Maison Houdini

Going on a Great Adventure

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Six Flags Great Adventure

Six Flags Great Adventure has a rather unusual park layout, with visitors entering the park at its narrowest point in the centre. Here there is a long midway that runs across the entrance, with the Giant Wheel at one end and a land of milk and honey themed area with a carousel and a tea cups ride at the other.  The main attraction in this area is the Sky Screamer swing ride.

Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth and Cyborg Cyber Spin

To the right of the Ferris wheel is the large Movieland themed area. In addition to the interactive dark ride Justice League: Battle for Metropolis and the two roller coasters The Dark Knight Coaster and Batman The Ride, there is also the large swing ride Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth and the flat ride Cyborg Cyber Spin. Unfortunately, the latter wasn’t on my schedule during my visit, so I didn’t get to ride an Intamin Tourbillon.

Justice League: Battle for Metropolis

Developed by the Sally Corporation, the Justice League: Battle for Metropolis dark ride combines large plastic scenes with 3D screens where you have to fend off all sorts of Lex Luthor’s gadgets before he manages to capture the entire Justice League with the help of the Joker. It’s great fun, as you’d expect from Sally, and a surprisingly well-made dark ride that can be found in many Six Flags theme parks.

The Dark Knight Coaster

The Dark Knight Coaster is proof that Six Flags can do theme rides when they want to. The indoor Wild Mouse offers an amazingly fast ride in total darkness, with the hairpin turns in the upper part of the ride being themed throughout. The wilder part of the ride on the lower levels takes place mainly in the dark. All in all a great attraction!

Batman The Ride

Directly after the great success of the B&M inverted coaster Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America, the Dark Knight found his place at Six Flags Great Adventure in 1993.

After climbing the lift hill, passengers can expect a pre-drop before the train finally plunges down the first drop in a steep curve. On the descent, passengers can expect high G-forces before entering the first loop. The second inversion, a zero-G roll, follows in no time at all. Then another loop is taken. The blood pressure in your feet rises instantly as you go through a steep bend and a straight section of the track. It then heads mercilessly towards the bottom, where the first corkscrew awaits us. This element is pure madness if you are travelling at the back of the train, as the acceleration changes abruptly. The second corkscrew follows after a short right-hand bend. After that, a left-hand bend takes you straight into the braking section.

Batman: The Ride is still one of the best inverted coasters out there. The ride offers an intense ride layout with lots of positive G-forces on a relatively small footprint. Apart from the theming, the ride experience does not differ between the different rides, which is a good sign.

Nitro

Since the release of the computer game Roller Coaster Tycoon 2, Nitro has become one of the most famous hyper coasters in the world.

After a turn, the ride immediately begins on the 230-foot lift hill. Once at the top, the ride immediately descends. Interestingly, we change direction on the very first hill. The momentum takes us through another valley and over a classic camelback before we change direction in the best out-and-back style in a horseshoe turn. Another airtime hill is followed by another hill where we turn left. With plenty of speed we then enter a powerful helix that gets tighter and tighter and ends in a block brake. We then ride a series of very nice airtime hills to the final brake.

Nitro is a very cool old school hypercoaster. Although you only get floater airtime during the long ride, the many hills make it a real experience. The highlight of the ride is the intense helix before the block brake. In short, a really great coaster.

Jersey Devil Coaster

Past the Intamin Rapids Ride Congo Rapids, which was unfortunately closed on the day of my visit, we now head to the park’s newest rollercoaster, the Jersey Devil Coaster. The ride on the RMC Raptor Track begins immediately with the ride’s lift hill. After reaching the starting height of 40 metres in no time at all, we plunge straight down a very steep descent. After a quick ascent, it’s straight back down again in a dive loop. With brutal airtime, we then go over a huge camelback and immediately afterwards into a zero-G stall. A steep ascent then leads us into a very tight turn. Now we descend again quite abruptly and immediately enter a zero-G roll. Another ascent then leads us into a block brake. Without much delay, we then enter the next descent, after which another turn awaits us. Still very fast, we now race over a series of airtime bumps before reaching the final brake.

The layout of the Jersey Devil Coaster single rail coaster has a really nice flow. The inversions are all very easy to ride and the airtime is also very nice. I at least really enjoyed the ride, even if it is a bit tame compared to the other Raptor Track Coasters from RMC.

Skull Mountain

Every Roller Coaster Tycoon player will remember the Skull Mountain indoor roller coaster for its façade. The ride itself is a family roller coaster from Intamin, which is located in an unfortunately rather bright hall.

The ride begins rather curiously with a two-section lift and a short panoramic ride through the first level. Once in the main hall, the ride continues upwards for a while before a steep curve takes you straight back down to the hall floor. After an incline, we quickly change direction and make our way round a wide left-hand bend. After a short right-hand bend, we immediately enter a longer Bayernkurve, which leads us further and further downhill over hill and dale. After a right-hand bend, we enter a helix. Finally, after a short climb, we reach the braking section and soon afterwards the station, where our wonderful ride unfortunately comes to an end.

Harley Quinn Crazy Train and The Joker

Directly opposite the popular family coaster Harley Quinn Crazy Train – a Zierer Tivoli coaster that has run several laps in a row in this park – is the S&S free spin coaster The Joker. As always, the ride comfort on this coaster was quite good and there were plenty of rollovers at the end. For this reason, I can only warmly recommend a ride on the free spin coaster The Joker.

Houdini’s Great Escape

While Vekoma Mad Houses are a very common sight in European theme parks, they are not at all well known to an American audience with Houdini’s Great Escape being one of only two installations in the United States. In the story, we take part in a séance to bring Houdini back from the afterlife. In reality, however, we only experience a clever trick in which the benches each swing 30° to the side while the room rotates around us. A great attraction!

Twister and Parachute Training Center: Edwards AFB Jump Tower

Right next to the unfortunately closed HUSS Top Spin Twister is one of the park’s major attractions from the 1970s, which goes by the long name of Parachute Training Centre Edwards AFB Jump Tower. The Intamin Parachute Tower offers a great view over the park and the ride is quite fast. The actual drop, however, is very leisurely.

Superman – Ultimate Flight

Superman Ultimate Flight is located next to the entrance. As it takes a little longer to clear the coaster, it is advisable to get to the ride as soon as the park opens.

The ride on Superman Ultimate Flight begins immediately after a right turn as you enter the coaster’s lift hill. After reaching a height of 106 ft, the ride immediately descends in a right turn. The ride then climbs a hill, which introduces the main element of the ride: the Pretzel Loop. We are now pulled down with all our might and then hurtle through a valley on our backs. Once back up in the air, the ride takes us through three very gentle turns that add to the feeling of flying. A helix is followed by a nice roll. We then reach the braking section and shortly after the station.

The ride on Superman Ultimate Flight is very leisurely for a flying coaster, with the pretzel loop at the beginning being the highlight of the ride. Without it the ride would be a bit boring.

Green Lantern

The Green Lantern stand-up coaster has been located on the site of the Great American Scream Machine since 2011. However, the ride itself is much older and was located at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom from 1997 to 2009, where it was known as Chang.

The ride on the giant stand-up coaster starts right away with the lift hill, which takes us to a height of 47 metres (154 ft). After a bend at a lofty height, the big drop awaits. In classic B&M coaster style, a very large loop awaits us and after a right-hand bend we enter the equally large dive loop. After a sweeping ascent, we pass through a high left-hand bend and immediately afterwards into an Inclined Loop. After a quick change of direction, the route then heads uphill again into a mid-course brake. Without adjusting the speed, we head downhill again. Here we enter the first corkscrew and after a crazy right-left bend, we immediately enter the second corkscrew. Another right-left bend then takes us into the final braking section of the rollercoaster.

Green Lantern is one of the most modern stand-up coasters, so the ride is relatively fast. The ride is very spectacular due to the impressive height and the huge inversions, but not quite as pleasant due to the frequent contact with the bars.

Runaway Mine Train

One of the theme park’s original attractions is the Runaway Mine Train. It is housed in a large fort. There is also a station for the Skyways gondola lift.

The ride on the rollercoaster begins with an unusually high lift hill. Once at the top, however, we first make our way through the treetops. The path first leads us through a long helix and then over several hills. After passing a block brake, we fall to the ground for the first time. Now the trail leads us into a surprisingly intense helix and over a flawless airtime hill. We then whizz over the lake past the fort before taking an incline and reaching the braking section of the rollercoaster shortly afterwards.

The Runaway Mine Train has a surprisingly high layout for an old school mine train. Although the start of the ride is not quite as exciting with the longer helix and the slightly descending and ascending straights, it gets really fast from the steep curve after the brakes. The Airtime hill and the bend at the lake around the fort characterise the overall very good ride.

Medusa

Passing the Saw Mill Log Flume, which was unfortunately still closed on the day of my visit, we now head to the back of the park, where the Medusa roller coaster is located. This rollercoaster is quite something and should definitely not be missed.

It is not to be missed. After climbing the coaster’s lift hill, you immediately descend into the depths. The ride takes you through the valley at high speed and immediately into the large loop of the coaster. A climb to the left turns out to be a dive loop and immediately brings us to the ground. With a lot of momentum we then go through a Zero-G roll and immediately into the Cobra Roll of the coaster. A climb then leads us into a block brake, where we get only a brief moment to catch our breath. A steep bend takes us downhill. We then enter an intense helix just above the ground. After changing direction we enter the Interlocking Corkscrews. A short turn to the left then leads us into the last incline of the ride, after which we enter the braking section of the roller coaster.

What a ride! The Medusa floorless coaster is an absolute fun machine with a breathtaking layout and a total of seven inversions. I always enjoyed getting on this ride, partly due to the very efficient handling of the ride.

Zumanjaro Drop of Doom

Unfortunately, the Zumanjaro Drop of Doom freefall tower, which is attached to the support structure of the KingdaKa rollercoaster, was out of service during my visit. This tower is the largest freefall tower in the world. Interestingly, in the early days of the attraction, the tower was only allowed to be operated when the rollercoaster was not in operation. This led to long queues for both attractions. However, this restriction has now been lifted and both rides can be operated at the same time.

Kingda Ka

Kingda Ka has been the theme park’s main attraction since 2005. The 456 ft high launch roller coaster from the manufacturer Intamin towers over the park and cannot be overlooked, casting a spell over everyone in its immediate vicinity.

Right at the start of the park, I was able to ride several laps in a row without having to queue for long. After all, the ride only takes a few seconds, during which you reach a top speed of 128 mph before climbing the tall Top Hat. We then cross its apex rather leisurely and with tension on the vertical slope directly in front of us. On the way down, we turn round once on our own axis. Finally, we race over a 130 ft high hill where the roller coaster brakes.

Kingda Ka is a damn short roller coaster, but also a damn good one. As the speed increases, you realise what forces are acting on the train before it goes up the top hat. You are really shaken up. The descent and the final rush of speed also provide enough endorphins to leave the ride overjoyed.

El Toro

Five years after Colossos revolutionised wooden roller coaster construction at Heide-Park in Germany, the El Toro roller coaster opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2006.

Here, too, the ride begins after a rapid lift hill with a high turning curve before entering the steep drop. We then experience the finest airtime and an unrivalled rush of speed over two consecutive airtime hills. After a lively turn, we ride over another airtime hill and then over a speed bump. At high speed, we are now drawn into a left-hand bend and immediately afterwards onto another airtime hill. This is followed by three quick turns in a row. With momentum, we then ride over a series of rather flat hills. Shortly afterwards, we reach the braking section of the rollercoaster.

El Toro is a really great rollercoaster with a genuinely good layout. Unfortunately, the ride characteristics of this wooden roller coaster are no longer the best compared to the other Prefab wooden roller coasters from the manufacturer Intamin. Despite being retracked during the seasonal break, the ride is quite bumpy. Accordingly, I like Colossos much better than El Toro, and not just because I have ridden Colossos hundreds of times and El Toro only once.

Pictures Six Flags Great Adventure

Conclusion Six Flags Great Adventure

My visit to Six Flags Great Adventure left me with rather mixed feelings. On the one hand, the park has a lot of really good roller coasters to offer, but on the other hand, the park simply has no charm. The existing buildings are all getting on in years, and the park really does have a lot of open spaces and lots of areas covered in concrete. Nevertheless, the park is very popular and was accordingly well attended on the day I visited. In the end, I was able to try out all the attractions except for the water rides, which were unfortunately closed. I think I’ll have to come back sometime in the middle of the season to experience the park in its entirety.

What’s your opinion on the theme park Six Flags Great Adventure? Simply write it in the comment field below the report!

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Six Flags Great Adventure / The Stumbled Runner Day 8

Under Shock in the Rainbow Magicland

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Rainbow Magicland

The Rainbow Magicland is once again one of those theme parks designed on the drawing board, where the initially expected visitor numbers cannot be linked to reality and will probably never come together in the future. The operating company Alfa Park probably had similar experiences with Miragica, which opened two years earlier, so that some projects were probably saved from realisation. In 2011 the theme park, which is based on children’s series by the Italian animation studio Rainbow, opened and what looked very promising from the vastness of the Internet already turned out to be untenable by visitor reviews in the second year of operation of the park.

I don’t like to hide the fact that Rainbow Magicland lives up to its bad reputation; after all, we expected nothing less. As soon as we enter the car park, the previously consolidated picture is confirmed, as a large part of it has been taken over by nature in the meantime. But that doesn’t matter, because you can’t expect visitors here anyway, so without hesitation we went into the park to let the playful, meanwhile very run-down decoration take effect on us. While the Cinecittà World has been built with quality in mind right from the start and the park looks as if it had only opened yesterday, Rainbow Magicland looks like a fairytale park opened in 1970; only with the one, but very fundamental difference that in an old fairytale park there is often a very high level of attention to detail.

Shock

But what the park hardly lacks is an extensive range of rides and so we headed straight for the launch coaster Shock, built by Maurer. With its unparalleled forest of pillars and the very present location directly at the central lake of the Rainbow Magicland, the ride is an extraordinary eye-catcher, which in combination with the very impressive water spectacle forms a harmonious ensemble.

The trip begins with a short dip out of the station. This is followed by several ascents and descents in a slight serpentine movement, which are all interrupted by a short block brake section in between, probably simulating the darkride part of the ride. After having passed this unharmonious curve, the car falls down another slope and is accelerated in the following launch section. The car then goes over a hill in which it takes off quite well before it hits the ground for the first time from a lofty height. Very powerful and with a breakneck speed you cross the following valley. The main element of the ride is the non-inverted loop, where you shoot up a loop, but without standing upside down. On the top of the hill you experience another airtime moment of the very first order, just before the car bends to the left again and plunges into the depths. At the lowest point of the ride you experience once again an exemplary power play, which is soon topped by a brilliant steep curve. After a curvy ascent you reach a block brake and lose some energy, so that the next curvy shot is quite comfortable. In a light Bayernkurve a long corkscrew is introduced, where you are allowed to hang in the bar a little bit before the braking distance is reached.

Shock surprised! Especially in comparison with the other X-Car Coasters the ride is convincing all along the line. Here, the bar does not pull on the body unpleasantly during the ride and exceptionally allows a very free ride without the urge to leave the ride on the fastest way. The curve radii are also very wide, so that the massive car hardly feels the need to bump over the track. The strong forces and distinct airtime make this ride the best roller coaster of Rainbow Magicland and one of the better ones of the country.

Isola Volante

In the immediate vicinity, the Vekoma Sky Shuttle Isola Volante transports its passengers towards the sky, while the view of the park, car park and the nearby designer outlet Valmontone is not very exciting; however, the technology itself is worth experiencing, above all because of the easier implementation compared to the competing product.

Planeta Winx

Rainbow’s most famous children’s series is probably by far the Winx Club, which was primarily designed for little girls and even has its own magazine on the magazine shelves here in Germany. Although the Castello du Alfea, a large building complex with a 4D cinema, is dedicated to the series, halfway to the artificial castle is the dark ride Planeta Winx. Similar to the Disneyland classic Peter Pan, you fly through the series’ sceneries. The ride itself is nicely designed and from time to time you will meet the main actors of the series, who always introduce the scenes from their element.

Bombo

Directly opposite is the roller skater Bombo, part of the series Monster Allergy, a co-production with ZDF, which runs on the Kinderkanal and has no special drawing style; accordingly, the standard model from Vekoma fits in quite well. After a short bend and the following lift hill, you immediately take a steep bend with a subsequent upward helix to the left, complete a short valley and then go through a wide right bend near the station. Over a hill you cross the course of the track that has just been cleared, whereupon you descend a little in another helix. A left turn follows, whereupon the braking section is waiting for you. After one lap the ride is already over. Despite the modern train, the driving characteristics are not the best.

Maison Houdini

If you follow the tour, after a few metres you will come across the Maison Houdini, a modern witches’ swing from Vekoma, which, for whatever reason, was built underground. The main building, as it appears, contains only the preshows of the ride and the lift that takes passengers downstairs. A few meters further on, there is a second building in a similar style, which contains the lift, which transports the passengers back up. In between there is a square with skylights and ventilation shafts, under which the actual ride is located. Since the ride opened quite late we could not test the Mad House; the idea of the underground attraction is great, but the implementation is space consuming and probably also quite cost-intensive, the gained space also defies any logic and aesthetics.

Amerigo

Adjacent to this is the children’s area of Rainbow Magicland, which belongs to the second type of modern children’s paradise in amusement parks. Compared to the nicely designed areas in Gardaland or Port Aventura, everything here stands quite naked on a concrete slab. In doing so, an attractive overall design as well as any vegetation was avoided. Unfortunately, the local Big Apple Amerigo was not supposed to open until late afternoon, so that we had to do without a ride in order not to throw the rest of the day overboard. I don’t really know why this simple children’s roller coaster is the only ride in the park that opens so late.

Mystika

Past the Battaglia Navale, the nicely designed Splash Battle by Preston & Barbieri we went to the freefall tower Mystika by SBF Visa. This Italian manufacturer is known for its toddler roller coasters and lots of junk, which is mostly ordered by park managers without any experience; the best example is the Ankapark (Wonderland Eurasia) currently under construction near the Turkish capital Ankara. Also in Rainbow Magicland they probably wanted to offer a big freefall tower, but at the same moment it was not allowed to cost anything. Otherwise the tower with a total height of 70m, of which at least 50m already serve as braking distance, cannot be explained. The drop itself is bad, in addition there is a very unpleasant restraint system installed.

Cagliostro

With the right seat you have at least a view of the two neighbouring roller coasters, whereby the entrance to the spinning coaster Cagliostro is closer. Admittedly, you can’t see much from the spinning coaster outside the abstractly designed hall. Inside, too, you’re really only looking at darkness, although all efforts in this respect were ruined by the outside turn.

After the lift hill and the already mentioned detour out into the daylight there is a steep curve towards the hall floor after a gently descending straight section. Hereupon the car shoots up an Immelmann turn, whereupon the following valley and the ascent to the block brake is made in a wonderfully sweeping S-curve. After the block area, however, not much happens. Over wide curves you cross the whole hall and then approach the ground. In pure zigzag manner a straight section is taken, whereupon you are again at the front end of the hall. After another short curve you reach the second and larger lift hill of the ride, which brings you back to the station level.

Cagliostro is a nice spinning coaster, at least in the first part of the ride, but then it loses all inspiration and comes crawling towards the end of the ride like no other coaster of this type. Probably a more elaborate design with larger scenes was intended here, because there is still enough space in the hall, but without all this the ride with this layout is quite senseless and not very exciting.

Huntik 5D

Right next to the Gran Teatro, where the musical Romeo & Juliet by Gérard Presgurvic is shown in a 35-minute performance, is the dark ride Huntik 5D, based on the series of the same name. As seekers, we join the team around Dante, Lok, Sophie and Zhalia to fight against the organisation. For this we use guns to shoot our way through elaborately designed scenes with successful animatronics and well embedded screens through hordes of titans. What is confusing, however, is that our team also uses titans and these appear on the screens at the end. If you are not familiar with this series, this is rather unnecessary, as it spoils the otherwise perfect impression. The series reference is very well done, but you don’t have to know the series to enjoy this great shooting darkride from Alterface. Huntik is definitely the best ride of the Rainbow Magicland and one of the best dark rides of this kind in Europe.

Yucatan and Le Rapide

At least from the outer facade, the Spillwater Yucatan presents itself to its passengers on an equal level. With its two shots, the water ride is one of the driest rides of its kind in Europe; however, there is something for the eyes, especially during the second turn. If you want to get wet, however, you are in good hands at the neighbouring Rapid River Le Rapide. Here too, the design is impressive, which is why the ride is one of the best of its kind in Europe.

L’Olandese Volante

The last remaining roller coaster is the L’Olandese Volante, i.e. the Flying Dutchman; appropriately built by the Dutch roller coaster specialists Vekoma. The ghost ship flies noticeably and now even with VR glasses over the track of the standard model based on the prototype Calamity Mine of the Belgian amusement park Walibi Belgium.

The ride begins with a right turn and the following lift hill, which unfortunately takes you up in a very straight line, just like in Gardaland; nothing remains of the accentuated cross slopes of the original in this version. At the top, the train immediately throws itself into a left helix and alternately into three 180° curves before reaching the first intermediate brake and the second lift hill. This hill is also passed just as trivially as the first one. At the highest point of the track you cross a short hill and immediately approach the ground again in a wide right helix. In a left-hand helix you build up again in metres of altitude before you take it down again in another downhill helix. After a further left turn, you immediately reach the braking distance and shortly after that the station.

When Rainbow Magicland and Vekoma were looking for a way to square the circle on this ride, they succeeded. There is simply no other way to explain this bumpiness – unusual even for the manufacturer – which the train reproduces to its passengers over the entire track length. Well, even Mammut in Gardaland was not really smooth, but L’Olandese Volante simply tops everything in this respect. I have rarely ridden such an unpleasant roller coaster, which is why I really have to advise against a ride on this coaster.

Pictures Rainbow Magicland

Conclusion Rainbow Magicland

The Rainbow Magicland blinds like no other park with its opulent, but already quite disintegrating facades, but it can also show some rays of hope. Apart from the dark ride Huntik 5D and the roller coaster Shock, Rainbow Magicland lacks some highlights that encourage you to take more than one ride. With the extremely ugly children’s land and the Big Apple, which was closed until late afternoon, the park also offered a low light par excellence. It is no wonder that the park is the way it is.

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Il Viaggio dei due Runner Day 6 / Magicland

On an expedition in Bellewaerde

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Bellewaerde Park

The Bellewaerde Park is located in the Belgian province of West-Vlaanderen, which can certainly be declared by the city of Bruges as the most beautiful part of Belgium. Also, the roads are not as modest as in the rest of the country and the proximity to the French region Nord-Pas-de-Calais gives the park a more pleasant audience than for example at Walibi.

Tour of the park

Bengal Rapid River

If you enter Bellewaerde Park through the entrance A and go immediately to the left you will find the entrance to the Vekoma rafting ride Bengal Rapid River, which is located in the Indian themed area. The ride in the rafting boats, which most of you already have tested in the sister park Walibi Holland, is quite nice to look at. Unfortunately, due to the warm weather, it was very well visited. In the morning the queue just barely moved. Later the day, I had to get the ferry in the nearby Dunkirk…

Bengal Express

The second attraction in this area is the Bengal Express, a train ride in closed wagons in which you drive through the spacious tiger and lion enclosures. At the second turnaround the water treatment plant of the park is a highlight to admire – after all, this is even advertised via speakers. Overall a great ride, which should not be missed. Due to the nature of the ride, I would only recommend a ride if the train is still waiting in the station, as the ride duration is quite long. The generously-sized waiting area highlights the popularity of the ride.

Screaming Eagle

Located on the shores of a large lake is the theme area of Canada, which is home of the only visible attraction from outside of Bellewaerde Park: the Shot ‘n’ Drop Screaming Eagle, one of HUSS’ rare park versions. In contrast to the Space Shot towers of the manufacturer S&S Worldwide, which can be found quite frequently around the world, the system can shoot you upwards from a standstill position. In contrast to the rides, which could be found ages ago on the German fair circuit, the acceleration was very surprising as there was no hint whatsoever by the ride operator. Located in the Belgian wilds – without any houses surrounding – the ride’s noise level is quite low. Even through you can be of a different opinion as one of the riders. Overall the ride is rather tame compared with the S&S Towers, as there are basically no negative forces. The only big plus of the ride is its high capacity and the better launch.

Niagara

Next door, the Shoot the Chutes Niagara by the manufacturer Interlink shines in all its glory. This type of flume is characterised mainly by its large boats and the resulting wave at the end of the shoot. This one however has only a limited effect on the riders, as it does not get you as wet as Cataratas Salvajes from the Spanish theme park Parque Warner or as Tidal Wave from the English Thorpe Park. At least, it did not disappoint as Isla Magicas Iguazu. On the bridge, which strangely does not lead from the exit of the ride to the other side of the lake, many school kids had their fun by letting the boats soak them on a regular basis.

The other attractions in this area are a Mack rides cog ride, a wet-looking dinghy slide, and the somewhat strange pirate boat from Huss. From 1 pm to 4 pm, you could visit the squirrel monkeys located on a small island, as a path runs right through their enclosures.

On the right side of the park entrance A is the Kidspark theme area, which consists of a medieval designed area, some traditional rides and a mysterious mansion, as well as a large climbing and slide complex.

Maison Magique d’Houdini

I don’t know why this mansion belongs to the children’s area, as as the preshow is not necessarily made for anxious persons even through the actual topic is not scary. After entering the Maison Magique d’Houdini you can find some exhibits. A film about his youth is shown, which burns away after a short while accompanied by a nasty laugh. After some effects and some tricks were shown, you will be invited to attend the biggest tricks of them all.

Where the preshow room is designed in great detail, the main room is surprisingly empty. Compared to other mad houses of the same manufacturer, there is actually nothing located in the middle of the room. This of course makes it easier for the ride operators, but it is not as beautiful to look at. On the sides of the room there are some fixed mirrors, which later reveal another function.

The actual ride takes a while until the fake rollover happens. The music does not remain in your memory for a long time after the trip. However, Houdini is well remembered, as his trick was not yet finished even after begging for a liberation. Despite the statement that we are in our worst nightmare, Houdini recalls himself and after the words “Ce que vous pensez que vous voyez n’est pas ce qu’il semblait. “C’est ce qu’on appelle l’ illusion” you finally get freed. The mirrors show an animated key.

Jungle Mission

Passing by some very generous animal enclosures, which mainly showed African species, we are entering the jungle section of the park. The main attraction of this area and one of the main attractions of Bellewaerde Park is the Towboat Safari Cruise Jungle Mission, where you cruise past some animal enclosures (quite similar to boat ride at the Erlebnis-Zoo Hannover). Not long ago, the ride system was completely renewed, which is why the Jungle Missions looks quite new for such an old ride. While driving, some water effects are activated, only a few of them refresh visitors directly. The African theme features some vintage animatronics, which alone does makes this attractions quite exotic and as nice as La Jungla of the Spanish amusement park Parque de Atracciones de Madrid.

Coccinelle

The coaster with the longest queue on this day was the classic Zierer tivoli coaster Coccinelle, or Keverbaan in Dutch. Interestingly, the ride did not sounded like a starting jet, nor was it as slow that it needed additional friction wheels on the track as some other rides of this kind do. In fact, you could neither hear this ride, nor the air launched free fall tower tower from far. The design of the ride as the wildest ride of the wilderness is a rather strange choice for such a roller coaster, but it somehow works out perfectly. The surrounding walls and the roof over the lifthill are a nice feature.

River Splash, El Toro and El Volador

Next to the log flume River Splash and a bison enclosure there is the entrance to the Mexican section of the Bellewaerde Park. Here you can watch the movie Sammy’s great adventure in Dutch or French in the park’s 4D cinema or do a spin on the El Toro Break Dance. You can also find the only working HUSS Topple Tower outside of Scandinavia, named El Volador.

A Topple Tower of the manufacturer HUSS is a strange device, as it seems to be spectacular from the outside and the technology seems elaborate but the ride itself is rather boring. At least, the ride is not such a flop as the King Kong ride of Bobbejaanland, where neither the ride nor the appearance are particularly interesting.  The ride with El Volador resembles somehow a wave swinger when you drive it sideways, just way slower and with less degrees of freedom. You are secured by over the shoulder restraints as you tilt forwards. The best part of the ride are the synchronised water fountains, which unfortunately do not even wet your shoes.

Boomerang

A few meters from the ride, you can pay tribute to the first Boomerang ever opened. It’s actually a really good one and a worthy representative of this funny shuttle roller coaster build by the Dutch company Vekoma. Everything at this ride is build more suitable, as the ride station is not just a tent, it’s a Mexican temple. The ride in the 2nd generation Vekoma trains was surprisingly good, even through the sister ride in Walibi Belgium even runs a little bit smoother.

Huracan

This year’s novelty is the indoor coaster Huracan, which has replaced the old pirate themed dark ride within the same building. From the outside you can see a small part of the coaster and you wonder why they did not added some more track to actually come down to the ground. After all, the ride is quite high above the ground. If you enter the waiting area, it does not take long until you arrive in the beautifully designed station.

The journey begins with a small dark ride section, guided by the elements of fire, water and wind. Afterwards, the lift helps to reach the maximum height of the course and after a short straight, the curvy first drop follows. After a small climb the curve leads you back into the building. Now follows a surprisingly wild and at the same time very smooth ride. One turn is followed by the next one. After a handful of curvy goodness, you slam into the brakes where a laser show is being held.

Huracan is a great indoor roller coaster. The pace as well as the forces during the ride a just awesome. The dark ride part at the beginning of the ride is well done and features some great music and light effects.

Pictures Bellewaerde Park

Conclusion Bellewaerde Park

The Bellewaerde Park is one of the most beautiful parks in Europe. Since I could only stay for 3.5 hours, I could not admire the whole package, but I’m sure I’ll come back someday.

 

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