Top 10 Best Rides

[Robert Fuller]

Okay, let's have it. What are the best rides (Disney or otherwise) that you have EVER been on? And yes, I said "ever," so that includes rides that are no longer with us. Here's mine:

1. Amazing Spider-Man (Islands of Adventure)
Sorry, Disney, but Universal gets the top spot. This ride is simply... amazing. There's just no other word for it. It's also completely original; there's never been another ride like it. I don't want to say too much about it for those who haven't been on it, but if you are one of those people... I envy you, because you get to experience it for the first time, something I'll never get to do again.

2. Splash Mountain (Disneyland/Magic Kingdom)
I can't decide which one I like best -- WDW's is longer and has better seats, but DL's is prettier and more exciting -- so I just combined them. No matter which version we're talking about, I LOVE THIS RIDE. It's the perfect blend of thrills, fantasy, and aesthetics, and thus best epitomizes what Disneyland is all about.

3. Space Mountain (Disneyland)
And no, I don't include the awful WDW version here. DL's new, revamped Space Mountain is awesome, wondrous, exciting, breathtaking, stupendous. All I can say is: thank you, Disney!

4. Indiana Jones Adventure (Disneyland)
This would be higher on this list if it worked properly all of the time, and if every experience was as incredible as the first time I went on it (when I sat in the back right corner, the best place to be on that ride). But it's an amazing ride all the same. Every time I go on it, I marvel at the thought and ingenuity that went into it. And it's also just incredibly fun.

5. Mission: Space (Epcot)
I hesitate putting this so high, as it's not exactly a "fun" ride in the way that, say, Indiana Jones is fun. In fact, it's often very unpleasant. But somehow it's a great experience nonetheless, for it's the next best thing to actual space flight. It's also extremely clever, not only for the way it uses a centrifuge to simulate everything from g-forces to zero gravity (and even hybernation), but also in the way it becomes an interactive, hands-on experience by assigning everyone a role and tasks to perform. Great ride, even if it is nauseating.

6. Jurassic Park (Islands of Adventure/Universal Studios)
I love water rides, and this is one of the best, as well as being the best dinosaur ride in an ever-increasing sub-genre (Dinosaur, Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, Ellen's Energy Adventure... um, Disneyland Railroad).

7. Matterhorn Bobsleds (Disneyland)
An old favorite of mine, and it was actually my favorite DL ride before Splash Mountain and Indiana Jones came along, and Space Mountain was revamped. There are no flashy effects, and it does seem a bit dated, but it's still just a fun, fun ride.

8. Test Track (Epcot)
This is such a great idea for a ride, and an even better execution. Whoever thought a thrill ride could be educational?

9. Rocket Rods (Disneyland)
[Sniff!] Rest in peace, Rocket Rods.

10. Pirates of the Caribbean (Disneyland)
A timeless classic, this is the audio-animatronic experience (forget the Hall of Presidents). It's not just a ride, it's a work of art.

[protostars]

1. Space Mt. V2.0 (DL)
2. TOT (DCA)
3. BTMRR (DL)
4. Splash Mt. (DL)
5. Soarin' over california (DCA)
6. Grizzley river run (DCA)
7. Matterhorn (DL)
8. Star tours (DL)
9. Indy (DL)
10. Jurrasic Park (USH)
11. Viper (6FMM)

Yes, my top 9 are all at the DL resort!!!!

[k_peek_2000]

This list is composed of only Southern California parks because I've never been to a theme park outside of Southern California.

1. Soarin' Over California (DCA)
2. Indiana Jones (DL)
3. Xcelerator (Knott's)
4. SPLIT DECISION - Jurrasic Park (USH)/ Ghostrider (Knott's)
5. Haunted Mansion (Holiday) (DL)
6. Goliath (SFMM)
7. Studio Tour (USH [the one in FL is horrable]).
8. Big Thunder Mountain (DL)
9. Pirates of the Caribbean (DL)
10. Star Tours (DL)
(and for the rest)
11. Tower of Terror (DCA)
12. Calfornia Screamin'
13. Grizzly River Rapids
14. Silver Bullet (Knott's)
15. Montazuma's Revenge (Knott's)

[PeoplemoverMatt]

I'm usually not a big fan of polls, but this is a great idea, especially for those of us who are rather well-traveled. Having ridden 75 different coasters and other "rides" it's going to be hard to list them in a top 10 list, but I will make the attempt. However, I will start with #10...

10) Gold Rusher - Six Flags Magic Mountain
I need to include this because it was the first coaster I ever rode at age 4. From then, I was hooked.

9) Superman: The Escape - Six Flags Magic Mountain
Higher than the Sky Tower, first to 100MPH, first to use magnetic propulsion, what more could you ask for? And then, they ***** it up, making us wait & drool a good year longer than we should have. Ooooh.

8) The Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye - Disneyland CA
This basically speaks for itself. The Indiana Jones movie franchise is on a level above all other movie franchises and it's only fitting the ride based off it is on a level above all other rides. Doesn't reach #1 on my list, but if there was ever a ride that successfully integrated theme, thrill, detail & quality - this would be it.

7) The Incredible Hulk - Universal's Islands of Adventure
Ok, Florida park so very few of you have been there & ridden this. Imagine Riddler's Revenge @ SFMM with a launch uphill into a barrell roll and then you have the first drop. Very thrilling, very intense coaster ride with fairly decent themeing. I've never read a comic book in my life, but I didn't feel like I really needed to know every inch of what was around me to appreciate it.

6) Space Mountain - Disneyland CA
All of you are familiar with this by now so I don't have go into really anything about the ride. The reason why this is so high on my list was because I was there on its first day & I saw the very first public train dispatched. And then, when I boarded my train, there was train #1 coming in right behind me. That whole day on 7/15 was just very, very fun, and I remember that each time I ride it now, so it gets #6.

5) Xcelerator - Knott's Berry Farm
I know, I know, Xcelerator #5?! Well, y'know, I have a thing for speed & acceleration & this ride delivers. 0-80 in approximately 3 seconds. Wow. I rode it four times in the 2 nights I went to Haunt last October & I'm still blown away by its speed. Kings Dominion in Richmond, VA had 5 coasters with launches, but none of them matched Xcelerator's intensity, except for Hypersonic. Unfortunately for Hypersonic, it felt like it was fracturing my shins for the entire ride. Seriously every on-ride photo had these intensely painful grimaces on the faces of my & my cousin. Ouch. But anyways, 0-80 in 3sec earns Xcelerator a #5 spot. That & I think they did a fairly decent job with the 50s muscle car themeing here.

4) Deja Vu - Six Flags Magic Mountain
Now you're certain I've lost my mind right? That would imply I had one to begin with. Deja Vu makes #4 because it has the 2nd most remarkable initial drop in existence. It has no theme, its construction was mired in delays, and it repeatedly goes down for extended rehabs. All that is fine, because of the ride it gives. You are hoisted up vertically, face down staring at the ground as it gets farther & farther away from you. Eventually you realize "there is nothing between me & my bloody death besides this OTSR (over-the-shoulder restraint)." And then the worst thing possibly happens. You never stop and think about it, you're going up & up and then...you fall down. Gotta love it.

3) Dueling Dragons - Universal's Islands of Adventure
This is a family board so I can't use the adjective I'd really like to use. It starts with an O if you want to use your imagination. This has probably the best themeing I've ever seen anywhere. And that's really funny to say because it's mostly meant to be a dueling B&M invert, but they did the theme so well. If you've never been to IoA, first you need to go right now. Right now hit up expedia or whatever and get some plane tickets because this park cannot be missed. The theme here, set in medieval times in a wonderfully done land called "Lost Continent," is two enormously powerful god-like dragons have met and are fighting each other. You, the rider, are just walking into this battle and everywhere you turn, there are warnings. There are these medieval books and windows for your eyes to enjoy intially & eventually you proceed into this dungeon with bones lining the walls everywhere. You just really need to see it & be there to truly get it. I liked the queue here more than Indiana Jones, honestly. And once you're out of that, you have the coasters themselves. Now, you have to choose one of the two obviously but both give tremendous experiences. Like I said, if you're sitting around bored, go get some plane tickets right now & go see this.

2) X - Six Flags Magic Mountain
Say what you want about its bumpiness, there simply does not exist a ride like this anywhere else on planet Earth. Seats that rotate 360 degrees independently? An 88 degree first drop? Track inversions as well as inversions via seat rotations?? The engineering expertise simply doesn't exist! And even if you didn't kill every rider, how & where would you build it? Well fortunately someone figured it out. Unfortunately, Six Flags bankrupted Arrow Dynamics out of sheer anger out of construction delays and timing, so there'll probably never be another one made unless one of the other manufacturers figure it out. I said Deja Vu has the 2nd most remarkable first drop in existence, X has the #1. Like Deja it has no theme and it's run horribly, but what it does deliver is like nothing else. The first drop flips you from being on your back 200ft in the air staring up at the sky completely around to face down at the ground in a jaw-dropping "Oh ****!" moment. That moment probably will never be duplicated again. I can't think of a greater first drop of any coaster anywhere. It's not in Disney, not in Cedar Point, nowhere. It exists here in Valencia and nowhere else. You're looking up at the sky and then there's the ground and guess what? You're falling right for it until you roll forward & end up right side up again going around the raven turn. The rest of the ride is great, but that right there takes it all.

1) Peoplemover - Disneyland CA
Allright, get the men in the white coats! No, I'm serious, the Peoplemover is my #1 of all time. It was better than Dragons, better than X, better than anything. Sitting here 10+ years later at age 21, I have no problem saying that. Your initial reaction is to laugh in my face, and I'm fine with that, because I think I'm the only one who really ever had a love for this thing. I've said before that if I could explain it, it would lose its luster. What can be said about something you love as a child and then it's suddenly ripped away from you? When it died, it was like losing a best friend. It's something that can't be simply gotten over. And you think "It's just this little ride that didn't do anything! Come on, someone like you wouldn't be irrational like this!" Well, we all have a little irrationality about us somewhere, and this is mine. Peoplemover was just this wonderful little experience that there was never a line for, that went everywhere I wanted to go, I could see everything I wanted to see...it was like my moment with the birds soaring over this wonderful land where reality bends a knee to dreams & dreams have become reality. Leonardo Da Vinci's one regret in life was that he was never able to fly with the birds, no matter how many times his heart took flight. It didn't have 10 inversions, it didn't go 130MPH, it wasn't this budget-buster E-ticket extravaganza ride & it didn't have to be. It was my ride, my escape, my old friend who was always there when I came back again. Until, of course, when it was killed. Fortunately, since its replacement was an utter failure and put out of its misery, there always remains the hope that my Peoplemover, my old friend, will return to me one day. And I don't care how long I have to wait, how long I have to monitor the track for possible activity, how long I must eavesdrop on WDI future plans, when you come back my friend, I will be there waiting.

So that's my list, hope you enjoyed reading. Good heavens, that took 2 hours to write!

-- Peoplemover "Beats a Travel Channel top 10 eh? " Matt

[protostars]

2 well spent hours there matt
took me 5 minutes to read as well

[Ratty12345]

1. IJA
2. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
3. Roger Rabbit's Car-toon Spin
4. Medusa (Marine World)
5. Grizzly River Run
6. A time machine ride in Knott's Berry Farm I can't remember the name of
7. CA Screamin'
8. Sun Wheel
9. Great Movie Ride (WDW)
10. Test Track (WDW)

[PeoplemoverMatt]

6) Kingdom of the Dinosaurs

-- PMM

[SplashMountain]

1. Splash Mountain-(Disneyland/Walt Disney World)
2. Dudley Do-Rights Ripsaw Falls-(Islands Of Adventure)
3. Popey and Blutos Bilge Rat Barges-(Islands Of Adventure)
4. Jurassic Park River Adventure-(Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure)
5. Space Mountain v2.0-(Disneyland Park)
6. The Incredible Hulk Coaster-(Islands of Adventure)
7. Rock 'n Roller Coaster-(Disney's MGM Studios)
8. The Great White-(Sea World San Diego)
9. Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forrbidden Eye-(Disneyland Park)
10. Pirates Of The Carribean-(Disneyland Park)

and the list goes on and on and on...

[WendyDarling1955]

Ok so, I am not a huge fan of roller coasters, so these are my top 10~>
1.) Pirates of the Carribean-DL-Such a classic, couldn't live without it!
2.) Space Mountain-DL V2.0 Is awesome, but I have always enjoyed this ride!
3.) Haunted Mansion-DL and WDW- Both are awesome! Classic Rides
4.) BTMRR- DL A classic that was my favorited ride for the longest time.
5.) Peter Pan-DL- I am completely in love with the story
6.) ToT-DCA-This ride scares me everytime!
7.) Splash Mountain- DL/WDW- I love both! I like the seating more on WDW's version, but I like the look of the DL one more.
8.) Indiana Jones Adventure-DL-Need I say more?
9.) Jurassic Park- USH- Great ride, great thrill!
10.) Star Tours-DL- Timeless!

[Tell_No_Tales]

1) POTC (Disneyland) its a classic
2) Amazing Spiderman Ride (Islands of Adventure) This ride is so freakin awsome
3) Haunted Mansion (Disneyland)
4) X (Six Flags Magic Mountain) The best Roller Coaster ..... so far!
5) Astro Blasters (Disneyland)
6) Space Mountain (Disneyland)
7) Deja Vu (Six Flags Magic Mountain)
8) Dueling Dragons (Island of Adventure) must be in front row
9) Shipwreck Rapids (Sea World, CA)
10) Cyberspace Mountain (Disney Quest)

Notable Mentions (because there are so many good rides):
Tower Of Terror, The Great Movie Ride (Disney MGM), Roger Rabit (Disneyland), The Viewliners (I miss them), Incredilbe Hulk (Islands of Adventure), California Screamin (DCA), Goliath (Six Flags Magic Mountain), Batman (Six Flags Magic Mountain), Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (Disney MGM), & Knott's halloween haunt.

[Tell_No_Tales]

What is IJA?

[Disneyland_Wolf]

It's Indiana Jones Adventure. You didn't know that?

[Tell_No_Tales]

Now I do, Thanks. I feel so stupid.

[Ratty12345]

Originally Posted by Tell_No_Tales

Now I do, Thanks. I feel so stupid.

Lol, the letters are just initials, nothing to be ashamed of.

[Space_Mt.]

Top 10

1. Amazing Adventures of Spiderman.
*Universal's Islands of Adventure
It's just so incredibly mindblowing.

2. Sheikra
*Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
First row..thats all thats needed to be said.

3. The Incredible Hulk
*Universal's Islands of Adventure
That launch gets me every **** time.

4. Dueling Dragons
*Universal's Islands of Adventure
What a rush, especially on ICE when it seems you're about to hit a wall.

5. Indiana Jones Adventure
*Disneyland Park
Need I say more?

6. Journey to the Center of Earth
*Tokyo Disneyland/Disneysea
Simply incredible.

7. Dudley-Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls
*Universal's Islands of Adventure
Almost vertical drop, only flume log ride to change degrees while dropping.

8. Revenge of the Mummy
*Universal Studios Florida
The Animatronics are incredible, and it's so exhilirating.

9. Space Mountain
*Disneyland Park
I have yet to ride the new version, but the old version was so fun.

10. Montu
*Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Best Inverted Coaster EVER. In my Opinion, lol.