FistedColossus
Hyper Poster
They could be a lot worse but they are crap compared to other modern lap restraints.
Your Least Common Opinion?
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RevolutionRuleZ
Mega Poster
I love the Grand National, rate Baco very very highly, didn't have a problem with Corkscrew, Ultimate or Wild Mouse.
I find Icon to be over-rated and rather dull in a lot of places.
I find Icon to be over-rated and rather dull in a lot of places.
Matt N
CF Legend
I’m surprised I haven’t made it back to this thread since coming back from Florida just under a month ago, as I did gain some potentially uncommon opinions on my recent trip! These include:
- Skull Island: Reign of Kong is awesome, and definitely one of the highlights of Universal Orlando’s dark ride lineup, in my view!
- Mako is still my favourite coaster in Florida even having ridden VelociCoaster and Iron Gwazi, although VelociCoaster comes in at a very close second. And to be honest, I’m sometimes not wholly sure whether I prefer Mako or VC… they were both sublime!
- Pipeline: The Surf Coaster didn’t really do it for me, and I wouldn’t say it was any more comfortable than an older standup coaster (however, my only frame of reference there is Shockwave at Drayton Manor; I haven’t ridden any of the older B&M ones to compare).
- Ice Breaker was fantastic, with some surprisingly excellent airtime and an overall brilliant ride experience! However, it should be noted that I rode without the comfort collars.
- The two Universal Orlando parks are comfortably my two favourites in the state of Florida, and easily ahead of any of the Disney parks for me.
- I comfortably prefer Gringotts to Forbidden Journey out of the two Harry Potter dark rides, and I dare say that Forbidden Journey was my least favourite of the three major IOA dark rides I did during the trip (Spider-Man, Kong and FJ).
- Of the “traditional” dark rides I’ve ridden, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man comfortably remains my favourite, even though plenty of newer dark rides have been built since. I’d say that Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios still clinches it for my favourite non-coaster overall, but that’s more for the brilliance of the drop tower aspect, and I wouldn’t really call it a “traditional dark ride” per se.
- Even though neither ride is anything spectacular, I don’t think Jimmy Fallon and Fast & Furious quite deserve the sheer degree of hate they often get. Fallon in particular is a perfectly fine, albeit unremarkable, simulator. I didn’t particularly rate F&F, although I still didn’t think that it was the absolute abortion that it’s often made out to be.
AidanCKY
Mega Poster
I really can't understand how you rate Mako so highly but hey ho. I find that ride just "Okay"
EmmaUK
Mega Poster
Are these that uncommon though?
- Most people I know really liked Skull Island
- Most people really like Mako. Sure maybe not as highly as VelociCoaster, but it does seem to be highly rated. I think it'd be more uncommon if you were saying you preferred Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit to VelociCoaster
- Pipeline doesn't seem to be getting great reviews
- The two Universal Parks being above all of the Disney Parks is fairly common among Goons (and even my non-goon GF). Sure I'd put AK above USF
- Does anyone actually like Forbidden Journey? I'm yet to meet a person that didn't prefer Gringotts to it (not that Gringotts is great). FJ is basically a vomit machine
- Spiderman is brilliant, and as far as dark rides go, I think many people would be with you on that
- Jimmy Fallon and F&F are awful, but I think your opinion of "they're not that bad" isn't that out there. I mean if you were saying that they were better than Spiderman then sure, I'd say you were certifiable
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Tonkso
Hyper Poster
I enjoyed Forbidden Journey, it was very different and didn't make me feel nauseous at all, but yes Gringots is better even if it did leave me wanting more.
Mako is disappointing, it's great fun as any hyper should be but that trim just frustrated me. It didn't need to be there.
Kong was awful, that whole ride design (F&F is even worse) just doesn't make for a good experience if you get the wrong seat.
Mako is disappointing, it's great fun as any hyper should be but that trim just frustrated me. It didn't need to be there.
Kong was awful, that whole ride design (F&F is even worse) just doesn't make for a good experience if you get the wrong seat.
Matt N
CF Legend
I guess some of my opinions are less uncommon than I’d thought! Perhaps I just gleam consensus opinions from different circles?
It’s probably in a reasonably close battle with Revenge of the Mummy for my favourite attraction at USF, and it’s probably my 2nd or 3rd favourite dark ride at Universal (behind Spider-Man and possibly Mummy, if it counts). If you view it solely as a coaster, then I’ll admit that it’s not the greatest track and train coaster ever, but the 3D is phenomenal, the physical sets are just stunning and really well integrated with the screens, and overall, I think it’s a fantastic ride that comes together really well and produces a stunning themed product!
- I was led to believe that Kong was in the same “absolutely dire” average review bracket as F&F and Fallon before riding, so I was incredibly surprised to like it as much as I did. It never typically reviews very well, from what I can see.
- I know that Mako is typically quite highly rated, but I went to Florida hearing that “VelociCoaster and Iron Gwazi trump everything else by an absolute mile”, and I was under the impression that RMC and Intamin Blitz both comfortably obliterate B&M Hyper in most cases, so I was slightly surprised to come out of Florida with Mako still being my favourite coaster.
- I guess Pipeline isn’t getting crazily hyped reviews like VelociCoaster or Iron Gwazi, but I’d say that it’s been getting overall very positive reviews, from what I gather, with most having an overall pretty positive opinion of the ride. If you look at Captain Coaster, for example, its average rating out of 21 riders is 4-4.5/5, whereas I gave it a 2.5/5 and am something like its 2nd or 3rd lowest rater on the site.
- My view of the whole “Universal vs Disney” debate could be a bit out of date post-Chapek and post-VelociCoaster, but whenever I saw debates on the topic in the past, it seemed like Disney would almost always win for the majority. Among Universal’s parks, USF in particular often seems to be derided as one of the weakest, if not the weakest, major park in Florida, but it’s actually my 2nd favourite, with IOA taking the top spot.
- Forbidden Journey is an interesting one. Prior to VelociCoaster and Hagrid’s, I often heard it referred to as the crown jewel of Universal, and a notable evolution past the likes of Spider-Man. It also won “Best Dark Ride” at the Golden Ticket Awards for at least a few years after its opening, if I’m remembering correctly, and in general, it seems to be revered as one of the world’s greatest dark rides and one of Universal’s best ever attractions. People also generally seem to like it far more than Gringotts. However, I wasn’t a fan of that jerky robo arm ride system myself, and while there are some impressive physical sets and effects on it, I didn’t think that the experience gelled quite as seamlessly and was quite as impressive overall as things like Spider-Man and Gringotts.
It’s probably in a reasonably close battle with Revenge of the Mummy for my favourite attraction at USF, and it’s probably my 2nd or 3rd favourite dark ride at Universal (behind Spider-Man and possibly Mummy, if it counts). If you view it solely as a coaster, then I’ll admit that it’s not the greatest track and train coaster ever, but the 3D is phenomenal, the physical sets are just stunning and really well integrated with the screens, and overall, I think it’s a fantastic ride that comes together really well and produces a stunning themed product!
EmmaUK
Mega Poster
I genuinely don’t know whether having “common opinions” is a good or bad thing. I mean we all like to be individual and have individual thought. But on the other hand herd mentality really is a thing.
Have to say though Matt, knowing your opinions (not just from this thread but many threads) there’s not a thing wrong with any of them. And sure RMCs are great (well, except single rail, which meh), and sure Intamin blitz / multi launch are great (mostly - cheetah hunt in good but not great imo), but there’s not a single thing wrong with loving a nice B&M hyper. Shammy B is my no3, after only El Toro and Velocicoaster, above every RMC I’ve done. That sweet sweet floater over the first few hills really is something to love. There isn’t a thing wrong with having a B&M as your no1
Matt N
CF Legend
I apologise in advance, as I can sense that this may generate some anger, but extending from a post I made in the "Good parks you just don't vibe with" thread (https://coasterforce.com/forums/threads/good-parks-that-you-just-dont-vibe-with.46111/#post-1158328), I have a highly controversial view on the UK theme park industry.
While I agree that the future of these two parks is very exciting and the current standard of additions shows a lot of promise, and I of course accept that everyone holds different opinions, I sometimes feel that the Paultons Park/Drayton Manor hype drive goes a bit overboard and that the Merlin parks receive an unfair amount of criticism.
Don't get me wrong, Drayton Manor and Paultons Park are doing a lot of things right at present. Paultons Park in particular was a park that I had a highly pleasant experience at on my one and only visit in July 2021; it's a very wholesome-feeling park with a solid selection of family rides and some very nice themed areas, with Tornado Springs in particular being brilliantly executed. Drayton Manor is also showing real promise at the moment, with the 2024 coaster sounding like a nice addition to the park and Adventure Cove and Vikings providing nice spruce-ups to their respective areas of the park.
However, it feels like Paultons and Drayton are currently held up by many as parks that are unquestionably beating Merlin in every aspect, and as saviours that can do no wrong, and I don't personally agree that they are necessarily matching the standard of some of the stuff produced by Merlin at this moment in time. I also feel that Merlin are sometimes unfairly criticised, and I do sometimes wonder if some Merlin additions would be far more positively received if they were built at either of these two parks.
For instance, I would raise The World of Jumanji at Chessington. This land is getting widely negative reviews, but while I admit that I have not yet seen the land in person, I think that it looks brilliant, from what I've seen of it. It looks like it has lots of little details strewn throughout, quite a bit of nice landscaping, some really nice theming and a huge 50ft jaguar statue that breathes smoke at its centre! On paper at least, it looks to me like quite an impressive and nicely executed land, yet it seems to be getting quite negative reviews. Rightly or wrongly, I can't help but wonder whether the reception would be the same had Paultons or Drayton built the land, as their new land projects are getting nothing but phenomenally superlative reviews despite arguably being less impressive on paper in some cases.
I also often hear people say that themed investments like Vikings at Drayton Manor and Tornado Springs at Paultons Park are "worlds better than any themed attraction Merlin have ever produced", and I must admit that I personally disagree. While I agree that these areas are very nicely executed by their respective parks, with Tornado Springs in particular being brilliantly themed and exhibiting impressive attention to detail, I still don't think that Paultons Park and Drayton Manor are producing themed attractions on quite the level of some of the stuff that Merlin have produced. I look at themed attractions like Wicker Man, The Swarm, The Curse at Alton Manor, Saw The Ride and others, and personally, I don't think that Paultons Park or Drayton Manor have yet produced themed attractions on that kind of level.
Before I ramble on for too long, my basic point is; while the parks' trajectories look bright and the standard of new additions is undeniably promising, I do feel that the hype for Paultons Park and Drayton Manor sometimes goes a tad overboard and that Merlin are sometimes unfairly criticised. This isn't meant as a dig at Paultons/Drayton or as an indication that Merlin are perfect, but controversially, I do personally disagree with the widely espoused rhetoric that Paultons and Drayton can do no wrong and are beating Merlin in every conceivable way.
While I agree that the future of these two parks is very exciting and the current standard of additions shows a lot of promise, and I of course accept that everyone holds different opinions, I sometimes feel that the Paultons Park/Drayton Manor hype drive goes a bit overboard and that the Merlin parks receive an unfair amount of criticism.
Don't get me wrong, Drayton Manor and Paultons Park are doing a lot of things right at present. Paultons Park in particular was a park that I had a highly pleasant experience at on my one and only visit in July 2021; it's a very wholesome-feeling park with a solid selection of family rides and some very nice themed areas, with Tornado Springs in particular being brilliantly executed. Drayton Manor is also showing real promise at the moment, with the 2024 coaster sounding like a nice addition to the park and Adventure Cove and Vikings providing nice spruce-ups to their respective areas of the park.
However, it feels like Paultons and Drayton are currently held up by many as parks that are unquestionably beating Merlin in every aspect, and as saviours that can do no wrong, and I don't personally agree that they are necessarily matching the standard of some of the stuff produced by Merlin at this moment in time. I also feel that Merlin are sometimes unfairly criticised, and I do sometimes wonder if some Merlin additions would be far more positively received if they were built at either of these two parks.
For instance, I would raise The World of Jumanji at Chessington. This land is getting widely negative reviews, but while I admit that I have not yet seen the land in person, I think that it looks brilliant, from what I've seen of it. It looks like it has lots of little details strewn throughout, quite a bit of nice landscaping, some really nice theming and a huge 50ft jaguar statue that breathes smoke at its centre! On paper at least, it looks to me like quite an impressive and nicely executed land, yet it seems to be getting quite negative reviews. Rightly or wrongly, I can't help but wonder whether the reception would be the same had Paultons or Drayton built the land, as their new land projects are getting nothing but phenomenally superlative reviews despite arguably being less impressive on paper in some cases.
I also often hear people say that themed investments like Vikings at Drayton Manor and Tornado Springs at Paultons Park are "worlds better than any themed attraction Merlin have ever produced", and I must admit that I personally disagree. While I agree that these areas are very nicely executed by their respective parks, with Tornado Springs in particular being brilliantly themed and exhibiting impressive attention to detail, I still don't think that Paultons Park and Drayton Manor are producing themed attractions on quite the level of some of the stuff that Merlin have produced. I look at themed attractions like Wicker Man, The Swarm, The Curse at Alton Manor, Saw The Ride and others, and personally, I don't think that Paultons Park or Drayton Manor have yet produced themed attractions on that kind of level.
Before I ramble on for too long, my basic point is; while the parks' trajectories look bright and the standard of new additions is undeniably promising, I do feel that the hype for Paultons Park and Drayton Manor sometimes goes a tad overboard and that Merlin are sometimes unfairly criticised. This isn't meant as a dig at Paultons/Drayton or as an indication that Merlin are perfect, but controversially, I do personally disagree with the widely espoused rhetoric that Paultons and Drayton can do no wrong and are beating Merlin in every conceivable way.
Flash Shift
Mega Poster
Rita is the best ride at Alton Towers
I couldn't possibly agree with this, but I have appreciated Rita more and more as I get older. For some reason I hated it when it first came out, I guess because it didn't and still doesn't fit the vibe of the area. It is overly short, doesn't do much with its layout, and was placed in with no thought or reason, but it's still got a punchy launch and some nice fast transitions.
Matt N
CF Legend
I don’t rate it as my personal favourite, but I can certainly see why you would!Rita is the best ride at Alton Towers
I never used to like it, but it’s really grown on me in recent years. The launch is awesome, the pacing is so fast, and there is a fair amount of fantastic airtime!
Coastiesaurus
Roller Poster
I don't disagree with what you say entirely. I *love* Paultons and everything that the management have done with the place over the past decade or so. But perhaps the real test will come when they have to implement a big budget Intamin or B&M thrill coaster, or something of that ilk.
What I would say however is this: I had one visit to Paultons last year and one visist to Chessington, and the difference in experience was STARK. At Paultons, myself and my 5 year old did a total of 25 rides, and we had a lengthy lunch (v. good standard of food in the diner) and he played in the soft play for 30 mins. And I don't think there was a single ride down (at least not one that was down for a significant length of time). At Chessington, the Gruffalo was down all morning, the log flume was out of action all day, our lunch was average at best and we actually got stuck on Zoofari for 45 mins as the doors refused to open right after the scene in the big shed. After being evacuated we weren't even offered obligatory fastrack tickets until another person who was stuck kicked up a bit of a fuss about it. And when leaving the car park the situation was an absolute mess - lots of cars leaving at the same time and only one member of staff whose sole purpose was to ensure people had paid to park. So I think that when people praise Paultons and criticise Merlin, that is the type of thing they are getting at. Paultons isn't just good because they put a few good themed lands in. It's good because their maintenance standards are superlative and the cleanliness of the park is next level.
I also disagree when you say that places like Tornado Springs aren't as impressive as Merlin's themed areas. To put another slant on it, consider this - I guarantee that in 5 years time, Tornado Springs will still look as good as it does now, maybe even better as I wouldn't put it past Paultons to keep on adding little things to it. Whereas if you visit the World of Jumanji in 5 years time, I can almost 100% guarantee that we will be saying 'it needs a lick of paint' and other things like that will be noticeable. Merlin spend big on impressive 'splash' additions to their parks but rarely do they maintain them properly, meaning that the immersiveness degrades over time until they get round to jazzing it up again. I hope I'm not sounding to critical of Merlin, I really do love a lot of their attractions but I find that too often this is my experience when I visit, and why visiting places like Paultons feels like such a breath of fresh air!
Trooper Looper
Roller Poster
Definitely agree with all of this. While Merlin can do really high quality stuff, a lot of cases in their rides, they have highs and lows in them and its VERY noticeable, while Paultons seems to focus more on consistency, which I think is more beneficial in the long term. I'd rather pick a park with great consistency and maintenance rather than most Merlin Parks no matter how high the quality is sometimes aside from Legoland, which they seem to actually do a great job at managing and looking after.
Efan
Mega Poster
'Mingo is underrated. In terms of roller coasters, Sik is a great multi-inversion coaster, velocity is a good launcher, Mumbo Jumbo is a decent wild mouse-style coaster (though a tad short), Kumali is good (smoother than the other SLCs in the UK, which I don't even find that bad) and Hero didn't make me want to end myself - although it's obviously not great. Combine that with a good selection of kiddie rides (Twistosaurus was a stand-out), a decent atmosphere and a full-on zoo, I think this is a park well worth the day trip. The only problem I had with the park were the ABHORRENT operations (timed an 8-minute dispatch on Kumali!). Overall, though, this is my 4th favourite park in the UK, which is higher than it seems most people rank it.
English Coaster Guy
Roller Poster
Rita is the best ride at Alton Towers
It's actually hard to disagree with this. The last few times I've been on it I've learnt to appreciate it much more. The twisty airtime hills are decent, perhaps some of the best airtime we've got in the UK. Something really satisfying about ducking in and out of the trees as well.
In a weird way it feels like an incredibly sophisticated backyard rollercoaster.
The launch, by modern standards, is quite slow. Plus I drive a Tesla so I've got 0-60mph pretty much at Rita speed whenever I want. It has kind of ruined launches for me though, even Stealth feels less impressive.
EmmaUK
Mega Poster
How do you find the Tesla Driver in the room? Don't worry they'll tell you
More seriously - I do agree with you about Rita. I always thought it was underrated, and in a Alton Towers with no Nemesis, its certainly in the reckoning
English Coaster Guy
Roller Poster
How do you find the Tesla Driver in the room? Don't worry they'll tell you
More seriously - I do agree with you about Rita. I always thought it was underrated, and in a Alton Towers with no Nemesis, its certainly in the reckoning
**cries in zero emmission**
That tickled me. It was relevant to the discussion though. RITA would hands down be my number 1 at AT if the launch had more of a kick!
