Coaster enthusiasts (or nerds as many call us) always love to talk about ranking our favorite coasters. Here’s the thing, when you compare the lists of ten enthusiasts you will probably not see two identical lists. Sure there will be some similarities for sure. There are certain rides that are just universally loved. Here’s the thing though, everyone likes different elements on a roller coaster. Consequently, everyone will rank coasters a little bit differently. Another factor is that certain coasters run better in certain conditions. Take for example Goliath at Six Flags over Georgia. I have many friends that rave about this B&M hyper coaster. Some rank it as the best hyper out there. I’ve ridden four hypers and I rank it at the bottom of those four. Does that mean it’s a bad ride? Not at all. Chances are I just didn’t get a great ride on it. The next time I ride it, my opinion may change. Also some rides seem to improve with age (looking at you, InvadR) while other’s just seem to get worse and worse (Roar at Six Flags America – although I’m not sure it was ever good).
Hannah’s Top 10
The point is this. Opinions on roller coasters are subjective. I know what I like and what I don’t like and you won’t change my mind. I’m not going to change your mind. To prove my point, I thought it would be fun to compare my top 10 roller coasters (out of 129 unique coasters ridden) with Carrie’s top 10 (out of 72) and Hannah’s top 10 (out of 21). While Hannah’s is certainly a smaller sample size, comparing the differences in all three lists will still give you some idea of how subjective this really is. I’ll include photos of some of the rides at the end of each list. Let’s do this.
- Apollo’s Chariot – Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Loch Ness Monster – Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Space Mountain – Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
- Verbolten – Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
- InvadR – Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Barnstormer – Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
- Woodstock Express – Kings Dominion
- Tempesto – Bush Gardens Williamsburg
Carrie’s Top 10
- Fury 325 – Carowinds
- Intimidator 305 – Kings Dominion
- Mako – Sea World Orlando
- Apollo’s Chariot – Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Twisted Timbers – Kings Dominion
- Griffon – Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Alpengeist – Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Verbolten – Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Cheetah Hunt – Busch Gardens Tampa
- Dominator – Kings Dominion
My Top 10
- Fury 325 – Carowinds
- Intimidator 305 – Kings Dominion
- Phoenix – Knoebels
- Mako – Sea World Orlando
- Twisted Timbers – Kings Dominion
- Lightning Racer – Hersheypark
- Skyrush – Hersheypark
- Alpengeist – Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Cheetah Hunt – Busch Gardens Tampa
- Twisted Cyclone – Six Flags over Georgia
You will certainly see some similarities between mine and Carrie’s lists although that list also shows that I’ve got a little soft spot for wooden coasters that she hasn’t quite developed yet. Likewise, there are some similarities between Carrie and Hannah. It’s clear that they both love Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and why shouldn’t they? It’s their home park and the one that they’ve been to far more than any others. I’m very curious to see how Hannah’s list continues to morph as she finishes out the credits at Busch and then explores the big ones for the first time at Kings Dominion.
As I said in yesterday’s blog, I love getting to share this hobby with my daughters. The memories made are priceless.
The Journey Of Ascent 