Rob
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
So bar a single day in March where I went to Rennes for a football match, I had not set foot in Europe since December 2019/January 2020. A long 28 months without a proper holiday (thanks Covid). So needless to say that the trip I have just returned from was much needed and thoroughly enjoyed. This was shared with the wonderful @Sazzle and @Russell!
Where did we go I hear you ask? Well, we visited the following parks:
For this trip we drove and utilised the Eurotunnel for travel between Folkstone and Calais. I had been to all these parks previously other than Bobbejaanland; so for this reason I will only be posting some thoughts on the parks I have visited rather than full reviews.
So, let us start at the beginning.
Plopsaland De Panne
I have been here twice before (2012 and 2018) and it is a park I rather like, but there was one rather large Mack shaped reason for a return. This time we also decided to stay at the new Plopsa Hotel; our package here included the room, an evening meal at their buffet restaurant, breakfast, 2 days entry to Plopsaland (if required) and entry to Plopsaqua (their waterpark). The price was actually very reasonable all things considered.
As we had travelled down towards Folkstone the night before in case of any traffic issues, we were able to get an earlier train over to Calais, which meant that we arrived at Plopsaland earlier than anticipated. It would have been rude not to utilise our free entry to check out Ride to Happiness, so we did. Actually I lie, we actually went for a nice strong beer first (well, cider for Sazzle). You know your theme park preferences are changing when you go straight for the booze over the new major coaster in a park!
The beer was great, but I am sure you would all rather here about the park's new Mack Xtreme Spinning Coaster - Ride to Happiness. I have previously ridden Time Traveler at Silver Dollar City which was brilliant, so had high expectations. The first thing to say is just how much this new coaster dominates the park; it is practically right in the middle and goes over the lake, so can be seen from most other places within Plopsaland. You approach the ride by entering the new area/plaza that leads up to the station building. The theming here is almost quite Toverland-esque with water, butterflies and planting. There is also a nice bar and terrace in the area however this was closed during our off-peak visit.
The station and maintenance buildings are hugely impressive structures and look glorious. And the roll out of the station right over the plaza creates a great experience for those who are not riding. The queue line does not seem to be overly long but is pleasant with a mixture of outdoor and indoor sections. Ride to Happiness was only running 1 train whilst we were there but it never really got a queue so that was no problem at all.
After sitting down on what are my favourite coaster trains the restraints lower automatically and you are soon off out of the station and in to the heartline roll at a very slow speed. It genuinely feels like you could fall out of your seat, such an amazing feeling! The train then comes to a pause at the start of the first launch, and then whoosh, away you go and up in to the first element which is possibly best described as a top-hat meets a slightly outer-banked corner. A banana roll, loop and zero-g roll follow before you fly in to the second launch which features a bunny hop. This mid-ride launch is followed by what is possibly the most crazy part of the ride; RCDB call it a step-up under flip but it is perhaps best described as an immelmann meets mid-air inline twist meets dive loop - WOW! The ride's finale is very much airtime focussed, and the final two hills really do deliver.
Ride to Happiness is certainly superior to Time Traveler, and every ride you take on it is unique. There are quite substantial differences between riding at the front and the back of the train; at the front you really get the feeling of being pushed quite forcefully in to some of the elements, whereas at the back you get whipped off some of them. It's a tough call but I think overall I preferred the ride experience in the front car. The onboard audio also helps add to the experience, although some of the speakers were a little crackly.
A top addition not only to Plopsaland but to the European coaster scene. Unsure where it places in my rankings at the moment, I will be undertaking a review of my current top 10 later this year following a summer road trip (where a night ride on Ride to Happiness will hopefully be possible)!
I am not going to post too much about the rest of the park as it is largely the same as before. The Dino Splash re-theme of the log flume is a huge improvement though, and it appears that the one tired area of the park (the circus themed area) is getting an expansion for 2023. Any park that has goats that you can pet is a great park in my eyes!
Plopsa Hotel
So what of the Plopsa Hotel? I'll be honest I was not too sure what to expect. Maybe something along the lines of the hotels at Alton Towers and I knew that it would be primarily aimed at families with younger children. Impressed would be an understatement! The hotel is stunning with wonderful theming through and it manages to achieve a nice balance of appealing to both adults and children. The main lobby is themed to a theatre with a stage and viewing booths on the floors above.
The rooms are spacious with a large double bed and good sized bunk beds. The bathroom and toilet are separate, and the shower in the bathroom was easily the best on our whole trip! I am pleased to report that there was not a single vinyl in the room - Merlin please take note!
As I said previously, we had dinner at the Grand Buffet restaurant included with our package. It was very much a family buffet which was to be expected but the quality of the food was good. The breakfast buffet the following morning was even better! The hotel has two bars but only one was open the night we were there (and for long periods we were the only group in the bar). As per all drinks across Plopsaland, it was expensive, but I enjoyed the rums I sampled!
The only downside to our stay was having a car window smash in overnight in the hotel car park. It appears that 8 cars were targeted by migrants who just wanted some loose change or clothing, and with each car they only smash the smallest/third window on one side. Thankfully nothing was taken from our car and both Plopsa and the Belgian Police were very good with us.
----
So the long and short of it, Plopsaland De Panne is so easy to get to from the UK, and Ride to Happiness is more than worth the visit. Get out there! And for anyone who does have younger kids, they'll love the hotel!
Next up will be Bobbejaanlan.
Where did we go I hear you ask? Well, we visited the following parks:
- Plopsaland De Panne
- Bobbejaanland
- Europa-Park & Rulantica
- Tripsdrill
For this trip we drove and utilised the Eurotunnel for travel between Folkstone and Calais. I had been to all these parks previously other than Bobbejaanland; so for this reason I will only be posting some thoughts on the parks I have visited rather than full reviews.
So, let us start at the beginning.
Plopsaland De Panne
I have been here twice before (2012 and 2018) and it is a park I rather like, but there was one rather large Mack shaped reason for a return. This time we also decided to stay at the new Plopsa Hotel; our package here included the room, an evening meal at their buffet restaurant, breakfast, 2 days entry to Plopsaland (if required) and entry to Plopsaqua (their waterpark). The price was actually very reasonable all things considered.
As we had travelled down towards Folkstone the night before in case of any traffic issues, we were able to get an earlier train over to Calais, which meant that we arrived at Plopsaland earlier than anticipated. It would have been rude not to utilise our free entry to check out Ride to Happiness, so we did. Actually I lie, we actually went for a nice strong beer first (well, cider for Sazzle). You know your theme park preferences are changing when you go straight for the booze over the new major coaster in a park!
The beer was great, but I am sure you would all rather here about the park's new Mack Xtreme Spinning Coaster - Ride to Happiness. I have previously ridden Time Traveler at Silver Dollar City which was brilliant, so had high expectations. The first thing to say is just how much this new coaster dominates the park; it is practically right in the middle and goes over the lake, so can be seen from most other places within Plopsaland. You approach the ride by entering the new area/plaza that leads up to the station building. The theming here is almost quite Toverland-esque with water, butterflies and planting. There is also a nice bar and terrace in the area however this was closed during our off-peak visit.
The station and maintenance buildings are hugely impressive structures and look glorious. And the roll out of the station right over the plaza creates a great experience for those who are not riding. The queue line does not seem to be overly long but is pleasant with a mixture of outdoor and indoor sections. Ride to Happiness was only running 1 train whilst we were there but it never really got a queue so that was no problem at all.
After sitting down on what are my favourite coaster trains the restraints lower automatically and you are soon off out of the station and in to the heartline roll at a very slow speed. It genuinely feels like you could fall out of your seat, such an amazing feeling! The train then comes to a pause at the start of the first launch, and then whoosh, away you go and up in to the first element which is possibly best described as a top-hat meets a slightly outer-banked corner. A banana roll, loop and zero-g roll follow before you fly in to the second launch which features a bunny hop. This mid-ride launch is followed by what is possibly the most crazy part of the ride; RCDB call it a step-up under flip but it is perhaps best described as an immelmann meets mid-air inline twist meets dive loop - WOW! The ride's finale is very much airtime focussed, and the final two hills really do deliver.
Ride to Happiness is certainly superior to Time Traveler, and every ride you take on it is unique. There are quite substantial differences between riding at the front and the back of the train; at the front you really get the feeling of being pushed quite forcefully in to some of the elements, whereas at the back you get whipped off some of them. It's a tough call but I think overall I preferred the ride experience in the front car. The onboard audio also helps add to the experience, although some of the speakers were a little crackly.
A top addition not only to Plopsaland but to the European coaster scene. Unsure where it places in my rankings at the moment, I will be undertaking a review of my current top 10 later this year following a summer road trip (where a night ride on Ride to Happiness will hopefully be possible)!
I am not going to post too much about the rest of the park as it is largely the same as before. The Dino Splash re-theme of the log flume is a huge improvement though, and it appears that the one tired area of the park (the circus themed area) is getting an expansion for 2023. Any park that has goats that you can pet is a great park in my eyes!
Plopsa Hotel
So what of the Plopsa Hotel? I'll be honest I was not too sure what to expect. Maybe something along the lines of the hotels at Alton Towers and I knew that it would be primarily aimed at families with younger children. Impressed would be an understatement! The hotel is stunning with wonderful theming through and it manages to achieve a nice balance of appealing to both adults and children. The main lobby is themed to a theatre with a stage and viewing booths on the floors above.
The rooms are spacious with a large double bed and good sized bunk beds. The bathroom and toilet are separate, and the shower in the bathroom was easily the best on our whole trip! I am pleased to report that there was not a single vinyl in the room - Merlin please take note!
As I said previously, we had dinner at the Grand Buffet restaurant included with our package. It was very much a family buffet which was to be expected but the quality of the food was good. The breakfast buffet the following morning was even better! The hotel has two bars but only one was open the night we were there (and for long periods we were the only group in the bar). As per all drinks across Plopsaland, it was expensive, but I enjoyed the rums I sampled!
The only downside to our stay was having a car window smash in overnight in the hotel car park. It appears that 8 cars were targeted by migrants who just wanted some loose change or clothing, and with each car they only smash the smallest/third window on one side. Thankfully nothing was taken from our car and both Plopsa and the Belgian Police were very good with us.
----
So the long and short of it, Plopsaland De Panne is so easy to get to from the UK, and Ride to Happiness is more than worth the visit. Get out there! And for anyone who does have younger kids, they'll love the hotel!
Next up will be Bobbejaanlan.
