Coaster reviews

Pointless

This was a bad wild mouse hidden in the dark. The kids might enjoy it, so I'm sure it has a role in the park's broader vision, but I was really underwhelmed.

Nice surprise! Launch Intensity

In spite of all the hype over nearly two decades, you can’t really be prepared for Kingda Ka the first time you ride it. It felt more like a NASA or SpaceX tryout than a rollercoaster. What an incredible experience!

Intensity Layout Ejectors

Proof that a great coaster doesn't have to be super fast or tall. I love the snappy transitions and quick pops of air. Top 5 ride for me. The layout is awesome with a great mix of powerful ejectors, laterals and airtime. The train never slows down, whipping through the elements. Front seat in the dark feels completely out of control and so fast - like being strapped to a rocket - and it's one of my favorite coaster experiences. GCI designed a great ride here, even better than Renegade and Prowler, two GCIs I also love.

Theming Intensity

This is way more intense than it looks, especially in the back few carts. Theming really completes it especially with the pre show

Inversions Pace Fun

Originally thought this was massively overhyped on my first couple rides, but my most recent go felt a lot more intense and enjoyable. Definitely sit in either of the back two rows for a more enjoyable experience

Inversions Fun Discomfort

Good coaster overall but not as good as other coasters Alton Towers has to offer. Main setback is that the harnesses caused a bit of discomfort and I felt too pinned down to properly enjoy it. The flying coaster novelty is still enjoyable though

Fun Rattle

Yes it's very rattly and old but I had fun on this one. Far better and smoother than the big dipper when it comes to the ancient wobbly coasters that pleasure beach is known for. You get exactly what you expect but it's not awful

Fun Smoothness

This is great, even if it wasn't as intense as I would've liked. It's incredibly smooth and the restraints were super comfortable. It's by far the best coaster in the park

Fun Layout

Pony Express is usually criticized for being a short, forceless launch coaster. I always thought the contrary but my latest rides on this coaster have boosted my opinion of this ride further. First off, it's very fun with family, everyone can ride it. The first launch is pretty good and while that first turn after it is kind of slow, it gives a great lateral moment in the front before a pretty nice drop and then you rise above the station and swing by the queue and then go above paths and now the rides cranks it up a notch. You snap quickly snap to the right and then you snap into the left, going into a tunnel, I don't really know how to describe it but it's an interesting feeling. Then you quickly go into the brakes. If you have time at Knott's, you should definitely ride it.

Airtimes Intensity Hangtime Rattle Discomfort Lap Bar

My recent rides on Hangtime have been very good. The pros out-way the cons for sure and even then, the cons are so small that they didn't affect my ranking that much, but I thought I'd may as well give them a mention. The lap bars definitely caused the most pain for me. These lap bars tighten so hard that the double down airtime moment was totally ruined for me. There isn't really a rattle but that was the closest thing I could find to shakiness. On the corkscrew, the ride just kind of grinds on you but after that the ride is smooth again. Now the first drop is outstanding, I don't really enjoy the "hang" as much as I used too, but I wouldn't say it ruined the drop. The positives g's in these valleys were really good surprisingly, the negative-g-stall loop also pulled a really quick pop of hangtime which I didn't expect. The rest of the ride was basically as forceless as I could remember but it was very fun going through all the inversions, especially the cobra roll. However, going into the brake run was my favorite part of the ride, you get this nice pop of floater which is really satisfying and isn't as painful as being yanked into your bulky lap bar during the double down. Definitely check out this ride if you visit Knott's and be sure to ride near the front, those were my best rides.