The Pulsing Waters of Walibi Belgium

Preface

It is rare that a concept where you always ask yourself how it actually works is put into action. It is even rarer if this is done by a park, which has already gained quite negative experiences. Well the Doppelmayr cable car coaster Vertigo, which was put into Walibi Belgium 9 years ago, is said to be quite fun on the few open days back in May of 2008; This was nevertheless a disaster on both sides. This time, however, the ride comes from the traditional roller coaster company Mack Rides. Therefore, the chances for another debacle were rather low with Pulsar. The Power Splash can be roughly described as a shuttle coaster, i.e. a roller coaster without a closed circuit, with a watering towards the end of the journey. What should go wrong, especially when the park knows a lot about shuttle roller coasters? Nothing!

Pulsar

Thematically Pulsar represents a machine (in the form of a beating heart), whose destructive energy is derived via a roller coaster at regular intervals. The nice thing is that the visitors are the missing component to make all of that possible. The story plays in the same universe that was created to restructure Walibi Belgium in 2011; So no “F*ck Slow, #Hard Gaan”, as in the Dutch sister park. In general, the audience in Walibi Belgium is now very pleasant; but it may also be that unwanted crowds of visitors (I remember times when the cashier was regularly insulted as “fils de pute”) fail to comply with the additional security measures all around in Belgium.

After walking through the queue on the upper floor (or as a Single rider just a few meters till the turnstiles) you are already divided into one of the five rows. You store your luggage in the shelves on the right side of the station and wait for the next arriving boat. The boarding is done very quickly thanks to automatically closing lapbars, so that only a few moments pass before the 20-passenger boat – accompanied by the heartbeats of the machine – is rotated towards the actual track.

Once in position, the boat is immediately accelerated backwards over a hill. The initial scepticism about the (still) quite shallow acceleration is soon to be forgotten, as you fly over the hill. Now you pass the still unflooded water water basin and climb the vertical spike on the rear end of the ride about half of its height. At about the same speed, the return leads to the station, where you are now noticeably accelerated on the hill and neatly lifted from the seat. Now you climb the front spike of the ride up to its end. With noticeably fast speed, you cross the acceleration hill for a third time, which now tries to eject you from the ride. Back in the rear section of the ride, you climb the spike till its (slightly flattened) top. During this manoeuvre the water level in the basin is raised by 30 cm. In the meantime, the upcoming splash quickly moves back into the memory of the passengers, whereby the previously accumulated joy suddenly passes into a respectful panic. At 100 km/h, the boat now dives into the pool, which leads to a visually very impressive wave. However, this rewards the front rows of seats only with a little mist, while it can thoroughly soak the rear of the boat. Shortly thereafter you pass the hill for the last time and are slowed down to walking pace, whereupon you stop in the next valley. The turntable then turns you back to the station and the bar opens.

Pulsar is an all-round successful attraction, where you always like to get on again. The ride is just terrific and can absolutely convince just by its unusual acceleration phases over the hill. The watering is optically more impressive than it is while riding; However, it is definitely scary! Especially if you suddenly get soaked after the first rather dry ride. Hopefully more copies of this truly enhanced water ride will follow.

Pictures

Closing Words

Due to the location within Walibi Belgium, the paths in the park are now slightly optimised so that you can commute on the fastest routes between the main attractions Flashback, Psyké Underground, Pulsar and Loup Garou. Interestingly, the probability to suddenly meet an old friend of yours in the park is reduced. However, whilst waiting for another round on Pulsar I suddenly got a call from my friend David. He was in a group waiting in the normal queue and I just got on as a Single Rider. After the ride, I finally realised him in the queue, so I took another round via the single rider to actually sit with him in the same row. My plans to leave Walibi for another visit of Plopsa Coo or Plopsa Indoor Hasselt were discarded. The times to leave Walibi Belgium early are now a thing of the past. Thanks Pulsar!

 

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Bavaria’s strongest piece of leisure

Preface

On my way to Munich, I have already passed Bavaria’s strongest piece of leisure twice; the first time ignorant of the existence of the amusement park as a child, the second time out of respect for my passenger, who had promised to visit the park to another person for years, and a rather strict daily schedule. Since I accompanied my father on a bicycle tour along the Tauber river to the Main river, starting in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the 30km long detour off the A7 motorway to the Freizeit-Land Geiselwind was finally tackled.

Freizeit-Land Geiselwind

The amusement park, which opened in 1969, has its origins as a bird and pony fairy tale park, a mixture that was already extraordinary back then. Although remains of the fairy tale park have been preserved, the animal enclosures dominate the amusement park, which has also featured an increasing number of rides since the 1980s. Since then, these rides have generated the greatest interest. At the same time the zoo is quite respectable and, similar to Weltvogelpark in Walsrode in Lower Saxony, it can boast a great variety of species in sufficiently large aviaries and enclosures.

T-Rex World

In terms of design, however, the Freizeit-Land Geiselwind is dominated by extinct creatures. In addition to a railway in dinosaur look and numerous figures, the dinosaurs are particularly popular in T-Rex World. This is a small exhibition worth seeing with animatronics, which were skillfully staged. Interestingly, the exhibition here convinced me more than the guided exhibition of newer Era T-Rex in the Portuguese amusement park Zoomarine, despite the much smaller size.

T-Rex Tower

In front of the hall is the T-Rex Tower, a Shot ‘n’ Drop by the manufacturer HUSS, a vertical ride that has become extinct at least at German fairs. While Robrahn’s Countdown travels through France under Fleur and Goetzke’s Freefall was sold to the Australian amusement and water park Adventure World near Perth, Roies Shot ‘n’ Drop is the only ride remaining in Germany. Like the towers mentioned above, the T-Rex Tower delivers a solid ride with a very nice shot up and drop down. Despite the lack of negative acceleration compared to the manufacturer S&S Sansei, the ride is always a little more fun due to the beautiful launch, although the end of the ride is reached after just one cycle.

The HUSS Corner

Next to two water basins with Nautic Jets and water roundabouts, which always had the longest waiting time, there is a corner exclusively consisting of rides from HUSS, as could be experienced before, in a similar constellation, in the Lower Saxony amusement parks Heide Park and Serengeti Park. Besides a stylish condor called Ikarus and a Ranger called Shuttle, you can ride an Enterprise, as well as a Break Dance. All rides offer a long ride with more or less balanced programs. I found the acceleration phases of the Ranger interesting and at the same time a bit disturbing, because it always decelerated in the valley, which was never the case with the identical Fliegender Hai ride in Hansa Park.

Wildwasserbahn

If you follow the paths further on you will come across the big log flume Wildwasserbahn with its three shots. This is a slightly modified version of the standard model of the French manufacturer Reverchon, which has been supplemented by a further downhill run. Although the ride reminds of a funfair of the past due to its large back wall, the general design of the ride, especially the nicely designed waiting area, is successful.

After the boat has left the station, one rumbles a little through the channel along the maintenance hall of the Freizeit-Land Geiselwind before taking the first lift. At the top you make a small curve behind the back wall on rollers until a friction wheel pushes the boat into the first shot. This is designed as a double gradient and releases you a little wet into the further course. One S-curve later it goes up again and a small right curve follows. Now the smallest descent of the ride follows and as fast as this one came, as fast the end of the run-out distance is already reached and you rapidly make another right turn. After a slightly longer straight, the boat accumulates for the last time in altitude. Arriving at the top, the game repeats itself and a high shot follows without any interruptions. Arrived at the bottom you get properly moistened just before you continue the rest of the way towards the station. By ingenious technology, which I actually noticed for the first time at the ride, the boats are stopped briefly before they are gently put on the conveyor belt of the station without crashing against the other boats.

Top of the World

Similarly interesting from a technical point of view, but on a much larger scale, is the Top of the World observation tower, which can be briefly described as a monster with a capacity of 132 people. The formerly largest transportable ride in the world measures a total height of 95 m, with a ride height of 72 m. The ride was built in the mid-90s by Nauta Bussink for the Bremen showman Finnendahl, who operated the 270-tonne structure until 1998. Compared to the modern free-fall towers of the manufacturer Funtime, the ride is very massive, which is already noticeable by the four outriggers. The tower itself is relatively wide, which certainly did not make transport easy. The technology of the nacelle, however, is very simple and is driven by two steel cables that are rolled up and down and thus lift and lower the counterweight and thereby influence the position of the nacelle. After the gondola has been lifted a little, a power rail ensures the supply of the motors for the rotation of the gondola. The ride itself, however, is relatively slow in both movements and thus offers a good view of the amusement park. Thereby, also the air-conditioned gondola is a very special, as most of the seats are designed as standing places and are arranged in two rows. Moreover, the view from the windows is surprisingly clear, as there are no traces of scratches and other wear and tear.

Drehgondelbahn

Quite inconspicuous and easily overlooked even from above is the Drehgondelbahn, a truly unique roller coaster at Freizeit-Land Geiselwind. This is the only spinning coaster of the company Zierer, which has been making its rounds in the park since 1994. This fact alone is more exciting than the actual layout of the ride, as there is only a simple oval with a descending helix in the middle. As simple as the track seems to be, as good it makes the gondolas turn, so that a thoroughly amusing ride emerges. For three rounds, one makes the way through the course before the gondolas are automatically aligned in the station.

It’s strange to find only one roller coaster of this kind from Zierer, because the potential to be a box office hit today is shown by the compact spinning coasters from SBF Visa with their even simpler layout. Especially for smaller amusement parks a ride like the Drehgondelbahn would be more than ideal, so a new edition of this classic ride would certainly not be the worst idea.

Boomerang

In an alignment with the Top of the World observation tower and the Drehgondelbahn, there is the biggest roller coaster of Geiselwind, a Vekoma Boomerang. Although it looks relatively normal from the outside it is an elaborately designed ride in Australian style, including the eponymous throwing weapon. Access to this ride is around the engine room, whereupon you are directly inside the station. Compared to similar rides, this one hardly vibrates when the train passes through, which is why, interestingly enough, televisions adorn the station.

After the driver has gripped the train, it is slowly pulled up the first ramp. At the top of the ramp it automatically disengages, whereupon the train descends and crosses the station at top speed. The train then shoots up the first manoeuvre and stands upside down for the first time, before it goes overhead again in the second half of the Cobra Roll. A classic looping, which is powerfully passed through forwards, is added. In its exit, the first brakes are applied and thus reduce the speed just before the train engages a lift chain. This in return brings the train back to its maximum height before a mechanism lowers it and thus releases the train. Now it goes backwards down the second ramp and at top speed into the loop, which has now noticeably gained pressure. The Cobra Roll, on the other hand, will pass through a little slower before the train enters the station once more and the brakes engage. The riding characteristics are, similar to the ones from the Belgian amusement parks Bellewaerde and Walibi Belgium, extremely good and invite to several rides.

Cobra

On the site of the former roller coaster Marienkäferbahn, which left Freizeit-Land Geiselwind for reasons of cost and age, this year’ s roller coaster Cobra by showman Agtsch is located. In the years before, the place was already occupied by two Wild Mice, the indoor roller coaster Black Hole and a ghost train, which is understandable on the one hand, but on the other hand is not really needed due to the already large offer of rides. Because of the barriers along the ride this place doesn’t look very nice, a non-temporary attraction would surely be an advantage here in the future.

Blauer Enzian

Right next door is a Blauer Enzian roller coaster of the same name from Mack. Like many rides at Freizeit-Land Geiselwind, this is a former travelling ride, which can be seen by the two water basins that make the sole of the ride heavy. Since the bridge above the station was not built, the exit happens on the same side as the entrance. Therefore, one side of the train was closed off.

The ride begins with a wide left turn, followed by a leisurely climb. Once at the top, the train makes a downward helix to the left before climbing up a steeper straight. Now the train makes a wide downward right-hand bend, crosses under the track just passed and surrounds the first downward helix in another left-hand bend. With much more momentum, the car now crosses the station and then lap by lap the course. Except for the abrupt second change of direction, it’s a nice ride.

Fränkische Weinfahrt

In addition to a 4D cinema, which is currently showing a film in the style of Jurassic Park, the Freizeit-Land Geiselwind also offers a number of flat trips, all of which have been well designed. However, only the Fränkische Weinfahrt (Franconian Wine Ride), a teacup ride, shows the regional reference of the park. Everything else is bavarian, which also keeps the gastronomy prices in a good range.

Pictures Freizeit-Land Geiselwind

Conclusion Freizeit-Land Geiselwind

The Freizeit-Land Geiselwind is a rather neat amusement park. The rides are all in a very good condition and generally appear to be very well maintained, as are the gardens. Despite the parcel-like division of the rides, the routing does not remind of the computer game Roller Coaster Tycoon, a state of affairs that can be experienced for example in the rear part of the Erse Park in Uetze, so that a harmonious overall impression is created. Although the origin of many of the rides cannot be denied, the impression of a permanent funfair is by no means created by the nice integration of the rides. At least, the Freizeit-Land Geiselwind easily manages to entertain its visitors for a few hours and offers a good price-performance ratio, which is why I would like to call the park Bavaria’s strongest piece of leisure, which makes the park’s slogan more accurate (but the competition in this federal state is very manageable).

 

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Leisure culture Vienna style

Wiener Prater

The Wiener Prater is a very spacious park area in the middle of the Austrian capital with a variety of sports facilities, a planetarium, the Liliputbahn and the amusement park Wurstelprater, which is typically called Prater. Similar to the Dyrehavsbakken on the outskirts of the Danish capital Copenhagen, the Prater is divided into plots and is fed by various showmen, so that the park itself partly resembles a folk festival. But on the other hand, the showmen are responsible for the design of the Prater themselves, so as a result, there were some very nice corners in the Prater.

Wiener Riesenrad

From the station Praterstern, it is only a few metres up to the Wiener Prater. One enters this place at the Riesenradplatz at the foot of the Wiener Riesenrad, the famous landmark of the city and the Prater. Built in the year 1897 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the throne of Emperor Franz Joseph I, the approximately 65 m high wheel is the oldest Ferris wheel in the world and was the highest Ferris wheel in the world between 1920 and 1985.

After paying the not exactly low entrance fee, we go to a small exhibition in which miniatures about the history of Vienna and the Prater are shown in reconstructed wagons. The mirrored walls are interesting, whereby the room seems to be endless. In the outer area of the complex, there is the stairway to the station. From here, one has a wonderful view to the framework structure of the Ferris wheel and to the engine of it. During the trip in the large capacity gondolas, one has a wonderful view to the wheel and the Prater itself, as also to the skyline of the city of Vienna.

Super 8er Bahn

From the Ferris wheel you have a perfect view of the Aqua Gaudi white water ride, a new log flume from Reverchon, as well as the Prater’s largest roller coaster, the Super 8er Bahn, an FC80 built in 1997 by Pinfari.

After climbing the lifthill, the first descent is started uniformly, followed by an uphill turn to the left, whereupon our route remains somewhat airy. From here, we go downhill and uphill again at high speed for a short time, whereupon we pass a block brake. After another right-hand bend in Bavarian style the track goes steeply downhill. At full speed you now pass under the lift hill, which makes you realize very quickly why the catwalk at the lift was partly interrupted. After a small ascent, you immediately return to the ground in a downward helix. On a straight stretch you gain some height before turning left towards the ground. One turn later, you quickly pass a Bayernkurve just before the brakes start.

Fortunately, the Super 8 track does not have any cars with shoulder restraints, as they were often used on the manufacturer’s larger installations, hence the ride characteristics are quite good. Just like the Alpina train, which is a similarly compact layout, it has the urge to move its passengers a few centimetres back and forth in the car. In this respect, I don’t even want to imagine what an ordeal a ride in the RC70 must be, which has two loops in addition to the high speed and the compact design. Nevertheless, the Super 8er Bahn is a good roller coaster with a decent track length.

Dizzy Mouse

Belonging to the same operator, the Reverchon Spinning Coaster Dizzy Mouse is located in the immediate vicinity of the two larger rides and the Ferris wheel. In addition to the proven layout, the Reverchon Spinning Coaster Dizzy Mouse has a cat-shaped tunnel. As with all rides of this type, the rotation was quite present, although unfortunately somewhat expandable.

Insider

Interestingly enough, there is another spinning coaster in the immediate vicinity, but this time a Compact Spinning Coaster by Maurer Söhne. The layout of this roller coaster is often found as a copy in Chinese amusement parks, but also in Germany a layout was on tour as a spinning mouse in 2000. The one here in the Prater, however, came from the Japanese amusement park Tokyo Dome City. If you enter the Insider, you first have to find your way to the station, which here consists of a labyrinth and a laser game.

The layout of this roller coaster corresponds to the layout of a Wild Mouse from the same company, as you can find it here in the Prater with very good ride characteristics, only that the ride has a not such steep gradient. Due to the well lubricated cars, the first hairpin bend of this coaster will make you spin like never before on any spinning coaster. Combined with the music and the suitable background illuminations by lasers, the result is in the end a really successful ride, even if the entrance fee seems to be a little too high compared to the other installations in the Wiener Prater.

Maskerade

Since two spinning coasters are not enough, visitors can not only spin side by side and back to back sitting, but also with visual contact, as it is usual on a Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster. Maskerade is the name of the half-finished ride with vertical lift inside a hall. Besides this element, it can just about offer a drop with a trivial exit from the hall and a descending and ascending helix respectively.

Masquerade is scrap metal, nothing more than a waste of steel and therefore by far the worst installation ever built by Gerstlauer. Even with a bit of design in the interior, the ride would hardly be better, maybe just a bit more presentable; so the fare charged is just outrageous. As far as one does not need a ride, I recommend to avoid the installation and instead take a ride with the Prater Tower right in front of it, as there, the ascent alone takes as long as the whole ride on Maskerade and can offer a some added value with the view over Vienna.

Der Zug des Manitu

A special ride is Der Zug des Manitu from CAM Baby Kart, a small powered coaster, which first goes backwards for half a lap before the rest of the ride continues forwards. The track itself describes actually only two ovals laid over each other, but the responsible engineer must have had a good bend in the optics, because every supposed straight line turns out to be quite curvy. Due to the ride operator, the trip proved to be specially fun and hardly wanted to end. Thus, the best price-performance ratio at the Wiener Prater is definitely to be found here.

Volare

Often, the Wiener Prater is the first port of call for new concepts, mostly for flat rides, such as the prototypes of all Flying Coasters of the Italian manufacturer Zamperla called Volare. This type of roller coaster doesn’t have the best reputation among roller coaster lovers, but the ride still seems too tempting not to test.

The entrance is similar to a HUSS Fly Away, so you climb a ladder as far as you can, then lie on your belly, grab the handles in front of you and look straight ahead. When all passengers are in this position, the car moves forward and is closed by a mechanism, so you ride the roller coaster like the toppings on a sandwich. After a short straight line you turn into the spiral lift, where the car is picked up surprisingly gently. Very quickly the ride goes uphill, at the top you can enjoy the view and then there is a small downhill slope. With full momentum it goes now into a strongly banked hairpin bend where the passengers are shaken back and forth. A heart-line roll follows, where, due to the great game in the car, you take off strangely and land gently again. A hardly describable feeling, which is repeated one floor below in the other direction of travel. After another block you pass some gentle turns before you hit the brakes. Back at the station the car is opened from below and you can leave the car backwards.

Volare is a roller coaster that I really liked, except for the first hairpin bend. The smoothness of the cars was surprisingly pronounced for a Zamperla roller coaster; the ride feeling was ok, and because of the rolls, as well as the smoother turns in the course of the ride, it was somehow funny. If you think of Volare as a wild mouse among the Flying Coasters, the ride definitely has its reason for being and is by no means as bad as it is often said.

Tornado

Right next door is the Funtime Tornado, a thoroughly interesting ride, which attracts attention from far away due to its imposing structure. Suspended from the lightning are steel cables at the end of which a gondola has been attached. The strongly eccentrically designed lightning is now set in motion, the gondola starts to follow this movement due to its inertia and swings up some meters in altitude.  Even if this swinging movement is already quite interesting, there is still a motor at the gondola that makes it roll over as desired. Thereby, a rather funny way of riding is created, similar to the ride Rocket from the same company, only that in this case, the rollovers are not initiated laterally. It is really a pity that the Tornado was sometimes barely sold, as the ride is first class. The fare is, despite the low capacity, comparatively cheap and the total length of the ride consisted of two complete cycles.

Black Mamba

Another piece of jewellery from the Funtime company is the Chaos Pendulum Black Mamba, where simple shapes were obviously avoided as far as possible during construction. The curved arms are as striking as the construction of the boom. While the trajectory of the tornado still describes a simple 8, the driving sequence of the Black Mamba is less easy to describe. By turning the two arms, the driving sequence varies constantly between very intensive and quieter passages, so that a monotonous ride never occurs, as it often does on propellers from other manufacturers. Because of the fare, which is rather cheap, a ride is an absolute must; after all, there are not very many rides of this type and this motion sequence.

Extasy

The Extasy, an Energy Storm ride from the Italian manufacturer Soriani and Moser, is a little more monotonous. The ride is similar to a Tivoli Orbiter, except that the gondolas are not lifted up to the vertical, but even beyond it, which makes an overhead ride possible. In addition, the shoulder restraints make it a little bit variable, so that changes of direction and longer hanging phases can be realised. Everything is used properly, so that an exciting and varied ride is offered. Because of the noticeable lateral forces, which you actually only feel on the ground level, you can get a little nauseous. In addition to the rapid driving style, the ride is accompanied by suitable music and various light effects, so that here, there is always an outstanding atmosphere.

Boomerang

Friends of upside down rides without shoulder restraints will find what they are looking for at the Boomerang from Vekoma. In 2007 the old train, which now runs on the Speed Snake at Fort Fun Abenteuerland, was replaced by a much more open version of the SAT, resulting in a much freer riding experience. The comfort is also reflected in the entry and exit, which is still simple in contrast to the almost identical trains of the test track. The ride itself is extremely smooth and exciting due to the unusual freedom inside the Cobra Roll. A tunnel during the exit of the element or its re-entry completes the ride.

Megablitz

The Megablitz is another Vekoma installation in the Wiener Prater, one of the rare MK-700 installations, similar to Evolution from Bobbejaanland in Belgium and Halvar from Plopsa Coo. With its two-seater cars and the curvy layout the layout resembles a Jet Star from Schwarzkopf.

After a left-hand bend, the track immediately goes up the lifthill. At the top, you make a quick right turn at a lofty height before leaning slightly to the side, which leads to an almost straight and surprisingly steep descent. One now crosses the valley in a very powerful way, whereupon one quickly rises again towards the sky. Instead of taking a breather, you immediately get back into the bend and follow a steep downward helix until you reach ground level again. A change of direction now leads you upwards in a wide left turn and you pass a block brake. With a proper momentum the train now races in a steep curve towards the ground and follows the helix already completed in the opposite direction of travel to a higher level. On a slightly downhill straight, you pick up speed again just before you drive towards the final brake in a wide downward helix, which tapers further and further and changes into an upward helix after reaching the ground level. If you feel like doing another lap, you can simply sit down for a reduced price, the rest of the group gets out.

The Megablitz is definitely and without any objections the best roller coaster of the Wiener Prater. What Vekoma has designed here is an absolute fun machine without equal and one of the best coasters of the manufacturer. Although the ride’s footprint is not necessarily huge, the ride seems to be almost endless, which is further supported by the heavily used clearance gauge. The built up speed allows great forces with a good pressure within the curves and valleys of the layout. Accordingly, a ride is an absolute must here as well.

Miscellaneous

Although we were in Vienna for two days, we unfortunately did not manage to visit the Wiener Prater during daytime, whereby the Hochschaubahn, which we simply did not find in the first evening due to its hidden location a little aside from the actual hustle and bustle at the back of the roller coaster Maskerade, had closed. Also the children’s roller coaster The Race was closed, like most of the children’s rides already closed, as well as the Autobergbahn, which is not a roller coaster at best.

Pictures Wiener Prater

Conclusion Wiener Prater

The Wiener Prater is a really great park that partly resembles the amusement park Pleasure Beach Blackpool due to its narrow arrangement. The mix of old and new businesses and its design is as much charming as the English seaside park. Unfortunately, a visit to the Prater quickly costs a lot of money, although the fare of most of the rides is generally cheaper than on a German funfair, as there are much too many interesting attractions, among which there are still a lot of interesting walkthroughs, dark rides, ghost trains, bumper cars (pardon Autodrome) and go-kart tracks. It’s just an incredibly great mix, which you should let affect you more often.

 

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