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.)
In the first set of matches, Universal Studios Florida's Revenge of the Mummy takes on Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean.
And Busch Gardens The Old Country Williamsburg Europe Virginia's Griffon defends its four-seed against Disneyland's Space Mountain.
Check back later today for our afternoon (Pacific time) matches. Until then... to the comments!
From Mike, the executive editor of The Point Online: As it appears we locked up the win for Maverick, go get out the vote for Mummy...If Mummy could knock out Pirates...a Maverick victory would be even closer.
Go with Pirates...it is the stronger attraction, and it has stood the test of time.
Besides, there will be plenty of steel to choose from in the finals.
I voted for Griffon, and you all should too.
The Mummy is the best themed coaster out there, but it is a little bit Indy and a little bit Rock n'Roller coaster. Pirates is the ultimate dark ride and the best narrative ride in existence. It has now become a rallying cry for Disney fans everywhere. I want to see it versus the coaster in the next round.
I am going to go with Griffon in the second pairing. I feel that Busch, like Dollywood, is suffering in this race. I am going to show them some love here for what is, nevertheless, an exemplary coaster. Few coasters, if any, create the sense of flight that the B&M dive coasters do. I adore the Disneyland version of Space Mountain, but Griffon gets my vote.
It's interesting CP is pushing for Maverick. I wouldn't give it top slot. Millennium, yes; Maverick, no. But, I'd still rather see Pirates or Haunted Mansion first.
My "which ride would you repeat during a park visit" test gets thrown out here because I think Pirates is so amazing (but I so love the Mummy!). I'm going with Pirates.
And Griffon vs. Space Mountain? Excruciating!! I'm sticking with the thrills of Griffon.
As for Griffin and Space, I'm going with Space simply because riding the front row is one of the great theme park experiences.
Now I like Pirates, but it just isn't a patch on the Mummy. Still thrills me as much as it did the first time round! Sorry Pirates, but Mummy has to advance because it's better. The animatronics just pale in comparison to Mummy's and the thrill value on Mummy is just superb.
Although Mummy has some excellent technological visuals, they lose their luster because of the corny strobe light/glow paint cutouts that appear during the coaster portion. Also, many portions of the ride leave me feeling like I'm in a studio set and not a real tomb, whereas Pirates feels genuine throughout.
Griffon and Space was a tougher choice, but Space gets the edge for theming.
Robert, I love you, man, and you can ban me if you want, sir, but it has to be said. The people moving the vote are not interested in us or this site, just interested in putting their park over the top. They are sad, little people, rigging a tournament.
Yes, Blackout, I am talking about you. Deal with it. You have never even been to Disneyland.
Mummy wins that hands down for me.
We are voting on the DL version.
But it doesn't matter.
Now, granted, the margin between Mummy and Pirates was slight - that's why they were the eight and nine seeds. So I expected this to be a close race. But I'm not troubled by one winning over the other. (Though, to be honest, I did vote for Pirates.)
Busch is turning out for Griffon, with an update to all its Facebook fans. It didn't comment on the Mummy/Pirates race, but I suspect that BG fans might be breaking for Mummy. Which might turn out to be silly, because that winner faces the Maverick/Beast winner, and I would suspect that Pirates, bringing Disney fans, would have a better chance at taking out Maverick and the Cedar Point crowd than Mummy would.
The question for the day: Which model of roller coaster should "Amy Winehouse's Rock n' Roll Rehab" be, and why?
Secondly, I enjoy Pirates, but have to say that is wasn't as hard a choice for me as it seems to have been for others. I appreciate the amazing attention to detail, the atmosphere and themeing at Pirates, but I have to say I was amazed by the Mummy and actually a little bit scared, I have been neither after a ride on Pirates even as a little 8 year old.
Great point about the DL Version of Pirates. I forgot about that. I have only seen the MK version which was great but I guess doesn't compare. Still a 50/50 for me on Mummy and Pirates.
With a smirk and a sigh I resign myself to my fate. Go Mummy...all the way!
Please don’t vote on this combo based on the far inferior WDW ride!
Don't let the thrills of Mummy overtake the fantastic theming and story of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Surprisingly, for all you Disney fans, I chose Space Mountain over Griffon. Griffon offers thrills, but there is no pacing or continuity, and the track layouts are unoriginal. I don't like the fact that the ride stops halfway through, only to do the same thing it did before. The Intaride vertical drop coasters (Farenheit, Maverick) do a much better job of mixing multiple elements and making the ride more like a traditional coaster, in spite of their smaller size. B&M and Busch could have done better than this, especially since it was their second try.
I would rather have Space Mountain in my park than Griffon. I may make a few changes to the ride if I did, but I'll take the wider appeal of Space Mountain over the unoriginality of Griffon anyday.
James, I have a feeling that the only time the CP voters will really be torn is if/when Maverick and Millennium Force meet up. Honestly though, I don't want CP/whoever else matchups to be one sided. I want the other parks and their fansites to mobilize and link up just like Cedar Point and their fansites did. The outcome of that would be far more interesting.
I'll tell you what I'll do, since I am one responsible party for this upheaval, and because I'm tired of the whining, I will do the same at Disney, Universal, and Busch sites like I did for Cedar Point and Kings Island. I actually expect this to be done already, but if there aren't any threads about the TPI tournament on their fansites, I'll will inform the fans and start a thread with a link to the home page. If a topic about the tournament is already there, then I'll post to it and egg people about how Cedar Point fans are flooding the site and making the outcomes lopsided. That's the best I can do to appease those who think it's a "sham". If they are as passionate and loyal, and as many... as the Cedar Point fans, then we have a contest.
And you are missing my point...I don't want a bunch of people blindly voting for parks they love...I want intelligent witty conversation among people who have been awaiting this event for an entire year. I am sure the pub is good for Robert...but for me, I miss the camaraderie of the first few rounds before "outsiders" got involved.
On a side note: I do appreciate all of the new folks who have actually joined the site. Their comments and opinions have been first rate. However, unless I am miscounting, the relatively small number of new members does not equate to the additional 1,000's of people who have voted.
Which model of roller coaster should "Amy Winehouse's Rock n' Roll Rehab" be, and why?"
Amy's claim to theme park glory should use Top Thrill Dragster as it model, for the similiarities abound. Much like Ms. Whinehouse, it is very fast out the gates, makes a meteoric rise to the (second highest) top, then as quickly as it comes, it plummits to utter disappointment -- leaving the rider with 30 seconds of misplaced life, (for some)the need for a nearby restroom, and no desire to get back on.
And all of this posting goes to show when designing an attraction, there is a limit to what you can do with g-force, but..."there is no limit to what you can do with [your] imagination." --Spongebob Squarepants
Robert - great comparison on POTC with the Mummy's in Hollywood and Orlando. You're dead on!
Rocklin...love the comparison. Where have you been all my life? ;)
Or, maybe that's the next big thrill ride--a real centrifuge. Arrghh! Just stick me on It's a Small World if that happens and let me die.
Raul...is there even a Dollywood fan site? Maybe we should start one!! Let's see, me, you, Scottland, Derek....not much of a fan base, but it only takes a pebble to start an avalanche.
Jake Rivers would love it!
Take it from me, the Pirates of the Carribean of DL is SO much better than WDW's version due it being bigger, more drops, and more detailed. MK's is nice, but due to the high water tables of FL, its not as big or extensive. The Mummy on the other hand, is meh.
Its good to see two roller coasters against each other, but when Disney does roller coasters, they do it right! Space Mountain is one of the highest themed roller coasters in the world that makes you, for a moment, forget you are on a roller coaster, but rather blasting through space. While Griffon is nice, its just a roller coaster. Not that is a bad thing, but Space Mountain is much more than just its parts.
I will be the most surprised if Disney's official site links up to this tournament. I just don't see A) the news getting through to them and B) them caring much about getting their fans involved in the tournament. All they want to do is book those hotel rooms and sell the tickets. There is no interactive portion for people to visit, or official blog to get closer to the common man. The same goes for Universal and Busch. Perhaps there is a lesson in that somewhere. I started threads in a couple of Disney fan sites and a Universal fan site and threw a little gas on the fire. None of them had any news about the tournament. Tried to post on a Busch fan site, but I think they are having problems. I have now done as much for those parks as I've done for CP and KI. It is now up to those sites to pass the word. For the site's sake, I hope they do.
No marriage proposals please..although cash gifts are always accepted.
Regardless, I was very much looking forward to dusting off my slippers. And since I have no cash to offer...perhaps there is something from my Disney pin collection you would be interested in taking in trade for getting Disney/Universal into the ring? I have some new D23 stuff you might think is shiny.
I can understand the frustration of those of you who have been here for a while to see your poll skewed by those who may never come back here again. I am a member on a few other sites and have seen similar things happen, but I will attempt to keep things even and not make any more mega posts like this one with multiple run-on sentences. Nice to meet you all!
As for voting...hey, feel free to pile on....I am done whining. I think I got it all out of my system. I have now traversed the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and now acceptance. Time to move on.
BTW, Blackout, from the Cedar Point Forum, I apologize for calling you out earlier. I absolutely welcome you to vote however you wish to vote. You just caught me during my "anger" phase. I am past that now, and I am sorry.
Seriously.
Now...on with the tournament!!!
Now pick your chin up and go get your chaps on. ;)
Grrrrrr......
So how do those Cinderella Slippers look with chaps on? LOL
Derek, you wrote: The new format will be interesting, especially at the end, when the winner of the themed ride tourney inevitably faces the winner of the best coaster tourney.
Stop salivating. That battle won't happen. Once the top four are picked the tourney is over, and they become the best in each category. Contest done.
No sense comparing apples and oranges any longer.
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