I don't think it's a secret with anyone who knows me about how much I love theme parks and rollercoasters. I regularly torture myself on Youtube watching ride videos and it's my ultimate goal in life to make it back to Florida (home of some of the best damn rides in the world, in my humble opinion). With this flimsy excuse in mind, here's a rundown of some of the best attractions I've come across. So far.
Montu - Busch Gardens, Florida
This was the first rollercoaster I ever rode, back in what must have been about 1996 when the ride opened. My dad is a bit of a rollercoaster nut too, and dragged me on it when my sister and mum refused. It was a case of, 'You're very tall for your age, you'll get on it'. Um, ok?! Even though I was terrified, I bloody loved it. I still remember getting off the ride and wanting to get straight back on it. Oddly, that's the one and only time I've ever ridden Montu, something one day I'll have to rectify.
Stealth - Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park is rollercoaster central, at least here in the UK, and although I love a lot of their coasters (but not their generally chavvy clientèle) I have a soft spot for Stealth. It's only about 30 seconds long and visually isn't that exciting after it's enormous drop, but the launch on it is like nothing else. If you ever go, make sure you're on the front row. Nothing compares, I promise you.
Jaws - Universal Studios
The above clip is from the Florida version of the ride, but Jaws resides at several of the Universal Parks by now. You probably watched the clip going 'Really? Apart from a couple of cool explosions, that sucks! And the shark looks fake!'. Yeah, I know. The charm of the ride really lies with the operators. On each boat is a crew member who acts along to the pre recorded audio and scenery and every time I've ridden, they've been excellent. It must be difficult to pretend to be in mortal peril over and over each day, so hats off to them says I.
Nemesis - Alton Towers
Nemesis opened in 1994 and Alton Towers just haven't really topped it since. Yes, it is another inverted coaster on this list, but the beauty of it lies in the fact that it lives in a massive pit dug in the ground. The park is right in the middle of a rural village and has strict rules restricting how high their rides can be, so creative thinking like this means they still get their thrill rides right. Note to the Towers though; you need to do better than Thirteen. Just saying.
Haunted Mansion - Disneyland/Magic Kingdom/Tokyo Disneyland
Fun fact: as a kid, I was terrified by haunted house rides. Petrified of them. So when I was dragged along onto this at the age of about 8 or 9, I rode the entire thing with my eyes shut. That's something I sorely regret now, as the ride is just SO. GOOD. The problem with Disney is that they can throw so much money at an attraction that everything else looks cheap and tacky in comparison, and this is no exception. The attention to detail is amazing, as well as the ride hosts, and it's main appeal is that it's scary enough without being too over the top for younger kids to enjoy.
(Another super fun fact: In Disneyland Paris there's a variation on the ride called Phantom Manor, that makes more of the doomed bride in the attic sequence. One day, I must ride it).
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - Disneyland/Hollywood Studios/Disneyland Paris
I'll get this out of the way now: THIS IS MY FAVOURITE RIDE EVER. EVER. And it's my favourite because it scares the ever loving hell out of me. The Disney touch is all over the Tower of Terror, from the slightly distorted big band music, to the overgrown gardens, to the abandoned looking interior of the 'hotel'. It is just so utterly creepy to queue through, so when you finally board the ride, you're already totally on edge, making the ultimate 199 foot drop all the sweeter. I took my Gran on this once. It was the most hilarious thing I've ever witnessed.
-Friday Voni
P.S Apologies if the links are broken/not working as they should. Me and HTML don't get on.
3 comments:
Your first rollercoaster = big huge thing, my first rollercoaster = tiny ones at Drayton Manor!! *grumble*
I must admit with Stealth, the very back is also good because you still get the huge air to the face but also the feeling you're not going to make it over!!
I am jealous! :)
I showed my mum this. She picked apart all my grammar. Thanks, mum!
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