Fort Fun Abenteuerland

When the sky screamed for the first time

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Preface

If the day begins suboptimally it can only be good, at least that’s what I thought when I woke up early in the morning at Jan’s home in Weiterstadt, saw my glasses in pieces and spontaneously had to plan a visit to Fielmann in Haßloch. On the way we picked up Martin, so we got there on time and after about ten minutes of waiting we could take the way to the neighbouring Holiday Park. Despite these circumstances we waited super punctual on the forecourt for the others and then awaited the opening of the roller coaster Sky Scream together with them.

As I myself was not in possession of a valid season ticket, I joined the queue and waited surprisingly long. Since Julian now also joined the group and made significantly faster progress in the line next to mine, I joined him in order to extend the queue with a funny action by using our Fort Fun season tickets. Since the group was still not complete we decided to repeat the whole game with Jan’s annual ticket at another ticket office, after all, a ticket was still missing. Last but not least Martin surprised us with an expired season ticket, which blocked his entrance and led to some nice hours in the season ticket queue, while we enjoyed ourselves in the park.

Holiday Park

Majas Blütensplash

Meanwhile it was already clearly after 10 o’clock and thus our lively troop with the urge to ride something moved into the Majaland to pay a visit to the Blütensplash. Well entertained, a little wet and with a kitschy children’s song in our ears, we were now attracted to the actual reason for the visit, as a high structure surrounded by a lot of naked concrete radiated a certain end-time mood from which we did not want to resist.

Sky Scream

An old, dirty Vekoma track showed us the way to the roller coaster Sky Scream and shortly after we made ourselves comfortable between the concrete walls. Up and down a short steel staircase we waited now with a little more people on the way up to the station. Certainly most of the people willing to ride waited there and due to the narrowness of the station there was also a little chaos, because although the first row obviously had the most people, some of the other rows had a much longer wait. Especially when the station is a bit narrower, it would have been useful to set up a turnstile and let a maximum of 2-3 car loads into it. Certainly the Holiday Park is seldom as full as on the day of the visit, but a little more order could lead to more rides, which I actually regretted by a small mistake towards the end of the day, when all the others rode three laps in a row.

Finally taken a seat in the, at least in the last rows very narrowly laid out, cars of the roller coaster Sky Scream and pushed down the unfavourably shaped bar, the ride could begin. The first launch resembles in large parts the initial acceleration of a boat swing. After the change of the running direction the ride is much more powerful and so you almost reach the apex of the Non-Inverted Looping, from there you have a wonderful view to the Wild Mouse roller coaster and other areas of the park. With a lot of momentum you accelerate a third time and after a 180° turn around the axis of the track you reach the uppermost level without any effort, where you are torn out of your seat. After a very short breather, the immense airtime is followed by a strong hangtime in a roll that could not be placed better. Now follows the immersion into the Non-Inverted Loop, where you are physically stressed, especially in the rear part of the train. The rotation around the axis of the rail is so brutal that you hardly notice the following valley. Another reunion with the apex of the element initiates the final of the ride, whereupon you come to a precise stop in the station after another ride through it.

The Sky Scream is a truly outstanding ride – it does what the Superwirbel hasn’t been able to do for years, if the ride was running at all, and that is to be a noteworthy internal competition to the Expedition GeForce. It draws people away from the park’s everlasting main attraction. Although the ride built by Premier Rides is not the best German roller coaster novelty this year, which is without question the Flug der Dämonen in the Lueneburg Heath due to its rounder overall package, it is definitely one of the better roller coasters in the country. Holiday Park has done everything right by its risky choice.

Lighthouse Tower and Expedition GeForce

An attempt to get a backwards ride on the Palatine Lighthouse Tower by intensive rocking later our group increased to its full bloom. Martin’s request to get something to eat was skillfully ignored and accordingly the Expedition GeForce was given its long-awaited tribute. Since the ride has always been going well, another ride followed later in the day, but this time in the first row of the train. Interestingly enough, we then rode in the same trains as the group members who had broken away since the water ski show and had been waiting much longer for the last row of the train.

In the Pfalzgraf we tried out the entire range of products on offer, in my case it was a well cooked, but unfortunately quite sweet goulash of inferior quality. For the high costs one can actually expect something better, especially since the drinks were unfortunately not included, but it was still better than the iterative approach to a goulash meal of the Studierendenwerk in Hamburg, so you were able to eat it.

Burg Falkenstein

Well filled we decided to go to Burg Falkenstein, where apparently frighteners were waiting inside from 13 o’clock on. The park was really trying to upgrade its dark ride, inside the dark ride you were sprayed with water and got caught by the only active actor.

Wickie Splash

While one novelty this year is of a consistently positive nature, the disfigurement of the great Mack log flume Teufelsfässer with the now trivial name Wickie Splash is definitely not. The ride is now designed in the style of the new animated edition of the series Vicky the Viking and features a colourful look, which is not yet matching with the overall style of the ride. In addition, the lighting of the newly equipped turntables is completely missing, which makes the ride much worse. The degree of wetness of the ride would have remained the same, had it not been for the constant efforts of the other passengers to shovel water into the back of the boat.

Pictures Holiday Park

Closing Words

The meeting in the Holiday Park turned out to be absolutely great, especially since the group created a proper atmosphere here, which somehow couldn’t really be heard from the small splinter groups of the other forums visiting the park at the same day. Although we didn’t really manage to ride much during the visit, except for some permanent riders at Sky Scream at the end of the day, we visited every relevant ride that was on the way. At least I didn’t regret the long way to Palatinate at all and would not be averse to other meetings of this kind in the future.

 

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Plopsaland Deutschland

No time to get dizzy

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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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Plopsaland Ardennes

A spooky evening in Toverland

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Preface

After we left the Fort Fun Abenteuerland around noon we went on our way to Sevenum, but not without a visit of the Sternrodler and, due to the changed route through North Rhine-Westphalia, the Alpine Coaster at the Alpincenter Bottrop. In the meantime we were almost one hour off schedule, but luckily Toverland decided to bring forward their first Halloween weekend, which allowed us to visit the park for 5 hours and some rides on DesTroy.

Toverland

Unfortunately, this created a great unknown to me in relation to Toverland, because the park had waiting times outside the Bobkart Woudracer. Instead of the usual “We stay at Troy from 12 o’clock until the end of the park” this meant a waiting time of about 5-10 minutes between each ride on the wooden roller coaster, which fascinates me every time anew.

DesTroy

It would be wrong to say that DesTroy is the best wooden roller coaster in Europe, but it is absolutely right to say that the ride is convincing in any weather conditions. No matter if it’s almost summerly Easter temperatures, coldest winter weather or now rainy autumn weather, the ride just makes you feel good and you can stay troy. Night rides on DesTroy are also highly recommended, because even though the ride is phenomenally well lit on Halloween, outside of any measurable competition, you won’t notice a thing during the ride. It’s different at the Alton Towers amusement park where the night rides on the roller coasters feel like daylight, thanks to the flood lights.

Djengu River

Just as well lit as DesTroy is the certainly really stylish Magical Vallei theme area, whose splendour could only be guessed at in the evening hours and which can also be seen in the stations of the large-scale attractions. The Hafema rafting course Djengu River runs past two children’s rides and a lake with a fountain show. This is the newest ride of its kind so far, which unfortunately, similar to the ride in the Erlebnispark Tripsdrill, does without any highlights during the ride and sends the boats through the canal relatively fast.

Even though I find it very welcome to see Hafema alive again, it’s a pity that they didn’t use working gimmicks. On the one hand the milder route is explained by the target audience of the park. On the other hand the standard of comparable rides in the Benelux countries is much higher.

Dwervelwind

When the French amusement park Le Pal presented the first Mack Spinning Coaster of the latest generation, the mere sight of the layout made you want to go to this corner of France and test the ride there. Unfortunately, a roller coaster of the same layout opened a year later with the Dwervelwind, giving priority to Toverland due to its proximity.

Although the ride was launched last season, it now shines in all its glory after work on the surrounding themed area has been completed. It seems that all eyes are drawn in its direction, which is not only due to the sweeping curves.

After the train has left the station and climbed up the lift, a small curve in the airy height follows and the wild ride can begin. The ride continues smoothly down the valley where you are pushed into the train and then change the direction of the tracks in a high Immelmann Turn. Once again at ground level the train goes straight up again to make its turns in a wonderful sloping position. After a downhill left turn you do a short zigzag curve combination and then another curve in the shape of an 8. This turns into a few smaller detours, which at the same time mark the end of the funny, fast, not at all powerless, but unfortunately too short ride.

The ride on the Dwervelwind is a great pleasure, which can only be increased by sitting opposite each other in the cars and trying to interact with each other during the ride. The comparison with the existing Mack’s counterpart in Rust is, not surprisingly, in favour of the newer ride. However, the ride lags a little behind the outstanding spinning coasters Sonic Spinball and Dragon’s Fury from Maurer Söhne, which are especially trumped by the often represented distinct rotation of the cars. Nevertheless, the ride has one fundamental advantage, namely capacity, which means that waiting times here will probably never be too long, and one or the other repeat ride is guaranteed.

Conclusion Toverland

Toverland has developed very well over the years and often shows what a theme park has to be like nowadays. This can be seen not only in the excellent quality and choice of attractions, but also in the way they organise their events. Along with the extended opening hours for Halloween and the outstanding lighting of the wooden roller coaster Troy, themed figures, numerous artistry and bloody much fog went into the event, so that one was wonderfully entertained on the paths and in the halls. Unlike other events of the same kind, no one even tried to lure monsters by means of horror mazes, even though theoretically there is a natural maze in which you could scare yourself. Thus, the focus was on the scarezones, where much more importance was attached to the charisma of the actors than to the targeted frightening, unless you were coming straight from Djengu River towards DesTroy.

Shortly before Toverland closed its doors for the evening, all participants gathered in front of the entrance to say goodbye to the crowds of visitors. One would think that this would be the best way to end an all-round successful event. During the following traffic jam to get back down from the car park a specific entertainment of the waiting people would have been a good idea.

 

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Toverland