Tag: Rapids Ride

In Honour of O.D. Hopkins

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Preface

After Stefan unfortunately couldn’t come with us to England last year due to a small fracture and we received a ticket for this season through the Guest Relations, we went to the English island once again, where we not only encountered minimal waiting times at Pentecost, but also the best weather to celebrate O.D. Hopkins masterpiece Tidal Wave extensively.

Tour of the park

X:\No Way Out

The beginning of the visit was the magnificent and completely screwed up indoor roller coaster X:\No Way Out made by Vekoma. For many roller coaster fans of the world this ride is wrongly considered one of the worst steel roller coasters par excellence, but the ride only does what it was designed for. The strange lifthill passages, the reversing train, as well as the computer virus that the ride reflects story-wise, make the ride something very special.

Tidal Wave

In the immediate vicinity is Tidal Wave, a masterpiece of a spillwater from O.D. Hopkins. Tidal Wave scores with its enormous wave and the resulting high – but pleasant – degree of wetness. Unfortunately, the founder of the spillwater manufacturer O.D. Hopkins died shortly before our visit, so some laps on Tidal Wave were made in his memory.

Nemesis Inferno

Because Stealth was not running for a while the nearby Inverter of the park was visited. Nemesis Inferno is the bigger brother of its sister ride Nemesis from Alton Towers and has an equally good and fun layout.

Of particular importance is the start of this layout, where after a downhill bend you pass through a fog-filled tunnel before the train enters the lift. After having climbed it, a curvy descent follows in order to be released in a powerful loop. Typical for the manufacturer now follows a wonderfully intense Zero-G Roll, which then releases you into the interlocking corkscrews. After the last curves are completed, the short ride is unfortunately over again.

Detonator

Thematically, Nemesis Inferno forms a fiery unit with the Fabbri Freefall Tower Detonator. While the inverter is completely dedicated to the volcano, Detonator is already a little bit aside at the foot of it. The fall from the only 40m high tower lets nearly every other tower look old, because here you are not only dropped, but shot down by a preloaded spring.

Saw Alive

As Saw – The ride was out of service and there were high queues at the Maze Saw Alive, as well as at the neighboring multi-inversion coaster Colossus, the Canadian area was examined more closely. Unfortunately there seemed to be a lot of downtimes in general, so it was no surprise that the huge S&S Power Sky Swat Slammer didn’t ride.

Logger’s Leap

However, the neighbouring log flume Logger’s Leap sent one boat after the other down its double slope, so a ride on the ride was targeted. The small boat tour starts quite nasty with a shot in the dark before it gets quite strangely closer and closer to the big shot. Once up it goes immediately downhill and this luckily with a pronounced airtime on the second gradient. Unfortunately the level of wetness is limited, but the ride on the log flume is always a pleasure. Besides there is also Tidal Wave to get you wet.

Stealth

Since Stealth was back on the road again, we went to the Amity Cove area again to be transported to the sky with the appropriate music playing. Stealth offers quite a short ride time, but you can rarely be faster in 60m height and back again, especially since the launch just rocks. Unfortunately, the ride doesn’t end after the Top Hat, rather on a hill where you get to know the shoulder restraints in an unpleasant way. At least the whole package is convincing, especially since the trains here are a bit bigger than on Desert Race and Rita.

Flying Fish

A little bit hidden and since the Swarm probably also more popular, you can enjoy the probably coolest powered coaster by Mack Rides. The Flying Fish does not only greet its passengers with the word Dude but can also show a quite interesting train. Unfortunately, another train rarely seems to be a good choice for a powered coaster of this model, especially since the whole thing can turn out quite painful like in the travelling version Feuer und Eis (fire and ice); over here, the train seems a bit too wide. This is evident in the ride, but the unharmonious transitions are hardly disturbing, as the train itself is equipped with the latest generation of seats and restraints.

Saw – The Ride

Because Saw – The Ride finally started to run again, we had to dare a ride there as well. Unfortunately, the course already showed significant losses in the second year, which was mainly due to the additional queue for the fast pass owners.

After finally being cleared, the car is starting to move. The first part can still be seen as brilliant, but unfortunately the outer part of the ride seems to have taken a turn for the worse. The first change you notice is the lower speed, as there is no longer the almost indescribable rush and the resulting forces. The second change is the rather ungentle approach with its passengers; the ride was suprisingly rough.

Samurai

More or less next door and unfortunately a little bit inappropriately designed for this area is the Top Scan Samurai by Mondial. This ride, that is very popular especially in the United Kingdom, is very convincing – at least if the rotation of the gondola also allows some rollovers. But the constant shifting of the legs to the right is not very pleasant in the long run.

Colossus

Also the world’s first 10 inversions roller coaster Colossus wanted to be ridden. The very photogenic ride, which by the way has the same epic soundtrack as its namesake from Heide-Park in Lower Saxony, continues to convince, provided you have completed the first three inversions. What the looping and the following cobra roll do to you isn’t that nice, but what follows is basically just great. The two corkscrews are passed with a wonderful speed before the four Heartlinerolls are started. These are slightly monotonous but are – at least in Europe – a unique experience and the prelude to the best inversion of a roller coaster par excellence, the final fifth Heartlineroll in the opposite direction. The roll is something special and rides wonderfully harmonious; a basically unique feeling.

Rush, Quantum, Vortex and Zodiac

In the same area there are still some rides, like the boring S&S swing Rush, where with a bit of luck a giant dragonfly is slapped in your face, which can be considered a highlight during the short ride program. The flying carpet Quantum and also the neighboring Afterburner Vortex show hardly any ride characteristics worth mentioning except for their manufacturers. The HUSS Enterprise Zodiac is a very interesting ride, not only because of its short ride program, like all rides in this area, but also because of its safety belt to attach the grid to the nacelle.

Rumba Rapids

The park’s Intamin Rafting ride is not really worth mentioning, because Rumba Rapids clearly gives away a lot of potential. The course itself features a wonderful wave pool that could flood the boats nicely. As always on European rapid rides, one remains dust-dry.

Pictures Thorpe Park

 

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Thorpe Park

A great weekend at Europa-Park

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My first visit to Europa Park

Blue Fire Megacoaster

Since the roller coaster Blue Fire was new this year and first launched coaster in the south of Germany, the ride was targeted right at the beginning. This approach was absolutely justified, because where the queue at Blue Fire in the morning was only about 20 minutes, it was much longer in the afternoon. Somehow everybody wanted to drive Blue Fire.

After you have taken a seat in the very comfortable trains of the roller coaster Blue Fire you pass through a small nonsensical dark ride part to be fired with all kinds of effects at a snail’s pace. This is followed by a very modest turnaround, which, like the following element of a looping, is driven through much too slowly. The steep turn before the ascent to the block brake can be seen as the highlight of the track, as long as you don’t come to a stop in the block brake. At the right speed, the following corkscrews are a lot of fun, but unfortunately, you don’t get to enjoy it very often. The absolute outrage, which is unfortunately called the highlight of a roller coaster par excellence by the fans, is the alleged and completely miscalculated Heartlineroll towards the end of the ride on Blue Fire.

Blue Fire is by far one of the most boring roller coasters par excellence, absolutely nothing is right here and one can only hope that the company Mack Rides will recognize and use the potential of the following rides. Where the first part of the ride is much too slow, the second part on Blue Fire is unfortunately much too fast, so that at the end a powerless, boring and bad roller coaster is waiting for its guests, who, due to a lack of experience with inversions and launches, think that the ride is superior.

To wake up from the deep sleep the coffee house in the immediate vicinity of the track was tested. The coffee served there is pretty damn good and therefore the real highlight of the Icelandic themed area.

Atlantika Supersplash

After leaving Iceland in the direction of Portugal, you will find yourself in front of the impressive structure of the Atlantika Supersplash. Unfortunately the ride, as well as other rides of this type, can’t do anything, but there is a soak zone to get at least a little bit wet. The nonsensical backwards part during the ride can be supplemented by an even more nonsensical 540° turn on the first turntable, as long as the capacity is not fully utilized.

Tiroler Wildwasserbahn

To get really wet you have to make a pilgrimage to the Tiroler Wildwasserbahn, which does its age credit. Specially at this ride you can see how much Europa Park is trying to take care of its rides, as this log flume looks like new and rides like new, a thing that is unfortunately not the case in other parks. The degree of wetness is outstanding and the cave you ride through is just great.

Alpenexpress Enzian

The Alpenexpress Enzian also makes its rounds through the same cave and, like its slightly longer brother from the Soltau Heide Park, is quite convincing. But not only the Powered Coaster shows clear parallels to Soltau, you can also find a larger version of the Seerestaurant in the Heide, as well as some smaller attractions that are more or less the same.

Fjord Rafting

The Fjord Rafting also looks like a small version of the Mountain Rafting, but unfortunately the ride itself is not really exciting or even wet. The rapids, the waterfalls and the wave pool are particularly mild here. The design is nice, but you can tell the age of the Intamin ride.

Besides the HUSS Pirate in the immediate vicinity, there are not many rides from other manufacturers in the park. Besides the Zierer Wellenflug in Austria and the Zamperla attractions in the English themed area, the Chance C.P. Huntigton train there is only the Intamin Gyro Tower in the French themed area, and the biggest European roller coaster by the manufacturer B&M so far.

Silver Star

The Silver Star is the epitome of a parking lot roller coaster and makes perfect use of this fact with a suitable theming. The out & back design of the layout looks breathtaking due to the height, but rides relatively harmless. While in the first row you only get an unpleasant breeze during the ride, in the back row you experience some nice floating airtime at its best. Unfortunately, the ride has the worst queue since the invention of the queue, which is why queuing in the summer time with a waiting time of more than 20 minutes is definitely not worthwhile.

Eurosat

Not far from the steel giant is the dark roller coaster Eurosat, one of the best roller coasters of the park. Although the curves are sometimes quite borderline in complete darkness and the brakes are adjusted very strongly, but you wait no matter how long the queue is, at most 30 minutes, because it moves steadily forward.

Universum der Energien

Beneath the ride is one of the better attempts to copy the universe of energies at Disney. Even if the ride is only noticed by very few park guests or even found, this dark ride is definitely the most coherent one in the whole park. The theme of the dinosaurs is a bit out of fashion, but should be back on everyone’s lips by the time the fourth Jurassic Park part is released.

Schweizer Bobbahn

The Swiss themed area features the prototype of Mack’s bobsleigh run, which has nothing to offer except an attractive design. The Schweizer Bobbahn is one of the most harmless and unfortunately also boring rides of this kind. Unfortunately, one usually meets the fullest queue here, as the capacity is not very exhilarating.

Matterhorn Blitz

Similarly boring is the second roller coaster of this area, the Wild Mouse with an extended layout and an elevator instead of a lift. The Matterhorn Blitz became my 100th roller coaster and unfortunately the ride and the longest queue in the whole park was not worth it. The extended mice basically lack everything that makes the more compact and better standard mice.

Jungfrau Gletscherflieger

Probably the best attraction in this area is the Jungfrau Gletscherflieger, a ride that is very reminiscent of a Zierer hang-glider flight, but with the ground under your feet. Unfortunately, this very fast ride never managed to be widely distributed.

Fluch der Kasandra

In the Greek themed area there is a witches’ swing, which for once was not built by the Vekoma company. Unfortunately, the Fluch der Kasandra doesn’t offer a storyline and apart from the main room nothing else but a nice atmospheric music. The additional effect of the pop massage is something new at first, but absolutely unnecessary.

Poseidon

The nearby water roller coaster Poseidon shows how to ride a water roller coaster, because here you can even get wet with a little luck, if you are unlucky this happens even before the ride while waiting underneath the Trojan horse. Although the curvy roller coaster part offers some funny strokes, this does not make the ride worse.

Pegasus

Below the water roller coaster is the most airtime-rich and at the same time most family-friendly roller coaster of the whole park. Named after the winged horse, the Pegasus roller coaster offers a curvy track, which is completed at a decent speed and is perfectly tailored to the young audience.

Euro-Mir

In the Russian themed area you can visit the Russian space station Mir. Much faster, if not less exciting, is the neighbouring Euro-Mir. While you climb up the harmonious lift, you will hear one of the best soundtracks ever. Once arrived at the top, one turns a few curves around the mirror towers while the gondola is continuously turning. Before the first descent, the gondolas lock themselves so that one rides the following part either forward or backwards until one turns the gondolas by 180° on the hill. The following curvy part of the roller coaster is very intensive and remains so with the continuously decreasing radii. As it is also the case of the roller coaster Eurosat, the braking is very strong, but if one is lucky to drive backwards into the brakes, it is not that bad.

Schneeflöckchen Schlittenfahrt

Somewhat hidden is the Schneeflöckchen Schlittenfahrt, a beautiful and harmonious dark ride with dolls and probably the most cult car in the form of sledges with benches, which is why the nickname of the attraction is Bench the Ride.

Piraten in Batavia

In the Netherlands you can visit the Piraten in Batavia. Like so many others, this dark ride tries to orientate itself on Disney’s Pirates of the Caraibbean. Unfortunately, the ride does not manage to do this at all and is one of the worst and most boring dark rides for me. The much too long ride is not only a waste of time without equal, but also an ideal attraction to make someone fall asleep.

Magia

The Variety Show in the Italian themed area was similarly successful at the time of the visit. I did not notice much of the show called Magia, but the clown at the beginning of the show was quite original.

Geisterschloss

In the immediate vicinity are the dark rides Ciao Bambini and the Geisterschloss, both attractions are more or less copies of well-known Disney attractions. While Ciao Bambini was not tested by me, the completely trivial ghost train enjoyed a visit from time to time, because the Geisterschloss is not so bad after all.

In the Spanish themed area, there are two other smaller attractions, among them a sea storm ride with a decent program that most of the times, one can simply get on without waiting time. Moreover, there are some show arenas spread all over the park. Among others, the ice skating show is recommendable, whereby the actual highlight is basically each time the clown before the respective show.

Pictures Europa Park

Closing Words Europa Park

In contrast to Heide-Park, the Edeka Day at Europa Park is a particularly recommendable day. Apart from free samples at every corner, you can also enjoy numerous other activities. Strangely enough, that day was also much emptier than the day before and also open longer. If you still have enough time in the evening, you can watch the latest movies in the in-house 4D cinema, mostly in 2D, but with suitable effects.

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Europa Park

Welcome to the Ghetto

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Preface

Unfortunately, the Compagnie des Alpes decided to not operate their Shuttle Loop roller coaster model (Turbine) just some days towards our visit to Walibi Belgium. Fortunately, I had the honor to ride the ride back in 2008.

Lot has changed in the park since my last visit to the worse. Although this time the Flashback ran without any problems, there was a great potential for improvement on almost everything. Positively, the remains of the roller coaster Vertigo could not be found everywhere in the park.

Tour of the park

Cobra and Palais du Génie

Since the crowds in the morning are always go in the anti-clockwise direction around the lake, it is recommended to start the round tour with the most gentle of all Vekoma Boomerangs, called Cobra. If you follow this path you can ride the really beautiful Vekoma Mad House Palais du Génie without any queues. Unluckily, the music was quiet, so that we could hear the drum doing some cracking noises.

Radja River and Flashback

Radja River was as drenching as always. When it started to rain, we rode this ride and flashback alternately. There is only one point in the ride where you could get soaked, but it is a quite efficient one.

The log flume Flashback is one of the best, albeit also one of the strangest, log flumes out there. The tunnel after the first descent can get you very wet, especially the people who are sitting in the front of the boat. While the people in the back of the boat should worry about their clothes on the last drop. The industry look of the ride is just brilliant and very well harmonised with the nearby roller coaster turbine. This theme is truly different and special.

Challenge of Tutankhamon

The dark ride Challenge of Tutankhamon is a very great ride by the American company Sally. The different paths of the cars make this rides to one of the best of its kind. Especially the end is just awesome, as long as you are able to defeat the boss. However, the building is a bit out of the way and can easily be overlooked, especially if you are not allowed to ride the small Tivoli Coaster on the forecourt.

Calamity Mine, Dalton Terror and Buzzsaw

If you follow the round tour past some broken rides you reach the western area of Walibi Belgium, where you can find the mine train roller coaster Calamity Mine. The ride itself is gentle, but the overall theming is just great. The adjacent Intamin Drop Tower Dalton Terror can be skipped, especially since some tracks are always broken. The Top Spin Buzzsaw is among the worst rides ever build, but celebrated by the anti-social public within the park. The screeching French gits make it quite an amusing one to watch.

Loup Garou and Vampire

The two remaining roller coasters Loup Garou (werewolf) and Vampire were a lot worse than in 2008. It may have been due to the lack of care. The suspended looping coaster was operated extremely slow. You spend quite a long time in the lifthill and went through the track so slowly, that you could have been happy to arrive back into the station at the end of the ride.

Closing Words

Later in the day, we only switched between Flashback, the Darkride Challenge of Tutankhamon and Radja River. Walibi Belgium itself clearly has a bigger problem with its guests than the Movie Park Germany, and incidentally has got into a disastrous condition. Let’s see how the future for the park will be like.

 

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Walibi Belgium