Amusement Today 2002 Golden Ticket awards announced.

[Bob O]

The trade magizene announced there golden ticket awards for 2002 today and not too many awards for disney. They announce the critieria used to determine the winners. They have several different catagories. What are your comments/thoughts and here is a link if i did it right(if it doesnt wok maybe somebody more computer literate can help).
www.amusementtoday.com/GoldenTicket/g_ticket_park_ride.html
or www.amusmenttoday.com/ and click on too golden ticket awards.

 

[airlarry!]

Hey! DCA did win 'best games area'!

Walt would be proud.

 

[Bob O]

Not good that DCA could out carny SF's parks!! Now if they could only be the best in a more meaningful area!!

 

[Planogirl]

Yay Schlitterbahn!!!!

At least Disneyland was mentioned frequently and deservedly so. I'm surprised that WDW wasn't though.

 

[Bob O]

Planogirl Is that waterpark as good as ive heard???

 

[Jeff in BigD]

Schlitterbahn rocks!

On every single water park list I've seen, it's always ranked #1.

If you're ever down in New Braunfels, you'll have to check it out.

 

[toefungus]

Blah this was just for thrill park awards. If it were a THEME park awards site, the wdw and DL would take first in Friendliest Park Staff, Capacity (fastest moving lines), Cleanest Park, Cleanest Park, Best Shows, Best Kid's Area, and Best Themed or Background Music.

 

[Bob O]

The awards were based on theme/amusement parks and not thrill parks. Holiday world would never be considered a thrill park. If you read the variuos links they explain what critieria was used in voting. Apparently to some people if disney doesnt win then everything in the world is wrong and no other parks can be clean or friendly!!! Theme park insider.com had their own poll and in that poll also wdw didnt will all the catagories listed .

 

[Tigger73]

One thing remains consistent year in and year out. Cedar Point is truly the world's best amusement park. No one park has a better selection of world class rides and entertainment.

In addition, there is not a better location than Cedar Point - on a *****ula in Lake Erie.

If you haven't ever been there, you need to get there soon.....

 

[Luv2Roam]

PRESTIGIOUS POLL REVEALS THE "BEST OF THE BEST" IN THE AMUSEMENT INDUSTRY
ARLINGTON, TEXAS?Amusement Today, a monthly trade newspaper for the
amusement, theme and waterpark industries, today announced the winners of its coveted
Golden Ticket Awards during a ceremony held at Paramount's Kings Island, located just
north of Cincinnati. The Golden Ticket Awards were created by publisher Gary Slade in 1998
as a way to reward the parks for their outstanding performance during the year. Since its
inception, the awards have been featured on the Discovery Channel, America Online,
and numerous other national and local media outlets.

Survey forms were sent to well-traveled park enthusiasts around the world, asking them
to rate the top parks and rides in 18 categories. To prevent ballot stuffing, an equal number
of surveys were mailed to four geographic regions across North America with a fifth region
consisting of international mailings. Employees of the amusement industry and staff of
Amusement Today were not allowed to vote.

Winners of Amusement Today's Golden Ticket awards for 2002 include:

?Best Park: Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio
?Best Waterpark: Schlitterbahn, New Braunfels, Texas
?Best Steel Roller Coaster: Millennium Force, Cedar Point
?Best Wooden Coaster: Raven, Holiday World, Santa Claus, Indiana

Winners in the remaining categories include:

?Friendliest Park Staff: Holiday World
?Best Capacity (Fastest Moving Lines): Cedar Point
?Cleanest Park: Holiday World
?Best Landscaping: Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia
?Best Shows: (Six Flags) Fiesta Texas, San Antonio, Texas
?Best Food: Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, Pa.
?Best Dark Ride: Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, Universal's Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Florida
?Best Water Ride (Amusement/Theme Park): Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, Universal's Islands of Adventure
?Best KidÕs Area: Paramount's Kings Island, Kings Island, Ohio
?Best Waterpark Ride: Master Blaster, Schlitterbahn

Four new categories were added for 2002 and will be awarded every third year. They include:

?Best Souvenirs: Knoebels Amusement Resort
?Best Games Area: Cedar Point
?Best Themed or Background Park Music: Universal's Islands of Adventure
?Most Classic or Distinctive Coaster Station: Lakeside Park, Denver, Colorado

For more information about the Golden Ticket Awards, contact Amusement Today at (817) 460-7220.
For a complete listing of all categories and point totals visit: www.amusementtoday.com,
then click on the Golden Ticket button.

 

[MaryJ]

As much as I love Disney, I must say hooray for Holiday World, our local amusement park! Two first place awards---cleanest and friendliest, and two second places---water park ride and Water Park.

 

[TRAPPED-PARENT]

Cedar Point in Sandusky is absolutely the BEST AMUSEMENT park! It is totally different than Disney which is in a different class (THEME PARK).

We go to Cedar Point annually and go to WDW at least 2 out of 3 years. Each is totally different and I don't see how they could be rated in the same poll.

You'll be interested to know that even though Cedar Point has been around for more than 100 years, it began it's more modern renovation after Walt opened Disneyland. Many of the things that Walt did were incorporated at Cedar Point in order to revive the failing park (this would have been in the late '50's and early 60's).

For anyone who loves coasters or just another great park ... make the trip to Sandusky, Ohio. You won't regret it.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

Universal's IOA did really well.

I'll have to go over and see how they did the rating but the fact that IOA did so well in the polls makes me think that the raters tended to reward recent innovation in their ratings.

I thought the best food reward was strange but I suppose I'll seek out Knoebel's just to see what the fuss is about. I can't imagine it's better than either Disney or Universal...unless they only rated fast food.

 

[Miss Park Avenue]

Cedar Point is awsome! So pretty up there too! Fastest moving lines huh? I always thought that the spinning type rides were too stopped too soon. Maybe that's why they have such fast lines.

Oh my goodness Tigger73 you gave me such a laugh! Cedar Point is on a PENINSula! It made me smile

 

[Bob O]

Cedar Point is a excellant park with some great rides and while i love the park i wouldnt have rated it as highly as it wasrated.
Im glad to see a family park like Holiday World(hope to visit for the first time next year during Stark raven mad) get the rave reviews it does!!! Their attendance is up big time this year and as ive stated before maybe wdw could learn from them how to give their guests a great experience by offering free parking,free soda,free tube rentals and free suntan lotion, thye go the extra mile from all i have heard from that the park goes out of its way to make sure you have a great time, somthing wdw used to do!!!!
Most of the survey results i find to be very accurate IMHO!!
And wasnt done with a anti-disney bias for those who cant stand when wdw/dl isnt first in most catagories!!

 

[plutospup]

Knoebel's Amusement Resort is a very nice family park. Not really a "thrill park", although they have two outstanding wooden rollercoasters. Best of all..."Free Admission"!!! They have a lot of repeat business throughout the summer, unlike other parks charging $50 to walk through the gate. Knoebel's has been our home park for years, while Disney is that much needed getaway from reality.

 

[Lesley]

I haven't been to Knoebel's in years....best food and best souvenirs, eh? Maybe we'll pop by next year. I recall it being very different than any place else.....lots of trees and shade. It has a very "Mom and Pop" feel to it. Kind of cool to see such a little place get recognition...

 

[plutospup]

Funny thing about Knoebel's is that it has grown significantly over the years (I still remember going to $1 night in the mid 70's), but it still has that small town feel with all of the tall, shady pine trees. Best food - maybe (steak, seafood, and traditional park fare) Best souveniers...well, if you're into carved wood items - ok.

 

[Bob O]

I also havent been to Knoebels but hope to someday .I have neard great things about the park and unlike DCA it actually has rides from a bygone era with the feel of a traditional amusement park if what i have heard is correct.