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Your Year in Review: 2019 edition on page 5

  • Coaster count at start of 2018: 116 or so
  • Coaster count at end of 2018: 139
  • New credits obtained in 2018: 23 or so
  • New parks visited in 2018: 3 (Universal Studios Florida, Holiday World, Six Flags Over Texas)
  • Days spent in a theme park in 2018: technically 7 (2x Holiday World, 1x Hersheypark, 1x Family Kingdom, 1x Islands of Adventure, 1x Universal Studios Florida, 1x Six Flags Over Texas)
  • Favorite new ride of 2018: The Voyage at Holiday World
  • Favorite new park of 2018: Holiday World
  • Highlight of 2018: Holiwood Nights or the Electric Light Orchestra concert (read below), need I say much more?
  • Biggest surprise of 2018: Going to a surprise (only found out about it 15 mins before we were leaving) concert of my favorite band, Electric Light Orchestra, in Dallas, Texas, at the end of my summer.
 
  • Coaster Count at start of 2018: I don't actually remember, maybe like 140?
  • Coaster Count at end of 2018: 218
  • New Credits obtained in 2018: 78
  • New Parks visited in 2018: 7 (KI, CP, WOF, Adventureland IA, KD, Dollywood, BGT)
  • Days spent in a theme park in 2018: 27 or 28
  • Favorite new ride of 2018: Fury 325, followed closely by SteVe
  • Favorite new park of 2018: Dollywood
  • Highlight of 2018: Finally getting able to go to Cedar Point.
  • Biggest surprise of 2018: Just how good Kumba is.
 
Late to the party but 2018 has been amazing for me!

Highlights include:


- Steel Vengeance yay! So. Much... Airtime :eek:
- Walk-on Maverick at night...
- Getting my 200th cred on Hyperion and riding along with Silvarret :)
- Walk-on Nemesis for my first day at Alton <3
- Riding Troy with my eyes shut. Out-of-control woodie goodness!
- Meeting and interviewing many leading coaster designers from Vekoma, Intamin, The Gravity Group & more at EAS 2018 - click here for an example ;)
- Being mindblown by Parc Astérix & Walibi Belgium 2021 announcements. We French baguettes are FINALLY getting some breath-taking stuff!
- Going to California on the very same week as @daviddoc without knowing and ending up visiting together on the fly. You're a cool guy David!
- X² first drop, at night. One of the rare coaster moments that make me 'OMG WOW!'


Lowlights:

- Missing the Cedar Point CF Live by arriving late. My biggest failure. Really wish to make it up @Snoo and meet you American CFers one day!
- My video interview with Andreas Andersen of Liseberg was out-of-focus... Shame as he was so friendly and helpful :s At least I was able to made it into a written interview.
- Not posting many TRs here in 2018. It's one of the best parts of the forum, and I missed out a lot :( Writing more is def a resolution for 2019
- Posting way too many construction photos of Hyperion's pullout!


Happy New Year everyone! I hope to see you goons at some parks in 2019 :)
Coaster Hipster
 
Spreadsheet now up to date as far as 31st December, so here we go:

Coaster count at start of 2018: 468
Coaster count at end of 2018: 691
New credits obtained: 223
New parks visited: 71
Days spent in a theme park: 64
Favourite new ride: Either Flying Aces or Twisted Colossus, I'm still digesting the latter.
Favourite new park: Idk, could just be Biggest Surprise instead: Motiongate

Oh, and updated spites:
I make that 49 58 operating creds denied to my face with effort put in, so not including places I didn't even try for (even a phone call) due to bad weather, new creds that weren't open yet.
 
Never thought I'd hear this! Lech gets nothing but rave reviews.

What was bad about it?

It is very rough, especially for something so new! After a couple of rides I was getting a credache! I rode it almost ten times and the roughness was just too much to be enjoyable. It is a real shame as the coaster is great aesthetically!

I found myself asking the same question when I initially read it, but I heard some people saying it was a little too forceful for them.
It wasn't down to force, I love forceful coasters!
 
It is very rough, especially for something so new! After a couple of rides I was getting a credache! I rode it almost ten times and the roughness was just too much to be enjoyable. It is a real shame as the coaster is great aesthetically!


It wasn't down to force, I love forceful coasters!

Yet you still rode it ten times? I feel like if I had the same impression I would’ve stopped after like 3 rides.


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It is very rough, especially for something so new! After a couple of rides I was getting a credache! I rode it almost ten times and the roughness was just too much to be enjoyable. It is a real shame as the coaster is great aesthetically!


It wasn't down to force, I love forceful coasters!
Ah right. Thanks for the clarification @ATTACKHAMMER, although I must admit I'm extremely surprised by that! Most reviews say that Lech is one of the smoothest coasters around; I've even heard one reviewer say that Lech makes B&M coasters feel like Pinfaris because it's so smooth!
 
Yet you still rode it ten times? I feel like if I had the same impression I would’ve stopped after like 3 rides.


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Yep. Most rides were during an ERT session of the live and it wouldn't look great just to stand around! Then I gave it a couple more rides in the afternoon. I had the chance to try out most of the seats to gain an informed opinion.
 
But Lech is literally not rough at all...? Unless something catastrophic happened between my visit and the Live 1 week later. Intense - yes. Rough - not in the slightest!

Well I can only comment on how I found it. I was very disappointed not to like it as aesthetically it is great!
 
I think I mentioned this in an earlier thread somewhere, but I got in more coasters since then, so I’ll chime in here.

2018 was by far my best coaster year to date. I got 205 new credits.

I haven’t counted the parks, but here they are in the order I visited them:
Fun Spot Orlando, Fun Spot Kissimmee, SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa, Six Flags over Texas, ZDTs, SeaWorld San Antonio, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Kemah Boardwalk, Galveston Pleasure Pier (Griswold), Beech Bend, Kentucky Kingdom, Holiday World, Kings Island, Cedar Point, Martin’s Fantasy Island, Marineland Canada, Canada’s Wonderland, Darien Lake, Seabreeze, Waldameer, Kennywood, Idlewild, Conneaut Lake, Delgrosso’s, Rye Playland, Michigan’s Adventure, Indiana Beach, Holiday World (again), Six Flags St. Louis, Silver Dollar City, two alpine coasters in Branson, Worlds of Fun (Griswold), Adventureland, Arnolds Park, ValleyFair, Nickelodeon Universe, Mt. Olympus, Little Amerricka, Bay Beach, Six Flags Great America, Edaville, Scandia (Ontario), Knott’s Berry Farm.

OK, so not counting repeats, Griswolds, and alpine coasters, that’s 40 different parks. I’m amazed just typing that.
 
Hi guys. I know I'm jumping the gun a little with this topic, as there's still nearly 4 months left of 2018. But as I visited what will most likely be my last theme park of the year yesterday, I decided to make this topic to basically sum up my 2018 and to hear about how some of your 2018s have been. So, I'll get the ball rolling with my 2018 in review:
Matt N's 2018 in Review
  • Coaster count at start of 2018: 39
  • Coaster count at end of 2018: 56
  • New credits obtained in 2018: 17
  • New parks visited in 2018: 2 (Drayton Manor, Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
  • Days spent in a theme park in 2018: 8 (4x Alton Towers, 2x Thorpe Park, 1x Drayton Manor, 1x Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
  • Favourite new ride of 2018: Icon at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
  • Favourite new park of 2018: Blackpool Pleasure Beach
  • Highlight of 2018: Visiting Blackpool Pleasure Beach for the first time after years of wanting to go.
  • Biggest surprise of 2018: Would either have to be our visit to Drayton Manor, which I only knew about 8 days before we went, or my first ride on Wicker Man, which was far better than I expected!
2018 has truly been a fantastic year in theme parks for me, especially when compared to my 2017:
Matt N's 2017 in Review
  • Coaster count at start of 2017: 38
  • Coaster count at end of 2017: 39
  • New credits obtained in 2017: 1
  • New parks visited in 2017: 1 (Legoland Windsor)
  • Days spent in a theme park in 2017: 3 (2x Alton Towers, 1x Legoland Windsor)
  • Favourite new ride of 2017: Dragon at Legoland Windsor (by default)
  • Favourite new park of 2017: Legoland Windsor (by default)
  • Highlight of 2017: Spending my 14th birthday in Alton Towers.
  • Biggest surprise of 2017: Dragon at Legoland Windsor was surprisingly good!
So, how have you guys' 2018s been? As I said above, 2018 has been a fantastic year for me, and here's to a great 2019!
Right; sorry to bump the thread, but as my park visiting is probably done until 2020, I thought now might be a good time to drag this thread out again! So, without further ado, here's my 2019 in review:
Matt N's 2019 in Review
  • Coaster count at start of 2019: 56
  • Coaster count at end of 2019: 67
  • New coasters ridden in 2019: 11
  • New parks visited in 2019: 5 (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Fun Spot Kissimmee, South Pier Blackpool)
  • Park visits in 2019: 14 (2x Magic Kingdom, 2x Animal Kingdom, 2x Hollywood Studios, 1x Epcot, 1x Fun Spot Kissimmee, 1x Oakwood, 2x Alton Towers, 1x Thorpe Park, 1x South Pier Blackpool, 1x Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
  • Favourite new coaster of 2019: Mine Blower at Fun Spot Kissimmee; what a fun little ride!
  • Favourite new ride (overall) of 2019: Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios; one of those rides that just gave me a feeling of pure breathlessness and excitement upon exiting!
  • Favourite new park of 2019: Epcot; such a lovely park, and a real pleasant surprise!
  • Highlight of 2019: There have been so many, but some of my particular highlights include my Florida holiday in April and the late night events at Thorpe Park and Blackpool Pleasure Beach!
  • Biggest surprise of 2019: I'd probably say Epcot; I had quite low expectations, but I absolutely loved it! I'd closely follow that up with Slinky Dog Dash; what a fun family coaster!
I don't know about you, but I'd personally say that 2019 has been another fantastic year for me in theme parks! I know the season is still young for most of you, but I ask; how has your 2019 been?
 
My year was fantastic if I say so myself!

  • Coaster count at start of 2019: 74
  • Coaster count at end of 2019: 118
  • New credits obtained in 2019: 44
  • New parks visited in 2019: 4 (Canada's Wonderland, Knoebels, Hersheypark, Kennywood)
  • Days spent in a theme park in 2019: Can't remember.
  • Favourite new ride of 2019: Skyrush
  • Favourite new park of 2019: Hersheypark
  • Highlight of 2019: Riding my 100th coaster, Skyrush! Honorable mention to riding Demon Drop after more than 10 years of waiting!
  • Biggest surprise of 2019: How much fun Laff Trakk was! Super smooth and really funky theming.
 
*Checks calendar date*

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It’s that time again. Halloween has passed, the coasters are closing down, and parks are getting ready for the winter season. So as things cool down, let’s reminisce on season’s past! Below, post your picks and maybe a short explanation if you want for the following categories:

Best New To You Coaster
Best Park Visit
Best Individual Coaster Lap
Best New For 2019 Ride
Best New To You Non-Coaster
Proudest Accomplishment As An Enthusiast
Best Non-Park Travel Moment
Most Surprising Coaster
Funniest Moment At A Park
Funniest Moment On A Coaster Trip Not At A Park
Best New Person You Met
Worst New To You Coaster
Most Exciting Announcement For 2020

And any other categories/things you feel are worth mentioning.

Post away! I’ll drop mine in a bit!



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Best New To You Coaster: Helix <3
Best Park Visit: Liseberg <3
Best Individual Coaster Lap: I'd say my final ride on Taron at the peak of sunset, just lovely
Best New For 2019 Ride: Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth SFGAdv (by default)
Best New To You Non-Coaster: Wonder Woman again, I'm surprised by my lack of better options
Proudest Accomplishment As An Enthusiast: Hitting 300!
Best Non-Park Travel Moment: I'd say exploring Amsterdam with its very fun legal products
Most Surprising Coaster: Condor at Walibi Holland, was expecting to hate it but found myself laughing the whole way
Funniest Moment At A Park: When I talked with locals at Phantasialand, and they were appalled I'd visited Germany from New York just for the park.
Funniest Moment On A Coaster Trip Not At A Park: Hanging with a guy I met in Amsterdam, good times
Best New Person You Met: Got nothin'
Worst New To You Coaster: Crazy Bats at Phantasialand, by far the worst motion sickness I've gotten on a coaster
Most Exciting Announcement For 2020: Although Iron Gwazi and Pantheon both look better, I've gotta go with Jersey Devil because my local park is getting a **** RMC raptor!
 
New credits- 72
New parks- 15
New top 10 coasters- 5!!!
New top 30 coasters- 17!!
Roller coaster rides- 302 (so far)
Days at parks- 25 (so far)
Best New To You Coaster- Voyage
Best Park Visit- World Joyland and China Dinosaur Land in one day
Best Individual Coaster Lap- Last Voyage night ride, Dinoconda back row outer seat, Python in Bamboo Forest final ride, or Boulder Dash night ride marathon just a few days ago. So hard to choose.
Best New For 2019 Ride- Steel Curtain
Best New To You Non-Coaster- Probably Mammoth or Wildebeest at Holiday World. Didn't realize you could get ejector airtime on a water slide
Proudest Accomplishment As An Enthusiast- 41 laps in a day on BDash
Best Non-Park Travel Moment- Boarding a train to Shanghai after nearly being stranded in Wuhan, China with $1 USD equivalent to my name
Most Surprising Coaster- Lightning Run, Soaring Dragon & Dancing Phoenix
Funniest Moment At A Park- Not sure
Funniest Moment On A Coaster Trip Not At A Park- Waking up from sleeping at 10 PM local time on a sleeping train between Shanghai and Nanchang, China wondering how I ended up there
Best New Person You Met- By chance spent most of my midwest trip with another enthusiast, Luca, from the UK
Worst New To You Coaster- Monte Carlo (knock off Golden Horse mine train)
Most Exciting Announcement For 2020- Pantheon or Abyssus, hoping to get on both in 2020 if all goes well

In conclusion, a super successful year in terms of coasters and I'm extremely thankful to be able to have these incredible experiences from something as simple as a love of an adrenaline rush. I've met some awesome people and traveled across the globe to places I NEVER thought I could possibly reach. Glad that we have such an awesome community here and love that we all have different opinions, because wouldn't it be boring if we all had the same roller coaster preferences? Wishing everyone the best for the 2020 season with plenty of new coasters and experiences.
 
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