Tag: Dark Ride

Baron Hooghmoed, Prime comes before the fall!

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Preface

No other amusement park made it so easy this year to visit the park as easy as Efteling. In order to promote his new roller coaster Baron 1898, the park gave me, as many other people, a free ticket out of the blue. Therefore, in the middle of October – shortly before the ticket expired – on a very rainy day, I took a trip to the Dutch village of Kaatsheuvel.

Efteling

The Efteling amusement park originated as a fairytale forest in 1952, but originally as a nature park in the 1930s, where a total of 10 fairy tales were told. Under the direction of the artist Anton Pieck, after whom the central square with a few smaller carousels in the Marerijk area is named, the fairy tale forest grew steadily and – unlike most other theme parks – never lost its importance. Beside the talking tree Sprookjesboom, which tells the children the fairy tales of Sprookjesbos in Dutch, you will find some bizarre and very interesting things, such as the Indian water lilies or the flying fakir. Especially with smaller children you can easily spend most of the time in the park in this area.

Droomvlucht

However, the most popular and most visited attraction in the Efteling since 1993 has been the Droomvlucht dark ride, which takes you past larger scenes of fairies, elves, trolls and other fairy-tale creatures in suspended gondolas. Although the dream flight, as the English name suggests, could hardly be more cheesy and superimposed, the ride through the dream scenes is definitely fun and the descent taking place in a 1080° helix is truly unusual.

Villa Volta

Next to the Ravelijn show, for which translations are available, there is the prototype of all modern Mad House attractions, the Villa Volta. The story of the Bokkenrijders, a band of robbers from the 18th century, is presented. Hugo van den Loosche Duynen is the aged landlord of the villa, who robbed a deserted, but richly stocked abbey with his gang and was cursed by a suddenly appearing woman and since then cannot find his peace anywhere. Only a person with a clear conscience can release his spell, which is why Hugo invited volunteers to his house.

A Mad House is a ride in which a gondola, with two rows opposite each other, in a rotating drum is swivelled about 30° to both sides. The rotating, highly decorated drum gives the impression of turning upside down in a room, the pivoting of the passenger carrier underlines this by the generated accelerations. The event is accompanied by suitable music and lighting, and if necessary by various other effects. The Villa Volta is not only the pioneer of this type of attraction, but also one of its best examples.

Volk van Laaf

In the village of the people of Laaf you can watch the Laaf during their daily life or take a monorail tour through the colonnades of the houses. The people of Laaf are reminiscent of Holle Bolle Gijs, who can be found throughout the park. These are talking garbage cans that say “paper here!” and encourage the little guests of the park to throw their garbage into the gullets of the never-full inhabitants of the park.

Monsieur Cannibale

Monsieur Cannibale also likes to eat one with pleasure, although it is only a teacup ride in which you sit in some bigger cooking pots instead of cups. The ride is not so interesting because of the heavy to turn gondolas, but the catchy tune of the song of the same name by Sacha Distel certainly contributes to it.

Carnaval Festival

The best you can do in the Reizenrijk is to travel, therefore a ride in the cars of the Carnaval Festival dark ride should not be missed. Accompanied by a merciless catchy tune, you accompany the jester Jokie on his always cheerful journey around the world, whereby the clichés of the corresponding countries were excellently staged. Carnaval Festival does not need to shy from the comparison with Disneyland Parks’ role model It’s a small World, as the ride offers everything a good dark ride needs to offer and in my opinion is even a bit better, as it is much less annoying.

Vogel Rok

Located next door is the dark roller coaster Vogel Rok, which immerses you in the world of the stories of 1001 Nights, at least in the stories of Sindbad the Seafarer. After the train has left the station it passes a short gradient within a right turn, whereupon the lifthill of the ride follows. Accompanied by laser effects we climb to the top of the lift and then immediately enter the main drop of the ride. With a slope of 55°, the train now races towards the ground in a left-hand bend. The height difference of 21m results in a speed of 67 km/h, which is kept constant in a very wide left turn close to the ground. Shortly thereafter the train shoots up and approaches the ground again in a slightly smaller radius. In the following valley we change direction. A curvy hill, past one of the name-giving birds, later we pass through an uphill helix, at the end of which we are eaten by a snake. Then, we pass a block brake before racing towards the ground in a left turn. The track then increases in height before the radius of the curve narrows down into a downward helix. The train now moves off the ground one last time and dives into a tunnel of lights. After that the brakes are reached and immediately after another right turn there is the station, which is usually approached with the loud music of the onboard sound system.

Vogel Rok is a great roller coaster of the type MK-900 by the Dutch manufacturer Vekoma, which delivers a short but thoroughly thrilling yet always harmonious ride. It is amazing how fast you can accumulate your laps on this coaster, if you stay a while when the park is less busy.

Gondoletta and Pagode

For those who like it a little more relaxed, the boat trip Gondoletta is the perfect choice. For 20 minutes the extra long Tow-Boat Ride of the company Intamin takes you across the entire lake and it is quite big. Since this year, in addition to the obligatory feeding of birds and the resulting siege of countless water birds, you have a really great view of the roller coaster Baron 1898. A similarly interesting view is guaranteed from the observation ride Pagode, a Flying Island also from the manufacturer Intamin, which brings you to a height of 45m without any tower structure. This happens basically by an oversized lever at whose end the passenger gondola is suspended and at whose other end the oversized counterweight is located.

Halve Maen, D’Oude Tuffer and Polka Marina

The swinging ship Halve Maen, which is currently the highest ship swing in Europe, can also be classified as a relaxing ride. Next to it you will find the vintage car ride D’oude Tuffer, which allows its cars to travel the long distance with rapid pace. Equally interesting, although only due to the outwardly inclined curves, is the Polka Marina ride by Vekoma, which always makes me smile.

Python

However, the things you are interested in in the Ruigrijk area are certainly not flat rides of the area, rather the roller coasters that reign this corner of the park. The first one was the Python steel roller coaster in 1981, which carried its passengers not only through one loop, but two consecutive loops. In fact Python was the highest steel roller coaster in Europe at that time and with its four inversions the most exciting roller coaster on the continent. Just as exciting as the coaster Carolina Cyclone of the American amusement park Carowinds, which was the first roller coaster worldwide to entertain its passengers with four turn-overs a year before. Efteling was therefore thinking big even back then!

The train leaves the station on a small gradient, followed by a left turn. Shortly after the train enters the lift chain, which brings it to 29m. A small slope and another 180° left turn follow before the train races down the main shot. Then the train passes through a powerful valley and enters the first loop, whereupon the game repeats itself in a second loop. On a straight incline the train gains some height and immediately throws itself into a curve. This leads the train to the starting position of the corkscrews, into which one enters at a remarkable angle. While the carriages screw their way through the corkscrews, the world is upside down two more times. After a small hill an upward spiral follows. Immediately afterwards the braking track is reached.

Python is a great roller coaster of an older design, which doesn’t have to hide itself due to its truly intense performance, especially in the evening. After the original Arrow trains, as well as the second train generation of the manufacturer Vekoma and trains of the manufacturer KumbaK had been used on the track, modern trains of the fourth train generation by Vekoma now enrich the the ride. Unfortunately I could not test them during the current visit, but the KumbaK trains gave a solid impression during a past visit.

Joris en de Draak

Wooden roller coasters have a long tradition in Efteling, dating back to 1991 when Pegasus, an absolutely boring and slowed down roller coaster for children, was built in the park. It was the first wooden roller coaster in the Netherlands. A year after its removal, Efteling build Joris en de Draak. This ride introduced two more wooden roller coasters of the popular manufacturer Great Coaster International (GCI) to the park. The background story is dedicated to the patron saint of the English, the dragon slaughterer Georg. The layout is divided into two tracks, Vuur and Water, both of which are duelling each other whilst showing different but somewhat balanced riding characteristics.

Both sides start parallel to each other, but a few meters apart, with a small gradient out of the station to which the lift hill is immediately added. Once at the top, both sides make an S-curve and a turn mirror-inverted to each other, so that the sides meet in the middle and thus deliver a race during the first drop. The trains then shoot through the first valley, which is immediately followed by a triple up, i.e. a triple combination of hills that always leads upwards. In the following right turn the sides lose each other.

With a double down, Water is showing its wild side right at the beginning of its independence. In a bumpy curve you fight your way to the right side of the course to cross more hills along the lake. In the same manner the train now makes a turn to the left.

Meanwhile Vuur also passes under its opponent in a double-down. In a flattened right bend you cross the truss of the lift hill whereupon a drop takes place immediately above the sidewalk. With a short look at the Vliegende Hollander a left turn is initiated. Over several hills one makes one’s way over the lake, whereby these are not so frequently present as on Water. A smooth right curve, which serves as a turn, follows. Thereupon both sides run next to each other again.

After a short straigth section, a smaller slope follows, to which a rather wild combination of right-left curves is attached, whereby both sides can show track sections inclined to the wrong direction. Soon the finish is reached and the winner of the race will be announced at the brake track. Afterwards you pass through the maintenance house and two left turns to the respective station, where you enter under fanfare or loud booing.

Joris en de Draak offers two good wooden roller coasters, but the rides are quite different and therefore not quite the same. Water offers the apparently wilder ride, because it is going over smaller hills and also the curves seem a little more daring, while Vuur is more careful with its gradients and therefore a little more efficient to tear his passengers back and forth. I can hardly explain why I preferred Water during my last visit in Efteling, as it was Vuur who convinced me more this time.

Vliegende Hollander

On the other side of the lake there is the Vliegende Hollander, a water roller coaster with a moving history. By this I don’t mean the problematic manufacturing process of the installation, where even another company was called in to solve the initial problems, but the story of Willem van der Decken, the captain of the Dutchman, a ship of the United East India Company. Due to his greed, the captain is more and more subject to piracy and even storms and holidays, when it was forbidden to set sail, didn’t stop him. “I will sail, storm or not, Easter or not. I will sail, even until Judgement Day,” said Willem, drawing a curse on him. Damned for eternity to sail the seven seas of the world, the Flying Dutchman races across the sea as a ghost ship with his black hull and burning sails.

The journey begins in a 17th century seaport. After leaving the station you can see in the first scene how your own boat sets sail. Fog is coming up and is getting denser, only a lamp at the bow gives some light. A storm comes up and with it the Flying Dutchman shows itself to the passengers. Through the hull one enters the interior of the ghost ship. A surprising drop follows and thereupon a rise, in which one is held immediately by a brake. Here Willem van der Decken shows his true face, whereupon the lift chain grabs and brings the boat to a height of about 22m. Immediately a steep turn follows out of the building towards the ground and through a fog-flooded building. A camelback is attached and shortly afterwards a horseshoe, i.e. an elevated turn, which you pass through with a considerable cross slope.  A short ascent leads to a block brake. This is followed by a small drop and a long bend, which then turns into a shot into the water basin. After the watering, the boat is transported back to the station by circulating chains.

The Vliegende Hollander offers an almost perfect mix of a dark ride and a water roller coaster, which was skillfully staged. The part in front of the lift hill is so atmospheric that you could almost skip the ending. But this one also does a good job, even if the finish could be wetter.

Baron 1898

On a highly atmospheric path, which also provides some nice insights into the roller coaster part of the water coaster, you can walk to this year’s novelty, the Dive Coaster Baron 1898. Even from far away, the appearance is convincing by its industrial charm and the framework structure, which carries the lift, as well as the first drop. The Rijksmijn winding tower transports the miners down into the shaft, where they are to mine as much gold as possible on behalf of Baron Hooghmoed. But the Witte Wieven, white women in Dutch folklore, who watch over the gold, want to prevent this. Gustave Hooghmoed doesn’t listen to the warning, so he urges the miners to climb into the mine. With a fearless “Glück Auf!” he says goodbye to his workers.

After boarding the train and lowering of the floor, the train starts moving towards the next room. In a musical way the Witte Wieven reappears. This time, it is not just a simple warning and they announce the sabotage of the descent, as pride comes before the fall. At a fast pace we climb the steep lift, which brings us to the starting height of 30m. Arrived at the top, a small section continues straight ahead whereupon we are pushed over the edge. Now we are held in this position for a few seconds until a bell rings and releases the train. From here we descend the vertical drop into a fog-flooded tunnel. The 37.5m difference in altitude produce a speed of about 90 km/h. At top speed we now enter the first inversion, an Immelmann with a relatively late rotation around its own axis. With a lot of power we pass through the following valley before we turn upside down in a Zero-G Roll. A short straight section later the train increases in height in a helix and immediately decreases in a small drop, whereby the transition takes place a little rough. After another hill we take a right turn, which releases us into the braking track. This is followed by the return to the station.

The exit from the station is via a gallery, which leads into a narrow corridor and, after a long staircase, releases the miner from the building. Funnily enough, an employee handed a CD with the Baron 1898 remix by DJ Hardwell as a personal souvenir. On the way back home the CD was heard almost continuously, although the connection to the Baron 1898 was not really clear. It’s just a nice song, which serves ideally as background music and an even nicer little gift from the amusement park.

The Baron 1898 is without exaggeration the best designed dive coaster in the world. Although it is only a compact version of this type of roller coaster, the ride in combination with the lush design and the worth seeing implementation of the storyline is a truly first-class roller coaster. The used baggage system, in connection with the tickets for the two shafts and the corresponding rows, works very well, so that from my point of view there is hardly any potential for improvement.

Piraña

One of the first major attractions of the amusement park is the Rapid River Piraña, opened in 1983, which was also the first of its kind in Europe. The ride in the round-boats along the concrete canal, which has some rapids and other elements, is good and can easily get you wet. There is also a possibility to get the passangers wet from the outside of the ride that can be used free of charge, but which can soak you with a bit of bad luck.

Spookslot

The Spookslot is one of the most famous and oldest attractions of the Efteling amusement park, although you should not expect a classic ghost train when you enter the haunted castle, although the outward appearance and the design of the queue make you expect a dark ride. Instead, you will find yourself in a larger room with several standing rows and watch a show worth seeing with countless mechanical figures.

Panda Droom

The ancient 3D film Panda Vision at the 4D cinema Panda Droom in the immediate vicinity is not quite as worth seeing. Anyhow, the special effects are rather special and should not be missed. In contrast to the many other venues in which this film was shown, the film was created especially for the Efteling in cooperation with the WWF, which is why animal welfare is far more important here through a preshow and further information options in the exit area.

Bob

In 1984 a truly new roller coaster concept from Intamin opened in the USA and, as so often the case, found its way to the Efteling a year later. The idea of a roller coaster with gondolas running free in a canal instead of on rails is not new since the flying turns of the 30’s, but the gondolas of the Swiss Bobsleigh pass through steep ascents and descents.

The ride in the Bobbaan, better known as Bob, begins on a straight out of the station. After a left turn you reach the lifthill, which brings you to a height of 20m. A steep left turn takes you downhill. The following valley is driven through with an absurd force, with the first change of direction taking place immediately. A swinging S-curve combination leads you up into the first block brake. Once again we descend in a steep left turn and get stoked by the high forces in the next valley. After a right turn, a left turn leads into the next block brake and also here the change of direction takes place in a powerful way. Also this block brake is left in the usual way. As we already have experienced before, the next valley is passed with a lot of momentum before a simple right helix leads us upwards. The car now crosses the last block brake and crashes towards the ground one last time, however this time in a right turn. A last change of direction, but not so brute, follows. After this turn the brakes follow and shortly after we reach the station.

Bob is a unique roller coaster, at least in Europe, although the American models now also have an exotic status. In comparison to the bobsleigh runs of the manufacturer Mack, which are better known in this country, the Swiss Bob can distinguish itself above all through its smooth running and the more adventurous course with its brilliant dynamics. The ride is simply fun and produces a permanent grin in my face which is why I always like getting on Bob again and again.

Fata Morgana

In a similar way I am very satisfied with the dark ride Fata Morgana, which convinces or better said overwhelms me with its oriental design. Although the ride was put into operation in 1986, it seems very modern and timeless with its human-like mechanical figures. The individual scenes are well equipped and very detailed, whereby the journey does not become boring even after several times. In addition, there is a continuous storyline with single moments of tension.

Aquanura

Every evening Aquanura, one of the biggest water shows in the world, takes place directly at the lake. It picks up the songs and rides that were experienced during the day and processes them with water, light and fire effects. During the day this is quite impressive, but at night it is definitely better.

Pictures Efteling

Conclusion Efteling

Efteling has always been a great amusement park, but it’s funny how often I forget about it, otherwise I would have visited the park more often. The park has so much to offer and with Baron 1898 and Aquanura even more, which is why I would like to call Efteling the best amusement park in Europe and not just because the park gave me the admission and a CD out of the blue. Despite the terrible weather, the park managed to entertain us very well, although our ride in the first row of Baron 1898 was by no means pleasant. With this year’s novelty everything has been done right, so I am looking forward to future projects from the park.

 

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Efteling

Plenty of new things in the East

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Preface

The Freizeitpark Plohn, which originated from a trout farm with an attached restaurant in Plohn near Lengenfeld, had been on my must-do list for several years and was repeatedly considered in various excursion ideas before they were discarded. The decisive factor for this was the extremely positive reporting since the opening of the wooden roller coaster El Toro in 2009 and although Freizeitpark Plohn is hardly further away for me than Phantasialand in Brühl, I have never made it to the amusement park before.

After testing the local Allwetterbobbahn in nearby Eibenstock, I reached the parking lot at about 11 am and left it already half an hour later. I used this time in the queue in front of the only open cash desk before I was told that my bank card with PIN entry cannot be accepted here, but only one with signature. This is not my fault, it’ s the cash system of the park and therefore the park itself, I was told without even being told a reasonable alternative. In fact the not very friendly cashier basically meant that it was only me.

Extremely annoyed I drove to Lengenfeld to get some money at the local Sparkasse and then back to Plohn – after all there is a quite promising wooden roller coaster in the park and the way back would be 500 km long – where I had to stand in the queue again for another 30 minutes. Backed up by a deeply stupid comment I finally got into the Freizeitpark Plohn.

Freizeitpark Plohn

Fluch des Teutates

Thank God they are already working on a better entrance area at the Gaul village, hopefully with a better cash register system. In this area, next to the Drachenschaukel, a windshield wiper-like ride, which was not in operation, is the River Splash ride Fluch des Teutates by the manufacturer ABC Rides.

The trip in the round boats starts immediately with a slightly longer lift. At the top, you leave the lift in a right-hand bend and after a small straight section, a larger turn follows. Afterwards, relatively unusual for this type of ride, a small slope in lofty height under the lift hill follows. After another turn, but this time to the left, another slope follows immediately. Now, a downward helix on the right side of the slope takes up a lot of momentum. You leave this helix in a left-hand curve or rather in a left bend, which runs parallel to the lift for a short time, whereupon the final shot is initiated. This is followed by the return to the station.

The Fluch des Teutates is a nice ride, which can be put into a more than decent rotation with some weight shifting in the boat. But even without it, this was probably unintentionally possible for everyone without any problems at the beginning of the year due to a somewhat too rough paint on the deck. This was then sanded down and the ride was repainted with the correct paint, which is why the ride was out of order for a longer period of time this year.

Passing an animal enclosure, the trail now leads to the Plohnidorf, where a former carousel from the North German amusement park Heide Park, a dark ride and a roller coaster are located. The houses are decorated with jokes about the park’s own mascot and in numerous shop windows the pranks of Max and Moritz by the poet and illustrator Wilhelm Busch are told.

Plohseidon

The family roller coaster Plohseidon is a Force 190 of the manufacturer Zierer, which was built over a water basin and has an imaginative underwater design. Here the design was perfectly adapted to the slightly stretched layout.

The journey begins with a shallowly ascending straight, which soon leads into a left turn. A small swivel to the right and a small straight line later the friction wheels of the lift hill take you up. You leave the lift hill in a shallow steep curve to the left whereupon the maximum height difference of about 7.5m is reached. In an upward helix, you pick up again in altitude and immediately change direction. In a bavarian curve you now go downhill, followed by the return to the station.

The family roller coaster Plohseidon is a nice roller coaster with a surprisingly fast layout, but with quite modest ride characteristics. Well, the kids probably won’t even notice it, but the ride feels like a relatively old ride of the same type.

Plohnis Tauchfahrt

In the immediate vicinity is the small dark ride Plohnis Tauchfahrt. Similar to the former dark ride Ocean of Darkness of the Dutch amusement park Attractiepark Slagharen, you will pass through a colourful underwater world. The plastic design is supported by some well integrated screens, in which the park mascot appears among others.

El Toro

Through a passageway you reach the Westernstadt, the western area of Freizeitpark Plohn and immediately stand in front of the wooden roller coaster El Toro of the American manufacturer Great Coaster International. Along the rear turn of the roller coaster you can reach the entrance of the wooden roller coaster, also coming from the other side. After a small ramp you’re immediately inside the station and have more or less free choice of seats, because there wasn’t much action here despite the ride’s only train.

After the train is finally cleared, the lift chain takes you up to a height of about 25m. With a lot of momentum you make the first descent, which is quite straight before it turns into a steep curve. In the valley you go under the lift hill of the log flume for the first time and change direction immediately. An upward leading left turn follows, but changes its direction relatively quickly. Now a wide bend leads the train to the lowest point of the layout, but even here you only stay for a short time. Over a hill, the train passes again under the lift hill of the log flume and shortly after through a curve parallel to the first drop. Now several hills follow, all of which carry you slightly out of your seat. Past the station you make a small detour and then a turn. With full speed you go down again and take a picture of the ride. The following hill initiates a right turn close to the ground with two hills attached to it. A last curve leads the train up to the brakes and back to the station.

El Toro is a really good roller coaster with an absolutely brilliant start, but a rather mild end. Although the wild bull could already convince at noon, it showed its full potential only in the late afternoon when the coaster is in its run-in condition and this invites, similar to the never full station of the visiting day, to constant repetitive rides. But when the crowd of the station did not allow a simple shifting anymore I left the ride, because the way from the exit to the entrance was not worth it anymore. El Toro is not Troy from the Dutch amusement park Toverland, but at least it is a very good wooden roller coaster and an enrichment without equal for the previously hardly known amusement park.

Westerneisenbahn and Westernrodeo

In the main street of the themed area is the station of the Westerneisenbahn, a round trip through the Wild West past the rides of the area and below the wooden roller coaster. Interestingly, the ride passes the entrances of the Westernrodeo, a break dance of the manufacturer HUSS featuring a long and varied, albeit slow ride, and the roller coaster Silver Mine and blocks it.

Silver Mine

The Silver Mine is a Flitzer roller coaster made by Zierer, which is similar to the ride High Explosive which travels in this country under Vorlop. Started under a German showman in the 70s, it emigrated quite quickly to America, where it entertained its passengers in the Adventureland amusement park in its original design until 1990. In 1996, the ride presented itself as Rioolrat in a new look and with new cars at the Dutch amusement park Avonturenpark Hellendoorn. These cars in the form of a canal rat were also used on the mouse roller coaster of the Spielerei Rheda-Weidenbrück, but here they were still used in combination with the originals. The ride lost all of its fun in 2000 when it was equipped with mine cars and presented itself to the public. It’s a difference like day and night when you ride the minimalist racers or when you constantly bump into the high walled cars during the ride, as it is the case here.

Wildwasserbahn mit Geisterbahn

On the other side of the spacious course is the entrance to the log flume Wildwasserbahn mit Geisterbahn, although the Geisterbahn (ghost train) part probably only really shows up on Halloween. After leaving the station, the canal leads the boat through a small themed passage towards the first lift hill. Once you reach the top, the first shot of the ride takes place, which can be a little bit moistening. After a turn and a right bend you leave the plateau and curve a little bit in zigzag movements through the tree tops and over the second slope until after another right bend you reach the second lift. At a lofty height you make another turn whereupon you slowly but surely approach the big descent. Without much fuss it goes down the slope at the end of which the cool water is waiting for you. This is followed by the return trip to the station of this rather neat log flume.

Holzmichl-Villa and Crazy House

At the exit of the log flume there is interestingly enough a small bumper car and above it the Geistermühle (ghost mill), which has some vibrating plates, distorting mirrors and many bad jokes.  Above the log flume there is also a special attraction. Next to Germany’s largest tree house with the slide Wilde Sau, there is the Holzmichl-Villa and the Crazy House attached to it. Contrary to my previous presentation of Freizeitpark Plohn, the number of amusement elements is unfortunately quite manageable.

Miniwah und das Geheimnis von Gold Creek City

In a former riding and show hall, whose show was probably cancelled due to horrendous GEMA fees, the roller coaster Miniwah und das Geheimnis von Gold Creek City is located since this year. A good ten years after the last Powered Coaster of the manufacturer Mack went into operation in Europe, an equally impressive ride including a regular multimedia show and a spectator stage is presented here in an impressive setting.

Miniwah and the secret of Gold Creek City is a really good powered coaster. The general design is surprising, as well as the fast riding, in this very compact layout. Even the first, slowly driven round with its sightseeing like character is enough to find the ride good.

Raupe

As convincing and harmonious as the western city is, the oldtimer park on the other side of the path with its lake stage and smaller attractions for children is just as unattractive. This is also where the last roller coaster of Freizeitpark Plohn is located, the children’s roller coaster Raupe, a Big Apple made by SBF Visa featuring the well-tried layout.

Freefall im Urzeitdorf

Adjacent to this area is the fairytale forest with some hidden carousels and nicely designed fairytale scenes. If you follow the paths you will find yourself in Dinoland, the most remote part of the Freizeitpark Plohn. Here you will find, besides the Floßfahrt durch die Urzeit, the rather nicely operated Family Freefall Tower Freefall im Urzeitdorf of the manufacturer Zierer and a pedal boat rental.

Pictures Freizeitpark Plohn

Conclusion Freizeitpark Plohn

Freizeitpark Plohn is without question a good amusement park, it just lacks a little bit of professionalism. It’s a bit strange when you have hardly any food left in the park at shortly after 2 pm, no more coffee and cake at 4 pm and instead you are about to complete and concede the checkout. Beside the generally unmotivated and unfriendly staff, the experience at the cash desk joins in and creates a somewhat unsatisfying picture of the amusement park, which is generally very much praised – I am a customer and I am willing to spend money, so please take it and don’t constantly refer me back for avoidable mistakes.

 

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Freizeitpark Plohn

The home of the old Danish Rutschebanen

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Preface

I wanted to visit the Danish amusement park Tivoli Gardens for quite a while now. Unfortunately, visiting the Danish capital as a German student on a budget, this was not at all easy. Ideas to go on a road trip throughout Scandinavia were abandoned due to the lack of passengers to come along. Even day trips turned out to be not necessarily wise due to either high tolls or ferry fees, so that the cheapest way to travel from Hamburg to Copenhagen is surprisingly by train, although it takes quite a while even in an ICE. As at the beginning of the week there was supposed to be a return trip in the late evening and the hotels were comparatively cheap during an overnight stay from Sunday to Monday, a short trip to Copenhagen was quickly arranged. The Deutsche Bahn proved to be less reliable and the offered return trip could not be booked. A little research then resulted in a bus connection via Flixbus returning at the same time, which should actually arrive slightly earlier at the Hamburg main station.

The outward journey turned out to be a little nerve-racking. It all started with a bus, which actually didn’t show up (as it passed my station way too early), which resulted in a drive to the city where I parked my car nearby my university. It came worse, when a smelly stranger slept on my shoulder in the rail replacement service on the Danish part of the journey.

Tivoli Gardens

Arriving at the station, the reward for the morning’s exertions was immediately apparent, which was why I exchanged the prepaid all-inclusive ticket for admission, the wristband for unlimited rides on the rides, as well as the vouchers for a visit to the in-house aquarium, the meal and the ride photo. This package cost online around DKK 190 more than the regular entrance fee and the wristband, but as the meals in this city are generally in a similar price range, this is highly recommended. The offer varies according to the general price structure of the restaurants, so in cheap restaurants one additionally gets a big drink, in medium-priced restaurants a small drink, as well as in high-priced restaurants only the meal remains served. Without the voucher, I would have spent 210 DKK in addition to the 25 DKK saved at the aquarium, as well as the value of the ride photo.

Rutschebanen

Since I used the less frequented entrance at the main station the ways led me fast and directly to the over 100 years old wooden roller coaster Rutschebanen and thus to the longest-serving roller coaster of Europe. On the occasion of the anniversary Tivoli Gardens gave the old lady an elaborate cosmetic operation, reminding her of her original design – which had been redesigned out of respect for arriving guests from the alpine countries, as they should not be reminded of their homeland immediately after leaving the train station by the peaks of Rutschebanen. As is generally the case with the so-called Scenic Railways, the Rutschebanen also has a brakeman riding in the train, so that the ride is controlled by his know-how and can be quite exciting at the same time.

Shortly after the train entered the station it disappears into the first tunnel. After a left turn, the train engages in the elevator cable and is quickly carried up to the top. For a short moment, you can look into the Fun House Skaersilden beneath the ride. At the top you can have a short look at the alpine design before going down the first slope. With full speed we pass the first valley and then a camelback. Back at a higher level, a turn is now made with a pronounced speed, so that one involuntarily wanders from one side of the train to the other. After leaving the ice cave, the train dives down into the depths before reaching about half of the starting height. Barely braked, the next turn is made, which is the reason why a single rider changes sides again. Immediately after a short straight section you go downhill and shortly afterwards a fast-paced interplay of curves begins. Here a short S-curve is taken before a right-hand turn, which is further intensified by the gently rocking cars. Along the station you follow the same sequence of elements as at the beginning of the ride and immediately enter another cave. In this one you execute a combination of curves which would have been used in the computer game Roller Coaster Tycoon, ideally on a Virginia Reel. After a small turn to the right follows a small turn to the left, which then changes into a larger turn to the left. Shortly afterwards you leave the tunnel and are led into the station by the brakeman.

Rutschebanen is a timeless classic, which still excites the visitors today. The way the train takes the cars through the numerous mountains, valleys and bends is simply stunning and is further enhanced by the constant change of the cars’ sides for single riders. The design of the layout is worth seeing and creates a through and through original appearance in connection with the trains and the accompanying personnel, which you would not want to miss in Tivoli Gardens.

Skaersilden and Minen

Below the old Danish roller coaster you will find the Fun House of Tivoli Gardens – which is well worth a visit – as well as the boat dark ride Minen, which was apparently upgraded by a lot of Peng Peng or better said interactivity. The stream channel passes larger and very detailed scenes, whereby it is better to skip the interactivity function of the boat altogether and enjoy the ride.

Himmelskibet and Snurretoppen

The 80m high Starflyer Himmelskibet is located above the sleek and surprisingly fast moving Break Dance Snurretoppen. Here one notices for the first time that the Tivoli Gardens does not trust its foreign visitors without any amusement park experiences particularly much. As a result, the dispatching takes ages, despite the already optimised loading process. On the way up to the loading station, one is basically reminded at every meter which things one is not allowed to take along; a counted group is then let into the area with the luggage rack. Here, a very detailed verbal briefing is given which things one is not allowed to take along. Afterwards, only one of the possible access ways is opened. Then, the riders are forced to knock on their trouser pockets and are warned to go back in case of positive results and finally to take their things out of their pockets. After a quite decent ride with a fantastic view over the city at the same time, one is now left in a separate area on the other side and is held there until everybody has received their things.

Aquila

Interestingly, however, the dispatch was still reasonably justifiable, as the routine had become established during time. Aquila, an Zamperla air race from 2013 has a thoroughly abstruse dispatch time, as everyone sitting in the car is asked if they still have anything in their pockets, although the system never sweeps over the heads of others and the potential danger is minimal. Compared to the prototype in the Portuguese water park Aquashow Park, the ride is not very entertaining and thus falls behind the expectations.

Odinexpressen

In the immediate vicinity, just like everything else in Tivoli Gardens, is the entrance to Odinexpressen, a Mack Powered Coaster built in 1985. Throughout the entire visit there was always the longest queue of all the roller coasters, which was not due to the total duration of the ride of three laps, but rather to the fact that the people waiting for the ride were only allowed to enter the station when the train was already empty and each bar was checked individually.

The ride begins with an ascending helix to the left, followed by a change of direction above the station. A wide right turn leads the train upwards, followed by a left turn. On the roof of the arcades, a 540° downward helix is executed, after which the train always leads downwards at a clear speed parallel to the ascent. Once again above the roof of the station, the train plunges surprisingly fast to the ground and passes through a narrow righthand helix, whereupon you pass through the station at top speed.

Odinexpressen is a very nice example of a powered coaster due to the very well designed and space saving layout. Similar to the English Merlin Entertainments Group’s parks, the mood at the ride is outstanding and the delicious smell during the downhill helix on the roof probably served as inspiration for the Alpenexpress Enzian at Europa Park.

Den Flyvende Kuffert

Next to the arcades you will find the dark ride Den Flyvende Kuffert which tells the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen in many scenes with cute little dolls. The ride in the flying suitcases is held in either Danish or English, whereby you have to listen carefully to avoid being distracted by the narrations of the other gondolas. During the long ride, which always leads up and down, one gets a good insight into the well-known fairy tales.

Tivoli Aquarium and Linie 8

The Tivoli Aquarium is located in the foyer of the Concert Hall, a theatre with a capacity of 1660 that plays classical music as well as musicals. The Tivoli Aquarium is not included in the entrance fee and has smaller aquariums and a 30m long reef with more than 1600 inhabitants. In front of the concert halls there is the station of the historical railway line 8, which takes a little tour through the Tivoli Gardens.

Monsunen

Passing by countless restaurants we now enter the furthest corner of Tivoli Gardens, where the Arabic theme area of the park is located. Strangely enough, most people from the region spend their time in the Tivoli Gardens here and unconsciously create the proper atmosphere. Located directly at the edge of the park is a Suspended Flying Carpet by Zierer. Monsunen is the only one of its kind in Europe, with only a second ride being installed in the Japanese theme park Nagashima Spa Land. The ride resembles the standard model of the Flying Carpet of the same manufacturer, except for the different sitting position. The only difference is that here not the upper body reacts to the movement, but the legs. Altogether the ride is a very interesting and above all massive installation with an interesting lifting technology for the boarding platform.

Karavanen

Directly opposite you can find the small Tivoli roller coaster Karavanen made by Zierer. Their Tivoli coaster was an initial success in the Scandinavian countries, which led to many installations worldwide. Karavanen itself features a small variation of the original design, which made it a slightly more dynamic ride, which almost automatically makes everybody in the train smile.

Vertigo

The most interesting facility in this area is by far Vertigo, a Flying Fury by Technical Park. In the early years of this ride it was possible to rotate the passenger carrier around its own axis, as well as the axis of the main arm, by yourself which resulted in a rather wild and individual way of riding. There was also the possibility to press a button for full throttle which let to an acceleration of constant 5G. Since the technology for the steering is unfortunately susceptible to errors – which i doubt very much and would rather blame the riders, which did not understand the ride – two automatic programs are used nowadays.

The ride begins with a few rollovers in the station area with a simultaneous rotation around the vertical axis before the ride continues at a lofty height. Of course, the machine also goes upside down through the station before the nacelle is locked and the machine accelerates to a speed of 120 km/h. Over a period of time you will experience a constant 5G, while your field of vision will slowly but surely narrow. This is where the only difference between the driving programs becomes apparent, as this passage is performed either looking forwards or flying backwards. After a few, almost uncountable laps, the speed is slowly reduced and you turn upside down again. The small aircraft now performs its last rollovers and then slowly approaches its parking position.

Vertigo has an amazingly versatile ride to offer with its only 2 minute long ride program. As almost always in life, a backward driving style makes the ride much more exciting. The waiting times at Vertigo are among the longest in Tivoli Gardens due to its capacity, but as a single rider it can take as little as 15 seconds. However, in both cases you should definitely take a ride and try out both ride programs.

Gyldne Taarn

The last major attraction in this area is the golden painted Gyldne Taarn, a Turbo Drop Tower by S&S. This is a normal freefall tower where – similar to the freefall towers of the manufacturer Fabbri – you are shot downwards, which results in a pronounced airtime. Sadly, the Gyldne Taarn isn’t good at this when being compared to other towers of the same manufacturer.

Dæmonen

After such a disappointment you need a good ride. Thankfully, the B&M floorless coaster Dæmonen is nearby. This ultra-compact installation offers an untypical ride in the tightest of spaces. Usually, the ride features the lowest waiting time at Tivoli Gardens.

After reaching the maximum height of 28m the train runs over the crest and the first small drop. The train is now thrown into the first curve and crosses a direction change at dizzy height, a righthand helix follows to reach the starting height for the next drop. As soon as you have survived the combination of curves you immediately descend and shortly thereafter enter the looping of the ride. The subsequent change of direction takes place in an Immelmann just before the world turns upside down again in the Nul-G Loop (Danish for Zero-G Roll). Depending on your position in the car, you will be wonderfully torn back and forth, a truly incomparable experience. The final turns and hills towards the brake run are just as wild, offering some great airtime moments. Soon after, the ride is already over.

Daemonen is awesome, although a bit too short. From the first curves you can feel that this machine is by no means a sensitive one. The looping and the Immelmann support the general intensity of the ride tremendously, but they lose all meaning in consideration of the truly delicious Zero-G Roll and the great finale.

Pictures Tivoli Gardens

Conclusion Tivoli Gardens

The amusement park Tivoli Gardens is a worth seeing amusement park not only because of its long history. The atmosphere is very similar to that of the Pleasure Beach Blackpool, except that it is smaller and generally more tidy, which can be seen in the Smøgen alley. The rides have a thoroughly good quality and the many restaurants and small gardens create an ambience in which one likes to stay. The prices however are quite high and you may be surprised how many people use the ticket system and pay more than they should. A ride on Daemonen for example costs 75 DKK – which is about 10€ – the Wristband itself is available for 210 DKK, therefore it pays off after just three rides. During a well visited Sunday I was able to ride all the rides I wanted within four hours. A visit in the evening can be a great way to experience Tivoli Gardens without missing too much. Except there is the Fredagsrock Event, where the entry to the park is far more expensive during the evening (so make sure to visit the rides during the day to enjoy a great rock concert for free in the evening).

 

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Tivoli Gardens