My Top 10 Favorite Coasters

For those of you waiting to hear my thoughts on Diagon Alley and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (all two of you), I'm not yet ready to do a write up on those.  I'm sure you're dying to know all the ins and outs of these new areas/attractions, but for now you'll just have to hit up the googler for pics or vids or all that.  I think I posted a couple of things on my Instagram (@zedamora) from Diagon, but I honestly haven't taken a whole lot of pictures.  Instead, I want to do a post that I think will be a lot of fun (for me, not necessarily everyone else).

Without further ado, I present my Top 10 Favorite Coasters!!!  As a rule for myself, I only listed rides that I have actually been on.  Expect a Top 10 Wishlist in the future for coasters I hope to ride soon.  

  

Number 10
Name: Rockin' Roller Coaster
Location: Disney's Hollywood Studios


This ride has been hugely popular ever since it opened and continues to boast hour-long wait times during the regular summer season.  Complete with on-ride audio from Aerosmith themselves, this coaster is a fun thrill in the dark with lots of great hits to jam along with.  Even though I've been on it quite a few times, I still get chills when the countdown to launch begins.  Rockin' Roller Coaster is also the only coaster at Disney World that goes upside-down.




Number 9
Name: Titan
Location: Six Flags Over Texas


The Titan, I believe, was the first +200 foot ride I ever went on.  When it first opened, it was actually more intense than its current edition.  Originally, the brake section seen in the picture had almost no effect on the speed of your train, resulting in heavy g's in the next segment.  This caused a number of riders to "black out" or lose consciousness, which can be obviously dangerous for your health.  The ride now slows you to almost a stop before carefully pushing you into the last part of the track.  Regardless, it's still an awesome coaster that holds the record as the tallest coaster in Texas.



Number 8
Name:  The Hulk
Location:  Universal's Islands of Adventure


Marvel Superhero Island is dominated by the presence of this awesome B&M hypercoaster.  No matter where you are, you will hear the roar of this ride and the screams of its poor victims.  The ride itself isn't actually terribly disorientating, despite the higher-than-average number of inversions and sharp turns.  You may end up with a slight headache afterwards, but it's a small price to pay.  I really enjoy the unique start to this ride as well.  You basically get the fake out from Dr. Banner's computer and then you're upside-down before you know it.  Hopefully this ride will stick around in coming years, as long as they continue to take care of it.

Number 7
Name:  Shockwave
Location:  Six Flags Over Texas


Whaaaaaaat??? What's this old, rickety POS doing my on Top 10 list, you ask?  Well this old, rickety POS was my first looping coaster AND it has back to back vertical loops.  That's what's up.

Number 6
Name:  Rattler/Iron Rattler
Location:  Six Flags Fiesta Texas


So I'm kinda cheating on this one because I grouped two rides together, even though they are very different from each other.  The original Rattler was a purely wooden coaster that featured all the elements you would expect:  rib-crushing turns, teeth-jerking wobbles, and that ever-present thought that it was about to fly off the tracks.  Nonetheless, the ride held up for a number of years with some cosmetic fixes here and there.  That all changed in 2012 when the ride closed down to undergo a transformation into Iron Rattler.  Using new hybrid wooden-steel coaster designs, the Rattler was reborn with a crazy steep drop, multiple airtime hills, and a zero-g roll.  I was fortunate enough to have participated in the commercial shoot and media event for this ride, and it easily holds a special place in my heart.



Number 5
Name:  El Toro
Location:  Six Flags Great Adventure


This woodie is generally considered as one of the best in the world, usually making top 3 on anyone's wooden coaster list.  The ride lives up to its hype, though.  It's been a while since I've visited Great Adventure, but I still remember the thrill of being launched over hills on a mostly-smooth wooden roller coaster.  The ride has a fairly simple layout, but sometimes simplicity is the best way to go.  It's also nice to have rides that provide steady thrills, instead of an 18 second burst of pure madness like its neighbor Kingda Ka.



Number 4
Name:  X2
Location:  Six Flags Magic Mountain


Yes, it shoots fire at you.  Yes, it's awesome.
The original X was groundbreaking:  a 4D coaster that spins your chair as you follow the track.  X2 saw a major re-haul of some of the outdated ride tech, along with the introduction of some crazy ride elements like flamethrowers and a pretty bangin' audio track (when it works).  This ride might seem like a complete cluster and it kinda is, but it's also a ton of fun.  You're never sure exactly how it will spin you next.



Number 3
Name:  Raging Bull
Location:  Six Flags Great America

Although it was the first B&M hypercoaster ever built, in my book it still holds its ground as the best.  Unlike Titan or Hulk, this ride actually has you seated higher up, with your legs dangling.  This really helps to feel the effect of all the airtime hills this ride has to offer.  My favorite place to ride is in the back, since you start to get airtime as soon as you leave the station.  The ride has no inversions, but it doesn't need any.  It is just a quality attraction that does its job well.



Number 2
Name:  Revenge of the Mummy
Location:  Universal Studios Florida


The Mummy is a brilliant blend of dark ride and coaster.  The first half of the ride moves steadily through room to room, but things suddenly go south when Imhotep decides he wants you for breakfast.  The ride is full of surprises and impressive special effects.  I admittedly enjoy watching people ride it for the first time just to see how much they freak out.  Despite it being such a great ride, it also usually has no more than a 30 minute wait, since it has two loading platforms.  Don't accidentally pass this one by if you happen to be at the Studios.



Number 1
Name:  Maverick
Location:  Cedar Point


Maverick is hands-down the best coaster I've ever been on.  From the moment in hauls you up the lift hill, you'll be diving, twisting, and flying out of your seat.  The ride is actually not very tall, but it takes full advantage of its lower-to-ground perspective to keep you whizzing through canyons and skipping across the water.  I hope that more rides will be built like it in the future, even if they may end up being overseas.  Check out the ride POV video below for this one if you'd like.

Feel free to let me know what your favorite coaster/ride is!  Thanks again for checking out this blog and stay tuned for more to come!