Disney, Universal and SeaWorld were among the winners at the 2019 Golden Ticket Awards presented by Amusement Today, a trade publication for the amusement park industry.
The awards, hosted this past weekend at Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho, are determined by surveys sent to “experienced amusement park voters.” This includes fans as well as industry suppliers, manufacturers, and journalists in some of the 22 categories.
Universal Orlando won the award for Best New Attraction Installation of 2019 for its addition to Islands of Adventure, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. This is a new Golden Ticket Awards category for 2019, as previously a Best New Ride award was handed out for both amusement parks and water parks. Universal last won that award in 2010 for another Wizarding World attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
For the 12th straight year, Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights was named Best Halloween Event.
SeaWorld Orlando topped that streak with its 13th straight win in the Best Marine Life Park category. The park has claimed that title every year since the category was introduced in 2006.
Technically, Disney’s award for Best New Family Attraction for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run was for the version that opened in Disneyland in May. The ride now has an exact duplicate at Disney’s Hollywood Studios after the Florida version of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened late in August.
Disney’s only other win came at its own expense. Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure at Shanghai Disneyland won in the Best Dark Ride category, ending a three-year winning streak for Disney World’s Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.