I think Cedar Fair knows that people will come to Cedar Point no matter what, so they don't put in as much effort. Not so much the same with Kings Island. People don't go out of their way to go to Kings Island the same way people go out of their way to go to Cedar Point, so as a result Kings Island has put in more effort to make themselves stand out.
@@thepuncakian2024 That, and I'm guessing they figure that if people go a long way to Cedar Point as a destination, they might be taking a tour of other parks in the general area, and so they want to make sure that Kings Island is on peoples' list. That way they can potentially double-dip on visitors.
@@MarsJenkarNot only that, but they own Ohio. If you have two parks there, people might just visit OH instead of the annual trip to Orlando or Southern Cali, where they have little if any presence compared to other attractions. Lastly, it helps a lot that they're two of the five or so best pure thrill parks in the US, which other coaster destinations can't say.
Islands of Adventure will always be my personal favorite, probably because of the nice mix between dark rides (I’m also a HUGE Spider-Man fan, so that probably helps a lot lol. Plus, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey easily takes the cake for the best dark ride imo), theming, and roller coasters (the VelociCoaster is my favorite roller coaster). But of course, that’s just me, I actually think this is a fantastic list
I'm glad to see Kings Island get some love. I first went in 1984 when I was 10 and last went there last summer. They have had some iconic former rides along with the current like King Cobra (stand up coaster), Son of Beast, Screamin Demon, Der Spinning Keggers (basically a mad tea party in beer barrels). and Zodiac (a double ferris wheel). I have found the staff there to be outstanding and very friendly like you said.
I just rode Iron Gwazi and was blown away. It was the best RMC convert I have ridden. Intense and doesn’t let up until you brake to go in to the station.
I feel like everyone has a different opinion on jersey devil. Some say it’s elite while you say it’s a “FAMILY COASTER”. So strange. Also their 50th anniversary is in 2024. They could get something then.
it seems like most of the people who rode it before it sped up are calling it a family coaster, while most of the people who rode it later in 2021 (including myself) say the ride is great.
Copium for Chris since he wont be living walking distance from its twin sister. Has to convince himself hes not missing out on anything, other than a few hundred grand 😳. Shouldve rented out that house and monitored the market. Idk why he went all in on a brand new state.
I loved Jersey Devil when I rode it about two weeks ago. It exceeded my expectation, but don't expect the original/smaller RMC raptor whip. In another park it could easily be the best coaster. It's no El Toro, but then again I don't think it was ever going to be.
@@TheCycloneHunter I’ve ridden it during the membership preview, over the summer, Fright Fest, Holiday in the Park and this year. I absolutely love it and think it hauls across its course
I've been to every park in your top 5, and I reluctantly have to agree with your rankings. I think that in some sense, BG Tampa is my #1, but KI blew me away last year. You are almost singlehandedly responsible for me even adding it to my planned CP trip. For that, I'll be forever grateful.
So happy to see silver dollar city rank so high! Time traveler definitely brought things to a new level, but silver dollar city has always been such a fun park. While they don’t have anything massive height-wise, all of the coasters are fun and they’re all built right into the terrain which creates some really cool coaster experiences. Nothing gets me more pumped than riding wildfire at night when all is dark and it looks like you’re about to plunge right into the trees. Also, the theming is great, the food is next-level, and the atmosphere is just unmatched. Thanks for your ranking list, I can’t wait to check some of these other parks out!
It's crazy how I thought every park was as good as my home park as a kid. Didn't realize until much later how top tier kings island is when you step back and look at the whole package.
Haven't been this excited for a coaster vid since before Orion came out! (KI is my home park). Can't wait to see this list! Edit: Happy to see your number 1 is still Kings Island!!
The real question for Kings Island is what will they put in Vortex's old plot? It's in a prime location in the park, and if they get the right coaster in there, they could really outdo themselves. I really hope we get some sort of an announcement soon.
with kings island being my homepark 40 minutes away im hyped to see them being your winner! i think cp has the better top tier coaster in steve and maverick but ki has a much better layout and ops.
Good list! In true me fashion, here's my list (almost a top 15): 16. Legoland Florida - I only went here as a kid. I enjoyed it, but they have changed a lot now. I imagine Ninjago and the new Lego Movie ride are fun for all ages. Their coasters are for kids, but Dragon excels in its cool dark ride portion. Miniland is also quite impressive. They have Cypress Gardens still intact as well. It's hard to justify paying the Disney-level 1 day ticket to go back and ride Coastersaurus, which I was too scared to ride, and Great Lego Race, which made me scared of coasters in the first place. I know they're not focusing on coasters, but if they can get a great family coaster (GG woodie, Mack spinner, Intamin whatever) I'll consider going back. If I went back now, it'd only have a chance of passing Fun Spot Atlanta, only until they open ArieForce One, though. 15. Fun Spot America Atlanta - Like every Fun Spot park, the staff is friendly, which really helps make your day. We were among the only people there and the staff ended up gathering at the entrance to tell us goodbye when the park closed! Being still new, this park has lots of room to improve on the sketchy feeling that was there before. Scream'n Eagle Coaster is fun enough to ride over and over, and they have some fun go-kart tracks, mini golf, and batting cages. But when ArieForce One opens, that'll put forth an amazing future for this little park! 14. Disney's Animal Kingdom - I don't get why fans rave about this being the best WDW park, but I only went one day. The park is nice and has some good rides, especially Expedition Everest, which you can do over and over thanks to a single rider line. Kilimanjaro Safari is a cool ride, DINOSAUR is decent, and Navi River Journey is pretty, but not worth an hour of waiting... The shows were decent too. I guess I'd like it better if I could have their food, or had gotten to ride Flight of Passage, which had 3 hour wait all day. Other than Expedition Everest, I didn't find much that stood out sadly. 13. Wild Adventures - I've been here 4 times, and it's fun. Lots of good flat rides to do (especially Tail Spin) and several coasters as well. Boomerang was smooth and wacky, while Twisted Typhoon was fun and quite forceful, and my favorite there. Cheetah (now closed) was super rough and nothing to get excited about, however. They do have a wild mouse and 2 Vekoma family coasters though. Tasmanian River Rapids is pretty fun, too. Finally, their Alapaha Trail and train ride let you see lots of animals; don't miss those when you visit. Finally, they host concerts sometimes; Skillet likes to visit every year! 12. Fun Spot America Kissimmee - Generally friendly staff makes for a nice atmosphere. Mine Blower, while rough, is a great woodie. Galaxy Spin is a spinning mouse that is loads of fun, and Hurricane is a good supporter. Throw in 2 multi-level go-kart tracks and some flat rides and you've got a fun little park! Oh, and don't overlook the world's tallest Skycoaster! 11. EPCOT - Like Animal Kingdom, you won't find that many rides to do here, but it's the overall experience. The countries are interesting, as is the overall theme. Test Track is a unique and fun ride, while Soarin' is a top-tier simulator. Spaceship Earth was pretty cool as well. However, there were no coasters there, and we missed Frozen Ever After. Journey into Imagination with Figment is overhated, but way under Disney's normal quality standards. The recent improvements to the park may make me like it more if I ever go back, plus the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster looks awesome. 10. Fun Spot America Orlando - I'm biased, but I love this park. It feels the nicest of the Fun Spot parks and has the most to do. White Lightning used to be my favorite coaster, and is still great today. Freedom Flyer is nostalgic for me. They have 4 fun go-kart tracks, and some good flat rides too. The arcade, Gator Spot, and Skydiner help add to this fun park. 9. Six Flags Over Georgia - Lots of great coasters here! Goliath is my favorite hyper so far and my #3 (ride in the front and it's amazing), Twisted Cyclone is a great, quick, out-of-control RMC, Superman is fun and graceful, Batman is fun and very forceful, and the other coasters are good as well: Scorcher, Dare Devil Dive, Blue Hawk, Scream Machine, Mind Bender, Dahlonega Mine Train, even Joker. There's some good flat rides as well (but Sky Screamer and Acrophobia are always closed, why?) They do have some issues with food services and overall employee friendliness, but nothing that was too bad. The main problem was weird, loud, and cursing groups or "gangs" being annoying, but I guess that comes with being near Atlanta... 8. Magic Kingdom - What can I say? It's the most-visited theme park in the world! It has the best theming and magic out of the 4 WDW parks imo. Also has a larger collection of rides, such as Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, and Buzz Lightyear. TRON looks like a great new addition. They don't have much for coaster enthusiasts or thrill seekers, but what they do have is lots of theming and Disney magic. Oh, and Carousel of Progress is an underrated piece of history, don't miss this! 7. Disney's Hollywood Studios - The most underrated Disney park! It's my favorite because of the rides-- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (which is underrated), Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, Slinky Dog Dash, and Millennium Falcon is a solid collection, plus they have the new Rise of the Resistance and Mickey's Runaway Railway rides. The theming is very good, especially Galaxy's Edge. 6. Carowinds - I only went once, so it might be higher if I go again. Great park, good atmosphere! Fury, Intimidator, and Copperhead Strike are all elite rides, with Afterburn and Nighthawk following closely behind. Absolutely recommend Fury and Afterburn in the front! Their supporting coasters aren't the best but some are historic, like Woodstock Express, Carolina Cyclone, and Goldrusher, which is cool. Vortex wasn't the awful coaster everyone said it was; I actually found it fun. Flying Cobras is a good boomerang, just sit in the back because the front rattles. Hurler is... interesting. Wouldn't be upset to see a Twisted Timbers clone here, just saying! 5. SeaWorld Orlando - Such a nice park! I initially liked this one better than Busch Gardens, but after reriding the BGT coasters, that one's better. But I still like SeaWorld's atmosphere better. Roller coasters are quality over quantity, with Mako and Manta both originally taking my #1 and 2 spots, and are both still top 10. Ice Breaker brings the ejector airtime and is a great addition, and Kraken, while quite rough now, is a solid, forceful floorless. Finally, Journey to Atlantis is underrated. They also have Infinity Falls, aka the best rapids ride I've ridden; don't overlook this ride! Their shows are decent and cute, and they have several cool animal exhibits. The upcoming surf coaster will be great as well... 4. Universal Studios Florida - Just because this park is basking in the shadow of IoA doesn't mean it should be overlooked. Good theming, fun rides. Rip Ride Rockit and Revenge of the Mummy are both very fun coasters. Escape from Gringotts is cool, too. Other fun simulators include one of my favorites, Transformers, the family-friendly Minion Mayhem, and the creative (and underrated) Race Through New York. Also, don't sleep on the addictive shooter ride Men in Black. 3. Dollywood - Such a nice park, with a little something for everyone! Niceness + coasters = greatness! Lightning Rod is a rush from the start and my #2 coaster overall. Every other coaster here is underrated: Mystery Mine is a weird and fun coaster that I probably enjoy a little too much, Thunderhead is a great woodie, Wild Eagle is decently fast and forceful, Tennessee Tornado is the definition of short but sweet, FireChaser Express is my favorite family coaster, and Dragonflier is a fun little SFC with a couple of surprising moments. I could easily ride any of these coasters all day! Throw in a rapids ride, Drop Line, the weird classic Blazing Fury, Dolly Express, and other flat rides, and you've got a park worth paying for the 3-day ticket! Oh, and there's another coaster coming as well! 2. Busch Gardens Tampa - Following the theme of nice parks, here's BGT! Iron Gwazi has turned a great collection into one of the best in the world (fair warning: this runs slow in the morning but really picks up later), Cheetah Hunt and Montu are both amazing for completely different reasons, SheiKra is pure fun, Tigris is unique (even though it's a clone lol), Kumba is rough but great, and Cobra's Curse is a great family coaster. Scorpion and Sand Serpent are good supporting coasters. And don't forget about the train ride, rapids, and Falcon's Fury. The police should arrest you for getting bored here! 1. Universal's Islands of Adventure - My favorite park! Great theming and greater rides. Hulk is my favorite B&M looper, and Hagrid's is a fun, long, unique ride I like even better than Hulk! Forbidden Journey is an awesome ride, and Kong and Spider-Man are good simulators. They also have 3 great water rides, with Ripsaw Falls being the best. Why is this park still my favorite? I have no idea, but I always have an awesome time here! VelociCoaster looks to make that fun time a whole lot better! We're visiting King's Island in a couple weeks, which has a shot at #1. Exited either way!
Islands of adventure is my absolute favorite park in the world, there is something about it that’s just so perfect but at the same time not too perfect, the rides fit perfectly in the park, some theme parks feel like a giant park that happens to have rides, islands of adventure nailed its theming so perfectly that the giant rides don’t feel out of place at all and the transitions from island to island is so perfectly done that each one feels independent but still magically cohesive
I just commented today on another video about how Kings Island is 1 ground up RMC or multi launching coaster away from being the best park in the world. I might be bias because it’s my home park but my son and I have platinum passes and KI is the cleanest, friendliest and most the time all rides are going. Thanks for the videos brother and keep them coming 🤙
I definitely agree with your take on California Adventure. It’s become my favorite of the domestic Disney parks. It is very unique and all the themed lands are incredible.
As a Hoosier I have a lot of attachment to Cedar Point, Kings Island, Holiday World, and even Indiana Beach. These past few years though, it's clear that KI is the best run park I've ever been to. No matter what day I go, I don't have to worry about having a bad time in any regard. Compare that to going to Cedar Point at a given random day, where I would have to micromanage my schedule to make sure I could get to TTD when it was running, even SteVe and Maverick too. The workers and management are astounding, and I truly think it deserves #1.
I can’t wait to get back to Islands of Adventure in November. I haven’t been since February 2008 so while I’ll miss Dueling Dragons I’m so excited for the new credits plus getting to ride Incredible Hulk almost 15 years later
I know it’s early in the year, but HUGE improvements at six flags great adventure this year. Single rider lines, cosmetic and food improvements. The park is much better this year. Also JD is running MUCH better this year. Much faster and no mid course. El toro is running amazing as well. They won’t get a coaster till 2023-2024 but give it another shot if you can!
Last July was my first visit to GADV and I feel like I caught it at a rough time. Toro was closed, JDC was crawling, and the park was slammed and understaffed. That said, I could still see why people love it! I’m excited to give it a second chance this summer or next!
Totally agree. When I went to Great Adventure last summer they were really firing on all cylinders. Out of all the parks I've been to, no joke their operations were second only to Islands of Adventure. They were hauling.
@@Le_JYT everyone complains about it but doesn’t complain about Universal so it makes no sense to me, and if it’s all over 2 dollars then maybe people shouldn’t be going to a amusement park
I was an annual pass holder for So Cal Disneyland, and have been to Knotts and Six Flags MM many times. CA Adventure is just so chill for adults, you go on a ride then go taste some wine. Then leave the park and go get a fancy dinner or lunch and then go back in and slay some rides. It doesn't need a 300 ft coaster to be a great experience. :)
My home parks growing up were Frontier City, Michigan's Adventure, Six Flags over GA, Geauga Lake (also my 1st job), and Cedar Point. We moved around lol. And I now live in orlando and work at two of the major parks here. I say that because I whole heartedly agree with this list. I lived around some of the smallest regionals to the largest world famed parks and visited many others listed here. Secondly, in 2019 I went to almost all of the cedar fair parks (thanks platinum pass). It was almost 20 years since my last CP visit and my friends and I got the CP/KI combo ticket. We gave cp 2 days and KI 1. It took me two weeks after our trip to admit that the better park was KI. We didn't have a bad time at CP, well besides our fast lane plus experience 🙄, but we had an amazing day at KI. It was literally perfect. The coasters at CP may have been better, but the overall experience at KI blew CP out of the water. Great video as usual.
You should go, it's been my home park for like 8 years and it's awesome. And i definitely agree with you. A rmc or a mack extreme spinner/multi launch would fit so well here
@@the_______zenith I would love to go but I’m all the way down by carowinds so that would be tricky lol But that a kennywood are my two to bucket list parks
@@Rollercoasterhq Do it! Just fly from Charlotte to Cincinnati, and take the bus to KI. The 2 will take you downtown Cincinnati, and then you transfer to the direct bus to KI. You don't have to spend a fortune, just upgrade your Carowinds season pass to platinum, and there are some cheap hotels in Mason within walking distance to KI. I walked there every morning when I went. I would walk there from HERE (Miami) for a night ride on The Beast...
Ranking DCA over Disneyland shows you are a man of taste. I have a friend who is a Disney fanboy and he only hangs out at DCA unless he can get a ride on galaxy's edge. DCA needs a modern coaster to round out the park
Definitely a hot take having California Adventure as your top Disney park, but overall a good list. Also your experience with rain at Carowinds is similar to my experience with Dollywood; it always seems to rain there for some reason🤣
We went to a busier day at Kings Island and rode more rides than a slower day at Cedar Point. Their staff was so amazing. A CP employee asked about ride ops at KI and we told them KI by a mile and they seemed surprised. It was a person staffing Raptor and they were hauling but everything else besides SV and Millennium were crap ops.
I did six flags great america, cedar point, and kings island last year for the first time. Was going to do a CP/KI trip again this year, but CP is down 2 coasters, so I'm doing an Orlando trip instead. plenty of great new stuff there!
"It may leave you with bugs in your mouth, just keep your mouth closed." You are NOT kidding. The only time I went to Cedar Point, I had dead bugs all over my body and in my mouth after a night ride on Top Thrill Dragster ride after it opened. Gotta get back to Ohio as we've never been to Kings Island. But I love your love for Velocicoaster and El Toro, my two favorites. Keep up the great content!
I went to cedar point every year and OMG its so true, i rode coasters in the night and i have to zip my mouth unless i vomited. i actually forgot to close my mouth once and i vomited near the 3rd airtime hill. Most embarrassing park visit lol but i still had a blast
As a coaster first state of mind, I can totally agree how you came up with this list. Kings Island is an amazing theme park and deserves all the recognition! I do prefer it over Cedar Point as I love just chilling by the fountains at International Gateway. Adventure Express is also a fun mine train IMO. For me, I’m more of a dark ride lover, so the list does shift around a bit. However, love this list and can’t disagree with your judgement on all.
I stand by the statement that we’re in for a real good video when Fast and Run kicks in Also I agree that you just feel comfortable at Carowinds, idk what it is
I went to Knott's this weekend and I hadn't been in a long time. It's such a good park. The dispatches were REALLY slow though. I don't know if they're that slow all the time but it definitely cranked up to the wait times expanding to several hours for a lot of rides.
This is getting me pretty excited to get to Carowinds here in two weeks. Fury is easily on the top of my bucket list. I can’t wait to compare it to the Ohio gigas
Fury really is that good. As amazing as the other gigas all are, Fury is in its own league. Also my #2 overall behind L-Rod. Sit front row for your first ride for sure even if you have to wait longer. But after that, back right is where it's at. Got 10 rides that day. Had an El Toro shirt on and the ops came over and whispered "sit back right and I'll give you a good ride." He left like two clicks of space. Whoah. I tried other rows and sides, but back right did seem to be best.
@@starapton5374 Update, as I just got 16 rides on Fury again on Saturday (as well as my first night rides with 6 of em). Still my #2 overall, but I've changed my mind and prefer the front over the back now. Night rides are amazing on this thing. For sure still topped by Outlaw Run as far as night rides, but idk what else for sure at least. Hope Voyage is a blast for you. That's one of the top rides I need to try again since my first take, while solid, was underwhelming.
Glad to see my home park is your number one! I've been going to Kings Island before I was even born, my mom went there when she was pregnant but didn't ride many rides. Cannot wait to go back with my girlfriend next year. The Beast is still my favorite ride in the park and I don't care if you're a hater of that ride it's my favorite.
I'll be going to Cedar Point for the first time in 22yrs this year and I'll be visiting Kings Island for the first time. Solid list, thus excites me more for Kings Island!
Kings Island is my home park. It’s definitely my happy place! I’m an ride operator and operate The Beast, Adventure Express, Mystic Timbers, Diamondback, and Banshee
Islands of Adventure is the perfect park for my family. My daughter is an adrenaline junkie like her father and loves hulk/velocicoaster/log flumes/Hagrids. Her older brother is more like my wife, not a fan of big drops or going too fast. They both read the books and watch the movies for Harry Potter so they go to Hogsmeade and just get lost in the Harry Potter. Add to it the dark rides like Spider Man and King Kong that are more family friendly…There is just a lot more for families to do, so it’s definitely our #1 park.
I've been an op at Kings Island for a few years now, and KI is the best in the Cedar Fair chain when it comes to safety and efficiency. We always do great on our operations audits. While I do enjoy Cedar Point's coaster line-up a bit more, something about KI has it beat with it's charm (and that it's less than 40 minutes away from where I live, ha!)
You know Cedar Point was my home park for most of my life, I've been there more times than I could count. Honestly thought with BGT being my home park now and I've been there way more than Cedar Point I honestly think BGT is better. Maybe without Iron Gwazi it is not as good but with it I believe it is better. As I told my father that I took for the first time the other week, "The coasters at BGT that have similar at Cedar point are just plain better at BGT. Sure Cedar Point has more coasters but honestly Iron Gwazi makes up for that and then some. And on top of it all you don't have to stand 3 hours in a line just to ride one ride like you do at Cedar Point."
I agree with all of that. If coasters are all you care about, I'd say CP takes it, but if you care about overall experience, theming, and especially wildlife, I think BGT might take the #1 spot. I'm conflicted, personally because I had such an amazing time at King's Island. The friendliness and park pride at that place just blew me away, and they have some amazing rides. My top 5 is King's Island, Busch Gardens Tampa, Cedar Point, Islands of Adventure, Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Hitting SFGAM on Saturday, when it's supposed to storm and rain. I really wish they'd get a coaster that makes all the other parks jealous, but they have no room, and supposedly a 250 ft height restriction. I did hear that Demon had a major overhaul in the off season, and is much smoother now.
Six flags great america is my hometown park. Me and my best friend have a tradition where we go at least once every summer and we stay from opening to closing and we never have ridden everything we want, even on days where it's never busy. We always run out of time because there are just so many rides to ride. Let me just say, if you want to ride every ride in one day, go on a Sunday in May.
My top three is close: 1. Islands of Adventure 2. Cedar Point 3. King's Island Islands of Adventure is incredible and the theming cannot be beat. My wife can ride Forbidden Journey over and over and I could ride Velocicoaster all day. And don't forget Ripsaw Falls, a ridiculously good water ride. My only problem with King's Island is a personal one, which is I live 2 hours away... making it too far to drive to often, but too close to want to pay for a hotel!
Believe it or not, Hersheypark is not actually owned by the Hershey Company. It is owned by a separate company (Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company) that was started by Milton Hershey to entertain his factory employees. It partners with the Hershey Company heavily because of this historical connection and to some extent because the Hershey Trust Fund which owns Hersheypark's parent company does own some shares of in the Hershey Company. They are separate companies that partner heavily but they are not part of a corporate conglomerate and neither one owns the other.
I'm gonna hit it up for the first time next month. Btw, random question, but since you're from the area, are there any good beaches around there to look got seashells?
Enjoyed the list. I agree on putting Kings Island over Cedar Point. Better operations and better park pride matter to me. All the little things like amazing night rides, fireworks on 10pm closing days, Coke freestyle machines just make for better park days. Especially when you're also paying for 3 teenage sons to experience the best day possible. Surprised how low Holiday World is and how high my home park Six Flags Great America is. I've only been to Holiday World for Holiwood Nights the last 2 years so I'm a bit biased probly. Looking forward to the new drone show there this summer. And Voyage is my no.1 coaster by far, even during day rides..Great America is a fun park but when its busy ( like every Saturday especially) outside of Fright Fest, lines for rides and food crawl. Like the opposite of Kings Island moving lines consistently. Last year was particularly bad..Hopefully the new Six Flags park improvements make this better this year. Looking forward to trying all these parks on your list someday that I haven't done. Would like to see your Favorite Park Days segment come back. That really inspired me to go to Kings Island. Keep up the good work
Honored that my home park, SF Great America, is thought of such highly, beating a few Disney parks. We do lack much botanical features, but we do, for some reason, claim to be the cleanest theme park in the nation. Also I worked Raging Bull last year and it is just shy of A+, just take off some of those trims and sprinkle in some air time and then it might be
'This park has something for coaster fans and chocolate lovers, there's something for everyone." Ah yes, coasters fans and chocolate lovers, the two types of humans.
My favorite park is Disneyland(like, Disneyland Disneyland) because I am both a coaster enthusiast and a Disney fanatic. But I like Disney more than coasters. I’m weird. It’s nice to hear someone finally not complaining about the tower of terror retheme
Cool list. The funny thing is your number 30 and number 1 parks are my 2 home parks. Lol Kentucky Kingdom's a bit farther and Holiday World's an hour past that. 1 more hour and I can be at SF Great America. As much as I would love to have a coaster or 3 in Indy, I understand why there's not considering the parks surrounding the area. I have, what I think is, a great idea for a park in Indianapolis, but I doubt it will ever happen. Unless maybe one day if Indiana Beach can't stay afloat.
Brought the W for the home team !! Kings Island is my home park! And it’s so awesome to start to see the love for it start to pour out ! Their ops are the best in the game. Rarely, “Rarely” coasters are down here.
@@ejectorairtime73 out of all the coasters at KI, flight of fear is the only one I can think of that goes down on occasion. Course at the time I made this comment, don’t think the Bat had it’s accident yet. Although trains derailing isn’t a common thing. I would assume anyways. Of course if you do get to go for winter feast, have to ride it as “Flight of cheer”. lol Nothing fancy, but they have red and green lights going during the ride.
@@thecoasterdad9808 Yeah, I agree, and I do go during winterfest so it was fun seeing everyone in the christmas spirit with all the great rides, but yes I did forget about the derailment of the Bat but yeah that seems to be the 2 major coasters closed on an occasion, and I basically forget the Bat even exists because its so far out there in Action Zone
@@ejectorairtime73 it’s so secluded, tucked away in the back. I try to get at least one or two rides on it a year. As crazy as it sounds I have to take some motion sickness pills before this one though. That swinging will get me every time lol. I like to see them up date the area to make it more appealing to guests to go back there. However with the age of the ride and the recent accident, I don’t know if they will invest more into that area.
@@thecoasterdad9808 Yeah, I can truly agree with that as I keep on forgetting to go ride the bat. I usually skip banshee most of my visits as it gives me a massive headache every time I go, I do try to get 5 rides per year but banshee needs trackwork. I hope Action Zone can get an expansion soon and some improvements but i still love KI
Six Flags New England might be a bucket list theme park for me to visit! So I will go visited to this park in the future! But Hersheypark and Six Flags Great Adventure I already went, so I hope that I will revisited these parks again!
Carowinds and King's Dominion are about equidistant for my wife and I and we've talked a lot about which one we think is better, and I think we both prefer King's Dominion. It's shadier, I-305 is more unique than Fury (as good as Fury is) and Twisted Timbers is one of our favorite rides. Copperhead Strike at Carowinds is great, but we just end up wanting to go to King's Dominion more. As someone who grew up with KI as his home park and who goes there often with family, I love it and am happy to see it at #1, even if I'm not sure where I'd place it if I really thought about a list like this myself.
DCA being in the Top10 is astronomically based. Pixar Pier alone makes it my favorite Disney park in the US, and Grizzly Peak is a great supporting land to my tastes. I also really love the sort of 80s deco stuff going on with the entrance area. Honestly, give it a DL railroad type train (the monorail cameo isn't enough for me) and finish Avenger's Campus and it would easily be my favorite park purely for the asthetics and atmosphere
Do you think you’ll change your opinion on the Busch Gardens parks once you ride the new additions? I still can’t decide if I like Busch Gardens W or T better.
i think it's be interesting if you showed off the park stats in the top right corner but mmk also, will you ever do a "top 10 coasters as decided by the discord"?
I’m glad my work park was in the top 14. I strongly encourage you to come back at some point though, the last 2 years were horrible in terms of training new staff
SFNE contains my two favorite *coasters*, but I'm not sure I'd rate it as one of my favorite parks--there's a huge amount of space between it and Hersheypark just for the all-around package. As a park, overall, I'd rate SFNE below small New England parks like Canobie and Compounce. Hersheypark may be the best coaster park I've been to. It's not playing in the same theming-first category as Disney or Universal, obviously, but it's always had a terrific atmosphere and its coaster collection (which I haven't ridden nearly as much of as I'd like) is gradually approaching the worldwide top tier. It needs an RMC; might well get one very soon.
2:41 I know for a fact that Chris is deliberately targeting me. If I didn't comment on this channel, I highly doubt he would find a way to trash talk skyrush at some point in 90% of his videos
Kings Island is my home park and I couldn’t be happier! You get this list nearly the exact same as mine. However, I still wanna ask everyone a question: what coaster/ride/thing should replace vortex?
Awesome video! Made me smile seeing my hometown park, Kings Island, getting some much deserved praise. ^_^ I worked in HR during the 2002-2005 season, along with managing a haunted house for Fear Fest during those final Paramount years. In a small stint back to the park in 2009, I was working on the media day for Diamond Back and got to take part in all the media shots. It was freaking cold out that day but we all had to dress like it was the middle of summer. Lol, they had huge heaters in the station so we could warm up in between takes. I think we had to ride it 10 times in a row - I was a popsicle. Still one of my favorite steel coasters. I have so many great memories visiting and working there, and I got to experience a side of the park most haven't seen.
Here is how I ranked the top parks I've been to (And yes this is much tougher than ranking coasters): 1. Cedar Point 2. Dollywood 3. Silver Dollar City 4. Holiday World 5. Busch Gardens Tampa 6. Six Flags Magic Mountain 7. Hershey Park 8. Six Flags Fiesta Texas 9. Carowinds 10. Busch Gardens Williamsburg 11. Knott's Berry Farm 12. Six Flags Great America 13. Six Flags Great Adventure 14. Islands of Adventure 15. Kings Dominion 16. Kings Island 17. Six Flags Over Georgia 18. Knoebels 19. Sea World Orlando 20. Silverwood 21. Kennywood 22. Lagoon 23. Six Flags New England 24. California Great America 25. Kentucky Kingdom A few comments: My visits to Knoebels and Six Flags Great Adventure were short and I need more time at these parks. Kings Island for me has great operations but it lacks an elite coaster. None of their coasters are in my Top 30, and if I look at my Top 15, all the parks less Great America have coasters in my Top 30. I feel Great America has a deeper line-up than Kings Island. Busch Gardens Williamsburg would have been in the same boat but Pantheon is Top 10 for me after my rides on it. I will visit Holiday World for the first time in 4 years in June so I will be interested to see if I keep such a high opinion of that park. It would almost be easier to rank them in Tiers tbh.
Pretty comparable list of parks despite the order. I just wasnt impressed with Silverwood enough to make this list but I havent been back since Stunt Pilot
@@AirtimeThrills Silverwood is really enjoyable for me. Stunt Pilot and Tremors in my Top 50 overall. Aftershock, a little outside my Top 50, and timber Terror is just inside my Top 100. I really enjoy Spin Cycle as well. That top 4 and spin cycle is really strong for an indy park. Lines can be an issue at this park due to running one train. That is the one draw back, but everything was quite enjoyable.
Cedar Fair’s ability to staff Kings Island has made them start treating it as the new flagship park in the chain.
I think Cedar Fair knows that people will come to Cedar Point no matter what, so they don't put in as much effort. Not so much the same with Kings Island. People don't go out of their way to go to Kings Island the same way people go out of their way to go to Cedar Point, so as a result Kings Island has put in more effort to make themselves stand out.
@@thepuncakian2024 That, and I'm guessing they figure that if people go a long way to Cedar Point as a destination, they might be taking a tour of other parks in the general area, and so they want to make sure that Kings Island is on peoples' list. That way they can potentially double-dip on visitors.
I believe it is their true flagship
Cedar point is definitely the flagship park still even if kings island is the better park
@@MarsJenkarNot only that, but they own Ohio. If you have two parks there, people might just visit OH instead of the annual trip to Orlando or Southern Cali, where they have little if any presence compared to other attractions. Lastly, it helps a lot that they're two of the five or so best pure thrill parks in the US, which other coaster destinations can't say.
The fact that Indiana beach was even on this list just makes me proud to have it as my home park. I miss that place so much.
Islands of Adventure will always be my personal favorite, probably because of the nice mix between dark rides (I’m also a HUGE Spider-Man fan, so that probably helps a lot lol. Plus, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey easily takes the cake for the best dark ride imo), theming, and roller coasters (the VelociCoaster is my favorite roller coaster).
But of course, that’s just me, I actually think this is a fantastic list
Have you been to KI, though?
@@russ4moose I think its simply the fact that IoA has oustanding themeing, with some VERY fun rides, such as FJ and velocicoaster.
As someone who’s two home parks growing up we’re cedar point and kings island, I absolutely agree with your ranking of the two.
Same here the only reason i love Ohio😅
Bro how did this man not even have any Disney world park in his list? Like Epcot and Hollywood Studios are goated
@@graffiti.777these parks are way beyond there level, disney world parks are more for younger people
Same
I'm glad to see Kings Island get some love. I first went in 1984 when I was 10 and last went there last summer. They have had some iconic former rides along with the current like King Cobra (stand up coaster), Son of Beast, Screamin Demon, Der Spinning Keggers (basically a mad tea party in beer barrels). and Zodiac (a double ferris wheel). I have found the staff there to be outstanding and very friendly like you said.
I just rode Iron Gwazi and was blown away. It was the best RMC convert I have ridden. Intense and doesn’t let up until you brake to go in to the station.
I'm glad you agree with putting KI over Cedar Point. CP's lineup is technically a little better but KI's team members are top notch.
I feel like everyone has a different opinion on jersey devil. Some say it’s elite while you say it’s a “FAMILY COASTER”. So strange. Also their 50th anniversary is in 2024. They could get something then.
it seems like most of the people who rode it before it sped up are calling it a family coaster, while most of the people who rode it later in 2021 (including myself) say the ride is great.
@@TheCycloneHunter true but I loved it when it opened up
Copium for Chris since he wont be living walking distance from its twin sister. Has to convince himself hes not missing out on anything, other than a few hundred grand 😳. Shouldve rented out that house and monitored the market. Idk why he went all in on a brand new state.
I loved Jersey Devil when I rode it about two weeks ago. It exceeded my expectation, but don't expect the original/smaller RMC raptor whip. In another park it could easily be the best coaster. It's no El Toro, but then again I don't think it was ever going to be.
@@TheCycloneHunter I’ve ridden it during the membership preview, over the summer, Fright Fest, Holiday in the Park and this year. I absolutely love it and think it hauls across its course
I've been to every park in your top 5, and I reluctantly have to agree with your rankings. I think that in some sense, BG Tampa is my #1, but KI blew me away last year. You are almost singlehandedly responsible for me even adding it to my planned CP trip. For that, I'll be forever grateful.
So happy to see silver dollar city rank so high! Time traveler definitely brought things to a new level, but silver dollar city has always been such a fun park. While they don’t have anything massive height-wise, all of the coasters are fun and they’re all built right into the terrain which creates some really cool coaster experiences. Nothing gets me more pumped than riding wildfire at night when all is dark and it looks like you’re about to plunge right into the trees. Also, the theming is great, the food is next-level, and the atmosphere is just unmatched. Thanks for your ranking list, I can’t wait to check some of these other parks out!
Being a soon to be future ride op at Kings Island, I hope to keep the perfect track record up!! Love the list!
It's crazy how I thought every park was as good as my home park as a kid. Didn't realize until much later how top tier kings island is when you step back and look at the whole package.
“Even on days it doesn’t rain it rains” was the funniest line in the entire vid😂
I'm so proud that you ranked my home park number one! Kings Island is magical!
Haven't been this excited for a coaster vid since before Orion came out! (KI is my home park). Can't wait to see this list!
Edit: Happy to see your number 1 is still Kings Island!!
Fuck yeah pretty much the same here lol. Kings dominion and BGW are my home parks though 😁
@@nickybrown5019 dats a nowty wurd
The real question for Kings Island is what will they put in Vortex's old plot? It's in a prime location in the park, and if they get the right coaster in there, they could really outdo themselves. I really hope we get some sort of an announcement soon.
with kings island being my homepark 40 minutes away im hyped to see them being your winner! i think cp has the better top tier coaster in steve and maverick but ki has a much better layout and ops.
and a better admissions department 😎
Good list! In true me fashion, here's my list (almost a top 15):
16. Legoland Florida - I only went here as a kid. I enjoyed it, but they have changed a lot now. I imagine Ninjago and the new Lego Movie ride are fun for all ages. Their coasters are for kids, but Dragon excels in its cool dark ride portion. Miniland is also quite impressive. They have Cypress Gardens still intact as well. It's hard to justify paying the Disney-level 1 day ticket to go back and ride Coastersaurus, which I was too scared to ride, and Great Lego Race, which made me scared of coasters in the first place. I know they're not focusing on coasters, but if they can get a great family coaster (GG woodie, Mack spinner, Intamin whatever) I'll consider going back. If I went back now, it'd only have a chance of passing Fun Spot Atlanta, only until they open ArieForce One, though.
15. Fun Spot America Atlanta - Like every Fun Spot park, the staff is friendly, which really helps make your day. We were among the only people there and the staff ended up gathering at the entrance to tell us goodbye when the park closed! Being still new, this park has lots of room to improve on the sketchy feeling that was there before. Scream'n Eagle Coaster is fun enough to ride over and over, and they have some fun go-kart tracks, mini golf, and batting cages. But when ArieForce One opens, that'll put forth an amazing future for this little park!
14. Disney's Animal Kingdom - I don't get why fans rave about this being the best WDW park, but I only went one day. The park is nice and has some good rides, especially Expedition Everest, which you can do over and over thanks to a single rider line. Kilimanjaro Safari is a cool ride, DINOSAUR is decent, and Navi River Journey is pretty, but not worth an hour of waiting... The shows were decent too. I guess I'd like it better if I could have their food, or had gotten to ride Flight of Passage, which had 3 hour wait all day. Other than Expedition Everest, I didn't find much that stood out sadly.
13. Wild Adventures - I've been here 4 times, and it's fun. Lots of good flat rides to do (especially Tail Spin) and several coasters as well. Boomerang was smooth and wacky, while Twisted Typhoon was fun and quite forceful, and my favorite there. Cheetah (now closed) was super rough and nothing to get excited about, however. They do have a wild mouse and 2 Vekoma family coasters though. Tasmanian River Rapids is pretty fun, too. Finally, their Alapaha Trail and train ride let you see lots of animals; don't miss those when you visit. Finally, they host concerts sometimes; Skillet likes to visit every year!
12. Fun Spot America Kissimmee - Generally friendly staff makes for a nice atmosphere. Mine Blower, while rough, is a great woodie. Galaxy Spin is a spinning mouse that is loads of fun, and Hurricane is a good supporter. Throw in 2 multi-level go-kart tracks and some flat rides and you've got a fun little park! Oh, and don't overlook the world's tallest Skycoaster!
11. EPCOT - Like Animal Kingdom, you won't find that many rides to do here, but it's the overall experience. The countries are interesting, as is the overall theme. Test Track is a unique and fun ride, while Soarin' is a top-tier simulator. Spaceship Earth was pretty cool as well. However, there were no coasters there, and we missed Frozen Ever After. Journey into Imagination with Figment is overhated, but way under Disney's normal quality standards. The recent improvements to the park may make me like it more if I ever go back, plus the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster looks awesome.
10. Fun Spot America Orlando - I'm biased, but I love this park. It feels the nicest of the Fun Spot parks and has the most to do. White Lightning used to be my favorite coaster, and is still great today. Freedom Flyer is nostalgic for me. They have 4 fun go-kart tracks, and some good flat rides too. The arcade, Gator Spot, and Skydiner help add to this fun park.
9. Six Flags Over Georgia - Lots of great coasters here! Goliath is my favorite hyper so far and my #3 (ride in the front and it's amazing), Twisted Cyclone is a great, quick, out-of-control RMC, Superman is fun and graceful, Batman is fun and very forceful, and the other coasters are good as well: Scorcher, Dare Devil Dive, Blue Hawk, Scream Machine, Mind Bender, Dahlonega Mine Train, even Joker. There's some good flat rides as well (but Sky Screamer and Acrophobia are always closed, why?) They do have some issues with food services and overall employee friendliness, but nothing that was too bad. The main problem was weird, loud, and cursing groups or "gangs" being annoying, but I guess that comes with being near Atlanta...
8. Magic Kingdom - What can I say? It's the most-visited theme park in the world! It has the best theming and magic out of the 4 WDW parks imo. Also has a larger collection of rides, such as Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, and Buzz Lightyear. TRON looks like a great new addition. They don't have much for coaster enthusiasts or thrill seekers, but what they do have is lots of theming and Disney magic. Oh, and Carousel of Progress is an underrated piece of history, don't miss this!
7. Disney's Hollywood Studios - The most underrated Disney park! It's my favorite because of the rides-- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (which is underrated), Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, Slinky Dog Dash, and Millennium Falcon is a solid collection, plus they have the new Rise of the Resistance and Mickey's Runaway Railway rides. The theming is very good, especially Galaxy's Edge.
6. Carowinds - I only went once, so it might be higher if I go again. Great park, good atmosphere! Fury, Intimidator, and Copperhead Strike are all elite rides, with Afterburn and Nighthawk following closely behind. Absolutely recommend Fury and Afterburn in the front! Their supporting coasters aren't the best but some are historic, like Woodstock Express, Carolina Cyclone, and Goldrusher, which is cool. Vortex wasn't the awful coaster everyone said it was; I actually found it fun. Flying Cobras is a good boomerang, just sit in the back because the front rattles. Hurler is... interesting. Wouldn't be upset to see a Twisted Timbers clone here, just saying!
5. SeaWorld Orlando - Such a nice park! I initially liked this one better than Busch Gardens, but after reriding the BGT coasters, that one's better. But I still like SeaWorld's atmosphere better. Roller coasters are quality over quantity, with Mako and Manta both originally taking my #1 and 2 spots, and are both still top 10. Ice Breaker brings the ejector airtime and is a great addition, and Kraken, while quite rough now, is a solid, forceful floorless. Finally, Journey to Atlantis is underrated. They also have Infinity Falls, aka the best rapids ride I've ridden; don't overlook this ride! Their shows are decent and cute, and they have several cool animal exhibits. The upcoming surf coaster will be great as well...
4. Universal Studios Florida - Just because this park is basking in the shadow of IoA doesn't mean it should be overlooked. Good theming, fun rides. Rip Ride Rockit and Revenge of the Mummy are both very fun coasters. Escape from Gringotts is cool, too. Other fun simulators include one of my favorites, Transformers, the family-friendly Minion Mayhem, and the creative (and underrated) Race Through New York. Also, don't sleep on the addictive shooter ride Men in Black.
3. Dollywood - Such a nice park, with a little something for everyone! Niceness + coasters = greatness! Lightning Rod is a rush from the start and my #2 coaster overall. Every other coaster here is underrated: Mystery Mine is a weird and fun coaster that I probably enjoy a little too much, Thunderhead is a great woodie, Wild Eagle is decently fast and forceful, Tennessee Tornado is the definition of short but sweet, FireChaser Express is my favorite family coaster, and Dragonflier is a fun little SFC with a couple of surprising moments. I could easily ride any of these coasters all day! Throw in a rapids ride, Drop Line, the weird classic Blazing Fury, Dolly Express, and other flat rides, and you've got a park worth paying for the 3-day ticket! Oh, and there's another coaster coming as well!
2. Busch Gardens Tampa - Following the theme of nice parks, here's BGT! Iron Gwazi has turned a great collection into one of the best in the world (fair warning: this runs slow in the morning but really picks up later), Cheetah Hunt and Montu are both amazing for completely different reasons, SheiKra is pure fun, Tigris is unique (even though it's a clone lol), Kumba is rough but great, and Cobra's Curse is a great family coaster. Scorpion and Sand Serpent are good supporting coasters. And don't forget about the train ride, rapids, and Falcon's Fury. The police should arrest you for getting bored here!
1. Universal's Islands of Adventure - My favorite park! Great theming and greater rides. Hulk is my favorite B&M looper, and Hagrid's is a fun, long, unique ride I like even better than Hulk! Forbidden Journey is an awesome ride, and Kong and Spider-Man are good simulators. They also have 3 great water rides, with Ripsaw Falls being the best. Why is this park still my favorite? I have no idea, but I always have an awesome time here! VelociCoaster looks to make that fun time a whole lot better!
We're visiting King's Island in a couple weeks, which has a shot at #1. Exited either way!
I’m assuming you live in florida???
@@yeti3601 Actually I live in Georgia
Islands of adventure is my absolute favorite park in the world, there is something about it that’s just so perfect but at the same time not too perfect, the rides fit perfectly in the park, some theme parks feel like a giant park that happens to have rides, islands of adventure nailed its theming so perfectly that the giant rides don’t feel out of place at all and the transitions from island to island is so perfectly done that each one feels independent but still magically cohesive
I just commented today on another video about how Kings Island is 1 ground up RMC or multi launching coaster away from being the best park in the world. I might be bias because it’s my home park but my son and I have platinum passes and KI is the cleanest, friendliest and most the time all rides are going. Thanks for the videos brother and keep them coming 🤙
I definitely agree with your take on California Adventure. It’s become my favorite of the domestic Disney parks. It is very unique and all the themed lands are incredible.
I'm glad to see my home park Six Flags Great Adventure in the top 15. I rode Jersey Devil last week and I absolutely loved it! 😁
As a Hoosier I have a lot of attachment to Cedar Point, Kings Island, Holiday World, and even Indiana Beach. These past few years though, it's clear that KI is the best run park I've ever been to. No matter what day I go, I don't have to worry about having a bad time in any regard. Compare that to going to Cedar Point at a given random day, where I would have to micromanage my schedule to make sure I could get to TTD when it was running, even SteVe and Maverick too. The workers and management are astounding, and I truly think it deserves #1.
I can’t wait to get back to Islands of Adventure in November. I haven’t been since February 2008 so while I’ll miss Dueling Dragons I’m so excited for the new credits plus getting to ride Incredible Hulk almost 15 years later
I know it’s early in the year, but HUGE improvements at six flags great adventure this year. Single rider lines, cosmetic and food improvements. The park is much better this year. Also JD is running MUCH better this year. Much faster and no mid course. El toro is running amazing as well. They won’t get a coaster till 2023-2024 but give it another shot if you can!
Last July was my first visit to GADV and I feel like I caught it at a rough time. Toro was closed, JDC was crawling, and the park was slammed and understaffed. That said, I could still see why people love it! I’m excited to give it a second chance this summer or next!
Totally agree. When I went to Great Adventure last summer they were really firing on all cylinders. Out of all the parks I've been to, no joke their operations were second only to Islands of Adventure. They were hauling.
@@Le_JYT everyone complains about it but doesn’t complain about Universal so it makes no sense to me, and if it’s all over 2 dollars then maybe people shouldn’t be going to a amusement park
@@Le_JYT yup I know. It’s funny how much people complain
I was an annual pass holder for So Cal Disneyland, and have been to Knotts and Six Flags MM many times. CA Adventure is just so chill for adults, you go on a ride then go taste some wine. Then leave the park and go get a fancy dinner or lunch and then go back in and slay some rides. It doesn't need a 300 ft coaster to be a great experience. :)
You are so right about Carowinds. Even on days that it doesn't rain, it rains.
My home parks growing up were Frontier City, Michigan's Adventure, Six Flags over GA, Geauga Lake (also my 1st job), and Cedar Point. We moved around lol. And I now live in orlando and work at two of the major parks here. I say that because I whole heartedly agree with this list. I lived around some of the smallest regionals to the largest world famed parks and visited many others listed here. Secondly, in 2019 I went to almost all of the cedar fair parks (thanks platinum pass). It was almost 20 years since my last CP visit and my friends and I got the CP/KI combo ticket. We gave cp 2 days and KI 1. It took me two weeks after our trip to admit that the better park was KI. We didn't have a bad time at CP, well besides our fast lane plus experience 🙄, but we had an amazing day at KI. It was literally perfect. The coasters at CP may have been better, but the overall experience at KI blew CP out of the water. Great video as usual.
I’m missing a few of these but you got the Top 2 right. Their coaster lineups are neck and neck, but Kings Island is just overall more enjoyable
I 100% agree with kings island
It is my #1 bucket list park
All they need is an rmc or a mack multi launch
You should go, it's been my home park for like 8 years and it's awesome. And i definitely agree with you. A rmc or a mack extreme spinner/multi launch would fit so well here
If they would get an RMC, they would run away with this #1 spot.
@@the_______zenith I would love to go but I’m all the way down by carowinds so that would be tricky lol
But that a kennywood are my two to bucket list parks
@@Rollercoasterhq Do it! Just fly from Charlotte to Cincinnati, and take the bus to KI. The 2 will take you downtown Cincinnati, and then you transfer to the direct bus to KI. You don't have to spend a fortune, just upgrade your Carowinds season pass to platinum, and there are some cheap hotels in Mason within walking distance to KI. I walked there every morning when I went. I would walk there from HERE (Miami) for a night ride on The Beast...
@@the_______zenith They need the RMC more, and it would be cheaper.
Ranking DCA over Disneyland shows you are a man of taste. I have a friend who is a Disney fanboy and he only hangs out at DCA unless he can get a ride on galaxy's edge. DCA needs a modern coaster to round out the park
Definitely a hot take having California Adventure as your top Disney park, but overall a good list. Also your experience with rain at Carowinds is similar to my experience with Dollywood; it always seems to rain there for some reason🤣
Good list. I've only been to Kentucky Kingdom, Kings Island, Holiday World, and Cedar Point so far and all 4 made your top 25.
We went to a busier day at Kings Island and rode more rides than a slower day at Cedar Point. Their staff was so amazing. A CP employee asked about ride ops at KI and we told them KI by a mile and they seemed surprised. It was a person staffing Raptor and they were hauling but everything else besides SV and Millennium were crap ops.
I did six flags great america, cedar point, and kings island last year for the first time.
Was going to do a CP/KI trip again this year, but CP is down 2 coasters, so I'm doing an Orlando trip instead. plenty of great new stuff there!
"It may leave you with bugs in your mouth, just keep your mouth closed." You are NOT kidding. The only time I went to Cedar Point, I had dead bugs all over my body and in my mouth after a night ride on Top Thrill Dragster ride after it opened. Gotta get back to Ohio as we've never been to Kings Island. But I love your love for Velocicoaster and El Toro, my two favorites. Keep up the great content!
Maybe those facemasks we all have now will come in handy after all! 🤣
I went to cedar point every year and OMG its so true, i rode coasters in the night and i have to zip my mouth unless i vomited. i actually forgot to close my mouth once and i vomited near the 3rd airtime hill. Most embarrassing park visit lol but i still had a blast
As a coaster first state of mind, I can totally agree how you came up with this list. Kings Island is an amazing theme park and deserves all the recognition! I do prefer it over Cedar Point as I love just chilling by the fountains at International Gateway. Adventure Express is also a fun mine train IMO.
For me, I’m more of a dark ride lover, so the list does shift around a bit. However, love this list and can’t disagree with your judgement on all.
I stand by the statement that we’re in for a real good video when Fast and Run kicks in
Also I agree that you just feel comfortable at Carowinds, idk what it is
I save fast and run for the big time
I went to Knott's this weekend and I hadn't been in a long time. It's such a good park. The dispatches were REALLY slow though. I don't know if they're that slow all the time but it definitely cranked up to the wait times expanding to several hours for a lot of rides.
This is getting me pretty excited to get to Carowinds here in two weeks. Fury is easily on the top of my bucket list. I can’t wait to compare it to the Ohio gigas
its an overall great park, intimidator there is also really underrated
Fury really is that good. As amazing as the other gigas all are, Fury is in its own league. Also my #2 overall behind L-Rod. Sit front row for your first ride for sure even if you have to wait longer. But after that, back right is where it's at. Got 10 rides that day. Had an El Toro shirt on and the ops came over and whispered "sit back right and I'll give you a good ride." He left like two clicks of space. Whoah. I tried other rows and sides, but back right did seem to be best.
So I ended up really enjoying Carownds. Fury may take take the 1 spot for me depending on how my next reride on voyage goes
@@starapton5374 Update, as I just got 16 rides on Fury again on Saturday (as well as my first night rides with 6 of em). Still my #2 overall, but I've changed my mind and prefer the front over the back now. Night rides are amazing on this thing. For sure still topped by Outlaw Run as far as night rides, but idk what else for sure at least. Hope Voyage is a blast for you. That's one of the top rides I need to try again since my first take, while solid, was underwhelming.
Enjoyed the list, Chris!
This guy... Candymonium better than Skyrush or Storm Runner?! We should invite him back for another visit next time!
Glad to see my home park is your number one! I've been going to Kings Island before I was even born, my mom went there when she was pregnant but didn't ride many rides. Cannot wait to go back with my girlfriend next year. The Beast is still my favorite ride in the park and I don't care if you're a hater of that ride it's my favorite.
Man, thanks! Nice to hear our home park I pass every day going to work is the best.
I'll be going to Cedar Point for the first time in 22yrs this year and I'll be visiting Kings Island for the first time. Solid list, thus excites me more for Kings Island!
My girl and I are going to Kings Island in 2 days. You have no idea how much this video is pumping us up
Hope you had fun there
Kings Island is my home park. It’s definitely my happy place! I’m an ride operator and operate The Beast, Adventure Express, Mystic Timbers, Diamondback, and Banshee
I've been to all of these parks and I agree 100% with this list. My home parks are located in NC and Florida.
Gurnee Great America was my home park. Now it’s Busch Gardens VA and carowinds so I consider myself lucky
I love that my home park is your #1. One of these days, I’ve gotta be your ride partner!
I'd love to go to the parks that have dive coasters. That would be neat. All of them look like a lot of fun.
Lol 4:27 “even on days it doesn’t rain here, it rains here”
Glad your such a fan of my home park - KI!!! Hope to see you out there this summer!
Islands of Adventure is the perfect park for my family. My daughter is an adrenaline junkie like her father and loves hulk/velocicoaster/log flumes/Hagrids. Her older brother is more like my wife, not a fan of big drops or going too fast. They both read the books and watch the movies for Harry Potter so they go to Hogsmeade and just get lost in the Harry Potter. Add to it the dark rides like Spider Man and King Kong that are more family friendly…There is just a lot more for families to do, so it’s definitely our #1 park.
I've been an op at Kings Island for a few years now, and KI is the best in the Cedar Fair chain when it comes to safety and efficiency. We always do great on our operations audits. While I do enjoy Cedar Point's coaster line-up a bit more, something about KI has it beat with it's charm (and that it's less than 40 minutes away from where I live, ha!)
You know Cedar Point was my home park for most of my life, I've been there more times than I could count. Honestly thought with BGT being my home park now and I've been there way more than Cedar Point I honestly think BGT is better. Maybe without Iron Gwazi it is not as good but with it I believe it is better. As I told my father that I took for the first time the other week, "The coasters at BGT that have similar at Cedar point are just plain better at BGT. Sure Cedar Point has more coasters but honestly Iron Gwazi makes up for that and then some. And on top of it all you don't have to stand 3 hours in a line just to ride one ride like you do at Cedar Point."
I agree with all of that. If coasters are all you care about, I'd say CP takes it, but if you care about overall experience, theming, and especially wildlife, I think BGT might take the #1 spot. I'm conflicted, personally because I had such an amazing time at King's Island. The friendliness and park pride at that place just blew me away, and they have some amazing rides. My top 5 is King's Island, Busch Gardens Tampa, Cedar Point, Islands of Adventure, Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Glad you love Kings Island as much as I do! It truly is a great home park and I am lucky to live just nearly 5 miles from it
I can't wait to make my first trips to Cedar Point and Kings Island. This video made me more excited!
Really, really good list! From the parks I’ve visited we have the same opinions! I guess I’m going to have to make a trip to Kings Islands…
Hitting SFGAM on Saturday, when it's supposed to storm and rain. I really wish they'd get a coaster that makes all the other parks jealous, but they have no room, and supposedly a 250 ft height restriction.
I did hear that Demon had a major overhaul in the off season, and is much smoother now.
It's a little better. The corkscrew is still shaky
A time machine is the only option for a smoother old Arrow. Still love them all though for what they are and nostalgic reasons.
I have only visited 5 major amusement parks in my life. I am happy that 4 of them are on this list. (SFOG, BGT, HP, and Dollywood.) 😁
Awesome to see my home park at #1. I agree, the operations are second to none! -Kyle
i grew in cleveland and now go to school at uc in cincinnati. that means cp during the summer and ki in the fall. kinda blessed
Six flags great america is my hometown park. Me and my best friend have a tradition where we go at least once every summer and we stay from opening to closing and we never have ridden everything we want, even on days where it's never busy. We always run out of time because there are just so many rides to ride. Let me just say, if you want to ride every ride in one day, go on a Sunday in May.
Thank you, kind sir. You are the man, Mr. Chris
My top three is close:
1. Islands of Adventure
2. Cedar Point
3. King's Island
Islands of Adventure is incredible and the theming cannot be beat. My wife can ride Forbidden Journey over and over and I could ride Velocicoaster all day. And don't forget Ripsaw Falls, a ridiculously good water ride. My only problem with King's Island is a personal one, which is I live 2 hours away... making it too far to drive to often, but too close to want to pay for a hotel!
Airtime Thrills never fails to give us a good video. Great work keep it up💯👍!
I never see people talk about six flags NE! Glad to see my home park getting some love as hit or miss as it can be
Believe it or not, Hersheypark is not actually owned by the Hershey Company. It is owned by a separate company (Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company) that was started by Milton Hershey to entertain his factory employees. It partners with the Hershey Company heavily because of this historical connection and to some extent because the Hershey Trust Fund which owns Hersheypark's parent company does own some shares of in the Hershey Company. They are separate companies that partner heavily but they are not part of a corporate conglomerate and neither one owns the other.
Bgw is my homepark, glad to see it made the top 10.. pantheon is a top 20 coaster for sure
I'm gonna hit it up for the first time next month. Btw, random question, but since you're from the area, are there any good beaches around there to look got seashells?
I recently rode thunderation and the helix is horribly rough and the tunnel is now smoother than the helix
Enjoyed the list. I agree on putting Kings Island over Cedar Point. Better operations and better park pride matter to me. All the little things like amazing night rides, fireworks on 10pm closing days, Coke freestyle machines just make for better park days. Especially when you're also paying for 3 teenage sons to experience the best day possible.
Surprised how low Holiday World is and how high my home park Six Flags Great America is. I've only been to Holiday World for Holiwood Nights the last 2 years so I'm a bit biased probly. Looking forward to the new drone show there this summer. And Voyage is my no.1 coaster by far, even during day rides..Great America is a fun park but when its busy ( like every Saturday especially) outside of Fright Fest, lines for rides and food crawl. Like the opposite of Kings Island moving lines consistently. Last year was particularly bad..Hopefully the new Six Flags park improvements make this better this year.
Looking forward to trying all these parks on your list someday that I haven't done. Would like to see your Favorite Park Days segment come back. That really inspired me to go to Kings Island. Keep up the good work
Honored that my home park, SF Great America, is thought of such highly, beating a few Disney parks. We do lack much botanical features, but we do, for some reason, claim to be the cleanest theme park in the nation.
Also I worked Raging Bull last year and it is just shy of A+, just take off some of those trims and sprinkle in some air time and then it might be
I'm glad Lagoon made it into your top 30 parks.
'This park has something for coaster fans and chocolate lovers, there's something for everyone."
Ah yes, coasters fans and chocolate lovers, the two types of humans.
My favorite park is Disneyland(like, Disneyland Disneyland) because I am both a coaster enthusiast and a Disney fanatic. But I like Disney more than coasters. I’m weird. It’s nice to hear someone finally not complaining about the tower of terror retheme
Cedar Point is my all time favorite park. It will probably never be beaten
3:01 2 years later and now we have one of the best coasters on earth
Cool list. The funny thing is your number 30 and number 1 parks are my 2 home parks. Lol Kentucky Kingdom's a bit farther and Holiday World's an hour past that. 1 more hour and I can be at SF Great America. As much as I would love to have a coaster or 3 in Indy, I understand why there's not considering the parks surrounding the area. I have, what I think is, a great idea for a park in Indianapolis, but I doubt it will ever happen. Unless maybe one day if Indiana Beach can't stay afloat.
Jersey Devil is flying this season. I didn’t ride it last year but I hear it’s a lot better than when it opened. It’s a strong #2 for SFGAdv IMO
Brought the W for the home team !! Kings Island is my home park! And it’s so awesome to start to see the love for it start to pour out ! Their ops are the best in the game. Rarely, “Rarely” coasters are down here.
The only time a major coaster was down was flight of fear when i went last year
@@ejectorairtime73 out of all the coasters at KI, flight of fear is the only one I can think of that goes down on occasion. Course at the time I made this comment, don’t think the Bat had it’s accident yet. Although trains derailing isn’t a common thing. I would assume anyways.
Of course if you do get to go for winter feast, have to ride it as “Flight of cheer”. lol Nothing fancy, but they have red and green lights going during the ride.
@@thecoasterdad9808 Yeah, I agree, and I do go during winterfest so it was fun seeing everyone in the christmas spirit with all the great rides, but yes I did forget about the derailment of the Bat but yeah that seems to be the 2 major coasters closed on an occasion, and I basically forget the Bat even exists because its so far out there in Action Zone
@@ejectorairtime73 it’s so secluded, tucked away in the back. I try to get at least one or two rides on it a year. As crazy as it sounds I have to take some motion sickness pills before this one though. That swinging will get me every time lol. I like to see them up date the area to make it more appealing to guests to go back there. However with the age of the ride and the recent accident, I don’t know if they will invest more into that area.
@@thecoasterdad9808 Yeah, I can truly agree with that as I keep on forgetting to go ride the bat. I usually skip banshee most of my visits as it gives me a massive headache every time I go, I do try to get 5 rides per year but banshee needs trackwork. I hope Action Zone can get an expansion soon and some improvements but i still love KI
Are Kings Island and Cedar Point 1a and 1b or could SDC or IoA add another ride to catch them?
Thank you for reminding me why I come to you for roller coaster content and not theme park content 😊
Midway Mania's problem is the shooting mechanic, that's why I'll take Buzz's Astro Blasters
It kind of feels like hersheypark is slowly becoming a theme park with chocolate town and the re theme of sidewinder and I really like that
Six Flags New England might be a bucket list theme park for me to visit! So I will go visited to this park in the future! But Hersheypark and Six Flags Great Adventure I already went, so I hope that I will revisited these parks again!
Carowinds and King's Dominion are about equidistant for my wife and I and we've talked a lot about which one we think is better, and I think we both prefer King's Dominion. It's shadier, I-305 is more unique than Fury (as good as Fury is) and Twisted Timbers is one of our favorite rides. Copperhead Strike at Carowinds is great, but we just end up wanting to go to King's Dominion more.
As someone who grew up with KI as his home park and who goes there often with family, I love it and am happy to see it at #1, even if I'm not sure where I'd place it if I really thought about a list like this myself.
I always say I’m an old head I wish I was like 20 in the 80 to see all the crazy roller coaster that are defunct
DCA being in the Top10 is astronomically based. Pixar Pier alone makes it my favorite Disney park in the US, and Grizzly Peak is a great supporting land to my tastes. I also really love the sort of 80s deco stuff going on with the entrance area. Honestly, give it a DL railroad type train (the monorail cameo isn't enough for me) and finish Avenger's Campus and it would easily be my favorite park purely for the asthetics and atmosphere
Do you think you’ll change your opinion on the Busch Gardens parks once you ride the new additions? I still can’t decide if I like Busch Gardens W or T better.
Nice to see my home parks in the top 15
Ok so i think i saw at Kings Island today, you had a son of beast Shirt on? If so i got on the same Racer car with you!!!
Yep that was me
i think it's be interesting if you showed off the park stats in the top right corner but mmk
also, will you ever do a "top 10 coasters as decided by the discord"?
I’m glad my work park was in the top 14. I strongly encourage you to come back at some point though, the last 2 years were horrible in terms of training new staff
SFNE contains my two favorite *coasters*, but I'm not sure I'd rate it as one of my favorite parks--there's a huge amount of space between it and Hersheypark just for the all-around package. As a park, overall, I'd rate SFNE below small New England parks like Canobie and Compounce.
Hersheypark may be the best coaster park I've been to. It's not playing in the same theming-first category as Disney or Universal, obviously, but it's always had a terrific atmosphere and its coaster collection (which I haven't ridden nearly as much of as I'd like) is gradually approaching the worldwide top tier. It needs an RMC; might well get one very soon.
2:41 I know for a fact that Chris is deliberately targeting me. If I didn't comment on this channel, I highly doubt he would find a way to trash talk skyrush at some point in 90% of his videos
Kings Island is my home park and I couldn’t be happier! You get this list nearly the exact same as mine. However, I still wanna ask everyone a question: what coaster/ride/thing should replace vortex?
Never been to many of these parks but I’m heading to Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios and Disney this July!
I love Six Flags Great Adventure mainly because of El toro, Kingda Ka and the safari!
Awesome video! Made me smile seeing my hometown park, Kings Island, getting some much deserved praise. ^_^ I worked in HR during the 2002-2005 season, along with managing a haunted house for Fear Fest during those final Paramount years. In a small stint back to the park in 2009, I was working on the media day for Diamond Back and got to take part in all the media shots. It was freaking cold out that day but we all had to dress like it was the middle of summer. Lol, they had huge heaters in the station so we could warm up in between takes. I think we had to ride it 10 times in a row - I was a popsicle. Still one of my favorite steel coasters. I have so many great memories visiting and working there, and I got to experience a side of the park most haven't seen.
The subtitles for Copperhead Strike says “Copyright strike” lol
Here is how I ranked the top parks I've been to (And yes this is much tougher than ranking coasters):
1. Cedar Point
2. Dollywood
3. Silver Dollar City
4. Holiday World
5. Busch Gardens Tampa
6. Six Flags Magic Mountain
7. Hershey Park
8. Six Flags Fiesta Texas
9. Carowinds
10. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
11. Knott's Berry Farm
12. Six Flags Great America
13. Six Flags Great Adventure
14. Islands of Adventure
15. Kings Dominion
16. Kings Island
17. Six Flags Over Georgia
18. Knoebels
19. Sea World Orlando
20. Silverwood
21. Kennywood
22. Lagoon
23. Six Flags New England
24. California Great America
25. Kentucky Kingdom
A few comments: My visits to Knoebels and Six Flags Great Adventure were short and I need more time at these parks. Kings Island for me has great operations but it lacks an elite coaster. None of their coasters are in my Top 30, and if I look at my Top 15, all the parks less Great America have coasters in my Top 30. I feel Great America has a deeper line-up than Kings Island. Busch Gardens Williamsburg would have been in the same boat but Pantheon is Top 10 for me after my rides on it. I will visit Holiday World for the first time in 4 years in June so I will be interested to see if I keep such a high opinion of that park. It would almost be easier to rank them in Tiers tbh.
Pretty comparable list of parks despite the order. I just wasnt impressed with Silverwood enough to make this list but I havent been back since Stunt Pilot
@@AirtimeThrills Silverwood is really enjoyable for me. Stunt Pilot and Tremors in my Top 50 overall. Aftershock, a little outside my Top 50, and timber Terror is just inside my Top 100. I really enjoy Spin Cycle as well. That top 4 and spin cycle is really strong for an indy park. Lines can be an issue at this park due to running one train. That is the one draw back, but everything was quite enjoyable.
King's Dominion over King's Island? Really love I305 that much?
@@russ4moose Twisted Timbers and I-305- both in my Top 15. Nothing from Kings Island in my Top 30.
@@alantrotter2077 ok, I think I see. You have a more top heavy ranking preference.