Doddy
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Taron
So its been a week since I went on this tour and figured I would leave a review here so that others trying to do research can find it.
Now where do I start coaster breaks is a small tour company specialising in themepark tours in Europe. I had seen an advertisement via facebook which means mark zuckerberg knows my browsing habits a little too well for my liking but hey what can you do. After browsing there site I ended up choosing to go for it and book a spot on there Belgium, Germany & The Netherlands tour as it had a bucket list park on it (Phantasialand) and Efteling which I had been eager to get back to.
Communications where great and after booking I was sent a welcome pack with information on the hotels we would be staying at and the times and dates we would be at each park. There was a moment of panic from me after paying the deposit as you have to wonder how genuine a company this is as no one seams to have heard of them. Thankfully they have an excellent score on trust pilot so it didn’t seam like a scam for money or a plan to lure coaster enthusiasts in to harvest there organs.
Day 1
This is the meet up day and is spent travailing from the meet up point at ashford international or meeting the group at the hotel in Belgium depending on your preference. In my group 6 of us opted for the Ashford pickup and one more person joined us in Belgium as they had flown in from Canada.
All in all this day went fine but there was a hiccup with the normal mini van we would be taking and so instead of the normal 10am start we had a 6pm start as we had to wait for the previous trip to return to use there van. This meant that I had a lot of time to kill in Ashford which as I have learnt really hasn’t got much going for it (I should point out that this delay was communicated to us a few days before we the trip but it was too late to change my plan). On the plus side this meant that I got to see the previous trip return all of who all looked liked they had a great time and definitely had all there organs intact.
Day 2 - Walibi Belgium
Ok so I have to admit I was going in to some of these parks somewhat blind I have learnt that its better to be surprised when going in to these places in the past I always researched every detail of every park I wanted to go to but I prefer being surprised.
The good...
The bad...
Hidden gem
Day 3 - Movie Park Germany
This park wasn't on my radar to even visit but is well worth it. If you are going to watch the stunt show make sure you see the full version instead of the one with the interviews like we did. The only bad thing about the park is that whilst they have good dispatch times no one is assigning queuing to people so its a very loose.
The good…
The bad…
Hidden gem…
Well this is it all other parks are ruined for me never before have I seen such amazing theming. This was also one of the busiest parks on the trip. It was also the day I had looked most forward to.
The good…
The bad…
Hidden Gem...
Day 5 – Toverland
This was by far the quietest park on this tour it just seamed to be us and some school trip groups. It was a but odd to go from Phantasialands hyper realistic theming to somewhat cartoonish fantasy but I liked it in the end.
The good…
The Bad…
Hidden Gem…
Day 6 - Walibi Holland
A park that I had already been too with the ecc. It get compared to thorpe park but I think its better because you don’t have to worry about getting stabbed.
The Good…
The Bad….
Hidden gem…
Day 7 – Efteling
A Bucket list park for most people on the tour and one I had done before. I have to admit I was a little emotional during the fountain show at the end of the day not from the show itself but more the thought that this amazing journey was almost over.
The Good…
The Bad...
Day 8 - Plopsaland De Panne
A small park that our tour guide admitted was only on the tour because of the ride to happiness.
The Good...
The Bad...
TLDR – Signed up for a coaster tour of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands had a great time and still have my kidneys.
Now where do I start coaster breaks is a small tour company specialising in themepark tours in Europe. I had seen an advertisement via facebook which means mark zuckerberg knows my browsing habits a little too well for my liking but hey what can you do. After browsing there site I ended up choosing to go for it and book a spot on there Belgium, Germany & The Netherlands tour as it had a bucket list park on it (Phantasialand) and Efteling which I had been eager to get back to.
Communications where great and after booking I was sent a welcome pack with information on the hotels we would be staying at and the times and dates we would be at each park. There was a moment of panic from me after paying the deposit as you have to wonder how genuine a company this is as no one seams to have heard of them. Thankfully they have an excellent score on trust pilot so it didn’t seam like a scam for money or a plan to lure coaster enthusiasts in to harvest there organs.
Day 1
This is the meet up day and is spent travailing from the meet up point at ashford international or meeting the group at the hotel in Belgium depending on your preference. In my group 6 of us opted for the Ashford pickup and one more person joined us in Belgium as they had flown in from Canada.
All in all this day went fine but there was a hiccup with the normal mini van we would be taking and so instead of the normal 10am start we had a 6pm start as we had to wait for the previous trip to return to use there van. This meant that I had a lot of time to kill in Ashford which as I have learnt really hasn’t got much going for it (I should point out that this delay was communicated to us a few days before we the trip but it was too late to change my plan). On the plus side this meant that I got to see the previous trip return all of who all looked liked they had a great time and definitely had all there organs intact.
Day 2 - Walibi Belgium
Ok so I have to admit I was going in to some of these parks somewhat blind I have learnt that its better to be surprised when going in to these places in the past I always researched every detail of every park I wanted to go to but I prefer being surprised.
The good...
- Kondaa – an amazing mega coaster with a great themed station definitely the highlight of the park.
- Pulsar – Very forceful launches but very comfortable to ride I didn’t seam to get too wet. I would definitely be pleased to see more parks get power splashes.
- Psyke Underground – Seriously how are Schwarzkopf coasters so smooth. A good launch on this one and a very odd sensation at the end of the forward section where you cant tell if you are going forward or backwards for a second before you build up speed.
- Popcorns revenge – A Fun trackless shooting dark ride it may use screens but I liked it.
- Dalton Terror – Decent drop tower giving you good views of the park.
The bad...
- Cobra – Boomerangs still suck especially with old style restraints.
- Loup-Garou – There is a reason that Vekoma didn’t sell meany wooden coasters. It was rough so very rough.
Hidden gem
- Challenge of Tutankhamon – A shooting dark ride but this time with practical effects including wind and fire!
Day 3 - Movie Park Germany
This park wasn't on my radar to even visit but is well worth it. If you are going to watch the stunt show make sure you see the full version instead of the one with the interviews like we did. The only bad thing about the park is that whilst they have good dispatch times no one is assigning queuing to people so its a very loose.
The good…
- Star Trek: Operation Enterprise – Decent launch very smooth but with enough force where if you are holding your arms up in the air like you just don’t care it takes effort to keep them up.
- Studio Tour – Well themed and over all very fun.
- The High Fall – A good drop tower but the seats are the standing style ones which just aren't as comfortable as sitting.
- Area 51 Top Secret – A fun water ride but you do get wet. The backwards section where everything collapses was decent.
The bad…
- Iron Claw – So this was my first SLC I knew going in that this would be rough espicaly with the old style restraints. So much head bouncing I don’t get how something that looks like it flows so well off ride can be so bad.
- The Bandit – Another rough woody. I would love to see it get the RMC treatment.
Hidden gem…
- Excalibur – A great well themed rapids ride our tour guide recommended this to us and it didn’t disappoint.
Well this is it all other parks are ruined for me never before have I seen such amazing theming. This was also one of the busiest parks on the trip. It was also the day I had looked most forward to.
The good…
- F.L.Y – A great new ride offering from Vekoma. The restraints are a little uncomfortable on the your back compared to a B&M but still a great ride.
- Black Mamba – A very good B&M invert not as forceful as Nemesis but still a good ride in a well themed area.
- Taron – An excellent terrain coaster with powerful lunches. It has taken my number one spot and we managed to get on the front row couple of times.
- Talocan – The is the second top spin I have ever been on and I can comfortably say that I have conquer fear itself. Looks amazing off ride extremely well themed for a off the shelf ride.
- River quest – We got soaked some amazing falls on this things especial for me who only has done tame rapids like the ones at alton and thorpe before.
- Maus au Chocolat – A fun 3D shooting dark. Only down side is that it lasts for maybe one scene too long.
- Mystery Castle – Weaker than other drop towers on this trip but had nice effects.
The bad…
- No Chiapas – It wasn't open during my visit which is a shame as I was looking forward to claiming worlds steepest log flume.
- Medevac on F.L.Y not down to the ride itself but someone “Feeling ill” in the queue or so the staff told us held us up we all purchased fast passes to get back on track.
Hidden Gem...
- Colorado Adventure – We all thought this was going to be a nice family mine train well we were wrong so very wrong. The most extreme thrilling mine train I have ever experienced.
Day 5 – Toverland
This was by far the quietest park on this tour it just seamed to be us and some school trip groups. It was a but odd to go from Phantasialands hyper realistic theming to somewhat cartoonish fantasy but I liked it in the end.
The good…
- Fēnix – A great wing coaster with several tripping hazards through out its dimly lit queue line. Unfortunately this one was just a bit too intense and I started to grey out on this every time I rode it.
- Troy – Finally a good wooden coaster on this trip. Really smooth for a wooden coaster apart from one bit and feels super fast.
- Dwervelwind – A fun spinning coaster with some good forces behind it.
The Bad…
- Maximus' Blitz Bahn – Its still a good ride but the queue lines just goes far too slowly.
Hidden Gem…
- Merlins Quest - A simple boat ride where we where chased by the local ducks. But the cave/ underground section with merlin looked amazing and shows what toverland could do with a dark ride if they had the budget.
Day 6 - Walibi Holland
A park that I had already been too with the ecc. It get compared to thorpe park but I think its better because you don’t have to worry about getting stabbed.
The Good…
- Untamed – Still running amazingly after 5 years definitely a highlight of the entire trip most people had it as there number 2 coaster. The RMC hype is real.
- Goliath – Great air time almost like a much smaller version of Kondaa
- Lost Gravity – Part of me wishes Alton had gone for one of these instead of the smiler. I know it wasn't an option at the time but I still think its strictly better than a Gerstlauer euro fighter.
- Xpress: Platform 13 – Its a ok ride the queue line looks great and I think the ride would just be better if it was all indoors.
The Bad….
- Speed of sound – Boomerangs just suck even with the new restraints although they do make an improvement.
Hidden gem…
- The fast pass system. After our first ride on untamed the group quickly decided we needed to get as many rides on it as possible and we all purchased fast passes. Walibi Holland uses the virtual queue system for its fast passes and we could use them as many time as we pleased with a cool down period.
Day 7 – Efteling
A Bucket list park for most people on the tour and one I had done before. I have to admit I was a little emotional during the fountain show at the end of the day not from the show itself but more the thought that this amazing journey was almost over.
The Good…
- The dark rides Droomvlucht, Fata Morgana and Symbolica are all worth riding and part of the fun of being someone who has already done so means you get to see others reactions to first time rides.
- Vliegende Hollander – impressive water ride with simple yet good effects.
- Baron 1898 – My favourite dive machine what's more to say.
The Bad...
- The donkey was out of coins. If you know you know.
- This day was described as a whistle stop tour of the Efteling I would have loved to stay an extra day. If dance macabre had been ready and the rapids had been running we wouldn't have been able to squeeze it all in to one day.
- Carnaval Festival broke down whilst we where in the queue so I’ve still not ridden it but some might consider this a blessing.
Day 8 - Plopsaland De Panne
A small park that our tour guide admitted was only on the tour because of the ride to happiness.
The Good...
- Ride to Happiness – Really intense spinning coaster very unique…. But I don’t get the hype don’t get me wrong its a good ride but I don’t think its the best ride of the tour like every one else did.
- Anubis: The Ride – A powerful launch that I was completely unprepared for.
The Bad...
- The glasses policy - If like me you have poor eyesight you will be disappointed to know you are not allowed to take glasses on to any of the coasters even with a sports brace.
- €50 for a t-shirt – The tomorrowland merchandise is expensive and just not worth it.
TLDR – Signed up for a coaster tour of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands had a great time and still have my kidneys.
Good to know re kidneys 
