Baltimore, MD – Amusement Today has announced the winners of its prestigious Golden Ticket Awards which are presented to the “Best of the Best” in the amusement industry. The awards were presented at historic Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut during the 20th Annual Golden Ticket Awards Ceremony. In the 2017 Amusement Today international poll, experienced park enthusiasts voted Universal Studios Orlando’s Revenge of the Mummy™ as the Best Indoor Roller Coaster in the world. 

Universal Creative Engineer Eric Kaminsky, on behalf of Executive Vice President of Resort Operations Richard Costales, proudly accepted the award stating, “Thank you to our Operations Team and our Maintenance Team for keeping this amazing attraction going every day. At this point between all three Universal parks that have a Mummy attraction, we have given over 150 million riders the opportunity to experience the Revenge of the Mummy™, which is great, so thank you!”

Left to right: Premier Rides’ Jim Seay, Universal Orlando’s Alexis Papadelias, Eric Kaminsky, and Daniel Guy celebrate the Golden Ticket awarded to Revenge of the Mummy™

Kaminsky added, “Revenge of the Mummy™ is an awesome ride! We have received this award a number of times, so hats off to Jim Seay and the Premier Team for providing us with a really great ride experience.”

Jim Seay, President of Premier Rides, remarked, “We at Premier Rides are honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of the Universal Team that produced the Revenge of the Mummy™ attraction. It was exciting to work on this technically complex and sophisticated attraction, and we enjoy continuing to support its impressive reliability. We are pleased that it continues to garner global acclaim, even defending its position as the world’s best indoor coaster for a full decade! All of us at Premier Rides are honored that Universal continues to keep us a part of their formula for success and we are thrilled each time we are selected to deliver award-winning attractions to Universal Resorts located both domestically and around the globe.”

The Revenge of the Mummy™ attraction plunges guests into total darkness as they face fireballs, scarab beetles, and an army of warrior mummies on a psychological thrill ride, unlike anything else. This highly-themed attraction uses the latest technologies such as magnetic propulsion systems, high speed track switches and show elements to create the ultimate guest experience. It’s no wonder this combination of the thrill of a coaster, the fear of darkness and breath-taking interactive scenes continues to earn the distinction of Best Indoor Coaster. Fans of Revenge of the Mummy™ can also experience The Revenge of the Mummy™, at Universal Studios Singapore. A variation of this award-winning layout can also be enjoyed at Universal Studios Hollywood.

They don’t call them “thrill rides” for nothing.

The screams reverberating on amusement park midways are generated by the thrills that passengers experience as they hurtle along at bone-crushing speeds on roller coasters. Today’s mechanical behemoths are faster, taller, crazier – and just plain more thrilling – than their predecessors.

Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California. This coaster will throw you for a loop – and at 160 feet, it is the world’s tallest. Using electromagnetic motors, Full Throttle screams out of the station, hits a full-throated 70 mph in no time flat, and immediately sends passengers racing around its crazy-tall inverting loop. It comes to a halt in a tunnel, launches backwards, then rockets forwards and soars – right side up this time – on the outside of the loop.

Arthur Levine, Special for USA TODAY – Published 7:45 a.m. ET Sept. 7, 2017

A whirlwind of hype continues to grow as thrill seekers flock to ride the first high-tech, triple-launch coaster in the Nordic region, designed by Premier Rides. With the project only announced in spring and construction completed ahead of schedule, the June grand opening of Hype coaster at Särkänniemi Amusement Park in Finland was attended by thousands of theme park enthusiasts, excited to see what the “hype” was all about!

Baltimore, Maryland based Premier Rides spent the last year engineering, manufacturing and shipping the custom-designed triple-launch coaster equipment to the park. The largest investment in the park’s history, the Hype coaster was first announced in March 2017. It opened ahead of schedule and with great fanfare, including a performance by Finnish pop star Robin. Fans from near and far competed to ride the Hypecoaster on opening day, and turned to social media to share their experiences and excitement: “Hype has the wildest design!”, “Rode this 11 times today!” “Hype fits perfectly in the park and delivers extreme thrills!”, “Super exhilaration on Hype, 50 meters up!”, “Riding Hype is like riding a rainbow!”

Premier Rides is known for focusing on large, technically complex projects that incorporate the newest technologies and has provided the ride equipment for award-winning attractions like The Revenge of the Mummy™ at Universal Studios and the world record-breaking Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The project with Särkänniemi raises the bar on expectations throughout the Nordic region.

“By selecting Premier Rides, we had a smooth and totally successful cooperation for the Hype project. Construction was managed excellently, the Premier Rides team was by far the best to work with, and our marketing campaign has been the most successful ever,” Managing Director of Särkänniemi Miikka Seppälä said. “Our Hype-based videos have attracted nearly 2.5 million viewers. In a country with a population of 5.5 million, that is really something!”

“Hype has become one of the most intriguing landmarks in the region with its impressive look. It represents the current trend in the industry: speed, acceleration and a dramatic look,” Särkänniemi’s Director of Development Ville Aarresuo commented. “Since its opening,” Seppälä added, “Hype has made our summer one of the best. In fact, our sales have increased significantly over last year and we look forward to having one of our best years on record thanks to the success of Hype.”

“All of us at Premier Rides are honored to have partnered with Särkänniemi to deliver an incredible roller coaster,” commented Jim Seay, President of Premier Rides. “The park’s team has an extraordinary focus on quality, which is evident in the final project. By incorporating our latest technologies – including our most advanced magnetic launch system-we were able to deliver the first triple-launch experience with the highest inversion to the Nordic Region… and all the buzz from the fans shows that the encounter lives up to the “hype!”

Seppälä noted that the new coaster “helps make Särkänniemi a true destination theme park and the ride an icon in the city of Tampere.” Seay added, “Särkänniemi really stepped up with an attraction for its guests that is usually only seen at the destination theme parks. This demonstrates their commitment to providing world-class, thrilling entertainment to their valued guests.”

Hype is a triple launch coaster that is based on the award-winning attractions SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight located at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California and Sky Scream located at Holiday Park in Hassloch, Germany. Hype has the most current launch system technology available in the industry. With the exception of the coaster train itself, there are virtually no moving parts on the ride which makes the attraction very reliable and maintenance friendly.

The riders are first shot out of the station up to a height of 15 meters. Gravity pulls them rapidly back into the station where the guests are launched backwards up to a height of 30 meters. Again gravity takes control and brings the train once more back into the station where the final launch is energized and the riders shoot up a vertical twisting track to the highest point on the ride where a tantalizing slow roll places the guests upside down approximately 50 meters in the air-a record for the Nordic Region. After executing the roll, guests enter a face-first vertical drop, ending in a twisting loop where riders will experience exciting Gs. The riders then drop toward ground level where the train once more shoots through the station and then is smoothly braked using magnetic technology as it comes to a stop in the station.

Hype is the first new roller coaster at Särkänniemi in nearly a decade, and is the largest investment in the park’s history.

Orlando, Florida–A new ride from The Producers Group and Premier Rides team would give a whole new meaning to dinner theater. Perhaps the most unusual concept divulged at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando was Extraordinary Voyages Adventure Dining. Premier Rides displayed a model of the attraction at its booth. The immersive experience, which could last as long as 90 minutes, would combine a meal with a motion simulator ride.

Passengers would board an adventure vehicle and be whisked away on a journey. “It could be a dirigible, a submarine, a rocket ship, or an Old West train,” said Jim Seay, president and owner of Premier Rides. “There are a plethora of experiences.” And, he added, the content could be reprogrammed for the holidays or other seasons, or the attraction could adopt an entirely different theme and destination. During the ride, wait-staff would serve a full-course meal and double as live actors to reinforce the story.

Leading theme park production company, The Producers Group (TPG), and innovative ride company, Premier Rides, have joined forces to create the world’s first Immersive Dining Experience™.

The turnkey attraction, Extraordinary Voyages™ Adventure Dining™ (EVAD™), is the first collaborative project by the two companies.

“Extraordinary Voyages™ is an evolution in entertainment, the perfect mix of delectable dining, cinematic adventure, and theme park thrills that offers unforgettable fun for the whole family and creates memories that last a lifetime,” reported Edward S. Marks, Executive Producer and co-CEO of The Producers Group.

The new immersive ride evokes the world of luxury passenger travel as guests enjoy fine dining aboard the Centurion while being taken around the world or propelled through space or transported back in time.  Marks praised the innovative expertise of Premier Rides which had allowed the two companies to create what he described as one of the most truly unique immersive guest experiences in the industry.

The proprietary design of Extraordinary Voyages™ occupies around 15,000 square feet, with standard configuration including two Centurion vehicles.  Excursion departures can be scheduled every 45, 60, or 90 minutes, with an occupancy rate of 80 guests per vehicle.

“TPG’s extensive technical and production background has allowed us to create one of the most distinctive and advanced technologically integrated experience to date,” added Jim Seay, President and owner of Premier Rides.

Baltimore, Maryland—An immersive dark-ride experience, a dramatic reverse magnetic launch through the roof of the building soaring to a height of nearly 60m, followed by a thrilling coaster experience is ready to become reality in Qatar’s capital city Doha as US-based roller coaster design and manufacturing firm Premier Rides’ first shipment of US fabricated steel roller coaster track for their newest one-of-a-kind signature magnetic launch coaster is shipping to Qatar.

Premier Rides has partnered with Qatar’s leading developer, Halul Real Estate Investment Company, to develop a cutting-edge product with an unforgettable experience for riders. The attraction will be part of Doha Oasis, a stunning mixed use development that offers a high end residential opportunity, a retail complex, an exclusive 7-star high-rise hotel tower and a world-class indoor theme park. With the engineering and fabrication processes for the ride now complete, both companies are delighted that the exporting process has officially begun. Premier estimates a total of approximately 100 shipments will be made over the next two months.

Jim Seay, President of Premier Rides commented, “We are extremely honored to be part of Halul Real Estate Investment Company’s vision for a world class development featuring a stunning, iconic 60m tall, fully-enclosed roller coaster tower that will allow riders a spectacular view of the city while remaining in a controlled climate setting. I am thrilled to see the first of many shipments of US steel ready to ship to what will certainly be the most amazing real estate development in Qatar.”

Seay continued, “Halul’s project will be a showcase in the run up to the 2022 World Cup and demonstrates their commitment to provide an unparalleled guest experience that is second to none.”

The attraction, with its closely-guarded, highly secret theme, will be the tallest and largest thrill ride in Qatar, and one of the tallest in all of the Middle East. It is a custom special-effects ride that combines an immersive dark ride, magnetic drive technology, high-speed switches and a highly dynamic ride experience into a multi-sensory thrill ride unlike any other attraction built to date.

“The entertainment component of the complex will be first-class,” stated Hasan Abu Rub, Project Director for Halul Real Estate Investment Company. “We wanted a signature ride that would have a global impact and we are pleased to partner with Premier Rides. Premier’s innovation and quality is evident in their work with other clients such as Revenge of the Mummy™ for Universal Studios. Together we will create for our valued visitors a one-of-a-kind world class attraction.”