http://www.amusementtoday.com/corndog/2009gtawinners.html

Here are the 2009 winners.

Although I'm not familiar with all the categories, some of those aren't really all that surprising. Lots more info available if you download the 40-page PDF of the golden ticket issue at http://www.amusementtoday.com/corndog/2009GTAissue.pdf (not recommended unless you have a fast connection).

I'm surprised Diamondback finished 2nd in the Best New Ride category. I thought for sure it'd come down between Manta and Prowler. I'm not surprised, however, that Diamondback finished 7th in Best Steel. Diamondback is a world class ride and I'm betting that it will climb higher in future polls (along with Behemoth...once more people ride this it will definitely climb higher).

It was nice to see that Kings Island again had the best kids area, and by a considerable margin, hopefully that stays true with Snoopy and the gang coming in over the off season.

I'm not much for Golden Ticket Awards, but the Publishers Award to Barbara and Dick Knoebels is commendable and well deserved:

http://www.amusementtoday.com/corndog/2009...cks.html#nelson

It just prooves where the bulk of voters live. The northeast rides typically pull a ton of votes. Such a big part of these results is based on geographical demographics.

Still, remarkably on-point.

Shaggy

I can't understand for a minute how Raging Bull gets so many votes. I'm assuming that being in the giant Chicago market isn't hurting its cause. Personally I think it's a boring ride at best. Congrats to Diamondback for getting in the top 10.

I wonder how the 8th best wood coaster (prowler) can beat out the 7th best steel coaster (Diamondback) for best new ride?

Prowler? Really?

VKat said Prowler was a great ride but I have trouble believing it is better then Diamondback.

Prowler is a really, really good coaster. It's not quite as good as Thunderhead but it's really close. I think the voters may have been swayed by the fact that it's a wooden coaster, and you don't have as many good ones come out year in and year out as you do steel.

These are nice bragging rights for the parks, but not much else.

IMO, this just about sums up the entire Golden Ticket Awards:

can't wait for them to make a categorie for best employee park, and Kings Island will win, and soon KI will win al of um !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some rejected GT categories:

"Most Trim Brakes"

"Most Unintentionally Funny Show"

"Most Adult Jokes in a Kids Show"

"Worst Coaster"

"Trashiest Park"

CF would win the Worst Coaster IMO for Hurler at KD. Funny thing is Hurler at Carowinds was a great ride.

Meh, awards.

At least this year had a decent change of pace.

CF would win the Worst Coaster IMO for Hurler at KD. Funny thing is Hurler at Carowinds was a great ride.

Hurler would win because SoB would be SBNO.

Best Amusement Park

Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio

Best Wooden Coaster

The Voyage at Holiday World, Santa Claus, Ind.

Cleanest Park

Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, Santa Claus, Ind.

YAY!!!!!!!! I didn't doubt those awards for one second.. they are 100% deserved!

CF would win the Worst Coaster IMO for Hurler at KD. Funny thing is Hurler at Carowinds was a great ride.

Hurler would win because SoB would be SBNO.

I beg to differ with you both. Six Flags has that one nailed. The Golden Ticket voters, given their history, would vote for Great Adventure's Rolling Thunder. (Sigh). If they had any sense, which they don't on the whole, they'd vote overwhelmingly for Ninja at Six Flags Over Georgia. Or for any Zamperla Flying Coaster...and Cedar Fair does own one of those, but in Canada....

The Beast better than Raven and Legend? HA

The Beast better than Raven and Legend? HA

LOL I know right? I HIGHLY, STRONGLY disagree with that vote..

It is not a panel of distinguished experts doing the voting. It is, to be kind, a popularity contest.

Good point, Terpy. I've realized after thinking about it that Holiday World is more of an enthusiast's park than a park that draws large amounts of the GP like KI does, which now that I think about it, that is probably why Beast got more votes..

HW is a hidden gem with powerful wooden coasters that are rarely spoken of and leave you speechless after the ride.. oh well. At least Voyage got #1 woodie again, that which it DEFINITELY deserves.

Best coaster? Opinion. The Voyage? Not my opinion, but I am in a distinct minority. I likes me some very strong laterals, deep dives, tradition and that certain something so difficult to quantify. My favorite coasters seldom appear high in these rankings, and that's fine with me. In fact, they often top posts about worst coasters! The Georgia Cyclone comes to mind. Tremors you almost never hear about, cept from me and a select few. I see Golden Ticket has moved El Toro up some places. I love that ride, but a favorite wood coaster of mine lives right beside it in that park, a coaster so many diss with names like Rotting Flounder and Rolling Dumpster. And Rotten Lumber. Sigh.

These awards are funny. When your favorite park wins one, everyone is happy.

If it doesn't, then you just kind of say, well they don't really matter.

I am of the mindset that I'd like The Beast to fall off of every top 10 list.

Keep Diamondback away from too many awards too. The kids area is a lock to go away now too.

That way, all the people will go to these other parks to ride the award winners, and the island will be a little emptier.

I am selfish like that! LOL

I know what I like, I don't need an award to tell me weather a ride is good or not.

I loved Villian, and SoB. That should tell you how much I depend on popular opinion to determine what I think are good rides.

a favorite wood coaster of mine lives right beside it in that park, a coaster so many diss with names like Rotting Flounder and Rolling Dumpster. And Rotten Lumber. Sigh.

I hate it when people bash rides like that, especially with someone's favorite, like they do it just to get to you or get on your nerves.. like some do to me with Millennium Force. It was my reason for my first visit to CP, the first coaster I ever rode at CP, and the coaster that destroyed my paralyzing fear of heights. Millie means something to me, so that is why I get so defensive when people start bashing it.

It has not dropped below #2 steel in the world since it opened in 2000. It is a speed machine, a trimless architectural work of art, and still leaves me in goosebumps when I see it towering in all its glory over the landscape of Cedar Point. It's tall enough to be frightening, yet the layout is smooth enough to appeal to all ages. I highly doubt that its place near the top of the steel coaster chart will go away anytime soon.

Ravine Flyer II made the list from little Waldameer in Erie, PA.

I can remember back in the 80's when the best ride Waldameer had was the Wacky Shack.

Oh, how the times have changed.

I hate it when people bash rides like that, especially with someone's favorite, like they do it just to get to you or get on your nerves.. like some do to me with Millennium Force. It was my reason for my first visit to CP, the first coaster I ever rode at CP, and the coaster that destroyed my paralyzing fear of heights. Millie means something to me, so that is why I get so defensive when people start bashing it.

You shouldn't take it personally, there is nothing personal about it.

Some people don't like Beast.

But when I was 6 in the summer of '79, Beast was king, and still is today. And the only coaster that comes close to it is MF. Now I have been on Voyage, El Toro and Raven, and Beast is still tops in my book.

Take Terpy and I. I personally adore AC at BGE, and for him it's, meh. I also don't find Magnum that great of a ride. Good? Yes. Great? No. And for most, it's one of the best.

How you feel about a ride is usually determined with that first ride you take on it. Seldom does my mind change after that initial ride.

This is what My Ballot would look like,

Best Amusement Park:

Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio

Best Waterpark:

Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, New Braunfels, Texas

Best Children’s Park:

LEGOLAND California, Carlsbad, Calif.

Best Marine Life Park

SeaWorld Orlando, Orlando, Fla.

Best Seaside Park

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, Calif.

Best Wooden Coaster

The Voyage at Holiday World, Santa Claus, Ind.

Best Steel Coaster

Bizarro

at Six Flags New England, Agawam, Mass.

Best Kids’ Area

Kings Island, Kings Mills, Ohio

Friendliest Staff

Beech Bend, Bowling Green, Kentucky

Cleanest Park

Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Santa Claus, Ind.

Best Halloween Event

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando, Orlando, Fla..

Best Landscaping

Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Va.

Best Christmas Event

Smoky Mountain Christmas at Dollywood,

Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Best Food

Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Best Shows

Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Best Outdoor Night Show Production

IllumiNations: Reflections of the Earth

at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center, Orlando, Fla.

Best Water Ride

Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls

at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Fla.

Best Waterpark Ride

Master Blaster at Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort,

New Braunfels, Texas

Best Dark Ride

Amazing Adventures of Spiderman

at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Fla.

Best New Ride of 2009 - Amusement Park

Diamondbck, Kings Island, Ohio

Best New Ride of 2009 - Waterpark

Congo River Expedition at Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, New Braunfels, Texas

Best Carousel

Grand Carousel at Knoebels Amusement Resort,

Elysburg, Pa.

Best Indoor Roller Coaster

Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Orlando,

Orlando, Fla.

Best Indoor Waterpark

Kalahari ,Sandusky, Ohio

Best Funhouse/Walk-Through Attraction

Frankenstein’s Castle at Indiana Beach, Monticello, Ind.

Best Kids’ Area

Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Florida

Fixed.