Wave Pool

A crowded Waterpark

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Joyful Waterpark

When you learn about Nagashima Spa Land, you inevitably come across the Joyful Waterpark or Jumbo Ocean Water Pool and its immense number of water slides. With the construction of the Boomerang Twist water slide in 2013 at the latest, the park is also internationally known and should therefore not be left out; but more on that later.

The water park is open from the end of June to mid-September. Entrance is via the theme park and accordingly requires a ticket for both parks; an offer with a free pass for the rides and both entrances is quite affordable. As the park is very popular in summer temperatures, a visit during the week is recommended; the capacities are available but are not always fully used even on busier days.

No wonder, that my visit to Joyful Waterpark had the longest waiting times of the entire tour. Even worse when, on your first visit to the theme park two days earlier, there were virtually no waiting times at all in the entire resort. But hey, you learn from your mistakes and with a bit of bad luck you immediately commit another, more fatal one; you should not underestimate the sun in Japan and so I trained mercilessly for being an Englishman.

But before I distract you too much with the existing boundary conditions of the visit, let’s rather go straight into the Joyful Waterpark. To the right is the huge changing hall, to the left the covered children’s area and the showers. The Japanese visitors now make themselves at home on the car park style terraces and we turn our attention to the first slides, or sliders as they are called here.

UFO Slider

The two UFO sliders are the first, although only one of the two Space Bowl slides was in operation. You quickly pick up speed via a short steep curve before shooting into the funnel and then doing lap after lap, under the enthusiastic gaze of the Japanese, before eventually plummeting into the water pool.  While most visitors only managed two laps, people were always amazed when someone spent three or more laps in the funnel. In fact, it’s not that difficult if you stick to the recommended sliding position. After more than five rounds, however, I too fell through the middle at some point and landed quite ungently in the pool. It was great fun, and as a bodyslide with a deliberately unintentional landing, it gives you much more adrealine than comparable tube slides with their continuing slide out of the funnel.

Water Tubes

Across a bridge over Lazy River located in the front of the park, where the future swimmers were just doing warm-up exercises with the lifeguards, we go to the three Water Tubes. This slide complex consists of two bodyslides, each with a downward helix, and a very, very, very steep turbo slide. Waiting times were quite long due to the alternating operation of the two types of slides, which had a negative effect especially on the only operated helix tube. The slide is quite fast and very wild due to the plummeting exit. But the highlight of this slide complex is the steeply sloping slide in the middle, where you lose contact with the slide surface without mercy and thus experience a large part of the slide time in the air. Of course, the splashdown at the end of the slide is all the more brutal, but the airtime here is clearly unparalleled and rewards the slider, even with somewhat longer waiting times.

Spiral Slider

Passing the large water play area Japaaaan, we are now drawn to the Spiral Sliders, five open bodyslides of older design – including two for children and three for adults. All of them feature a multitude of helices and jumps. And they are quite something! Here, you swing quickly up the channel, constantly get splashes of water in your face and take off in the jumps. The finish of the slides is flawless, which makes the slide experience even better. It is therefore a little strange that the Spiral Slider is described as a beginner’s ride to the Tornado Sliders. If the waiting time wasn’t also relatively long, you wouldn’t get me off here so quickly. In this sense, I had a great time.

Onsen

Right next door is a small pool that is supplied with water from the nearby onsen, so even the non-nude can experience an onsen. Those who are more into action, however, can let off steam in one of the two non-swimmer pools in this corner of the water park. There is also a larger paddling pool here.

Free Fall Slider

Past the large wave pool, which interestingly (like the two lazy rivers) is cleared from time to time – probably to prevent the bathers from exhausting themselves – we now head towards the three kamikaze slides called Free Fall Slider. Interestingly, only the two highest slides were in operation, which at first glance seemed logical, but I would have preferred to take the middle slide on the way there. I don’t really like kamikaze slides and this one also uses a rectangular slide profile, which is already not an advantage on other slides of this kind. But when it finally went over the edge and the adrealine rush set in, all worries were forgotten. The water descent was also quite gentle, so I have no choice but to say: this Kamikaze slide rocks and it rocks hard.

Surf Hill and Wild River

Opposite is a double ride consisting of the Surf Hill and Wild River slides. Surf Hill is a mat slide where, in a very classic way, you race against several other sliders over a number of hills. Directly behind it starts Wild River, two crazy river rides with a rather boring course that is, however, really convincing. Here, the course descends steadily over several wild drops and obstacles before the terrific finale is introduced parallel to the mat slide. This is an unexpected surprise, especially in comparison to the visually impressive ride in The Boon water park of Hirakata Park, which was just okay.

Big One

The second Lazy River starts its round right next door. While the front of the two current channels is open and has no other highlights, the rear one is largely located under the Big One family raft slide and thus offers a rather unusual perspective.

The double Family Raft slide Big One is the second largest ride in the Joyful Waterpark and unfortunately does not live up to its name. The curves are all rather shallow; you hardly rock up and there are also none of the extremely strange moments of proximity between the passengers. There is an extremely large drop in the middle, but that doesn’t make the slide any better. However, since there is capacity, the waiting time is still manageable.

Tornado Slider

Unlike the significant slide tower Tornado Slider, where half of all slides were closed and none of the bodyslides were operating. While it was still easy to get rings in the early morning, the tower’s entire queue was filled by the afternoon at the latest. This consists of a large number of open and closed slides, most of them with using tubes. It is hardly possible to reproduce a single slide in words, due to the structure itself, and so you slide down a multitude of helices and jumps.

However, since I only tested one slide here, I can’t give a detailed overall experience of the big slide tower. However, I have to say that the slide I tested, the Black Hole tube slide, was rather average. So, all in all, nothing bad, but of course I can’t say whether the other slides are better or worse. I would have liked to test them all, especially the extremely fast-looking turbo tubes.

Boomerang Twist

Let’s move on to the largest ride in the Joyful Waterpark, the aforementioned Boomerang Twist. Consisting of the elements Family Boomerango and Manta, this giant from WhiteWater West offers a quite extraordinary slide experience; which is partly due to the extremely compact construction of the ride.

The ride in the round boats begins at about the height of the block brake of the Steel Dragon roller coaster. You leave the station via a short dip and immediately tackle a combination of curves at a lofty height. After a 180° turn and a longer, steadily descending straight, you plunge down a rather steep incline. In the valley that follows, you cross a large surge of water, but it doesn’t seem to slow the boat down in any way. As if possessed by madness, you race up the Boomerango and reach a considerable height. Back in the valley, you dash along a gently ascent before you cross the crest and throw yourself towards the ground once more. Actually, it’ s only the boat that wants to do this, your body is still too sluggish for that and prefers to spend some time in the air. In the following Manta element, you swing back and forth a few times and are continuously kept happy by the water sloshing into it. After this, you dive into a short tunnel, make another turn and are then carried back to the ending position by the current.

The Boomerang Twist is the best water slide I have experienced so far. The ride is extremely fun and simply overwhelming due to the elements used. Especially the passage between the two main elements, which is able to maintain the adrealine rush absolutely skilfully, is absolutely top class and makes many other water slides look old. I would go so far as to say that this slide is the best attraction in Nagashima and every amusement park fan should and must have experienced it.

Pictures Joyful Waterpark

Conclusion Joyful Waterpark

But for that, you have to be prepared to spend your time on more than just a large roller coaster from the manufacturer Morgan and, if necessary, to be very willing to suffer a little longer waiting times and many closed water slides. Joyful Waterpark is a very cool water park that I would have loved to experience empty. The chance was there, I just didn’t take it – but as I said at the beginning of this report, you learn from your mistakes. So next time I will go straight to the water park, because a visit here is definitely worthwhile and should be planned when visiting the resort.

 

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Click here for the next report of the Titanic Max Tour

Joyful Waterpark / Titanic Max Day 7 to 9

Aquopolis Torrevieja

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Water Park:Aquopolis Torrevieja (since 1987)
Address:Av. Delfina Viudes
03183 Torrevieja
https://torrevieja.aquopolis.es/en
Operated by:Parques Reunidos

Aquopolis Torrevieja is a water park of the Spanish amusement park group Parques Reunidos. The water park on the Costa Blanca convinces with its two large water slides Kamikaze and Speed, which can be seen from far away.

Aquopolis Torrevieja

Zig-Zag, Mini Zig-Zag, Rapids and Black Hole

After the obligatory photo shoot, you will find a miniature golf course and a large number of rental loungers – also available in a luxury version – in the entrance area of Aquopolis Torrevieja. Past a small Polynesian lagoon landscape, followed by the medieval children’s area including Nessie, the paths all lead towards the only true sliding infrastructure in the park. Here you will find the two larger body slides called Zig-Zag, the smaller children’s slides Mini Zig-Zag, the broadband slide Speed Slide, and the two rather boring tyre slides Rapids and Black Hole.

While you hardly notice the ride on the Speed Slide because of all the water, at least the white Zig-Zag slide refreshes you to a very satisfactory degree. Due to the high speed you take off during the two jumps and get a good face wash due to a dammed up water front. Although the tight radii and the jumps are fun to do on the blue slide, it still lacks that certain something.

Boomerang

On the left side of the mountain in the Aquopolis Torrevieja there is a relatively small half-pipe slide called Boomerang. However, compared to the larger variants I know of, it has fairly high forces. This could be due to the very steep gradient, which is maintained for quite a long time. Due to the low water accumulation at the bottom, you are not slowed down as much, which on the other hand allows you to get very high on the other side. A few pendulum movements later you will be slowed down by the edge of the slide.

Speed and Kamikaze

On the other side of the mountain is the slide tower with the two kamikaze slides, which is clearly visible from the outside. The slide called Kamikaze masters a hill, while the slide called Speed goes straight to the ground. The yellow speed slide is quite comfortable and even the landing in the pool doesn’t end with an enema, whereas the red Kamikaze slide is much more exciting. Shortly after take-off you build up enough speed to spend some time in the air on the next descent. Due to the shortened run-out, landing in the pool is usually very turbulent, so it is not uncommon to be asked about your health condition after the slide.

Miscellaneous

The portfolio of the Aquopolis Torrevieja also includes a very small Lazy River, a small wave pool, where water gymnastics is also performed, and a small cable car, at the end of which the refreshing water inevitably awaits. All in all, the portfolio is very small to justify such an entrance fee at all – even the water parks in the Algarve were cheaper. The possibility of a queue skiping wristbands seems to me to be grossly exaggerated, but can be legitimate given the low capacity of all of the slides.

 

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Aquopolis Torrevieja

Jewelry hunt in Djurs Sommerland

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Djurs Sommerland

The Djurs Sommerland on the Djursland peninsula has been on my agenda for several years. During this time the park developed as a kind of running gag between Hauke and me, because a visit was postponed, mostly based on the – nevertheless quite decent – distance. Since we hardly had the chance to meet each other within the last months, we decided to finally take the way.

Arriving at the park we unfortunately had to realize that the weather unfortunately does not show itself from its predicted side and will enrich us for some rainy hours. For this reason, the two main attractions in Djurs Sommerland couldn’t start right at the beginning, which caused a long queue at Skatteøen despite the empty park.

Skatteøen

The roller coaster on Treasure Island combines the two main parts of the well-known water coaster layout from Europa Park, ironing out any bumps halfway through the ride and looking much more imposing, even though the ride is slimmer. The overall theming is also well done.

The journey begins, after a short speech by the skeletonised captain, the journey leads past an octopus towards the lift hill. Once at the top, there is a small gradient, which is followed by Poseidon’s notorious steep curve after the first block brake, but you can hold your arms up here without hesitation. After passing another block brake, the big gradient follows, whereupon a small hill initiates the first and only shot into the cool water.

Skatteøen is not particularly wet, but luckily not really dry either. Compared to the older model in Rust, the ride feeling on the track is much better, although the type of track system and the cars that go with it are by no means super-smooth.

Sablen

In the same area there is also a Zierer Kontiki, a children’s log flume and an ABC Rides tower with tilting function called Sablen. This sabre offers a quite interesting and as usual satisfying ride. Just like its really free falling, and not tilting, brothers from the dungeons, the forces are quite pronounced. The tilting seems a little strange and to be honest only interesting from the outside.

Piraten

Unfortunately, the flagship attraction of the Pirate section, Piraten, forms a self-contained unit in its own right, as it can only be reached via a separate path. Since its opening, Piraten has been the reason for amusement park enthusiasts to make their way to Djurs Sommerland, and not without reason, as this roller coaster, which looks pretty cute from the outside, has it all under control.

As soon as you have taken a seat in the four-part train, the ride goes rapidly upwards via cable lift and ends shortly afterwards in a powerful curve close to the ground. This is followed by a rather uneventful, even though quite steep, turn. On the following airtime hill you are lifted out of your seat by negative forces in a nice floating airtime, which is not offered on the next meters of the track. Now it goes a little bit wilder and the next three turns will be done in a brute way, which you won’t find so often. The airtime here is ejecting airtime at its finest and even Walibi Hollands Goliath is top of the class in its expressiveness, which is, among other things, due to the comparatively low altitude of these turns. A curve follows, whereupon two straight hills catapult you into the bar. Shortly afterwards the rapid ride comes to an end.

Piraten is without a doubt a great ride, although it is more recommended for fans of ejecting airtime. The ride is wild, powerful and fast and simply terrific.

Karlos Taxi

Lilleputland is completely family-friendly, at least for families with small children. Besides various children’s carousels, there is another roller coaster called Karlos Taxi. This is a, comparatively wild, wacky worm from Visa SBF, where even some leg room was available. When asked where to sit, the operator even cleaned the benches from the accumulated raindrops.

Ørnen and Colorado River

Passing some restaurants and countless trampolines, the way leads to a rather remote area, where the Ørnen ride is located, as well as the Colorado River log flume. Where the first one is a very nice example of a Topple Tower, a ride that is a little more exciting, although not less spectacular, than the prototype ride from the Belgian park Bellewaerde, the second is definitely worth a ride.

The log flume from Interlink has three shots of different sizes. While the first downhill run only lets you get familiar with a few drops of water, the second downhill run can be described as very wet. Although this is the smallest shot run, one should think about the slope at the latest at the, practically non-existent, run-out area. Soaked it goes then up the third lift, whereupon one gets wet in the run-out area of the final gradient too, but not in the quantities of the probably meanest little shot of a whitewater course out there.

Rio Grande Rafting

If you follow the circular route, you will reach the Wild West, where the Rio Grande Rafting is waiting for you. This Interlink rafting ride is not only beautifully designed from the outside, but can also convince in the non-visible sections of the layout. As soon as one reaches the station, one notices the strange transport system, as instead of swimming, the boats cross the round station on rollers. The following journey can show some peculiarities and lets the passengers, compared to most of the European rafting rides, not get out drier than they got in.

Wild West Karrusellen

In addition to two bumper cars and an electronic horse track, the Wild West Karrusellen complements this theme area. This inconspicuous chain carousel made by Zierer can stand out from almost all other wave swingers of the manufacturer because this ride is quite fast and the ride program is outstanding. Unfortunately, however, this model does not ride through ice-cold fountains of water, as is the case in Chessington World of Adventures in England, as this would be legendary when ridding backwards. But even without this wish the chain carousel is surprisingly good due to its forward and backward ride, inviting to make some more rides.

Jungle Safari

Probably the most typical theme area of a Danish amusement park does not turn out to be as absurdly racist in Djurs Sommerland as it was in Sommerland Syd, for example, as Afrikaland here hardly serves any clichés from times long past. Beside two carousels you can also visit the Jungle Safari theme ride. In two coupled banana-shaped boats, you will pass many originally designed scenes in which monkeys play the leading role. Even though the animatronics are older, they are still interesting to look at, such as the giant King Kong towards the end of the trip.

Vandland

The Vandland, the large water park in Djurs Sommerland, should not be left out, because it complements a visit to a Sommerland on the one hand, and on the other hand the slides here are very good. As soon as you have come to terms with the more open-minded Danish culture, as there are fortunately no changing rooms, the fun can begin.

As soon as you have left the changing room you are in front of a large play structure with a bucket. To the left of this is the impressive Polin slide The Wave, where you can swing from side to side in a double tyre at a good speed, the small wave pool Honolulu Bay, and the inconspicuous slide Waikiki Surf School, where you lose control quite quickly. On the right hand side you will find a slide tower, where the tube slides are especially recommendable, as well as the tire slides Black Hole and Wild River, which both wind their way down an artificial mountain massif. But here, the Black Hole got stuck as the weakest slide, whereas the Wild River is really true to its name. The sloping positions that one reaches here and the wave fronts in which one boards in are really fun and guarantee one or two repetitions.

Thor’s Hammer

The roller coaster Thor’s Hammer was the first bigger roller coaster in Djurs Sommerland and offers a very nice design and a very funny layout, which many people might know from the Erlebnispark Tripsdrill.

The journey begins with a downward curve, after which an outward helix is completed. This is followed by four powerful hairpin turns, which are perfect for torturing your neighbour a little before you go into a helix combination. The following camelbacks are quickly completed and can lift you a little bit out of the car before you enter a final helix combination, whereupon the end of the ride is approaching.

Solguden

In Mexicoland you can find since last season the Zierer Flying Fish Solguden, where you have to move your car up or down according to a song, otherwise the sun god takes revenge on the passengers. Although it rained all day long, it was impossible to follow this song, so every jet of water was taken along. If you believe the Danish song is hard to understand, you are mistaken, the directions to follow can be guessed well. The soundtrack of the installation is pretty good and can be heard throughout the whole area.

Juvelen

The roller coaster Juvelen is this year’s novelty of Djurs Sommerland and at the same time the only roller coaster in Europe where you get two times potential energy by a launch. The interesting aspect is that there is no braking in front of the second launch and therefore the ride flow is not unnecessarily interrupted.

After you have taken a seat on your quad the track leads into a preshow room where you can think about all kinds of things. The show itself offers good ideas for this, which of course cannot be understood without a knowledge of Danish and therefore has a lot of room for interpretation. On the other hand you can also think about whether such a friction wheel launch can convince at all, here I spontaneously thought of Alton Towers roller coaster Th13teen and its friction wheel sprint back into the station.

While the launch needs a little bit of time to accelerate to the car at the beginning, it is very powerful especially towards the end of the launch, which is further enhanced by the fact that the backrest is almost missing. This is followed by a right-hand bend close to the ground and a hill where you only take off gently, whereupon the powerful spectacle begins. In the form of a Bavarian curve, the train makes the first left turn, whereby the radius also becomes smaller and smaller. A right turn close to the ground around a stone arch follows, whereupon the direction changes rapidly and a half upward helix is completed. Back at ground level, the second launch follows and this one picks up incredibly strong, now the speed is at its highest level and a left turn close to the ground is now rapidly passed. Another change of direction follows and is emphasised by a rock structure with a waterfall. Shortly after, the direction is changed again and another bavarian curve is made, whereupon a high turnaround takes place. The following curve ends in a higher hill, which results in a turn close to the ground. Now two unusually curviless hills follow, the latter being the second highest elevation of the layout. Another combination of curves forms the end of the ride.

What you have experienced in the last 90 seconds can hardly be put into words, especially not when it rains, because this layout is truly amazing for a family roller coaster. While the first launch seems to be halfway normal, the second one is a big deal, which other roller coasters should measure themselves against. The pronounced forces in the curves, the length of the ride, and the high speed make Juvelen a roller coaster you should not miss. The predicate family roller coaster is at least excessively understated, only the height restriction of the passengers can remind of it. The jewel of the park is definitely the best ride on site, as well as the best launched coaster on the continent and in my opinion the best roller coaster continental Europe has to offer, after all the best ride is still in England.

Pictures Djurs Sommerland

Conclusion Djurs Sommerland

Djurs Sommerland is a park that really surprised us. There is hardly any other amusement park where the offer is as good as here, which is mainly due to all the different play activities between the rides. Here you can really discover something at every corner, like for example the quite well hidden Tarzanland. The roller coasters are all on a pretty good level and the rides, even though standard, are somehow special. Because of the great offer even a day with really bad weather becomes one of the best ideas you could have made on that day.

 

What is your opinion about the amusement and waterpark Djurs Sommerland?  Just write it in the comment field below the report or visit our social media channels:

 

          

Djurs Sommerland