The last poll asked which under-construction B&M Wing-Rider you are most excited for in 2012.  The three competitors of this global showdown included The Swarm at  Thorpe Park, X-Flight at Six Flags Great America, and Wild Eagle at Dollywood. Each had their own merits, which was shown in the relatively close poll.  However, the winner with 45% of the votes is Wild Eagle at Dollywood.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cbL5hFsWDw’]

Its understandable why Wild Eagle has so much appeal; it is the largest of the three wing-riders and features a breathtaking view from the top of the lift hill.  However, it can be argued that the other two will be more successful in different aspects; X-Flight is expected to have the most intense layout, and The Swarm’s elaborate theming is more impressive than anything we have seen before from Thorpe Park.

It is exciting to see more of these new models show up at parks around the globe.  The cantilever style seating makes each side of the coaster (left of the track, and right) a slightly different experience with a change in forces depending on the side one rides.  Plus, as these are distinct experiences that are incomparable to any other B&M model, it could compliment every park’s coaster collection (no matter how many B&M’s they have) nicely.

For 2012, I’ve determined that since we strive to update the sidebar poll every two weeks , to make the polls about the latest trending topic in the amusement attraction industry.  With that, I’m proud to introduce the first Park Thoughts Poll of 2012 building on from yesterday’s post:

With Universal closing JAWS just two days ago, the ride’s demise is still a fresh wound for many enthusiasts.  However, for others, the thought of a Harry Potter themed replacement is an welcomed replacement.  But, for any of the 11 million Universal Orlando visitors, it will surely have an impact on their future visits.

The soon to be demolished entrance to JAWS at Universal Studios Florida. Source: Inside the Magic

I’m obviously aware that Universal has not officially announced the Harry Potter expansion, however there is plenty, and plenty, and plenty of evidence supporting an imminent announcement of a Universal Studios Hollywood Harry  Potter addition.  So take this poll with the assumption that Harry Potter is in fact being added to the Studios park (highly probable).

Also, since there is multiple reasonings for one’s opinion towards the rather straight-forward question, I’ve added multiple “Yes” and “No” responses.  Note: All are allowed to vote for up to two options in the poll. So if you feel either “Yes” or “No” and agree with both reasonings, you can fully express this.

Poll closes January 18th.  Until then, the poll will be live on the sidebar, and embedded in this post.  Want to express your opinion with more than just a vote.  Leave a comment with your Park Thoughts below.

Header image from Dollywood’s “Wild Eagle Virtual Ride” JAWS entrance image from Inside the Magic’s Flickr stream

Since “Announcement August”, the two super coasters of 2012 have quickly been established: Canada’s Wonderland’s Leviathan and Hersheypark’s SkyRush.  Obvious comparisons make these two coasters ideal “rivals”: Bolliger & Mabillard vs Intamin, Giga-Coaster vs Mega-Coaster, giant overbanks vs airtime hills, Canada vs USA (well, perhaps not that extreme).  It is certainly possible that these two coasters could each rank in the Top 20 on the planet.

So which is more anticipated?  According the most you, the readers, the undisputed winner is Leviathan. SkyRush’s innovative winged-seating, and top-ranked coaster manufacturer was unable to save it from the sheer power of the Canadian beast.  Leviathan’s 306 foot drop, 90 mph top speed, and nearly mile of track are all impressive and provide for tough competition.

Construction on Leviathan is well underway.  The ride’s lengthy brake run, as well as station and transfer track have all been erected.  Construction is slowly progressing on the coaster’s 306 foot lift hill; Bolliger & Mabillard has even introduced a new type of lift track unique to Leviathan.  Additionally, Canada’s Wonderland announced that two cranes will be used to install the “crowning” segment of the lift-hill.  Certainly, this is a coaster to look out for!

Continuing 2012 anticipation, the next poll puts 3 same-style coasters head to head to head.  In 2011, Bolliger & Mabillard debuted their first Wing-Coaster.  Featuring cantilever seating, guests ride with nothing above or below them.   This year, the first Wing-Coaster, Raptor, opened at Gardaland in Italy.  Fortunately for many coaster fans, three Wing-Coasters are being built by B&M for 2012 much closer to home.  Time for the tale of the tape for the 3 contenders:

The Swarm at Thorpe Park:

• 127 ft, head-first inverting first drop
• 4 Inverisons: Dive Loop, Zero-G Roll, Corkscrew, Heartline Roll
• Elaborate apocalyptic setting including giant crashed airliner.

X-Flight at Six Flags Great Adventure:

• 120 ft, head-first inverting first drop, 55 mph
•  5 Inversions: Dive Loop, Zero-G Roll, Immelmann, Corkscrew, Heartline Roll
• Key-Hole element where train squeezes through a narrow opening in a structure

Wild Eagle at Dollywood:

• Tallest with 210 ft lift hill, and 130 ft first drop.
• 4 Inversions: Loop, Zero-G Roll, Immelmann, Corkscrew
• Spectacular views of surrounding Smokey Mountains

So which B&M Wing-Coaster do you think will be the best?  Vote in the poll above or on the sidebar.  Voting will be open for the next two weeks.

In the latest poll, we asked for you, the readers, to decide what is the best Bolliger & Mabillard coaster at a Busch Gardens park.  Busch Gardens, has developed a love for the Swiss manufacturer over the years, importing a total of six coasters between it’s 2 parks: Tampa and Williamsburg.  The models ranged from the hyper style of Apollo’s Chariot, to the sitdown looper of Kumba, the two inverted coasters known as Alpengeist and Montu, and most recently the two dive machines, SheiKra and Griffon.

Proving to be one of our closest polls, it appears that fans were certainly divided over this collection of undoubtedly great coasters.  However, the readers have spoken, and with 27% of the votes, Apollo’s Chariot earns the title as the best.  The airtime filled coaster utilizes the park’s terrain for large drops with a relatively short lift hill.  Despite the inversions filling the other coasters, it appears airtime wins once again with Apollo’s 8 camelbacks.

Finishing out the poll  were Montu with 18%, Griffon with 17%, Kumba with 15%, Alpengeist with 11%, and lastly SheiKra with 12%.  This proved to be a much closer poll than many of our others showing just how solid of a collection each park has.  It’s also interesting to note that, in to this poll, Williamsburg claimed 1st, 3rd, and 5th place coasters, while Tampa claimed 2nd, 4th, and 6th place.

 2012 is clearly going to be a huge year for the amusement industry.  The biggest, most anticipated additions are the coasters that will soon dominate their park’s skylines, ones that represent a first of it’s kind, and certainly, additions that are expected to provide the best experience.  Two of the top contenders for 2012 are airtime filled, inversion-less models are SkyRush at Hersheypark and Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland.

Leviathan is B&M’s highly anticipated burst onto the Giga coaster front.  Towering at 306 feet, Leviathan will reach speeds of 90 mph.  In addition, the designers have taken a more distinct approach to the layout by eliminating the constant airtime hills with high-speed low to the ground turns, while still maintaing a few large camelbacks.

Hersheypark’s SkyRush will also be a first for it’s manufacturer.  The hyper coaster model will feature winged outer seats where riders on the outer most rows will have no floor below them as they race at speeds of 75 mph, over 5 airtime hills. Despite it’s size (compared to the competitor), Sky Rush is created by Intamin, who is proven to generate top of the line coasters.  Could this be yet another?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

So which of these super coasters do you think will be superior?  Vote now and on the side bar!  Leave a comment with your Park Thoughts below.

]]> /2011/09/07/poll-results-best-busch-gardens-bm/feed/ 0 /2011/08/24/poll-results-best-pre-2011-gravity-group-coaster/ /2011/08/24/poll-results-best-pre-2011-gravity-group-coaster/#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2011 05:26:49 +0000 /?p=7053

For the past two weeks we asked you what was your favorite Gravity Group coaster? However since not all of the company’s 2011 additions are quite open yet, I decided to exclude the 2011 additions and save those for later. As a result the options included: Hades, The Voyage, Boardwalk Bullet, the Ravine Flyer II, and Fireball.

Emerging the clear victor with 53% of the votes was Holiday World with The Voyage. Often receiving the title of the world’s best wooden coaster, the Gravity Group’s 2nd creation opened in 2006 and has been delighting thrill seekers ever since with it’s massive amounts of airtime as well as forceful turns.  It’s no surprise with such a variety of elements that The Voyage wins our poll.

In second was Hades at Mt Olympus taking riders to hell and back under the parking lot, followed by the Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer, Kemah Boardwalk’s Boardwalk Bullet came in 4th, and rounding out with just one vote is the very distant (but just as fun) Fireball Wooden Coaster in China.

For the next two weeks we want you to choose your favorite Busch Gardens Bolliger & Mabillard coaster. Both Busch Gardens Tampa and Busch Gardens Williamsburg hit a bit of a high with their favorite manufacturer Bolliger and Mabillard. The high capacity and reliable coasters also provide for some nice thrills and unique experiences.  Each park, Busch Gardens Tampa and Williamsburg, have a total of 3 B&M coasters (for now), which is your favorite?

Representing Williamsburg is the super-model destroyer: Apollo’s Chariot, a terrain hyper coaster with some serious airtime.  Followed by the menacing and massive Alpengeist, the world’s largest B&M Inverted coaster.  Lastly, Williamsburg pulls out the big guns with Griffon, the world’s largest Dive Machine.

And in the south-eastern corner of the ring we have Busch Gardens Tampa’s 3 killer B&Ms.  Kumba is one of only 4 standard sit down B&M coasters on the planet and has an impressive 7 inversions, over it’s enviornment twisting layout. The egyptian themed Montu, while not as tall as it’s Virginian cousin boasts more inversions and a series of below the ground trenches. Finally, SheiKra, the original Busch Gardens Dive Machine dominates it’s surroundings including a splash down that drenches near by guests.

Even if you haven’t ridden all these coasters, or any of them for that matter, vote for what you think is the best B&M at a Busch Gardens park.  Poll is open for the next two weeks. Let’s see if we can break 50 votes!

New Poll – Our next poll deals what has quickly become a tour de force of the amusement park industry pumping out the top wooden coasters on the planet.  The Gravity Group, founded in 2002, has stuck with quality, not quantity, by producing just 5 world-class coasters in their 8-year period.  2011 has been a big year for the company, with 3 different projects across the globe.  However, let’s take a look into the past and decide which pre-2011 coaster is the company’s best.

In May 2005, the company unveiled their first coaster: Hades at Mt. Olympus took riders to hell and back with a 140 foot drop into a tunnel below the parking lot, emerging back into the light for a quick turn around before once again going under the tunnel. The following year, the company’s second creation debuted at Holiday World; The Voyage  instantly became a hit with it’s 20+ seconds of airtime and three 90 degree turns. 2007 brought Boardwalk Bullet to Kemah Boardwalk in Texas, the compact design emphasizes on high speed turns and bunny hops for airtime.  Waldameer Park introduced The Ravine Flyer II in 2008 including spectacular views of Lake Eerie, a jump over a 4-lane state highway and a custom terrain hugging layout. Lastly, in 2009, China received it’s first wooden coaster, Fireball at Happy Valley built on an peninsula, the coaster includes plenty of airtime and directional changes.

So, which of these coasters built by the Gravity Group is the best? Have you been on any? Leave a comment with your Park Thoughts below.

Photo Credits: Funnel Cake (via Flickr user “fgernst”), The Voyage (via Holiday World), Hades (via Leah Ducey), Boardwalk Bullet (via Dave Drake), The Ravine Flyer II (via Joe Schwartz), Fireball (via Richard Bannister)

In our most recent poll, we’ve been comparing two compact thrills: the Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter type, and Intamin’s new ZacSpin model.  Several smaller parks are looking for relatively affordable, yet high-quality thrill coasters that can boost park attendance.  Both Canobie Lake and Six Flags Over Georgia sought how the compact, Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter model.  With it’s signature beyond vertical drops, the Euro-Fighter is a coaster type that has proven to have no true “cookie cutter” elements (aside from the drops).  While Canobie Lake’s version sticks to the classic helix, barrel rolls, and standard elements, Six Flags Over Georgia’s model is unbelievably twisted with a new train design as well.  On the flip side, Intamin’s ZacSpin offers the unpredictability element with freely spinning cars.  Occupying a thin strip of land with it’s vertical track, the coaster offers airtime and some spectacular views (depending on location of course).  Although, these are not quite as popular as the EuroFighter type yet, I see these ZacSpins as being perfect additions for seaside amusement parks, and piers across the world.

When we asked for your thoughts, you answered.  Although a tight race, emerging victorious was the older and proven model: the Gerstlauer EuroFighter. In fairness, while ZacSpin always have to be compact, a EuroFighter can stretch wide sections of land (including Mystery Mine pictured in the header and the new Takabisha).  However, Gerstlauer has demonstrated such a versatility with this model that it becomes near impossible to not appreciate.  A big, congratulations to Gerstlauer for having a winning coaster type on your hands.

Next, we have a shorter, more fun poll.  With Summer heating up, it’s always a good time for a classic theme park snack.  Food stands are scattered across all parks, and the aromas of fried concatuions, the blasts of cool air when entering an ice cream parlor, and the sticky  left-overs of cotton candy are all memorable parts of the classic amusement park experience.  The next poll is simple: What’s your favorite amusement park treat?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Poll is now open and closes July 27, 2011. Vote & have a treat!

For entirely too long, we’ve asked our readers what was their favorite roller coaster named ‘Goliath’. At Six Flags Magic Mountain, the original Goliath is one of the tallest and fastest coasters on the planet reaching speeds of 85 mph, and a height of 235 feet. Trains dive under ground and over huge elements in the first half, before a twisted second half full of helixes, over banks, and turns. Two years later, Six Flags Holland (now named Walibi Holland) debuted an Intamin version of Goliath boasting a much more low to the ground layout with plenty of airtime. The European version also includes a unique Stengel dive element among the rest of the 4,000 feet of track. In April of 2006, Six Flags Over Georgia employed Bolliger & Mabillard to build there custom Goliath with a layout so giant the coaster goes outside of the park.  With 7 airtime hills, a massive helix, and a horseshoe element it occupies the most space of any of the Goliath’s.  A month later, the Canadians debuted a similar version of the Georgian Goliath at La Ronde with 10 airtime hill coaster that encompassed the the park’s parking lot.  This once again is completely different in layout from all of the other Goliath coasters.  Last but not least, in 2008 Six Flags Fiesta Texas took on an entire new direction with the Goliath name by making an inverted with a Spanish motif. While not as large and airtime filled as the other, the forceful and compact layout is exactly what the park needed.

After an incredibly long voting period, we received 147 votes.  With the results in, the winner of this poll is Goliath….at Six Flags Magic Mountain! Claiming 39% of the vote, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain is the oldest, as well as at the most popular park.  Personally, I despise the ride and find it to be a complete waste of money.  However apparently 58 people feel otherwise.  In 2nd, Six Flags Over Georgia’s B&M hyper grabbing 33% of the votes, followed by Walibi Holland (14%), Six Flags Fiesta Texas (11%), and lastly La Ronde with a mere 5%.  Do these polls surprise you?  I’m a bit surprised that the readers preferred the no-name manufacturer over the B&M and Intamin hyper coasters.  But sometimes these things just turn out this way.

Aside from the giant, mega monsters like Texas Giant and Cheetah Hunt, 2011 has also been a year of compact coasters.  Many parks are buying up the smaller, more condensed ride that can fit snugly in tight corners of parks.  However, despite their tiny foot print these rides often pack a punch.  Six Flags Magic Mountain, was the first US park to add a Intamin ZacSpin coaster with Green Lantern: First Flight (set to open this Friday).  The “4th dimensional” coaster has a separate car chasis that rotates freely as it winds through the unique course.  ZacSpin coasters feature no turns, strictly verticle hills and drops which can easily be overlapped on one another, making for a small coaster foot print.

Meanwhile the East coast has gone over the edge with their 2 new Gerstlauer Euro-Fighters opening up this year.  Featuring a signature 90 degree lift and beyond vertical drop, this model packs a punch with inversions, tight turns, and various hills.  Canobie Lake has gone wild with their new Untamed Euro-Fighter, featuring a 97 degree drop and two inversions.  Six Flags Over Georgia debuted Dare Devil Dive this summer.  A 2nd-generation Euro-Fighter, the custom design utilizes unique trains with lap bar restraints, along with a far more twisted layout.

With parks, often looking to fill all corners of the park, small foot print coasters are a great way to increase capacity and renew popularity in a park.  Especially for seaside piers, and small family-owned amusement parks, these smaller creations pack a punch in a small area.  Saying that, which do you prefer, the longer, more twisted layout of the Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter, or the unpredictable drops of a Intamin ZacSpin coaster.

The poll is now open both above and on the side bar. Poll closes in 2 weeks (I promise) and let’s see if we can get over 100 votes in that time! Which model did you vote for? Leave a comment with your Park Thoughts below.

Images: Header Goliath, ZacSpin, Euro-Fighter