Site Announcements: 2003 Rider's Choice Awards Results

Posted at 1:32 PM EDT (1732 GMT)

Apr. 13th, 2004 -- Let's not waste time, as we jump right into the categories:

Best Themed Park

1. Islands of Adventure, Orlando, FL 43.2%
2. Busch Gardens Williamsburg, VA 13.5%
3. Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL 11.9%
4. Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH 8.1%
5. Disneyland, Anaheim, CA 2.7%

Park with the Best Food

1. Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH 21.6%
2. Busch Gardens Williamsburg, VA 17.8%
3. Walt Disney World Orlando, FL 10.6%
4. Islands of Adventure, Orlando, FL 7.2%
5. Kennywood, West Mifflin, PA 5.6%

Best New Roller Coaster

1. Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point 74.0%
2. Scream!, Six Flags Magic Mountain 7.7%
3. Nemesis Inferno, Thorpe Park 3.0%
4. Superman Ultimate Flight, Six Flags Great Adventure 2.3%
5. Superman Ultimate Flight, Six Flags Great America 1.8%

Best Water Ride

1. Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls, Islands of Adventure 15.8%
2. Journey to Atlantis, Sea World Florida 8.9%
3. Perilous Plunge, Knott's Berry Farm 7.5%
4. Escape from Pompeii, Busch Gardens Williamsburg 5.5%
5. Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges, Islands of Adventure 4.8%

Best Drop/Launch Tower

1. Power Tower, Cedar Point 25.0%
2. Tower of Terror, Walt Disney World 9.3%
3. Drop Zone, Paramount's Kings Island 9.3%
4. Acrophobia, Six Flags over Georgia 7.0%
5. Drop Zone, Paramount's Kings Dominion 6.4%

Best Non-Coaster Attraction

1. Amazing Adventures of Spider-man, Islands of Adventure 17.1%
2. Delirium, Paramount's Kings Island 9.8%
3. Power Tower, Cedar Point 4.3%
4. Tomb Raider: The Ride, Paramount's Kings Island 3.7%
5. Tower of Terror, Walt Disney World 3.7%

Best Inverted Coaster

1. Raptor, Cedar Point 37.5%
2. Montu, Busch Gardens Tampa 14.8%
3. Alpengeist, Busch Gardens Williamsburg 9.7%
4. Dueling Dragons, Islands of Adventure 8.0%
5. Nemesis, Alton Towers 7.4%

Best Launch Coaster

1. Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point 49.4%
2. Incredible Hulk, Islands of Adventure 10.0%
3. Xcelerator, Knott's Berry Farm 8.2%
4. Volcano: The Blast Coaster, Paramount's Kings Dominion 4.1%
5. Rock n' Roller Coaster, Walt Disney World 4.1%

Best Wooden Coaster

1. The Beast, Paramount's Kings Island 20.6%
2. Ghostrider, Knott's Berry Farm 7.6%
3. Son of Beast, Paramount's Kings Island 5.2%
4. Raven, Holiday World 5.2%
5. Shivering Timbers, Michigan's Adventure 4.7%

Best Steel Coaster

1. Millennium Force, Cedar Point 35.2%
2. Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point 10.1%
3. Superman: Ride of Steel, Six Flags New England 7.3%
4. Magnum XL-200, Cedar Point 6.7%
5. Apollo's Chariot, Busch Gardens Williamsburg 2.8%

Best Amusement/Theme Park

1. Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH 55.8%
2. Islands of Adventure, Orlando, FL 9.9%
3. Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, CA 5.8%
4. Busch Gardens Williamsburg, VA 4.1%
5. Paramount's Kings Island, Mason, OH 3.5%

As you can see, Cedar Point dominated our awards for the second straight year. Millennium Force walked away with best steel coaster for the second straight year, while Top Thrill Dragster had an impressive debut despite many problems in its first season. Classic woodie The Beast knocked off 2002 Best Wooden Coaster Ghostrider. Islands of Adventure also had a strong showing, with Spider-man winning Best Non-coaster, Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls winning Best Water Ride, while the park won Best Theme and finished second in the Best Park category. Thanks to the thousands of voters who participated this year!