An evening at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has one of the most impressive skylines of any theme park – at least the views from the parking lot are stunning. The theme park however has a very odd layup with the entrance area being placed somewhat in the middle of the park, splitting the park into two major ride areas to the left and right of the entrance and the zoo exhibits directly Infront.

Batman The Ride

My first ride of the day was the S&S Free Spin Coaster Batman – The Ride. As always, the ride comfort on this type of coaster was pretty good. There were a few rollovers, but no big surprises. My ride on Batman – The Ride ended up being pretty solid; meaning the ride could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse.

Superman Ultimate Flight

Superman Ultimate Flight is the first Sky Rocket II from Premier Rides. You can now experience this ride five times in the USA alone.

The first launch on Superman Ultimate Flight is very similar to the initial acceleration of a modern swing boat, but after the change of direction it is much more powerful and we almost reach the top of the non-inverted loop. With a lot of momentum we are accelerated a third time and after a 180° turn we easily reach the top level of the ride. After a very short breather we enter the inversion of the ride, which is clearly visible from afar, where we experience a very pronounced hangtime. Shortly afterwards we dive back into the non-inverted loop. Another reunion with the apex of the element heralds the finale of the ride, whereupon, after another run through the station, we come to a precise stop and our wild ride comes to an end.

Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth

At the back end of the DC Universe area is Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth. This giant pendulum ride is a blast; although, the ride is not as diversified as other Giant Discovery rides by Zamperla, as it does rotate only in one direction without varying the speed of the rotation too much.

Joker

The Joker hybrid coaster is a rebuilt version of the Roar wooden coaster, now re-launched with a slightly different layout.

The ride on the RMC I-Box Track rollercoaster begins immediately with a short pre-lift section consisting of several waves and smaller bends. Once we reach a height of 100 ft (30 m), we immediately plunge down a steep curve. We are immediately drawn into a step-up under flip, where we change direction in a brilliant overhead manoeuvre. After a left-hand bend, we are then pulled directly into a zero-G stall, where we experience several seconds of weightlessness while we are once again upside down. Back in the seat, we are immediately pulled into a turning curve consisting of several alternating waves, first to the left and then to the right. This is followed by several airtime hills, which are repeatedly interrupted by larger turning curves. Finally, there is a roll through the rafters and several smaller airtime bumps before we find ourselves in the final brake.

The Joker is a really good rollercoaster. The ride is extremely dynamic and simply great fun without putting too much strain on the passengers. Just like on Kings Dominion’s Twisted Timbers, you can easily do one lap after another here – something you can’t do on every RMC. It’s terrific! 

Flash: Vertical Velocity

Flash: Vertical Velocity is the most unique roller coaster at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Originally, the ride opened as V2: Vertical Velocity featured the same layout as the ride in Six Flags Great America. Due to height restrictions, the ride had to be shortened the year after to a maximum of 150 feet (46 m). Interestingly, the spiral runs now at an angle, thus creating an Inversion over the entrance area to the park. Apart of the initial jolt, the ride is a very fun shuttle coaster and should not be missed when visiting the park.

Monsoon Falls

While the ride area to the left of the park’s entrance lacks any theming, apart of the DC comic billboards and the bat mobile, the path towards this area is actually pretty decent with Monsoon Falls being the highlight. This Intamin Spillwater features a nice ride moistening all riders the most efficient way possible.  

White Water Safari, Ark and Boomerang Coast-to-Coaster

Due to the Halloween event, many paths throughout the park functioned as one-way streets, therefore getting to the big ride area to the right of the park took a bit of time. First you had to pass the Wave Swinger, then the closed White Water Safari rapids ride before finally getting to the area where the Ark pirate boat and the Boomerang Coast-to-Coaster is located. Unfortunately, the Vekoma Boomerang was down on my day of visit.   

Sidewinder Safari

The Zamperla Spinning Coaster Sidewinder Safari is the newest addition to the park. The ride features the standard Spinning Mouse layout, which can be found in dozens of installations worldwide. Due to the low capacity of the ride, I only recommend riding this fun coaster, when the wait times are low.  

From this area, the paths split, creating one giant loop around the lake at the back of the park, where the Monkey Business and Thrilla Gorilla flat rides are located and the path along the big Toyota Stadium – where the dolphin show Drench! takes place – leading to the big ride area to the right of the entrance.

Cobra, Kong and Sky Screamer

In this area you find the family coaster Cobra featuring a double-8 track layout, as well as the Sky Screamer Star Flyer and the suspended looping coaster Kong, which is a ride only for the daredevils, as it is quite jolty even for a Vekoma SLC.

Medusa

The last big roller coaster on our tour of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is the B&M floorless coaster Medusa. The ride on Medusa begins immediately with a short curve out of the station, whereupon the ride’s lift hill awaits us. As soon as we reach a height of 150 ft (45 m), after a small pre-drop and a short bend to the right, we immediately head towards the abyss. An oversized loop is immediately followed by an equally oversized dive loop, which presses us very firmly into our seats. After a large zero-G roll, we are immediately drawn into a sea serpent roll – a very unusual element for a B&M. After a steep turn, we reach a block brake. Without adjusting our speed, we immediately descend another steep turn at the end of which the entrance to the first corkscrew awaits us. After a helix, we immediately enter the second corkscrew and another helix – this time very close to the ground. A short ascent with a left-hand bend then leads us into the braking section.

Medusa is an extremely impressive roller coaster. The ride has a rather unusual layout for a B&M and some very cool elements. Unfortunately, however, the ride is now a little lacking in ride comfort, so that contact with the shoulder restraints is unfortunately unavoidable during the ride, which is why I have only ventured on a few rides on Medusa.

Pictures Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Conclusion Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is the weakest Six Flags theme park I have visited so far. The ride portfolio itself is pretty good and theoretically the park also offers a large zoo similar to the SeaWorld theme parks. However, as I didn’t experience any of this – thanks to the very limited offer on the day I visited – I can’t include this point in my rating. However, the layout of the theme park is relatively strange, thanks to the two large rollercoaster clusters to the right and left of the entrance that were added by Six Flags. The rest of the theme park then goes back to its history as the Marine World theme park. 


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Click here for the next report of the California Adventure Tour

Of dragons and dinosaurs

The new additions of Holiday Park

Dino Splash

In 2020, Holiday Park gave its popular rapid river Donnerfluss a new life. The new dinosaur theme fits the ride perfectly and the figures create a quite immersive environment. You feel like going onto an adventure when queueing for the ride. Unfortunately, the old reference to the mighty Thunder River (the first ever installation of a rapids ride, which was located in the long gone Six Flags Astroworld) is gone and replaced by the generic ride name Dino Splash to be in line with other water attractions at the various Plopsa parks. 

Holiday Indoor

Since 2018, Holiday Park is home to a large indoor area of the same size as the Plopsa Indoor theme parks. The area is very well themed and is home to a bunch of rides, play areas, a stage and a restaurant. Its main attractions are a carousel, the flat ride Mias Elfenflug and the roller coaster Tabalugas Achterbahn. The rides are all themed to various TV shows of Studio 100.  

Tabalugas Achterbahn

Tabalugas Achterbahn is the newest roller coaster at Holiday Park. The ride is located at the righthand corner of Holiday Indoor. While the station of the ride is well themed, the indoor section features just a bunch of figures of the popular German TV show in a night sky environment. Nevertheless, the ride is a very solid family coaster. 

Miscellaneous

Holiday Park’s wonderful water ski show sadly is no more. The area to the back of the park is now closed to make room for a future addition. At the same time, the area around the Lighthouse tower improved a lot. The water play area Super Wings Wasserspielplatz is the newest addition next to the Beach Rescue jet ski ride by Zierer and the cute Fischerboote by Metallbau Emmeln.

Pictures Holiday Park

 


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The many novelties of the Wiener Prater

Hochschaubahn

During my last visits to the Wiener Prater, the world-famous Hochschaubahn was closed each time. This time, however, I planned my visit much earlier so that I could take a ride on the classic Scenic Railway. The ride, which is still traditionally controlled by a brakeman who rides along with the train, impresses with its gradients and the quite distinctive curves. It is the most family-friendly of all scenic railways, but a ride on this 70-year-old roller coaster is a must for every theme park and roller coaster enthusiast.

Rollerball

Another novelty for me is the Rollerball. This utterly imposing roller coaster from RES is an extremely fun family roller coaster with one small problem: it’s a one-trick pony. The roller coaster, which runs vertically, convinces with its rocking moments initiated by the bizarre drops – but that’s about it. The very family-friendly ride is very enjoyable for a single ride, but the very repetitive course of the track does not awaken the desire to ride it again straight away. In addition, the ride is simply not accepted by the visitors and therefore you never know whether it is running or not.

King Size Turbo Booster

Also new to me is the King Size Turbo Booster – the second iteration of Funtime’s Vomitron, which is very popular in the Prater. However, instead of just doing its flips straight on a circle path, the King Size Turbo Booster takes it up a notch. The seats are now all separate from each other and can each rotate around their own axis. The gondola carrier itself also rotates and is driven by a motor. The superimposition of all the rotational movements creates an extremely fast ride in which you can experience all kinds of crazy moments. Interestingly, the ride is still quite stomach-friendly, although it doesn’t look like it from the outside.  

Gesengte Sau

The biggest novelty of the past years is the roller coaster Die G’gengte Sau. This is a bobsled coaster from Gerstlauer, but here it is primarily built up high and takes an absolutely wild route back to the station.

The start is made by classic hairpin bends, as you would find them on a Wild Mouse.  After a total of three, we race down a big drop. Just past the Black Mamba, the path leads us back up a little and immediately into two more hairpin bends. Straight away we are pulled down a steep bend. After another valley, we climb a small straight section before leaning further and further to the right and plunging towards the ground one more time. After another climb, we race through a block brake and into another hairpin. Once again narrowly missing the Black Mamba, we go down the biggest drop of the ride. On the other side of the ride, the facade of the Funhouse Funball awaits us, which we also narrowly miss. Three tight turns follow, which lead us to the other side of the ride. We then repeat the whole thing in a small steep curve and several bunny hops. For the finale, a downward curve and several swerves to the right and left await us before we find ourselves in the brake and the absolutely brilliant roller coaster comes to an end.

The Gesengte Sau is an outstanding novelty and one of the best bobsled coasters from Gerstlauer. The extremely compact ride convinces with its multitude of drops and breathtaking curves.

Bilder Wiener Prater

 


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