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Phantasialand: General Discussion

Cheese - I could have written that review myself! I didn't spot the review here, and posted my own thoughts in a different thread if anybody can be bothered :)
 
I've literally just had my like 16th ride on Taron (hotel ert made us lose count wooo) and I honestly don't think some of you have been on the same ride we have. None of the supposed dead spots, just incredible from start to finish. Might do a longer review when I'm home but I'm putting this in my top three, I'm absolutely in love.
 
Fair enough Martin, each to their own. :) You rated Wildfire a fair bit higher than I did too, and like Taron that's a really good ride that nonetheless didn't blow me away.

What I do wonder is whether Taron is a coaster that can vary a lot depending on the temperature and resulting choice of wheel compound. When we were there both days were scorching hot, and they were obviously having some wheel issues. It'll be interesting to see what I think of it when I'm next there.
 
So I've adamantly found the three culprit deadspots of Taron which personally for me, ruin any chance of it sustaining any serious chance of contending for a spot in my top 10. These elements just drag on for way too long and kill any buzz generated by the swift transitions.

Taron is the steel version of Balder. A great ride at its core, tarnished by its painstakingly boring corners.

Deadspot 1.
Deadspot 2.
Deadspot 3.

[Gifs aren't embedding for whatever reason].
 
I did highly rate Wildfire, true. But it seems from what I've heard, the experience I had these last few days was very different from the experience the road trip crew and others had. None of the problems like reliability mentioned in this topic were apparent and the trims have been reduced.

Deadspot 1 I completely disagree with, it comes straight after one of the most violent parts of the ride so it's fine to have a softer turn, and with all the near misses I don't find it dull at all.

Deadspot 2 maybe, but the slalom after is great, at least on the back row, but it's towards the end of the first half so it's expect to be less intense, and straight after it dives into the second launch. The first half is clearly meant to be a warm up taking you around the area etc before the second half steps it up a notch or several.

Three, ok yes that hill doesn't do much, but without trims that last corner would be unbearable, only the first set of trims were being used today and that corner was very aggressive.

Its far from the steel version of Balder imo. But indeed, each to their own, I don't mean to sound like I'm saying anyone who doesn't rate it as highly as me is wrong.
 
Overall Taron has been a great hit for the park. Many people love the ride and have given good reviews. Honestly this the only forum out of many English and German ones I've read where there have seen complaints about deadspots. So it is definitely a minority viewpoint.
Of course everyone is allowed their own opinion and nothing will ever be built which everyone loves. Personally I think Taron is great and it is now my top coaster, I wouldn't change anything about the layout and certainty don't think there are any deadspots. Yes I agree some more airtime on the last hill would be great but the trims are understandably necessary and it is still fun anyway.
 
Deadspots are always needing context to the rest of the ride, and since Taron involves some ridiculous airtime and quick transitions, it does mean the long drawn out turns are more obvious... Much like Wodan's one after the first drop...

Plus 1 for the necessary trims, that last corner would be hellish without them... At least you still get some force out of that section even with them...
 
I do see what people mean about the supposed deadspots; Taron is not crazy all the way round like say El Toro or I305 but because it is crazy places to may highlight the sedate parts more than usual. For me it did not impact on the ride experience, the only negative was the trims at the end (although I understand why they are there, it's just another case of Intamin design that isn't quite as good as it should be).

Expecations comes into it also. I went out there and rode it after hearing the so-so reviews from the official meet therefore my expecations had dropped slightly; in the end I was pleasently surprised. Reviews before this were all very positive with many saying it was their new number one so this no doubt raised some expectations and rightly so.

All in all though I think is the perfect coaster for Phantasialand and is easily the best coaster in the park.

:)
 
I'm inclined to agree with Martin certainly on point 1. The curve really is needed following the harsh snap that preceeds it. If you weren't given recovery time I think it would probably make the ride incredibly unpleasant.

I do think the whole section between the snap turn and the second launch is the weakest part of the ride. However, as I said after riding at opening weekend, I think it really does help give the second launch and onward much more impact.

The lower slalom section is good fun, but the slight hop before it doesn't really do too much. I think a slightly sharper dip here may have helped with another pop of airtime, but on the whole I find it quite inoffensive.

In terms of the trims I'm intrigued to see what it will be like on my next visit. As said before, the difference between the opening weekend and the official meet was quite drastic. It's now sounding like it is different again! There's certainly no doubt however that those trims are a necessity. The final corner can be pretty shakey if lightly trimmed.

Overall I still can't work out where to place Taron. It's certainly in my top 10, but I still can't decide if it's top 3 or not. For me Monster and EGF still beat it. It's certainly the strongest coaster offering from PL however, and a much welcomed addition :)

All we need now is a grand dark ride to replace Brace for Atlantis and we're laughing...
 
It is probably the strongest coaster in the park, but similarly for me is the one that could have been so much more.

I. Just. Wanted. A. European. Maverick.

:p
 
I know I'm part of the minority here, however I am also a member of the 'Taron Fanboy Club'! Out of the group that went on the international meet, who hadn't previously ridden it, I was the only one who raved about it and subsequently placed it in my 'Top 3' behind Helix & EGF!

I will happily admit that it does die out slightly in the middle, though I wouldn't say it has dead spots... More tamer moments. Personally I feel they add a variety of sensations to the ride, floaty and swoopy amongst the rest of the fast paced snaps where you feel like you're being ripped from the train!

For me it's just what I look for in a coaster, speed, airtime, snap transitions and a stunning environment! The one thing that lets it down for me is the lack of a potential inversion. By no means does it need to be crammed with them like Helix but a roll or two would have been a welcome addition... Maybe even in the swoopy part?!

But yes... I love Taron :D


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Don't think there's ever been a ride built before where pretty much everyone likes it, but the people who don't like it quite as much as others get so weird about it.
 
For me, Taron was pretty much what I was expecting - a very good ride, almost certainly in my top 20 (though not top 10 steel), but not as good as I'd hoped it might have been. I wouldn't say I was disappointed with it, as from following the construction I wasn't expecting it to quite reach the epic heights of Maverick. I'd also say the reliability issues which resulting in the queue barely moving impacted my enjoyment somewhat, as I only got 3 rides on it over 2 days when the park wasn't even busy.
 
I haven't been on Taron but I'm pleasantly surprised that the ride is receiving generally favourable reviews. Not because I think it looks bad, but because I wasn't expecting anything more than a mildly thrilling, modern family coaster with some amazing theming. Something comparable to Big Grizzly Mountain at HKDL.

During the construction process I was very worried. The enthusiast hype machine was running out of control. People were expecting this coaster to be the second coming, eclipsing all other coasters in raw thrills. I thought a lot of people would be disappointed once Taron opened and they discovered that it was essentially a nippy scenic monorail. There was no possible way it could meet peoples' unrealistic expectations.

In actual fact, when it did open and initial reviews came in, they were overwhelmingly positive. It turns out Taron does have a bit of kick to it. That's a huge bonus in my view as I would have been satisfied with a beautifully themed family coaster.

For a coaster to have that amount of hype on its shoulders and then to not disappoint is pretty incredible. If a few enthusiasts expecting it to be Maverick come away slightly deflated, I'm not too worried. It's their fault for setting their expectations that high.
 
Quite surprised to see the chalk and cheese reviews. I'm am definitely in the 'Taron is Awesome' camp as it's now my number one coaster. I also appreciate the views of those people who don't rate it as I know many of those who don't rate it have ridden things like i305, Skyrush, Maverick and El Toro so it's competing against some of the best coasters in the world. For me though, as I'm way behind on the travelling game, it's the best I've ever ridden so far. :)
 
I don't see anyone getting weird about people having different opinions? I also had no expectation for Taron as I didn't follow the construction or POVs, I didn't even know it was multi launch until I was riding it!

Taron is a great ride and I can understand why people rate it so highly. I would say it is Top 20 for me. Without the dead spots it would be top 10.

Personally I like my coasters to be bat shit crazy from start to end. Not many rides deliver this but the ones that do are all in my top 10.
 
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The only thing that is weird here, is that because some people say 'Taron is good but not mindblowing', they seem to take umbridge.

Taron is good.

It's not the best.

That is my view.

Deal with it.

:)

*and anybody who pretends they didn't secretly hope Taron would be the best coaster ever built, please. Who were you kidding. An Intamin Blitz coaster with Phantasialand theming? It could have been the best thing EVER built.
 
AstroDan said:
*and anybody who pretends they didn't secretly hope Taron would be the best coaster ever built, please. Who were you kidding. An Intamin Blitz coaster with Phantasialand theming? It could have been the best thing EVER built.
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Dan, I think you nailed it. I was thinking that like many others. I also think Taron is "just" a very good coaster that could have been absolutely outstanding...but sorry, much more variation would have been needed for that IMHO. I don`t even think that it`s better than Mamba (front row).

But Dan, you are hoping for Europe`s Maverick. What about ISpeed? Too far away? Really? :)
 
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