Phantasialand

The Maus au Chocolat

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The Wintertraum event at Phantasialand

Winter openings are a wonderful opportunity to get to know familiar parks from a different point of view; discounts from annual ticket holders might help a bit. Since the number of amusement parks that are open at this time of year is limited, only a few destinations are available during the Christmas season. Phantasialand has been an integral part of the club of the few for many years now and was therefore our goal of desire, after all, we also had to ride the quite new dark ride Maus au Chocolat. Something which I was not able to do last year despite having won tickets in a Maus au Chocolat competition.

If you enter Phantasialand you will notice that most of the construction sites of the past are no more. Although the new Intamin Flume Ride of Chiapas will be built this year, this construction site does not fall into the catastrophic picture of last year. Without the many construction sites, Phantasialand is like a completely different park.

Hotel Tartüff

Since the last visit two more attractions were added, which also need to be tested and both are located in the Berlin theme area. First of all the great and crazy Hotel Tartüff. If you want to send your mind to relax, the hotel offers a great mixture of a crooked house and a fun house. Unfortunately, the highest slide has already been closed, the stairs are equipped with disadvantageous railings, and many things are rather repetitive. The special ideas of the house are all well implemented, however the special thing to offer a perfect experience is missing – Villa Fiasco in the Dutch amusement park Toverland has such an experience.

Maus au Chocolat

During the last visit only the façade of the Maus au Chocolat dark ride could be admired at the central square of the park. Now, you can also walk through the waiting queue, which is nicely decorated and offers a lot of room for very long queues. As soon as you have put on the 3D glasses and start to experience the three-dimensional world, you are ready to go. Past beautifully arranged scenes before and after the interactive mouse hunt in front of the screens, the ride slowly but surely runs through the entire building. The interactive part comes in a sufficient quality, but the shooting mechanism is annoying, which consistently excludes repeated rides, unless the right tactics were found. Nevertheless, the interactive dark ride Maus au Chocolat is not bad at all, but the ride duration is just way too long.

Interestingly all roller coasters could convince during this visit. The temple of the Nighthawk went as fast as a couple of years ago and wasn’t as slow as on the last visit, Winja’s Fear offered the well known fun with a very pronounced spin and Winja’s Force is able to do something. It should also be said that the ride on Winja’s Force was subject to the additional factor of a deeply terrified mother who shouted at her daughter all the time.

One Little Moment and Crazy Christmas

The entertainment of Phantasialand consists of four productions during the winter opening. Probably the worst show of all times was one of them. After shortening the show One Little Moment by a good 30 minutes, the spectacle, freed of any story and logic, is actually suitable for good fun. However, the fact that the singer actually couldn’t sing and only the main actor enriched the show with his brilliant voice and his generally nasty – albeit true – comments doesn’t make the show necessarily worth seeing, but this also applies to every other amusement park show.  The show Crazy Christmas in the Wintergarten theatre did not only shine with a lot of cheesiness, it also featured the bald head of a very faithful park fan painted with children’s make-up. The glitter head was our highlight and the vaudeville show was quite passable. The stage design known from the show Sieben also shone like a kebab stand at Christmas; nice and colourful.

Die magische Rose

The evening show Die magische Rose, offers a simple story in which an old, shabby looking lady tries to bring roses to the people and is treated very badly by the same people. Only a young woman is able to help and brings the light back to the people who have been driven into darkness. The costumes are looking very nice at first, but when the light is switched on they shine in a wonderful glow, which together with the fireworks creates a great atmosphere.

Conclusion Wintertraum

In winter, Phantasialand is a different world, which you should experience as an amusement park fan. The park performed very well during this visit, which is why I look forward to my next visit; after all, contrary to the general trend, a brand new log flume is being built, which will also break all available records at once.

 

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Phantasialand

The sun is shining in Hansa Park

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Hansa Park

Superrollercoaster Nessie

If you enter Hansa Park through the, once again grown, themed area Hanse in Europe, the first attraction you will come across, apart from a small carousel, is the Superrollercoaster Nessie, in the following simply called Nessie. Opened in 1980, the Schwarzkopf roller coaster is not only the first stationary roller coaster with a loop in Germany, but also one of the two entry level coasters par excellence in Northern Germany.

But Nessie is not as harmless as it seems from the outside, because the power Nessie shows during the ride is so much more impressive than some South German Megacoasters. Here not only the looping is done as it should be, you also feel one of the most distinct airtime moments of a roller coaster in Germany, at least in the back part of the train.

Dünenexpress Rasender Roland

In the direct vicinity or below and above Nessie the dune express Rasender Roland does its rounds. This children’s roller coaster made by Vekoma is an ideal, even if somewhat borderline, beginner’s roller coaster. Unfortunately the slightly longer roller skater doesn’t have any single bars, which have a positive effect on the ride comfort and don’t have such a huge play as the standard bars.

Space Race

Somewhat more hidden at the edge of the park is the indoor bumper car Space Race, a very unusual, even special ride of this type. During the ride you have to drive to single planets and collect them by buzzer in the car. During the game the time is measured and the fastest player wins the race.

Wellenreiter

Next to the space race building is the HUSS Troika Wellenreiter. The ride is fast, although slightly monotonous and is enhanced by the clearance gauge which is used to the limit. The ride, which was repainted last year, raises the hope that other rides like the log flume or Nessie can shine in new splendor some day.

Baracuda Slide

Placed in the middle of nowhere is the wave slide Baracuda Slide from Dutch production. If you don’t want to duel, a ride for two is recommended, as you can take off quite well with the rubber dinghy. It would be nice to see if this ride is not the only one far and wide anymore and if necessary crosses with a wooden roller coaster, because if you want to follow a trend then please follow it.

Crazy Mine

The Wild Mouse Crazy Mine from Maurer Söhne, which has dedicated itself here to the leading theme of a wild mine ride, is a remarkable ride, but it has suffered some losses over time. The ride was not lost, only the increased safety devices, be it the stairs or the sign warning of the first nasty brake, make the ride look overloaded and by no means as harmonious as before.

Schlange von Midgard

Where last year there was a construction site, the Schlange von Midgard now presents itself in a harmonious overall picture. The ride built by Gerstlauer is absolutely convincing and will be upgraded again thanks to the waterfall. The story itself in its completed version is by far not so annoying anymore, but still capacity reducing. The snake animatronic, or whatever it is supposed to be, in the outdoor area should be removed, after all it doesn’t fit into the overall picture, neither in terms of quality nor for story reasons.

Torre del Mar

The Torre del Mar, which unfortunately trumps the neighboring elevator from Maurer Söhne, is a ride that for years I could describe as boring at best, unless you reverse it. But now the taste seems to have developed in a way that I consider the ride as good, although nothing has changed at all. The fading away of the Star Flyer concept from Funtime in Europe may have a positive effect on it.

Power Tower Montezuma

The Power Tower Montezuma has been given a new ride program this year, but the soundtrack is also different now. The forces during the ride are now much more pronounced, which was really good for the prototype. Although the ride before was also much better than the ride of the Power Tower El Desafio from Isla Magica, Spain, the gap now became even larger.

Rio Dorado

Rio Dorado is the largest version of a White Water West spinning raft ride in the park, and luckily it’s a beautiful design. The ride itself offers besides a foot massage, at the beginning and at the end of the ride, a nice long slide part, where you can also achieve a distinct turn if you have a good load, and a rafting part towards the end of the ride, where now one of the cannons is regularly fired and with a little luck moistens some passengers.

Fluch von Novgorod

The reason for many amusement park fans to come to Hansa-Park lies in the Russian section of Hansa Park and is called Fluch von Novgorod. On the day of the visit there were only three cars in operation, so the queue was quite long. Because of the really bad rearrangement of the rows, the cars didn’t move at all for some minutes.

The ride on Fluch von Novgorod begins with a little serenade by the ghost Rurik, which is quickly memorized as a catchy tune during several rides. Then follows another room where you get acquainted with the seal of the wolf, after which you are let loose on the following roller coaster part of Fluch von Novgorod. After a 90° drop follows the launch, which is astonishingly powerful for LSM, whereupon you leave the building in a curve and experience well dosed airtime on the hill, which is more intense in the first row. The bay knot is the most uncomfortable part of the ride on Fluch von Novgorod, as you often get to know the shoulder restraints. This element leads into a perfect heartlineroll. After a brake, you climb the 90° steep lifthill, where you are stopped only to find out that Volkov is still alive and then fall 97°. After a steep bend, the braking follows bit by bit, only to climb back up to station level and be laughed at by a scarecrow, one of the few effects that still work.

The Fluch von Novgorod is a good roller coaster, but nothing more. The story the ride tries to tell is well done, but leaves an open end, which isn’t really satisfying. The way to the exit of the Fluch von Novgorod shows a slide and a labyrinth, where most passers-by get scared by somebody simply standing around.

El Paso Express

Back in daylight, you have to get used to the theme, as you are now in Mexico. Here you will find the BHS Metroliner El Paso Express in the direct vicinity of the shop. The ride in a double bavarian curve takes a lot of getting used to when the cars are folded up, but otherwise it is a lot of fun. The little Mexican jokes were unfortunately not available on the day of the visit.

This year, the Arena Plaza del Mar is the venue for the Variety Show City Dreams 2012, which, in contrast to Phantasialand or Europa-Park, did not try to make me fall asleep or managed to do so. The show basically consists of only four acts, two of which are so similar that it’s better to do without one. Especially worth mentioning are the Chinese artists, who performed on two pillars in their first number and jumped through rings in the second number.

Wildwasserbahn

The park’s log flume Wildwasserbahn has been given an optical innovation, but not during the actual ride. At the exit of the ride in need of renovation there is now an inviting lounge instead of a single photo sale. It is still there, but in a much smaller and more attractive version. At the same time the photo quality in the whole park was raised.

Super Splash

A bit off the beaten track, the Super Splash water ride awaits its passengers. This ride is to be redesigned in the near future and so you can already discover first hints for the later design. The ride itself is simply outstanding and can be very wet if the boats are loaded correctly. This is something you unfortunately rarely find in Europe.

Fliegender Hai

The Fliegender Hai is one of the unfortunately rare HUSS Rangers. This year, the ride has been slightly modified and so the first change of direction will be initiated a bit earlier. The following part of the ride is full of somersaults and the softer stirrups are very convincing.

Navajo Trail

One of the reasons to visit Hansa Park is the Navajo Trail. As a high ropes course, it rounds off Hansa Park’s offerings and is quite convincing due to its length, but not necessarily due to its degree of difficulty.

Spanische Glocke

Very rarely and once again defective, the Schwarzkopf Dschunke Stumvogel shows up to the public. In a similar way the Spanische Glocke presented itself as functional later in the day, because the podium, which is used for getting in and out, did not allow a safe step. The Spanische Glocke itself is a really good swing, as both the rotation and swing were perfectly coordinated. Although the ride feeling doesn’t come close to a Zamperla Giant Discovery and is more comparable to a Mondial Revolution, it is better than the counterpart from HUSS which is not particularly difficult.

Pictures Hansa Park 2008 – 2012

Conclusion Hansa Park

Hansa Park has managed to please again this year, even though the entrance fee has increased once again. It would be nicer and also more appropriate if the prices were on a similar level as at Nigloland in France, which has a similar offer, but for that you would have to travel two years into the past. Should the park in the distant future have completed all its projects and maintain the rides as well as its green areas, Hansa Park can certainly become one of the best parks in Europe.

 

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Hansa Park

Great hours above the rooftops of Barcelona

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Parc d’Atraccions Tibidabo

On the Tibidabo – the local mountain of the city of Barcelona – beside a church and a television tower, there is the Parc d’Atraccions Tibidabo; one of the longest-running theme parks in Europe, which unfortunately is only an insider tip.

The ascent and descent on the Tibidabo are quite steep or even adventurous with the car, which is why it is worthwhile to climb the mountain with other means of transport, especially as these are deducted from the entrance fee and thus the possibility to have a closer look at the Catalan capital city is kept open.

Hurakan

If you enter the Parc d’Atraccions Tibidabo through the lower entrance, you will find yourself next to the beautiful HUSS Top Spin Hurakan, which offers a decent ride; unfortunately the water fountains were not used. If you look up you can see a Zierer wave swinger circling about you.

Tibidabo Express

Continuing straight ahead you will find yourself in front of the first roller coaster, a Zamperla Powered Coaster called Tibidabo Express. The ride is quite strange, as it features an atypical layout without any helices. The funny zigzag track combination provides a very special ride. The tunnel at the beginning of the coaster makes the ride a bit more fun. Also the staff tries to create as much atmosphere as they can.

Castell Mysterios

After leaving the ride, you will unfortunately find yourself further down the hill, but you can visit the Castell Mysterios, an old walk-through ghost house with plenty of fun house elements. Unfortunately, it is somewhat too dark in here, such that you don’t necessarily know where to step. Nevertheless, the ride is off but awesome, which is also underlined by its musical background and should therefore be visited.

Muntanya Russa

The next highlight and our goal of desire is located at the highest point of the lowest level of the Parc d’Atraccoins Tibidabo. After an almost exhausting mountain ascent, passing some children’s rides and a boat swing, we find ourselves in the oval-shaped waiting area that spirals upwards. After having been assigned a place, we can start our journey on the Muntanya Russa.

After having climbed the lift for a few meters, a fantastic first drop takes you into a wonderful right-left curve, which you can experience much more slowly at Phantasialand’s Temple of the Nighthawk. The following spiral is superb and a bit more powerful, whereas the upcoming straight is more for recreation and for the view down into the valley, however it introduces the grand finale. The roller coaster itself is, like all other Vekoma MK-900s, very good, but not as intense and fast as Efteling’s Vogel Rok roller coaster. The great location and layout can compensate for that.

La Mina d’Or

A few meters further down you find the log flume ride La Mina d’Or by Reverchon, which – in contrast to other flumes by this manufacturer – offers a great, but also quite odd, costum built layout. The staff deserves a lot of recognition, as they ask politely if it would be so okay before they put a stranger in your boat.

Avio and Talaia

The rest of the Parc d’Atraccions Tibidabo is located on building levels that can be reached either by stairs or elevators. Last possibility is supervised by staff, which also serves as the control between the actual park and the Skywalk named public area. The nostalgic rides are located up here, two of which are particularly interesting. First of all, there is Talaia; basically the prototype of all modern propeller rides with the only difference that this system rotates much slower and thus allows a wonderful view over the park and of course Barcelona and thereby releases much more adrenalin. The other main attraction at this level is the self-propelled airplane called Avio. Unfortunately, the queue on the day of the visit was far too long and therefore I decided not to take the ride.

Museo d’automats

One level below there is way too empty place of the former roller coaster Montaña Rusa, as well as the entrance to the Museo d’automats, which is definitely worth a visit. Here, you will find not only a detailed model of the park, but also some quite interesting devices from long forgotten times. A real treasure trove, especially for nostalgics.

Miramiralls

Another pearl of the Parc d’Atraccions Tibidabo is the mirror maze Miramiralls, where the term maze does not fit very well, as it is more of an exhibition – indeed a very good one. Nearly everything you can do with mirrors is brought up.

Magatzem

The monorail dark ride Magatzem takes you into the world of magicians and witches, which is beautifully but strangely designed. A squeaky voice explains the whole thing, however without knowledge of the Catalan language this doesn’t help. At the end of the trip a surprise awaits you, which from my point of view just caught the right person.

Krüeger Hotel

Another floor below you will find a bumper car, but also the infamous Krüeger Hotel, a maze with outstanding quality and really dedicated staff. After the whirstbands has been marked, it’s time to visit the hotel.

After you were welcomed in the hotel lobby in a very nice and above all surprisingly frightening way, you pass through some hotel scenes until the horror movies take over. The Krüeger in the name of the maze is quickly explained by the appearance of Freddy himself. There are several scenes that are very amusing, in fact everything is designed to a very high level. The actors do their best and they constantly run after you, which is especially frightening in the last part of the maze, considering there’ s a life-size Chucky standing up and chasing you.

The Krüeger Hotel was the first Maze I truly loved. The scenes are awesome, everything is well lit and the maze is full of surprises.

Besides other children’s attractions and a 4D cinema, the park doesn’t offer much more, nevertheless it left a very good impression on me. All rides are very well maintained and they look as good as new, which strangely caused the other fellow travellers some concern, as they had the accident of the Fabbri Air Diver in the back of their minds and often blamed the park for it.

Pictures Parc d’Atraccions Tibidabo

Conclusion Parc d’Atraccions Tibidabo

No other Spanish park had as much charm as the Parc d’Atraccions Tibidabo and no other park had such a nice staff as this park has. They also take care of the improvement suggestions of the customers – as long as they are meant seriously – and reply in a very personal email. I don’t know any other park taking so much care about it. The park will certainly see me again someday.

 

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Parc d'Atraccions Tibidabo