August
27, 2004
ANNUAL AWARDS
FOR AMUSEMENT, THEME AND WATERPARKS
ANNOUNCED FOR 2004
PRESTIGIOUS POLL REVEALS
THE “BEST OF THE BEST” IN
THE AMUSEMENT INDUSTRY
SANDUSKY,
OHIO—In a ceremony today at Cedar
Point, Sandusky, Ohio, Amusement
Today announced the results of
its highly anticipated 2004 Golden Ticket
Awards.
Amusement Today’s Golden
Ticket Awards are made possible by polling
a cross-section of educated and well-traveled
amusement park aficionados. To accomplish
this as fairly as possible, surveys
are distributed to readers in four balanced
geographical U.S. regions and a fifth
region for international
surveys.
Both claiming their respective top spots
for Best Park and Best
Waterpark for the seventh consecutive
years are Ohio’s Cedar Point and
Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, Texas.
Two new categories were awarded: Best
Kid’s Park to Legoland California
in Carlsbad and Best Indoor Waterpark
to World Waterpark, located inside the
West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Canada.
Schlitterbahn also took top honors for
Most Beautiful Waterpark.
In the coveted top roller coaster category,
three winners take the Gold. The Best
Wooden Roller Coaster goes to Boulder
Dash at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Conn.,
while the Best Steel Roller Coaster
is claimed by Cedar Point’s Millennium
Force. New this year was Best Indoor
Roller Coaster, won by Rock ‘n’
Roller Coaster at Disney-MGM Studios
in Orlando, Fla.
Introduced in 2003, the Publisher’s
Pick award is personally chosen by Amusement
Today Publisher Gary Slade. This
year’s awards were presented in
three categories: park, individual and
supplier. Respectively, the 2004 winners
are Holiday World & Splashin’
Safari in Santa Claus, Ind. for customer
service; longtime Cedar Point photographer
Dan Feicht for his amusement industry
photography and to Philadelphia Toboggan
Coasters for celebrating its Centennial
in 2004.
Not surprising, this year’s class
of winners includes several repeat winners.
They include Holiday World & Splashin’
Safari as Friendliest Parkand Cleanest
Park; Busch Gardens Williamsburg for
Best Landscaping and Most Beautiful
Park; Fiesta Texas in San Antonio for
Best Shows; Paramount’s Kings
Island in Kings Mills, Ohio for Best
Kid’s Area; Universal’s
Islands of Adventure in Orlando for
Best Dark Ride and Knoebels Amusement
Resort in Elysburg, Pa. for Best Food
and Best Carousel.
Two parks charged back in 2004 to reclaim
titles after surrendering them for a
year. Islands of Adventure’s Dudley
Do Right’s Ripsaw Falls wins Best
Water Ride and Schlitterbahn’s
Master Blaster takes the honors for
Best Waterpark Ride. In another new
category, Fiesta Texas dazzles its way
to win Best Outdoor Night Show.
Introduced in 1998, the Golden Ticket
Awards have steadily increased in popularity
to become the most sought after awards
by the amusement industry players. The
popularity and relevance of the Golden
Tickets are clearly illustrated by their
visibility in forums such as USA Today,
The Discovery Channel, National Geographic
Kids and by radio legend Paul Harvey.
For a complete look at the winners,
challengers and complete survey results
visit: www.amusementtoday.com
or contact Amusement Today
at (817) 460-7220.
View
the complete list of winners!
Click here to download
2004 Golden Ticket Awards Bonus Section
PDF file (3.5 mb)
