Riding the Legend

Arnolds Park

Coming into Arnolds Park is just stunning. After passing a camelback-like gate arch which even features an old coaster train on top, guest can park their car on the big parking lot opposite the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum. From here, guest can take a walk on Lake St. towards the Queen II excursion boat passing a few nice restaurants and shops.

The amusement park is located to the left of Lake St. Here we enter the park at the turn around of the roller coaster The legend. At the back half of the park, guests can find most of the park’s major attractions, like a dodgem, a Scrambler, a Tilt-a-Whirl, a Round-Up and three classic rides by the Eyerly Aircraft Company.

Roll-o-Plane and Rock-o-Plane

One of the main reasons for visiting was to see a Roll-o-Plane in action. This compact ride, designed by Eyerly, would have been a blast if it had been open when I visited. The ride itself is an improvement on the Loop-o-Plane ride, where the gondolas take one loop after another; here, the gondolas can rock sideways and the cantilever is lifted during the ride, creating a unique Immelmann Turn-like ride sensation.

A little disappointed, I soon boarded the Rock-o-Plane, also by Eyerly. I had the chance to ride a similar ride at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, so I was eager to give the Ferris wheel-like ride a good rock. It took a while to get started, but I had a great time and ended up doing a few somersaults.

Octopus

The last ride in this great collection is the Octopus. Unlike the more common monster rides, there are only two gondolas per arm and the arm itself has no additional rotation. However, due to the design of the ride, there is always a pop of airtime at the top and the fast wave motion makes it easy for the cars to spin. A great ride!

Mad Mouse

Another great ride in the back of the park is the small family coaster Mad Mouse by the Allen Herschell Company, which unfortunately broke down a few minutes before I was able to try it. The compact design consists mainly of narrow hairpin bends and very gentle slopes.

Boji Falls Log Ride

The Boji Falls Log Ride is one of the park’s largest attractions. This very compact 1970 log flume ride by Arrow Dynamics was donated to the park in 1999 by the Morey family, owner of Morey’s Piers in Wildwood, New Jersey. In Wildwood, the ride was part of the defunct Dinosaur Beach.  

After climbing the lift, the boat bob through a bunch of turns at high altitude making its way to the other side. After a final turn, the riders are confronted with the only downhill chute and a nice splash soon after.

Long Lines Limited Train

Probably the sweetest attraction in the front section of the park is the Long Lines Limited Train. This small train ride gives you brilliant views onto the park’s wooden coaster, the small Kiddie Coaster and the park’s Ferris Wheel.

Legend

The ride on the small wooden coaster Legend starts with a dip out of the station. After the lift hill it goes straight into the first drop of the ride. This is done by a gentle curve to the left, which gives a nice lateral sensation. After an uphill, we make a turn to the left. Now we go down and race over a series of camelbacks, which offer some good airtime. After a turn to the right, we make our way parallel to the Okoboji Lake promenade, hitting a few more camelbacks on our way to the station. Soon after, our great ride on this nearly 100-year-old roller coaster comes to an end. The Legend is a great ride and a great reason to stop in Iowa.

Pictures Arnolds Park

Conclusion Arnolds Park

Little Arnolds Park is a hidden gem and not to be missed when travelling through Iowa. Not only is the location on Lake Okoboji stunning and absolutely beautiful, but the park also boasts a large selection of America’s finest rides. The Legend roller coaster is certainly a blast and the main reason for a visit.

 

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Racing on the Minifigure Speedway

Legoland Windsor

I haven‘t been to Legoland Windsor in ages. During the time since my last visit, quite a few attractions opened within the park – most of them unique to this Legoland park.

Lego Ninjago World

Lego Ninjago The Ride

Lego Ninjago The Ride is the first interactive themed ride where passengers use only their hands to aim. The ride system uses a series of sensors to detect the movements of the hands. Depending on the height of the hands and the angle to the sensor, the hand movement is interpreted and a coloured dot appears on the screen so that you know where you are currently aiming. The whole process is not very intuitive and so confused hand-waving is actually a good way to score a lot of points. You can refine your movements on the many screens you pass. All in all, Lego Ninjago The Ride is a very solid and fun attraction.

Lego Mythica

Since the second Lego movie was unfortunately a flop, the Merlin Entertainments Group decided to create the Lego Mythica brand for Legoland Windsor instead of a themed area based on the film. The Lego Mythica themed area includes the Flying Theater Flight of the Sky Lion, the two very fun family freefall towers Fire & Ice Freefall, and the redesigned Jet Ski attraction Hyda’s Challenge.

Flight of the Sky Lion

In true Lego style, the Flight of the Sky Lion takes you on a colourful adventure through the different realms of Lego Mythica. There is a lot going on during the wild ride, especially as every creature wants to start a fight with you. The ride itself looks good, has some accelerating movements and tells an easy-to-digest story – but that’s about it. If the queue is short, a ride on Flight of the Sky Lion is an easy recommendation.

Lego City

Lego City: Deep Sea Adventure

The Lego City: Deep Sea Adventure dark ride combines two of Merlin Entertainment’s core brands: Lego and Sealife. The ride through the aquarium is therefore quite impressive and a cool way to watch the goings-on in the large water basin around you.

Haunted House Monster Party

While Legoland Billund surprised everyone by creating a scare attraction with a cluster of small drop towers, Legoland Windsor took a more family-friendly approach by inviting everyone to the Monster Party. Here, guests enter a large room that turns upside down. Of course, this is only an optical illusion, as the ride itself only tilts back and forth by about 30°.

The Haunted House Monster Party is a nice addition to Legoland Windsor and a unique Mad House with a very cool vibe. Hopefully we will see this attraction at other Legoland locations in the future.

Duplo Valley

Duplo Dino Coaster

The Duplo Dino Coaster is the smallest roller coaster at Legoland. It has an oval layout with gentle drops and turns. The ride itself is fun and a great way to start your rollercoaster career as a toddler.

Bricktopia

Minifigure Speedway

High above Duplo Valley is the large family roller coaster Minifigure Speedway. The ride features two dueling tracks, each offering a forward and backward ride. Both tracks consist of a series of tight-radius turns with a gentle hill in between. Although the ride itself is very family friendly, the new Zierer coaster still packs a punch, especially during the backwards ride.

The Minifigure Speedway is a great addition to Legoland Windsor and a very special first for roller coaster manufacturer Zierer. It would be great to see similar rides at other Legoland locations around the world.

Pictures Legoland Windsor

Conclusion Legoland Windsor

It is good to see that Merlin Entertainments is still investing in some of its parks. Although the presentation of the rides could be a little better – the Legoland Speedway and the Haunted House Monster Party in particular look a little uninspired and drab – the additions over the last 10 years add a lot to the line-up of this popular theme park. It will be interesting to see what the future holds, especially as a large plot of land, once occupied by the Vikings River Splash rapids ride, is set to become available soon.

 

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A visit to the World of Jumanji

Room on the Broom – A magical Journey

Where the goblins once caused mischief in Hocus Pocus Hall, the nameless witch is now searching for her hat, bow and magic wand. In the process, we meet some animal helpers who gradually join us (just like in the children’s book). All in all, Room on the Broom – A magical Journey is a successful attraction for the youngest visitors to the animal and theme park.

Croc Drop

Where the Croc Drop now rises into the air, the HUSS Top Spin Rameses Revenge used to stand. The ride on the SBF Visa Drop’n Twist has no real sense of momentum and is therefore mercilessly insignificant compared to the more typical representatives of this type of ride from Zierer. It’s a shame that the old HUSS attraction has been replaced in such an unworthy manner.

World of Jumanji

One year after Gardaland unveiled a surprising and wild dark ride with Jumanji – The Adventure, a new theme based on the classic cursed board game is coming to the park in the World of Adventure. The World of Jumanji consists of the Mandrill Mayham rollercoaster, the Mamba Strike Miami ride and the Saltamontes Ostrich Stampede. While the roller coaster is from B&M, the other two rides are from SBF Visa.

Ostrich Stampede und Mamba Strike

Merlin Entertainments has been buying from SBF Visa a lot in recent years. The Italian ride manufacturer generally offers mass instead of class, and so the rides on these two rides offer a lot of wasted potential, as well as the uncomfortable seats and restraints that are typical of the manufacturer. As filler attractions in the World of Jumanji themed area, they are quite nice to look at, but a ride here is only worthwhile if no one is actually queuing.

Mandrill Mayhem

The big top dog in the World of Jumanji is B&M’s Mandrill Mayhem rollercoaster, which completely encircles the themed area. In addition to two smaller launch areas, the coaster consists of an overbanked spike right at the start of the ride, a long roll and an upward spiral around the towering jaguar statue.

The Mandrill Mayhem ride starts with a short backwards ride out of the station. With momentum we go through a dip and then up the overbanked spike, which is a very nice introduction to the ride, especially in the last rows. Shortly after, we pick up speed again and leave the station in a left turn that takes us straight into the ride’s rollover element and over the entrance portal to the World of Jumanji. In a turn we pass the Ostrich Stampede ride and after a short turn we approach the upward spiral to the Jaguar statue. Once we put the Jaguar’s Eye jewel back in its place and call out Jumanji, the curse is broken and everything goes back to normal. Including us. Now we go through the short chicane again, turn upside down in the inline twist and then enter the station again.

Mandrill Mayhem is a very fun coaster. Similar to Maximus – Der Flug des Wächters at Legoland Deutschland, the ride is rather short, but scores with its staging and integrated elements. Despite two roll-overs and numerous launch sections, the ride is very family friendly and a great introduction to roller coasters.

Pictures Chessington World of Adventures

 


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