Rating the Walibis

[Enter Valhalla]

Over 10 years ago, I had my first visit to a Walibi park, which was Walibi Belgium. Since then, I’ve been back to Walibi Belgium several times, mainly because of ease of access (the train station is literally across the road), but have never, until this year, got around to visiting Walibis other parks. This year I completed the hat trick of the (remaining) Walibi parks, and was really surprised at just how different they are for each other.

I was wondering how people here rate the Walibis that they’ve done, and how they stack up against each other?

My thoughts, from worst to best, are:

3. Walibi Holland - For all the years that I was visiting Walibi Belgium, everyone kept telling me that Walibi Holland was better, and it certainly seemed, in the 2014-2018 era, like it was getting more investment than the other Walibi parks. I visited for the first time this year, and although I enjoyed my visit, I would say that whilst it is an alright park, it’s the worst of the Walibis.
Whilst Walibi Belgium has, in the past ten years, moved away from the loud, garish cartoon rock band theme, in favour of better quality, more immersive themed experiences, Walibi Holland have stuck with it, and it now looks seriously dated and the park a bit of a mess. Walibi Holland’s theming looks like they gave a group of teenagers unlimited cans of brightly coloured paint and told them to go wild. It’s just looks weird.
The park is clearly aimed primarily at teenagers (perhaps because they feel Efteling and Toverland have dominance of the NL family market?) but this does make it feel like they don’t have much other than big coasters. More style than substance is how I’d best describe Walibi Holland.

2. Walibi Rhone-Alpes - The quality of rides and theming here are vastly superior to that of Walibi Holland. These are proper theme park themes which feel immersive and which are pleasant places to be, not just bright colours and loud speakers. Fewer rides here and a much smaller park, but as the old saying goes, quality beats quantity, but I guess the issue is that if it’s quiet, you’ll struggle to fill a whole day here. Looking at the amount of construction going on, I think they have lots of plans for the future, and if the speed of expansion in Belgium is anything to go by, the future could be very exciting.

1. Walibi Belgium - This park has come so far since my first visit in 2014. I’ve loved watching this park grow. Unlike Walibi Holland, they’ve shaken off their Six Flags history and have focussed on quality attractions, careful design and immersive experiences. It really makes me wonder why Walibi Holland, once the flagship Walibi park, has been so left behind.

 

[John_P]

3 - Walibi Belgium
Number of visits 2 days, year visited 2022

So I've not yet done Mecalodon sadly. It does look fun.
Like the other two Walibis the last decade has definitely seen it improve from a regional park with nothing special to a must visit park. The Mack powerspash is great fun, then you've got the Gerstlauer bobsled, and of course Kondaa once of the best traditional lift hill coasters in Europe.
Added highlight for this park is two great dark rides, seems odd they have so much gold is this area compared to the others.
Biggest issue for me is the layout its a long and thin park and down at the front you've got the worst coasters in the boomerang, the SLC, and the vekoma woodie. At least Walibi Holland had the good grace to scatter them around the park, and then make alterations to two of them.

Probably say rip out the boomerang and just improve the themeing around that area, maybe add a flat ride or two to compliment popcorns revenge.

RMC loup garou (please) reckon the layout would be gold, give me the Steel Wolf!

Remove the SLC, maybe get in vekoma and bring in a package of the super boomerang and jnr boomerang.


2 - Walibi Rhone-Alpes
Number of visits 1 day, year visited 2024

The modern additions of Timber, Mystic, and Mahuka have really elevated this park as that's a quality line up.
Probably the nicest Walibi park to walk around with the lake in the middle and the different themed areas easily differentiated between.

Could do with a dark ride, and another ride in the empty space next to Mahuka.


1 - Walibi Holland
Number of visits 3 day , years visited 2017 and 2019

One of the best top three coaster line ups in Europe, and I've not been back for YoY yet (not expecting much after Jersey Devil though).

I understand the ops issues but I quite like the 'festivalisation' of the park areas and how they changed up the areas bringing in Untamed, and retheming going to Goliath.

My biggest annoyance with the park was the dead end at Goliath but I believe that's gone now with the opening of YoY.

What I'd do? Well they need a modern dark ride, we all know these mad houses won't last forever. Feel like the obvious idea is get onto Sally dark rides and come up with something they could add to both Holland and Rhone-Alpes in quick succession.
Speed of Sound gets a stay of execution what with its theme and on board audio.
Remove the SLC, again work with vekoma to see what's new on their docket, or get a tilt coaster. Think walking into that area obscured from the rest of the park in its own area it would look great.

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Really think attempting to rank them is quite difficult, they've got many similarities but also plenty of differences. I've had great days visiting all parks so nit picking between the three to put them in order is quite difficult. Could easily be a different order if I think about it in a month's time, or even just a case of one addition to a park altering everything.