Golden Ticket Awards Announced (Amusement Park Awards)

[danielephant]

The fall is the BEST time to go to CP...when we were teenagers we would go every sunday afternoon after church, we would all hope in the van with whoever had the parking pass on their actual pass and we would spend the afternoon there, freezing our bottoms off, but the fact that no one was there, never waiting in line for anything, really the BEST time to go, never liked the haunted houses...i liked the fright zone...cause i could run away from the scary people LOL

like i said i have not had a pass in 3 years so alot may have changed...the tourists may have found out our little secret

 

[Disney Padawan]

One person here is in need of serious help.

Anyway, I'm very happy for UO! They've always deserved it.
Can't wait to visit Holiday World. I've always heard nothing but good things.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

You should try some of the parks on that list! They are much better than Blah Blah Blah....

I agree.

I'm very proud 2 of our local parks on on the list. Idlewild....just got back from there a couple weeks ago with the kids.

And Kennywood.... I love the way Noah's Ark used to be, before it was "redone" but its still an oldy and a goody.

May have to take a trip to Holiday World. . I've heard so many good things about it.

 

[czycropper]

I'm so happy that 4 of the parks we are planning on visiting on our "Great Roller Coaster Road Trip of 2011" are tops on this list.

We live in New Jersey and are driving to Cedar Point, then down to Holiday World, over to Kings Island, then stopping at Knobels, Hershey & Dorney Park before coming home. We're BIG coaster fanatics and can't wait to do this road trip.....

 

[HelenePA]

I'm so happy that 4 of the parks we are planning on visiting on our "Great Roller Coaster Road Trip of 2011" are tops on this list.

We live in New Jersey and are driving to Cedar Point, then down to Holiday World, over to Kings Island, then stopping at Knobels, Hershey & Dorney Park before coming home. We're BIG coaster fanatics and can't wait to do this road trip.....

Maybe the "flying turns" will be done at knoebels by then.. I wouldn't hold my breath though Sounds like you have a great vacation planned for next year.. I'm jealous!

 

[golfgal]

Are the waterparks listed really better then the Disney waterparks? We had a BLAST at the Disney waterparks but if these others are better, we might have to go there. We LOVED the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon.

 

[HelenePA]

Are the waterparks listed really better then the Disney waterparks? We had a BLAST at the Disney waterparks but if these others are better, we might have to go there. We LOVED the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon.

if you have the travel channel watch for their water park special... I'd love to go to TX

 

[powellrj]

Are the waterparks listed really better then the Disney waterparks? We had a BLAST at the Disney waterparks but if these others are better, we might have to go there. We LOVED the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon.

I can only speak about Holiday World, but I would have to say the theming isn't as good as the WDW waterparks, but they are more of a thrill ride than the Disney ones are.

We usually try to do WDW and Holiday World every year because we enjoy what both have to offer. We also became season ticket holders to Dollywood this year and loved it to! The shows were great! We are NOT county music fans, but it didn't matter because they had all types of music. My favorite group was an acapella christian group from Africa. They were amazing!

 

[mamacatnv]

Are the waterparks listed really better then the Disney waterparks? We had a BLAST at the Disney waterparks but if these others are better, we might have to go there. We LOVED the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon.

if you have the travel channel watch for their water park special... I'd love to go to TX

I have been to Typhoon and to the Original Schlitterbahn and honestly they are hard to compare. The wave pool at Typhoon is amazing, like nothing I have ever seen but Schlitterbahn was an amazing experience.

Schlitterbahn NB (New Braunfels)
Has so many different elements. We went for 10 days, we were the first Renoites they remember having. That is a long haul just for a waterpark.
NB has 3 different parks, one can catch the shuttle buses between the 3. We stayed in a 1 bedroom apt. on the property, not even close to WDW standard and yet we paid way more but we would do it again in a heartbeat! If the airfare wasn't so costly along with the lodging we would go back tomorrow.

The original park is built using river water from the Comal river. There is no chlorine and the River Rapid ride (my favorite) dumps you (literally) into the river complete with slimy rocks and turtles. It is beautiful and lush. The "lagoon" is murky, it is river water. Mind you the river is super clean, but it is still a river. That is the original park

Then there are the newer parks. There is Surf'nburg that has the surf/wave machine and an amazing lazy river that is certainly not lazy, one heck of a current along with a family tube ride and some coaster rides.

The 3rd park was in our backyard and has the big tower rides including the MasterBlaster - the owners of Schlitterbahn created the concept of the "uphill" water coaster. That park also has a "lazy river" that has waves, big, huge rolling waves that are continual as you go in a circle. Loved, loved, loved that river!

I know why it wins every single year, it is amazing.

 

[GetGlowing]

I'm in central IL and have Holiday World, Six Flags Chicago, and Six Flags St. Louis all roughly equidistant, and Holiday World blows either Six Flags away IMHO.

You'll notice how many Six Flags parks made the list

I'm thrilled to see so many fans of the smaller parks here! I don't understand the people who live with Disney-colored glasses. I've been to parks on three continents. I'm an amusement park fan, not just a fan of one park or type of attraction. LOVE the small parks with local character. We just added Kennywood and Idlewild to our list of places we've visited this year. Those parks are small, but they have a different kind of magic, one that can't be manufactured. Idlewild is a real gem. But I love Disney, too. Its magic is just different!

Dollywood's my local park and I can attest that they have fabulous entertainment. It's one of the few parks I'm comfortable saying is an all-ages park. In fact, many days there are far more senior citizens in attendance than other ages. They looove the shows.

I predict Forbidden Journey will oust Spiderman from its dark ride throne next year.

 

[ckay87]

Love that Knoebels won for its carousel. What is so cool about that park is that it just tiptoes on the border betwen safe and maybe-not-so-safe. Grabbing for the brass ring is just one example of a ride where riders are allowed to take a risk that does not guarantee that they will actually stay ON the ride. The Phoenix coaster also leaves you to wonder if that fabulous "airtime" really could leave you laying somewhere out on the track! (Airtime is one thing, standing straight up in your seat is another) And there is another widely-loved, barely-safe ride called The Flyers. I've never seen anything like it. A simple spinning ride where YOU control the height of your travel. Leaving patrons in charge of their own safety seems....unwise. For example, our group of teenage boys was collectively kicked off of that ride about 3 times over the course of a weekend for taking their height/speed just a little too far.

This is NOT a criticism of the park, however. It is, rather, what makes the park so darn FUN. The place has the last pool that I know of that actually has a high dive. My kids had never used one!

And the food is fantastic, as others have said. It's not just the quality, but the variety. And, above all, the PRICE! I can't think of one single food item, aside from perhaps drinks, that is overpriced.

Finally...you can walk around the park with your dogs. Yes, a public place where you can....gasp....expose your animals to other people! Heck, you can take your pooch ON a few rides with you!

But let's keep all of this our little secret, okay?

 

[Mad Hattered]

I'm really bummed that Disney isn't on the list more than once, but I am happy to see Cedar Point listed. We're headed for their Halloweekends in two weeks!

The wife and I will be there THIS weekend!!

 

[DOOM1001]

I need to get my glasses fixed. I had trouble reading this .......


Best Amusement Park
blah blah blah blah

Best Waterpark
blah blah blah blah

Best Children’s Park
blah blah blah blah

Best Marine Life Park
blah blah blah blah

Best Seaside Park
blah blah blah blah

Best Wooden Coaster
blah blah blah blah

Best Steel Coaster
blah blah blah blah

Best Kids’ Area
blah blah blah blah

Friendliest Staff
blah blah blah blah

Cleanest Park
blah blah blah blah

Best Halloween Event
blah blah blah blah

Best Landscaping
blah blah blah blah

Best Christmas Event
blah blah blah blah

Best Food
blah blah blah blah.

Best Shows
blah blah blah blah.

Best Outdoor Night Show Production
IllumiNations: Reflections of the Earth
at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center, Orlando, Fla.

Best Water Ride
blah blah blah blah.

Best Waterpark Ride
blah blah blah blah.

Best Dark Ride
blah blah blah blah.

Best Indoor Waterpark
blah blah blah blah

Best Funhouse/Walk-Through Attraction
blah blah blah blah.

Best Carousel
blah blah blah blah.

Best Indoor Roller Coaster
blah blah blah blah.

Best New Ride of 2010 - Amusement Park
blah blah blah blah.

Best New Ride of 2010 - Waterpark
blah blah blah blah

Disney is an amazing place but believe me there are amazing parks and experiences out there that are not Disney related.Living in South Florida I'm grateful that I can visit Disney regularly but I would prefer to be in North Florida to be close to Disney and closer to these other parks.Many of these parks and coasters have been getting these awards year after year.Cedar Point and Busch Gardens Williamsburg are two of my favorite parks out there,they probably beat out all the Disney parks for me except EPCOT which is my overall #1.All these awards are well earned and Universal's definitely deserves it for Horror Nights,Spider-man,Mummy and Potter,Dudley Do Right is worthy but there are others that could have taken this spot.I'm glad Illuminations got the best nighttime show as it has been my favorite for years,I also love Wishes but Fantasmic,not so much.

 

[bigAWL]

I think it's interesting that except for a couple parks in TX and one in CA, all the winners are east of the Mississippi.

I live on the Roller Coast

Cedar point that is....so other parks that i have been to do not thrill me at all, cause i have had season passes in the past...and we would go at least once a week. Super fun, for the first 6 times in the summer but after that the lines get long and it is no fun. The last time i had a pass was the summer before we got pregnant with our daughter, and i have only been three times since. Take a look at the newest ride they are building...talk about crazy scary!!!! it is not a roller coaster, i love love love rollercoasters, it is like the swings that go in a circle...BUT it goes up a 300 foot poll, makeing it to where you are swinging a few feet lower than the millenium force's tallest hill!!!!!! I would be sooooo freaked out!

I believe it's like this one in Tivoli Gardens (in Copenhagen, Denmark) built in 2006. It's called the Star Flyer. According to wikipedia, there will be 4 built in North America this year and next.

I rode it with my DD8, and she loved it. I get a little on spinning rides, so it wasn't so great for me. Great view over Copenhagen, though.

 

[kc10family]

For those of you who felt you needed to inform me that there are more places to visit and more things to do than Disney…. I thank you.



But did anyone find it a little funny that I wiped out all the other places and BOLDED DISNEY. This is a Disney chat board you know. I guess I was the only one who found some humor in this.

 

[HelenePA]

For those of you who felt you needed to inform me that there are more places to visit and more things to do than Disney…. I thank you.



But did anyone find it a little funny that I wiped out all the other places and BOLDED DISNEY. This is a Disney chat board you know. I guess I was the only one who found some humor in this.

Nope didn't find it funny. To me it seemed like the other winners didn't really matter. Disney is great dont get me wrong but the winners of the other catagories DID deserve to win! I am not able to go to disney when ever the mood strikes. Plus its about 3-4k$ a pop when we go.. I am so lucky to have a great park 30 minutes away that deserved to win the awards they won. Free parking, free admission. If I dont get on any rides it doesn't cost me a dime to be there! Where as I have to pay disney to get in weather I get on anything or not. Its a great park. They deserve the credit they are due. All of the parks on that list do. Not blah blah blah...

 

[Planogirl]

For those of you who felt you needed to inform me that there are more places to visit and more things to do than Disney…. I thank you.



But did anyone find it a little funny that I wiped out all the other places and BOLDED DISNEY. This is a Disney chat board you know. I guess I was the only one who found some humor in this.

The DIS also includes forums for a few others parks plus the Community Board is about anything not just Disney. I didn't get the humor either.

 

[Octoberbride03]

The DIS also includes forums for a few others parks plus the Community Board is about anything not just Disney. I didn't get the humor either.

Yes, I found it more sad than funny myself. No worries though kc. We all have attempts at humor that fall flat from time to time.