Another 'first visit in four years' post, this time with Toverland.
Ever since my initial visit, I've been championing this park to grow and succeed perhaps more than any other European park. I'll make no excuse at being a fanboy of Toverland and seeing its potential, but never could I have expected such a radical transformation to the point that it was almost unrecognisable.
The new entrance is exactly what the park needed. Even the obviously temporary toilet block in place of what I suspect will eventually become a resort hotel, is themed with the charm and magic that Toverland is modestly great at delivering.
Port Laguna is a welcoming, bright area with lots of energy; the perfect location for the shows that Toverland has been running across the park in years past. The evolution from entering via the rather novice, play factory styled indoor hall to this vivid, bespoke entrance part of the park is a whole new level. The comforting and familiar notes of IMAscore dialled up to 11 complements it perfectly, and the whole product of this area just feels right.
Oh, and Avalon? Almost every square inch of it is picture-perfect.
The panoramic vista from left to right on entering the area is almost staggeringly beautiful. From a park that had its humble beginnings emerge from a shed, this is otherwordly. So much care has been taken at crafting fine thematic details or filling void spots with colourful landscaping. The soundtracks are gorgeous, Fenix is majestic to observe and Merlin's Quest is the perfect tranquil opportunity to really take in what this area has to offer. Both the indoor portion of the boat ride and Fenix's queue lines are seemingly unchartered territory for Toverland, who up until now, have only had Maximus Blitzbahn and Djengu River as a real effort to utilise indoor queue line theming. Needless to say, they've hit the nail on the head and have created both gorgeous, themed environments but also produced the perfect atmospheres for each respectively.
The Flaming Feather is what I envision the Crooked Spoon could have looked like had Merlin given it thought and a proper budget. The food and drinks were faultless, as was the service. A meal in here is almost certain to staple it as your 'go-to' for dining on any visit to the park. Even the toilets were a sight to behold, themed to every last possible crevice.
The only issues I have with the area fall to its headlining wing coaster. It's safe to say many jaws dropped when it was revealed Toverland had suddenly stumped up the cash for a B&M, particularly a wing coaster. Whilst it is one of the shorter models, it certainly doesn't fail to offer up moments of intensity that other wing coasters such as The Swarm through to Gatekeeper simply fail to match. It's smooth, the colour scheme is magnificent and the soundtrack is amongst IMAscore's finest works.
The first issue with Fenix, however, can be found the moment you walk into Avalon. That beautiful vista that I mentioned was almost picture-perfect? Fenix's un-themed, tin shed of an exterior wall where the track exits and enters from sticks out like a polar bear on a tropical island. The indoor section prior to the lift-hill is also the same, with just an empty black void before reaching (a rather impressive) dragon animatronic. Given how the park has absolutely succeeded at the ride itself, the queue line and the whole area, it seems absurd to have missed off these two gaping flaws in what would otherwise be a perfect package.
I suspect budgets will be the main issue here, and hopefully, they are rectified in time. After all, costs elsewhere certainly weren't scrimped out on for the delivery of Avalon and the most part of Fenix. The only other issue I have is how sodding steep those exit stairs are!
Everything else remains as delightful as I remember. Toverland is a park whereby you can see the progression as you walk through it. From the very first hall that opened with the park, through to the forest section in the second hall, right out across to Troy and through to their last big themed project prior to Port Laguna and Avalon in the form of Magic Valley. It's a park that has real promise, attention to detail and absolutely loves to immerse its guests in... well... magic.
