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The origin of it all. Standard rollercoasters are essentially trains. The cars sit on top of the track and follow it around. It is as simple as that. However, a huge number of variations have been developed.

Our favourite type of coaster, this term generally relates to rollercoasters which are higher than 61 meters (200ft). Recently the term has been associated with rides made by Swiss manufacturer B&M, and refers to rides which feature long first drops and lots of smooth airtime moments. Examples include Shambhala (Portaventura Park), Silver Star (Europa Park), and Mako (Sea World Orlando). Rival manufacturer Intamin also makes similar coasters. Anything which makes it over 90m is termed a Giga coaster, and over 120m a Strata coaster (you won’t be surprised to know that there are very few of them in the world). Rides of this type which are below 61m are called Mega coasters.

This is a term used to refer to rides on which the seats move independently of the track, usually in the opposite direction to that which the rider expects. There are not many examples around the world at present, although more are being built. A good example is X2 (Six Flags Magic Mountain).

These are coasters where the riders supposedly ride in a standing position. In reality the harnesses require that you sit on a small bicycle-style seat, although this is usually adjustable so you are ‘standing’ as much as possible. We have found that you often end up balanced quite precariously on the seat which can be quite painful (particularly for men, according to Joe). Perhaps for that reason, there are not many standing coasters in the world.

These rides have the riders hanging underneath the track in a prone position. This is generally achieved by the riders being strapped into the harness either seated or standing, and then being pulled 90 degrees up towards the track. Examples include Air/Galactica (Alton Towers), Manta (Sea World Orlando), and Tatsu (Six Flags Magic Mountain).

Similar to hanging coasters as riders hang with nothing under their feet. However, the seats on a winged coaster are attached to the side of the track rather than underneath it. Examples include The Swarm (Thorpe Park), Gatekeeper (Cedar Point), and Furius Baco (Portaventura Park).

To the outside observer these often look like traditional rollercoasters. However, when you ride them you realise that the seats are attached to pedestals on the ride car, with no floor between the rider and the track. Examples include Kraken (Sea World Orlando) and Bizarro (Six Flags Great Adventure),

Most coasters begin by pulling the cars up to a height and then dropping them. Launch coasters, however, use various methods to propel the cars very quickly, usually on a flat section of track. These types of rides feature very fast acceleration and are generally the fastest and most intense of all coasters. Of the different technologies, hydraulic/pneumatic launches are the fastest (with some reaching speeds well in excess of 100mph in a few seconds). We find that electromagnetic launches tend to be smoother than hydraulic launches up to about 70mph. After that, electromagnetic launches tend to get quite rough. There are other types of launches but they are mostly on older, slower rides. Some modern launch coasters feature multiple launches during the ride so that when it starts to slow down it gets a new lease of life again. Launch coasters often have longer queues because the complexity of the launch system means that fewer cars can go around the track per hour. They also have an unfortunate tendency to breakdown more often than other rides; probably because the complexity of the technology means that there is more which can go wrong. Examples include Stealth (Thorpe Park), Full Throttle (Six Flags Magic Mountain), and Kingda Ka (Six Flags Great Adventure). Hayley is very partial to a launch!

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One quick point to note on launch coasters – make sure you are facing forwards when the car launches, otherwise you might find it very hard to turn your head back again during the ride. With hydraulic launches you can always tell when the car is about to launch because it rolls back slightly a few seconds beforehand.

These coasters usually have circular cars on which riders sit in pairs facing either inwards or outwards. The cars rotate as they go around the track. Some spin based purely on gravity and weight differences between the people in the two sides of the car (such as Spinball Whizzer at Alton Towers and Crush’s Coaster at EuroDisney). Others spin in a manner controlled by the ride (such as EuroMir at Europa Park).

As you might expect, these are coasters where both the track and the supports are made from wood rather than steel. There are some rides with steel track on wooden supports; we don’t consider these wooden coasters. Many rollercoaster purists go somewhat dewy-eyed over wooden coasters. Frankly, we don’t understand why. They are always jerky, rarely comfortable, and at worst can be quite painful to ride. It is an absolute must for a wooden coaster to have well-padded seats. If you get on one which does not, we suggest you get straight off it!

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There are numerous wooden coasters around the world. Some of the more notable ones we have been on include Colossus (the highest in the world, Heide Park) and Wodan (Europa Park).

These rides are also known as drop coasters. They feature track which drops the riders face downwards at a vertical or beyond vertical angle. Some of these have a free-fall style drop where the car is held for a few seconds at the top before being released to fall. Others feature vertical lifts upwards where the car goes straight into the drop once at the top of the lift. It is amazing how much difference there is in the experience of the two. Joe prefers to drop straight away whereas Hayley likes the suspense of waiting before dropping. Examples include Oblivion (Alton Towers), Sheikra (Busch Gardens Orlando), and Saw: The Ride (Thorpe Park).

These are rides which generally have a metal track on a wooden structure. They are usually themed on a regular train which has gone out of control. As such, they generally have lots of abrupt turns but rarely go upside-down.

We’re not quite sure where this term originated, although a long time ago Alton Towers had a ride called The Mouse which was this type of ride so it may well have come from that. This is a type of coaster where the track involves lots of sharp hairpin turns. Generally, they are quite short and slow; the main thrill coming from the appearance that the car is about to run off the edge of the track before swinging around the corners at the last second.

Sometimes referred to as an inverted coaster, this type of coaster has the cars attached underneath the track. Riders sit with nothing under their feet and the track above their heads. These coasters are very common around the world. Examples include Nemesis (Alton Towers), Banshee (Kings Island), and Silver Bullet (Knott’s Berry Farm).

This is a term used to describe any type of ride which takes place entirely or mostly indoors in the dark. These range from simple ghost trains to fully immersive animatronic and 3D experiences such as Harry Potter: Forbidden Journey and Spiderman: The Ride at Universal Islands of Adventure. The amount of actual (rather than simulated) motion which occurs on dark rides also varies massively. We tend to view modern simulators as a sub-genre of dark ride (see below).

Motion simulators are designed to do what the name suggests; simulate movement. Traditional/old-fashioned simulators involve being seated in rows in a vehicle with a screen in front. The vehicle then moves and tilts in line with the video being played on the screen. Modern simulators in theory do the same thing but the experience feels entirely different and so much more immersive. This is achieved by using bigger screens, 3D imagery and smaller vehicles. We have found that many of the best modern simulators used domed screens so that the vehicle seems to be within the screen rather than just in front of it. Good examples of this include The Simpsons Ride and Despicable Me: Minions Mayhem, both at Universal Studios.

VR headsets provide riders with a completely artificial view of their surroundings. The technology is so good that the view changes as the rider moves their head or eyes around, creating a 360 degree alternative reality. In the past couple of years there has been a noticeable uptake of VR by parks all around the world. Although a few rides have been designed specifically to include VR, most have been retrofitted to existing rides, creating a new ride experience. The types of artificial realities vary from family-friendly cartoons to more sci-fi and horror styles.

Another generic term for any ride which involves riders being in a boat on water. There are three main types:

• Rapids – which involve riding down a fast-moving stream of water in a circular boat. There are usually obstacles such as waterfalls which are encountered en route. The unpredictability of these rides means it is very common for some to come off soaked and others bone-dry.

• Traditional log flumes – which involve riders travelling in a narrow boat, usually being sat between the legs of the person behind. Most log flumes have multiple lift hills and drops into a large pool of water to create a splash. The last drop is always the biggest, but not necessarily the wettest!

• Boat rides – which are similar to log flumes but involve riding in a boat which seats at least two across (and usually more). Boat rides tend to have longer, faster and wetter drops than traditional log flumes.

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Recently there has been a move towards hybrid water/coaster rides which involve the boat travelling on water and on a track at different points during the ride. Examples include Journey to Atlantis (Sea World Orlando) and Poseidon (Europa Park).​

A type of ride which involves lifting riders up vertically and then dropping them. This can be as simple as a tower with seats attached to the outside, although some are much more elaborate (such as Disney Tower of Terror rides which involve riders being shot upwards at speed as well as dropped). Generally, riders are sat facing outwards and dropped in that position, although there are some which drop the riders face-downwards.

Yet another generic term for any ride which is fixed rather than involving a track. These are generally ‘fair-ground’ style rides, and can range from a simple spinning teacups ride to large pendulum swings. We don’t usually bother with flat rides, although Joe is rather partial to some of the larger swing-type rides as they often have good airtime or zero-g/weightless moments. Most flat rides involve spinning, although there are some which do not (such as giant swings).

A coaster which traverses its whole track and then goes back along the same track in the opposite direction.

A large cinema which shows a 3D film but also has additional effects to simulate the action on the screen, such as moving seats and air blowing in the rider’s face.

A coaster on which the ride cars hang underneath the track on a kind of hinge, meaning they can swing from side-to-side as the car goes around.

Exactly what you think it is; a coaster that is inside.

The original type of coaster! Big dippers consist mostly of multiple hills and drops. Traditionally they were made of wood, although some of the modern steel hypercoasters have some similarities to big dippers.

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A recent addition to the theme park experience, hybrid coasters are coasters with a wooden structure but steel track. The aim would appear to be to combine the old-fashioned experience of a wooden coaster with the enhanced smoothness (and consequent higher speeds) of a steel coaster. Since they were introduced, many parks have been busy retrofitting their old wooden coasters to make them hybrids; often whilst adding steeper drops and inversions. There are also a small number of new hybrids which were built that way from scratch (such as the excellent Zadra at Energylandia).