Galleon

A visit to the Adventuredome

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Adventuredome

The Circus Circus is one of the oldest hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. In addition to the only slot machines where you can still play with coins in Las Vegas, the hotel is particularly famous for its artistry shows – but apart from that, there isn’t necessarily much else to do here. When the MGM Grand then announced the MGM Grand Adventures theme park to establish Las Vegas as a family-friendly holiday destination, this was followed in 1993 by the opening of the Grand Slam Canyon – today’s Adventuredome.

Sling Shot, Inverter und Disk’o

As soon as you enter the amusement park, you find yourself in the centre of the action. The small Sling Shot freefall tower rises up in front of you – which has an incredible amount of power and first shoots you upwards at full speed before you experience a no less intense fall downwards – and to the left are the ticket office and the two flat rides Disk’o and Inverter.

Sand Pirates, Chaos und Nebulaz

In the centre of the park is a large artificial mountain – modelled on the Grand Canyon – on which the two main attractions run. If you follow the path clockwise, you will eventually come across the Sand Pirates boat swing, as well as the remains of the Chaos ride and a brand new NebulaZ ride from Zamperla.

Extreme Ride Theater & FX Theater 4D

In addition to a generously laid out and pretty cool-looking adventure golf course, the park also has the Extreme Ride Theatre – a very shallow moving simulator on which the Angry Birds 4D film is shown – and the FX Theatre 4D, which shows two pretty good 4D films (Ice Age 4-D: No Time for Nuts and Scooby Doo) alternately.

Canyon Blaster

Since the theme park opened in 1993, the Canyon Blaster has been the main attraction in the Adventuredome. The layout with its two loops and corkscrews is based on the Carolina Cyclone roller coaster at Carowinds theme park – in Europe, the same layout can be found at Efteling’s Python or Shaman at Gardaland, for example – with slight variations in the transitions towards the end of the ride. Where ten years earlier all records would have been broken, the Canyon Blaster doesn’t really offer anything special if it wasn’t for the way it is embedded within the park and the trains used. Basically, this roller coaster thrives on the fact that you come quite close to the roof of the hall at several points during the ride. In addition, after the two corkscrews, you enter a helix that leads partly through the artificial mountain massif. The modern trains, which can otherwise only be experienced on the Corkscrew in the Japanese theme park Benyland, are also extremely comfortable. All in all, a very decent roller coaster.

El Loco

The second rollercoaster in Adventureland is El Loco – the somewhat different El Loco from American manufacturer S&S. After the ride on the extremely fast lift, the ride immediately begins with the entry into a very tight turning curve. At full throttle, we then shoot over the far too narrow crest of the first drop. Without making contact with the seat, we approach the hall floor in the oversteeped drop, which we only just miss in a bend. Back at a lofty height, a block brake follows and the familiar interplay from the other El Loco roller coasters of an outwardly inclined curve and a slow lateral turn to a headstand before we hit a half loop and rush towards the ground. After a steep ascent, the track then leads us into a block brake. Just above the station, we lean briefly to the left and then to the right until we are upside down once again. The final part is a heavily braked half loop, after which we are already in the braking section of the ride and our crazy ride is slowly coming to an end.

Pictures Adventuredome

Conclusion Adventuredome

The Adventuredome is a really well-designed and extremely well-maintained theme park with some pretty cool attractions. Although the selection of attractions is clearly limited, the quality of these is quite high, which is why a visit here is really worthwhile – even if a visit to the Adventuredome should rather be seen as a supplement to the big hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas Strip.

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Click here for the next report of the California Adventure Tour

Adventuredome / California Adventure Day 5 and 6

A first visit to Dennlys Parc

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Over the years, the small family amusement park Dennlys Parc has grown up around an old marble sawmill. The name of the leisure park is a combination of the village name Dennebroeucq and the river that flows through it, the Lys.

Nitro

The first attraction we encounter on our tour of the park is the Nitro double roller coaster. The ride, built by Preston & Barbieri, offers two intertwined tracks on a very compact footprint, which are designed as a Möbius loop – so it is just one roller coaster with two sections.

Once all six cars have been loaded at the same time in the station, the wild ride can begin straight away. Once you reach a height of 10 m, you have enough time to enjoy the view on a long straight section before the first shot ride begins. Both sections immediately go over an airtime hill and then into a very tight upward spiral. This is followed by a leisurely zigzag course into the block brake. While the original right-hand side of the track now completes a leisurely right-hand turn and crosses the first descent, the original left-hand side immediately plunges towards the ground. A more or less undulating left-hand bend follows on both sides before the next block brake is reached. Shortly afterwards, you enter the station. As you are now on the other side, the second lap through the layout soon follows.

In principle, the Möbius roller coaster Nitro is kind of cool, if it weren’t for the generally uneventful ride and the rather poor ride characteristics. The compact design doesn’t really do the concept any good; there are now basically two very short roller coasters, but neither of them is really convincing.

Squadron 33

Directly opposite the Nitro roller coaster is the entrance to the Aerobat Squandron 33 by Technical Park. Compared to the prototype from the Parc des Combes, the ride is less cumbersome and, with a bit of luck, you can experience a very interesting ride without necessarily being upside down.

Furio

As in any good family amusement park in France, Dennlys Parc is not short of a Soquet roller coaster. The ride on Furio begins with a left-hand bend, after which the lift hill is reached. Once at the top, we enjoy the view of the surrounding area, including the Azteca dinghy slide, before plunging down into the valley. Following the left-hand bend, we climb a hill and, after a short change of direction, plummet rapidly to the ground in a 540° helix. Now we shoot over a small hill, which is followed by a very long right-hand bend in a shallow Bayernkurve style. After another change of direction, we are drawn into another dip, whereupon we reach the station again. This is immediately followed by a second lap on the generally very nice family roller coaster.

Voltigo

The last roller coaster in the park is located in a Mexican-inspired corner of the theme park, where you will also find the small interactive cinema where the film Desperado 4D is shown.

Voltigo is a compact spinning coaster from Gosetto. Like other compact spinning coasters from other manufacturers, the layout consists of a simple figure of eight. As you would expect, the gondolas get off to a good start and create a nice, leisurely spin.

Crazy River

The last major ride at Dennlys Parc is the Crazy River. This is a spinning raft by Reverchon. The ride itself is refreshing and takes you over several rapids after the initial shot, and with a bit of luck you can get quite wet.

Alcion, Icarius, Temp’O, Baie des Pirates und Vigie

The other rides at Dennlys Parc are largely from Zamperla. The Alcion boat swing, the Icarius wave swinger, the Disk’o Temp’O, the Baie des Pirates ride and the Vigie freefall tower are particularly worth mentioning, all of which have been staged very harmoniously.

Bilder Dennlys Parc

Conclusion Dennlys Parc

Dennlys Parc is a very nice, albeit very small, family amusement park in the middle of the Pas-de-Calais. Just getting to the park is a great experience and, combined with a visit to the nearby Bagatelle theme park or a day at the seaside, it makes for a really nice day out for the whole family.

 

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Dennlys Parc

The Ram-a-Lama Coaster

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Festyland

The last day of my rollercoaster trip through France was to start with a bang. The roller coaster 1066 – not to be confused with the refreshingly charming Lager Kronenbourg 1664 – caught my attention a long time ago, when I saw the first pictures completely by chance on the roller coaster database Rcdb. It was clear, I would have to visit this place sometime. In the meantime, one or the other novelty was added in Festyland, but I didn’t know much about the amusement park, which was founded in 1989, until my visit.

On the outskirts of the small town of Carpiquet near Caen is the access road to Festyland. You can park your car in the car park directly next to the national road 814; the park itself is on the other side of this road and can be reached via a wide tunnel, which however has a simple corrugated iron look instead of the discotheque of Gardaland. The entrance area itself is inviting and immediately transports you back to the time of the Belle Époque. After a pleasant chat with the cashiers and equipped with the latest edition of the Festy Telegraph – the park’s rather elaborate guide to the amusement park – it was time to go exploring.

National 13 and La Tour d’Esnambuc

Past numerous children’s rides – including the National 13, which is unfortunately not named after the Périphérique of Caen, but after the road that leads to it – and the park’s cafeteria, you will immediately head for the park’s larger rides. The first stop is the small family free-fall tower La Tour d’Esnambuc, built by Zamperla. The ride on the Sky Tower offers a great view and numerous mouth changing hops, which should encourage especially younger park guests to ride it continuously.

Drakkar Express

I personally prefer to get my hands on a Soquet rollercoaster. It’s a good thing that the Drakkar Express has been smiling at us for quite some time now. The entrance of the ride is located in the elaborately designed Viking theme area, home of the park mascot and figurehead of the theme park. For this we turn left from the main path at the Chevauchée de Guillaume horse riding track.

The ride on Festyland’s oldest roller coaster begins with a left turn, after which the lift hill is reached after a straight stretch of track. Following the gradient of the terrain, the ride goes straight up. Here we enjoy the view of the surrounding area a little before we plunge into the valley. With momentum we now pass through a valley parallel to the main path, which has been beautifully set in scene with a small waterfall and a pond. Following the bend to the left, we climb a hill and plunge down again rapidly towards the ground. In Close Call with the vegetation on the left side we now pass through another hollow, where we also change direction for the first time. In a 270° helix adapted to the terrain, we gain some altitude, whereupon we cross the just completed route and immediately throw ourselves on the ground in a left turn. Now we race over a small hill at the back of the station, followed by the final helix in a shallow curve leading up and down. After a short climb the station is reached and the train is braked. A second round follows.

The Drakkar Express is a very nice children’s roller coaster of French design, but a little tamer compared to other rides of the manufacturer. The ride is great and can convince by its adaptation to the existing terrain. Unfortunately, the exit of the ride leads back to the main Festyland track, so that you have to walk around the final helix of the ride for possible repeat rides.

Miolnyr

The next attraction on our circuit is the Air Race Miolnyr. This rollover ride made of 30t steel offers an exciting, slightly monotonous and absolutely dizzying ride with rollovers in a continuous loop. A great deal, for which the investment of one million Euro was absolutely worthwhile.

Niorty and Troll Roll

Next door, the children’s area of Festyland captivates in all its splendour. In addition to a small teacup carousel and a jump around featuring a frog design, this area is particularly impressive with its covered ball pool and the two novelties for this season. With the Rockin’Tug Niorty and the Troll Roll children’s railway, a really beautiful rides symbiosis has been created, which can rarely be found in theme parks. A really nice area, which will certainly appeal to the little ones.

Pirat’Ak, Cap’tain Roc and Le Grand Tournoi

Meanwhile, we return to the main trail, where we continue down the hill. Here you will find the Pirat’Ak rubber dinghy slide and the Cap’tain Roc boat swing, two classics that no French amusement park can do without. A little wilder, however, is the Disk’O Le Grand Tournoi. Pressure-packed and extremely fast, the disc takes you over the U-shaped track.

Eretic

One level further up we meet more rides from Italian production. Apart from the chain plane Tourny and the Valhalla mountain and valley railway, the Eretic swing is particularly eye-catching. Typical for Zamperla, it offers a swinging ride with all kinds of airtime moments. Unfortunately, the Discovery type ride turns monotonously in one direction, which makes the ride not very diversified, although we are not on a HUSS swing. A pity!

Kaskade

So for the right shoot we have to go to another ride. Luckily there is a hydro lift from Zamperla in Festyland. Those who know these rides know what to expect here – everyone else will be absolutely surprised by the wild slide of this rafting ride: There are simply no comparable installations that get the hang of it.

The journey on Kaskade begins comparatively harmlessly. After a short bend to the right, the vertical lift of the ride awaits you, which takes you up quickly. Once there, the lift cage tilts forward and we immediately roll onto the water slide. With momentum we are now thrown into the first helix, whereupon we start to rotate constantly in circles. After a wild S-curve manoeuvre along the tower, we spin around in circles at an abnormally high speed, which makes the subsequent splashdown look like a game of Russian Roulette: you never know in advance who might be caught. A fun for the whole family! Now the quieter part of the trip follows, where numerous elements of a classic rapid river await us. In contrast to the prototype from the Italian Leolandia, the return to the station is a little more compact. You pass through a course full of hairpin bends and several zigzag straights before you are allowed to get off at the station, if you want to. Repeat rides are guaranteed.

1066

Let’s get on to the roller coaster 1066, because the short train with the ram head is a truly remarkable ride. Built directly at the slope, this coaster uses it absolutely skilfully for its wild ride. Furthermore, the ride looks simply great due to the half-sided medieval scenery at the lift of it.

The journey begins with a right-hand bend leading into a tunnel. The ride begins with a right turn into a tunnel and is immediately followed by the ride’s lift, which takes us up quickly. Once at the top, we immediately descend the 17m high descent. On a steady slope we now race through the valley in a wide right turn. With momentum we then climb a hill, where a long downward helix awaits us. With full power we go through the following valley before we shoot up another hill. With a little bit of airtime we start the next shot. In a steep turn we make the last manoeuvre of the ride and rush through the deepest part of the ride. With a lot of verve we climb up the slope to the plateau, whereupon the braking distance of the ride already awaits us. Shortly afterwards we reach the exit position of the ride.

1066 is a very short roller coaster, but one with a very grand ride. The track is crossed with a lot of pressure and vigour. The ride characteristics are excellent. Here I would have liked to get on more often. Unfortunately, at some point the ride went into the lunch break and I had another destination on my list.

Pictures Festyland

Conclusion Festyland

Festyland is an extremely beautiful and harmonious amusement park, which looks a bit like a Zamperla Wunderland due to its many rides made in Italy; but as is well known, this is not a bad choice. Coupled with some rides from Soquet, it is an excellent family amusement park that can entertain you for several hours.

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Click here for the next report of the Tron-Tron-Trône Tour

Festyland / Tron-Tron-Trône Day 9