Rowe
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Matterhorn Blitz (with an Aperol Spritz!)
Hello everybody!
Following tout de suite from Sam's cerebral review of Europa Park, here's my one I've salvaged from TTF for all your reading's worth! Though I would recommend getting yourself a cup of tea and some biscuits because this is gon' be looooong.
Now, I don’t tend to write trip reports for meets or general park visits except for the regular to occasional highlights/lowlights/mehlights/thank yous but in honour of my first international meet (alongside many others) and (what was my) my three year meet anniversary with TTF, I’ve decided to try this out.
Here’s also an obligatory heads up over the opinions in this report being expressed merely by me.
Right, let’s get started!
-
31.3.12
Despite being a Southerner living within an hour and a half of Gatwick Airport, I alongside Dave (aka Cheese) and Magrathea dragged out of bed at 6am to get ready for the inevitable 11:55am flight to Basel Airport. I naturally gained the pre-holiday jitters involving the immortal words ‘have I forgotten something?’ and ‘have I packed too much?’ but thankfully there was none of the former although the latter, being overly prepared, was very true.
Courtesy of my Dad, we drove over to Gatwick Airport with time arrival at 9:30am and thus, quite unsurprisingly with TTF (
), arrived earlier than the group that decided to stay at the nearby Travelodge. Following a fairly amusing hour wait for those dropping off hold luggage with EasyJet, we then endured the meticulous and annoying Security before being released into the haven that is duty free! We didn’t exactly spend time pre-flight browsing much to my own dismay since we didn’t have long but the late breakfast was worth it considering we wouldn’t eat again until much later.
Soon enough we were on the plane waiting for the Stealth like takeoff, after tentatively waiting by the departure board and blocking the walkway as that’s what we do best, and eventually ended up in the air somewhere over Europe. Despite a fairly dull flight, we managed to entertain ourselves and came across at least two adverts for Europa and Wodan in the generic magazine on the plane, appearing a while later at Basel Airport in Switzerland around 1pm.
From there on, we took a bus and two trains to Strasbourg. Now firstly we were lucky with the bus as it was literally on the doorstep of the Airport but the trains we endured a fairly long wait for each. Again, we managed to entertain ourselves at St Louis and the other station in the lovely weather due to the long station platforms and vending machines but unfortunately we went nowhere near Europa so the game of Spot Silvia immediately failed.
We soon arrived at the gorgeous station in the equally gorgeous city of Strasbourg, where we met Pierre (aka Pedro) with those who travelled via Eurostar and car, where I couldn’t really stop looking at the architecture as I’m a bit of a fangirl for that kind of thing.
Sadly the dreams of a lovely yet affordable hotel in this lovely city were crushed the moment we stepped into the Etap opposite the station which had a very basic interior. According to AstroDan, the last time TTF had stayed there was in 2007 and since then had barely been improved in standards which didn’t feel or look surprising in any way. From check in, Jordan, Dave and I made our way up the lift (cue Sub Terra jokes) to our room on floor 1. Stepping onto that floor is where the decor quickly went from bad to terrible and it really did show in our room which wasn’t incredibly well kept with a quarter of the ceiling gone. The double bed was uncomfortable for the most part (As Dave Whitehurst said a few months back, it’s like sleeping on a morgue slab) with a leaking shower, limited power sockets and only two hand/body towels we had to share between 3 people. Thankfully Jordan and I were already prepared with our own towels so Dave’s minor panic there was over quickly.
After getting a bit of rest as well as getting used to the ugly room, we soon departed to meet the gradually growing group outside the Etap and eventually left to begin a long walk through Strasbourg’s city centre criss crossing the Ill River. Whilst it was very lovely getting to sight see whilst we had the time and seeing the famed Cathedral in all its glory, I did admittedly get quite impatient from the walking and lack of food had since Gatwick. Thankfully we soon arrived at Le Brasseur where the Strasbourg fun knocked down several pegs.
Le Brasseur was... interesting, to say the least. The restaurant was essentially an all you can eat tart flambee and all you can drink homebrewed beer and cola for 15 Euros so about £5/6 more than Explorers Pizza and Pasta.
The delivery of the unlimited tart flambee and drinks was originally incredibly slow which frustrated the group massively due to the amount paid but since we visited on a Saturday evening and when the loud Stag dos were lingering around, it was bound to be a very busy night. Thankfully this only happened for the first hour and a half and the delivery eventually sped up with tart flambees, one made especially for meet vegetarian Magrathea, arriving every 10 minutes and quickly disappeared in less than 10 seconds flat!
The tart flambees themselves were gorgeous and I could’ve eaten them all night if possible due to their lightweight structure but I wouldn’t say they were good value for money. The beer meanwhile... Urgh... Absolutely horrid, tried at least one cup of it and I just went ‘do not want’ and that must’ve applied to many others who decided to drink it anyway. The cola was just nice in general though I’ve no idea if that was also homemade or from the tap, nonetheless towards the end of the evening we got handed a bottle of Coca Cola presumably because they ran out!
After watching TTF spiral into madness and merriment via the means of beer and a live band in a way I’ve never seen it happen, Dave and I decided to leave for sleep back at the Etap. The Strasbourg tramway was far too much fun to travel on and was far easier than walking back the way we came in a confused stumble.
1.4.12
After sleeping fairly comfortably, we got ready for breakfast and spending the next few hours travelling from Strasbourg to Europa Park. For breakfast the group split between the very close McDonalds and a regular French cafe, the McDonalds of which had a very different diluted menu to ours in Britain (which didn’t have my favourite pancakes, boo) but had the addition of a lovely chic and professional McCafe that offered simple pastry meal deals less than 3 Euros, I kid you not.
Then making our way over to Strasbourg station we boarded the train to Offenburg and, crossing the Franco-German border in the process, soon ended up in Ringsheim where Spot Silvia truly took place alongside the rest of the park skyline. Getting the shuttle emblazoned with EuroMaus and co, we arrived outside the hotels at Europa and made our way to Hotel Colosseo.
Now, Hotel Colosseo... I LOVE IT. I literally had a fangirl squee in the reception and we weren’t even on park yet! It’s just so pretty, clean and shiny. After taking a look at the shop, varying information and Roland’s photo wall, we eventually sorted our tickets (I got a rare 4 day ticket thanks to Astro), put our luggage in the drop off room and made our way to the main park entrance. It was a strange experience to be walking on a right driving road as well as passing Wodan, Blue Fire, the EuroMaus statue and the right side of the park. Silver Star wasn’t exactly hard to spot in the distance either and, by fantastic timing, a train passed right by us on the famed ski turns as we walked to the entrance.
The entrance was very impressive and grand, though I had no doubt it wouldn’t be, alongside the very unsurprising but also impressive water fountains. Going through, I found myself on the standard but well themed traditional German main street which didn’t have any kind of outstanding attraction standing at the bottom, making Europa suddenly seem mysterious as to content. There’s nothing of note I can really say here except for the massive shop, the two sections of the Berlin wall and the Von Roll Monorail station. Admittedly I did get bored in the time that we waited for those getting an Annual Pass but Dave’s ear to ear grin whilst holding his new shiny plastic card made the faff worth it. We began our walk to EuroSat and had another well timed moment on the way. This time with the Parade in the France area and, to say the least, it was the weirdest thing finally hearing ‘What a Feeling!’ and seeing the floats in person. Then again actually being at Europa Park for the first time was weird anyway but I digress.
Now, EuroSat... I was quite nervous whilst queueing, which only took about 20 minutes, due to being told the ride was rough beforehand but equally excited for it being my first coaster credit at Europa. Though guess what? I ended up loving it. The build up with the space theming, music and lift hill just led to a very fun and unpredictable ride. It was rough but, I don’t know, it was just the kind of intense I could take. I would say it’s my third favourite coaster at Europa in honesty!
Moving onto Silver Star next door, I queued for a fair while with Dave and Sam93 in the front row as a first time rider and revelled in the amazing ‘Ride On!’ song that played in the background. Much like Big One at Blackpool, I wasn’t particularly intimidated by the size at ground level but, unlike Big One at Blackpool, I found myself slightly scared at being initially over 200 feet in the air with just the car park underneath. Then came wonderful airtime with arms up on beautiful curvaceous Sylvia! Though I wouldn’t say Sylvia’s my second or first favourite coaster at Europa, as much as I enjoyed the ride.
Then we went to Poseidon which I think is one of the best themed rides on Resort, especially when you look at the level of detail in the queueline and the ride itself (bar the coaster sections), it was fun and I re-rode it once or twice after on the sosche but aside from theming and the amazing splash at the end it was nothing special.
Fluch Der Kassandra... Hmm... Admittedly I’m not interested by it or find it to be particularly noteworthy. It’s mainly because I don’t know what’s going on due to the use of German and there doesn’t seem to be a story like on Hex, Villa Volta and heck even The Haunting. The ride itself was fine, I don’t have any problems with it and the case of good parking.
Then we left and passed BENCH.
Then we did EuroMir. This particular rollercoaster I anticipated most out of all the others purely for the rave-esque track, the long lift hill and spinning that it’s so renowned for. Oh and dancing with Sam93, something long promised by us It was a good ride, certainly, but I wouldn’t rate it too highly because the concept doesn’t really work. I mean I love the lift hill and music but the spinning makes the whole package more novelty like than it should be.
Quickly visiting the busy Milka shop, which was a haven for chocolate lovers and those too impatient to wait for dinner (like me), we then met up with roadtrippers Islander, Sam and John to do our second dark ride of the day: Piraten In Batavia.
Now Piraten In Batavia I have to say, despite being a blatant Disney Carribean rip-off and being in the same ghetto framework as Adventure at Drayton Manor, I loved this dark ride the most. The theming was gorgeous and incredibly well done with a great soundtrack, whilst the animatronics showed their age, with the ride itself being a 10/15 minute relaxing meander. It saddens me that I only got to ride it the once during the entire trip.
Strolling into the tiny space that is Scandinavia, we came across the infamous Vineta and Fjord River Rafting.
There’s genuinely not a lot I can say about Vineta except it’s a bit Villa Volta like... In that nothing really happened... And that I like the music... In that nothing happened there as well. And the award for ‘First Bored Barnes Say’ went to Astro.
Fjord River Rafting; what a seat chucker of a rapids ride that was! Thankfully I didn’t get too wet, Congo River Rapids did that the week before, but it hurt to shift as much as it did on Legoland’s Viking River Splash where I actually fell off the seats.
Coming into the final hour of park time, we finally came into Iceland to meet Blue Fire and Wodan. Both next to each other looked simply stunning and hand in hand intimidating.
Blue Fire... Initially I was nervous upon glancing at the lapbar restraints, the inversions and the launch, due to the British way of dealing with things being OTSRs and shaky un-maintained trains. But of course, this being a Mack creation, I was going to be proved completely wrong... “Soooorry we have a problem!”... In which I was and I totally loved it! Blue Fire was just sublime, it’s my top favourite at Europa and definitely one of my favourites of all times, with the experience being one of the best I’ve had on a rollercoaster. The restraints are well thought out and I love the little touch with the pulse counter. The music worked so well too and I wish it was played a teeny bit louder in places. One of my only gripes with the ride is merely the screens indoors just being the ‘Cool seats!’ advert and information on batching, there’s a potential for explaining the ride ‘story’ a bit more in my opinion.
And finally, our last ride of the day, Wodan. Initially as well I was nervous purely because I had a fair few bad experiences with wooden rollercoasters in Britain (Yes, Blackpool, I’m looking at you) being so rough they’ve caused me pain.
Now the entrance to the Viking area needs to be seen to be believed, I don’t think there’s any entrance quite like it except for what used to be Duelling Dragons at Islands of Adventure; it’s towering and intimidating but oh so mysterious as to what’s inside with the added mist. Then at the top of Wodan’s entrance is a well timed Viking animatronic whom announces something of some sort. Moving on with the theming, there are a little bits and pieces lurking in the outdoor sections including the wonderful Hel statue (whom we sadly didn’t get to queue around) and themed boards asking questions about Norse/Anglo Saxon mythology. Now indoor theming, possibly some of the best I’ve seen from the little touches with glass and markings on the walls to the full blown statues to the projection mapping at the end. They have really done their research into the mythology so it greatly amuses me whenever somebody says the name was lazy The music I absolutely adore and I can’t wait for it all to be released, it has to be my favourite soundtrack on park.
Finally in the station, Dave and I secured the second to front row whilst, in a twist of irony the Disney fanboys who has bemoaned the park not quite beating Disney standards, Chris and Joelio ended up in front row. From there on I can easily say I was not disappointed by Wodan as a rollercoaster and large scale investment by Mack. It was thrilling, fun and has so much going on that even I don’t expect it after riding it at least 5/6 times over the course of the trip!
After a wonderful first (half) day on park, we left via Spain to Hotel Colosseo to rest and get changed for the Silver Lake Saloon booking at 8:30pm.
Our room in the Hotel Colosseo was gorgeous and it put the entirety of the Alton Towers Hotel to shame. It was spacious with a view of the fountains, well detailed and comfortable. My main gripe with the room though, and I think this applied to everybody, that we only had one pillow each that most of the time was just filled with air. Briefly socialising via mini window balcony up to Astro and co who were right above us, we soon left the Hotel Colosseo for the 15 minute Monorail wait that would take us to the other side of the Resort where Tipidorf sits.
Getting a panorama view of the park and soon passing the dormant but lovely lit Sylvia, we arrived if a tad late at Silver Lake Saloon. It’ll always entertain me how Europe is in the name of Europa and there’s American Old West themed accommodation as well as the New England 4 star superior hotel, Bell Rock. Anyhow, I liked the Saloon, it had a busy but entertaining atmosphere with friendly staff, good food and entertainment whom we just cheered on to do Country Roads and, what seemed to be a running theme this meet, Proud Mary.
Afterwards, the majority of us decided to walk anti clockwise around the Resort back up to the main hotels for a visit alongside the wonderful walls of the Mack family and rounded off with a trip into the bar at the top of the Hotel Colosseo.
Eventually out of tiredness, if ever a word existed, Dave and I decided to return to the Colosseo room for much needed sleep and Blue Fire ERT the next morning.
Following tout de suite from Sam's cerebral review of Europa Park, here's my one I've salvaged from TTF for all your reading's worth! Though I would recommend getting yourself a cup of tea and some biscuits because this is gon' be looooong.
Now, I don’t tend to write trip reports for meets or general park visits except for the regular to occasional highlights/lowlights/mehlights/thank yous but in honour of my first international meet (alongside many others) and (what was my) my three year meet anniversary with TTF, I’ve decided to try this out.
Here’s also an obligatory heads up over the opinions in this report being expressed merely by me.
Right, let’s get started!
-
31.3.12
Despite being a Southerner living within an hour and a half of Gatwick Airport, I alongside Dave (aka Cheese) and Magrathea dragged out of bed at 6am to get ready for the inevitable 11:55am flight to Basel Airport. I naturally gained the pre-holiday jitters involving the immortal words ‘have I forgotten something?’ and ‘have I packed too much?’ but thankfully there was none of the former although the latter, being overly prepared, was very true.
Courtesy of my Dad, we drove over to Gatwick Airport with time arrival at 9:30am and thus, quite unsurprisingly with TTF (
), arrived earlier than the group that decided to stay at the nearby Travelodge. Following a fairly amusing hour wait for those dropping off hold luggage with EasyJet, we then endured the meticulous and annoying Security before being released into the haven that is duty free! We didn’t exactly spend time pre-flight browsing much to my own dismay since we didn’t have long but the late breakfast was worth it considering we wouldn’t eat again until much later. Soon enough we were on the plane waiting for the Stealth like takeoff, after tentatively waiting by the departure board and blocking the walkway as that’s what we do best, and eventually ended up in the air somewhere over Europe. Despite a fairly dull flight, we managed to entertain ourselves and came across at least two adverts for Europa and Wodan in the generic magazine on the plane, appearing a while later at Basel Airport in Switzerland around 1pm.
From there on, we took a bus and two trains to Strasbourg. Now firstly we were lucky with the bus as it was literally on the doorstep of the Airport but the trains we endured a fairly long wait for each. Again, we managed to entertain ourselves at St Louis and the other station in the lovely weather due to the long station platforms and vending machines but unfortunately we went nowhere near Europa so the game of Spot Silvia immediately failed.
We soon arrived at the gorgeous station in the equally gorgeous city of Strasbourg, where we met Pierre (aka Pedro) with those who travelled via Eurostar and car, where I couldn’t really stop looking at the architecture as I’m a bit of a fangirl for that kind of thing.
Sadly the dreams of a lovely yet affordable hotel in this lovely city were crushed the moment we stepped into the Etap opposite the station which had a very basic interior. According to AstroDan, the last time TTF had stayed there was in 2007 and since then had barely been improved in standards which didn’t feel or look surprising in any way. From check in, Jordan, Dave and I made our way up the lift (cue Sub Terra jokes) to our room on floor 1. Stepping onto that floor is where the decor quickly went from bad to terrible and it really did show in our room which wasn’t incredibly well kept with a quarter of the ceiling gone. The double bed was uncomfortable for the most part (As Dave Whitehurst said a few months back, it’s like sleeping on a morgue slab) with a leaking shower, limited power sockets and only two hand/body towels we had to share between 3 people. Thankfully Jordan and I were already prepared with our own towels so Dave’s minor panic there was over quickly.
After getting a bit of rest as well as getting used to the ugly room, we soon departed to meet the gradually growing group outside the Etap and eventually left to begin a long walk through Strasbourg’s city centre criss crossing the Ill River. Whilst it was very lovely getting to sight see whilst we had the time and seeing the famed Cathedral in all its glory, I did admittedly get quite impatient from the walking and lack of food had since Gatwick. Thankfully we soon arrived at Le Brasseur where the Strasbourg fun knocked down several pegs.
Le Brasseur was... interesting, to say the least. The restaurant was essentially an all you can eat tart flambee and all you can drink homebrewed beer and cola for 15 Euros so about £5/6 more than Explorers Pizza and Pasta.
The delivery of the unlimited tart flambee and drinks was originally incredibly slow which frustrated the group massively due to the amount paid but since we visited on a Saturday evening and when the loud Stag dos were lingering around, it was bound to be a very busy night. Thankfully this only happened for the first hour and a half and the delivery eventually sped up with tart flambees, one made especially for meet vegetarian Magrathea, arriving every 10 minutes and quickly disappeared in less than 10 seconds flat!
The tart flambees themselves were gorgeous and I could’ve eaten them all night if possible due to their lightweight structure but I wouldn’t say they were good value for money. The beer meanwhile... Urgh... Absolutely horrid, tried at least one cup of it and I just went ‘do not want’ and that must’ve applied to many others who decided to drink it anyway. The cola was just nice in general though I’ve no idea if that was also homemade or from the tap, nonetheless towards the end of the evening we got handed a bottle of Coca Cola presumably because they ran out!
After watching TTF spiral into madness and merriment via the means of beer and a live band in a way I’ve never seen it happen, Dave and I decided to leave for sleep back at the Etap. The Strasbourg tramway was far too much fun to travel on and was far easier than walking back the way we came in a confused stumble.
1.4.12
After sleeping fairly comfortably, we got ready for breakfast and spending the next few hours travelling from Strasbourg to Europa Park. For breakfast the group split between the very close McDonalds and a regular French cafe, the McDonalds of which had a very different diluted menu to ours in Britain (which didn’t have my favourite pancakes, boo) but had the addition of a lovely chic and professional McCafe that offered simple pastry meal deals less than 3 Euros, I kid you not.
Then making our way over to Strasbourg station we boarded the train to Offenburg and, crossing the Franco-German border in the process, soon ended up in Ringsheim where Spot Silvia truly took place alongside the rest of the park skyline. Getting the shuttle emblazoned with EuroMaus and co, we arrived outside the hotels at Europa and made our way to Hotel Colosseo.
Now, Hotel Colosseo... I LOVE IT. I literally had a fangirl squee in the reception and we weren’t even on park yet! It’s just so pretty, clean and shiny. After taking a look at the shop, varying information and Roland’s photo wall, we eventually sorted our tickets (I got a rare 4 day ticket thanks to Astro), put our luggage in the drop off room and made our way to the main park entrance. It was a strange experience to be walking on a right driving road as well as passing Wodan, Blue Fire, the EuroMaus statue and the right side of the park. Silver Star wasn’t exactly hard to spot in the distance either and, by fantastic timing, a train passed right by us on the famed ski turns as we walked to the entrance.
The entrance was very impressive and grand, though I had no doubt it wouldn’t be, alongside the very unsurprising but also impressive water fountains. Going through, I found myself on the standard but well themed traditional German main street which didn’t have any kind of outstanding attraction standing at the bottom, making Europa suddenly seem mysterious as to content. There’s nothing of note I can really say here except for the massive shop, the two sections of the Berlin wall and the Von Roll Monorail station. Admittedly I did get bored in the time that we waited for those getting an Annual Pass but Dave’s ear to ear grin whilst holding his new shiny plastic card made the faff worth it. We began our walk to EuroSat and had another well timed moment on the way. This time with the Parade in the France area and, to say the least, it was the weirdest thing finally hearing ‘What a Feeling!’ and seeing the floats in person. Then again actually being at Europa Park for the first time was weird anyway but I digress.
Now, EuroSat... I was quite nervous whilst queueing, which only took about 20 minutes, due to being told the ride was rough beforehand but equally excited for it being my first coaster credit at Europa. Though guess what? I ended up loving it. The build up with the space theming, music and lift hill just led to a very fun and unpredictable ride. It was rough but, I don’t know, it was just the kind of intense I could take. I would say it’s my third favourite coaster at Europa in honesty!
Moving onto Silver Star next door, I queued for a fair while with Dave and Sam93 in the front row as a first time rider and revelled in the amazing ‘Ride On!’ song that played in the background. Much like Big One at Blackpool, I wasn’t particularly intimidated by the size at ground level but, unlike Big One at Blackpool, I found myself slightly scared at being initially over 200 feet in the air with just the car park underneath. Then came wonderful airtime with arms up on beautiful curvaceous Sylvia! Though I wouldn’t say Sylvia’s my second or first favourite coaster at Europa, as much as I enjoyed the ride.
Then we went to Poseidon which I think is one of the best themed rides on Resort, especially when you look at the level of detail in the queueline and the ride itself (bar the coaster sections), it was fun and I re-rode it once or twice after on the sosche but aside from theming and the amazing splash at the end it was nothing special.
Fluch Der Kassandra... Hmm... Admittedly I’m not interested by it or find it to be particularly noteworthy. It’s mainly because I don’t know what’s going on due to the use of German and there doesn’t seem to be a story like on Hex, Villa Volta and heck even The Haunting. The ride itself was fine, I don’t have any problems with it and the case of good parking.
Then we left and passed BENCH.
Then we did EuroMir. This particular rollercoaster I anticipated most out of all the others purely for the rave-esque track, the long lift hill and spinning that it’s so renowned for. Oh and dancing with Sam93, something long promised by us
It was a good ride, certainly, but I wouldn’t rate it too highly because the concept doesn’t really work. I mean I love the lift hill and music but the spinning makes the whole package more novelty like than it should be. Quickly visiting the busy Milka shop, which was a haven for chocolate lovers and those too impatient to wait for dinner (like me), we then met up with roadtrippers Islander, Sam and John to do our second dark ride of the day: Piraten In Batavia.
Now Piraten In Batavia I have to say, despite being a blatant Disney Carribean rip-off and being in the same ghetto framework as Adventure at Drayton Manor, I loved this dark ride the most. The theming was gorgeous and incredibly well done with a great soundtrack, whilst the animatronics showed their age, with the ride itself being a 10/15 minute relaxing meander. It saddens me that I only got to ride it the once during the entire trip.
Strolling into the tiny space that is Scandinavia, we came across the infamous Vineta and Fjord River Rafting.
There’s genuinely not a lot I can say about Vineta except it’s a bit Villa Volta like... In that nothing really happened... And that I like the music... In that nothing happened there as well. And the award for ‘First Bored Barnes Say’ went to Astro.
Fjord River Rafting; what a seat chucker of a rapids ride that was! Thankfully I didn’t get too wet, Congo River Rapids did that the week before, but it hurt to shift as much as it did on Legoland’s Viking River Splash where I actually fell off the seats.
Coming into the final hour of park time, we finally came into Iceland to meet Blue Fire and Wodan. Both next to each other looked simply stunning and hand in hand intimidating.
Blue Fire... Initially I was nervous upon glancing at the lapbar restraints, the inversions and the launch, due to the British way of dealing with things being OTSRs and shaky un-maintained trains. But of course, this being a Mack creation, I was going to be proved completely wrong... “Soooorry we have a problem!”... In which I was and I totally loved it! Blue Fire was just sublime, it’s my top favourite at Europa and definitely one of my favourites of all times, with the experience being one of the best I’ve had on a rollercoaster. The restraints are well thought out and I love the little touch with the pulse counter. The music worked so well too and I wish it was played a teeny bit louder in places. One of my only gripes with the ride is merely the screens indoors just being the ‘Cool seats!’ advert and information on batching, there’s a potential for explaining the ride ‘story’ a bit more in my opinion.
And finally, our last ride of the day, Wodan. Initially as well I was nervous purely because I had a fair few bad experiences with wooden rollercoasters in Britain (Yes, Blackpool, I’m looking at you) being so rough they’ve caused me pain.
Now the entrance to the Viking area needs to be seen to be believed, I don’t think there’s any entrance quite like it except for what used to be Duelling Dragons at Islands of Adventure; it’s towering and intimidating but oh so mysterious as to what’s inside with the added mist. Then at the top of Wodan’s entrance is a well timed Viking animatronic whom announces something of some sort. Moving on with the theming, there are a little bits and pieces lurking in the outdoor sections including the wonderful Hel statue (whom we sadly didn’t get to queue around) and themed boards asking questions about Norse/Anglo Saxon mythology. Now indoor theming, possibly some of the best I’ve seen from the little touches with glass and markings on the walls to the full blown statues to the projection mapping at the end. They have really done their research into the mythology so it greatly amuses me whenever somebody says the name was lazy
The music I absolutely adore and I can’t wait for it all to be released, it has to be my favourite soundtrack on park.Finally in the station, Dave and I secured the second to front row whilst, in a twist of irony the Disney fanboys who has bemoaned the park not quite beating Disney standards, Chris and Joelio ended up in front row. From there on I can easily say I was not disappointed by Wodan as a rollercoaster and large scale investment by Mack. It was thrilling, fun and has so much going on that even I don’t expect it after riding it at least 5/6 times over the course of the trip!
After a wonderful first (half) day on park, we left via Spain to Hotel Colosseo to rest and get changed for the Silver Lake Saloon booking at 8:30pm.
Our room in the Hotel Colosseo was gorgeous and it put the entirety of the Alton Towers Hotel to shame. It was spacious with a view of the fountains, well detailed and comfortable. My main gripe with the room though, and I think this applied to everybody, that we only had one pillow each that most of the time was just filled with air. Briefly socialising via mini window balcony up to Astro and co who were right above us, we soon left the Hotel Colosseo for the 15 minute Monorail wait that would take us to the other side of the Resort where Tipidorf sits.
Getting a panorama view of the park and soon passing the dormant but lovely lit Sylvia, we arrived if a tad late at Silver Lake Saloon. It’ll always entertain me how Europe is in the name of Europa and there’s American Old West themed accommodation as well as the New England 4 star superior hotel, Bell Rock. Anyhow, I liked the Saloon, it had a busy but entertaining atmosphere with friendly staff, good food and entertainment whom we just cheered on to do Country Roads and, what seemed to be a running theme this meet, Proud Mary.
Afterwards, the majority of us decided to walk anti clockwise around the Resort back up to the main hotels for a visit alongside the wonderful walls of the Mack family and rounded off with a trip into the bar at the top of the Hotel Colosseo.
Eventually out of tiredness, if ever a word existed, Dave and I decided to return to the Colosseo room for much needed sleep and Blue Fire ERT the next morning.
