Tag: Spinning Coaster

A day in the colourful sugar world

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Preface

Today was an early awakening, because Hauke had to be picked up to take the ferry from Puttgarden to Rødby. Unfortunately, the first ship departed before our nose. Thus they loaded the next ship with us first (luckily, the ferries here go every half hour). Arrived on the other side we went without any plan which exit leads to the park onto the motorway; a fatal circumstance, as most of the places of interest in Denmark are only announced shortly before reaching them and on the motorways, most of the times, only the first village of the surroundings is mentioned. But then a call from Hauke was enough and in the last moment we could take the right exit. The way led us into BonBon-Land, where we immediately noticed on the parking lot that it is a busy day today.

Tour of BonBon-Land

Logically, the same picture then emerged at the cash registers. But as we already bought our tickets online, things went fast here in comparison. From the outside you could already see the novelty of the year 2010 and inside we noticed that Sammy’s great adventure was shown in the 4D cinema. A positive thing was that everything was distributed relatively evenly in the park. At the beginning of the day it was sufficient to ride not yet at full capacity, but in the afternoon all available equipment was put onto the tracks.

Albatrossen

We started with the Albatrossen, a Zamperla Disk’o. In contrast to the Disk’o Coasters, the ride here is much more fun thanks to the pressure-packed ride. Also the change of direction was excellent to avoid a too monotonous spinning around.

Vildsvinet

Next door, the Eurofighter prototype Vildswinet did its laps. Unexpectedly gently, it raced down the course like a wild boar. Particularly noteworthy is the steep curve that followed the drop with a 97° gradient and ended in a loop. However, the course loses a little tension after the following block brake, so this part only complements the layout, but does not emphasize it again. The design of the ride is not only suitable for the Danish racer, it is simply convincing.

Svend Svingsarm

After a short examination of the queue, the novelty Svend Svingsarm was given a try. Since I only know the HUSS version of the big swings, I honestly didn’t expect anything, but what happened here deserves just one word: Ingenious! If you sit between two rests, you have enormous airtime. The swing-out reaches a very big radius and the gondola changes during the ride the speed of rotation and the direction of travel. Finally, a Zamperla device that is worth to be copied as often as possible. But the handling is too slow for one person and the ride is not themed according to the BonBon-Land standard.

Viktor Vandorm

For Hauke a new roller coaster was waiting for him and for me the longest Tivoli coaster from Zierer I ever rode. After you start unusually high at Viktor Vandorm you build up a lot of speed with the funny first drop. After that you have a part that looks like a splashdown from the outside. Long straights and curves follow until you are back in the station and start a second round. The capacity is of all expectations instead of a man-eater beneath all hell, so it’s not surprising to find the second longest queue here. The design seems strange, as one unfortunately notices that the layout must have stood somewhere else in the past; in this case in Panorama Park, Germany.

Rejen and Bæver Rafting

Near the Tivoli with the strange layout and partly above it there is the dinghy slide Rejen equipped with a photo system. A few meters away you can find the rapids ride of BonBon-Land. The Bæver Rafting has a beautiful, rough layout with, compared to other European rapid rides, a high degree of humidity. The design of the ride is well done and very convincing.

Hundeprutten

Since a waiting time of more than half an hour is clearly too much for Sammy’s big adventure, the nearby Hundeprutten roller coaster was examined more closely. The track layout is similar to a Zierer Force One, but the ride was elaborately clad and imaginatively designed. The fart gag when the train passes by is completely in keeping with the Danish humour and the eponymous candy.

Klaptorsken

Unfortunately, the entire Heege rides of the BonBon-Land and also the windshield wipers style ride are no longer available, but you still can find some remnants. Further away is the ship swing Klaptorsken, built by Metallbau Emmeln, which showed a very solid ride.

Hankatten

The last roller coaster we looked forward to was the Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster Hankatten, which doesn’t come close to the spinning coaster deity Dragon’s Fury by the manufacturer of Maurer Söhne, but will still remain in my memory as a more amusing example. The inward facing seating position is what makes this coaster built by Gerstlauer different from the other manufacturers. The track itself is fast and has some helices and funny drops, but lacks an Immelmann turn to make the track perfect. The design of the ride is well done, even if it is mostly just the remains of the design of the former HUSS Condor. Furthermore, the sound effects are in a class of their own.

Cobratarnet

Also worth mentioning is the Fabbri drop tower Cobratarnet due to the forceful drop and suprising launch downwards. The ride at Cobratarnet is very soft during the deceleration, hence a very good tower for the park’s audience. Luckily you don’t have to wait an eternity at the top of the ride like you do at the Zoo-, Safari- and Hollywoodpark Stukenbrock.

Søløven

The sealion also wanted to be ridden by us. This is a theme ride through the various continents of our world. As kitschy and convincing as the design is, there is unfortunately something missing that most kitschy world travel attractions contain, a catchy song. So the Søløven turns out quite pleasing, however, it could be even better.

Miscellaneous

There is also a small white-water ride with a canal-rat theme with an unfortunately dry ride, an excellent wave swinger with a turtle look and much more. The portfolio of the park is well chosen and the design of the rides is very convincing. It is a pity that the clearance is too slow in some places and the limited queues are a little too short, so that you inevitably block the way for other passers-by.

Pictures BonBon-Land

Conclusion BonBon-Land

The BonBon-Land is a very bizarre amusement park, which can certainly be a lot of fun at a lower crowd. The capacities are limited, there are gaps of old rides everywhere and somehow everything seems to have been placed a little bit without a concept; which again fits very well to the actual design of the park – because BonBon-Land is just like the portfolio of the confectioner next door, who also founded the park.

 

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BonBon-Land

A day in the world of adventure

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Chessington World of Adventures

The day after Whit Monday we took the train to Chessington South and from there about 1km walk to the amusement park Chessington World of Adventures – a theme park of Merlin Entertainments.  There we immediately came across a wonderfully empty animal and amusement park. On our day of visit, all rides did two laps in a row, which was quite astonishing, especially with the roller coasters.

Dragon’s Fury

Passing tigers and lions, which were still moderately active in the early morning, we went to the first object of desire, the spinning coaster Dragon’s Fury. This ride, built by Maurer Söhne, is relatively easy to describe, as it is simply ingenious. The first drop ends in a crazy S-curve combo, which leads into an Immelmann turn. Some turns and helices follow which then change into another weirdness, namely the second quite flat lifthill which gives you the necessary potential energy to complete the rest of the rather bizarre layout.

Dragon’s Fury is by far the best spinning coaster in the world, which is no easy feat with rides like Sonic Spinball from Alton Towers or Tarantula from the Spanish Parque de Atracciones de Madrid. The ride itself usually has a very good gondola rotation, which further enhances the great ride layout.

Wild Asia

Right next door, the newly designed Wild Asia theme area lured us straight into Asia. The former Beanoland, which was dedicated to an English comic series, was redesigned for the 2010 season and now presents itself to visitors with two new features.

Monkey Swinger

In addition to a bumper car, a playhouse and a crazy bus from Zamperla, the area also boasts a very remarkable installation: A wave swinger made by Zierer. Normally to be found in almost every amusement park, Chessington World of Adventure manages to make the Monkey Swinger something very special by using water fountains. In contrast to the installation at Phantasialand, the fountains at the Monkey Swinger are not only an impressive decoration but also serve as an ice cold refreshment. Here at the latest, one becomes aware that the English are not really averse to water. Thus, it is not surprising that one rushes through the water fountains a dozen times during the ride. Thereby, the outer seats where one already gets soaking wet are still the driest seats.

Kobra

To get dry again you can go to the body dryer or sit in the new Kobra ride, a Zamperla Disk’o Coaster. The ride itself unfortunately looks much more imposing from the outside than it is from the inside. Nevertheless a ride on the Kobra is still a nice one for in between.

Lorikeet Lagoon

The second novelty in this area is the Lorikeet Lagoon, an attraction that can now be found more and more often in zoological gardens, such as Erlebnis-Zoo Hannover or Weltvogelpark Walsrode. It is a walk-in aviary where lorikeets make their rounds and you can buy food for these birds for little money.  Thanks to the nature of this parrot species it is possible to get into quite funny situations, at least as long as you have some nectar left to attract them.

Dragon Falls

In the Chinese themed area Mystic East you can find the log flume ride Dragon Falls next to the Ferris wheel Peeking Heights, from which you can theoretically see as far as Thorpe Park. This ride is wonderfully designed but offers only a very slight level of wetness and a rather bizarre layout.

Rameses Revenge

To the joyful surprise of the staff we went for a ride on the Top Spin Rameses Revenge. As the first guests of the day we were not only surprised by the fountains of the ride, but also by the good German language skills of the staff, who appropriately called the machine a Waschmaschine.

Tomb Blaster

In the same themed area there is the interactive dark ride Tomb Blaster, an attraction from Sally that is well worth seeing. Here, a long train takes you through numerous breathtaking backdrops. Due to the yawning emptiness in the park and the resulting longer breaks in the block areas, one could accumulate a bunch of points, but the ride also lacked some momentum.

Rattlesnake

Somewhat hidden and lying in a pit like the Top Spin, the wagons of the Rattlesnake – a Wild Mouse from Maurer Söhne – do their rounds. The waiting area in the middle of the layout alone deserves some attention, but this is even more trumped by the ride. In contrast to the Crazy Mine at the German theme park Hansa Park, the original ambience has so far been maintained and not enhanced by functional extensions.

Runaway Train

Somewhat offside you can find the Powered Coaster Runaway Train – a Blauer Enzian modell of Mack Rides. This standard model has been perfectly suited for Chessington World of Adventures, which you can already notice when passing through the queue that has somehow been put into the ride. The coaster itself is also much more harmonious than the sister ride Flying Fish from Thorpe Park, which is barely 15 miles away. The nice staff provides a great atmosphere as well.

Hocus Pocus Hall and Sea Life Centre

An interesting attraction is the passage through the Hocus Pocus Hall, where you can see some effects with special glasses. Another interesting walkthrough is the Sea Life Centre, which unfortunately has an ugly tent look from the outside. But in the interior, the aquarium is very convincing. The big variety of species and the elaborate design provide a high entertainment value. Thanks to the very low number of visitors it was finally possible to have a closer look at the fish.

BubbleWorks

In the Transylvanian themed area Transylvania you will find the probably most beautiful Burger King in the world as well as a very individual dark ride around the topic squeaking ducks. The tour through the bubble factory BubbleWorks turns out to be quite amusing and can show one of the most impressive finales, because here you literally go for a bath. You won’t get wet, but the water jets you drive through are very impressive.

Vampire

The last roller coaster of the park is from Arrow Dynamics and is a true suspended coaster. This rare type of roller coaster can be found mainly in America and unfortunately the very few examples are getting rarer and rarer with time. In this respect it’s good to know that there is also a ride of this kind in Europe. The still quite new trains made by Vekoma at least give hope for a long future.

The ride on Vampire starts quite amusing with some curve combinations where you already swing a bit to the side. Shortly after that you will go up the second lift hill, after which you complete the part of the ride that can be seen from the outside. Passing the row of houses at the Burger King you quickly get into the treetops where you continue swinging a little to and fro. The highlight of the ride follows shortly afterwards, when one swings out quite intensively after a big drop while leaving a tunnel. Unfortunately, one lands in the braking section shortly thereafter, where one swings out a little before returning to the station.

Vampire is a very surprising roller coaster whose ride comfort increases noticeably for those who wear glasses as soon as you take them off. Although Vampire is not the highest or even the fastest roller coaster – which is mainly due to the local conditions at the park – Arrow Dynamics managed to put an extremely amusing ride into the park, which is definitely unparalleled at least in Europe.

Black Buccaneer

Right next to it, in a quite interesting location, one can admire the ship swing of the park, which, as all the other bigger rides, was put into a pit. Bizarrely, the entrance to Black Buccaneer is in a quite illogical position, so you can invest some time before you find it. After one completes the impressive way back down to the ship swing one is rewarded with a great ride with a quite large swing-out.

Pictures Chessington World of Adventures

Conclusion about our first ever visit

Chessington World of Adventures is one of the most interesting animal and theme parks in Europe and can boast first-class rides, beautifully designed themed areas and a really good zoo area. If you are close to London and are spoilt for choice between the three theme parks Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland Windsor or the practically neighbouring Thorpe Park, the park in Chessington should definitely be paid attention to – it is worth it.

 

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Chessington - World of Adventures

Rocking and Rolling in the Studios of Paris

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Walt Disney Studios Park

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

We started our expedition through the Walt Disney Studios Park with some music, which was rock to be exact. Until now, our group only knew the route of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster from the Flemish Walibi Holland; but what is happening in the Studios 8+9 of the Walt Disney Studios Park tops the Dutch outdoor ride by far. The layout, the launch, simply everything looks perfect when you are in a dark hall with great rock music by the band Aerosmith as well as terrific effects.

In the course of the day, we managed to test four different trains of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, which means that we had four different experiences. This turned out to be quite difficult in the beginning, because we got the same train about 20 times in a row. But since the urge always pulls you into this concept roller coaster or better said concert roller coaster – which couldn’t be better from the overall experience – this was not reprehensible, because what Vekoma has designed here is more or less perfect!

Tower of Terror

Now it was time to leave the dimension and enter the Twilight Zone. The Hollywood Tower Hotel was waiting for us, as well as its friendly staff. Especially the cleaning staff did their best to let everything gather dust. Once you have entered the Tower of Terror, you soon realize that the conventional lifts are no longer sufficient to take you to your room. So you have to cross the library of the hotel and take one of the service lifts in the engine room.

Once you have found your place in the lift, it starts to move backwards. The story is told on several levels and the (freefall) effects are sometimes very frightening. The ride has a lot of airtime, unfortunately the last drop is a bit disappointing. All in all the ride is quite successful, even if one would have wished for a different storyline, especially for Europe, because nobody here is familiar with the Twilight Zone.

Crush’s Coaster

Australia is far away on the globe, but not at Disney. Therefore, in the studios you can quickly take a ride on the back of a turtle. Crush’s Coaster is the name of the ride from the Munich roller coaster manufacturer Maurer-Söhne. The ride is just like Crush appears in the movie: Simply ingenious! The only weak point of the coaster is the much too low capacity. On the first day we had to spend 70 minutes of waiting time on this roller coaster, on the following (not so sunny) days the average waiting time was 45 minutes. It is recommended to start the ride backwards, as this way the lift is much more surprising. The following ride should be familiar to everyone who has ever ridden an SC-2000 like the Spinning Racer at a fair at night, with the small but significant difference that the spin is not locked for that long.

Cars Quatre Roues Rallye

Right next door is the Cars Quatre Roues Rallye. The capacity is not really the problem here, only the absolutely lousy handling makes sure that the queuing time can quickly increase. The ride on the Zamperla Demolition Derby itself is quite amusing and nice for in between. It also looks quite appealing from the outside.

Les Tapis Volants – Flying Carpets Over Agrabah

The flying carpets Les Tapis Volants – Flying Carpets Over Agrabah can also be found in this area. One of the few fast pass attractions in the park, which suggests that this ride is very popular. If you catch a good time, you can do a lap without having to wait for the fast-pass. By the way, the ride is definitely worthwhile.

Armageddon

What would a studio park be without shows? Probably not much. So the time had come to test them bit by bit. We started with the special effects show Armageddon. A far too long, partly stupid preshow with film scenes, which I didn’t expect in such a park, introduces the upcoming room. There you can see yourself on a space station, which is damaged by an asteroid. A lot of fire makes the people feel a little warmer, the other effects are not really worth mentioning in contrast to Port Aventura’s Templo del Fuego.

Moteurs… Action! Stunt Show Spectacular

One of the more popular shows at Walt Disney Studios Park is of course the stunt show with the very long name Moteurs… Action! Stunt Show Spectacular. The scenery in which this show takes place is wonderful to watch, but the show itself is not as exciting. In the beginning there is a wonderful atmosphere, but somehow everything that makes this show spectacular was missing.

The Art of Disney Animation

The Art of Disney Animation is not to be missed. First of all you are shown a film that captures the magic of Disney by showing scenes from different Disney films and language versions. In the second show you are accompanied by the dragon Mushu, known from the film Mulan, where the story of how a cartoon character was created is explained. It is also advisable to follow this event in Dutch, thanks to the joke with the Frikandel.

Cinémagique

If you can’t get enough of the comfortable cinema seats, you should watch the half-hour film in the Cinémagique. I don’t want to give too much away, but one should take the mobile phone warning in cinemas seriously. Apart from that, the film is based on the Movie Switch principle, although it comes across much better here than at the show in Movie-Park Germany (which is by no means hard to do).

Stitch live

If you like interactivity and also like the devilishly evil experiment 626, you will love Stitch live. Whether active participation in the show changes the course of events I may doubt, in this respect I preferred the Movie Magic Show from the Bottrop Filmpark, as it was simply legendary for its flat humour and comical actions of the actors.

Thanks to the unfavourable times, we always missed the black light show Animagique. This will be tackled during the next visit, as well as the studio tour, which was closed at the time of the visit. Also, the Toy Story Land, which was still under construction at the time, needs to be examined more closely.

Pictures Walt Disney Studios Park

 

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Walt Disney Studios Park