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Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

andrus said:
ThomVD said:
Efteling is also much more of a family park, while Phantasialand is more of a thrill park.
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I do however not agree on this one! Apart from one fierce coaster (Black Mamba) and the suspended topspin Phantasialand only got family rides. While Efteling used to only got family rides; they now also possess a thrilling B&M dive machine. It just happens to be that Colorado Adventure, Winjas, Chiapas, River Adventure etc are really great rides enjoyable for families and enthusiasts alike! :--D
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I guess I should say Phantasialand is a family-thrill park. Surely it's not like a Six Flags/Cedar Fair park with thrill rides all over, but I visited the park with a couple of people who don't do coasters or flats, and with Chiapas' drop being quite intimidating as well, there was very little that Phantasialand had to offer. The dark rides are mostly crap, and there is very little walkthrough-ish stuff.

I would say Efteling is the best family park I've ever visited. It literally has something for anyone, and you can easily spend most of the day in the park without riding any coaster. They have a couple of great dark rides too. Tripsdrill is probably the closest to Efteling in that aspect. Particularly the first half has so much lovely stuff and secrets to explore, that make it a wonderful place for anyone. Plopsaland de Panne is also a great family park like that, to a lesser extend. It has plenty of family stuff, but lacks the charm of Efteling and Tripsdrill.

I find Joris more of a thrill than Baron to be honest. Much more pacey and fast. Both are fantastic family-thrill coasters that suit the park perfectly.
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

ThomVD said:
I visited the park with a couple of people who don't do coasters or flats, and with Chiapas' drop being quite intimidating as well, there was very little that Phantasialand had to offer. The dark rides are mostly crap, and there is very little walkthrough-ish stuff.
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Of course; if you don't do any rides at all than Phantasialand is not the place to go.. :p But if you enjoy rides, which the majority of folks do, then Phantasia is a most wonderfull place!

I actually forgot about Python in my last comparison, which is a multi-looper with the same amount of inversions as Black Mamba although a lot rougher, probably making it the more physically straining coaster out of the two. Add to that the (near) vertical drop of Baron, which imo makes it the most intimidating looking ride out of both parks, and the fact that the aforementioned Winjas, Colorado and Chiapas are no more intense than Joris and I would say the parks are very equal in terms of "thrill/intimidation-factor". Unless you don't do rides that is.
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

Python is probably one of the least thrilling rides in Efteling, but I guess the GP doesn't think that way :p Though I do hear more and more random people saying "Wow, that was much more intense than Python" after a ride on Joris. But I still think Phantasialand has much more of a thrill factor than Efteling.

And there are more kind of rides than just coasters, flats and small kiddie rides :wink: I just think Phantasialand is really lacking in non-coaster family rides. They only have Maus and River Quest, and even that scares some people off. I do agree that Phantasialand is one of the most amazing parks ever though <3 It's tied with Efteling for my #1, I rank Efteling higher because it's just closer to my heart, with the best atmosphere of any park I've been to.
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

For me It would be
1) Broadway Amusement Rides
2) Beto Carrero World
3) Parque De La Costa
4) Fantasilandia
5) Hopi Hari
6) Playcenter
7) Universal Orlando
8) Six flags great america
9) Busch Gardens tampa
10) Magic Kingdom
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

After a visit to Disneyland this weekend,

1. Disneyland
2. Magic Kingdom
3. Epcot
4. Islands of Adventure
5. Cedar Point
6. Silver Dollar City
7. California Adventure
8. Port Aventura
9. Universal Studios Florida
10. Animal Kingdom
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

1. Alton Towers
2. Port Aventura
3. Plopsa de Panne
4. Disneyland Paris
5. Thorpe Park
6. Adventure Island
7. Chessington World Of Adventures
8. Blackpool Pleasure Beach
9. Legoland Windsor
10. New Pleasureland
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

1. Efteling
2. Phantasialand
3. Gröna Lund
4. Liseberg
5. Europa Park
6. Tripsdrill
7. PowerPark
8. Toverland
9. Plopsaland De Panne
10. Holiday Park
11. Bellewaerde
12. Walibi Holland
13. Linnanmäki
14. Plopsa Coo
15. Särkänniemi
16. Movie Park Germany
17. Walibi Belgium
18. Tayto Park
19. Bobbejaanland
20. Hellendoorn

Update Finland/Ireland/Sweden.

PowerPark is so surprisingly good! Such an excellent selection of rides.

Tayto Park has one amazing coaster and not a lot of other rides, but I enjoyed the do-it-yourself stuff and the overall humour and feel of the park. It's not particularly amazing (yet), but Cú Chulainn automatically makes me prefer it over Bobbejaanland.

Both Liseberg and Gröna Lund have gone up after my visits this week. Liseberg was as good as I remember. Helix was even better than I remembered though and blew my mind again. The airtime is better than on any other coaster I've ridden and it's just so impressive. Liseberg really is in its element at night and it's just such a pleasant park with an impressive selection of rides. Europa Park didn't really have much of a lasting impression after my first visit so it drops two spots. It just lacks soul to me, but hopefully I will change my mind after my visit in Oct.

Gröna Lund, however, blew me away the way it did when I first visited. Liseberg definitely has a superior ride selection, but when it comes to the atmosphere and park-feel, Gröna Lund is actually one of my all time favourites. It starts when you go to the park by ferry. What a way to build up anticipation by slowly sailing towards the park over Stockholm's water, hearing the sounds of the coasters and the screaming. During the day in the sun, the park is lovely. The setting in the middle of Stockholm (which is one of my fave places I've been to), the way it's surrounded by water, is just beautiful.

During the sunset the park gets even more gorgeous. With the boardwalk area you get such great views, and it's stunning. Then when the night falls, and all the rides are lit up and going round and round, doing their thing. That's when the atmosphere truly gets surreal. It's something that needs to be experienced to be understood, but it's just beautiful. Eclipse during the night is one of the most mindblowingly gorgeous things I've done all year. Then, when the day is over, you take the ferry back and see the lit up park slowly drifting away from you. It really made me feel sad leaving a park, more than any other park I've been to. My day in Gröna Lund was easily the best park day I've had this year, only rivaled by the one in Tripsdrill. On top of all that, the staff is very friendly and the rides are mostly of high quality. What a place <3

There is a fair chance Liseberg will be overtaken again by Europa Park, but I don't see it topping Gröna Lund to be honest.
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

Visited Alabama Splash Adventure this weekend which was great. Visited in 2015 in bold.

1. Disneyland
2. Magic Kingdom
3. Epcot
4. Islands of Adventure
5. Cedar Point
6. Silver Dollar City
7. California Adventure
8. Port Aventura
9. Universal Studios Florida
10. Alabama Splash Adventure
11. Animal Kingdom
12. Six Flags Fiesta Texas
13. Dollywood
14. Busch Gardens Tampa
15. Disney's Hollywood Studios
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

Jarrett said:
1. Cedar Point
2. Holiday World
3. Busch Gardens Tampa
4. Canada's Wonderland
5. Dollywood
6. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
7. Kings Island
8. Kentucky Kingdom
9. Carowinds
10. Kings Dominion
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Got a few to add...

1. Cedar Point
2. Hersheypark
3. Holiday World
4. Busch Gardens Tampa
5. Canada's Wonderland
6. Knoebels
7. Dollywood
8. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
9. Kings Island
10. Kentucky Kingdom
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

1: Phantasialand
2: Hersheypark
3: Liseberg
4: Universal Orlando Resort
5: Busch Gardens Tampa
6: Cedar Point
7: Heide Park
8: Alton Towers
9: Europa Park
10: Plopsaland De Panne
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2014 Edition

An update after my recent trip out west. I've been to Lagoon before, but didn't get to enjoy the whole park as much as I did this time around.

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. Lagoon*
15. Busch Gardens Tampa
16. Djurs Sommerland
17. Liseberg
18. Six Flags Fiesta Texas
19. Knoebels
20. Nigloland

* - New additions to my Top 20
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

I haven't been to a lot of these in quite a ling time. Trying not to let additions post visit to influence the rankings.
1. Magic Kingdom
2. Disneyland Paris
3. Epcot
4. Efteling
5. Islands of Adventure
6. Phantasialand
7. Disney's Animal Kingdom
8. Alton Towers
9. Disney Hollywood Studios
10. Universal Studios Florida

Visited in 2015 = bold
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2014 Edition

Smithy said:
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.
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Liseberg goes in at 2. If I'd had a visit at night it'd probably just pip PA, but the climate and experiences at PA just swing it for me. Beautiful park, two stunning coasters, just a gorgeous park.

Pleasurewood Hills and Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach don't really get close to top ten. Drayton was as bad this year as I remembered it in that post, if not worse.
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

Been a while since I posted in here. I try and take everything into consideration when deciding on my list such as coasters, theming, atmosphere etc. but it boils down to how good of a time I had on the day.

1. Busch Gardens Tampa
2. Efteling
3. Liseberg
4. Alton Towers
5. Port Aventura
6. Epcot
7. Disneyland Park, Paris
8. Universal Studios, Orlando
9. Islands of Adventure
10. Thorpe Park
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

Phantasialand is my new favorite park! :D

1. Phantasialand
2. SFMM
3. Europa Park
4. Mirabilandia
5. Efteling
6. Erlebnispark Tripsdrill
7. Toverland
8. Pleasure Beach, Blackpool
9. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
10. Walibi Holland
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

I do have a hard time believing how Alton Towers could possibly be worse than Walibi, but to each their own :wink:
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

I didn't really enjoy myself at Alton Towers. It's by no means a bad park, but it was a bit over its capacity the day I've visited. And it is those days that the flaws of such (chain-operated) parks show. I should re-visit on some off-day, just to fully enjoy what parks has to offer, rather than standing in 1h+ long lines to get all of the coasters. Ugh...
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

My top 10 parks:

1.Port Aventura
2.Canada's Wonderland
3.Alton Towers
4.Disneyland Paris
5.Powerpark
6.Legoland Windsor
7.Tivoli Gardens
8.Linnanmäki
9.Legoland Billund
10.Särkänniemi

Easily Port Aventura is the best amusement park i've ever visited! Really want to go in 2016/2017 because Ferrari Land...
 
Re: Top 10 Theme/Amusement Parks: 2015 Edition page 6

Guess it's time to make one:

1) Holiday World
2) Dollywood
3) Silver Dollar City
4) Hersheypark
5) Cedar Point
6) Six Flags Great America
7) EPCOT
8) Hollywood Studios FL
9) Magic Kingdom FL
10) Six Flags St. Louis

I really need to travel more...
 
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