What is the world's best theme park attraction? Here is your opportunity to answer that question for us, with the final-round vote for that honor in our 21st annual Theme Park Insider Awards.
We will announce the winner on January 1, 2023. Based upon our reader nominations earlier this month, here are your 10 finalists for 2022:
Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Universal's Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Japan
Avatar: Flight of Passage, Disney's Animal Kingdom
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Universal's Islands of Adventure
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Universal's Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Hollywood, Japan, and Beijing
Indiana Jones Adventure, Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea
Jurassic World VelociCoaster, Universal's Islands of Adventure
Pirates of Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure, Shanghai Disneyland
Radiator Springs Racers, Disney California Adventure
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Disney's Hollywood Studios
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I'm surprised Shanghai's pirates made the list but not the Jurassic World ride from Beijing. Watching the videos to me the Jurassic World ride looks way more fun and impressive. Ultimately had to go with Hagrid's just cause its so much fun and the theming is spot on. 2nd for me would be Rise and if I liked Star Wars more it probably would go #1 but I like Harry Potter better.
I’m guessing not enough people have ridden Beijing’s JW ride yet to have voted for it in the prelims. It does look incredible though. Spider-man will always be my personal favorite, but ROTR is on another level, IMHO. I’m hoping in 2025 Epic Universe gives us a couple of rides that can compete. And maybe Disney or another park will have a couple more competitors themselves by then or shortly after.
Yeah, it's been a tough year for parks outside the US to crack the top of the nominations, given fading memories of pre-pandemic visits and the lack of American readers (who are the majority of TPI readers) getting to parks outside the US this year.
This inspires me to make coverage of worthy, but overlooked, attractions around the world an even greater priority on TPI next year.
'Rise of the Resistance' is, in fact, a "slam dunk".
I haven't been on Battle for the Sunken Treasure, so while that looks absolutely amazing (and quite possibly the best ride in Asia), I can't consider it. I also don't consider Flight of Passage in the conversation as it doesn't even make my top 30 theme park attractions even if coasters are excluded. The others on this list, though, are are in the top 15 or so that I've experienced, and I'd probably rank them thus when looking at the overall attraction...
1. Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
2. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
3. Indiana Jones Adventure
4. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
5. Radiator Springs Racers
6. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
7. Rise of the Resistance
8. Jurassic World VelociCoaster
A few other attractions familiar to US readers that I'd put in the tier with these include Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Splash Mountain. There are also a few attractions I rode in Germany that are right up there with these (namely Pirates in Batavia and Voletarium at Europa Park, Schwur Des Karnan at Hansa-Park, and F.L.Y. at Phantasialand).
'Rise of the Resistance' is, in fact, a "slam dunk".
When it’s running and not in “B” mode that is. Which is becoming less frequently these days it seems.
Symbolica (Efteling) is my hand down number 1 attraction but not in this otherwise excelent list.
From the American park it still is Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.
@OT...agree. Symbolica is delightful and such an interesting and ambitious attraction in a park known for interesting and ambitious attractions.
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Shanghai's PotC is the only attraction on this list I haven't ridden, so unfortunately, it's out of consideration for me, though videos and reviews would suggest that this attraction should be near the top of my list when I finally make it to Asia.
My vote is for RotR, but it's not a slam dunk with ToT, Spider-man, and HPFJ right there with Disney's most ambitious attraction. What put RotR over the top for me was riding it within the context of the Galactic Starcruiser. While the attraction stands on its own merit within the stories of Galaxy's Edge, the way the attraction integrates with the stories and characters of the Halcyon give it an edge in my book due to the sheer level of attention and storytelling required to make it work as an extension of the Starcruiser experience. The one knock on RotR is the constant technical issues with the attraction and persistent B-Mode that guests experience far more often than other recent attractions - FWIW, HPFJ has technical issues (Dementor effect), and Spider-man had some synchronization issues when we last rode in October, but it seems that RotR is still going through its "break in" period 3 years after it debuted.
However, even with the consistent technical issues, a "clean" run through RotR is one of the most complete, immersive, and exhilarating experiences at a theme park.