PhantomTheater Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-theme-park/ Help Kings Island climb to the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldiesmann Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Considering that CP is beating two Universal parks and a Disney park by a wide margin, I doubt KI even stands a chance here, but voted anyway. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Get your votes in and help bring Kings Island to the top! All of these are fine choices. Maybe when these things are voted on by actual people we'll see who the "greatest amusement park in the world" really is rather than having it based on which park gave away the most stuff at their enthusiast events or who had the best Blue Ice Cream eating contest. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magenta Lizard Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Hey now, I could go for a blue ice cream eating contest I voted too. I think online polls are pretty much worthless but I'm also willing to give my home park some love. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Still more credible than the other thing. One is an online poll. Not a perfect sample, but still relatively random. The other is voted on by 7,000 coaster enthusiasts who subscribe to a magazine that has no merit in the industry. Just look at the results of the Golden Tickets and you'll see that the results are just kind of generically typical for that demographic. Cedar Point's the greatest amusement park in the world? Really? I think there are a few parks in Florida with a couple dozen MILLION patrons who may feel otherwise, but hey... no giga no Golden Ticket, right? Plus, look at who actually shows up to the awards. All of these little seasonal parks who need to pump out one last press release claiming that they've won an award for their landscaping or whatever flock to them. Disney wins best night show ever year. Where's the Disney rep? They "couldn't be there that night" so the host accepts the award on their behalf. Why couldn't they be there? Because they see no credibility in the awards. It's not even a blip on the radar for them. Do you see a series of Golden Tickets around the World Showcase Lagoon talking about Illuminations being the "best night show"? Of course not. Their product speaks for itself. They don't need a bunch of ACE/TPR/GOCC/whatever people to 'vote' on it. It is what it is, and what you're the best it's a no brainer. /End Rant 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Bombay Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 If that were a speech Boddah, I'd start the standing ovation. Gravy gets tickets and I bet a lot of gravy was poured hoping Banshee gets best new ride. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 ^It'll probably be either Banshee or Goliath @ SFGam...since the RMC Coasters that have been built so far (New Texas Giant, Iron Rattler, Outlaw Run, etc etc.) have done very well in the Golden Ticket Awards...then you have the Mitch Hawker poll, where I assume Lightning Run could be a major player based on the reviews I have read of it- though the restraints it has could hold it back. One other thing that could limit Banshee in the GTA's- they seem to HEAVILY perfer airtime-centric rides without inversions. Then I also remembered- Harry Potter Expansion at Universal Florida. Last time they did this, it won out over a Intamin Giga Coaster and B&M Hyper both with Intimidator in their names. Banshee's awesome, but I don't know how well it'll fare against this competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 ^ It'll probably be either Banshee or Goliath @ SFGam...since the RMC Coasters that have been built so far (New Texas Giant, Iron Rattler, Outlaw Run, etc etc.) have done very well in the Golden Ticket Awards...then you have the Mitch Hawker poll, where I assume Lightning Run could be a major player based on the reviews I have read of it- though the restraints it has could hold it back. One other thing that could limit Banshee in the GTA's- they seem to HEAVILY perfer airtime-centric rides without inversions. Then I also remembered- Harry Potter Expansion at Universal Florida. Last time they did this, it won out over a Intamin Giga Coaster and B&M Hyper both with Intimidator in their names. Banshee's awesome, but I don't know how well it'll fare against this competition. The biggest threat to Banshee is the new Harry Potter. It's apples and oranges. Diagon Alley is a $100 million + attraction. Clearly it's better on most regards. However, Banshee is probably more thrilling. So that poses the question: what constitutes the "best new ride?" the most thrilling? the most money spent? the best themeing? the best looking ride? the best capacity? Of course, this is coming from the same people that ranked Gatekeeper much higher than Expedition Everest. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedevariouseffect Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Expedition Everest does suck though Disco Yeti I ignore the polls..I don't care..I will formulate my own opinions on the parks and rides. I don't buy the magazine so why should I listen to what they say. That'd be like you listening to Vogue even though you don't read it. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Lance Hart should start Screamscape Awards. He could predict who will win them. Like Mark Wyatt, he'd have the inside track. Then, if he's wrong, change his predictions. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gplez90 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 ^^^ 100% agree! My top 50 steel roller coasters is not going to be based off of the GTA Top 50. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voicetek Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 I always considered the Cedar Fair parks (KI and Cedar Point) to be amusement parks and not theme parks. Don't you need theming to be theme parks? I always thought that there was a difference between "Theme Parks" and "Amusement Parks" and would consider Disney and Universal to be theme parks considering the level of theming they have. I don't know, perhaps I'm understanding it wrong. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PyroKinesis Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 I hate when people don't make the distinction between theme and amusement parks. Cedar Point is an amusement park. Disney is a theme park. Get it right, USA Today. No wonder why the newspaper industry is dying. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banshee Back VII Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 KI is in 2nd! EDIT: Apparently you can vote over and over again! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Kings Island is catching up! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banshee Back VII Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I can't believe some of the other parks on the list aren't in the top five currently. All the CP fanboys are who to thank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I don't ever let polls sway my opinions. Pretty much anyone on here will tell you that it is exceptionally rare for my most beloved coasters to be on the top of any major poll, with perhaps the exception of The Beast. Homestar92, perennial lover of Vortex, Mean Streak, and Hurler (of the Carowinds variety). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banshee Back VII Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Hurler makes me want to hurl (but I've only been on the Doswell, VA version). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonofbeast2.0 Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I really like KI but, I couldn't vote it best theme park... I had to choose Universal Orlando Resort, because in my opinion that is my favorite/best theme park... KI is in 2nd place though! With CP winning by a large margin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I don't ever let polls sway my opinions. Pretty much anyone on here will tell you that it is exceptionally rare for my most beloved coasters to be on the top of any major poll, with perhaps the exception of The Beast. Homestar92, perennial lover of Vortex, Mean Streak, and Hurler (of the Carowinds variety). It's okay. Terp, proud member of The Rolling Thunder Fan Club. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingsislandfan1972 Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Kings Island is like home to me so I thats what I voted for, if Kings Island was not nominated, I would vote for Universal Studios because who doesnt love a park that has a Simpsons ride? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purdude86 Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Agreed. I'd probably have gone with either Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom before but Universal has really stepped up their game the past few years. And Simpsons is my favorite show ever so having an entire land for it helps haha. Plus they have a great mix and range of rides now that look great. I can't believe some of the other parks on the list aren't in the top five currently. All the CP fanboys are who to thank. I'm really not surprised. The seasonal parks have these forums where people talk about these things or the parks tell people to go vote. But as Bodda pointed out Disney, Universal, etc. (the real theme parks) don't care about the results of a random poll. So their sites aren't focused on it or telling people to go vote to get them to the top, and most of their die hard fans don't care as much about it either. I'm a huge Disney and Universal fan but I voted for Kings Island still since its my home park too. I go to the others once every couple years but Kings Island is multiple times a year. So feel more compelled to vote for my home park as well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I always considered the Cedar Fair parks (KI and Cedar Point) to be amusement parks and not theme parks. Don't you need theming to be theme parks? I always thought that there was a difference between "Theme Parks" and "Amusement Parks" and would consider Disney and Universal to be theme parks considering the level of theming they have. I don't know, perhaps I'm understanding it wrong. "Amusement park" vs. "theme park." It's sort of a useless distinction because where is the line? Kings Island has more theme than Cedar Point, but less than Busch Gardens Tampa, which in turn has less than Disney's Hollywood Studios, which has significantly less than Disney's Animal Kingdom and Universal's Islands of Adventure. It's not a dichotomy. It's a scale. Even then, a lot of it is subjective. Here, we'd probably say that Kings Island has better theming than Six Flags America. Fans of that park would probably disagree. I think a better classification system might be "local" "regional" and "destination" parks. Even "seasonal" vs. "year-round operation." A park like Kennywood would never be recognized fairly alongside Magic Kingdom. It's not a "theme park" vs. "amusement park" problem... It's a status problem. Even those classifications aren't black and white (Cedar Point might be a "destination" park but that doesn't mean it can be compared to Disneyland... It's also "seasonal," but can't be compared to Camden Park). But it's easier than quibbling over which parks have enough theming to be classified as "themed." 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purdude86 Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I agree with that. I always consider the more regional parks as amusement parks since they aren't too focused on theming and it is usually minimal. But they do still have some so they would technically count as theme parks. You're right it is mostly about levels versus one or the other. Especially with ones like Busch Gardens that sit right in the middle of the line, with heavy theming but nothing as extensive as Disney or Universal. Think that regional versus destination parks are a better division but even that has some gray area as people do travel from around the world to parks like King Island and Cedar Point, and again where do parks like Busch Gardens fit into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Current leader is Six Flags Magic Mountain, followed by Six Flags Great Adventure. Dollywood is third, Cedar Point fourth, and Hersheypark fifth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Six Flags Magic Mountain: The Best Theme Park in the U.S. Oh my. *Shudder* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Sigh. I just don't get all the hatred for that park. In the Eighties and Nineties, it was fashionable to despise Great Adventure. These days, it appears that the substitute is Magic Mountain. Tell you what. You shudder. I'll go and have a great time, as I always do in that park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Six Flags Magic Mountain: The Best Theme Park in the U.S. Oh my. *Shudder* But it has the most coasters? That's what makes a park good isn't it? (I hope I've been around here long enough that nobody thought I was being serious...) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kblanken Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Six Flags Magic Mountain: The Best Theme Park in the U.S. Oh my. *Shudder* I just don't get all the hatred for...Magic Mountain. I agree about how the hatred towards Magic Mountain is unwarranted, but the shuddering might be in regards to calling the park a 'Theme' Park. (At least from what I remember from reading that poster's posts.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 But perhaps the theme is....coasters. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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