IanB
TS Member
You might have read this title, and be thinking Ian has posted on the wrong forums, but read on and you will see why I have posted this here 
We left on Tuesday 1st October after school, and headed to the Ibis Budget at Reims. LeShuttle was not to busy, but still a short queue at French Boarder control as only one gate open.
Wednesday, From Reims, we then set off for Europa Park (Luckily our Silver passes were valid for this date, they were not valid for the next few days). Are destination was Olching, just outside Munich, but since we were going near, we thought we would pop in for a quick break, food and a few rides.
We arrived and parked in the car park (A new experience for me, and left me €10 poorer) and were on park just after half 2.
We did Castello dei Medici first, and I could not tell the difference from before. I was maybe expecting it be have more of a revamp, but it felt the same. We managed to get the Can-Can Coaster, EuroMir (Where I think the Halloween music was a little bit of a disappointment for us both), BlueFire and Wodan (Great to see the fire effects back on), before heading over to Voltron for two rides.
The queue was just under 50 minutes, but the way its constantly moving it did not feel like it. It was a shame to see the rats experiment was still broken, with the flaps not closing so you can see the rats moving. It was like this in May, so hopefully something they look at soon over the closed season. Nikola Tesla being moved does take away from the queue a little bit, but it also means you spend more time inside. The inside area is very warm, which is nice on cold days. Voltron is still as fantastic as it was earlier in the year, and if anything, it was running even better.
This little sample of Halloween has left me wanting to go back and experience it for longer next year, and Annabelle loves the idea of going for Christmas. You see all the pumpkins in the photos, but its only when you get on park, and are wondering around, you realise what an amazing job they have done.
The Queue to get out the park was a little busy so we went to have a look around the campsite, before heading to Olching.
Thursday was a golfing day with practice round, and welcoming ceremony (You might recognise the hat).
Friday was the first round of the competition, but since we teed off at 9.30am, and were finished by midday, we had the afternoon to explore. Annabelle had made friends with Emily at the British Championship earlier in the year, and her Dad had said he would take us to Octoberfest if we came to Germany. True to his word, he took us to explore Munich, where we got to see the sights, and experience some Braivia traditional food.
We then headed to Octoberfest, and I was not sure what I was expecting (I think mainly drinking, eating and dancing) but was surprised to see all the travelling rides. Bravia statue below:
Annabelle and Emily did The Alpina-Bahn by themselves which they got front row and loved. We then did Olympia Looping, the seat restraints look odd, but were surprising comfortable and it made for an enjoyable ride. Certainly a ride I would like to do again, and £10 feels about the right price for it. The girls then finished with The Wild Mouse, and from their hair, you could tell they had enjoyed it.
Saturday was the final round, and Annabelle finished with a new PB of 93 over the two days.
We stayed for the award ceremony and then heading to Metz for the night. The B&B Hotel was perfect for us, and plenty of food choices nearby.
Sunday, we head to Calais, and then stopped to see some family in Tunbridge Wells, before heading to Thorpe Park.
It was Annabelles first time, so we just wanted to focus on getting the main rides done before heading home. When we arrived, it was not great with all the coasters apart from Swarm and Hyperia being open, with Swarm looking like it just opened. We joined the queue with a 5 minute wait, but the board quickly changed to 40 minutes, which it turned out to be.
I like the Swarm, and it feels a little out of place in Thorpe because of the excellent themeing around it. As with most rides, it does feel a little short, but I think its still my favourite ride at Thrope.
We then got some food while waiting for the other rides to re-open, and dropped on with Nemesis: Inferno re-opening just as we walked past, and after that Stealth opened so we did not queue longer than 15 minutes for both of those. Nemesis: Inferno is good, but not as good as Nemesis. Stealth is Stealth, I prefer Rita as it does something more than just go up and down.
Saw then opened, and again had a advertised queue of 5 minutes, but when we joined, it clearly was not and we ended up queuing 40 minutes for it in a unpleasant queue line. It was good to see Elly and Martin though, which helped us survive the queue line, and it was then a enjoyable experience of the ride. Saw being one of the exceptions where its just the right length.
We then headed to Hyperia, which had a 90 minute queue. I found it does not look as impressive once you are there, and does not feel as tall as the Big One in Blackpool. Maybe its the support structures being as big as the track, or how compact the layout is, but it did not give me a wow factor. It also makes the other rides around it look smaller. It felt very much like something someone would do if they were in a rush on Rollercoaster Tycoon and just needed to build something to get the guests in.
The queue line is uninteresting, and when your standing next to the lift hills for so long, it becomes an unpleasant experience. When there is so much space, why would you make the queue line go past the lift hill motors?
We used the dispatch timer, and it was getting under 400pph. I know they are a train short, but all new major rides should be aiming for a minimum of 1000pph.
All the queues at Thrope were stop start, and it just makes the queue feel even longer. I am sure its made worse by visiting Europa Park earlier in the week, but the queues were not fun. I would rather have a 60 minute queue that is constantly moving, then a 30 minute queue where you don't move for 3 minutes.
As for the ride itself, the first drop is good, and there is a few memorable moments after that, but it just does not work for me. Don't get me wrong, its a good ride, but just not a ride I want to go on. Maybe I am just not a fan of Hyper Coasters. I want more story, more themeing, more fun. I am looking forward to riding Hyper Coaster in Turkey next year and seeing how it compares.
We then left Thorpe Park, before heading home to complete a Jam packed 6 days. Roll on Turkey in January.
Below is Annabelles Highlight video from the week, feel free to watch and follow.
We left on Tuesday 1st October after school, and headed to the Ibis Budget at Reims. LeShuttle was not to busy, but still a short queue at French Boarder control as only one gate open.
Wednesday, From Reims, we then set off for Europa Park (Luckily our Silver passes were valid for this date, they were not valid for the next few days). Are destination was Olching, just outside Munich, but since we were going near, we thought we would pop in for a quick break, food and a few rides.
We arrived and parked in the car park (A new experience for me, and left me €10 poorer) and were on park just after half 2.
We did Castello dei Medici first, and I could not tell the difference from before. I was maybe expecting it be have more of a revamp, but it felt the same. We managed to get the Can-Can Coaster, EuroMir (Where I think the Halloween music was a little bit of a disappointment for us both), BlueFire and Wodan (Great to see the fire effects back on), before heading over to Voltron for two rides.
The queue was just under 50 minutes, but the way its constantly moving it did not feel like it. It was a shame to see the rats experiment was still broken, with the flaps not closing so you can see the rats moving. It was like this in May, so hopefully something they look at soon over the closed season. Nikola Tesla being moved does take away from the queue a little bit, but it also means you spend more time inside. The inside area is very warm, which is nice on cold days. Voltron is still as fantastic as it was earlier in the year, and if anything, it was running even better.
This little sample of Halloween has left me wanting to go back and experience it for longer next year, and Annabelle loves the idea of going for Christmas. You see all the pumpkins in the photos, but its only when you get on park, and are wondering around, you realise what an amazing job they have done.
The Queue to get out the park was a little busy so we went to have a look around the campsite, before heading to Olching.
Thursday was a golfing day with practice round, and welcoming ceremony (You might recognise the hat).
Friday was the first round of the competition, but since we teed off at 9.30am, and were finished by midday, we had the afternoon to explore. Annabelle had made friends with Emily at the British Championship earlier in the year, and her Dad had said he would take us to Octoberfest if we came to Germany. True to his word, he took us to explore Munich, where we got to see the sights, and experience some Braivia traditional food.
We then headed to Octoberfest, and I was not sure what I was expecting (I think mainly drinking, eating and dancing) but was surprised to see all the travelling rides. Bravia statue below:
Annabelle and Emily did The Alpina-Bahn by themselves which they got front row and loved. We then did Olympia Looping, the seat restraints look odd, but were surprising comfortable and it made for an enjoyable ride. Certainly a ride I would like to do again, and £10 feels about the right price for it. The girls then finished with The Wild Mouse, and from their hair, you could tell they had enjoyed it.
Saturday was the final round, and Annabelle finished with a new PB of 93 over the two days.
We stayed for the award ceremony and then heading to Metz for the night. The B&B Hotel was perfect for us, and plenty of food choices nearby.
Sunday, we head to Calais, and then stopped to see some family in Tunbridge Wells, before heading to Thorpe Park.
It was Annabelles first time, so we just wanted to focus on getting the main rides done before heading home. When we arrived, it was not great with all the coasters apart from Swarm and Hyperia being open, with Swarm looking like it just opened. We joined the queue with a 5 minute wait, but the board quickly changed to 40 minutes, which it turned out to be.
I like the Swarm, and it feels a little out of place in Thorpe because of the excellent themeing around it. As with most rides, it does feel a little short, but I think its still my favourite ride at Thrope.
We then got some food while waiting for the other rides to re-open, and dropped on with Nemesis: Inferno re-opening just as we walked past, and after that Stealth opened so we did not queue longer than 15 minutes for both of those. Nemesis: Inferno is good, but not as good as Nemesis. Stealth is Stealth, I prefer Rita as it does something more than just go up and down.
Saw then opened, and again had a advertised queue of 5 minutes, but when we joined, it clearly was not and we ended up queuing 40 minutes for it in a unpleasant queue line. It was good to see Elly and Martin though, which helped us survive the queue line, and it was then a enjoyable experience of the ride. Saw being one of the exceptions where its just the right length.
We then headed to Hyperia, which had a 90 minute queue. I found it does not look as impressive once you are there, and does not feel as tall as the Big One in Blackpool. Maybe its the support structures being as big as the track, or how compact the layout is, but it did not give me a wow factor. It also makes the other rides around it look smaller. It felt very much like something someone would do if they were in a rush on Rollercoaster Tycoon and just needed to build something to get the guests in.
The queue line is uninteresting, and when your standing next to the lift hills for so long, it becomes an unpleasant experience. When there is so much space, why would you make the queue line go past the lift hill motors?
We used the dispatch timer, and it was getting under 400pph. I know they are a train short, but all new major rides should be aiming for a minimum of 1000pph.
All the queues at Thrope were stop start, and it just makes the queue feel even longer. I am sure its made worse by visiting Europa Park earlier in the week, but the queues were not fun. I would rather have a 60 minute queue that is constantly moving, then a 30 minute queue where you don't move for 3 minutes.
As for the ride itself, the first drop is good, and there is a few memorable moments after that, but it just does not work for me. Don't get me wrong, its a good ride, but just not a ride I want to go on. Maybe I am just not a fan of Hyper Coasters. I want more story, more themeing, more fun. I am looking forward to riding Hyper Coaster in Turkey next year and seeing how it compares.
We then left Thorpe Park, before heading home to complete a Jam packed 6 days. Roll on Turkey in January.
Below is Annabelles Highlight video from the week, feel free to watch and follow.