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2015: 40th Anniversary

I agree with the above but only because I don't really like the names offered. Franz would have been a nice choice.

I can see why they wanted to change it. Euromaus is pretty lacking in imagination as far as a name goes, and this is another step towards distancing the character from the obviously Mickey rip-off that he was at his birth.

Make the best of a bad situation and vote for Finn, which is by far the best name on offer. I don't like this much, but it doesn't really matter. :)
But then they'd be copying the name of that famous Alton Towers shark mascot... ;)

I really dislike all of the names as well as the idea as a whole. Why Roland, just why? I think it will struggle to catch on personally.

:)
 
According to 'Holly Dolly' on epfans.ch, Fjord Rafting is getting newly refitted boats. Two have apparently all been done, and it'll be a rolling process like with Poseidon.

No photos, but judging by her description (new handles on the exits) I'm guessing that they might be these ones advertised on Intamin's site...

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And other bits...

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Birthday balloons on the main street. (eprust)

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A new model in the Haupteingang station of the EP Express. (eprust)

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New theming and sign on the jungle raft ride (eprust)
 
If the new boats on Fjord Rafting are like the one in that picture you posted, Sam, then that'll be great for throughput - the capacity of the ride should be boosted by 50% due to the three extra seats. I'd hope that EP would add a bit of theming to the new boats, too.
 
Those boats are extremely ugly compared with the 'classic' ones, though maybe if they were themed at least as well as the old boats then it should detract from that a bit.

A capacity boost would be very useful though, as at present the queue can get long. This being EP at least we know that unlike Towers they're likely to make a bit of effort to make sure they're at least mostly full.
 
If the new boats on Fjord Rafting are like the one in that picture you posted, Sam, then that'll be great for throughput - the capacity of the ride should be boosted by 50% due to the three extra seats. I'd hope that EP would add a bit of theming to the new boats, too.
You beat me to it, mate, but I'd prefer boats with a lower back rest.
 
Those boats are ugly and looks far too enclosed, we don't want less water getting in! Hope they are not like that.

:)
 
The new boats are safer.

Rapids Rides are a nightmare for parks unfortunately.
 
I'd imagine the biggest risks (in no particular order) are:

- boat capsizes
- someone stands up/ falls out
- someone falls in at station

The high sided boats are likely to reduce the first two risks, but unless they slow down the turntable the higher capacity increases the 3rd risk, as there's more people trying to get in and out in a limited time.
 
To be fair with the bunting etc as well as some of the costume characters carrying around 40 balloons, that's more than enough really! With the song, and the new parade on top of that, you're not really left under any illusion that it's their 40th year!

As for the rapids boats, I didn't spot any of the new boats this week, although I can't say I was looking specifically for them in the first place. I'd imagine we'd at least see backpacks etc on the back of them as with the current boats, so don't think they'll look too bad in the grand scheme of things.
 
Rollercoasters made in Germany

Mack Rides in the fast lane


Mack Rides from Waldkirch in Germany has successfully been manufacturing fun rides and carousels for more than 230 years. The company from the state of Baden Württemberg has its finger firmly on the pulse of the industry with its innovative new developments. The Mack family is the only enterprise in the world that is both a manufacturing company and a theme park operator, which puts them in a position to create practical, high-quality products. Alongside development, all of the highly precise manufacturing also takes place in Germany. True to the slogan ‘the world is my playing field’, Mack Rides has supplied more metres of track in the past few years than at any time in the company’s history.


High quality, strong reliability, optimal safety and stylish design. These key features are what make leisure facilities from Mack Rides stand out. Summer season 2015 has once again seen a number of new fun rides being opened, including four special attractions in Germany, Russia and the United States:

This year, the twenty year-old Columbus Dinghy has been fitted with new passenger cars, which has optimised the carousel ride for the visitors. Visitors can interactively influence the direction of the ride using a steering wheel.

Another classic is celebrating a new delivery at the Plohn theme park. A brand new, suitably western-themed Powered Coaster is being opened in a former riding arena.

And the success story of the blue fire Megacoaster powered by GAZPROM shows no sign of slowing. Meanwhile, the Divo Ostrov theme park in the Russian metropolis of Saint Petersburg has opened the fifth of these systems, which has already proven to be very popular in the first few weeks.

There is not much space on hand at the Adventureland theme park in Long Island, USA. This was a welcome challenge for the engineers from Mack Rides, who opened the new ‘Turbulence’ spinning coaster on a very compact surface area. This kind of ride is particularly interesting for medium-sized parks.

A real record hunter is due to take the stage in the Chinese city of Xian in 2016. Mack Rides is constructing China’s tallest roller coaster at Lewa Happyworld. ‘Lightning’ will also boast the biggest loop in the world. An innovative prototype is in the works at Walibi in Belgium. The PowerSplash combines the catapult start of a Megacoaster with the elements of the Atlantica SuperSplash water-based roller coaster.

At the same time, work is already underway on the rollercoaster of the future: soar through digital worlds on a real roller coaster. The VR Coaster company is currently testing this experience on the Enzian Alpine Coaster at Europa-Park in cooperation with Mack Rides and MackMedia. As part of this ride, visitors can enjoy a completely new adventure using virtual reality glasses, letting them experience an animation that is adapted to the attraction.
 
As for the rapids boats, I didn't spot any of the new boats this week, although I can't say I was looking specifically for them in the first place.

I've been looking out for them this week, and haven't noticed a single one.
 
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