Tag: Zierer

The Air Meeting of Nigloland

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Nigloland

Since 1987, the amusement park Nigloland has been located on the outskirts of the French village Dolancourt. It was founded by the showman brothers Gélis, following the example of Europa-Park in Rust. Over the years, the park has developed like no other French amusement park from a regional to a national destination in the middle of the beautiful Champagne region.

Anyone who now expects a park like the Walygator at Maizière-lès-Metz, due to the showmanship background of the park founders, will probably be pleasantly surprised. After entering Nigloland, the first glimpses fall on the beautifully shaped park landscape, which by French standards is simply outstanding. In this area you will find mainly more leisurely rides, such as the vintage car ride, the jungle raft ride or the grand prix, which looks amazingly similar to a certain ride from the Sauerland Fort-Fun Abenteuerland.

If you now turn left, you enter the Canadian part of Nigloland, which unfortunately is a dead end. Here you will find a log flume and a powered coaster made by Mack Rides as well as a nice little cogs ride.

Rivière Canadienne

The log flume Rivière Canadienne is, as so often in France, equipped with only one shot, but the layout is integrated wonderfully into the surroundings and thanks to the Train de la Mine, which is built in sections over the ride, a beautiful interplay of both rides is created. Even if the level of wetness was not particularly high, the ride alone is convincing due to its good condition and excellent decoration.

Gold Mine Train

To get to the powered Train de la Mine you first have to leave the nicely designed queue behind you and climb into the depth of the mine. The ride itself is quite surprising and can show some funny changes of direction. The speed of the train is constantly high, even if the last curve during the last lap is a borderline experience.

Grizzli

Somewhat more hidden in this area are the Zamperla Disk’o Coaster Grizzli, as well as the station of the Mississippi boat tour. While the second ride opened later, Grizzli enjoyed many satisfied passengers. Just like the Cobra from the English Chessington World of Adventures, Grizzli is not only a great ride, but also offers an outstanding design.

Manoir Hanté

Passing the ship swing Galion Pirate we now enter the righthand part of Nigloland. On this stretch of the path you usually meet a lot of people, so you might think that this area would be quite empty, which of course it is not. The first highlight in this area is the old Manoir Hanté, which is a bit on the edge of the path.

Through an access to the cellar you can reach the inside of the Manor House, where the ghosts are already waiting for you. In the self-built ride you take a ride in unique carriages, which turn more or less in the desired direction due to the inclination of the track. The ride is unexpectedly harmonious, both in terms of the rotation and the scenes. All of them genuinely tell a story line and are not stuffed with all kinds of junk like at the Geisterschloss in Europa-Park. Along with the comparable ride from Disneyland Park, this is definitely one of the better rides of its kind.

Air Meeting

Back in daylight, the next highlight is already waiting in direct sight. The new for 2012 ride was still advertised in the brochure under the name Sky Fly, which has now been changed to Air Meeting – a name that does not necessarily make sense. Nevertheless, the prototype installation from Gerstlauer is something very special, which should be placed in a similar form in every theme park. Apart from the absolutely positive feedback from the audience, which looks up to the sky full of astonishment and wonders how one can make a rollover so quickly, the operators also have a lot of fun giving the flying audience tips for the perfect ride.

That these tips were mostly given with a reference to some of the pilots was at least an honour for me, after all the staff themselves were amazed what some pilots got out of the second day of the ride. During my first ride I was quite astonished how fast one could make a rollover, during the 90 seconds of driving time there were 39 more, which was about the normal number of rollovers. The second ride showed that it is still possible to bring the whole thing to the top, where even the centrifugal force became so strong that my glasses had the constant urge to be pushed outwards and slowly move away. Even after I let go of a wing because of this, the rotation did not decrease. The fact that you only see circles during the 80-90 rollovers underlines the extremes of the ride – if you want it that way.

During the rest of the day there was a constant urge to visit the ride again and again to show the French audience of Nigloland how it really works. Hardly any other ride in this park captivated us as much as Air Meeting did, even if it paid back on our shoulders in the late evening. One can only wish Gerstlauer all the best for the further marketing of this ride, because it is simply perfect in many respects and serves such a wide range of park guests. I have only seen very few rides like this before.

Juke-Box

In the immediate vicinity of the air meeting you can see one of the most harmonious rides. Matching the 50s style and underlaid with a very great soundtrack, the Juke-Box is one of the most beautiful Schwarzkopf Monster. Apart of the look, the ride is not very interesting and even fast spinning ride is not really possible due to the padding in between the seats. However, the whole package is convincing.

Spatiale Expérience

The intergalactic travel agency Spatiale Expérience in the row of houses next to the Juke-Box knows the way into the depths of our universe. The ship which is waiting for its passengers is similar to the EuroSat roller coaster from the Europa-Park in Rust and so it is not surprising that the propulsion is also similar to that of the Rust model. The following ride is often described as quite brute and there is also talk about miscalculations by the company Mack Rides. However, this ride resembles more the indoor roller coaster Vogel Rok from Efteling and was quite amazing.

The trip through the galaxy features very ingenious interactions of right and left turns and offers a smoothness of running that one would not expect due to the prototype of Europa Park. The scenery during the ride is minimalistic but effective and the soundtrack to the ride is just great. The speed at which you race through the ride is constantly high, but the forces involved are just right, even the braking is almost harmless.

Apple Flight and Grand Roue

Past last year’s novelty, the Apple Flight from Zierer, which like all new wave swingers is somehow slow-moving, we go to the big attraction from Gerstlauer. We are talking about the Ferris wheel Grande Roue, which fits quite well into Nigloland, despite its transportable construction.

Schlitt’Express

Next to it, the latest roller coaster Schlitt’Express is making its rounds. As with the other roller coasters in the park, great importance was given to a coherent appearance. The roller coaster itself fortunately corresponds to the standard layout of a wild mouse, only with minor changes, as you can see for example at the end of the ride. The cars have been adapted to the latest standard from Mack Rides, which is rewarded with very comfortable seats and great bars, but the possibility to crush each other in the curves is massively limited, which somewhat diminishes the fun of the ride.

Chenille

In the small children’s area you will find the smallest roller coaster of the Nigloland, which was very popular in the afternoon. We’re talking about the Wacky Worm roller coaster Chenille, which even features a grown apple. I found it quite amusing that the staff was the only one who noticed that I was wearing my Gerstlauer Fleece Jacket, after all it wasn’t the warmest day despite the constant sunshine, but it didn’t make the ride better than it is.

Dinosaures Aventure

With the Dinosaures Aventure, Nigloland offers a small walk-through attraction, which is enhanced by a preshow. If you understand the French language, it is even quite interesting to follow. The following dinosaurs, on the other hand, have all been seen somewhere, whether in the queue to Rasti-Land’s great rapid river, in the dinosaur park Münchehagen or in various other small theme parks. Honestly speaking, it could be better.

Bobsleigh

The most hidden entrance in all of Nigoland is at Schwarzkopf’s City Jet ride called Bobsleigh. Here it’s a little surprising that the queue basically runs above one half of the roller coaster, but is tastefully decorated as is typical for the park. The loading station is a bit awkward, as many of the park guests just stand in the way and the trains start with empty seats most of the time.

Once you have made it into the very spacious and comfortable vehicles, the journey can begin. Typical for this type of ride the lift is solved by an upward spiral with conductor rails. Once you reach the top, the ride goes down so abruptly that airtime forms in the back of the train. The following curves are so brutal that one is glad to have some short relaxing phases in between. The brakes at the end of the track are typical for the manufacturer, so it is best to hold on tight.

Bilder Nigloland

Fazit Nigloland

Nigloland gave me a lot of satisfaction during the day. Even when I lost my wallet in the meantime, thanks to the help of the very competent staff, I was able to quickly retrieve it without anything being missing, whereas in Hansa-Park it would have been lost forever. The park itself is charismatic and not as detached as many other family-run parks. There is a good atmosphere in the park, which is mainly created by the family audience, which knows how to behave very well. The reasonable price is simply outstanding for what is on offer, even though there is clearly room for improvement in the catering.

 

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Nigloland

Benidorm in a different light

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Terra Mítica

The Terra Mítica theme park is located on a hillside above the city of Benidorm on the Coasta Blanca. This amusement park, which is now eleven years old, once bore the subtitle “a Paramount Park”, which was the result of the management of the park in the first years, until the group decided to sell its shares to the Valencia region.

Cataratas del Nilo

After paying your entrance fee, you enter the mythological world through an ancient Egyptian gate and find yourself right next to a lake, around which you will find several thematically related buildings, as well as various statues and a monolith. There are not many rides in this area, so you will find a lookout tower, whose gondola once found its use in the Lüneburg Heath, the children’s log flume Akuatiti and a boat ride, as well as the log flume Cataratas del Nilo from Mack Rides.

The latter ride is rather untypical for a log flume, as the first downhill run is also the big shot. The second descent leads backwards back to the same level as the station, which is located at about half the height of the first slope. The boats appear in the form of an elaborately designed sacrophate, but the rest of the ride is less involved in the theme.

Following the path further up, you will find three entrances to various water basins. In the upper one there are a few benches, in the basin below there are some water cannons and in the lowest basin, best to be seen from the rides La Colera de Akiles, there is the deepest basin where some water toys are available. With the temperatures that prevail during the season, a very useful addition to the offer, so be sure to pack bathing clothes. Furthermore, there are always some possibilities to cool down along the paths.

Laberinto del Minotauro

Further up, you will come across the first major highlight of the Terra Mítica theme park, the Laberinto del Minotauro, an interactive dark ride from the Sally company with individual chaises, as used in Walibi Belgium. The ride itself offers a few metres of route full of elaborate animatronics and scenic images that make your mouth water. Although the interactive aspect unfortunately didn’t work properly, this ride is clearly the best Sally dark ride in Europe and a must ride for every amusement park fan.

Synkope

Another highlight in the Greek themed area is the Mondial Revolution Synkope, which can do much more than a HUSS Giant Frisbee. Although the ride time is quite short, it is much more intense, which is also due to the faster rotation of the gondola. The monotonous turning in only one direction is unfortunately also present on this ride.

Titanide

The suspended looping coaster Titanide used to be called Tizona and was located at the other end of the Terra Mítica theme park in the Iberia theme area, which now only has a show stage and two beautiful bumper cars. Due to the land sales, which have lifted the park out of debt, some restructuring in Terra Mítica also followed, which in the case of the SLC was quite positive. This is now less out of the way and was wonderfully integrated into the Greek theme, and the ride now has an inner courtyard, which is quite positive for one or the other photo opportunity. The ride itself is good for a roller coaster of this type, but could be upgraded immensely by the new train generation.

La Furia de Triton

For the water enthusiasts in us there is the spillwater La Furia de Triton from Intamin, which has two slopes of 10 and 17m. The design of the ride has been successful and if the timing is right, it is the wettest ride in Spain, otherwise the degree of wetness is on the same level as the Cataratas Salvajes from Parque Warner, although the boats displace the water to the side rather than up. If the timing is correct, one boat must be immersed in the pool while the second boat is on a quarter of the lift, the water that manages to hit the gaps between the decoration now floods the boat to be carried on the lift in its entirety.

Templo de Kinetos

If you have always wanted to test a Maxi Motion Seat Simulator from Intamin, you can do so at Templo de Kinetos. The single rows for four people moving have quite a high degree of movement and the film they moved to this year was outstanding, albeit absolute trash. In that sense absolutely recommendable.

Los Icarus und Alucinakis

Next to the wave swinger Los Icarus, which offered a pretty good ride with a beautiful view and a pleasant breeze, is the children’s hybrid roller coaster Alucinakis in Terra Mítica. After the great downward helix first drop, the rest of the track is only oval, but since the ride produced by Zamperla is quite fast, the whole thing is even fun.

Magnus Colossus

After leaving the Greek area, one finds oneself in a Roman fort. Here you can see the big roller coaster of the Terra Mítica amusement park, which can be seen from far away. To get to it, however, you have to climb a few metres, as Magnus Colossus is located at the highest point of the park. The ride, built by the Roller Coaster Corporation of America (RCCA), takes you up one more level and then down again with a double drop. This is followed by a few turns and slopes and there is also airtime until you are released into the brakes after the Big Helix. The ride itself is not bad at all, only the trains are anything but suitable for a wooden roller coaster. The upper body swings back and forth in the last row between bar and backrest in such a way that the whole thing, although you hold on to the provided bar, is not as funny anymore. In terms of ride quality Parque Warners Coaster Express is better, but the ride in Benidorm has the better layout.

Inferno

Passing a few children’s rides, we descend to the entrance of the Intamin ZacSpins Inferno, only to climb the mountain again immediately afterwards. After you have taken a seat in one of the two groups of seats, the ride is already going uphill. What follows is a fun and crisp but short ride, in which you can make your rollover on the last hill or before, depending on the load. Basically the smaller Zac Spin rides are the second part of the bigger brother, but here not braked to death. Concerning the turnovers, I think it could be much more intensive, however for most people the ride is probably good enough the way it is.

El Vuelo del Fenix

Next to the Circo Maximo, another show theatre, is El Vuelo del Fenix, a beautiful Giant Drop by the company Intamin with three tracks and a height of 54m. This tower is in a kind of dead end since the connection between Rome and Iberia was lost. The Spaniards themselves, however, do not seem to be averse to the free fall, as there were longer waiting times here, mainly due to only one open lane.

La Colera de Akiles

If you follow the path now downhill, you will enter the Las Islas themed area. Here you will find not only another show theatre on one level, but also the carousel Mythos and a Mondial Supernova called La Colera de Akiles. The latter ride is the first of its kind I have come across and I have to say I am thrilled. The ride programme is quite well done for a park, only the swing could be a bit higher.

Rapidos de Argos

Furthermore, there are two rafting rides in close proximity to each other, while the Intamin ride is intended to get you wet, the Hafema ride called La Rescate de Ulises functions as a dark ride, which unfortunately was closed at the time of the visit. The Rapidos de Argos, on the other hand, ran without any problems and can wet you quite well, which was mainly due to the continuous waves sloshing into the boat. The concrete channel, as with the park’s spillwater, shines in a strong shade of blue, which reduces the visual impact of the rafting, which in itself is quite beautiful.

Pictures Terra Mítica

Conclusion Terra Mítica

In general, Terra Mítica looks like new paint everywhere, everything is well maintained and clean. Except for the lack of interaction during the interactive dark ride, everything is in more than good condition, the atmosphere in the park is top notch, the dispatch is surprisingly fast and at every corner there are opportunities to cool off, which by the way could not hurt a certain park in Salou. If you are ever in the vicinity, you should definitely visit this park, the airport of Alicante is not far away.

 

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Terra Mítica

The Spanish and the Danish

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Tivoli World

Not far from the Spanish Costa del Sol in the village of Arrayo de la Miel, situated on a mountain slope, is the amusement park Tivoli World. After paying the entrance fee you can either buy the Supertivolino, the wristband of the park, or you can use single tickets, the Tivolinos.

If you are only there for a roller coaster ride it is worthwhile to buy 2 tickets per roller coaster. But as the park has a large variety of attractions, the Supertivolino is worth a lot more. Since I was travelling with several people, who all didn’t want to take advantage of the park’s portfolio, I had to stick to the roller coasters and a ride on the Techno Jump from Sartori, a kind of ride I wanted to test for a long time and which is very popular in Spain.

Super Train Tokaido

The first roller coaster you stumble across is the Powered Coaster Super Train Tokaido from a manufacturer unknown to me, but which resembled the original Blauer Enzian from Mack Rides. So instead of sitting next to each other, you sit behind each other, which could be very helpful for the experience, but unfortunately the Super Train Tokaido crawled mercilessly over the track.

Montaña Russa Infantil

Two levels higher – the park is very hilly – there is the second roller coaster, which normally only carries children. The Montaña Russa Infantil is a children’s oval, similar to a Tivoli Small, but does not inspire confidence due to its supporting structure and chaises. The ride itself is definitely fun, even if this decreases from round to round.

Montaña Russa

On the highest floor of the park you can find the park’s fully-grown roller coaster, the Montaña Russa, a ride by the manufacturer Mundial, s.r.l., which is very similar to a mixture of a Wildcat and a Jet Star. The ride is quite funny, except for the borderline steep curve at the beginning of the ride, especially because you can often feel airtime. For my 200th roller coaster at least a real unique ride, which I liked very much.

Passaje del Terror

The rest of the park’s portfolio includes several classic rides, several dark rides, a beautifully designed Fun House, a modern freefall from Moser Rides, a Top Spin from Soriani and Moser, the already mentioned Techno Jump and the Passaje del Terror, which many might already know from their English locations in London and Blackpool or some other places in Spain. The Maze itself is not included in the Supertivolino and, like the go-karts and bumper boats, must be paid extra.

Conclusion Tivoli World

Tivoli World itself is a very charming theme park and offers its guests a nice mixture of Danish and Spanish influences. Most of the rides here are older and all deserve to be tried out; an undertaking I will definitely do if I ever get close to the city of Malaga again.

 

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Tivoli World