A visit to the World of Jumanji

Room on the Broom – A magical Journey

Where the goblins once caused mischief in Hocus Pocus Hall, the nameless witch is now searching for her hat, bow and magic wand. In the process, we meet some animal helpers who gradually join us (just like in the children’s book). All in all, Room on the Broom – A magical Journey is a successful attraction for the youngest visitors to the animal and theme park.

Croc Drop

Where the Croc Drop now rises into the air, the HUSS Top Spin Rameses Revenge used to stand. The ride on the SBF Visa Drop’n Twist has no real sense of momentum and is therefore mercilessly insignificant compared to the more typical representatives of this type of ride from Zierer. It’s a shame that the old HUSS attraction has been replaced in such an unworthy manner.

World of Jumanji

One year after Gardaland unveiled a surprising and wild dark ride with Jumanji – The Adventure, a new theme based on the classic cursed board game is coming to the park in the World of Adventure. The World of Jumanji consists of the Mandrill Mayham rollercoaster, the Mamba Strike Miami ride and the Saltamontes Ostrich Stampede. While the roller coaster is from B&M, the other two rides are from SBF Visa.

Ostrich Stampede und Mamba Strike

Merlin Entertainments has been buying from SBF Visa a lot in recent years. The Italian ride manufacturer generally offers mass instead of class, and so the rides on these two rides offer a lot of wasted potential, as well as the uncomfortable seats and restraints that are typical of the manufacturer. As filler attractions in the World of Jumanji themed area, they are quite nice to look at, but a ride here is only worthwhile if no one is actually queuing.

Mandrill Mayhem

The big top dog in the World of Jumanji is B&M’s Mandrill Mayhem rollercoaster, which completely encircles the themed area. In addition to two smaller launch areas, the coaster consists of an overbanked spike right at the start of the ride, a long roll and an upward spiral around the towering jaguar statue.

The Mandrill Mayhem ride starts with a short backwards ride out of the station. With momentum we go through a dip and then up the overbanked spike, which is a very nice introduction to the ride, especially in the last rows. Shortly after, we pick up speed again and leave the station in a left turn that takes us straight into the ride’s rollover element and over the entrance portal to the World of Jumanji. In a turn we pass the Ostrich Stampede ride and after a short turn we approach the upward spiral to the Jaguar statue. Once we put the Jaguar’s Eye jewel back in its place and call out Jumanji, the curse is broken and everything goes back to normal. Including us. Now we go through the short chicane again, turn upside down in the inline twist and then enter the station again.

Mandrill Mayhem is a very fun coaster. Similar to Maximus – Der Flug des Wächters at Legoland Deutschland, the ride is rather short, but scores with its staging and integrated elements. Despite two roll-overs and numerous launch sections, the ride is very family friendly and a great introduction to roller coasters.

Pictures Chessington World of Adventures

 


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Click here for the overview page of Chessington World of Adventures

A trip to Croatia on Voltron Nevera

The latest roller coaster at Europa Park is called Voltron Nevera and is located in the brand new and unfortunately not yet fully completed themed area Croatia. In terms of type, it is a Stryker coaster, which is basically a further development of the already well-known Big Dipper. However, this Mack product offers a longer train and is even more flexible in its design, meaning that the roller coaster can, among other things, travel both forwards and backwards, which was not yet possible on the original model.

Overall, Voltron Nevera scores high on features. Once the train is loaded, the shoulder restraints automatically lower. A quick check and you’re off to the first highlight. But first the car is lifted up and shaken a little at the same time as the first show scene. A nice effect, if a bit tame. Shortly after, the actual start of the coaster follows and we shoot up a steep incline with a bang. We are now pulled with force into the first overhead element, which is very similar to a humpty dump lift on a Maurer X-Car Coaster. The following drop leads directly into a roll – a wonderful moment. After a speed bump the ride goes up an Immelmann. Immediately after the change in direction we enter another very similar element, but this time with a beautifully initiated banked turn at the top. In the valley we find the second launch area, which is actually a separate block area where the cars can be brought to a safe stop; when they come to a stop the cars rock back and forth a bit to gain enough momentum to continue. With a lot of speed we then go through a stall, where we are weightless and upside down for a few seconds. After an airtime hill, the ride continues upwards, changing direction several times. A sideways dip then leads us into a dive loop, after which we are guided quite hard into the block brake. A large turntable awaits, which doubles as a siding switch. This is well designed, but does not add any narrative depth to the ride, which splits the ride in two.

After a 180° turn, the second part of the ride begins directly with a backwards launch into an overhanging spike. We are then catapulted to our top speed with momentum and immediately ride up a tophat. A bend then leads us to another airtime hill. An interesting airtime hill tilted to one side then releases us parallel to the stall, which we cross in a wonderfully intense double-up. After another block brake, we are pulled smoothly into another roll. This leads us straight into a steep turn past the buildings visible from the themed area. Lined with ruins, the ride then leads into an Immelmann turn, which releases us directly into the final inversion of the ride. After another airtime hill, we reach the braking section of the roller coaster and are gently slowed down to walking speed.

Voltron Nivera is a world-class rollercoaster up to the stall, after which it unfortunately falls into a very repetitive pattern of airtime hills and corkscrews, which is briefly interrupted in the middle of the ride. You have to put your sidings somewhere if there is no room near the station, but the placement leads to an unnecessary splitting of the ride in two and a fairly linear ride to and from the turnout. Voltron Nevera scores particularly well with its compact design, especially at the beginning and end of the track.

Even though I personally find other roller coasters at Europa Park more exciting than Voltron Nevera, it has turned out to be a very nice roller coaster. The ride is fun and impresses with a really great track layout, especially in the first third. The roller coaster is definitely fun and that’s all that matters.

Pictures Europa Park

 


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The FirleFranz of Bayern-Park

Prelude

A lot has changed since my last visit to Bayern Park. Not only is the theme park now much more impressive with a large and beautiful entrance area, there are also three attractions that are well worth seeing. The biggest of these is of course the Voltrum freefall tower, which is over 100 metres high and is intended for the more daring. For the whole family, there is the Duell der Adler and the crazy FirleFranz family rollercoaster.

Duell der Adler

As soon as you enter the theme park, you come across the Duell der Adler. The Gerstlauer Sky Fly is a great family carousel where you can customise your own ride. By adjusting the position of the wings on the gondola, you can experience a rather calm ride or a wild ride with lots of somersaults. A counter counts these and enables a final comparison.

FirleFranz

I like the new style at Bayern-Park, which really comes into its own on the new FirleFranz family rollercoaster. The open-ended coaster, with the train going both forwards and backwards, is an interesting feature.

The ride itself begins with a gentle friction wheel start backwards out of the station, climbing about halfway up the spiral. We accelerate forward once more, then cross the switch and enter a turn. This then takes us up a hill, which we ride a bit slowly. The big drop is followed by a Bavarian bend. Another bend leads us into the second launch area, which would serve as an additional braking zone if the switch had not been set correctly. However, we accelerate and enter a helix after a short climb. After going through the switch a second time, we travel forward through the station to the end of the spiral, which is an interesting experience, especially in the front part of the train. Now the switch is set a second time and we travel backwards a little faster through the section we have just experienced. A great feeling and my highlight of the ride.

FirleFranz is a really good family coaster with a clever layout that makes the supposedly short track seem like a much longer ride. Even though the ride forward is a bit smoother, the fast ride backwards is all the more impressive. All in all, a really great family coaster from Gerstlauer.

Voltrum

The large Voltrum drop tower is my favourite of the three new features. It offers a fantastic view of the area and an equally fantastic drop. The theming of the ride gives it a very special feeling, something that only Scream at Heide Park has achieved in Europe so far. It feels elaborate and not like a temporary addition like many other theme parks. In short, a really great ride.

Pictures Bayern-Park

Conclusion Bayern-Park

Bayern-Park is making really good progress. I can’t wait to see which attractions will fill the vacant areas in the park. I was also very pleased that my biggest criticism from my last visit no longer seems to apply. The staff here were very friendly, especially the nice employee who directed guests to the right ticket office in the morning. That’s great and gave me a very positive impression overall.

 

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