Unpopular Coaster Opinions

TC at SFMM best RMC? I got 8 rides in on TC, including front, middle, and rear (gigity). I would have to disagree there. SV destroys TC, IMO. However, it's not to say TC wasn't fun because it was a riot. But SV is like, how do I say this, the best girlfriend you had in high school. Perfect in form, placement, and stature, double gigity.

Bear in mind that SV was not even a zygote when this thread was started in 2016.

And unfortunately for the OP, Georgia Cyclone, has since been RMC'd.

ApolloAndy said:

I once made out with 1001 nachts.

”I want your fluids...”

;-)

Mforcebob said:

Felt the Big Bad Wolf was underrated

Agreed, great theming and ride.

The Polercoaster looks boring, and I hope they never build one.

I have several unpopular opinions that I could list, but Ill limit myself to three:

1. Orion is going to suck compared to Fury and Leviathan.

2. Vortex at Kings Island should not have been removed.

3. Montu is better than Alpengeist.

I think you misunderstand the word "unpopular".

1.) Rougarou isn't very good.

I've seen a lot of enthusiasts rave about this ride, rating it as one of the best at Cedar Point. I think it's sort of OK, but it's just that: mediocre. I honestly thought that it was better as Mantis than the way it is now. In fact, I wish that they would have completely removed Mantis instead of converting it. Although I enjoyed Mantis and think Rougarou is a passably decent ride, I would rather see it go than Magnum or Gemini, which are both speculated to be on the chopping block in the somewhat near future. (Especially since, in my opinion, Magnum is the greatest ride that Arrow ever built and Gemini is the 2nd-best.) Anyway, I think that Rougarou is a bit painful and has a layout that isn't anything special, especially when the same park has rides like SV, Maverick, Magnum, the somewhat similar-in-concept Valravn, and (dare I say it) Millennium Force.

2.) Vortex's time had come.

Although it was sad to see a historic ride go, it had been a long time since Vortex had been anywhere close to being one of the best rides in KI, let alone the world. My first ride on Vortex was in 2011(?). I rode it again once or twice in the few years thereafter, but every time I came to the same conclusion: This ride was too rough to be fun or even worth riding more than once or twice. I acknowledge that this ride was one of the most beautiful rides at KI, maybe in the world, and that it once held world records, and that it upsets people to see the demise of Arrow coasters, but honestly, the ride was outdated, so rough that it was not enjoyable, and probably a nightmare in terms of both money and time/effort to maintain.

3.) Vest restraints are better than traditional OTSRs.

Many coaster enthusiasts complain that the modern, vest-style restraints on rides such as Valravn and Banshee are inferior to old-style over the shoulder restraints because the new restraints reduce forces and airtime. As important as forces and airtime are to roller coasters, I would take vest restraints over OTSRs any day. I personally see the tradeoff for comfort as worthwhile. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the OTSRs are a big part of what make me see many rides, especially the two mentioned in my previous points, as being rough and painful.

4.) Millennium Force is a great ride.

I know. I know. Millennium Forceless. I might be biased towards this ride because it got me over my fear of coasters, but I still rank this #2 both in CP and overall (after only Steel Vengeance). What it lacks in airtime and inversions, it makes up for in size and speed. I also think the layout is good, at least in terms of the lake view and the tunnels.

Patrick

1- Rougarou suffers from CP-itis... It would be a star attraction at soooooo many parks. But at Cedar Point it just gets lost in the shuffle. I enjoyed Mantis, too, but for most people Rougarou is the better version.

2- Agreed. I still don’t know how Vortex was a headbanger on the straight first drop.

3- Agreed again. GateKeeper was the first coaster I rode with best restraints. It renewed my interest in coasters with lots of inversions. Love them. And I don’t get the “lack of force and airtime” issue that people bitch about.

4- I LOVE Millennium Force. It’s still my #1... Is it the tallest, fastest, craziest, or whatever-est? No. But no coaster puts a smile on my face like Millennium Force. I could ride it all day and not get sick of it. I know the cool thing these days is to poo-poo Millennium Force but it’s an incredible ride any way you slice it.

When did liking Millennium Force become an unpopular opinion? Did I miss something?

Shane:

That is a good point about CP-itis. There are several coasters at Cedar Point that are considered to be middle-of-the-road or even not good because of the abundance of world-class attractions at Cedar Point, not because of deficits of the rides themselves. I guess Rougarou does fall into this category for me personally. When I go to CP, sometimes I ride Rougarou, and sometimes I don't. Either way, I don't usually regret my decision. At the same time, if it were announced that Cedar Fair was going to sell Rougarou to a place like Conneaut Lake Park or even move it to one of the lesser parks in their own chain, I would be excited for the future of the park to which Rougarou was going.

(I think that CP-itis is also the reason why a lot of people criticize Millennium Force nowadays. The addition of rides like GateKeeper, Rougarou, Valravn, and Steel Vengeance means that Millennium Force is not one of the newest rides at Cedar Point anymore.)

Chris:

In the past few years, Millennium Force has gained a reputation as being overrated and boring. It has been featured in many top 10/20/whatever overrated roller coaster lists that I have seen. In fact, when I type "most overrated roller coasters" into Google, a picture of Millennium Force is the first thing that shows up.

I have also noticed a difference at the park. This past year, the lines for Millennium Force have been significantly shorter than they were even a few years ago. (And this is with the increased attendance from everyone having a Gold Pass now.) I don't think that I waited more than 30, maybe 45 minutes for Millennium Force in 2019. In previous years, it was common to wait an hour (or more) even on days when the park was not super crowded.

I understand that technology has improved, and the roller coaster industry has changed a lot since 2000. There are many newer rides both at CP and around the world, some of which could reasonably be said to be better than Millennium. I acknowledge why Millennium Force may no longer even crack the top ten for some people. Nevertheless, I disagree, although it should be noted that my coaster count is much lower than many enthusiasts' coaster counts.

patrickfk said:
Chris:

...In fact, when I type "most overrated roller coasters" into Google, a picture of Millennium Force is the first thing that shows up....

Never mind that the most overrated coasters on the planet are The Beast and the Coney Island Cyclone*...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

*My last ride on the Cyclone was in 2008 and while those rides sucked, there was an outstanding coaster under there somewhere begging to be let loose. I know it's been renovated since then, so there is a chance that it might not suck anymore...

--DCAjr

1 - RMCs are overrated. They just snap-snap-snap, the trains are hideous and most of all, uncomfortable to ride in. Faster and steeper isn't always better. More badass isn't always better.

2 - I prefer Legend over Voyage and Raven (but love them too!)

3 - The Beast really did run faster back in the day, but not consistently. Yes, there is a 1979 video of a brand new Beast running a bit slow, not broken in and with an empty train that people keep referencing. That is not a good example. You knew the Beast was running fast when the 2nd drop stood you up and the train went over half way up the 2nd lift. One day a good example of a fast Beast will surface.

4 - Six Flags intentionally designed ridiculously long exit queues.

Despite my name, I think Legend is the best coaster at Holiday World, too.

-Schwarzkopf76

While I myself never experienced the "fast" Beast that people rave about (first rode in 07' I think as a young kid), it is my understanding that the reason it seemed faster under its old configuration is because the skid brakes would slow the train gradually while the current magnetic brakes more abruptly.

The net speed is virtually unchanged though, just with sharper deceleration at each braking instance.

Also there are examples of "fast" Beast on YT. This POV was taken in 2000, the penultimate season in which it operated under its original braking configuration. There's also this one from the mid-90s. Compare those to this 2014 POV, and you'll see they run about the same.

^I've heard that explanation too.

Skid brakes were adjustable. And they got wet in the rain. In general, the whole ride was faster with a noticeable step-down in speed in 1989. By the early 90s, it was consistently slower than in the mid-80s. And then another step-down in speed after 2000. Still a fun ride, but not the Beast I knew in the 80s.

I wonder how much of it was tightening up on the brakes when they changed the lap bars...I think that was early to mid 1990's...because six ratchet bars and a set of grab handles are heavier than three handlebars. A heavier train won't have a higher top speed, but it will require more braking force to slow it down.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
(who doesn't much like RMC's coasters, either)

^Those heavier trains also wear the track faster. So slowing everything down was better for maintenance.