We’re back with another SUPER POLL SUNDAY! Today we let readers vote for the best new attraction of 2016, in California! We have selected seven new attractions around the state as nominees and it’s your turn to VOTE! This year brought us one of the world’s best steel coasters and dark rides, as well as several re-makes of older rides… read on and VOTE! 😀 

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This is a question we haven’t asked that many times and thus, towards the end of 2016, it was time to see what our readers thought. Let’s see which of the the nominees gets the most votes! First we’re discussing the seven attractions for those who are interested. If you’re ready to vote, scroll to the bottom of the post. 

The Joker

The Joker is one of the newest RMC Hybrid Coasters in the world and perfectly combines awesome airtime with lateral movements and plenty of turns. The ride reaches a top speed of 53 MPH and features a a 78 degree steep twisting drop, as well as unique elements like a Step-Up Under Flip, a Breaking Wave Turn, a Zero-G-Stall and an Asian Camelback. The Joker is 3,200 feet long and a 100 feet tall.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is widely known to be one of the World’s best dark rides. The attraction features a highly detailed line that leads guests through the corridors and class rooms of Hogwarts before boarding an ‘enchanted’ bench that is actually a robotic arm and simulates the motion of flight as it transports riders through physical sets and simulator screens. The ride is in 3D and was part of a 1.6 Billion dollar expansion (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter). 

Ninjago

Ninjago: The Ride is a dark ride by Triotech, who you may know from their work on Voyage to the Iron Reef at Knott’s Berry Farm. Ninjago: The Ride is the crown jewel of the brand new Ninjago World. Based on the popular cartoon network kids show, the ride outlines the adventures of four lego Ninjas in their quest to fight evil. This 4D shooting dark ride puts guest interaction at the forefront. Riders take command and shoot blasts of fire, ice, and wind shooting incoming projectiles from enemies. The focus is almost entirely on the high definition 3D screens on which the action takes place. This is one Triotech’s latest installment and surely not the last in their catalog of shooting dark rides, except on this ride guests use hand motions! 

The New Revolution

The New Revolution opened late April of 2016 and essentially is the same ride as the world famous Revolution that opened in 1976. The park added new trains with just lapbars, creating a smoother experience, added a new light package, repainted the ride, redesigned the queue and added Virtual Reality. Guests put on a VR Headset and fly around in a fighter jet, fighting off aliens. The New Revolution reaches a top speed of 55 MPH, features multiple drops and helices as well as a tunnel and the World’s first successful Vertical Loop (still one of the best). The ride’s 113 feet tall and 3,457 feet long.

GhostRider

GhostRider is another make-over attraction that reopened in 2016. After getting terribly rough in recent years, Knott’s Berry Farm closed the ride and brought in wooden coaster manufacturers Great Coasters International to recreate the ride. All track was taken off and replaced with new track of better quality wood, some transitions were fixed, and the drop was made slightly steeper. In addition the mid-course brake-run was taken out, creating an incredibly fast second half of the ride. To make it all even better, the ride received new Millennium Flyer trains that navigate the track more smoothly, creating a way faster and smoother ride experience that is considered to be one of the best wooden coasters around. GhostRider is 118 feet tall, and with 4,533 feet of track and 14 hills, 10 crossovers and 3 bridges, is the biggest wooden coaster on the West Coast. 

Soarin’ Around the World

The California Adventure staple, Soarin’ over California, was given a major update this year with the new expanded theme, Soarin’ Around the World. The same basic idea remains, guests enter a large theater, board their supposed hang glider ride vehicles, before being lifted into the air for a scenic flight simulator experience. The update includes new sights, sounds, and smells. Rather than just touring our home state, the adventure extends to our planet at large. Guests will fly over just about every famous location you can think of, ranging from Taj Majal, to the Sydney Opera house, before of course ending their flight at Disneyland. The updated version features new transitions between scenes, an updated soundtrack, added scents, and of course the stunning new locations.

Mass Effect: New Earth

Mass Effect: New Earth is California’s Great America’s newest attraction, and one of the sleeper hits of the year. The attraction’s a 4D theater in which guests’ seats move in correlation to what happens on the screen, but that’s where similarities with other such attractions end. Based on the popular video game franchise, Mass Effect: New Earth carries a unique and distinctly sci-fi theme. The partnership between, Cedar Fair, Electronic Arts, Bioware, and tech companies all across silicon valley make Mass Effect: New Earth a feat of theme park technology. It features the world’s largest 3D LED screen, entirely original and high quality animation, an incredible sound system featuring over 70 speakers, synchronized seat movement, smells, fog, and a live actor acting as the captain on your journey.

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VOTE!

Vote below by selecting your choice, and then clicking on the “VOTE” button below. 😀

[poll id=”24″]