Again, everyone, please read through the comments before casting your votes! Well-informed voters make for a better tournament. (Plus, reading the comments is more than half the fun of this thing, anyway.)
We kick off this morning's match-ups (remember, folks, I'm in Los Angeles), with two-seed
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man from Universal's Islands of Adventure taking on SeaWorld Orlando's floorless coaster Kraken.
In a highly anticipated match-up,
Expedition Everest from Disney's Animal Kingdom takes on Universal Studios Florida's Men In Black Alien Attack, fresh off its upset win over Indiana Jones Adventure. Can MIB make it two upsets in a row?
That's right: TPI old-timers get a morning without Cedar Point and Busch Gardens Europe attractions (and, perhaps, without their battling fan bases). See you in the comments!
Tweet
MIB over the broken Yeti coaster. And for MIB's repeatibility and excellent theming!
Second matchup. As I stated before, Disney thrill rides fall a little short with me. I'll give Disney credit where it's due for the theme and scenery. The coaster design they used though is mediocre at best. Yeah the Yeti is cool and all, but its only a small moment in the ride, and by all accounts, doesn't work properly at the moment. MIB is a giant video game, but it's a good one. No matter what Everest looks like, a mediocre roller coaster doesn't belong in my park, and MIB is just plain fun. MIB for me
Kraken is my favorite coaster, but The Amazing Spider-Man has been keeping it real since 1963.
Most of you are aware of my Yeti Protest....so I will try again to bounce Everest from the tournament this round. With the help of Anonymous Voter, I should get my wish. However, it should be noted that Expedition Everest with a functioning Yeti is so much better than MIB that I would hunt down every illicit proxy server on the web to ensure its victory.
However, I don't cheat, and the Yeti doesn't move. Go MIB?
*Sigh*
What I love about Spidey is that people always talk about how state of the art this ride is and it's 10 years old!!! That says great things about the Universal and minds behind the ride. I'm a huge, make that HUGE Marvel fan. I have 34 Marvel Superhero squad figures on my desk here at work and another 200 at home. That said, riding Spiderman is the closet you can come to actually becoming a superhero. I've never ridden a ride that evokes such a wide range of emotions. I actually get scared that these super villains might actually hurt me, and the rooftop scene is one of the best moments in Theme park history.
On a different note, Robert, when the CP fans crashed the party last week I was like you excited to see some new blood. Now after I've had a few days to reflect my opinion has changed greatly. The linking of this site to other park sites isn't the best idea for having a true ride champion. Like it's been said on here countless times over the past few days, the Mob is no fun. Leave it to all those insecure CP fans to bring things down to an elementary school level. At least the Disney Mob is voting for rides that actually should be in contention for best ride. CP, no matter how you slice it, doesn’t have the best ride in America in the park. Millennium or Maverick isn't a better ride than Spidey, Everest, TOT, HULK hell even MIB. That’s not my opinion, that’s a fact.
James - I'm sticking with you on this. Go MIB!!
Beware the sleeping giant...
Everest vs MIB
MIB takes it. Great re-rideability + great storyline....actually I've said all this before. There's no way everest can + deserves to beat it.
*checks poll*
.....voting for a broken attraction? Good one Disney fans...
Second, I am sorry, but I am going to vote for Everest. It was not broken when I was there (I will check it out in May and give you guys and update) and you all complain about the Yeti not moving, but seem to not have a problem that not all the MIB Aliens move and the Mummy Guards in Revenge of the Mummy do not move at all! The theming for MIB and Everest is fantastic, but I like the line to Everest much better! There is a story in the line that makes it go much quicker.
I gotta give the second match to Everest. I voted for MIB to beat Indy last round, but it's going down now. The funny thing about people averting votes from Everest because of a broken element is that there are constantly broken elements on MIB. I can't name a time where I went through the ride without a hitch. Whether it be the aliens in the queue line control room or the "6-on-1" alien, something is always defunct. And about half the time I ride, the other track is not synchronized with ours.
Universal is infamous for their down-time. Yes, the Yeti is the main attraction of Everest, but I consider competition the main attraction of MIB. Considering half the rides are not synced with the opposite cart, this eliminates a lot of the fun for me.
On the other vote I went for MIB simply because of the condition I hear Everest is in and because I enjoy both rides pretty equally for different reasons. Poor quality cut outs or not MIB is definitely a fun and well themed ride.
Given the traffic on the site this morning, I think that the otters might have been the ones who could have taken out Maverick. :-)
MIB Vs Everest. as much as I love MIB I don't enjoy it as much as either Buzz or Midway Mania. Everest is my favourite Disney Mountain. Yeti or no Yeti this attraction is amazing. Everest takes it for me.
Otherwise, Everest. Broken Yeti or no. It's one of my favorite queues, a decent coaster (but not great), fun theme and something I ride over and over again. It's tame enough for my wife and interesting enough for me. MIB, sorry (not really).
For those who are teetering on the edge, I have compiled a list of comments from this site to support the fact that Spider-Man is the best theme park attraction in the world.
***
Spider-Man is original, immersive, amazingly well themed, fun, repeatable, and...is one attraction that receives praise from both coaster and theme ride fanatics across the board. Even Amusement Today (a publication devoted to iron ride parks like Cedar Point) acknowledges Spider-Man as the best dark ride in the world. - James Rao.
[Spider-Man is] the best ride in the country. [It] is absolutely amazing. Everything about the ride is awesome. The theming and effects are great...Spider-Man is the best ride in Orlando and is deserving of all of its positive hype. The indoor queue area is nicely themed...and the sensation of driving and flying the streets of New York City fighting Spidey villains are realistic and fun. This ride is worth coming to Orlando by itself and is an absolute must ride. Lines for this are pretty long but who cares, this ride is worth any wait. - Manny Barron
An all-around outstanding attraction, with an immersive environment, strong story and enough detail to entice you to ride again and again. One of the world's top attractions... and not to be missed. - Robert Niles
The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman would win over any other ride I have been on so it got my vote. It is just so different to any other ride I have experienced by virtue of the great 3D effects. - Emily G
Spidey is number one. I doubt anything can top it. I'm backing it for the number one spot this time. - Adrian Walker
...come on - Spidey swing to the final four. - Joshua Counsil
Spiderman - This one's a no-brainer...how could anyone vote against the greatest ride on the planet? - John Jackson
The fact that Spiderman rides on a flat slab and coordinates 3-D film and moving set pieces makes it a miracle of modern theater. The spinning sequence into the steam tunnel is fantastic, as is the final climactic fall and the blazing "guitar army" version of the Spidey theme that closes the attraction. - TH CREATIVE
Spiderman...is special. Few rides incorporate the senses like Spiderman does, and when it comes down to it, I would just rather have Spiderman in my park...Was and still is a groundbreaking ride...Spiderman is one of the few themed rides out there that stacks up against the best coasters. - Derek Potter
Spiderman all the way. It's just such a great attraction. - Michael Owen
I can go on Spider-Man again and again and always discover something new, whether it be in the detailed queue or the ride itself. - Brian L
Spider-man...is still the best ride at Universal and the most technologically advanced ride on earth (ten years later on top of that). Anyone who can't recognize its greatness has no business commenting. It would be like calling Thunderhead an average woodie. Spider-man's early exit from this competition would truly be a sign of the apocalypse. - Raul Araoz
Spider-Man is just an incredible ride. And it hurts that it is up against my favorite B&M inverted, but for best ride and total immersion - I have to give it to Spider-Man. - Todd Houts
Without a doubt, and without peer, Spider-Man is still the best ride in North America. - James Rao
If y'all don't [vote] Spider-Man into at least the final four, I'd seriously consider wiping out the site's registration database, banning everyone here and starting over with a new crop of readers. ;-) Or, at least, inviting only the ones with the good sense to recognize Spidey's greatness. - Robert Niles
***
If you still have doubts...please go ride Spider-Man again. Kraken is a great coaster, but Spider-Man is one of a kind.
Part of me wants to collect a bunch of 5-year-olds together to name Dumbo the greatest ride ever. :)
Personally, I think only registered voters should be allowed to vote next year. Why? 1) Because it would encourage membership and thus more active discussion. 2) It would discourage a lot of the blind voters (like the ones who are voting for Kraken) from voting, because they would have to take the time to sign up and get a password, etc. 3) The new people who are willing to sign up will likely be people who want to actively think about ride and park quality, and thus become members of the community.
If this rule were to be implemented, I think there would be a lot more unity between the comments and the voting, and it would be a better tournament for it.
At least you have ridden Spider-Man. Anonymous Voter probably has neither ridden Kraken nor Spidey, so the default is to go with the coaster.
Spider-Man: 11 votes.
Kraken: 1 vote.
What we have here, is a failure to communicate.
Everyone with me: SPIDEY! SPIDEY! SPIDEY! SPIDEY! LOUDER! SPIDEY! SPIDEY! SPIDEY!
SPIDEY! SPIDEY!! SPIDEY!!! :D
Absolutely LOVE all three of the other rides. Gotta give it to Spidey and Everest.
And from one of the biggest coaster nuts on the site, the other matchup should be the lopsided one. Kraken shouldn't even be close to Spiderman in my book. Kraken fans should take a trip north, where good roller coasters grow on trees. If they are up north, then they should go south and ride Spidey. Kraken is a good ride, but not worthy of knocking out Spiderman.
One question just to indulge me if you will and to provide "voter info". You can answer if you want, but be honest please. How many people on this site have even been to Cedar Point, and have ridden Millennium Force and Maverick? There are a lot of Cedar Point critics loudly making themselves known and accusing their fans of being one sided.
I'm curious to know if people on the other side of the argument are guilty the same bias of which they are accusing others. If you vote for a themed ride because you are a "fan of themed rides", than it's kind of hard to attack and dismiss the opinions of those "coaster fans" from voting for their favorite rides.
Derek, tell the Cedar Point fans "thanks for throwing us theme geeks a bone!"
And, in answer to your question: all Cedar Point coasters up to TTD --> yes. Maverick, not yet. Waiting till my kids are all 54" tall before heading to CP again.
About Floorless coasters...
Kraken (SeaWorld Orlando) vs. Superman: Krypton Coaster (Fiesta Texas) vs. Dominator (formerly Geauga Lake, now Kings Dominion)
I've ridden all three many, many times. I do think Kraken has more energy - probably because it incorporates an "out and back" layout. You get to "fly" quite a bit on this coaster. For a more compact footprint, Dominator is a great ride. Less than four weeks before Cedar Fair shut Geauga Lake down, I was there on a weekday when the park was empty. When Dominator opened about an hour after the park did I rode it six times in a row; each time either alone or with one other rider. Obviously, I was enamored. Fiesta Texas' Superman: Krypton Coaster LOOKS great. But the ride itself is lacking. I do like how the park has used the walls of the former quarry to good use; staring right at a mall as you crest the wall on the lift hill is a bit strange, but diving back over the edge to the valley more than makes up for it. But after that the ride just doesn't deliver the same as Kraken and Dominator. And if I HAD to pick between the latter, I'd go with Kraken.
And in answer to Derek's question: "How many people on this site have even been to Cedar Point, and have ridden Millennium Force and Maverick?"...
I try to make it to Cedar Point every year. I do love that iron park. Last year I ended up with a 3-day stay there after a coaster run that took me all the way around Lake Erie - hitting, Darien Lake, Canada's Wonderland, Michigan's Adventure and Cedar Point.(And flights from St. Louis to Cleveland can often be had for less than $100 on Southwest, so it is a relatively cheap trip.) I hate that Geauga Lake isn't on the outskirts of Cleveland any more, as I could always hit two parks with one easy trip once Cedar Fair purchased that park from Six Flags.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
That said, as much as I adore Kraken, it isn't the complete experience that Spidey offers. And Everest's Yeti isn't working, while MIB offers the best melding of dark ride and video game built to date.
So those are my choices. Yours?