Disk’o

Osaka’s home for little fairies

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Hirakata Park

Hirakata Park originated as the Kikuningyō-ten exhibition grounds in 1912, with chrysanthemum-decorated figures and scenes being displayed in October and November of each year, before the last regular exhibition was held in 2005. The actual development of the amusement park took place in 1926, when the Keihan Electric Railway began operating the park and the first rides moved in. In 1944, the site was put to military use.

After the end of the Second World War, the site was unusable and the Kikuningyō-ten took place on another area along the Keihan Line. The return to Hirakata followed in 1949. Initially run as a city park, the site was again converted into an amusement park in 1952 as part of a tax reform.  The park has always been owned by the Keihan Group.

Magical Volcano

So off we go to Hirakata-kōen and into Hirakata Park. Right at the entrance, a beautiful and spacious rock massif with an integrated interactive attraction awaits us. Personally, I can’t describe the Magical Volcano any better than that, because it really is a lot of things in one; be it an exploration tour with integrated skill games or an adventure playground with a pre-show and storyline. It is relatively simple: at the start you are assigned a mission, after which you have to answer three questions. In the meantime, the volcano almost erupts and we have to throw softballs into its crater. Towards the end, you let your bow be evaluated by a machine and get a corresponding feedback. In our case, of course, this was a perfect score, but we had also received help from the staff. All in all, this is an attraction that we would like to see here in Europe.

Pachanga, Wonder Gaden und Athletic Try-It

Exhausted, but one experience richer, we head straight for the wooden roller coaster Elf. While there, we take a ride on the unfortunately very dry rapid river Pachanga and admire the animals in the Wonder Garden. Unfortunately, the number of enclosures is very limited – this is especially a pity, as Hirakata Park does a good job and the animals are all housed in relatively large enclosures. Meanwhile, on the other side of the main path, we wonder about the Athletic Try-It, a kind of modern obstacle course, before we are finally drawn into the woods.

Elf

Elf, short for Episode of little Fairies, is a medium-sized wooden roller coaster from the European manufacturer Intamin. So far so good, but the expectations for this wooden roller coaster were not as high as they should have been, thanks to its former sister ride Pegasus at the Dutch amusement park Efteling.

After a short wait, it was time to take a seat in the train car, which was then quickly dispatched. Following a short drop out of the station and a short right turn past the storage track integrated into the structure, we immediately found ourselves in the lift hill of the ride. Shortly after, the initial height of 18.5 m is reached, whereupon the train goes down the first small drop. This is followed by a longer turn to the right, where we gain a few metres in altitude. But before the view would distract us from the action, we plunge down the second drop. We are now pulled through the valley with gusto, whereupon we are pulled right onto the next hill. The ascent is quite steep at first and then a little less steep after an apparent crest. Meanwhile, we dedicate ourselves to another turn, which we leave parallel to the lift in a drop down to the ground level. Now we follow the route we have already completed by climbing another hill and also completing a turn. Instead of going straight down another drop, however, we now cross the ride in a diagonal, in which we naturally also head towards the ground.Once again with the funny transition from steep to less steep slope, we now dedicate ourselves to a left-leading turn, where we get momentum for the next ride manoeuvre. With a big bang we cross the following camelback and plunge straight into the dense woodwork. After a final turn, a short dip follows, whereupon we reach the final brake.

Elf is fun! With a good pinch of airtime and interesting incline trajectories, the small ride doesn’t need to hide from any larger wooden roller coaster – especially since the wooden roller coaster seems much higher than it actually is due to its hillside location. In any case, you can and should get on more often, it’s worth it.

Sky Walker and Truck

It would most likely have been worth getting on the Sky Walker Ferris wheel, but unfortunately it is currently being restored. The neighbouring Cycle Monorail was therefore not visited at all and we also had to do without a ride on the children’s roller coaster Truck in Peek-a-Boo Town, as the train belonging to it was missing.

Crazy Mouse

The fact that it doesn’t necessarily take a missing train to rob a roller coaster ride of its main feature can be seen on the Reverchon Crazy Mouse. It turned a bit too well, so it was decided not to release the spin of the cars anymore in order to reduce the ride’s intensity. As can be seen from the ride, this was not a good idea. The hairpin bends in the lower level are driven through in such a lousy way that in the end the pleasure completely falls by the wayside. A real pity, as Reverchon spinning coaster are actually great rides.

Bassh

Whereby I should actually be a little less critical: The ride is quite okay and not being able to show a rotation as a spinning mouse is somehow special. Equally special is its location at a lofty height, elevated on a platform. This has the advantage that there are two other attractions underneath it. Besides the Little Witch’s Labyrinth walkthrough, the station of the Bassh log flume is located here.

The ride begins with a left turn that takes you under the plateau of the Crazy Mouse roller coaster. Past some animal sculptures and with the best view onto the tracks of the mouse one level higher, another left turn leads the boat directly into the ride’s lift. Due to the slope of the ride, you now spend some time in it before a short left turn takes you down just a medium shot. Without a single drop on your skin, a right turn follows immediately, after which you dash like mad through the channel. One S-curve later, you find yourself straight below the first shot, before you tackle a left/right curve combination and make your way towards the second and final shot. Once there, the descent is immediate and exhilarating. In the subsequent splashdown, every drop of water is missing and the score is close to zero. So we did something wrong, but unfortunately that’s what an amusement park with a dry log flume also does.

Red Falcon

So it’s time to ride a type of roller coaster that no one in Japan can do wrong: The classic jet coaster. The one here at Hirakata Park is called Red Falcon and has been wonderfully placed on the big slope. But before you can dare to take a ride, you have to squeeze into the cars, and that is simply impossible, especially for taller people in the back rows.

After a short straight section, the train takes you over a short dip into the ride’s lift. Typical for a proper jet coaster, this one is comparatively steep and you spend some time in it. But that’s not too bad, because it gives us more time to look at the city of Osaka. At the top, the train quickly picks up speed after a first, quite steep, small drop. This is followed by a long left turn before the first long descent. The train takes you rapidly through the first valley and over the top of a hill that bends slightly to the left. Far above the visitors’ heads, the train climbs another hill and passes the log flume.

After another drop, you then reach a tight right-leading turn before you throw yourself properly to the ground for the first time. From then on, parallel to the track you have just completed, the train races over another hill into an extremely funny element. Coming out of a very wide right-hand bend, you drive through a narrow valley with a clear cross slope, which is suddenly followed by a narrow right-hand bend just below the first gradient. As in a very shapeless Bavarian curve, this leads you over a short hill, into another valley. A wide left turn follows. After a very flat drop with an equally flat ascent, a wide 540° helix awaits you, which then releases you into the final shot. After the subsequent ascent, a rather strange transition into a curve awaits you and shortly afterwards the braking section of the ride is reached.

The Red Falcon combines many of the Japanese peculiarities of roller coaster construction, but is a thoroughly nice ride that you should simply enjoy. The ride distance of 1300m gives you plenty of time to whizz over the rather flat hills at up to 70 km/h – secured by a shoulder restraint. The view of the city of Osaka and its imposing location far above the rest of the amusement park benefit the ride immensely.

Meteo

The very late braking on the Intamin Meteo freefall tower one level below is just as beneficial. As already experienced in the Kijima Kogen Park, people in Japan like to do without the secondary safety belt, so that here too the ride seems even more threatening and, in combination with the hard braking, can be described as absolutely ingenious.

In addition to the obligatory freezer, this time (quite small) in the form of a large refrigerator, there is also a very good spinning Disk’o from the manufacturer Zamperla on this level, as well as a kite flyer and a Zierer wave swinger, which was unfortunately undergoing maintenance on the day we visited.

Palm Walk

One level further down, you come to the Palm Walk and its integrated interactive dark ride Gururimori, as well as the Legend of Dark Forest (a mirror maze) and Makafushigido walkthroughs. The area has a lot of charm and is similar in concept to the City Walk at nearby Universal Studios Japan – except that it is integrated into Hirakata Park.

Octopus Panic and Haunted House

On the lowest level of Hirakata Park, you can mainly find various children’s rides, but also some classic rides and gems, such as the Octopus Panic sea storm ride, Japanese tea cups in Hello Kitty design or the child-friendly dark ride Haunted House, where you travel through the chirpy underworld with the Dororon travel company. Of course, the 3D 360° cinema right next door should not be overlooked.

Fantasy Cruise and Gnome’s Train

Meanwhile, if the hustle and bustle has become a little too wild for you, you should take a little stroll through Hirakata Park’s huge rose garden or venture out for a ride on the Fantasy Cruise round boat or the surprisingly long Gnome’s Train park railway. This area is an ideal retreat and invites any garden lover to linger, plus you have an exceedingly good view of Hirakata Park’s final roller coaster.

Fantastic Coaster Rowdy

The ride on the Fantastic Coaster Rowdy begins with a short right turn, followed by the lift hill. Once at the top, the lift makes a 180° left turn before the first drop follows. At a lofty height, the short-raced train now crashes over a camelback before it makes its way up again. Not at all rowdy, another tight 180° left turn follows and soon a very long right turn with integrated straight downhill. After a short right-hand bend, a very tight left-hand turn follows immediately, along with a shot. A left-hand and a right-hand bend join together like serpentines. This is succeeded by a final ascent into the braking section and soon the entry into the station, whereupon a ride not worth mentioning (as it is just okay) comes to an end.

Pictures Hirakata Park

Conclusion Hirakata Park

Although Hirakata Park is now over 100 years old, there are unfortunately no older rides to admire in the park; so they have always stayed up-to-date. This is understandable, but it does make the park a little less charming. It makes up for this with its green spaces, imaginative attractions and a successful overall ambience, which is why you ultimately feel very entertained when leaving the park.

 

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Hirakata Park / Titanic Max Day 5

Italian Miniatures and Rollercoasters

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Leolandia

The history of Leolandia starts 45 years ago, when the entrepreneur Guido Pendezzini presented his miniature park under construction, modelled on the Dutch miniature park Madurodam near The Hague, to the public. However, the park was not officially opened as Minitalia until three years later. The centrepiece of the park, which has also been a prominent feature of the park’s official name for a very long time, is the Italian-style miniature village Minitalia with its replicas of striking Italian buildings and towns. In addition, the country was presented with smaller regional stands and even back then some rides were offered.

In 1997 Pendezzini sold his park to the Triberti and Fabbri families, who, as showmen and manufacturers of amusement park equipment, had considerable experience in this field. They developed the park into an amusement park and operated it as Fantasy World Minitalia until 2007, when the Zamperla family, also an amusement ride manufacturer, took over the park. Since then Leolandia has been regularly expanded and supplemented with products from the company’s own catalogue.

Twister Mountain

A prominent example of this is the Twister Mountain spinning coaster, which is perfectly placed directly at the exit to the park, next to the already oversized park sign, to attract customers of the hypermarket opposite to Leolandia. However, this is only the small version of the well-known funfair model based on the layout of the French manufacturer Reverchon.

After leaving the station you climb the 10m high lift hill. At the top, you pass through two hairpin bends at a rapid pace, whereupon the first descent is already waiting. Above the station you pass through a block brake and shortly after that, halfway parallel to the lift hill, the second major shot of the ride. Without any strange bumps in the ascent you reach the other side of the roller coaster. In the next brake the rotation of the car is released, whereupon the next four hairpin bends are passed with surprisingly much momentum. Without a bump, the return to the other side of the ride follows and finally, after another hairpin bend, the brake track.

Although the Spinning Coaster variants by Zamperla are not considered to be very spin-friendly thanks to their optimised carriages and therefore usually miss their target, the Twister Mountain offered us a solid, albeit quite short, ride. The comfort in the gondola is unfortunately not quite as high as with Reverchon, but in theory the ride offers better restraint, especially for smaller children, thanks to the single bars.

Electro Spin and Donna Cannone

Just as solidly we were entertained by the Mega Disk’o Electro Spin and the Flash Tower Donna Cannone. While the Disk’o offered intensive spinning action, the pulley tower could convince with surprising airtime at the upper turning point. Unfortunately a launch from the cannon is not simulated.

Leo Coaster

The other attractions of the rather sparse Expo 1906 area are a cogs ride with a king kong look, a fire fighting carousel, a wave swinger and the small children’s roller coaster Leo Coaster. This roller coaster comes in the standard version of the manufacturer, i.e. oval-shaped with a helix in the middle, but has comparatively good riding characteristics.

Mondo di Peppa Pig

With the Mondo di Peppa Pig, an attempt was made last year to establish a toddler area in the park based on the English model. However, what in England ensures that Paultons Park is only known as Peppa Pig World and provides it with masses of visitors, seems a little unlovingly put up here. Although there is the possibility to look at the original house of the main protagonists of the series and to take a photo with the actors, the merchandising sales seem to be the only basis for this area.

Il Trenino

The whole thing continues with the Masha e Orso (Mascha and the Bear) show and the train ride Il Trenino by Thomas & Friends. Admittedly, a train ride with Thomas and his friends is always a good idea, as you can see at Drayton Manor in England, but outside of the shape of the train there is no reference to the series.

Minitalia

In the rear part of the Leolandia park, right next to the miniature village Minitalia, there are several animal enclosures, most of which show indigenous farm animal species. The enclosures are sufficiently large and resemble a farm. Unfortunately there are some smaller aviaries with parrots next to them, which is a great contrast to the newer looking farm area.

The Cowboy Town forms the western part of the Leolandia, where the combination of log flume and powered coaster, well-known from the Wunderland Kalkar, is presented. In addition, there are several round and high rides in this area, including the very uncomfortable kite flyer Wild Avvoltoi, as well as a larger show stage.

Gold River

After leaving the station of the log flume Gold River, the boat bobs a little through the channel and after a longer S-curve and a short left turn you reach the first steep lift hill, which takes you into the equally steep shoot. After a good moistening you are released into the channel again and cross a larger right-hand bend to climb the second lift hill at a 90° angle to the first shot. Typically Zamperla, the second downhill run is no less steep than the first one, so that one is led quite abruptly into the second run; here too, the wetness of the downhill run is within a pleasant range. The return journey to the station follows.

Mine Train

Above the log flume is the access to the Mine Train roller coaster, whose course runs mostly over the fairway of the Wild River. After a somewhat longer ascent with a slight left bend, which is climbed quite leisurely, a rather long right turn follows. The first increase in speed is in the downward helix to the left. Immediately afterwards, the waterway’s channel is crossed at a dizzy height in a right-hand bend. In a slightly larger downward helix you now circle the second shot of the log flume, followed by a rather wide right turn, which immediately closes the course. The train then races through the station and completes another, rather leisurely round.

Although the track of the roller coaster from the Wunderland Kalkar was built much more compact it is clearly the better roller coaster of this quite special combo. The Mine Train from the Leolandia, however, crosses the track a little bit too slowly and unfortunately also very jerky, so there is no fun to ride on.

Rapide di Leonardo

Opposite it is the round boat slide Rapide di Leonardo, an Italian interpretation of the popular River Splash rides by the manufacturer ABC Rides with a very special twist. After leaving the station, you immediately make a small right turn and enter the vertical lift, which brings the boat into position, holds it and lifts it up without any technical control frills. After you have been quickly transported upwards, the basket tilts forward and the boat rolls out of the lift. You are now thrown into the first helix at full pelt, whereupon the boat is immediately set in rotation. After a few meters you make an S-curve combination around the tower, which makes the boat turn at a breathtaking speed. This speed increases in the following downward helix and lets you play Russian Roulette during the following shot. After the soaking, the boat goes through a 180° turn, where a round and spinning cannon apparatus fires water at the passengers at regular intervals. The return to the station now features some elements of a rapid river, such as a waterfall that turns off and various rapids. It is the much quieter part of the ride, which allows you to put what you have just experienced into words and makes you wonder why Zamperla has not been able to sell another ride of this kind. The Hydro Lift at least is an unparalleled fun machine and wins every prize for the best dizz with ease.

Riva dei Pirati

The visually most convincing theme area at the Leolandia is the pirate area Riva dei Pirati, which consists mainly of children’s rides, but which is presented in a great design. Besides the good ship swing Galeone and the beautiful Splash Battle Mediterranea, you will find the prototype of the Stand-Up Disk’os Surf’s Up Scilla e Cariddi. Although the ride through the long gondola is a bit rough in parts, the Floating Airtime is worth an experience, so it is a pity to find only a small version of this ride. Unfortunately, the restraint system charges you a little bit statically, so you can get a little shock at the exit.

Pictures Leolandia

Conclusion Leolandia

Leolandia is a really nice theme park with a pretty good idea right from the beginning of its existence. The Minitalia is quite nicely realised and can keep you busy for a few hours, compared to the Legoland parks around the world. At the same time this miniature outdoor wonderland offers a wonderful view of the corners of this charming country, which you would like to see in real life. The quality of the theme park is, with the exception of the Expo 1906 area, very high and is further underlined by the matching workers’ uniforms, divided according to the theme areas of the park.

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Il Viaggio dei due Runner Day 1 / Leolandia

A lot of TNT for small (joy) explosions

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Parque de Atracciones de Madrid

Not far from the Batán metro station, the Puerta Batán is a side entrance to the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid, the Spanish capital’s inner-city theme park. In contrast to other urban theme parks, such as the Copenhagen amusement park Tivoli Gardens or the Parque de Atracciones de Zaragoza, the Tivoli principle, where you only pay a small entrance fee and pay for the rides in addition, is not applied, so that the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid functions as a theme park in the classical sense.

Nickelodeon Land

If you enter the park via the side entrance you will find yourself at the top of the Nickelodeon Land, a theme area that can be found in a similar form in the English Pleasure Beach Blackpool or the German sister park Movie Park Germany. Here too, existing rides were redesigned using licences from the well-known Viacom children’s channel Nickelodeon, and supplemented with a children’s driving school and additional artwork. What previously seemed to be a bit too much of a jumbled up children’s land now shows a consistently colourful mix, which is also very well done.

Padrinos Voladores

Especially the small roller coaster Turbulencia shows its full potential as Padrinos Voladores designed after the children’s series Fairly Oddparents. The layout features a few hairpin bends without any major difference in height; however, this makes the swing of the vehicles during the ride much more pronounced and thus also the riding pleasure. The Padrinos Voladores therefore offer a really great ride for smaller children, but can also be enjoyed by adults.

Vagones Locos

The Vagones Locos, on the other hand, are in the Naturaleza themed area, although the squeaky-coloured design makes the ride should be part of the Nickelodeon Land. This is the standard model of the Family Gravity Coaster of the Italian manufacturer Zamperla. Using a chain lift, you can reach the starting point for the winding descent relatively quickly. This is followed by a short ascent, whereupon a downward right helix and the return to the station takes place in a slightly Bavarian style.

Naturaleza

Telesaurio and Tiovivo

The Naturaleza theme area is by far the most beautiful area in the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid and, in addition to the larger attractions, is home to Telesaurio, a fully functional telecombat by Zamperla with lateral rotation, and Tiovivo, an old horse carousel as well as a 4D cinema.

TNT Tren de la Mina

However, the actual main attraction of the area is likely to be the family roller coaster TNT Tren de la Mina, which opened in 2012. As I had not followed the construction I did not know where exactly the German interpretation of a mine train should be located within the park and was therefore very surprised to find it perfectly integrated between the children’s area Nickelodeon Land and the Spillwater Los Fiordos. I was all the more surprised to find that a large part of the ride uses a large portion of the water ride’s queue, which had hardly been used previously.

As soon as the train is finally cleared, it leaves the station and immediately goes through a left turn on the way to the lift hill. In the beginning it is still moving up quite fast and loses speed very quickly and crawls slowly over the top of the lift. After a short curvy ride the train picks up speed again before it heads towards the abyss just below the hilltop of the lift. Still far away from the ground the train shoots up again and turns in a horseshoe element, similar to the Youngstar Coaster of Mack Rides, whereupon an upward-moving swivel adds up. In a steep curve below the first helix the train seeks contact with the ground level for the first time, but the stay is only short, because an upward helix leading to the left is entered immediately. This is followed by a small drop with a subsequent camelback through a grotesquely shaped environment. In a right-hand bend, contact with the ground level is re-established, followed by some increasingly tighter curve changes, whereupon the brake section is reached immediately and shortly thereafter the station.

Gerstlauer has created a very neat family roller coaster with TNT Tren de la Mina, which gets a little lost in the fast-moving part of the layout. The strength of the roller coaster lies in its beginning and middle part, which is surprisingly close to the competing product from Mack Rides, only the end spoils the general ride pleasure, as well as the general handling of the ride – which is why TNT Tren de la Mina is not the kind of roller coaster I would go for if I had to wait longer. But for in between, this ride is more than perfect.

Los Fiordos

Formerly passing lush greenery that covered an entire show stage, the boat of the Spillwaters Los Fiordos chugged through the canal until the lift was climbed parallel to the park’s border. The aforementioned stage of the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid fell victim to the construction of the family roller coaster TNT Tren de la Mina, as well as the vegetation, which is why you can now ride below the roller coaster through a rather bare landscape, but with good views. After climbing up the rocky mountain, after a short bend to the right, the only downhill run of the ride follows. Once you reach the bottom, you will immediately come into contact with the water, whereupon, after a short 180° turn and a wide left turn, you will start your return journey towards the station. To my own surprise, the degree of wetness did not correspond to that of a normal log flume, as I had experienced on my last trip four years ago, but to that of the passage through a wall of water, which resulted from the direct reflection of the water at the bridge. Soaking wet and quite satisfied we left the ride, which I would like to describe as the wettest ride of this kind in Spain.

Vértigo

The dispatch of the Wild Mouse Vértigo is an outrage! Actually, there would be nothing, absolutely nothing to complain about with this stylish mouse featuring the well-known layout and absolutely great handling characteristics, if only instead of 10-15 minutes you wouldn’t have to invest a good hour of your valuable time for a ride. Due to the lack of separation between the boarding and deboarding areas, all cars are loaded simultaneously and then sent on their way one by one. The new passengers are only allowed into the station after all the cars have returned and been unloaded – a total of 16 people. This procedure reduces the capacity of the ride immensely, so that one always longs for a normally operated Wild Mouse, such as the other half of this former double ride, which is still located in the Belgian amusement park Bobbejaanland.

Los Rápidos

Los Rápidos is a truly special rafting ride in the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid, as it is the only ride of its kind in Europe by O.D. Hopkins. With it the Naturaleza area was founded in 1996, which can be seen in the consistent and beautiful design of the ride. The level of wetness is still elevated due to the rather wild end of the ride, unfortunately during our visit we did not see the metre-high fountain, which regularly rained down on the passing boats.

Maquinismo

Top Spin, La Maquina and La Lanzadera

In the Maquinismo themed area, three cream cakes are waiting to be taken right in the entrance area, because here the crème de la crème of the Spanish flat rides are gathered together, all of them of course beautifully designed. We start off with the Top Spin from HUSS, which has a similar ride programme as the Aqua Spin ride from the German amusement park Heide Park, but which turns into a totally wild swing at the end of the ride. Right next door, the Frisbee La Maquina, also from HUSS, is making its rounds. Thanks to the great ride programme, you should take a ride or two on this outstanding attraction. Last but not least, the Intamin Freefall La Lanzadera offers a great view over the Casa de Campo and Madrid and a quite intense fall with good airtime at a comparably low altitude.

Abismo

The access to the roller coaster Abismo – so far the only XT 450 ride by the manufacturer Maurer – is slightly elevated. The roller coaster can be described relatively simply as a 300 meter extended Sky Wheel ride from the German amusement park Skyline Park. The start of the layout is identical, as well as the length of the cars, so even with a manageable crowd there are always long waiting times. However, this is always the case even on empty days, because the roller coaster only runs as soon as the train is fully loaded.

After the unfortunately somewhat time-consuming clearance, the train starts moving and is immediately transported upwards in a vertical position. A special feature of the Humpty Bump Lift is that the train is turned upside down at the top of the lift, creating an extremely queasy feeling at a height of about 46m, which is briefly interrupted by the subsequent roll at a lofty height. Now, one races towards the abyss in the true sense of the name of the ride. With a little more than 100km/h the train shoots past the station and passes a valley full of pressure before the lift is surrounded in a steep curve. The following drop is initiated with a strong cross slope, which leads you far above the waiting area. This is followed by a classic camelback, which, at least in theory, lifts the passengers out of their seats. Still far above the heads of the passers-by, another valley follows before a 127° steep Immelmann Turn introduces another turn in the layout. On a straight line the speed for the following finale is adjusted, because instead of the classic transition to the brakes, you now shoot through the station and up the vertical tower once more. Relatively high up and thus without great energy loss the train is stopped and hooked into the chain, whereupon it is quickly driven back to the station.

I do not like Abismo. Actually, this should be enough to sum it up, because I simply don’t enjoy riding this roller coaster very much. The ride characteristics are profound, it rattles like crazy. During my last visit, I’ve searched for the airtime of the ride and now I’ll give it up for good. The ride could be very good, as Daniel, who was sitting to my left, had experienced during the same ride, but for that the restraint system would have to be upgraded a lot.

Tarántula

Practically speaking, the entrance of the Tarántula spinning coaster is located directly opposite the exit of the Abismo Sky Loop. Despite single cars, the ride offers the highest capacity of the whole park, probably because of the separate entrance and exit areas. At least the queue is moving pleasantly fast, which makes the waiting time fly by compared to all the other rides at Parque de Atracciones de Madrid.

Shortly after you have taken a seat in one of the four seated chaises, the ride starts with a left turn towards the rather large lift hill. At a height of more than 25m, the gondola begins to rotate, so that the first slightly twisty descent can be made with a slight turning motion. This is followed by a generously designed turn, which slightly resembles an Immelmann Turn. Now the rotation of the gondola can hardly be stopped, which is also due to the rather steep and winding ascent into the first block brake. You pass this brake quite fast, whereupon you are torn into the depth by another curve. This leads into a generously designed bend with up and down movements until the second block brake is reached at an airy height. This releases you into an incline, which immediately leads into an Immelmann Turn, similar to the one from Dragons Fury at the English amusement park Chessington World of Adventures. A steep curve follows, which after a change of direction leads into the third block brake. A rapid zigzag course determines the course to the next block brake.This is followed by a left and a right turn before reaching the end of the ride.

Tarántula is a really good spinning coaster with a fantastic layout, although unfortunately the track is not as outstanding as the two English representatives of this type. However, the spin on the ride in the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid is pronounced and therefore almost automatically provides a great overall experience. Furthermore, the design of the ride is excellent, even if it is only very minimalistic, especially as it forms a unit with the dark ride La Cueva de las Tarántulas below the roller coaster. Unfortunately, this interactive dark ride is only a shadow of its former self, because apart from darkness you can hardly see anything.

El Aserradero, Tifon, Rotor and Sillas Voladores

Besides the rather long log flume El Aserradero by the manufacturer Zamperla featuring two shots and a tunnel at the end of which a waterfall awaits you that only switches off at the right moment from time to time, the Maquinismo themed area also features a Disk’o called Tifon, the wave swinger Sillas Voladores and the HUSS Condor Rotor, from which you have a wonderful view on the roller coaster Tornado below.

Tornado

Since 1999 the Intamin Suspended Looping Coaster Tornado is located in a dead-end street without equal. The ride, which used to be painted in lemon yellow and lemon green, has been completely painted in black for several years now. The layout of the ride is generally quite wide and free of any special features, but these can be found in the supporting structure of the ride, especially the supports of the two loops.

After climbing up the access ramp to the station and clearing the station, the long train can finally be loaded. After the employees have checked it off, it leaves the station in a slight right turn and shortly after climbs up the lift hill. After reaching the starting height of 30m, the train goes over a small straight line for a few meters and then turns left with full effort. With 80 km/h the train shoots through the valley into the first loop, which is passed quite forcefully. In a wide upright right turn the train takes momentum again to pass the second loop. This is also followed by a right-hand bend in the valley, but this time a classic corkscrew is waiting for you, which you pass through with a lot of momentum. In the following left-hand bend you take up some altitude again, which is immediately reduced in a downward helix after a change of direction. Below the lift the last change of direction into the bend before the brakes follows.

Tornado lives up to its SLC name, although the manufacturer is different from the often spurned Vekoma rides. The layout of Tornado is simply boring and doesn’t offer much on too much space except for the three inversions. Although the contact with the restraint is minimal, the vibrations of this ride can be felt up to the last meter, which is partly due to the too bulky trains. In addition there is a relatively lengthy dispatching process, where one wonders how the Spaniards intend to operate the ride with two trains at all, and whether the second train is even available. Especially if you want to take pictures from outside you should take a lot of time into account, especially on quieter days when hardly any guests enters this cul-de-sac.

Tranquilidad

Zeppelin, La Jungla and The Walking Dead Experience

Almost as quiet as the area around Tornado is the theme area Tranquilidad, although admittedly the bear tends to tap-dance over here. This area is mainly home to quieter rides such as the Zeppelin monorail or the raft ride La Jungla, which is particularly impressive because of its old charm. But also a simulator or the Star Flyer can be found here. Friends of good horror mazes got their money’s worth with El Viejo Caserón, which was replaced this year by The Walking Dead Experience, whereby the jumbled up scenes fell victim to a consistent leitmotif and thus the charm of the building, which has existed since 1989, was somewhat affected.

Fantasia

With Fantasia, however, this theme area offers a really nicely designed dark ride based on the model of Disney’s It’s a small World. The boat trip through our oh so happy and small world starts here in space, because it shows the view of extraterrestrials on this planet. Past small scenes, which are equipped with really cute puppets, you will go through the different countries of our world, accompanied by a kitschy soundtrack, which you will hardly notice. This is also the biggest criticism of the otherwise very popular ride, because apart from the rather low capacity, the ride is simply not kitschy enough. You only have to adjust the music and the lighting of the scenes a little bit and you would have one of the best dark rides ever. In its current state, however, the ravages of time seem to have taken their toll on the ride.

Pictures Parque de Atracciones de Madrid

Conclusion Parque de Atracciones de Madrid

The Parque de Atracciones de Madrid is a good park with a charm all of its own, which was certainly much more pronounced in the days of the Tivoli principle, i.e. until 2011. The park offers many beautiful corners, but also unfortunately many unattractive and unused areas, especially in the theme area Tranquilidad. Despite this, the park seems to be following the right strategy, as the Nickelodeon Land and Naturaleza themed areas are truly impressive since the last update. The Parque de Atracciones de Madrid itself offers a nice portfolio of rides, but it doesn’t invite me to stay there for long. At least I would not say no to another visit in the late afternoon until the evening hours during the next visit of the city of Madrid.

 

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Parque de Atracciones de Madrid