate and the overall presentation of the park make it amazing.
2. Alton Towers - Don't think I've ever had a bad trip, even when rides have been closed I've managed to find enough to entertain myself for a full day and leave with a smile on my face. Most enjoyable variety of coasters in the country for me.
3. Thorpe Park - Just a bit soulless really, lacks the sort of character that the first two do, but has a very good ride line-up that again I can spend the day enjoying and leave satisfied.
4. Flamingo Land - I've not had a bad visit to the place which may be why I rank it so highly, but I absolutely love the place. It's like a Lidl-Alton-Towers, the rides are all watered down versions of the stuff you get at Alton, but still greatly enjoyable, and the zoo is very good.
5. Adventure Island - Was tough to split the next few but I've gone with AI because of the general atmosphere within the park. There wasn't a massive amount of stuff I'd spend time re-riding, but the staff were great, Rage was very good and the overall park was exactly what a British seaside park should be today.
6. Chessington - Basically a very well polished Drayton Manor, a few 'big' rides, and more enjoyable to spend time in. Zoo was probably up there with Flamingo Land's.
7. Blackpool - Such an odd park, when I'm first inside I come over all nostalgiac and love the place, and the more time I spend there the more I realise how out-of-touch and dated the entire place seems. Doesn't have the rides to entice me to visit any time soon.
8. Fantasy Island - Which gives you an idea what I think about the other parks I've visited if this ranks in at 8th. It's a market with knock off Voi onesies and bb guns, with the best SLC in the country over the top of it. To be fair the indoors section is very well done and there's enough rides to kill a few hours on.
9. Drayton Manor - Everything just feels a bit grubby really, I've not been since they put in Thomas Land and Ben 10 so it may look and feel a lot fresher but my memories of the park and the 'zoo' aren't great.
10. Oakwood - Quite literally scrapes on because of Alpine Coaster and Speed, because it has nothing else going for it. Such a waste of potential in it's current state.
Terra Mitica and Lightwater Valley both would have ranked behind Wicksteed and only marginally ahead of Billing Aquadrome tbfh.
erm don't think I've done any in here before and it'll be not a patch on most of you well-travelled folks but I'll pad it out with detail none the less.
1. Port Aventura - Flown over twice solely to visit the park and overall have had 5 days there. On the surface it doesn't actually have that many good rides, it's just the quality of the ones they do have coupled with the climate and the overall presentation of the park make it amazing.
2. Alton Towers - Don't think I've ever had a bad trip, even when rides have been closed I've managed to find enough to entertain myself for a full day and leave with a smile on my face. Most enjoyable variety of coasters in the country for me.
3. Thorpe Park - Just a bit soulless really, lacks the sort of character that the first two do, but has a very good ride line-up that again I can spend the day enjoying and leave satisfied.
4. Flamingo Land - I've not had a bad visit to the place which may be why I rank it so highly, but I absolutely love the place. It's like a Lidl-Alton-Towers, the rides are all watered down versions of the stuff you get at Alton, but still greatly enjoyable, and the zoo is very good.
5. Adventure Island - Was tough to split the next few but I've gone with AI because of the general atmosphere within the park. There wasn't a massive amount of stuff I'd spend time re-riding, but the staff were great, Rage was very good and the overall park was exactly what a British seaside park should be today.
6. Chessington - Basically a very well polished Drayton Manor, a few 'big' rides, and more enjoyable to spend time in. Zoo was probably up there with Flamingo Land's.
7. Blackpool - Such an odd park, when I'm first inside I come over all nostalgiac and love the place, and the more time I spend there the more I realise how out-of-touch and dated the entire place seems. Doesn't have the rides to entice me to visit any time soon.
8. Fantasy Island - Which gives you an idea what I think about the other parks I've visited if this ranks in at 8th. It's a market with knock off Voi onesies and bb guns, with the best SLC in the country over the top of it. To be fair the indoors section is very well done and there's enough rides to kill a few hours on.
9. Drayton Manor - Everything just feels a bit grubby really, I've not been since they put in Thomas Land and Ben 10 so it may look and feel a lot fresher but my memories of the park and the 'zoo' aren't great.
10. Oakwood - Quite literally scrapes on because of Alpine Coaster and Speed, because it has nothing else going for it. Such a waste of potential in it's current state.
Terra Mitica and Lightwater Valley both would have ranked behind Wicksteed and only marginally ahead of Billing Aquadrome tbfh.
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2014 Edition
1. Universal Studios Orlando (I still count both parks as one)
2. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
3. Phantasialand
4. Alton Towers
5. Europa Park
6. Silver Dollar City
7. Dollywood
8. Six Flags Magic Mountain
9. Hersheypark
10. Canada's Wonderland
--
11. PortAventura*
12. Tivoli Gardens
13. Gröna Lund*
14. Busch Gardens Tampa
15. Cedar Point
16. Djurs Sommerland*
17. Liseberg*
18. Six Flags Fiesta Texas
19. Knoebels
20. Nigloland*
* - New additions to my Top 20 and new parks are bold.
Guess I should update this list with some of the European parks I visited since the post above, which was from 2013. Top Ten hasn't changed other than Europa Park moving up a notch.ECG said:
1. Universal Studios Orlando (I still count both parks as one)
2. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
3. Phantasialand
4. Alton Towers
5. Europa Park
6. Silver Dollar City
7. Dollywood
8. Six Flags Magic Mountain
9. Hersheypark
10. Canada's Wonderland
--
11. PortAventura*
12. Tivoli Gardens
13. Gröna Lund*
14. Busch Gardens Tampa
15. Cedar Point
16. Djurs Sommerland*
17. Liseberg*
18. Six Flags Fiesta Texas
19. Knoebels
20. Nigloland*
* - New additions to my Top 20 and new parks are bold.
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2014 Edition
1. Efteling
For me, 'the magic' is just as important as the coasters at a theme park. From the minute I walked through Efteling's iconic entrance I was spellbound. Having visited 53 theme parks I've noticed myself become harder to impress, but Efteling was so captivating that the overly-critical part of my enthusiast brain just switched off entirely.
I love how unique the park feels, and the imaginative ways in which they tell stories through their rides. So much love for this place <3
2. Alton Towers
It should be Universal Islands of Adventure here, but my sentiment for Alton Towers pushes it up to number 2. I've been visiting Alton Towers annually since I was child and I still get a shiver of excitement down my spine when I board the monorail. It just makes me sad that A: The Smiler is so disappointing, and B: that the majority of it's themed areas now lack depth and consistency.
For example, just look at The Dark Forrest concept art:
And compare it to what it actually looks like:
I know this is a make-shift walkway to deal with Rita's cable snap - but that cable snap happened in 2012 and the area still looks like this. Why haven't they made an effort to spruce it up? Why haven't they tried to blend in Rita more with the Dark Forrest theme? The whole thing just feels slap dash when it could have been brilliant.
It's just frustrating, because when Alton Towers do get it right, they are capable of building amazing rides within their beautiful grounds, and the result is like no other.
3. Universal Islands of Adventure
Unlike ECG, I don't count the 2 Universal parks in Florida as one, because they have 2 distinctly different atmospheres to me. When I think of Universal Studios, I think of lots of warehouses painted in neutral colours. Whereas Islands of Adventure is the more visually striking park, with it's jagged coaster skyline and the bright colours of Seuss Landing, Marvel Island and Toon Laggoon.
To be fair, I haven't visited since the Studios expanded Springfield and built Diagon Alley. But I consider Universal Studios to be the 'indoorsy' park and I.O.A. 'outdoorsy'.
Anyway, Islands of Adventure is home to pretty much all of my fave I.P.'s - Dr. Seuss, Harry Potter and Marvel, and the park does great justice to all of them. The technology of their dark rides is astounding. Their water rides are the best of the best. The themeing is so immense it's like stepping into another world. Not to mention the 3 fab B+M's dotted at either end of the island!
4. Parc Asterix
Imagine an entire theme park based upon your favourite childhood books. That's what Parc Asterix is to me. It's my Disneyland. But all I.P. bias aside, the park is a wonderful place with a great selection of rides.
Whether it's the incredibly themed-madhouse, the quirky interactive log flume, or one of the best B+M inverts in the world, every ride comes with a layer of humour and fun thrown on top.
Each of the themed areas are well-kept and consistent, and it seems every corner you turn there are little touches that will make you smile. With everything they build, they pay a lot of attention to detail with the Asterix brand. All this place needs is to re-vamp it's ghost train and to replace Gouderix with a decent new coaster, and then it would be perfect.
5. Phantasialand
I love Phantasialand, it's such a stand-out park in terms of originality, atmosphere and themeing. Each area is captivating it's its own way; and boy do they know how to dress up a ride! Never has a top-spin looked so appealing as Talocan <3
The only issue with Phantasia for me, is that their older rides noticeably bring down the high standard that their recent rides set.
Temple of The Nighthawk and Geister Rikscha are pretty dire, for example. Also, on a quiet day, it can feel as though there's not *that* much there. But it's just a case of quality over quantity I think! It's my fave German park by a long shot.
6. Toverland
I wasn't expecting Toverland to be as magical as it is. There's so many smoke machines in use that it feels like a Sisters of Mercy concert! Even the rapids ride had 2 smoke machines <3 I agree that the park doesn't feel fully-realised yet, there's quite a lot of dead space between the indoor and outdoor sections. But the majority of what they do have is well-themed and features some of the greatest ride music ever.
7. Djurs Sommerland
With it's acres of grass and play areas, Djurs certainly puts the 'park' into theme park. Being a dog-friendly park, it also puts the 'bark' into theme park. One of my highlights this year was spotting the djogs of Djurs in between multiple rides on Piraten and Juvelen.
The areas fow nicely into each other, and the place just has a nice relaxed feel to it. It also has quite the collection of rarer rides: an Intamin mega-lite, a topple tower and an ABC tilt tower.
8. Chessington World of Adventures
A testament to the greatness of Chessington is that it doesn't really have any amazing rides, but I always have a good day out there. Despite the themeing not being half of what it used to be like, Chessington still has something special. There's a good ratio of animal / ride attractions, plus plenty of family stuff that isn't too tame for adults to genuinely enjoy (Vampire, Kobra, Tomb Blaster, Dragon's Fury)
Sure, it's never going to get your adrenaline pumping, but it's got all the niceness that Thorpe Park lacks.
9. Liseberg
A large part of Liseberg's charm for me is its hill-side setting. The hill gives an added edge to their more familiar ride-types (Screaming swing, log flume, drop tower etc) by creating a more dynamic sense of height.
It works amazingly on Helix too. One minute you are racing across the terrain, next minute you are soaring over an airtime hill looking down on the rest of the park. At night, with everything lit up, is when the park feels like it's in its element. It takes on a real 'classic' amusement park charm.
10. Six Flags Great Adventure
Everyone always seems to complain about Six Flags, so I had low expectations for this place and was pleasantly surprised. But then I've only visited this park during Halloween, so their good themeing efforts from that may have pushed it higher than it should be.
Aside from a brilliant selection of coasters, the park had a warm, friendly atmosphere and the staff were really enthusiastic.
For a massive park, the layout was easy to get to grips with and I liked how some of their B+M's (such as Bizarro) are hidden away in the corners of the park.
1. Efteling
For me, 'the magic' is just as important as the coasters at a theme park. From the minute I walked through Efteling's iconic entrance I was spellbound. Having visited 53 theme parks I've noticed myself become harder to impress, but Efteling was so captivating that the overly-critical part of my enthusiast brain just switched off entirely.
I love how unique the park feels, and the imaginative ways in which they tell stories through their rides. So much love for this place <3
2. Alton Towers
It should be Universal Islands of Adventure here, but my sentiment for Alton Towers pushes it up to number 2. I've been visiting Alton Towers annually since I was child and I still get a shiver of excitement down my spine when I board the monorail. It just makes me sad that A: The Smiler is so disappointing, and B: that the majority of it's themed areas now lack depth and consistency.
For example, just look at The Dark Forrest concept art:
And compare it to what it actually looks like:
I know this is a make-shift walkway to deal with Rita's cable snap - but that cable snap happened in 2012 and the area still looks like this. Why haven't they made an effort to spruce it up? Why haven't they tried to blend in Rita more with the Dark Forrest theme? The whole thing just feels slap dash when it could have been brilliant.
It's just frustrating, because when Alton Towers do get it right, they are capable of building amazing rides within their beautiful grounds, and the result is like no other.
3. Universal Islands of Adventure
Unlike ECG, I don't count the 2 Universal parks in Florida as one, because they have 2 distinctly different atmospheres to me. When I think of Universal Studios, I think of lots of warehouses painted in neutral colours. Whereas Islands of Adventure is the more visually striking park, with it's jagged coaster skyline and the bright colours of Seuss Landing, Marvel Island and Toon Laggoon.
To be fair, I haven't visited since the Studios expanded Springfield and built Diagon Alley. But I consider Universal Studios to be the 'indoorsy' park and I.O.A. 'outdoorsy'.
Anyway, Islands of Adventure is home to pretty much all of my fave I.P.'s - Dr. Seuss, Harry Potter and Marvel, and the park does great justice to all of them. The technology of their dark rides is astounding. Their water rides are the best of the best. The themeing is so immense it's like stepping into another world. Not to mention the 3 fab B+M's dotted at either end of the island!
4. Parc Asterix
Imagine an entire theme park based upon your favourite childhood books. That's what Parc Asterix is to me. It's my Disneyland. But all I.P. bias aside, the park is a wonderful place with a great selection of rides.
Whether it's the incredibly themed-madhouse, the quirky interactive log flume, or one of the best B+M inverts in the world, every ride comes with a layer of humour and fun thrown on top.
Each of the themed areas are well-kept and consistent, and it seems every corner you turn there are little touches that will make you smile. With everything they build, they pay a lot of attention to detail with the Asterix brand. All this place needs is to re-vamp it's ghost train and to replace Gouderix with a decent new coaster, and then it would be perfect.
5. Phantasialand
I love Phantasialand, it's such a stand-out park in terms of originality, atmosphere and themeing. Each area is captivating it's its own way; and boy do they know how to dress up a ride! Never has a top-spin looked so appealing as Talocan <3
The only issue with Phantasia for me, is that their older rides noticeably bring down the high standard that their recent rides set.
Temple of The Nighthawk and Geister Rikscha are pretty dire, for example. Also, on a quiet day, it can feel as though there's not *that* much there. But it's just a case of quality over quantity I think! It's my fave German park by a long shot.
6. Toverland
I wasn't expecting Toverland to be as magical as it is. There's so many smoke machines in use that it feels like a Sisters of Mercy concert! Even the rapids ride had 2 smoke machines <3 I agree that the park doesn't feel fully-realised yet, there's quite a lot of dead space between the indoor and outdoor sections. But the majority of what they do have is well-themed and features some of the greatest ride music ever.
7. Djurs Sommerland
With it's acres of grass and play areas, Djurs certainly puts the 'park' into theme park. Being a dog-friendly park, it also puts the 'bark' into theme park. One of my highlights this year was spotting the djogs of Djurs in between multiple rides on Piraten and Juvelen.
The areas fow nicely into each other, and the place just has a nice relaxed feel to it. It also has quite the collection of rarer rides: an Intamin mega-lite, a topple tower and an ABC tilt tower.
8. Chessington World of Adventures
A testament to the greatness of Chessington is that it doesn't really have any amazing rides, but I always have a good day out there. Despite the themeing not being half of what it used to be like, Chessington still has something special. There's a good ratio of animal / ride attractions, plus plenty of family stuff that isn't too tame for adults to genuinely enjoy (Vampire, Kobra, Tomb Blaster, Dragon's Fury)
Sure, it's never going to get your adrenaline pumping, but it's got all the niceness that Thorpe Park lacks.
9. Liseberg
A large part of Liseberg's charm for me is its hill-side setting. The hill gives an added edge to their more familiar ride-types (Screaming swing, log flume, drop tower etc) by creating a more dynamic sense of height.
It works amazingly on Helix too. One minute you are racing across the terrain, next minute you are soaring over an airtime hill looking down on the rest of the park. At night, with everything lit up, is when the park feels like it's in its element. It takes on a real 'classic' amusement park charm.
10. Six Flags Great Adventure
Everyone always seems to complain about Six Flags, so I had low expectations for this place and was pleasantly surprised. But then I've only visited this park during Halloween, so their good themeing efforts from that may have pushed it higher than it should be.
Aside from a brilliant selection of coasters, the park had a warm, friendly atmosphere and the staff were really enthusiastic.
For a massive park, the layout was easy to get to grips with and I liked how some of their B+M's (such as Bizarro) are hidden away in the corners of the park.
TheCoasterCruiser
Giga Poster
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6
Thought I would join this topic as well.
It's apparently kinda difficult to make a "proper" top ten, as many of my favorite parks are hard to compare
So I'm just gonna list the parks I find the best and try to give the reason why.
Europa Park - The thing this place got going for it is, that it is such a complete package. It's the resort stuff that puts it up here for me, the whole feel of being totally immersed even when you get back to your hotel.
Djurs Sommerland - For the sheer amount of development this park has been doing since 2008. It's an absolute joy to follow.
Fårup Sommerland - While there still is a couple of spots in the park that could be better, I love the atmosphere and the woodland feel of this place.
Tripsdrill - Great atmosphere in the first part of the park that kinda dies out in the big "coaster section".
Nonetheless it's a lovely place.
Phantasialand - Their latest attractions are among the finest of their type but this park also have a handful of almost embarrassing rides along with a ridiculous entrance price.
PortAventura - With some of the most immersive themed areas, this is a theme park in every sense of the word.
Liseberg - Classy and old-school theme park feel with a good line up, of not only coasters, but also flat rides.
Heide Park - Impressive collection of coasters but also badly influenced by Merlin.
Bakken - I've been visiting ever since I can remember and this park will probably always have a special place in my heart.
In the summer, when the park is full and the rides are going, the atmosphere is something for itself.
Tivoli Gardens - Another amusement park, that's just as unique as it's classic.
Thought I would join this topic as well.
It's apparently kinda difficult to make a "proper" top ten, as many of my favorite parks are hard to compare
So I'm just gonna list the parks I find the best and try to give the reason why.
Europa Park - The thing this place got going for it is, that it is such a complete package. It's the resort stuff that puts it up here for me, the whole feel of being totally immersed even when you get back to your hotel.
Djurs Sommerland - For the sheer amount of development this park has been doing since 2008. It's an absolute joy to follow.
Fårup Sommerland - While there still is a couple of spots in the park that could be better, I love the atmosphere and the woodland feel of this place.
Tripsdrill - Great atmosphere in the first part of the park that kinda dies out in the big "coaster section".
Nonetheless it's a lovely place.
Phantasialand - Their latest attractions are among the finest of their type but this park also have a handful of almost embarrassing rides along with a ridiculous entrance price.
PortAventura - With some of the most immersive themed areas, this is a theme park in every sense of the word.
Liseberg - Classy and old-school theme park feel with a good line up, of not only coasters, but also flat rides.
Heide Park - Impressive collection of coasters but also badly influenced by Merlin.
Bakken - I've been visiting ever since I can remember and this park will probably always have a special place in my heart.
In the summer, when the park is full and the rides are going, the atmosphere is something for itself.
Tivoli Gardens - Another amusement park, that's just as unique as it's classic.
Barnsey
Roller Poster
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6
This is flipping difficult but here goes:
1. Tokyo DisneySea Predictable but worthy, an entrance that'll wow you like no other, a huge cruise ship as themeing/restaurant, amazing staff, Japanese Indiana Jones, a unique take on (and by far the most elaborately themed) Tower of Terror....it's just, well, truly lush and escapism perfected!
2. Europa Park This is how Europe does a proper theme park experience, which you literally can get lost in, so many details, a generally high level of quality, and ultimately many (not just a couple) very good rides. A bit patchy in a couple places but much better than most.
3. Six Flags Magic Mountain This was my first of the big (non-Disney/Universal) USA parks so there is inevitably a bit of nostalgia mixed in but I've never had a bad day here really, the entry prices are ridiculously low for the range of whats on offer, it retains some of it's original character although I admit that is disappearing fast, and I like the unique desert mountain setting. I just wish they still had Deja Vu.
4. Universal Orlando This park has won me back recently, with the addition of RRR, Transformers and now the Harry Potter Expansion, it's made an already favourite park even better. There's a heck of a heavy dose of nostalgia about this park for me yet again clouding my judgement though.
5. Cedar Point Contraversially behind SFMM, can't quite put my finger on it but for quality of attractions I'd say they're pretty much level, CP just lacks any sense of character to me, lots of open space and concrete, and it's always been insanely busy when we've gone at "off peak" times which makes getting round the attractions quite draining. Some amazing coasters of course but a few duds too, a nice location when the weather is good.
6. Islands of Adventure Despite the addition of Harry Potter, this is one of those "stuck in time" parks for me, lots of visits early on and then not a whole lot changed, so it became a little stale. Good to see they are finally adding the major Kong attraction but not too thrilled about another simulator if that's what it turns out to be, am I the only one not too impressed by Kong 3D at USH? Also I think the quality of theming is quite variable here, with some obviously amazing sections and some reasonably ok sections. Shame to hear that Hulk is getting very rough these days.
7. BGW/BGT I'm being really naughty here but these parks I just can't seperate from each other, somehow they've managed to make a European themed one in the North and an African themed one in the South but when I think about the parks there's very little I can say to distinguish them, both have maybe just 1 less impressive coaster in their line up which is quite a feat, unmatched anywhere in the World. I think BGW edges ahead in landscape and food (and a B&M Hyper) whilst BGT has the weather to back up it's theme along with Montu. Impossible really for me to put one ahead of the other.
8. Port Aventura This park is the most beautifully landscaped in Europe, quite exotic and certainly on a "Florida" level, with 2 great coasters and some others that'll break your back, but it's a very nice park to spend time in and very easy to get to from the UK. I was pleasantly surprised on my first visit as I didn't think something like this could have been built on this side of the pond. Can't wait for the Ferrari World addition having visited the original in Abu Dhabi.
9. Hershey Park Brilliant park, again another surprise for me and home to my now no.1 coaster, seemed to get all the elements right, a fantastic coaster line up which *crucially* they aren't afraid to run to their full potential. Bags of character and atmosphere too, good food, basically the best of it's kind (as in mid sized amusement park) in the States.
10. California Adventure I was going to stick Dollywood here but despite it's amazing location, food, theming and so on I just think the coaster selection is a little weak to tempt me back. This park on the other hand has Cars Land, which is the best Disney attraction in a very long time, finally they've spruced up the park a bit and made it into something worth re-visiting. Still convinced it needs just one more major attraction, but I enjoy the feel of the park despite it's relatively small size, and feel it's now really well balanced.
Nearly made it: Dollywood, Liseberg, Knoebels, SFGAdv, SFOG, Kennywood & Alton Towers
Still (and want) to visit: Belgium, Netherlands, Germany (excluding Europa), Denmark, Italy, Texas, Silver Dollar City, Carowinds, Canada, San Francisco area, Fuji Q, USJ, South Korea........much to do
This is flipping difficult but here goes:
1. Tokyo DisneySea Predictable but worthy, an entrance that'll wow you like no other, a huge cruise ship as themeing/restaurant, amazing staff, Japanese Indiana Jones, a unique take on (and by far the most elaborately themed) Tower of Terror....it's just, well, truly lush and escapism perfected!
2. Europa Park This is how Europe does a proper theme park experience, which you literally can get lost in, so many details, a generally high level of quality, and ultimately many (not just a couple) very good rides. A bit patchy in a couple places but much better than most.
3. Six Flags Magic Mountain This was my first of the big (non-Disney/Universal) USA parks so there is inevitably a bit of nostalgia mixed in but I've never had a bad day here really, the entry prices are ridiculously low for the range of whats on offer, it retains some of it's original character although I admit that is disappearing fast, and I like the unique desert mountain setting. I just wish they still had Deja Vu.
4. Universal Orlando This park has won me back recently, with the addition of RRR, Transformers and now the Harry Potter Expansion, it's made an already favourite park even better. There's a heck of a heavy dose of nostalgia about this park for me yet again clouding my judgement though.
5. Cedar Point Contraversially behind SFMM, can't quite put my finger on it but for quality of attractions I'd say they're pretty much level, CP just lacks any sense of character to me, lots of open space and concrete, and it's always been insanely busy when we've gone at "off peak" times which makes getting round the attractions quite draining. Some amazing coasters of course but a few duds too, a nice location when the weather is good.
6. Islands of Adventure Despite the addition of Harry Potter, this is one of those "stuck in time" parks for me, lots of visits early on and then not a whole lot changed, so it became a little stale. Good to see they are finally adding the major Kong attraction but not too thrilled about another simulator if that's what it turns out to be, am I the only one not too impressed by Kong 3D at USH? Also I think the quality of theming is quite variable here, with some obviously amazing sections and some reasonably ok sections. Shame to hear that Hulk is getting very rough these days.
7. BGW/BGT I'm being really naughty here but these parks I just can't seperate from each other, somehow they've managed to make a European themed one in the North and an African themed one in the South but when I think about the parks there's very little I can say to distinguish them, both have maybe just 1 less impressive coaster in their line up which is quite a feat, unmatched anywhere in the World. I think BGW edges ahead in landscape and food (and a B&M Hyper) whilst BGT has the weather to back up it's theme along with Montu. Impossible really for me to put one ahead of the other.
8. Port Aventura This park is the most beautifully landscaped in Europe, quite exotic and certainly on a "Florida" level, with 2 great coasters and some others that'll break your back, but it's a very nice park to spend time in and very easy to get to from the UK. I was pleasantly surprised on my first visit as I didn't think something like this could have been built on this side of the pond. Can't wait for the Ferrari World addition having visited the original in Abu Dhabi.
9. Hershey Park Brilliant park, again another surprise for me and home to my now no.1 coaster, seemed to get all the elements right, a fantastic coaster line up which *crucially* they aren't afraid to run to their full potential. Bags of character and atmosphere too, good food, basically the best of it's kind (as in mid sized amusement park) in the States.
10. California Adventure I was going to stick Dollywood here but despite it's amazing location, food, theming and so on I just think the coaster selection is a little weak to tempt me back. This park on the other hand has Cars Land, which is the best Disney attraction in a very long time, finally they've spruced up the park a bit and made it into something worth re-visiting. Still convinced it needs just one more major attraction, but I enjoy the feel of the park despite it's relatively small size, and feel it's now really well balanced.
Nearly made it: Dollywood, Liseberg, Knoebels, SFGAdv, SFOG, Kennywood & Alton Towers
Still (and want) to visit: Belgium, Netherlands, Germany (excluding Europa), Denmark, Italy, Texas, Silver Dollar City, Carowinds, Canada, San Francisco area, Fuji Q, USJ, South Korea........much to do
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6
I will emphasize that while I'm numbering, the margins are very tight - tough to discern between the great times I have had at all of these parks!
1. Silver Dollar City
2. Cedar Point
3. SFMM
4. Hersheypark
5. Dollywood
6. Disneyland
7. WDW Magic Kingdom
8. Islands of Adventure
9. SFFT
10. SFOT
I will emphasize that while I'm numbering, the margins are very tight - tough to discern between the great times I have had at all of these parks!
1. Silver Dollar City
2. Cedar Point
3. SFMM
4. Hersheypark
5. Dollywood
6. Disneyland
7. WDW Magic Kingdom
8. Islands of Adventure
9. SFFT
10. SFOT
Edward M
Strata Poster
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6
I think the biggest thing I did this year was find a love for theme parks again like Universal and Disney. I'm going to bold all the parks I went to this year even if I had been to them before.
1. Magic Kingdom
2. Islands of Adventure
3. Cedar Point
4. Silver Dollar City
5. Epcot
6. Disneyland
7. Port Aventura
8. Universal Studios Florida
9. Six Flags Fiesta Texas
10. Dollywood
11. Busch Gardens Tampa
I think the biggest thing I did this year was find a love for theme parks again like Universal and Disney. I'm going to bold all the parks I went to this year even if I had been to them before.
1. Magic Kingdom
2. Islands of Adventure
3. Cedar Point
4. Silver Dollar City
5. Epcot
6. Disneyland
7. Port Aventura
8. Universal Studios Florida
9. Six Flags Fiesta Texas
10. Dollywood
11. Busch Gardens Tampa
ThomVD
Giga Poster
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6
After recent trips, this is how I would rank all the parks I've been to. New for 2015 entries in bold.
1. Phantasialand
2. Efteling
3. Europa Park
4. Liseberg
5. Gröna Lund
6. Toverland
7. Plopsaland De Panne
8. Holiday Park
9. Bellewaerde
10. Walibi Holland
11. Movie Park Germany
12. Hellendoorn
13. Duinrell
14. Drievliet
15. Plopsa Indoor Coevorden
16. Slagharen
After recent trips, this is how I would rank all the parks I've been to. New for 2015 entries in bold.
1. Phantasialand
2. Efteling
3. Europa Park
4. Liseberg
5. Gröna Lund
6. Toverland
7. Plopsaland De Panne
8. Holiday Park
9. Bellewaerde
10. Walibi Holland
11. Movie Park Germany
12. Hellendoorn
13. Duinrell
14. Drievliet
15. Plopsa Indoor Coevorden
16. Slagharen