No time to get dizzy

Preface

After leaving Walibi Belgium around noon we reached the Plopsa Coo in Stavelot about 1 ½ hours before the park’s closure. We parked nearby the parking lot right next to the main street, saving the horrendous fees.

After we finally found the pay desk in the middle of the park, we quickly bought the wristband using our Fort Fun Abenteuerland annual pass, so that we saved 50 cents in comparison to the afternoon ticket price.

Tour of the park

Coaster

The Plopsa Coo amusement park consists of two areas, the really nice area at the waterfalls and the rather ugly area behind. Past various children’s rides that have all been embellished by a TV series of studios 100 – no matter how inappropriate this actually is – we headed for the park’s first roller coaster, named Coaster.

This hill sided roller coaster features the MK700 series trains, like the ones you can find on the (R)evolution at the Belgian amusement park Bobbejaanland. The coaster simply can’t be bad. After the train has left the station, the train directly approaches the lifthill of the ride via a small right-handed curve. Once at the top, there is a right-hander in which you slowly take on speed. Via an up and down motion, we approach a lower level. Via a straight slope the train gains a lot of speed, before the first curve change takes place. After a long uphill helix another wavy right-hander follows immediately. The highlight of the ride is a relatively high descent, which then leads its way over the park’s log flume. Shortly after, the station is reached. The coaster was not quite what you would expect from this kind of roller coaster. Although the layout is actually quite nice, it is relatively boring and always features a long waiting time.

Maya Splash

Next to the Coaster you can find the entrance to the log flume Maya Splash. Apart from the downhill shoot at the end of the ride and some figures of the children’s series Maya the Bee, there is no noteworthy highlight. Slightly disappointed we went on with a ride on the polyp to pay off our wristbands.

Vicky the Ride

In the front area, the highlight of the park can be found. As Vicky the Ride is actually a really good roller coaster, it overshadows everything Plopsa Coo offers. This was also recognised by the many families that were visiting the park. Due to the popularity, you have to wait slightly longer for a ride.

After some time we could finally board the ride vehicle. After a small curve, the lifthill directly follows. Once at the top, a short right turn sets the car into rotation before the long descent begins. In a Immelmann turn, you change direction in a magnificent sloping position. Once again in a higher position, you pass a hairpin bend which puts the ride vehicle into a pleasant spin. This spin is kept alive during the following downhill slope and the adjacent uphill helix. Via some hills, we approach the station of the ride. Right next to it, we slam the brakes. A short time later the rotation is locked and you can exit the ride.

Vicky the ride is a great spinning roller coaster. The ride looks pretty wild from the outside but rides itself rather harmonious. Especially compared to spinning roller coaster by Maurer Söhne, where the transitions between the individual track sections usually come unexpectedly, the Gerstlauer version is more smooth. With the intense spinning Vicky the ride can keep up with the master class of Sonic Spinball of the English theme park Alton Towers and Dragon’s Fury of the English park Chessington – World of Adventures.

Pictures Plopsa Coo

Conclusion Plopsa Coo

Plopsa Coo is not a park where you would actually stay for long. Although the park features a nice portfolio and is more or less well themed, it does not offers the whole package of a fully sizes theme park. With a visit to the adjacent wildlife park and a ride on the chairlift up to the observation tower on the mountain, there is enough to explore on a great summer afternoon in Belgium.

 

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Chessington World of Adventures



Theme Park:Chessington World of Adventures
Chessington Zoo (1931 - ?)
Part of the Resort Chessington
World of Adventures Resort
Address:Leatherhead Road
KT9 2NE
Chessington
https://www.chessington.com
Operated by:Merlin Entertainments


Chessington World of Adventures in Chessington, Greater London is one of three Merlin Entertainments theme parks near the English capital London. The animal and amusement park is open all year round – although the rides themselves are only operated seasonally – and can look back on a very long history.

Founded in 1931, the park houses a variety of family-friendly rides, including the only suspended coaster made by the American manufacturer Arrow in Europe. The Vampire roller coaster offers a breathtaking ride through the treetops of the Transylvania themed area.

In general, the park is very well designed and is one of the most beautiful in the country. The animal park belonging to the park is very rich in species and a species-appropriate animal husbandry is given value. This is particularly evident in Wanyama Village & Reserve, which is located near the park’s hotel and has a large prairie, which is used by the Zufari safari drive.

 
Reviews

A visit to the World of Jumanji
The Gruffalo and Tiger Rock
The Zufari Adventure
With Dragon’s Fury through Chessington South
A day in the world of adventure

 

Sea Life Chessington


Black Buccaneer

 

Fun Fact #1: With the Monkey Swinger it goes through the waves in a humid and happy way, as the fountains do not only serve as decoration on this wave swinger!

Fun Fact #2:Almost all the rides in Chessington World of Adventures are located in a pit so that they do not reach out over the treetops of the park. 


 
 
 

Highlights of the Animal and Theme Park

 




Dragon's Fury

 

Dragon’s Fury

Probably the best Spinning Coaster

 


Gruffalo River Ride

 

Gruffalo River Ride Adventure

A beautiful dark ride

 


Kobra

 

Kobra

The Disk’o Coaster of Wild Asia

 


 

Lorikeet Lagoon

Home of many Lorikeet

 


 

Mandrill Mayhem

The shuttle wing coaster

 


Monkey Swinger

 

Monkey Swinger

The wet wave swinger

 



Rattlesnake

 

Rattlesnake

A beautiful Wild Mouse

 


 

Tiger Rock

Log flume through the tiger enclosure

 


Tomb Blaster

 

Tomb Blaster

A blast by Sally

 



 

Vampire

The best Suspended Coaster

 


 

Zufari

A truck ride adventure

 



 
 

Past Highlights of the Animal and Theme Park

 




Rameses Revenge

 

Rameses Revenge

A wash machine of a ride

 


Scorpion Express

 

Scorpion Express

The powered coaster with the scorpion sculpture

 



With Dragon’s Fury through Chessington South

Preface

If you order a Merlin Annual Pass in the UK, you will need to collect it from any of the attractions in the group as well as from the attraction from which you have ordered it. However, the Merlin attractions in the UK are of a very high standard, which can make choosing an attraction quite difficult. If you restrict yourself to the London area, there are three theme parks belonging to the group and a large number of smaller tourist attractions. The best choice, in my opinion, is Chessington World of Adventures. Not only is it easily accessible, but it also has two very fun rides within the park, the Dragon’s Fury and Vampire roller coasters.

Chessington World of Adventures

Entering through the Lodge Gate near Chessington South railway station, you will immediately find yourself in the Zoo area of the park. Turn right to see otters in action and enter Wanyama Village and Reserve, which opened in 2011. This area consists mainly of a large prairie and some smaller enclosures such as the meerkat enclosure. Next year the area will be expanded to include the Zufari Safari Tour.

Next to Wanyama Village is the Monkey & Bird Garden where you can see some larger birds and smaller monkeys. The Monkey Walkthrough is an interesting feature where a staff member takes a smaller group around and explains the animals in the outdoor enclosure.

On the way to the rest of the zoo area at Chessington World of Adventures, we recommend a visit to the local Sea Life Centre, which has a number of interesting aquariums. This is one of the larger Sea Life Centres in the group – very similar to Sharkbait Reef at Alton Towers. Unlike the smaller Sea Life Centres in Germany, you can easily stay a little longer in this one. With children, the visit is a completely different experience anyway.

The Trail of the Kings, together with the penguin and sea lion enclosures, completes the zoo area of Chessington World of Adventures. Unfortunately, at the time of my visit, half of the enclosures were closed for refurbishment. However, the animals that were present were very active.

Sea Storm and Black Buccaneer

The Pirates Cove themed area features the Mack Rides Sea Storm ride and the very interesting HUSS Black Buccaneer boat swing. Like many other attractions in the park, the ship swing is located in a pit, which means it does not reach above the surrounding tree tops – a common height restriction in the UK. In addition to a tingly feeling in the tummy, you are guaranteed to get a bounce or two at the top.

The neighbouring area of Transylvania is home to a night creature of a very special kind. It is also home to a bubble factory and one of the most interesting fast-food restaurants. The Burger King here is themed.

BubbleWorks

BubbleWorks, the bubble factory, failed to impress on my last visit due to the lack of soundtrack, but it did so on this visit. The quirky design, which has been executed with a certain perfection, and the magnificent finale, which takes you through numerous fountain tunnels, make this dark ride something very special and something not to be missed.

Vampire

Equally special is the now grown-up Vampire coaster. At 21 years of age, it still swings its guests through the treetops, and it does so with aplomb. The main highlight is certainly the big drop into the tunnel, after which the gondolas swing out very strongly, but the first part of the ride is also a lot of fun and can already show some strong swings. As with Arrow’s other European coasters, this bloodsucker will tempt you to take a second or third ride.

Dragon’s Fury

The Dragon’s Fury roller coaster in the Land of the Dragons themed area, which also features a Zierer Kontiki, a large children’s playground and an interactive water fountain, is often regarded as Maurer Söhne’s best spinning coaster. On this visit, however, I found it difficult to decide whether Alton Towers’ Sonic Spinball was not a little better. The big advantage of the Alton Towers ride is certainly the much smoother ride compared to Dragon’s Fury, but it lacks the first drop with that crazy S-curve combination that leads straight into Immelmann. Both layouts have their charms and are well ahead of the other layouts, it is just hard to say which of the two Merlin Entertainments models is actually better or worse. However, Dragon’s Fury is a truly great coaster.

Madagascar Live!

With the removal of the Smarties Cottage in the former children’s area of Chessington World of Adventures, the last stigma of the park has disappeared. All the attractions remained the same, except that the Flying Jumbos were moved closer to the Powered Coaster Runaway Train to make room for a stage for the very popular Dreamwork figures from Madagascar. From a distance, the Madagascar Live! show looked quite child-friendly, but the show value was still much higher than the 4D Ice Age experience at Alton Towers, which currently occupies a theatre over there.

Monkey Swinger

In the Wild Asia section we immediately encounter the wave swinger Monkey Swinger, which drenches passengers with ice-cold water through its fountain play. Visitors get soaked by the fountains – not surprisingly there is a hairdryer at the exit for the passengers.

Lorikeet Lagoon

An attraction now found in many zoos around the world is the Lorikeet Lagoon free-flight aviary, where you can lure the colourful lorikeet with a bit of nectar. This made the birds look quite fat, probably due to their new plumage. As at Weltvogelpark Walsrode, the lorises were quite trusting, which led to some funny situations.

Dragon Falls and Peeking Heights

In the Mystic East themed area is the Dragon Falls log flume, which cleverly directed the water from the shots onto my shoes, resulting in wet socks. The Peeking Heights Ferris Wheel is supposed to offer views of Staines and nearby Thorpe Park, but the view was not that good on the day we visited.

Tomb Blaster

On my last visit my opinion of Tomb Blaster was a little clouded by the long breaks in the block sections. The ride is a real gem of an interactive dark ride, just like most of the other dark rides built by Sally. The story, however, is rather flat and doesn’t deserve any real attention, as you’ll mainly be shooting at ancient Egyptian enemies and bigger bosses. The length of the ride is also remarkable, partly due to the train system used.

Rameses Revenge

Next door is Rameses Revenge, one of the best top spins from HUSS. The ride not only manages to produce a good number of spins, but also provides a good shower for the passengers. On two occasions the water fountains were approached head on and luckily they caught you well so you left Chessington World of Adventures well drenched.

Runaway Train and Rattlesnake

In the Mexicana themed area, you can ride Mack Rides’ Runaway Train – which comes with a beautiful mountain range and a top themed queue – as well as another coaster highlight: the Rattlesnake. Due to the park’s height restrictions, this wild mouse was installed in a pit, giving it a very unique look. It also helps that the queue passes through the coaster’s inner courtyard.

Pictures Chessington World of Adventures

Conclusion Chessington World of Adventures

Chessington World of Adventures is the prettiest of Merlin Entertainments’ UK theme parks, although not the biggest. The park’s portfolio is well-balanced and boasts some real treasures, including some very special rollercoasters such as Vampire and Dragon’s Fury. The park, with its extraordinary ideas, has made the most of the constructive constraints. The integrated zoo, like Drayton Manor Theme Park or Tier- und Freizeitpark Thüle, provides an all-round successful package and a very good distribution of visitors within the park.

 

What is your opinion about the roller coaster Dragon’s Fury?  Just write it in the comment field below the report or visit our social media channels:

 

     


Click here for the overview page of Chessington World of Adventures