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Theme Parks & Roller Coasters |OT| The Happiest Place on GAF

Goldrusher

Member
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A thread for theme park news, discussion, photos, trip reports, questions, etc.



THE WORLD'S BEST

There are hundreds of theme parks around the world, but the following are some of the really, really good ones.​


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LINKS

RollerCoaster Database
A database that contains every roller coaster on the planet. With thousands of photos.

ThemeParkReview + YouTube/themeparkreviewTPR
Trip reports with photos and videos from parks all over the world.

Screamscape
News and rumors.

Coastersandmore
Beautiful photos. In German, but it's easy to navigate.​





If you have suggestions for stuff in the OP, let me know.​



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ultron87

Member
I haven't made it out to a theme park yet this year. King's Island is in town, but every weekend that we've tried to get a group together it was 100 degrees.

We'll probably go later this month and then we're planning a trip to Cedar Point in September.
 

Hale-XF11

Member
Ohhhh, how this makes me miss FL.

Used to live not even 10 min. from Disney World. When I had my annual pass, I would go there nearly every other day for my morning walks.

Haven't been there in a while. If I can ever afford to go back again, I wanna take lots of 3D videos of all the parks with my 3DS.
 

Mr. F

Banned
Canada's Wonderland is a good time. Used to be better/better kept when Paramount owned it though. Regardless, I want to go on The Leviathan so bad.
 

Wubby

Member
Subscribed. Former Disneyland/California Adventure attractions host (ride op) here. Tokyo Disney Sea may not have the best roller coasters but it's definitely the most beautiful park I've been to. Went to Fuji-Q last year. Was fun but after growing up with a season pass to Six Flags Magic Mountain it's hard to get excited about smaller parks. Will try to get to Nagashima Spa Land this year. Going back to Tokyo Disneyland and Sea this October.
 

PSGames

Junior Member
Awesome thread. I've only been to Six Flags over Georgia. Been contemplating taking a trip to Magic Mountain. From what I hear that's the best.
 

Shadybiz

Member
Love theme parks. The wife and I have been to Busch Gardens Williamsburg multiple times. We just got back from Hersheypark, PA after a 2-day trip. That was a fun time; they have a really cool new coaster called the Skyrush.

Great Adventure in NJ has really cool rides, but the lines can get ridiculous. Definitely better to go there when it's not summer.
 
Woah woah woah. Thorpe Park is the best theme park in the UK, Alton Towers is behind it.

Disagree completely. Poorly run, far worse theming and overall atmosphere and less risk taking with their coasters. Alton Towers hasn't had a major thrill coaster in a while which is unfortunate, but they're making up for it next year.
 

aparisi2274

Member
It's a shame that Dueling Dragons will never Duel again!!

Thanks to some assholes who were throwing things from one train to the other when they would come close enough during the first big loop, Universal decided to never run them in dueling mode again!
 
I used to work at Hershey Park wheee! It also has my favorite roller coaster - The Great Bear.

Also, I'm 6'4" so I'm always worried that I'm gonna hit my head or feet off of something when I ride a roller coaster. Anyone else like that?
 

Cptkrush

Member
It's a shame that Dueling Dragons will never Duel again!!

Thanks to some assholes who were throwing things from one train to the other when they would come close enough during the first big loop, Universal decided to never run them in dueling mode again!

Shit, I guess that happened a couple months after I was there last. That's a damn shame, probably the coolest aspect of the ride.
 

freshair

Member
I haven't been to a theme park in YEARS. I think almost 10 years. I really should go again and see the new attractions at Disneyland/California Adventure, Six Flags and Universal Studios. I'll skip Knott's, haha.
 
Six Flags Magic Mountain representing. Great name, OP.

X2 is the greatest ride of all time, with Millennium Force right behind it.
 
It's a shame that Dueling Dragons will never Duel again!!

Thanks to some assholes who were throwing things from one train to the other when they would come close enough during the first big loop, Universal decided to never run them in dueling mode again!

I had no idea they did that. I was there last summer and I seem to remember them running simultaneously. First, I'm surprised that it took this long for something like that to happen, the attraction's been there for about 10 years now. Then I'm surprised that they would actually alter the running plan. Then I realize that if I was just there a year ago and I can't recall if they were dueling or not, then maybe it's not such a big deal in the long run.
 

Saya

Member
Ocean Park in Hong Kong was mentioned before. The rides are somewhatlacking, but the superb location makes more than up for that. There is a zoo there as well with a bunch of cute pandas and red pandas. It also has a pretty cool cable car ride to that connects both halves of the park.

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I've been to a number of Europeans and Americans park and I gotta say it. Europa-Park is the best there is. Just a shame I have to do 9 hours of plane to go there.
 
Universal/Islands of Adventure is my favorite. I've only ever gone to parks in the SouthEast though, and Busch Gardens, Williamsburg. Need to go to Cedar Park, and out west at some point.
 
Disagree completely. Poorly run, far worse theming and overall atmosphere and less risk taking with their coasters. Alton Towers hasn't had a major thrill coaster in a while which is unfortunate, but they're making up for it next year.

Oh well none of them do very good themeing or atmosphere compared to even Disney in europe, Im just saying Thorpe Park has the best rides (still not that great)

I would love to go to all the crazy USA ones but have only been to ones in Florida when I was alot younger ;(
 

overcast

Member
I live in California and the best theme park is definitely Disneyland. I love it because it certainly captures the "theme" aspect of it. It has some really fun rides and I almost always have a great time there.

Six Flags Magic Mountain is the best when it comes to thrills. Not much compares here.
 

netguy503

Member
Did someone make a thread about when the new Superman ride at Six Flags discovery kingdom in California stopped at it's highest point for a few hours with a full care of riders? I'd like to hear impressions/thoughts on that.

Also, I heard on Good Morning America today teased that they would be showing a piece on a new "extreme" ride at Dollywood but I didn't want to watch the whole program to see what it was and I know it would be posted on GAF soon (even before I saw this thread lol). So what's the good word GAF?
 
Did someone make a thread about when the new Superman ride at Six Flags discovery kingdom in California stopped at it's highest point for a few hours with a full care of riders? I'd like to hear impressions/thoughts on that.

Also, I heard on Good Morning America today teased that they would be showing a piece on a new "extreme" ride at Dollywood but I didn't want to watch the whole program to see what it was and I know it would be posted on GAF soon (even before I saw this thread lol). So what's the good word GAF?
The one at Magic Mountain stopped for a couple minutes when I was there a couple weeks ago, but it was only 100 feet off the ground or so. One of the women who got off when they finally got it down was in hysterics
 
My top 5 coasters

1. Kingda Ka
2. X
3. Tatsu
4. Leviathan
5. Hulk

:)



I used to work at Wonderland in the games department, good times

And Cedar Fair parks aren't theme parks, they are amusement parks :p

Paramount Parks were theme parks RIP
 

lush

Member
Also, I heard on Good Morning America today teased that they would be showing a piece on a new "extreme" ride at Dollywood but I didn't want to watch the whole program to see what it was and I know it would be posted on GAF soon (even before I saw this thread lol). So what's the good word GAF?
I'm assuming it was this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Eagle


Rode it late June. Really nice coaster, especially for a place like Dollywood. Nice illusions created on a wing coaster.
 
Was in PortAventura Park in Spain a few years ago and that was pretty awesome. But never again :

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Only was there one day though and never even got time to visit the water park section. Their biggest wooden coaster was also pretty great

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I used to work at Hershey Park wheee! It also has my favorite roller coaster - The Great Bear.

Also, I'm 6'4" so I'm always worried that I'm gonna hit my head or feet off of something when I ride a roller coaster. Anyone else like that?

i live in hershey and was just at hersheypark last night for a few hours. for those that don't know, it's a nice little park with a solid collection of coasters. it's very family friendly and very, very clean. growing up i pretty much spent my summers there (i had a season pass) in the arcade and going on the rides.

and this is an awesome thread by the way. i love amusement parks. i really want to get to cedar point and would love to check out portadventura in spain. a trip to king's dominion would also be cool to check out intimidator 305 as everyone seems to claim it's incredible.

i've done six flags great adventure twice, disney world twice, hersheypark too many times to count, and have also been fortunate enough to go to ferrari world in abu dhabi and ride the world's fastest roller coaster :p
 
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