Top 15 Most Disappointing Coaster Experiences

We just looked at coasters that knocked my socks off - now let's look at my most disappointing coaster experiences.
Coasters that knocked my socks off: • Top 15 Coasters that K...
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Sean Flaharty: Son of Beast - • Son Of Beast Off-Ride ...
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Music in this video:
Muriel - Bobby Richards
Black Vulture
Cold Water - Patrick Patrikios

[@Cje_-yj8ov]

My very first ride on Fury 325 was actually super disappointing to me. I hit the brakes and thought “best steel coaster in the world? Bulls**t” and yet every single ride since then has only made it better for me (now a top 5). Can’t explain it, but that first ride really disappointed me

[@AirtimeThrills]

My experience with Iron Gwazi for sure

[@samuelblack7314]

Now, are you talking about Fury 325 or the other Fury?

[@a_human_person]

@@samuelblack7314 he literally says fury 325 in the first sentence

[@samuelblack7314]

@@a_human_person Sorry. I didn't see the 325 part.

[@fredericklockard3854]

To each his own but dang, hard to believe anyone thinks Fury is disappointing.

[@theballingboi5360]

11:20 I love how you can see someone's phone fly out

[@mikeisl33t]

TWO PHONES

[@ryanb9749]

Well deserved. Don't phone and ride lol

[@infinitecoasters8769]

I literally just rode the new Skyrush 6 days ago. It’s been my Number 1 for a while and the old restraints never bothered me, but even I admit it’s a big improvement. Even at the lap bars lowest possible point, you still get shot out of your seat. Huge W all around. One thing I will say, the seats do have more lateral bracing, so if you sit back, the laterals aren’t as crazy, however if you lean towards it’s not a problem.

[@sendyboi7028]

And the drop is demented and needs exorcised. That drop is a lot more enjoyable without the painful restraint barely having surface area on your thighs, a much better ride

[@undergamer2.035]

Me personal, I am a fan of the old ones, new ones wee too restricting and less intense

[@user-ny5ek3ru4u]

I think you'll find Skyrush much better with the new restraints. And the main fun of Lightning Racer IS the racing factor, and the fact that the cars "go" at each other and crisscross each other. Candimonium is a good coaster, and u found it was crazy with airtime and force.

[@memecoin1830]

I agree 100%. I am a 6'5 dude with large thighs and I thought it was amazing and had zero issues I was really terrified and thinking the Lord that they put new lap bars on it before I got on it

[@seangearhart2494]

He also needs to ride back left.

[@memecoin1830]

@@seangearhart2494 dude that's literally where I rode. Was amazing

[@SupermarketSweep777]

@@seangearhart2494 Back Left gave me so much airtime it felt like it was trying to rival Phoenix.

[@sendyboi7028]

The night rides on skyrush are more insane with the new restraints than the old ones, significantly better than before

[@ItsSiebay]

Honestly putting the father and the son next to each other for Kings Island’s woodies is understandable but funny to see.

[@ChampaBayBeast]

It was the scariest shit ever when I went as a kid and walked up. And then SoB absolutely beat the crap out of us...

[@jaked4322]

Hating on good wooden roller coasters is cool now, RMC Brained

[@ItsSiebay]

@@jaked4322 I’ve literally only ridden one RMC over several woodies prior to 1975, so I don’t know what you mean.

[@joshuahines1415]

It crushes my soul that you did not like The Beast and that you've not had a great experience with it. It is my number one FAVORITE coaster I've been on. Perhaps it is that bit of roughness that I'd expect that helps give that 'beast' type feeling. Maybe it is a bit of the setting as you feel like you're going a lot faster than you are around the woods and through the tunnels. Just add in all the elements together and it is truly an experience. I know that they've done a lot of maintenence too over this past off season replacing a lot of track footage and fixing up the cars too. Very likely due to it being both a significant park and ride anniversary. But you can have your opinion, even if it is wrong ;) What you aren't wrong about though, is Son of Beast. I honestly was expecting this to be number one. I was there opening year *gives far off PTSD stare*. I was 14/15 years old at the time and just barely over 5 feet at the time and even I was uncomfortable with my knees banging against the metal seat in front of me. I got rocked so hard by it. Literally the best/smoothest part of the ride was the inversion giving me 3 seconds of relief before going back into the storm that was an abomination of a ride. An absolute travesty and disappointment. Of the rides that I've been on though, to which I have travelled on far less than you naturally lol, the most disappointing ride I think I've been on was Expedition Everest at WDW Animal Kingdom. Never felt fast. Didn't feel any kind of suspenseful thrill with the turns or drops. It was smooth, sure. But what an underwhelming ride that had been so hyped up.

[@MarsJenkar]

To be fair, that was just his _first_ ride on The Beast. Back then it apparently was _very_ rough and not as well-maintained as it has been since Cedar Fair took over. His opinion has significantly improved since then.

[@collegeluvr]

I’ve never said “WHAT?!?!” More times than on this video. Lol. It’s always funny how incredibly different peoples opinions can be. Like for me… The finale of The Beast is one of the best finales on a roller coaster, period. I also love Candymonium and Lightning Racer because the dueling is really cool. Most coasters RACE, this one duels. I also really liked Excalibur, but I think that’s because it’s retro and I LOVE me some classic Arrows. I do agree about Legend and Jersey Devil though.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Expedition everest exceeded my expectations, definitely my favorite Disney coaster

[@TheTyates72392]

and the way it screams as you fly through the tunnels

[@jimskywaker4345]

@@collegeluvr The Legend is personally one of my favorites, but I also enjoy it's laterals a lot more then some people.

[@Lloyd00]

Hangtime was fun. I wasnt expecting anything so i wasn't disappointed

[@Destron5683]

Hangtime is good. I’m from Utah so I’ve ridden Canibal hundreds of times at this point, so I agree it’s no comparison, but it’s still good.

[@samuelblack7314]

For Piraten, it was the weather. It can be an elite ride if the weather is just right.

[@travisvanalst4698]

I feel like it’s not that elite if you need certain parameters to be good.

[@rushtest4echo737]

Been on several megalites in different countries during hot/cold, new/old, full trains/empty train and they're all fun. They're not elite in any sense.

[@brockpiano]

Seeing Copperhead Strike at #13 hurt. It’s got to be one of my favorite rides at the whole park (next to Fury) - ended up riding it 8 times in under 24 hours since lines were so short yesterday

[@PrinceRoyceFan667]

I remember riding the Beast for the first time and having such an awful experience that I apologized to my parents behind me immediately after hitting the final breaks. It happens to the best of us

[@ahhculdee]

I had the opposite experince

[@carlollmann831]

The beast even when it was rough had always been one of my favorite coasters. I will take it any way it comes. It has been a love ever since I first rode it. Son of Beast had some rough moments but once again just having the opportunity to ride it many times I loved it. It was so close to making it to RMC it was sad. If it just held on a little longer the coaster RMC could have made it would have been unimaginable. I honestly love both of them and always will. The beast will always live in my top ten.

[@jimskywaker4345]

Son of Beast was a terrible RMC candidate. It was built with very low quality wood, and had massive structural issues which an RMCing would only make worse.

[@elboyosupreme]

Dare Devil Dive was the most disappointed I've been after riding a coaster. It is inexcusable to get zero airtime on a beyond vertical drop but that's what happened on my ride. The trim brakes on the drop need to be removed asap.

[@robinbaxter3055]

My most disappointing... probably Scream at SFMM in 2010. I loved Medusa at Great Adventure and so when we visited SFMM on our next trip to the States (I'm English) this was one of my most anticipated roller coasters but it was too rough to enjoy. On my trip to Japan, I was disappointed in Zokkon, the new coaster at Fuji-Q, and Thunder Dolphin wasn't as good as it looks but I still liked it, more so on my second ride.

[@MrBlonday]

Ya know that ride was always so mid, lower mid, to me, but then I rode it in the front and it was fantastic up there. Same with West coast racers. Front row is where it's at on those rides

[@Gingerbean.]

I recently went to Hersey park and candymonium and great bear were huge let downs but lightning racer back row on the thunder side gave me crazy ejected on the double down

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

I've always gotten nice airtime on Lightning Racer. Some other GCIs have given better, but LRacer still has always delivered good airtime for me.

[@MrMattogreen25]

I honestly think you had the wrong expectations for Copperhead if you compared it to Maverick, it's not even the same manufacturer, let alone the same concept. Also, back row in one of the middle seats gave me an amazing experience on Skyrush last September, it made it into one of my favorites like it was the first time I rode it last April, even after a falling out in June when it refused to give me a good ride.

[@AirtimeThrills]

I didnt expect maverick per se but it was the closest comp. I think i was most disappointed by the lapbar crushing

[@G3R0George]

As somebody who only rode Jersey Devil AFTER the upgrade, I can say that it is my favorite raptor. More than the OGs. I got a night ride in the front row once and it was smooth as glass, super whippy, and insanely fast! I even prefer it to its California counterpart.

[@angusbarclay6281]

When did it get upgraded/what did they do

[@AirtimeAxolotl]

What do you mean by upgrade?

[@thatlldo4247]

Back row is far more forceful in raptors. It's like a different ride compared to the front row.

[@lennydickson8845]

@@AirtimeAxolotlThey messed with the brake runs a bit so it wasn’t as forceful. I rode JD a bit after they fixed that in the back seat, the airtime on that thing is insane

[@HeelBJC]

Thank you for providing youtube entertainment to us coaster fans.

[@RankingTheMouse]

I'm so happy you mentioned Hang Time & Timberhawk. Timberhawk is *ehh fine* given the park it's in, but nothing better than average. And HangTime was super disappointing for me as well

[@katashworth41]

Hero I went in with low expectations and it spectacularly failed to meet them. Also Saw The Ride for just how rough it was.

[@dronestuff4]

See, perspective is everything. I visited Carowinds and was so excited for Fury that I completely overlooked Copperhead. Copperhead was SO fun. Rode it 4 times, most of any coaster that day

[@AirtimeThrills]

Yep this video is all about perspective for sure

[@psychichorse]

I really need to get back on Mystic Timbers, because everyone absolutely LOVES that ride, and it just did not impress me (while Diamondback blew me away). My girlfriend frankly preferred Racer. Sadly only got one ride because it was also having some reliability issues that day.

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

I've ridden Mystic Timbers more than any other GCI besides Prowler. I do think Mystic Timbers is a contender for best GCI in the country, but I personally think it's quite overrated. I think Thunderhead & Gold Striker are a little better, and I think Prowler is far better.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Mystic is my kind of woodie

[@timothywait9457]

@@OklahomaCoasterFan not Gold striker but Ghost rider and the Voyage

[@jimskywaker4345]

I like racer better then Mystic Timbers, but they're both good.

[@ryansublermedia]

I actually really enjoyed Texas Stingray. My favorite in the park. But you’re right. Mystic is far superior.

[@coolmamo]

I prepped myself too much for x2 and was a little underwhelmed. Went on to have an incredible ride on WWFoC weirdly enough. Spent 90% of the ride floating.

[@oblivieon1567]

X2 is probably the most different ride based on where you sit of any coaster I've ever ridden. It's bonkers if you sit back row outside seat.

[@CZsWorld]

West Coast Racers. When I saw that it was a Premiere Rides launch coaster I was expecting something like Full Throttle. Wrong. The launch is barely even a launch, it's so weak. Rest of the layout was so tame because of the slow speeds. Still haven't gotten a rush from it to this day.

[@AirtimeThrills]

For me WCR is on or off, sometimes i love it other times it bores me

[@goldenhydreigon4727]

As someone who has grown up visiting Holiday World a lot, I can confirm Legend feels the most, "Eh," of the coasters there. Definitely behind Raven, Thunderbird, Voyage, and even the two water coasters in Splashin' Safari, Wildebeest and Mammoth.

[@HowToBeABusinessAnalyst]

Agreed on Boulder Dash, but for different reasons! I actually felt a lot of forces on it, but it was so unbearably rough that I spent the whole time fighting back against it and protecting my body instead of enjoying the terrain and forces. I inexplicably walked off with a throbbing pain in my pinky that took a couple months to go away. I've heard that I needed to be in certain rows for it to be smoother, but that experience was so shockingly painful that even though I had been so excited to ride it, I can never ride it again. Thank goodness my first ride on El Toro a few months later restored my faith that world renowned wooden coasters can in fact be absolutely fantastic.

[@HowToBeABusinessAnalyst]

My bad, I just watched again and you actually DID say "pretty rough".

[@AirtimeThrills]

I guess it just depends when you rode BD. The roughness wasnt a huge deal for me but it could have stood to be a bit smoother

[@muppetsretrofan8873]

My disappointing coaster experience is that I have never been able to ride any coasters. The two closest parks for me [Astroworld and Six Flags New Orleans] closed when I was little. My mom, who grew up going to Astroworld during the 80s and 90s says that Excalibur was really rough, and that makes me glad I missed out on that ride. On a different note, Great Adventure's anniversary is this year, and while it's WAY too far for me to go to, I wish the park the best of luck, hopefully they'll even bring their OG characters back for a limited time event. Are you going to do a documentary on Great Adventure once July comes, Airtime Thrills?

[@AirtimeThrills]

I will be releasing thay documentary in August. I waited longer this year since i want to go to the park to film

[@idkhomie24]

I've only ridden copperhead strike in 2023 and 2024, but there's only been 3 or 4 rides of the 40+ I've had that I'd consider bad. It's been hitting really well every time I've visited and the airtime is pure ejector. It's awesome

[@beachboysswiftie]

Jersey devil is SO REAL. I rode it in December 2021 and I remember feeling so disappointed. I thought it was gonna be super intense and insane like Railblazer, even more so (my home park is CGA) but it felt so mid. Also what didn’t help is we got stuck on the mid course break for 30 minutes in 20 degrees, and had to be emergency evacuated on the final break. Apparently rmc raptors naturally shut down if it’s too cold or something

[@waldolahr9726]

Boulder dash is a great ride! It runs very fast due to the new Titan track, and likely even faster this year (haven’t gotten on it yet this summer) but did have its rough parts last year. This is a great ride that blew me away.

[@joeeckroth2932]

I rode tremors last summer and it was running a lot better than before. I even got airtime on that dip after the first helix

[@rushtest4echo737]

Front row Beast ride at night is top 10 for sure.

[@ryan6523]

I've been on three B&M dives now and Yukon Stryker is the best of the bunch. Valravn had no tunnel to dive into and just swung over the walkway while Griffon , like Val, had a generic layout with a mid course second drop that was meh. YS has at least a decent layout before the MCBR and just has a mellow finish. Interesting list to say the least, Hershey is where I'm probably heading next summer so it's good to know to temper my expectations.

[@ProductionsFromBeyon]

One of my most hyped coasters since moving to Texas from Ohio was Dr. Diabolical. I enjoy dive coasters, and thought of one with a theme was very appealing. I did love the story and theme, but the ride itself made me wish I was on Valravn. (Didn’t help that I used to live twenty minutes from cedar point)

[@Wesley-76]

Very interesting video! Thankfully, i haven't had any super disappointing coasters yet, but i have had some that were somewhat disappointing: Dominator - I heard this was one of the best floorless coasters, so I thought I'd like it as much as Kraken if it ran smooth (unlike Kraken). It was smooth, but pretty forceless. Give me Kraken, I'll endure the pain. Reptilian - I think I hyped this unique coaster up more that I should've. It ended up being a glorified family coaster on a cool track. I should've expected that, but I thought it'd be crazier. Alpengeist - I was really excited for this ride. I loved Banshee and Montu, so I was excited for another large intense invert. I heard it had been running well lately. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed this ride a lot, it just didn't pull many forces and ended up being my least favorite B&M invert so far. Kumba - I hyped this up a lot because it looked like Hulk but without a launch. I thought it might be close to as good, but it didn't even touch it. Kumba was very rough and not as forceful as i hoped. I rode it again later on and liked it more but I still would love to ride a retracked version of Kumba. Iron Gwazi - I had been excited to ride this coaster for SO long, but when I finally did, I was like, "that's it?" Thankfully, it warmed up and redeemed itself later on with an insane ride, but that first ride was definitely disappointing. My dad got no airtime! Cheetah - After riding White Lightning and Mine Blower, I was excited for another great woodie. Sadly, I would end up riding the roughest coaster I've ridden to this day.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Im still sad i missed out on Cheetah

[@Wesley-76]

@@AirtimeThrills Yeah I'm sad I didn't get to ride it when it was new. Apparently it used to run much faster. Looks like it was a solid ride

[@ItsSiebay]

I’m easily amused. I also don’t really go into any coaster with much expectation, so I’m usually not disappointed. That said, my second experience on Batwing was easily the least enjoyable experience I’ve ever had. One train, long line outside the queue, and it felt shaky as heck on that helix finale.

[@ItsSiebay]

Also, because I like mentioning it, Skyrush in 2021 and El Toro in 2022…

[@dominicjannazo7144]

My biggest letdown was th13teen at Alton Towers. The drop track is great. The rest of the ride however is a forceless waste of time. There are many kiddie coasters with more intense and interesting layouts than it. I also rode the beast for the first time in the early 2000s, can confirm it was a rough mf, certainly my worst experience on a coaster, especially as i was very young and it just ruined my whole day at the park.

[@coasterswithjosh]

My main issue with outlaw run is the seatbelts. I’ve heard people say that they’re extremely restricting to people with larger waists and laps (like me). I’m afraid if I do get to it in the future I will be able to pull the lap bar down just fine but not get the seatbelt to buckle. Also was that a phone at 11:20 ?

[@rossstanley3912]

I had a very similar experience on Wicked Cyclone. The seatbelt was more difficult than expected (but very doable), but the lapbar went down easily.

[@AirtimeThrills]

OR absolutely has the smallest/shortest seatbelts of any RMC ive seen

[@thatparaf1nn_kid]

Lightning racer was big and fun when i was first getting into coasters (in May 2022) but it was rough and jackhammered me the next year in 2023. I rode it this year, and it wasn't any better on either side. Weather was great, but it jackhammered me all the way through its airtimeless layout. Candy was my first hyper, but it lacks a lot compared to Nitro at SFGA. It was great when i rode it for the first time in 2022, but I was younger and innocent to the coaster world. i'm getting back on it soon (maybe even tomorrow), so we'll see how it stacks up. Jersey Devil was my first raptor. I was expecting a lot more than i got (more whip/lats/airtime), but it still remains high in my list of credits since i haven't been to many parks. Haven't been on skyrush yet, but lots of people say the new lapbars are great. I'll be riding it soon as well. At least there's no more thighcrushing to be found.

[@scottwestphall]

100% agree with Sky Rush. It beat up too much to enjoy. We’ll see how it does this summer with the revamp. Heading there in Aug! Super excited for that.

[@brianmacdonald7297]

Steel Curtain for me. Stupid thing spited me two years in a row, and when I finally got on last year, it was..."eh"? I knew it wasn't top-tier, but I thought at least the stall would be fun. I barely even noticed the stall, it's over so quick. It wasn't a terrible ride, but given what that thing looks like...disappointing. It's the first time I've wanted to describe a coaster as "mid."

[@fadeawayjay887]

Same, I thought it would feel way faster it just felt forceless

[@HeelBJC]

I wonder if I would like SC more if I wasn't a weird enthusiast type. I'm so obsessed with forces in a way I know many aren't. It's like... Fun enough, ya know? It just doesn't blow your socks off in the way you'd hope a ride with its profile should.

[@fadeawayjay887]

@@HeelBJC I agree, everyone else with me thought it was amazing and they aren't enthusiasts like me

[@AirtimeThrills]

Steel curtain disappointed me too but i didnt go in with much expectations

[@C3T1C]

I heard good stuff about great white at Moreys piers, but when I rode it in the summer of 2022, it was rough, I didn’t like the ride experience. But the very next year, it was even rougher. I just simply don’t like great white, RMC needs to do something about this.

[@AirtimeThrills]

I rode in 2021 and it was perfectly smooth

[@HowToBeABusinessAnalyst]

I think expectations have a lot to do with experience. I read all the stuff about Jersey Devil being slow, but when I finally got there in fall of 2023, it was very fast. Skyrush on the other hand was underwhelming compared to all the glowing reviews online. I rode Candymonium on a blazing hot Labor Day in 2022 and it was awesome - more memorable than Skyrush.

[@anthonystevens2738]

I would say that Magnum XL-200 was a coaster that was kind of disappointing to me... I had heard all the hype about the airtime on the triangle hills near the end of the ride and when I rode it, I thought it was just boring and rough. I only did get one ride on it, and it was in the back. I should have tried to get the magic seat, but otherwise, I wasn't too thrilled by it. Ill have to get some more rides and get the magic seat to see if it is better.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Magic seat is real, i can attest. I still prefer the back though for slightly milder but much more sustained air. Im one who loves that finale

[@deathbackwards7850]

Mine were Tron and Apollo’s Chariot. I usually love classics, so the original hyper seemed like an easy win, but it was just ok. Tron had an awesome queue, but I felt like the ride was over way too soon and I had very little idea what was going on. I also expected Carolina Cyclone to be a cool old looper, but instead I smacked my head into the top of the seat.

[@bman2217]

Putting legend on this list is borderline criminal

[@williamkosarek3854]

It was my first proper roller-coaster. Definitely has a special place in my heart. But compared to the other rides at holiday world it is a bit underwhelming

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

My 2020 rides were great, but it was so horribly rough in 2021. I went from loving it to hating it.

[@AirtimeThrills]

@@OklahomaCoasterFan legend rides in 2016 and 2018 were just death...2020 it was fun though

[@bman2217]

@@AirtimeThrills I don’t know if I just don’t feel pain but I rode it a couple times in 2023 and didn’t think it was rough at all! It looked like the entire first drop had been newly retracked, though

[@Sugerloadedgirl789]

Have you gotten that night ride on beast yet? I know you mentioned you wanted to at some point. Got mine in 2021 and it was out of control! In a good way!

[@AirtimeThrills]

I have a plan to get mine this july

[@Sugerloadedgirl789]

@@AirtimeThrills I should get a 2nd round of that near the end of June! I'm sure you'll enjoy it. ^^

[@_Larzy]

This was Millennium Force for me. Growing up going to KI I was always jealous of that 300 foot monster on the lake. After riding it however I was extremely disappointed. After that first drop it’s pretty much a snooze fest.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Yeah when i rode it when i was 14 it was amazing but nowadays it kinda falls short

[@bjornvandenbremt1717]

Completely agree with the no. 1 pick! Son of Beast was originally my most anticipated ride at the park, but that wasn't open in '07 because of the accident the year before. Enter the dad...man did it hammer us all! One of the roughest experiences on a coaster ever! I remember the ride op asking "How was your ride?"; which I replied with "Awful and painful!"; and for some reason the ride op was surprised by that, as if he hadn't ridden it yet. Now I'm hearing good things about it after the retrack, but I'll probably won't make it back any time soon since I have a lot more other regions of the US to explore. As for some of the other rides (Lightning Racer and Wildfire), Wildfire has indeed a very dissapointing 2nd half; but I did very much loved Lightning Racer when I rode it in '07 (don't know if I would now).

[@oblivieon1567]

I want to say I really appreciate your takes on roller coasters because sometimes they can be so different than mine, I enjoy hearing what you have to say about them. I love Outlaw Run and actually like it more than Lighting Rod. I also love Tremors. I'm normally disappointed with B&Ms, just not into them outside of early inverts. I like woodies when they age and get a bit rough, I just don't like jack hammering but the rough shuffling is my jam for sure.

[@Splater765]

For me this is El Toro unfortunately. I went to great adventure the first time last year, and after hearing everyone rage about it, I went in hyped. I enjoyed it, but it was also slightly rough. Didn’t help that i only rode it once as it was down the rest of the day AND that same trip I rode wildcats revenge. I need to get back and reride it soon

[@dubvuchyea502]

Youll have to let me know when you get down to Kings Island this year. Would love to catch a ride or two! Am only 30 min away

[@ThisAintMyGithub]

I definitely was super excited for my first standing coaster, Vortex at Carowinds. Ball buster. Hated every second, rode it exactly one time and never since.

[@brockpiano]

I got to ride Vortex about 2 days ago (the 11th I think) and definitely agree. I was super excited to ride it (since Mantis at Cedar Point got converted to Rougarou before I was even tall enough to ride) and it did not live up to expectations. Didn’t hurt my crotch so much as the bottom of my calves, every moment of positive Gs only made it more painful and whatever airtime I got was the only moment without that pain.

[@FryGuy909]

wasn't expecting this one this early. I think my disappointing coaster was iron Rattler at Fiesta texas. idk it didn't really do it for me as much as other rmcs

[@AirtimeThrills]

I get that. Sometimes it blows me away other times i think its a lower tier rmc

[@carysage]

My most disappointing ride was enduring months of hype for Mean Streak the year it opened. Then fighting the crowd and a 3 hour line just to realize it's basically the Beast in a parking lot.

[@mutoneon]

Nothing like the beast, not in a parking lot, either.

[@carysage]

@@mutoneon Steel Vengeance sits in that parking lot to this day! And yeah the layouts completely different from Beast but it was still big drop, big turns and no airtime. So basically the Beast without the tunnels and terrain that make the Beast a good ride.

[@cycloid2326]

Boulder Dash: If remember correctly your rides on Boulder Dash were late in the day after it had been closed almost the entire day, and it’s a ride that really needs to warm up. Once it does, it pulls great forces, plus more and more of the ride is getting Titan Track which should help with the roughness. Skyrush: Skyrush is absolutely elite with the new lapbars, I used to rank it below Candymonium but it’s now leagues better imo. Plus the new station theming is pretty neat. Lightning Racer: Yeah it’s honestly just bad. It’s gotten incredibly rough to the point I think it’s roughly on par with how Wildcat was before it got RMC’ed. I will never understand how anyone hypes it up.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Id love to get back to LC. Itll probably have to be on a dedicated northeastern trip

[@cycloid2326]

@@AirtimeThrills I hope you’ll have better luck than me, despite being one of my home parks I haven’t been on Boulder Dash in 2 years cause it’s been closed every time I visit

[@edt-ze3ke]

Jersey Devil is trashed on a by a lot of coaster enthusiasts saying it's too tame and forceless. I've heard that it's started to become rough, which why some put rank it dead last. It doesn't really deserve to get hated on and it's likely one of the coasters that hated on a lot more by a lot of enthusiasts than GP's do.

[@rollercoasterheaven2170]

Yeah it’s quite shaky

[@michael7054]

Great video! I enjoyed watching! Ive ridden the top 2 before. I rode S.O.B. in 2001 and thought it was cool and fun although it sits close to the bottom of my credit count list. Ive ridden The Beast many times. I like The Beast. I think its a fun coaster. Is it the best coaster in the world ? No. But its still a good coaster to me.

[@DoritoTime]

I can confirm they must have done something with Jersey Devil. I rode twice in a row in 2023 (got some insane crowd luck) and it's between it, Skyrush, and the original Dragster for the most intense coaster I've ridden. Had a bit of a rattle tho :/

[@Couriday]

Hate to say it, but my most disappointing coaster ride was probably X-2. I don't even really blame the ride for this, but for some reason they threw the restraint down on me way too hard, so i spent the entire thing with constant shoulder pain. I could tell riding it that it was something really unique, but it's really hard to enjoy something if it hurts that bad. If a restraint hurts before you even leave the station, you know it'll be awful once the train gets going. Hopefully I get a chance to ride it again at some point. The day I was there, Twisted Colossus was closed to boot, so at least I'll have 2 excuses to go back.

[@Goliath146]

Try getting Jersey devil in back row, insane ejector on those drops and that first inversion

[@darrio1190]

Legend is GOATED. Maybe you need another ride on it. I rode it for the first time last year and was blown away, especially with the night rides. Give it another try. It's currently my #5 with Voyage being my #2

[@AirtimeThrills]

Legends layout just isnt my jam, and when i got back in 2016 and 2018 it beat the snot out of me. Last time i rode in 2020 i actually enjoyed it

[@darrio1190]

@@AirtimeThrills I think they did more work on it in recent years. I got 7 rides on it last year and the first time we hit the break run, I wasn’t sure I how I felt about it. But every ride it got better and better. It’s like a Super Villain of a coaster and by the time you get back to the station you feel like you just got jumped…. But like in a good way! Idk how to explain it 😭

[@idkhomie24]

Jersey Devil last year was honestly running really well if it had time to warm up! I was shocked to see it seen as a slow RMC when I felt it was faster paced than a lot of the smaller I-box RMCs. Definitely give it another chance

[@catchilupi]

I rode Iron Gwazi twice on opening day and don’t understand why people rank it as a top 5 in the USA. It #4 of the 7 RMCs that I’ve ridden. I could say the same for Iron Rattler which is my 5/7. When I was a kid, Anaconda was a sight to behold and I watched as it was built. Always a beauty, but never a joy. Now it’s among the worst.

[@southeasternthrills]

Did you get a chance to ride Iron Gwazi in the back in the afternoon? It runs MUCH faster.

[@AirtimeThrills]

IG in the morning is a lower tier RMC. Glad i got 3 more rides that day

[@catchilupi]

@@southeasternthrills Rode in front in the morning and in the back at night. It's an elite ride (#13/185 credits), just not top 5 for me. Maybe I'll get back to Tampa for another try. The speed and elements are great, but there's too much space in between. I like the RMCs that move from element to element without relent.

[@zachhardy6469]

I also found Copperhead Strike lackluster when I was looking forward to it as much as Fury. On the other hand, Jersey Devil was probably my favorite the last time I was at SFGA; granted, that was just a few weeks before El Toro's last accident so it rattled the hell out of me.

[@sverreHM16]

Dad and son on top of the list, only the wrong one

[@joeygassmann5595]

Man this is hot take city! Boulder Dash became my top woodie last year, with Legend in second place. Skyrush is my number 3 overall. I feel like some re rides on these will change your mind about them.

[@notkaywhy]

InvadR for me. I started riding roller coasters in Summer 2023 and after coming off of enjoying both Grizzly and Racer 75 at KD, I was expecting InvadR to be better than both combined and I was sorely disappointed when I rode it August 2023 for the first time on a hot summer day. It was very bumpy and extremely forceful to the point where I was praying for the ride to stop. I’m also a very short, lean person so I was just sliding around everywhere despite intentionally stapling myself every single time. Every time I ride it, it always gives me a painful all day migraine and while it’s gotten slightly better, it still leaves a sour taste in my mouth since every ride I had was just bumpy and painfully too forceful to enjoy. I even prefer Woodstock Express which I consider pretty good even DarKoaster and Tempesto over InvadR and I dislike those two as well.

[@jewellchastain4244]

My mom and I just went to Kings Island for the first time this week and the first 3 times we rode The Beast it rode pretty smooth but the fourth time was pretty rough,the very back is the most fun in my opinion especially on the second half of the ride it really flys through those tunnels,The Beast and Orion are probably my favorite rides of the park Diamondback is close behind.

[@Ranarith]

When I first rode Candymonium, the airtime fell flat, especially in the second half. And while I will say that the second half is still the weaker part, my latest rides have all been MUCH better. Maybe give it another shot when you go back. Skyrush is much better. Honestly, it's in my top 5. The new restraints barely detract from the forces and enhance the ride experience for the wing seats. And, they release the restraints a bit before the unload in the break run in case they went beast mode on your thighs. I prefer rear wing on Skyrush. A bit rough, but totally worth the extra forces. As for Lighting Racer - when I rode it back when it opened and the following few years, I do remember it being much better. It can also be pretty rough, especially the lightning train imo. It's also not very popular at the park currently and seems to just be a capacity sink.

[@brandonbyrne4753]

Skyrush has been my favorite so I’m so excited to ride with the new lapbars this summer. My biggest disappointments were Wildcat’s Revenge and Kumba. Both were incredibly painful for me, and only got worse the more times I rode.

[@casedinlight]

Wildcat got exceedingly painful to ride, and Lightning Racer make Wildcat obsolete, so they had to do something with it because no one rode it. I rode WR twice. The first time was intense; but the second was decent. Not even in my top 5 at the park, but not bad.

[@brandonbyrne4753]

Totally agree - OG Wildcat became horribly rough and unpopular. Wildcat’s Revenge is a massive improvement and great for the plot. I don’t think it lives up to the hype (the way Iron Gwazi does to me)

[@MrMywildside]

One of my most disappointing coaster experiences was Desperado at Buffalo Bill’s hotel and casino in Primm, Nevada. Before my first ride I thought it would be a very fun hypercoaster experience. It was anything but. It was ungodly rough. It is a typical Arrow coaster that didn’t age well. If anybody can just give it the TLC it needs it could potentially be a very fun ride. It’s big, it’s fast and it’s long. During the pandemic could have been a good time to do that, but they pretty much just let it sit there and rot. There’s no word as of right now if this coaster will ever roll again.

[@OriginalJoe]

I've ridden it too. I thought your comment was funny since so many enthusiasts have disappointment stories trying to get on - like it's some sort of quest. But I agree there are far better coasters out there.

[@AirtimeThrills]

I think Desperado will reopen but id still only give it like a 70% fighting chance

[@Pineapplesalesman9]

I understand where you're coming from, but I don't really get all the Jersey Devil hate, the rides I had on the coaster were on one of the days with all the wildfire smoke blowing through the northeast, so the park was empty. The ride was running great, just got to lap the coaster over and over, one of my friends who was with me said the ride was too much for him force-wise. Hope you get a better ride on it!

[@AirtimeThrills]

Even my brother who isnt an enthusiast said the ride didnt do anything. Im not a huge fan of wonder woman at SFMM but that has more bite. Id like to see JD at least get to that point

[@mistameasor2627]

CW is my home park and I was excited for Yukon to open as I really enjoy Valravn, but I was honestly disappointed. The vertical loop pulls some good forces, but that’s about it

[@mmphysell]

I remember being so pumped to ride Gatekeeper, my first ever B&M wing coaster. It looked so awesome twisting through those keyholes over the entrance, and it was like nothing I'd ever experienced, although my coaster experience was so limited at the time that I also confused it with a fourth-dimension coaster, which only contributed to my ultimate disappointment. It just didn't feel that unique to me compared to what i was expecting, or really feel much of anything, and it became an easy skip for me at CP if time was tight. I have had some fun rides in the years since, mostly on the left side of the train where it pitches you up on the first hill, but it still is just okay to me and i wont wait more than fifteen minutes for it. I did like Wild Eagle better, but just by a little and probably because my expectations had been lowered by Gatekeeper. I hope to get to Holiday World this summer and try Thunderbird...maybe I will finally be impressed by a wing coaster.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Thunderbird made my knocked my socks off video so hopefully it does the same for you

[@jimskywaker4345]

Thunderbird it insane compared to other wing coasters.

[@thewarroom1944]

When I saw Beast at number one, my first thought was that the reason was because of how much time it isn’t running, causing you to not be able to ride it when you first went. This is what happened to me last time I went. I was hoping it would open later in the day, but it was closed the entire time.

[@dingo137]

Ride to Happiness for me. Not because it's bad, because it's pretty damn good - but everyone seemed to hype it up as some earth-shattering experience that blew everything else out of the water. It had a little bit of a rattle too. Still my 2nd favourite in Belgium though. It was disappointing compared to expectations, but that's only because my ezpectations were ao high.

[@0z3r0]

My biggest disapointing coaster was F.L.Y at Phantasialand. It made me sick, the restraints hamper my breating too much and i didn't enjoy the layout all that much. I don't ride it anymore and i just like watching it cruising through the Rooburgh Area.

[@thrillshaveabeard]

Lightbing Rod last year. So many people rave about it. I rode it twoce, back to back last row. Good first drop, quad down is excellent. Everything in-between had zero bite. So, so disappointing.

[@justiceleaguebattleformetr9239]

Lightning Rod was way better in the front row than the back row

[@zesolodar]

my most disappointing coaster experience was nighthawk at carrowinds. night hawk years ago was my very first coaster credit but at the time it was not nighthawk, it was the borg assimilator. it use to be green. i rode it the very first season it opened and it was so good. crazy what years of use will do to a coaster . the coaster is kind of bad today but knowing what it was in the years that it opened is kind of disappointing

[@kr1stinabee]

Ice Breaker. I went in expecting it to be great because I love other Premier launch coasters. But I rode it when they still had those awful "comfort collars" and I had actual neck pain for the rest of the day

[@HayFatwithSurf]

Womp womp?

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

It's better now, since they removed the discomfort collars.

[@aclonecone]

This was kind of like my experience with VelociCoaster. It was really good the first time, but just didn’t quite do it for me. I got three rides on that trip, and the third ride was a night ride in row 10 and that’s the best ride I’ve ever gotten on any coaster. It’s currently my no. 1 over SteVe and Iron Gwazi and we’ll see if Fury 325 can dethrone it when I ride it in a couple weeks!

[@Sonic-gy7kq]

Yeah goliath above 2018 lightning rod is putting expectations way to high. I completely agree though. If you accept its an incredibly short ride... you can appreciate the amazing 4 elements it has. 1. Drop. 2. ejector speed hill. 3. Dive loop. 4. Zero G stall. A dive loop on a wood coaster is one of my favorite elements of all time. All dive loops are awesome.

[@tribaltreegoat]

me with milli at cedar point, its really boring if ur not in the fron

[@jefcoble8827]

Bru got beef with topper track rides and beast at one is vile but great video again from airtime thrills nevertheless of what i think lol

[@AirtimeThrills]

Beast 2002 deserved it. Its really good now

[@jefcoble8827]

@@AirtimeThrills ohhh okay that makes more since, I went to holiday world and kings island both for the 1st time last year and maybe I'm crazy or got some horrible rides but I like the beast more than the voyage 🤷‍♂️

[@vybez8694]

When I first rode voyage the first 2 times I hated it, it gave me a headache, but my last 2 rides I absolutely loved it

[@ndelli23]

Wow I had opposite experiences with so many of these. Legend and Goliath both blew me away after I wasn’t expecting much. Those are both in my top 30 along with Skyrush, Candy, and Outlaw Run. I do totally agree with Hangtime, Copperhead, and Jersey Devil which are all similarly disappointing loopers.

[@DAZARI0]

goliath: drop, turn, 1/2 hill, dive, stall, turn, brakes. what it does, it does well but i'm still livid it has so few elements.

[@joeyferguson840]

Wooden coasters just aren't what they used to be, until they get their new RMC steel tracks.

[@DanCrowleyNYC]

I still need to get to Kings Island, it's on my bucket list. Glad to see I wasn't the only one underwhelmed by Skyrush and Candymonium. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed both, especially Candymonium (prob my #3 in that park), but in comparison to other B&M hypers, I didn't think it was all that great. Skyrush I haven't been on in years, but I remember loving the first drop and being more blasé about the rest. (For the record, the line for Skyrush was so long when we went back to Hershey in 2023 that I didn't get on it on our most recent trip.) Wildcat's Revenge and Storm Runner are easily my top 2 in that park.

[@ryansublermedia]

As a KI enthusiast, it is totally ok to not like Beast. I didn’t realize how overhyped it was until I got around and rode other great woodies at other parks. It’s mid tier. The only thing keeping it great are the full train night rides. It does seem to run faster then. Otherwise, meh.

[@angusbarclay6281]

Boulder dash really disappointed me. I got no airtime, it was a bit rough, and it didn't help that before riding wild cat before basically gave me a lobotomy. Calling it before I even get to the list, skyrush is somewhere on here lol

[@constable012]

Amazing how expectations and conditions effect experiences as Goliath, Texas Stingray, and Copperhead Strike would all fall on the exceeded expectations for me. As far as disappointments, my number one is Fury 325. Went in hearing about it's great speed and intensity, but it let me down on both accounts after riding Millennium Force (speed) and I305(intensity) earlier in the week. Also gave me a headache. I believe it's a more complete ride than either of the two I listed above it, but I prefer both of those. Hoping to finally get back there this fall to give it another go as it was pretty tremendous still as an overall experience, just not top 5, or 10 for me.😊

[@brianschulz7833]

Damn, when I think of “coasters that knocked my socks off”, Outlaw Run is THE ride for me. Absolutely insanity-it’s my #2 overall only behind Steel Vengeance. OR is rough, no doubt, but the layout and setting are world-class.

[@MattMcIrvin]

I loved Boulder Dash the first time I rode it back around 2012, but on my most recent ride in 2022, the roughness was enough to make it a disappointing ride. (I found myself enjoying Phobia Phear Coaster, the park's Sky Rocket II, more, and feeling dirty about that, like it was an uncultured reaction.) Boulder Dash's layout is so great and unusual that it *should* be one of the world's greatest woodies. They've been working on it and I'm hoping it's improved or can be improved.

[@MrChuckGrape]

Space Mountain although that was my fault for overhyping it in my mind.

[@crveech]

I rode The Beast the first time in 2011 and didn't care for it. I thought it was too rough. But I went back last Summer and got two rides on it. It was still rough but much more bearable, and I enjoyed the elements more. I loved The Legend as a kid, but it's too rough for me now. Plus, Voyage and Raven are so much better.

[@trevorbourquejr8884]

When Copperhead Strike is at its best, it’s a phenomenal ride and #2 best in the park. But unfortunately it’s always 50/50 when that happens as a Carowinds local

[@AirtimeThrills]

I totally get that 50/50 thing. So hit or miss for me

[@stagehog81]

Son of Beast was a decent ride while it still had the loop, but I can see where it may have been disappointing after the loop was removed. The Beast is my favorite coaster I have been on, and I have been on many.

[@Incurso91]

In mid-June 2022, some friends and I visited KI for the first time. Got a ride on Beast. The three of us decided that it was not worth our time to ride again, even during our revisit later that year. Most of the ride was spent feeling like all of my bones were broken.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Surprising considering that was right after its retrack

[@Incurso91]

The re-tracked parts were fine. Everything else was a big no. Maybe I'll give it another go next visit and see if it rides better for me.