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Your last WOW! moment

Ian

Ian

From CoasterForce
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For the last few years, my theme park count rose dramatically. It got to the point where I was visiting theme parks just to ride coasters, never actually enjoying (or mocking, which is a form of enjoyment imo) the park for what it actually offers. I'd ride each coaster once and that was it, +1.

During this years, there were a few moments that made me go WOW! For example, the first time I rode Outlaw Run, the multiple rides I had on Bolder Dash where it kept getting better and better and the amazing floatiness on Shambhala.

My most recent jaw-drops-to-the-floor moment was when I saw the Harry Potter area at Universal Orlando. It amazed me. It didn't feel real. My eyes were looking all over the place, I didn't talk to anybody for about 10mins, I was gobsmacked. It was REAL. It felt incredible.

When was your last WOW moment?
 
Most recently? Banshee's first drop and massive Dive Loop. Such a fantastic rush of speed and g-force.
 
Every time I step into Phantasialand is a "wow" moment for me. The immersiveness and amount/quality of theming is just incredible and the first hour or so just blows my mind. Obviously I do get used to it slightly when I'm there for a full day, but every time I re-visit it is just breathtaking again. Efteling at night has a similar feeling.

As far as rides go, the last true "Holy crap, this is amazing!" moment I had was Helix at night. At one moment you're rushing through the woods low to the ground, when barely seeing where you're going, and the next moment you're flying through the sky on an airtime hill looking over Göteborg/Liseberg all lit up. Just amazing.

Ian said:
For the last few years, my theme park count rose dramatically. It got to the point where I was visiting theme parks just to ride coasters, never actually enjoying (or mocking, which is a form of enjoyment imo) the park for what it actually offers. I'd ride each coaster once and that was it, +1.
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I hope I won't end up the same as you when it comes to this :p . Every new park visit still feels amazing and I always want to get everything out of a park, no matter how big/small/good/bad it is. I guess that's the advantage of being a "newbie" :wink: .
 
ThomVD said:
Ian said:
For the last few years, my theme park count rose dramatically. It got to the point where I was visiting theme parks just to ride coasters, never actually enjoying (or mocking, which is a form of enjoyment imo) the park for what it actually offers. I'd ride each coaster once and that was it, +1.
Click to expand...
I hope I won't end up the same as you when it comes to this :p . Every new park visit still feels amazing and I always want to get everything out of a park, no matter how big/small/good/bad it is. I guess that's the advantage of being a "newbie" :wink: .
Click to expand...
Yeah, I should make this point clearer. I still enjoy visiting new parks, the buzz of exploring a new place never left me. It's AFTER the visit I would feel slightly disappointed because the visit was box ticking, without exploring or taking time to look about and experience all aspects of the park. Don't worry, I've been constantly visiting new parks for about 10 years now and going somewhere new nowadays is still as exciting as it was back then.
 
My most recent ones were my night rides on Helix. What an absolute rush! I adored it and the whole moment was surreal <3

With regards to a park mine is probably Silver Dollar City. It was absolutely STUNNING, the setting was gorgeous and I could have walked around it all day <3

Another one that pops up is my first ride on Ratatouille. I was stunned all the way through the queue and then the moment you enter the first 'screen room' is just amazing.
 
Only one I can think of from this year is Magnus Colossos in Benidorm or Ultimate, both of which were hugely negative wow's.

If we're going positive, front row Shambhala. The view, how open the seats were, the hang at the top, the entire drop, the speed, the airtime. Everything about it.

Before then it was the launch, and only the launch, of Baco.
 
Just walking around / exploring Tivoli Gardens.

And It might sound lame (but as an American...) being at Alton Towers was absolutely amazing. (even after 3 days)
 
Walking into Busch Gardens Williamsburg for the first time and just seeing all the amazing themeing in there.

For the last coaster, seeing Griffon in person. I mean, I knew it was tall, but actually seeing a Dive Machine of its height for the first time outside of photos was just wonderful.
 
My last wow moments were going into Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I love wooded parks.

One wow part of visit was when I crossed the bridge and saw all these coasters I HAVE to ride, over me.

Another Wow moment was taking the trolley to the top and later riding Griffon which was my first Dive coaster.

The theming was also amazing.
 
Entering Magic Kingdom WDW was certainly my biggest wow moment, from seeing the 'opening ceremony' to passing through the gates, to seeing the castle at the end of Main Street. Just amazing. I couldn't speak. The Wishes fireworks display also had a similar affect on me.

The most recent? Shambhala at the front in November <3 It was just **** amazing. That first drop, I cannot even comprehend how AMAZING that thing is <3

ThomVD said:
Ian said:
For the last few years, my theme park count rose dramatically. It got to the point where I was visiting theme parks just to ride coasters, never actually enjoying (or mocking, which is a form of enjoyment imo) the park for what it actually offers. I'd ride each coaster once and that was it, +1.
Click to expand...
I hope I won't end up the same as you when it comes to this :p . Every new park visit still feels amazing and I always want to get everything out of a park, no matter how big/small/good/bad it is. I guess that's the advantage of being a "newbie" :wink: .
Click to expand...

I consider myself a theme park enthusiast so hope this never happens. I will certainly go to a park to get the creds, and unless exceptional circumstances dictate, I will get them first, but for me it's also seeing what else the park has to offer which is why I really enjoyed the few hours I spent at Tibidabo in late November and Twinlakes a couple weeks ago. Creds are only part of the whole theme park experience.

I also like to team theme park visits in with culture where possible...having said that my only major theme park trip...well, ever, was Florida...and there isn't much cultural there but you get what I mean.
 
Jordanovichy said:
ThomVD said:
Ian said:
For the last few years, my theme park count rose dramatically. It got to the point where I was visiting theme parks just to ride coasters, never actually enjoying (or mocking, which is a form of enjoyment imo) the park for what it actually offers. I'd ride each coaster once and that was it, +1.
Click to expand...
I hope I won't end up the same as you when it comes to this :p . Every new park visit still feels amazing and I always want to get everything out of a park, no matter how big/small/good/bad it is. I guess that's the advantage of being a "newbie" :wink: .
Click to expand...

I consider myself a theme park enthusiast so hope this never happens. I will certainly go to a park to get the creds, and unless exceptional circumstances dictate, I will get them first, but for me it's also seeing what else the park has to offer which is why I really enjoyed the few hours I spent at Tibidabo in late November and Twinlakes a couple weeks ago. Creds are only part of the whole theme park experience.

I also like to team theme park visits in with culture where possible...having said that my only major theme park trip...well, ever, was Florida...and there isn't much cultural there but you get what I mean.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm also a theme park enthusiast. I love the complete experience and coasters are just a part of that. A big part, and probably my favourite part, but still one of the many things I love about theme parks. I always plan more time for a park than I need. That leaves time to explore the park, to see and experience everything, giving me a satisfying visit. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I've loved every park I've visited so far (except for Slagharen). I can always find something I like about a park, even when the coasters are all crap.

I see a lot of people planning stuff like Knoebels and Dorney on the same day. Unless I'd have a very limited amount of time, I would never do that. I don't like rushing around the park getting the creds, and then running out. The entire cred counting thing is fun and all, but my major enjoyment comes from exploring the park along with its rides and seeing all that the park has to offer, and not from the +1 I get. I also just want to get re-rides on stuff, as much as I can until I get bored.

Obviously there are also exceptions. I would visit crappy small parks for a +1. I would also visit ugly bland un-themed parks with great coasters. I enjoy all of that - it just doesn't give me the wonderful feeling that a satisfying visit to a fantastic theme park gives me. And those visits are why this is one of my biggest passions.

I hope I'm not going off topic with this, but that's how I feel about it :p .
 
My most recent moment was probably riding more of Boulder Dash last summer. There's still some incredible moments even after riding it multiple times. It just gets better and better. I'd say the best/craziest moment is the turnaround.

Nemesis was my most recent wow moment when it comes to a new coaster (for me). Like Boulder Dash, the ride keeps getting better as you ride it, and overall it's just a fantastic experience. The wingovers and zero-g roll surprised me the most, I remember I kept saying "Whoa!!!" as I went around them. I think my few rides on the back right were the most special.

CanobieFan said:
And It might sound lame (but as an American...) being at Alton Towers was absolutely amazing. (even after 3 days)
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Same here for me. I think it was the way the park presented itself as I walked through the entrance, seeing the big open field, Towers in the distance, rides hidden within the trees, as well as other things like getting lost in the gardens, Nemesis, and despite it being brutal, I'm going to include waiting in line for Smiler, just because of it being a crazy experience! For me, there was nothing else quite like Alton Towers.

Other moments that come to mind...
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
- Millennium Force's first drop
- Top Thrill Dragster
- Riding Verbolten for the first time with no knowledge of the ride whatsoever
 
Ian said:
My most recent jaw-drops-to-the-floor moment was when I saw the Harry Potter area at Universal Orlando. It amazed me. It didn't feel real. My eyes were looking all over the place, I didn't talk to anybody for about 10mins, I was gobsmacked. It was REAL. It felt incredible.
Click to expand...
I had the same experience when I first wandered around The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2011. I was astounded by how the area managed to feel both vast yet quaint at the same time. There was so much detail to absorb, Universal really went above and beyond capturing the magic of the books and films; which is quite an achievement.

I just need to get myself back there to experience the Diagon Alley expansion soon!

My last 'wow' moment was the jaw dropping dark ride section of The Flying Dutchman at Efteling. The scale and size of the themeing! The face in the water! The bit at the start where it's pitch black and the tiny light at the front of the boat leads the way! Pure magic <3

In general, I find atmospheric dark rides and extensively themed park areas give me more 'WOW' moments than coaster elements alone. I want to be mystified and captivated, not just subjected to forces. (Which is partly why coasters like Shambhala / Goliath / El Toro didn't even end up in my top 10)

Having said that, my last 'WOW' moment on a coaster was riding Nitro at night, hurtling above the park that was all lit up with fire torches for Fright Fest. I still can't get my head around how perfect Nitro's layout is. It has the best floater of all the B+M hypers I've ridden.
 
Riding the 2 RMC woodies, Maverick, TTD, Skyrush, and Millennium Force(with a "What a disappointment!" at the end).

Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk
 
^This.

I was with another local enthusiast when I last rode it but it was absolutely incredible, especially in the back. That triple down gets me every time!
 
First ride on El Toro, first ride on Boulder Dash, first ride on Led Zeppelin: The Ride, first ride on Top Thrill Dragster and first ride on Outlaw Run were all pretty wow, but none of them matched my first ride on Volcano: The Blast Coaster.
It was in the dark (10:30pm) and I didn't know anything about the coaster before that ride. It was a Friday night and we on our way to Busch Gardens Williamsburg from New York City after getting off work that evening. We made surprisingly good time and had only pulled up to Kings Dominion for the first time a few minutes before closing. We had platinum passes from Cedar Point and were returning to the park on Sunday, but figured that we could go ahead and get one night ride in since we wouldn't be able to stay late on the way back home. We saw Dominator from the parking lot and decided to go for it since it was near the entrance. But the floorless was walk-on and we still had time to get in one more ride. We took off running just get on any other coaster and I didn't even get to see the the Volcano before rushing inside the thing. The queue was so noisy that I never heard the launch and had never even heard of a launched suspended coaster at the time. We were just so busy talking about making it into the queue before it was closed off and that great ride on Dominator, that we weren't paying any attention to the coaster at all. So we got in the back seats and thought we were going to round the corner to go up a lift hill, but WOOSH! Off into the pitch black night! Then came the second launch up out of the Volcano straight into the star filled sky. We rounded the bend and all the lights of the park started spinning as we went through the barrel rolls. Then back into darkness as the coaster spun again. Before you know it we were inside the station and getting out of our seats. Christine, Aidan and I just looked at each other with our mouths wide open. WOW! Did that really just happen?
I don't think I'll ever have another coaster experience like that again.
 
My first ride on Djurs Sommerland Piraten last summer - what a kickass great coaster!
 
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