Matt 236

Certainly an interesting buyout, however given the current tie-ins with these companies and higher management expected to remain similar, the changes may not be too drastic. I'm sure there will be complaints though regardless of what direction the parks take now.

I like Cedar Point and can say it is one of my favourite parks and arguably the best place for coasters in the world. Would say most of the above is agreeable, Steel Vengeance is fab, Maverick great, I love Millennium Force, Rougarou surprisingly good and Magnum is better than Big One. I like Raptor and didn’t find it too tough on both times I’ve visited, but probably still prefer Nemy. I like Gate Keeper. I think Valravn might be the biggest letdown in terms of major rides there, I just find it seriously lacks something and never seems to get going. Oblivion has the best drop of the three dive machines I have done. Its tricky to say what the park’s next coaster will be and where it’s going? They demolished the old staff dorms but they have Monster trucks there and their old flume/dinosaur area is now Forbidden Frontier. Cedar Creek going is speculation I keep hearing, but then again the ride has much history too, so it’s tricky.

I think this place trying to reach the top spot of my european bucket list. That drop looks immense! Just hope this park can stay stable once the government funding ends.

Chiapas is quite simply a masterpiece. Even when the day comes that I finally do Splash Mountain and Ripsaw Falls, I have faith it will remain my number one water attraction. Right, so I finally ticked off two substantial U.K. parks last week, so thought I might as make a Top 10 UK parks list. Top 10 U.K. parks: 1/ Alton Towers 2/ Blackpool 3/ Paultons 4/ Chessington 5/ Thorpe 6/ Legoland 7/ Flamingo Land 8/ Oakwood 9/ Pleasurewood Hills 10/ Lightwater Valley Fantasy Island is essentially my last major park left now, with the exception of Blackgang Chime and the park’s in Devon and Scotland.

You say that, but until very recently, even parks such as Europa and Phantasialand haven’t been promoted through the U.K., although both have had their share of enthusiasts. Most non enthusiasts tend to only visit Disney/Florida parks, Port Aventura and (to a lesser extent) Tivoli Gardens, when it comes to non U.K. parks. Ok, sure Stargazing is definitely marketed as budget accommodation, but is still pricey for what it is. Whilst Cite Suspendue wasn’t cheap, I think 250 euros for a room for two with breakfast and two days park entry isn’t too pricey. Not to mention it offers what any good park accommodation should offer. Escapism. Hopefully the 2021 Coaster will put this place more on the map like Baron has done for Efteling. Asterix is worth a trip.

Might have to give this a go in August. It’ll either be surprisingly good or mediocre I reckon. 10 minutes of headset is a bit long I won’t lie. Europa’s VR coasters are actually surprisingly good. I think China will be the next area for redevelopment. I can see Jenja being returned/upgraded whilst the food shacks with Geister and what’s left of Silbermine are likely to be demolished.

Many enthusiasts boast about Efteling, Europa Park and Phantasialand. This isn’t my quote but it’s true. These parks boast quality attractions, theming and usually lead the way when it comes to innovation.. but what about Asterix? Parc Asterix is a fair sized “family park” located in Plailly France, just outside of Paris. This place boasts a well rounded diverse selection of attractions and is based off the Asterix comics. Despite it’s continuation of investments, class rides and relatively) easy location, why is it this park seems comparatively forgotten about, especially in the UK? Perhaps having a bigger fish nearby (Disneyland Paris) doesn’t help but that can’t be the only reason. It is here that I will explain why I consider this park to be underrated and why it should be somewhere everyone should try and visit amongst the other great parks around in Europe. Getting There/ Parc Asterix is relatively easy to get to, as long as you know what you are doing. We flew with EasyJet to Paris Charles De Gaulle from Gatwick, although they fly from Luton and Stanstead as well (at the time of writing). You will need to get to terminal 3, where the Parc shuttle goes from unless you are using a taxi or hire car. You may need to get a (free) shuttle train. You buy the ticket before boarding at the ticket office. Return tickets are available. The bus goes approximately every 30 minutes with the journey taking around 20 minutes. A bit like going from Heathrow to Thorpe if they ran a bus service. After the usual security checks etc. You are in the park and are greeted upon this beautiful street (name£). One of the striking features is Asterix at the top of the mountain which makes for a perfect entrance. Like the Towers in Towersreet or the La Chateau bois Dormant in Disneyland Paris. One of the main draws to the park is Oziris, a B&M invert coaster. Built in 2012 and located towards the north/east of the park, this coaster certainly pulls in punch, delivering a forceful and talentless circuit with some variations from your traditional invert, I can easily say this is my favourite B&M which packs some incredible forces even in the middle rows. It’s also pretty to look at and looks comparatively better than some B&Ms the same age. Tonnere De Zeus is an old-school modern woodie in the sense it pre-dates the likes of Wodan and Wickerman, but is still newer than your classics. I won’t deny this isn’t my top woodie, but it still packs a punch and is still an amazing ride. They are gradually retracking, so when this is finished the ride will probably be slightly better too. The park’s newest coaster currently is Pegasus, a Gerstlsuer coaster featuring launches,lifts and backwards sections featuring twists and turns through. It interacts beautifully with the nearby Rapids and features a pretty station with some hilarious pieces of theming like a Greek vending machine. It’s a throughput monster too on four trains! Somewhere like Drayton or Chessington would do well with something like this too. In a forested area of the park lies Train De La Horra, a Mack bobsled coaster. It is probably my favourite of the three I’ve done so far down to its lengthy layout and setting. Two of their three other coasters are Sos Numberis and Vol D'Icare . SOS Numberis is a neat little kiddie coaster which does numerous laps. Vol D'Icare is somewhat more bizarre as I’ve never seen a coaster like this, however the brakes are very sharp, almost to the point of an emergency stop! Parc Asterix hosts four water rides, this includes a fun picturesque rapids, a Tutuki Splash style ride with random water effects and a cherishing log flume with a random (yet wonderful) tunnel section with fountains. They also have Oxygenarium, a raft ride similar to Storm Surge with a whacky theme. It is also much enjoyable too and you don’t get wet feet. Storm Surge could’ve been special! The park holds it’s share of flat rides too, including a magic carpet and a Polyp spinner type ride. Both were fun. Sadly the Obilsk Disko was closed both days we were there. Some of the other attractions include a charming boat ride with random effects, an above average sky-ride and what might be the best vintage cars ride I’ve ever been on! They also featured what must be one of the most unique and crazy mad houses out there. This features three pre-shows. It is probably my third favourite madhouse of the eight I’ve ridden. New for this year (which we didn’t realise until after we’d visited), was the Menhir 4D, an amusing yet charming cinema show starring the Asterix. I love the unique effect at the end, which resulted in Menhir throwing the magic item out of the screen and into the cinema itself. You don’t notice this until the end. There were a few shows on whilst we were there which included (Asterix VS Romans), where the Asterix face off against the Romans. It is fixed several times but the Asterix win in the end. It also features an appearance from Dogmatix, the dog in the series. Hope the dog is looked after properly. There are some pretty areas in the park itself, whether that be the Greek area, the “fruit themed” restaurant or most of the park in general. We stayed at Hotel Cite Suspendue during our visit, which is one of two onsite hotels. It’s setting is unique, given that the rooms are scattered about in numerous wooden style buildings as opposed to just one area, giving a more unique and natural feel. Towers should’ve done something like this instead of Staryourgazing Pods and Enchanted Village. For the full experience and convenience, on site is best. It’s also worth mentioning the park is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Your nearest offsite hotel is likely several miles away and you will probably need a taxi if you don't t have a car! The Downsides: Not park is perfect (even Europa), so there naturally some flaws here. Firstly is Gouderix, this Vekoma coaster is one of (if not) the oldest coasters in the park and probably the signature attraction until Tonnere opened. Across the waterside, it looks rather pretty, however when it comes to riding it certainly isn’t. Goiderix has to honestly be one of the most uncomfortable coasters I have ever ridden, violently knocking me from side to side numerous times as it aggressively completes it’s circuit. It honestly makes Colossus look smooth and was the worst operated coaster. Someone get in the people who re-tracked Python! Secondly the food. Theme parks rarely specialise in food (unless you are Phantasialand), especially when have to cater for thousands of people and have to make profit. The food here wasn’t great at all, often tasting processed, watered down and with strange flavourings. The baguette place by the Cauldron ride was the only we really found the food tolerable and closing most outlets around 2/3pm doesn’t help. Port Aventura still stands as my least favourite for park food. Third and finally is Transdemonium, the park’s ghost train dark ride attraction. For unknown reasons, the attraction was completely closed up with no information about regarding what is happening. It has even disappeared off the website. We spoke to several staff members regarding this and the general answer was the ride was under renovation work and was expected to reopen somepoint between Halloween and next year. Take this with a pinch of salt! Conclusion: Parc Asterix is a charming lovely park with some quirky yet original themes and attractions including some quality coasters. Presentation, operations and the staff were all generally excellent, however I would suggest either plucking up on french or using a reliable translation app as the majority of staff speak little to no English. A few things such as food and others, do detract things from this park slightly, but then again nowhere is perfect. It honestly surprises me how overlooked this place is despite it’s relatively easy location. It is worthy of a visit whether you do or do not go to Disneyland Paris. Visit Parc Asterix! It’s underrated,

There’s probably a better chance of the London Resort actually opening or Hartenhoff (version 1) happening than them starting to deliver quality service to everyone. The way most of the parks are run and operated would make you think they were billions in debt and trying to tackle bankruptcy, not a massive operator second behind the mouse. I didn't visit Bakken because of the things I heard about the place. Oh well. The Lego V.I.P pass does not surprise me in the slightest at Europe’s best theme park. Yes they won an award for that.

So @terrortomband I recently visited Flamingo Land. Park is okay for what it is, not the best park but definitely not the worst. Staff seemed friendly enough and presentation was adequate with some room for improvement. Operations were mixed, with Kumali being the worst operated ride. Kumali is surprisingly good and better than Infusion (except operations) Mumbo Jumbo was quite bizarre but fun Hero wasn’t as bad as I expected but still not the best. I think Tomb had a secret liking for this ride. Velocity was closed for almost all the day, so was almost spited the Cred. Got two rounds at the end of the day and was worth it. This ride has some unique forces which makes it unique. Probably my favourite ride there. Rest of the park is pretty much kids attractions, a couple of water and transport rides and a few flats. The sky flier was horrible and gave me motion sickness for an hour. They also had a charming dark ride which was designed by Rex Studios which was great. They also had a zoo as well. Its not somewhere I will rush back to, but worth visiting if your in the area and want to push up your Cred count. The new ride will probably make this a higher priority soon. speaking of, Here is where the new coaster is going. Think they had a Corkscrew Coaster there years ago.

So the park will be unrecognisable in 10 years? Maybe under water then. I would like to think good things will come, but I just cannot see it. Especially as the park has often promised remarkable things which never happened and with Merlin seeing the park as a failure also. I could be wrong, but I just don’t see it!

Nah, we don’t want any unnecessary metal sheds hanging about.

Welcome Back. In this section we take a look at same of the many places and jewels to explore in this city of Fairy Tale and wonderous city. Copenhagen is Denmark’s capital city, a place famous for Lego, Hans Christian Anderson and creativity. It is the largest and busiest city in Denmark (naturally) and Scandinavia. It also features rich history and it’s own Royal family. Attractions: Copenhagen features a large diversity of attractions and architecture, from modern wonders such as the Black Dismond to the historical treasures of Rosenborg. There are also lots of green areas and lakes. Nyhavn is perhaps one of the most iconic and touristy areas of the City, it’s colourful harbour side buildings are believed to be centuries old and home to many stories. Hans Christian Anderson is believed to have hung out there frequently. So simple yet effective, there are lots of bars and restaurants on this stretch, however likely very pricey (when Copenhagen is already very expensive). We took a river cruise from here. The tour lasts one hour and gives an insight into the city, with the tour guide giving plenty of info of the place and some of it’s buildings. The cruise is definitely worth it, especially if you want to learn and see more of the city. The Little Mermaid statue is yet another wonder to this city. It was built in 1990 from requests of the owner of the Carlsberg brewery. It certainly isn’t the biggest of landmarks, but still cute nonetheless. Around the main shopping area of the city lies Rundetarn (Round tower), this tall and unique building offers plentiful beautiful panoramic views of the city. It also houses an art exhibition and an observatory. Copenhagen features several castles and palaces in and around the City. Rosenberg is one of them. The attraction is split it into two sections, the first part covers the ground, first and second floor. Where you discover some of the many rooms and historical artefacts of the palace. My favourite rooms were the treasure, mirror and throne room. I also liked the music box too, which played out tunes every so often. The second part of the attraction covers basement, in here you can witness some of the royal jewels and treasures, which is certainly impressive to say the least. Rosenberg is definitely worth a visit if you want to learn some history of the city and Danish royal family. The attraction has similarities to the Tower Of London and the historical parts of Warwick Castle. Away from the main areas of the city lies the Cisterns. This former underground reservoir- turned art space, hosts different installations each year. The exhibition when we visited was called- It Is Not The End Of The World, where you would walk around in provided footwear exploring the sights and sounds around you. The exhibition initially presents a scenario where the end of humans but necessarily the world has occurred. The main centre pieces include a flooded toilet, based off the ones in United Nations and sign with the title “It Is Not The End Of The World”. The eerie music and sound effects, water and limited lighting around, make for an interesting and overwhelming experience. It’s almost like the tunnels go on for miles! Would recommend if you are after a different experience, but not if you don’t like the dark and unknown! Check Cisterns website as the exhibitions do change annually. Some of the additional activities we experienced on our trip was Changing Of The Guard at Amalienborg, home of the Danish Royal Family, I believe these are more triumphant when the family are in! Church Of Our Saviour is unique and stunning church to look at, I’ve never seen anything like this before! It dates around Baroque times I believe. Climbing up the tight and fairly confined stairs, gets you to the top of this wonder. It’s not the easiest place to climb, but the views are rewarding! Tomb and I somewhat agreed the views here were better than Rundetarn. Another interesting place is The David Collection, this museum houses Egyptian and Middle Eastern works and artefacts, the largest in Europe . Whilst this may not appeal to everyone, the artefacts in here and fascinating. Free entry too. The Food It’s no secret Denmark is cheap, and the same can be said about the food. However I can honestly say the quality of cuisine is nothing short of excellent and seems to be of generally good quality. Even the hotdogs in Tivoli tasted freshly delicious. Smorrebrod is one of Denmark’s most famous cuisines, these open sandwiches feature a selection of toppings including pickled herring. We had these in Tivoli and Cafe Komplet, and they were undoubtedly delicious. Torvehallerne is one of many food halls and features Grod, somewhere does Porridge so delicious I actually enjoyed it. N.B I never used to like porridge. This has to also be one of the nicest bakeries I have ever visited. They also have delicious pizza in Copenhagen too. Warpigs is certainly one of the more interesting places to eat, think Smokehouse Barbecue but more edgy and cool. It’s Danish take on American style food definitely made it relatively popular. I think it has quite a cult following I also had a Burger King as my first meal too. Very cultural. Tips/ Copenhagen is easily accessible by foot, but there are several bus and train routes too, the metro system they have is remarkably efficient Denmark isn’t cheap, except things to be 50-100% more than UK prices. A Burger King cost me £9-£10 and a sit down meal around £30 for 1/2 courses and a drink. Only tip with outstanding service. Best restaurants are generally off the beaten track (normally the case now in most major cities). Nyhavn is expensive for drinks. If you wish to focus your trip on the parks and only want to do one cultural thing, it should either be a Nyhavn River Cruise or Rundetarn. And in the case of tradition and culture, I had to visit a Lego Shop too! Thanks for reading.

Unless I stand corrected, Universal have used these in queue lines for Hulk and Rip Rocket, where guests couldn’t bring phones with them in person. Most rides require bags and loose items to be put in lockers as I am aware.

That queue looks lavishing. Shame they will probably not allow phones in there though, assuming they have metal detectors like Hulk and Rip Rocket.

Seems like the U.K. does well with doing dull. Moving on, glad to see the park actually getting a new coaster.

Crazy how different they actually look from each other, almost like they are different rides. Untamed looks amazing. Port Aventura should definitely get an RMC, but I’d prefer for it to be a stand alone one. Stampida just needs GCI Millennium Flyer trains.

Thanks for writing. Belantis sounds adequate.

Well, it looks like I should probably go back to Holland now.

They’ll probably announce there isn’t an auction after all. In three years time.

Numerous sources say the boy is now in critical condition. Not good at all.

This is not very good news at all. Let’s just hope the child is ok!

Banshee is the worst B&M invert Backlot Stunt Coaster is more intense than Rita Bat is better than Vampire Racer is better than Grand National

Double Post, but I’ve done some more parks, creds and stuff so might as well update. Steel Coasters: 1/ Steel Vengeance 2/ Helix 3/ Taron 4/ Maverick 5/ Millennium Force 6/ Shambhala 7/ Oziris 8/ Nemesis 9/ Diamond Back 10/ Icon Wooden Coasters: 1/ Wodan 2/ Mystic Timbers 3/ The Beast 4/ Joris 5/ Wickerman 6/ Balder 7/ Tonnerre De Zeus 8/ Megafobia 9/ Ruscherterbahn- Tivoli Gardens 10/ Stampida Crazy how in just weeks all the BPB woodies are off the list. Guess that’s what happens when you let them run rougher than Blackpool back alleys. Top 10 Parks: 1/ Europa Park 2/ Cedar Point 3/ Efteling 3/ Phantasialand 5/ Disneyland Paris 6/ Liseberg 7/ Parc Asterix 8/ Alton Towers 9/ Kings Island 10/ Tivoli Gardens

It’s a very important ride to the UK, plus reminds me of Magnum Force too

quantum is still underrated