The Ride to Happiness

Since summer 2021 Tomorrowland invites you to enjoy the Ride of Happiness – a Mack Rides Extreme Spinning Coaster.

Simply said, the oddly licenced ride located in a family theme park by Studio 100 intrigued me. The park normally home to characters like Tabaluga, Heidi, Vicky and Maya the Bee surprised everyone by investing into a fantasy themed area based on the popular Tomorrowland festival which features one of the most interesting roller coasters so far.

After leaving the station, the train immediately enters the first inversion. Due to the odd shape of the heartline roll, the cars slowly roll into every imaginable position. A brief stop in a block section follows, before launching into new heights. On top of the hill, the train slowly takes a dip, before plunging down nearly vertically in a surprising rush. This is followed by a completely mad Banana Roll and an absolut insane vertical Loop. While the sequence of elements cannot get any better, it is nevertheless followed by a Zero-G roll, which completely whips you around in any position. This is followed by a bend directly above the Super Splash roller coaster. After a change of direction, we now enter the second launch section. Without hesitating, we move straight into the next element: a Step-Up Under Flip. This element basically resembles a flying snake dive is just insane. Lost in orientation, the ride now changes a bit in tone and the train enters a mild section consisting of several airtime hills before finally hitting the brakes.

In total, Ride to Happiness is an absolutely awesome experience and so far the best roller coaster Mack Rides has ever produced. It is one of the top tier roller coasters in Europe and worth a visit to Plopsaland De Panne. Interestingly, it also has one of the shortest waiting times in the park, as it only caters to a niche market of the family theme park, aimed at younger guests.