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By the looks of things on the website I believe they're re-purposing the tent of WHY into the queue-line of things likely to be broken when Benin visits over Easter...

 

The inclusion of the Wild West theming also being sucked into the hole is... a strange choice to say the least... Then again I completely forget that it even HAS a Wild West area...

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Considering I was kinda giving this lots of slack before it opened, I can say it looks moticeably better than I was expecting.

Looks a genuine fun thrilling with lots of effects and theming and interactions.

Still shame the drop isn't quite as striking as likes of Krake & Blivvy (it's all about drops) but aside from that looks ok.

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Wow! That queue line looks pretty neat and all the effects are really cool. One thing I've noticed is that some the newer B&M's (starting from this year) have a less, "formal" track design (if you know what I mean). They seem to flow and have less linear sections, especially Fury 325. Also, why is all the writing on walls and stuff in English when when the ride is in Italy?

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I saw alot of the writing inside the queueline was Italian. You also have to remember that English is the most popular second language in Europe and would be more recognized by international guests, and most guests from the country will speak English anyway. Hopefully.

 

Anyone else getting the van messing with their eyes? I look at it and have to blink a good bit before I can look at it again, and have to repeat. It looks so photoshopped but so cool.

I need to visit, I've been to lake Garda before but never Gardaland. It certainly looks like it's a pretty nice park, especially by the way it's being treated.

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This is one of the best Merlin rollercoaster investments I've seen, and I hope Merlin use this 'buy a basic model and go to town with the theming' in their future rollercoasters.

 

People are complaining the ride itself is very basic, but like Baron 1898, the ride is part of the theme, you ride the whole experience, rather than the actual rollercoaster.

 

The indoor queueline reminds of Transformers with it's interactive screens and effects, the bar has been raised, and if this is something we can expect with future Merlin investments, we should be very excited... just a shame the past rides haven't been completed to this standard, imagine The Smiler or The Swarm up to this standard, they'd be more highly rated rides, thats for sure!

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Sorry Liam, I don't agree. Merlin in general, have been pretty spot on with their rollercoasters. Each one may have flaws, but on the whole they are good attractions, I love Raptor, The Swarm, Thirteen and The Smiler. I don't think Oblivion is a hint at what the parks may come up with in the future, Raptor is leagues ahead of The Swarm and Daemon in terms of theme, layout, interactiveness and enjoyment for example.

 

When it comes to their rollercoasters, I like them. it's all the other rubbish like I'm a Celeb or Angry Birds Land that I don't need to give the time of day.

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This is one of the best Merlin rollercoaster investments I've seen, and I hope Merlin use this 'buy a basic model and go to town with the theming' in their future rollercoasters

I hear Heide park is receiving a new flyer called Air The Blade in 2027.

On a more serious note, on the assumption Thorpe's dark ride involves screens (for at least part of the ride), perhaps there are exciting times ahead.

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Sorry Liam, I don't agree. Merlin in general, have been pretty spot on with their rollercoasters. Each one may have flaws, but on the whole they are good attractions, I love Raptor, The Swarm, Thirteen and The Smiler. I don't think Oblivion is a hint at what the parks may come up with in the future, Raptor is leagues ahead of The Swarm and Daemon in terms of theme, layout, interactiveness and enjoyment for example.

 

When it comes to their rollercoasters, I like them. it's all the other rubbish like I'm a Celeb or Angry Birds Land that I don't need to give the time of day.

 

While I agree Merlin rollercoasters are good attractions, in my opinion I feel like Oblivion - The Black Hole has been built to a better quality than Merlin's other rollercoasters (Apart from Raptor).

Swarm, Smiler, Th13teen & Daemon both have impressive theming but it seems as a whole experience, it's abit hit and miss... I don't know if it's just because it was opening day but it looks like Oblivion - The Black Hole is a 'experience' from start to finish rather than a rollercoaster (e.g like Nemesis).

 

Though I might be bias with my opinion because that soundtrack is aweeeesome!

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With theming, the devil is usually in the details... Oblivion (in a surprising turn) has a LOT of these details in fact...

 

People have banged on about the big theming elements around the drop, which are all awesome, but there have been pretty much no mentions about how the floor next to the hole is also warped towards it, and the fencing, and the lamp-post, and even the grating... That sort of detailing is what separates good theming from great theming really...

 

When I do my full on report, I'll chuck some pics of those details in, because they complete the area...

 

The queue is basically Smiler's concepts taken to the nth degree (even if, in an unsurprising turn, some of the effects were broken/not working)... Whilst I didn't spend much time in it (I.e. first ride, so walked right through it), there's LOTS of things going in various different ways... Plus it's actually got air con in it, meaning that if you are stuck inside for ages, you don't DIE like in Smiler's...

 

The ride itself is good fun, which is simply at the end of the day what one wants from a ride (or at least I do, since there are those out there who like Baco)... One issue I do have is the real lack of viewing area for the drop (in the same vein as other Dive Machines), presumably because it's built on the hillside and hence a proper viewing area wasn't able to be built...

 

 

Elsewhere, I have to make the comment that this is probably one of the most Merliny parks there is... Upselling is constant throughout (in that very pushy sense), and I've found a park worse for upselling Fastrack than Thorpe! Every single coaster had 1 shots being sold, and combined that with their new AP unlimited Fastrack (like our VIP, but an add-on for ANY pass holder) meant that some Fastrack queues were actually just as long as the advertised queue length (Raptor advertised as 40 mins, we queued 30 with Fastrack), which isn't very good when you've purchased one that is meant to be unlimited... Tis a shame that Merlin have that money-grabbing side to them, and have pretty much meant that any busy day at Garda this year will be horrendous for everyone...

 

Imagine if the UK parks did an unlimited Fastrack add-on for Annual Passes... There would be no point even visiting...

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  • 3 months later...

I would say buy the Express thing, but given how pretty much all the AP holders will also have it I really don't see any value in it whatsoever...

 

I'd hit up Sequoia Adventure (and surrounding rides) as soon as they open at like, 11 I think... Maybe 12... Whenever they do...

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I just came back from Gardaland. (Well...end of July) and we bought the Adrenaline Express pass - cost €35, but also included entry to the Sea*Life centre. Managed to get on everything no problem with no wait times. Went in at 10, left by 4pm.

 

Oblivion had the largest queues whilst we were there - so perhaps worth a 'run' to that with your express pass then you can do it once with a small queue and then a second time with your express pass.

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OK thanks, where abouts do you buy the express pass?

 

We bought them at the entrance. As you enter the plaza from the car park they're on the left hand side. There is a particular 'window' you have to go to, look at the screens above but it's towards the far end closest to the park. But annoyingly you have to buy your tickets first then you can buy your express pass - so it's basically a double queue.

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The Express Pass issue is not because they are being oversold, it's because they decided to bring in an Annual Pass deal for unlimited Express Pass for the ENTIRE YEAR for the pricely sum of €80 odd...

 

Obviously, it's an idea that (in typical Merlin terms) craps over the guest experience completely... I fear that they might see it as a success and bring it over to the UK in the future...

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  • 5 months later...

Sort of surprised it hasn't been mentioned here that Gardaland are getting a new coaster...

 

Then again, it's only a spinning wild mouse from Fabbri...

 

130216garda2.jpg

(Image from looooooooooooopings.nl)

 

The park are opening up a Chinese themed area with relation to the Kung Fu Panda films (which is Dreamworks, of course, and has a new film coming to cinemas this Spring).  The name of the coaster is 'Kung Fu Panada Master' according to RCDB...

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