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EC!

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  1. EC!
    So after a really nice calm 40 minute drive from the airport we finally made it to a place to be fair I thought I'd never ever visit in my life! Six Flags Discovery kingdom is a surprisingly small and compact park like it is definitely the same size if not slightly smaller then Thorpe park so, finding everything wasn't too much of a hassle.

    Medusa is the first thing you see when entering the park with a car park that is just burdenously far away but we arrived and we were really excited to try everything the park had to offer!
    The rides opened at 10:30pm which was quite late when we are used to parks opening at 10am sometimes even earlier so it was a little annoying waiting but it was nice seeing the main plaza which for a six flags park is really pretty with a nice big fountain as a focal point.

     
    Now I'm quite sure you know why we came here, we probably wouldn't have even come to San Francisco in the first place if it wasn't for this coaster. And as you know it was... THE JOKER!!

    Once the rides opened we rushed so fast only to be greeted with burdenous bag faff as they don't allow bags in the station and they had to be put in lockers which is a pain in the ass, not to mention it was badly lit as well which made it even more annoying! This is the one thing I hated as all the big coasters were like this, so if you ever go to this park bare in mind you will need to spend a bit on lockers. So onto the ride itself!


    This was probably my most anticipated coaster on the trip other then Twisted Colossus and X2(which I will get onto in another blog as it spited and I was not happy!), and well what can I say, this coaster blew it out of the water for me, its not that tall but it is incredibly relentless, with intense force in some places, amazing intense ejector airtime, 3 amazing inversions which are fast paced and feel great not to mention what has to be the greatest inversion ever created, the Zero G Stall, there is nothing like it and words cant describe the sensation when you go through it! Its a heavenly inversion of which I want on a lot more rides in the future. This ride is unfortunately incredibly unreliable due to a sensor fault which is six flags fault, which made it get stuck on the lift hill multiple times while we where here, like this ride is really really unreliable, but it is the second best coaster I have ever been on and therefore I give it a 10/10! Here are some more pics of it!


     
    So the first of many spites on this trip was V2: Vertical velocity, which tested literally once in the morning but barely got up the first tower, it had only actually opened about 3 weeks prior due to renovations but it seems like it was absolutely screwed as they were picking the trains apart the whole time we went passed it, I don't know how long it stayed closed afterwards but that too sounds like a really unreliable ride! Shame.


    The next coaster we got on which was early in the day and at that point has a really short queue at the time at least was superman. This was my first sky rocket 2 clone and to my recognition the original of these. We managed to ride it twice once with the Q-bot which was a life saver at points for the rides with the bigger queues. I actually quite liked it, the launches had a good enough punch to theme and getting flung up that track felt amazing! The inversion was a bit grim but I quite enjoyed the ride, although I can see why some don't like these models as they are a bit basic and don't actually do much but overall I liked it and I'd give it a good 7.5/10.


     
    After this we headed to the other side of the park to ride Medusa and Kong! First up Medusa. The ride as a whole is good its got nice forces, the inversions are good and its got good pacing. But that's the thing with Medusa, its Good, not amazing, not special, just good, there isn't anything that stands out as something amazing on this ride other then its a big B&M looper, and while some will love that, I thought it was good but it wasn't anything to shout about so I'd give it a good 6.5/10.


    This is one thing I'd say about this area is that it doesn't have much shade at all, other then occasional parts in queue lines, it was all open which on a summers day which was pushing 30c, was really bad but yeah they really should put some shade in that area. Onto Kong... Well I had ridden Infusion before and it wasn't too bad I thought, and I kind of thought this would be the same case... GOD I WAS SO WRONG!! What heinous thing did anyone do to deserve this piece of S**t! we were one from front row and it violently rattled and vibrated the whole way round not to mention the god awful tracking of this ride, I wish this was closed rather then V2! The worst thing was is that the day we went would be the last day it was open for a month and a half so they could put VR on it, like why......? Its bad enough without the headset... This ride really needs to be demolished but a +1 is a +1 but this is a 1/10 coaster...

    The only photo of this POS!
    So after this we had food at a chicken place which was a rip-off but it was really nice, the chicken actually tasted good and the chips were really nice, shame for the toxic waste they call Fanta they have over there though..

    I have to say other then the area with Medusa and Kong this park is actually quite pretty with lots of foliage, pretty plants and surprisingly good themeing for what I have heard is the norm of Six Flags Parks.

    Heading to the back of the park after lunch greeted us with this.

    Now I had never done a Vekoma Boomerang before which is a little embarrassing, but nether the less, we hoped straight on this thing, As there was no queue. and boarded the ride. On first thoughts it wasn't too bad but I can see why they get a bad rep with some nasty forces and jolts in places, namely that cobra roll, but to be fair again this coaster isn't that enjoyable and a little boring so again just a +1. This is a 4.5/10 for me. 

    Now I already had a headache from the strong sun, as well as Kong and Boomerang so this probably wasn't the best thing to go on...

     
    Anyway after this mistake, the rapids finally opened so we finally got on it as the head was so bad at this point.

    Well I can happily say it was actually fab, got us soaked which was really needed at the time and was quite interesting as there was no dull moments at all while riding! Again we skipped the queue with the Q-bot as the queue got stupidly bad as soon as it opened so it was lucky we had it. For a rapids it is a good 8/10


    Another +1 this was a little like treetops at Oakwood but without the trees so was quite enjoyable I suppose, but it was made better but the over enthusiastic ride op giving everyone high fives so that was fab haha . 5/10
     
     
    Then on to this thing... I hated it... again this should be destroyed alongside Kong...

    The final big flat we got on was the Sky screamer which I think is the smallest out of the Six Flags Sky Screamers due to SFDK's height limit, and I can say although these rides do scare me a little it was really enjoyable and it gave great views of all the coasters around the park, especially Medusa and Joker . A solid 7/10 for me as the ride cycle was quite short.
    The Final New ride we went on was Monsoon Falls, as I couldn't bring myself to get the kids cred with so many families with young children around that area, that and the fact that their top spin was broken as well. And it like Tidal Wave on a warm day hit the sport perfectly getting us soaked! It was small but the massive wave it produced was great for us as well as the spectators, and also the people who wanted to get soaked on the bridge too. A good 8/10.



    We managed to rerides on Medusa, Superman and the AMAZING The Joker, before we had to set off again, riding Joker again cemented it at my No.2 spot as it is just bliss and fab and just RMC for the Win!!

    For those that don't know this has a small zoo as well although we only went around the bit that had the aquatic animals, which were still quite cool to see.

    Sting Rays.


    After this one more ride had to be had on Joker and we got Back row which was insane! Words can't describe how much I love this ride!



     
    Overall this park reminds me a lot of Thorpe Park. This in the fact that it is all quite compact with all the rides quite close together. Unfortunately it has Thorpe Parks reliability issues as well which lots of rides down a lot of the time, although locker situation is just abhorrent and Merlin are just so much better then this park when it comes to bag storage. The throughput's are about the same too, but the rides that are good are just outstanding and I'd definitely recommend the place just to ride the Joker! But I'd say this is a one day park, if you planned 2 days for the park you'd probably get bored but other then that I really enjoyed SFDK and I think its a park that if I'm ever in the area I would happily go to again!
    Next Blog will be short as it is about our small detour to Yosemite and Glacier Point!
     
     
     
  2. EC!

    San Francisco 2016

    By EC!,

    Well its only taken me about 4 months but I have finally decided to write this as I literally have nothing else to do this Christmas holiday  So It was a very early morning and we set off to Heathrow, mid way through the journey from Cardiff we picked up Dean Cox from a lay by just off the M4. After a miserably dull journey, we parked the car and got the shuttle to the airport!! 

     
    It finally started dawning on me that I was going to California, a place I have wanted to visit for SO long!! With theme parks I have wanted to go to since I became a big ol' goon for rides and stuff, After a relatively faff free experience, we got breakfast and then finally got on the plane ahead of the burdenous 11hr journey ahead of us. I was in reletively high spirits as I had got my results back for my A Levels, Which I did surprisingly well at! Well other then my maths but we wont speak about that XD.

     
    The flight was burdenous though as trying to stay awake for that amount of time was hard, but I managed to watch 5 movies so I managed. The food though BA should be ashamed it was rank!!

    Deans makeshift headwrap thing seemed to be doing the trick for him although I can't say I'd be able to sleep like that if I'm honest lol. After 10 hours which felt more like 10 years we finally touched down in SFO, which despite being excited I wasn't in the est of moods as I was absolutely knackered but I was determined not to sleep! 

    Obligatory Arrival selfie!
    So after arriving was probably the most stressy and faffy time on the trip as we were greeted with an 1hr long customs queue... Yay... after that, we find out quickly afterwards that someone has taken Dean's case mistaking it for theirs, which was just the perfect way to start the holiday... Not!! After thinking the bag was lost we just decided to try and enjoy our first day in San Francisco .
     

    Our hotel was right next to Union square, which was perfect for us as being right in the centre made it surprisingly easy for us to get around! I Really liked the look of San Francisco it still holds that vintage, oldy charm while still feeling kind of modern and I really liked the place.

    We did the trams once in the whole time we were at San Francisco and, they were certainly an experience! Really cramped at first but once we got to holding the edges it was really fun! Its mad how it goes up and down those hills as they are so steep!

     
    We stayed in the Hotel Agadio just outside Union Square! Our Hotel Was really Nice, the beds were really comfy and the room was really clean and tidy! I have no complaints at all.


     
    We made the room messy enough In no time XD

     
     
    To Stop this post dragging on for eternity I will just do a few sub topics as We did quite a lot over the 4 days we where there!
     
    Fisherman's Wharf
     
    Fisherman's Wharf was a really nice area! It definitely has that authentic american harbour feel to it and there was quite a few Interesting sites around the area, there was also a few experiences we did as well which were really good that you could do from the Wharf.



     

     
    This Rasta Dog looked really cute and cool at the same time, I'm not to sure he was pleased with his look though 

     
    We went to the Aquarium at Fishermans Wharf with our Go Card which we bought online, which I would recommend as it really help bring the cost down a little when we where there.
    The aquarium was decent, it was your like your standard aquarium at home really, its not really anything special but it killed time and some of the things in there was cool.
     

     

     

     

     
    Once that was done we headed over to an area that stunk of fish which happened to also be where the Fisherman's Wharf Sea Lions (atleast I think it is that species anyway) which were really cool to see, two were having some major beef with each other then started having a bout of fisty cuffs which was quite fun to watch.
     

     
    We also managed to do the San Francisco dungeons! ( Can't escape Merlin where ever I go...) And it was really good ! The sets in which they told the story of how San Francisco came to be was really fun. Also there was only 5 in our group so the actors picked on us a lot especially as they detected the foreign accent so that provided a lot of laughs especially the court scene as they really picked on us for being British  Overall it was a really good experience which I would very much recommend, its a bit short but I thought the acting was good, the sets were great and now they have a drop tower being installed so I have been told so even more the reason to go now! I'd give it a solid 8/10.
     

     
    On our second Day we managed to do a Speed boat trip on the Go Pass too, which was fab and provided a really good view of the city and the Bay Bridge, which we flew under a lot! We got absolutely soaked which was quite nice as it was quite warm, very windy!! I can see why they call it the Windy City but it was a really fun experience. Again the experience was quite short but again I'd recommend doing it if you come to the area! 7.5/10 
    Would probably be more if they did a few more straights at full speed as they were one of the best parts!!
     
     

     
    Overall Fisherman's Wharf was a really nice area, made even better by the fact that Pokemon Go was big at the time and I caught so many Magikarp for my Gyarados it was fab 
     
    Golden Gate Bridge
    We saw this land mark By Bus and Bike, The Bus was really good because we were able to cross the bridge to a vantage point where we could take some really nice photos but also the tour guides gave us loads of really interesting information about the bridge and how it came to be. I'd definitely recommend going on one of the bus tours as it provides a really easy way of getting a great view of the bridge so long as you go on a clear day.



     
    We Also did it by bike, which I wasnt personally too pleased by as I hate riding and it was about 4 miles from the bike depot to the vantage point which just killed me! I was so glad to get off, although I fell off once as I am really clumsy... One of the reasons why I hate bikes in the first place. Although the view was fab when we got there!.

    Good ol' Family Photo, just smiling through the bike pain 
     
    From the bus tour we were able to see a view other sights and take the views in and I think San Francisco is really pretty, although it stunk of weed in many places which for some reason didn't surprise me at all. But here are some photos from the top of the bus.



    We didn't end up going to lombard street although we could see it from a distance, but it looked hella burdenous!!



    Really wanted to go to the Japanese Tea Gardens although we didn't have enough time so here is a photo of the entrance anyway lol.



     
    I think all this sightseeing took its toll on us as we were knackered after 4 days but it was really nice seeing the sights around the city!
    The shopping centres were huge too not as big as New York Macy's but pretty darn close! Their Macy's we set up in 2 completely separate buildings for men and women which was a bit weird. The places were quite expensive but that was to be expected seeming it is such a large city but they are really big and airy which was different. The buildings that housed them were really grand too!

    I dont remember what it was called but I was surprised when I realised it was a shopping centre as it looked more like a museum and it was huge inside!
     
    Alctraz
    The final big sight we went to before going on our little road trip was Alcatraz. It would have been wrong if we didn't go here although we had to book so far in advance to make sure as we got told it books up really quick.
     

     
    I was surprised how big the buildings were as well as the island itself was up close as it looks so small from afar. The main talking point of the guided tour was about Al Capone, which was really interesting and I could have listened to them talking about him and the prison for hours as it was really interesting hearing about the insight into the prisoners lives as well as the numerous escape attempts that got foiled as well. From what I can remember some of those escape attempts were quite brutal too. Overal I'd 100% recommend visiting alcatraz as it is really enjoyable looking up on the history of the island as well as seeing everything for yourself! It is definitely a must visit in my view! Here are some more photos!!



     


     

     

     
     
    Overall I'd very much recommend going to San Francisco if you are near as it is a really nice vintage feeling area, which is always bustling and definately has enough for anyone to get their teeth into for a good 4 days at least like we did! I'd recommend all of the places we visited but also explore around a bit too as I'm sure there are things that we missed that are fab too!!
     

     
     
    On the last day in the morning we went back to the airport to collect our car to experience our first theme park of the trip!!

     
    Guess where we went!! I'm sure its not hard 
     
     
    Thanks for reading!! I can promise the next one won't be so long!!
     
     
     
  3. EC!

    PortAventura October 2014

    By EC!,

    Well first of all I would like to say, if you ever decide to go to PortAventura via Barcelona, once there, get the train!!!! We had a large proportion of our day cut in PA because we were waiting for the shuttle bus to arrive, which was an hour late, we then waited an extra 25 minutes so that the bloody grump that was the driver, who wanted a fag break then proceeded to have an argument with someone on his phone... yeahh wasn't exactly pleased but yeah rant over and onto the trip report!! This will be more of a what I thought of things rather then what exactly happened as we were there for 4 days it would have gotten pretty boring you to read haha!!

    waiting waiting waiting...

    20 minutes into the fag break...
    But yeah eventually when me and DGC got to PortAventura finally, we just ran straight into the park, to the nearest ride we could find and since we were staying in the Hotel PortAventura, this was the nearest ride...

    Now I had heard a LOT about this ride, some saying that it is the worst thing ever created, some saying its the best thing ever, and because of this this was the ride that I was most eager to try out, all I can say is nothing can prepare you for what this ride does, I can honestly say you need to ride it before making any presumptions of it because this ride is just fricking horrid... BUT amazing at the same time, I don't know how but this ride I like because the launch and the inline twist is just something else but the ride is by far the roughest steel coaster I have ever been on, in the front as it isn't that rough I can easily give it an 8/10 for the launch along, dat launch doe but the outside seats on anywhere else but the front row and especially, (which was really odd ) the 3rd row, were just horrific, to the point where I came off the ride and I literally had to go back to my room and sleep it off as I was in so much pain (migrane, bruises, ringing ears) felt like a zombie, but I don't know I just kept on getting drawn back to it, which was odd, but yeah the inside seats were fine, Colossus rough nothing major, but the outside seats were like getting KO'd by a boxer, but yeah for the rest of the trains outside seats I'd give it a 5/10 because I still sort of enjoyed the ride and on the inside 7/10 not bad but not good either.
    Here are some more pics of it in action
    Lets face it, it is a beautiful ride to look at
    Looks so calm over the lake, anything but on the damn thing!!!!
    #BACOFACE
    So yeah after that ride the second coaster we did was a little bit of a trek into Polynesia No joke it was so humid in this part I was sweating like a rat in a gym sock but we soldier on!!
    Entrance in sweat shop central AKA Polynesia!
    What's that peaking in the distance I wonder??
    SHAMBHALA AND DRAGON KHAN!!!!! These were 2 rides that I had been waiting to ride for years and now they were the right in front of me !! Kid in a candy store was a good cliché to describe how I was feeling when I saw these two . Me and Dean decide do save Shambhala for a little while to try out Dragon Khan. This is an imposing ride to be under and look at despite being dwarfed by Shambhala, does and did intimidate people, so we decide to hit middle row just to get a feel for the thing and this is what I think about it...

    It is an awesome layout, and one which was quite intense and that Zero-G roll is amazing BUT this ride is ruined by the incredible rattly trains, which for me ruined the overall ride for me, as the further back on the train we went the rougher it got to the point where on the back row, I came off with an almost Baco bad headache! At the front like Baco, it is raw and a little rattly but no problem and was an awesome ride, any other row though and it was quite uncomfortable to ride, made Smiler and Colossus feel smooth, no joke! Which was so unfortunate as I really wanted to love it but it was let down by those trains. So like Baco again, on the front row, I'd give it an 8/10 but for the rest of the ride I'd give it a 6/10 as the trains were way too rattly for me to enjoy on the other rows, but dat B&M roar doe!!
    So now onto the big boy himself, I had heard a lot of great things about this ride, and lets cut to the chase but this ride is without a doubt the best roller coaster I have ever ridden!!!!!!!! Its SMOOTH, its fast, it has amazing airtime floater AND ejector! The water effect was absolutely amazing the themeing around the area was just fantastic, I just adore it so much the ride is just amazing and special and makes up for the disappointment of the first 2 rides completely, so Shambhala.... 10/10!!!!! Just perfect
    Now onto this thing!
    Hurakan Condor, I have to say that this isn't as intense as Detonator, no where near in fact! But the shear terror I had for it and the fact that I actually enjoyed the drop (well maybe not on the standup seats) meant that this is my favourite drop tower, great ride! 9/10
    Next was El Diablo...
    For some reason I only took a picture of it's station... !
    But this ride is ok the first part was the most fun for me with the rest being incredibly meh... +1 4/10
    Here is a internet photo of the ride if anyone is even bothered...

    But yeah enough of that on to Stampida!!
    Yeah, one thing I have to say is It was a god send having the unlimited fastpass, as the queues were huge for rides that weren't the best, but onto the review of this ride. This was another ride I had heard bad things about and it wasn't till I had gotten onto the ride for the first time (blue side) I understood why people say it lives up to its name... The blue side was absolutely horrific, easily the worst coaster I have ever been on, just all it was, was 2 minutes of just pure pain getting launched into the horridly uncomfortable restraint at every twist and turn, it was just horrid, and my dad (who was on the trip with us as he'd wanted to go to Spain for a while) said and I quote " It was the worst f***ing ride I have ever been on "... and he had only come off the back row of Baco's outer seat about 30 minutes before! :excl: Kumbak have ruined what was probably a decent ride on the blue side it has to be a 1/10. However the red side was quite decent but the 2nd half was incredibly dull, like really dull!!! Which was a shame as it has a good first half as its a lot smoother then Blue. For the Red side I give it a 5.5/10.
    I had taken strong painkillers so it didn't feel as bad on my poor head!

    The rides best asset was that it was a great sun umbrella, thats the only positive...

    Next up are the 3 big water rides that were in the park before 2014!

    The Rapids ride, called Grand canyon rapids, were great, easily the best themed one I had been on and for me was the 2nd best after Fjord rafting at Europa park! Despite the fact I literally knocked my self out for like 10 seconds after hitting the side very hard which launched my head into the hard plastic corner of the back rest (I really don't know how I managed to do that but it happened!) but over then that minor blip it was a great rapids which I will give 8/10 for!

    Next was the silver mine log flume which all in all was a good little flume but unfortunately it meanders a lot like Alton's which is a bore and the final drop doesn't get you that wet other then that its quite good and well themed! 7/10!

    Now finally was my favourite of the water rides Tutuki Splash!! This ride is amazingly themed for the area has 2 awesome drops and gets you absolutely soaked, for me much better then Tidal Wave at Thorpe Park and Drenched at Oakwood. The themeing that this ride had was perfect and really just makes the ride look lush! Tutuki Splash gets a 9/10 for me
    Now for the new for 2014 attraction, on the 2nd day of the visit we rode Angkor, which had a 3hr queue we completely skipped... hehe got to love the fasttrack package! And its good we did because apart from amazing themeing this was a disappointment for a splash battle as we didn't even battle with anyone till near the end because of its layout which completely defeats the point of a splash battle! Its a 6/10 for me mainly because of the epic themeing!

    This up next was one of the last coaster creds we got on the trip, quite tucked up and if you didn't walk right past its entrance you wouldn't have known it was there due to it being nestled up to Stampida, for this coaster was Tomahawk a tiny, quite unassuming woodie that actually packs quite a punch for a ride of its size, it was smooth for a woodie, which was quite good and I think it was a cracking little ride that for me was better then its bigger brother for me it was a 7/10. Only downside is the trains are ridiculously small so it was quite awkward fitting my legs into the ride, Dean had problems as well as he is taller then me haha:

    The final proper ride I will talk about is in this area Sesamo aventura ( I think that's how its spelt...), which despite it being completely different to any other part of the park, by not encompassing a country or ancient time as a theme, this area holds its own well. It is a really nice area to look at and was always one of the most busy as it was always packed with families, so I think job well done PA!

    Tami Tami! The final cred in the park and one that looked really pretty with the lush plants and with it being situated mostly over a little pond it was a really nice ride to look at. Its a +1 but its a really good +1, its a nice little ride which its train looked like it was designed by a guy tripping on weed, what's not to like about it! 7/10.

    The final thing I have to say about on this trip is Templo del Fuego. Its basically a walk in show with special fire effects and what not and has a special finale which was quite good. I would have probably enjoyed it more if I could understand Spanish, but it was a good show, but one I think you could only do once on a trip as it can get a bit monotonous, but for this ride I would give it a 6/10. We also did, as it was part of the Halloween event there at the time, La Selva de Miedo, basically forest of fear and I can straight up say it was much better then any Thorpe maze hands down, it was a very long maze and a good atmospheric one at that, whist it didn't scare me as such, it scared dean which was a mission accomplised! Like Blair witch it only takes place after dark to give it the atmosphere but it was a good maze I think so for this, it's a 8/10
    Here are a few more photos we took of the trip


    On the final day, we waved goodbye to PortAventura with one last ride on Furius Baco and Dragon Khan, (Shambhala doesn't open till 11am... the spite!!!) and we set off on our journey to Barcelona!!
    Here are a few photos we took in barcelona!

    One of the many Gaudi-designed buildings in Barcelona!
    The Barcelona tubes were like London's but worse, basically miles of tunnels before you even get to the platform!! And the tickets are ridiculously priced compared to the London Underground!!
    The trains were nicer though

    Where could we be going I wonder??
    To La sagrada Familia!! The Unfinised church that, on one side looks brand new and on the other looks ancient!!


    La sagrada Familia is an architectural marvel, such a beautiful building with lovely parks to the front and back of it. Its only marred by the tacky shops and fast food restaurants to the side of it but none the less was a beautiful building.


    The dog looked a little unimpressed by it


    We got lost... many, many times...
    Weird dildo sculpture thing
    We thought this was a theatre at first but we actually found out it was a...
    Huge shopping centre! It doesn't look it but that top floor is high up!! It did make my knees wobble
    La Sagrada in the distance from the shopping centres observation deck, which I forgot to mention it had! Great views though!


    This was an Art Gallery, we didn't go inside but it is a majestic looking building, almost looks like a palace!
    The Barcelona Olympic park in the distance.
    Such a beautiful view from the Art gallery walkway.
    After this we left for the airport as our journey had ended.




    Not sure what Dean was doing here...
    Overall it was a fantastic trip, Barcelona although filled with tacky shops, is an amazing city from the parts we saw and a city I wouldn't mind visiting again! Salou was great, the beach was lush the pubs were actually quite decent and the final stage of the WRC Spanish rally was in Salou at the time as well so we saw a bit of that as well which was awesome This was my first visit to Spain and I hope it isn't my last
    Here are a few pics of Salou


    What we really came to see and do was Port Aventura. A park that I had wanted to do since I became really interested in roller coasters ( which is a long, long time!) so I was revelling in the chance to go last year in 2014. And I have to say its one of the most beautiful parks I have been to just everything is just lush and I really, really like it! Sure there are some humb dingers there but that is made up for the fact that it has the best coaster I have ever been on, Shambhala!! The only ride that has ever truly scared me, Hurakan Condor. And a ride that got me stupidly soaked when I most needed it Tutuki Splash! I love PortAventura, and I hope to go back soon!
    Here are a final few photos before I round off the report









    The best view of any theme park I have ever been to!!!!!!
    Finally some pictures of my hotel, Hotel Port Aventura. This hotel is amazingly themed and is one the nicest hotels I have stayed in. The service was great, the rooms were lovely and clean, and the beds were nice! Also the food was great and decently priced


    I think this last photo sums up PA for me, the place has its ups and downs, can leave pained expressions on your face, and ones of surprise, but overall it will be and was an amazing experience, and one I will remember for a long while!

    Once again, thanks for reading my report
  4. EC!

    Europa Park Part 4 (FINALLY)

    By EC!,

    Sorry about being so lazy not to finish this and this won't I guess be the best installment ever but bear with because this is the last part in my trip report to Europa park!
    Because the queue had died down, I decided to go on Euro-Mir again, unsuprisingly by myself as none of my family liked it apart from me

    Such a good ride tbh!!! Like I said before it is very intense for what it is and by this point only had a 5min queue!

    Shiny!

    We were almost about to go straight to Silver Star when I had not ridden Atlantica Supersplash. These intrigued me as this seems to be quite a marmite ride, some love it, some find it utterly boring, So with only a 15 minute queue, me and my dad decided to adventure on to this very well themed ride!

    Look at those shaky camera skills go!

    Splashy!
    I have to say I was in the first category, I actually really liked the ride sure it was never going to set my pants on fire like Wodan or Blue fire but it was a heck of a lot of fun! I like the backwards bit and my favourite part was the nice little bunny hop before the splash and it is extremely well themed, it would out quite alot of Thorpe park to shame with that theming This might surprise you but I give this an EC! RATING:8/10 I just totally prefer it to Poseidon which is rough as hell, plus it got me more wet and reminded me of a quirky version of Hydro/Drenched.

    Que dodgy selfie to show how Atlantica left my one side completely dry and the other completely soaked:P


    I really wanted to take a video (which I forgot to do at Silver Star ) So this was like last minute, sorry it is abit crap but it proves I was there

    More pics of the Awesome Fjord Rafting!

    If anybody goes to Europa this year or in 2014, I highly recommend this little counter next to Euro-Mir/Food Loop , the pasta is absolutely sublime and the sauce the best I have ever tasted from a counter like that. Its really worth your while checking it out! my only little niggle was that the bowl was abit small but it was gorgeous none the less.
    EC! FOOD RATING: 9.5/10

    Walking back to the entrance of the Park we see THE GLOBE THEATRE!!

    Matterhorn: another incredibly well themed ride!

    We were going to do this but then we realised it some how had a bigger queue then Silver Star so we went to that instead

    Best queue for a big ride we have had all day!

    Getting quite excited now!

    Inside Queueline/Exhibition!

    I wont say anymore then its a Merc F1 car otherwise I will turn into a complete nerd!

    We are getting there!

    My sis looks so amused

    EEK! almost time!

    Well this ride was just awesome! Funny little story for you, you know the Specsavers ad with the old people at backpool Pleasure beach who accidently get on Infusion to the fright of their life?...... Well this happened to my gramps. He thought he was going on Euro-sat, even though the Silver Star signs were BLATANTLY obvious, he was completely oblivious to this until we got on the train and left the train..... his first words were "SH*T I'm ON THE WRONG RIDE!!" at this point me, dad and my sister just burst out laughing! the worst thing was he was on the out side seat so he could see straight down which made him scream a few words that shouldn't be said around the dining table after that point all we could hear after that point was a very high pitch scream come from him for the rest of this ride OMG I was weak after that, this ride was so good but I was totally distracted by my gramps shear terror look on his face. This ride was awesome made better by our little debarcle, it was a shame it finished so quick, because the airtime was out of this world! Such a good ride EC! RATING:9.5/10



    B&M GOODNESS!!

    At this point I had to say a sad good bye to Europa It certainly is the best theme park I have been to Since Disney Florida, I loved it, and I am SO going again soon!

    Bye Blue Fire!

    Bye WODAN!!

    Bye Europa! See you again soon!
  5. EC!

    Europa Park Trip Part 3

    By EC!,

    Okay so this is the penultimate in trip reports of Europa, this will be dedicated to the best woodie and best steel coaster I have ever been on and also the best river raft ride haha!
    We shall begin..... With Euro-Mir's soundtrack, I love it !!!!


    Ok, here we go!

    I cant remember the name of this splash battle ride but it was fun just like battle Galleons! EC! RATING: 7/10
    But what is looming in the background I wonder.....

    ITS WODAN!

    Wodan and Blue Fire interlocked together!

    First train I see. By the way this had the longest queue of the rides I went on with 65minutes!

    Going in the longest queueline I have ever been in!

    Inside the indoor queue!

    Blue ICE!

    Cool Roof effects!

    SPEED!! and lots of it too!

    A train going down the drop incredibly fast!! The whole structure shook which I think is normal....

    Such an imposing structure!!



    The Creepy Goddess woman thing!

    Train going in Wodan Style!

    More indoor queue. Its soooo long

    Wodan Dragon

    God Odin!

    Almost there!

    Wodan Complete!!
    Right I have said this to a few people now but Wodan is the best roller coaster I have EVER EVER been on! Its fast, its long, it has mega fast turns, it has an abundance of airtime and it everyone even enthusiasts screaming their head off, I can't say how wonderful this ride is, Like Thrillseekeralex I thought as it was a 1.2m restriction I thought it would be mundane but I was SO wrong Its the only ride that has made my gramps cry and scream in terror! Its everything I wanted and more from this ride so I am technically cheating here but Wodan get an EC! RATING:11/10 Its that good it deserves an extra point!

    Next up Blue Fire!

    More Blue Fire!

    The Banked turn!

    The Review
    Ok So this is the Best Steel coaster I have been on, the fact it has lapbars makes it so much fun and you can flail your arms as much as you please, The launch is Rita Intense which is fun but it runs rings around Stealth and Rita. The loops are intense and the vertical loop gives great hangtime! The themeing is also fantastic and it offers great headchoppers like the diving under the Wodan structure and the rock tunnel between the vertical loop and the backed turn. it is such a fantastic coaster and I just wish one day the UK gets a mack coaster as they are Class EC! RATING: 10/10

    MY 2 old men on Fjord rafting! Dad and gramps got absolutely soaked on this ride almost Tidal wave soaked !
    The Review.
    This is by far the best river rafting ride I have been on you get so wet and it so really well themed and has a decent length, its better then congo river rapids at alton because of the sher abmount of water feature on the ride to make you wet, funny thing was I was the only dry one, my cousin got soaked too haha EC! RATING: 8/10
    Okie dokie I shall end this part here, the last part will be tomorrow, when I finally ride a certain Silver Star! untill then toodel hoo!
  6. EC!

    Europa Park Trip Part 2

    By EC!,

    Ok so part 2 is here and I shall start with this photo

    Poseidon It is In this photo in all it Greeky glory!

    Later on in the day because I took barely any snaps of this ride. SO onto the review
    POSEIDON
    This was a very good ride and was quite fun BUT and its a big but.... it had some of the worst jolts I have ever come across, one was so violent I headbutted my gramps who was sitting next to me and we both came off saying "well that hurt alot!" Apart from that I liked it I didnt love it but I liked it and the 2nd part was fun also but I was expecting to get wetter tbh EC! RATING: 6.5/10

    Lovely Historama monorail that enters england and all

    A very good replica of the the Golden globe and a Massive pink bear seems to be in mid flight!!

    SILVERSTONE!! By this point we had food, Fish and Chips to be exact! I know very German but it was very good and tasty EC FOOD RATING: 8/10

    The historama with the Food Loop inside but it had a 40 minute queue just to get a seat!!! So I thought sod that and had me fish and chips

    We are in Russia as this is their russian satellite thing.

    On to Euro Mir! in all of its spinny twisty hugeness.

    Twisty Train!

    THE REVIEW!!
    Well I thought This was to be a slightly mundane coaster with a fancy lift hill.... Boy was I wrong, it feels so much higher then it looks and you look like your sitting over the edge of the track which makes it more terrifying and the most fun thing was that we took the drop backwards which was terrifying the trains then turned forward and then all hell broke loose it was SO INTENSE and I'm not joking the speed it took those turns was absolutely insane, the G-force felt Nemesis intense which is a bonus, I can safely that this ride made my gramps and my Dad a bit sick afterwards but they loved it and were laughing at the end which makes it such an enjoyable ride! EC! RATING:9/10

    I shall leave you with a ride I didn't go on which was a shame but in the penultimate Installment you shall see me on the best wooden coaster and best steel coaster I have EVER been on! (Blue Fire and Wodan: Timburcoaster ) Until then toodal pip
  7. EC!

    Europa Park Trip Part 1

    By EC!,

    Hi guys so I said I would start this eventually and now I am !! Yes! Finally I am doing this. I have to say before I start I did not go on Eurosat (it had an 80 minute queue most of the day, don't ask me why I have no clue, maybe it broke??) Pegasus (looked ok but wasnt prepared to wait 30 minutes) and Alpen express (was closed all day) for the reasons I have specified haha!
    Right lets start!

    Entered the park to a nice greeting by Silver Star!

    I was then kindly greeted by that mouse mascot thing, by this point I couldn't see because the sun got Florida strong and I'm not kidding!!

    My good ol' I don't want to be in this photo pose Plus the sun started to burn at this point!
    From this point I could see why people preferred it to Thorpe,its so clean and pretty

    The Jazz Band unfortunately weren't playing when I walked past

    This is about as close as I got to this Ball of fun, STUPID QUEUES

    First Coaster!
    MATTERHORN BLITZ:
    This was a great little ride to start with and I loved the slow but odd lift thing, the ride its self was good and I loved the drop but then I have never been the biggest fan of wild mouses although this is the best of bunch I have been on. EC! Rating: 6/10

    I'm so goos with the high speed shots... NOT

    Next Up
    SCHWEIZER BOBBAHN (I think thats it!)
    This I really enjoyed I thought it looked a bit slow and boring from the videos on the Youtube but I enjoyed my self very much and was very twisty which is a bonus, the only drawback was how much it vibrated... It was like sitting on a washing machine on full pelt haha but apart from that it was great EC! RATING: 7/10

    Look at my happy face

    My gramps enjoyed it alot too
    This is where I will leave you lot for now ! Part 2 will be tomorrow! Some of the images won't be mine because I whored Wodan a bit too much to realise I only took 2 photos of poseidon Oh well till tomorrow toodle pip !
  8. EC!
    Ok so most should know by now I went to Europa Park, unfortunately I can't do the trip report at the moment because I'm still busy but soon I WILL!! Long story short it was an extremely busy day (for a thursday) with queues of 65 minutes on wodan, 80 minutes on eurosat, and 70 minutes on Poseidon. I went on all rides apart from Pegasus, Eurosat (because of the stupid queue time) and Alpen Expess (It was broke all day). I thoroughly enjoyed my day and I do think this is by far the best park I have ever been to. Wodan, Blue Fire, Silver Star and Euro Mir are all world class IMO and I am so going there next year.
    Until then I leave you with this teaser image or what ever its called
    Ethan

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