Amusement Today announced today the winners of the 15th-annual Golden Ticket Awards. The annual awards are presented to the “Best of the Best” within the amusement industry. This year’s awards were hosted at Dollywood, which just so happened to walk away with five Golden Ticket awards. Dollywood’s awards included “Friendliest Park,” “Best Christmas Event,” “Best Food,” “Best Shows,” and “Best New Ride of 2012 – Amusement Park” for Wild Eagle.
How are the winners selected? From the Golden Ticket Awards website: “Amusement Today relies on a panel of voters from all over the world consisting of experienced park enthusiasts. The U.S. ballots are divided into four geographical regions, with approximately the same number of voters in each region. In addition to the American voters, Amusement Today invites a number of international voters to participate”
See below for a full list of the 2012 award winners:
Best Amusement Park: Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio
Best Waterpark: Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, New Braunfels, Texas
Best Children’s Park: Idlewild and SoakZone, Ligonier, Pa.
Best Marine Life Park: SeaWorld Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
Best Seaside Park: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Best Wooden Coaster: El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, N.J.
Best Steel Coaster: Millennium Force at Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio
Best Kids’ Area: Kings Island, Kings Mills, Ohio
Friendliest Park: Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Cleanest Park: Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Santa Claus, Ind.
Best Halloween Event: Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
Best Landscaping: Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Va.
Best Christmas Event: Smoky Mountain Christmas at Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Best Food: Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Best Shows: Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Best Outdoor Night Show Production: IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot, Orlando, Fla.
Best Water Ride: Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls at Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Fla.
Best Waterpark Ride: Wildebeest at Splashin’ Safari, Santa Claus, Ind.
Best Dark Ride: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Fla.
Best New Ride of 2012 – Amusement Park: Wild Eagle at Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Best New Ride of 2012 – Waterpark: Mammoth at Splashin’ Safari, Santa Claus, Ind.
Best Carousel: Grand Carousel at Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, Pa.
Best Indoor Roller Coaster: Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
Best Indoor Waterpark: Schlitterbahn Galveston Island, Galveston, Texas
Best Funhouse/Walk-Through Attraction: Noah’s Ark at Kennywood, West Mifflin, Pa.
What are your thoughts on this year’s Golden Ticket recipients? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Some of these are easy to see – Cedar Point as the best park, El Toro as the best wooden coaster, Santa Cruz as the best sea side park, Busch has the best landscaping (and natural setting, with the forest and the reservoir). Apollo’s Chariot is a great terrain coaster with the forest, hills and lake.
But Millennium Force is still the best steel coaster? Put the judges on Intimidator 305 and see if they still have that opinion. MF has a nicer view (of the lake) but I-305 is a superior ride.
Wild Eagle is a fun ride with amazing views of the Smoky Mountains, but Skyrush is a better coaster for the “best new of 2012” title. Perhaps it was too intense for the judges but I loved it.
At Dollywood, which supposedly had the best food, many of the stands had food that still included high fructose corn syrup as ingredients. Given the number of obese patrons at Dollywood, the arge handicapped parking lot and the fleet of electric scooters for people no longer able to walk (many were not extremely elderly) the last thing Dollywood should do is feed corn syrup to their customers.
I haven’t been on the “mummy” coaster (I’ve seen a POV) but I can’t imagine it’s a better indoor coaster than Flight of Fear at Kings Island.
I agree with you Mark about Millennium Force still being the best coaster and your thoughts about Dollywood. I have been on Mummy (Orlando version) several times and it is my favorite indoor coaster. My list of best coaster for 2012 is:
1. Skyrush
2. Leviathan
3. Wild Eagle
But does anyone else find it odd they accept ads from the winners (who probably wouldn’t advertise if not for winning an award)?
even though i never rode skyrush i think wild eagle should be at the bottom of the list for new rides for 2012 and this is what the top 3 should be.
1.skyrush
2.x flight
3.leviathan