Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Discuss theme parks, roller coasters, and donkeys!
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Photo TR: A day in the West-Flemish Amazon Jungle - Bellewaerde 28/4/2025
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Coaster pants
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World's Longest Coaster
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Bert gets his Viking on with the TPR 2023 Scandi Tour (no Pillaging, but some Humping occured) 1 2 3 4 5
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For a small country like Belgium, we kinda have a lot of theme parks. Eight to be exact. From those I only frequent two of them: Plopsaland De Panne & Walibi Belgium. And sometimes Bobbejaanland. A park that's kinda big but misses my boat is Bellewaerde... Now that the park opened a new zone with new rides, it was time to go back to Ypres and hit the park up again. We arrived shortly for opening at the Mexican entrance gate which locates at the back of the park. The weather predictions weren't very good, it would be a clouded day with lots of wind. Not a day to visit a theme park for the general public but us theme park fans know it's an ideal day to go because empty queues! The parking lot was quite empty so we were expecting a calm day. My last visit to the park was 4 years ago when they opened their last big new ride. And now they got some new ride and a new zone to show off, so a good moment to get back to this park. The new zone called Mundo Amazonia was not far from the entrance so we decided to go there straight away. Of course we went first for the biggest new ride of the park: Amazonia. It's a Spinning Rapids from Intamin but it doesn't compare at all to the classic Rapid Rivers we know and are used to like Radja River (Walibi Belgium) & Piranha (Efteling). This resemblances more the old Bobby Drop (Bobbejaanland) and Oxygenarium (Parc Asterix), though it has the classic rapid river boats and not those rubber boats. The whole park seemed to have sprinted towards Amazonia because we still had to queue 30 minutes despite being there quick after opening. And the queue got bigger after us. Before we could enter our boat we also had to be weighed, for the moment they only allow a maximum of 400 kilograms per boat. They had some troubles during testing and from what I understand this measurement would be temporary. Well the term spinning certainly delivers! Those boats spin more than some spinning coasters do in a whole year (looking at you Naga Bay [Bobbejaanland]). The spinning and the edges of the ride being so low, kinda makes it thrilling for me. I have to admit I'm a chicken when it comes to slides and in water parks I even skip those. The fear of going over the edge is always present and that feeling I also got on Amazonia. After the first part, full of turns and spinning, you splash down at the bottom only to be taken back up again by a vertical lift. Now comes the grand final: a big half pipe! It is the star of the show and the best part of the ride for me. It is quite good. It however is not the very last element though you would think you'd float to the station and get out. No, there is a little free fall element right before the station that drops you to an emerald mine. Quite a unique element to have on a water ride. Conclusion: a good added asset for the park. Personally not so into it but that's more because of my dislike/fear of slides. I really can see the general public liking this a lot. They love water rides over here, it's quite something else that other theme parks around here don't have and it looks impressive. And despite the impressive look, it still is accessible for young & old, just like this park likes it. The theming was also great. Loved how the queue meanders beneath the ride. There is plenty of fitting foliage planted that certainly will be gorgeous after some years when it has grown a bit. The whole zone feels slick and fresh too, a nice and needed refurbishment from the old Wild West zone that used to be located here. The park really needed this. Some points of critique however: it is all a bit cliché and cartoonesk sometimes. The Brazilians know more colors than green & yellow and it was weird how they wanted to include the theme of football in the restrooms... The new zone has more new rides, there's also a new mini log flume for little kids but that ride is still unfinished. They got some troubles with late deliveries. The other new ride in this zone is finished and open for us, luckily. Brazilian Buggies is nothing more than a single helix kiddiecoaster from Zamperla. But of course an extra credit is an extra credit! +1 on the counter. As a horizontally-big man I got in there without any problems, bars were no issues. Great! We skipped the log flume, because it wasn't quite warm enough. We deciced to get some food in the nearby Texas Grill restaurant. I always feel ripped off when I get food in Plopsaland De Panne but holy moly, Bellewaerde thought to go one step further. More than 20 euros for fries and a burger with a drink... criminal. I have to admit that the size of the portion was big and it tasted really good. But next time I'll bring my own sandwiches. The logical next stop was Huracan, an indoor coaster from Zierer with some darkride elements. Since it was some time I rode this, I kinda forgot that the first darkride part was quite good and had some nice effects. But it all goes to mediocracy when you go up that lift. It brings you on the roof of the building which I still keep finding it weird. You dive back into the building for the rollercoaster part of this... rollercoaster. But it's mainly in a big black hall without effects. A missed opportunity. The effect in the end brakes are quite good and make for a strong ending however. The guys went to ride El Volador next. I passed, I don't really like the feeling of hanging there slowly in all kind of angles. This ride is known for being prone to technical issues, one of the reasons this ride type doesn't really exist anymore anywhere else. I know the other parks that had one also had issues with them and they closed those. I do hope Bellewaerde does not close El Volador because it just looks so good and it's placed so great there. Maybe they should convert it to a mini free fall?! We could not skip out on a ride on the Boomerang. It's the very first Vekoma Boomerang that opened in the world and it has become such an icon for the park that the parks director said he simply just would order a new boomerang from Vekoma if this one goes to heaven. Understandable, but it's kinda sad how this is the only thrilling rollercoaster in the park and it is just a Vekoma Boomerang... Reride factor: zero. Someone from our group never rode Jungle Mission before. These boat rides aren't really built anymore and you can definitely tell it's an old ride. In these times of being woke and social justice, there are some questionable scenes that the park should reconsider imo. It would be a good excuse to revamp this whole ride or just maybe get rid of it and place something new here. When we passed the tiger- and lion enclose we noticed the park had built a new bridge over the enclosure. So now you can watch this big cats from above! That also kinda makes Bengal Express, the train that goes through these encloses, a bit redundant. I definitely prefer to walk over the bridge since I always felt a bit suffocated in those trains that also can get very hot in summer. Also redundant for me is Bellewaerde's terrain coaster on a flat terrain, aka Dawson Duel. They made some vague decisions here in Ypres but chosing a duelling alpine coaster on supports is without a doubt the dumbest idea they ever had. You even can't enter the vehicle at the bottom and use the lift to go up, no, you have to do a whole climb up there. Not worth it. A better choice was Wakala, a family coaster from Gerstlauer which is the parks latest new big ride before Amazonia opened. Not a bad investment though the park keeps lacking a real thrill coaster, something that really catches the mind and eye of the public. Wakala is however a fun family coaster, the type of family coaster that can also be enjoyed by the older kids and adults like us. It has a flowy layout through the woods, an acceleration on its lift and what they call the antenna here (the spike that makes you go backwards). For me, Wakala is the best coaster of the park. However not good enough to warrant a visit to the park each year. I passed for Screaming Eagle, their space shot tower. Free falls and such are not my cup of tea (vertigo). Nobody of the group was interested in a ride on Niagara, the parks spillwater. That ride can really soak you and it really wasn't warm enough. We were nearby the parks show location and their dive and stunt show would start soon, so we decided to go there. Bengali is new for this year, though the park already had a dive show for years here. The story is cliche and over the top, which is the case for most shows in theme parks. However I did enjoy the stunts and diving. No matter how many times I've seen that, I'm still impressed by it. Jumping from 25 meters into a small bassin is something I'd need a diaper for. The up-tempo Bhangra music also was a big surplus to the show. Time was running out before the park would close, so some of our group ended the day with a last ride on Amazonia. We had a fun day at the park though I don't think I'll be back soon. Bellewaerde is ideal for families with little children but there is just nothing there that appeals for teenagers or adults. There are rumours going around they would invest in a new rollercoaster with inversions but knowing previous investments there, I'm keeping my expectations low. They really could use a stand-out coaster because they are falling behind the other 3 big Belgian parks if they only keep focusing on the little children. ** sorry for any grammar mistakes and such, I'm Belgian and English isn't my first language. -
The seasonal events are nice additions, but I'm honestly skeptical about this park's future. Read an article from Louisville Business First where the park's general manager suggested that they plan to focus on "minor repairs" to the park instead of major additions, so it seems Herschend plans to treat Kentucky Kingdom more like Wild Adventures and not Dollywood/SDC. Also leaving T3 SBNO doesn't look like a sign that they're eager to invest in the property. Maybe their plan for Kentucky Kingdom will work, but for a park like this with many weaknesses in a competitive regional market, I don't see how they could ever break 1 million visitors in a season like they used to back in the 90s, or even turn out solid revenue (because as far as I've seen this park hasn't really made a profit since it reopened 10 years ago). -
Probably next year we will see the rides back in operation and most of the animals gone. -
By SoCalJasonland · Posted
I wish the front cargo pockets fit 375 ml bottles of Captain Morrgan as that would be awesome! I would need a bottle of clear on the left knee and dark on the right knee with a tactical backpack full of Dr Pepper and Coke bottles for mixers. I didn't know there was a last item bought thread or I would have listed it there. Thanks for the info. -
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By prozach626 · Posted
So their vertical construction of the ride itself looks nearly complete. Meanwhile, at our carousel.... -
^ Well, you certainly have a 'win' there, in the "Last Item Bought" thread, lol. -
By CedarFlags · Posted
"automatic speed regulation"... so, like, brakes? Every mountain coaster I've been on is powered entirely by the Potential Energy of pulling the ride vehicle up a lift, not by powering the ride vehicle. -
By thepoint4life23 · Posted
Its Still very helpful at cedar point on a weekend on some of the bigger rides. -
how old are you, Zach? (only asking in terms of "do you need your parents to help pay") 100% get Fast Lane for Kings Island (I'd say for CP, it's not as urgent, as the FL doesn't save too much time at most of CPs big coasters, and your best bet is to just get in line as early as possible for the things you really want to ride). but at Kings Island? do whatever you can to pay for Fast Lane. Yes. . it's NOT cheap, and yes, it's NOT included in ticket price. But all the "big" rides (flats and coasters) have Fast Lane, and in almost all cases, the Fast Lane queue drops you directly in the station. it will save you so much time and you'll get your money's worth just from ride times for Orion, Banshee, Mystic Timbers, and Diamondback. and you're gonna want lots of rerides. the only real "big" rides not on FL tend to not really have terrible lines anyways - ie: the Bat. but yeah. . .get Fast Lane at Kings Island. (and you can get individually - just one for you - if you're the only one who really wants to ride). -
By thepoint4life23 · Posted
If you get in early you can knock out a few of the big coasters but i would guess and hour wait later in the day for most the bigger rides if not longer, but a lot of people will be in the water park -
By SoCalJasonland · Posted
Having spent too much money on cargo shorts or pants of low quality or loose pockets where your phone or vape pen flys away, I finally found some reasonablly priced cargo pants/shorts that: 1. Don't make your legs look inflated with huge pockets. 2. No loose threads, buttons, zippers, etc... Appears and feels like quality construction for a resonable price. 3. These and TEMUs cargos are both made in China but these are actually great quality. I like these better than anything I have purchased from Macy's, Costco, Sam's Club, Columbia or Kohl's. 4. These are good enough for a few of my local law enforcement friends and actually wear well, so I am using as a daily work wear as a contractor / flooring sales. These are the prices I paid. You should use a junk email address to sign up and use any discount codes. The items fit as described with individual descriptions below: In order of prefference are: 1. Core Cargo Shorts (boulder) and the Core Cargo Pants (charcoal) are my favorites of the purchase. Both have velcro front flap thigh pockets with a solid seal on the pockets and will fit a phone up to the iPhone Max, Pixel Pro or Galaxy S+/Ultras. The charcoal Core Cargo pants were at my condo so I didn't photo them. I am guessing any color is fine but these were the less expensive and yet my favorites. 2. Stealth Cargo Pants (black) are nice but the cargo pockets are slick and if you forgot to zip them, anything inside will fly out on some rides Plus the zipper strings for the cargo pockets hit your legs when you walk although not very hard. I don't think these are worth $5 more than the Core Cargo Pants. 3. Atlas Tactical Pants (boulder) have some sort of weird butt/saddle area that is made for running but are not super attractive. They are the (boulder) color pants in the middle of the below photo and while I am not returning them, they don't look great for being $10 more expensive. I will wear these hiking but they are more practical than fashionable. https://lapolicegear.com/ I don't work for these people or receive a referral bonus; or I would have been more positive on my review. I would stick to the cheaper Core Cargo line and use a coupon code that you can get by visiting their website. They will send you a daily email reminding you they existing so use a junk email address when signing up or get SPAMed for life. Photos: shorts, tactical and stealth pants back sides. Weird butt area on the tactical pants in the middle. I left my Core Cargo pants at home so no photos. Front side of the same Shorts great, tactical pants okay Stealth pants good, core pants great. -
By SoCalJasonland · Posted
The website is now down for maintenance but my local park has a free splash pad and picnic area. It sounds like they are not really tryng to stay open but to find some way to pay to feed any remaining animals before they can relocate them. I heard belugas will eat you out of house and home and not so easy to put up for adoption -
By SoCalJasonland · Posted
Six Flags set a poor precedent when they called Larson Loopers or large Fireballs coasters and SFMM Superman is barely a coaster. If just the loop or a section of up hill track qualify as coasters, then a lift hill plus a continuous section of downhill track should be a coaster. As far a controlling speed, isn't there a scream launched coaster where the louder you yell, the faster it goes? -
Day 21: Friday, June 23rd - travel day to Tampere, Finland (where we'd be going to Särkänniemi the next day) it was a decently long bus ride, so at just under the 1/2 way point, we had a pit stop at a Roadside Traveler Center. it was lovely here - I remain so struck as to how "clean" everything was! this wasn't just ANY traveler center tho. . . this place seemed to be fairly famous, or at least really well known. as it's also a cheese factory! yes, get gas, go potty, get snacks, and watch them make cheese (explains the cow on the roof) not sure what this was next door, but seemed to be getting used as overflow parking. and not only on the roof. . but Cows in side! photo op one can even "milk" them. this one, sadly, didn't "groan" like the one in Japan did when I "milked" it. . but if recalling, this one had plastic udders that stretched as you pulled on them. photo op out of the way, I wandered to the back of the traveler center and peeked down at the "Cheese-making" floor. Seriously, they have large windows, so travelers can watch. .it really is a destination. there's also a pretty large store, that not only sells the cheese (in giant wheels, blocks, cuts) but also all kinds of snacks and hot food. here was my attempt to get something for the bus that was not Licorice flavored. (the Mountain Dew was super sweet and disgusting. . the cookies were good. . .but the coated dried bananas were a bit bland, as was the chocolate bites - they were like larger, flatter, mellower M&Ms, with a thicker shell). arriving in Tampere, we checked into the hotel - where the front desk clerk mentioned it was "Midsommer" - which explained why it seemed so "empty" for a Friday in the city. there were people about, but no where near as busy as I'd expected. And many shops were closed for the day, as it was explained that most go out to the Country to sauna and to celebrate on this day. the hotel was lovely: tho had a weird shower stall, that opened on both sides from the corner. . resulting in more difficulty for this American Idiot to keep the water out of the rest of the bathroom when showering Nice view from the room. it's not a small city, but it was pretty quiet this day. I was gonna meet up with Jon (and I think Jason?) and we were gonna meet up with Andrew, Erik & sMisty to roam around the city. . but on my way down I popped into the Men's Sauna that was offered at the hotel. very lovely, even if empty (again, was told folks leave the area for the holiday). NOTED. . . no naked ass on the benches! I'd never done a Sauna. . but I figured if ever was the time? In Finland on Midsommer? yeah.. I'd break my sauna cherry here later tonight (you're welcome that I won't share that pic) down on the street in front of the hotel, we met up, and I marveled at how gorgeous the day was. a few folks out and about. . but pretty empty for a "not small" city today. we found a few places open in our wandering. . including this fun "novelty" store, that some bought some stuffies at. some random "street" art. . was pretty need to just come across it! really loved the look of this city. and the lack of people around made it even cooler, and allowed for some great pics. this seemed to be a "cultural center" with the water treatment plant (I think that's what it was) as the anchor for the park/restaurants/trails around it. just lovely. it's not a Tum-ahhhhhhhh even here in Finland, the "locks on bridges" movement is going strong. . Disney influenced? got to wonder if there are sometimes paddleboats in this water area. . . otherwise, this statue seems oddly out of place. hey. .a map (I'm assuming a transit map, but also really helpful for tourists) we are at the noted red dot. we started our walk from over by where the comedy/tragedy masks are. and Särkänniemi is up there on the left. but we found a Finnish Grocery Store open. . so of course had to check it out. I was haunted this trip by Olives. (I know who kept putting them on my plate when I wasn't looking), but as we were getting to the end of the trip, I was traumatized by Olives. I wasn't hungry at the moment. . but honestly? this didn't even tempt me. I *think* it was a sweet, even tho it looks like a Hot Dog. back out walking, and enjoying the beautiful weather, and the random statues around the City. we saw a pathway along the waterfront, that seemed to be headed towards an area that would give a nice view of Särkänniemi, so we headed down that way. spooky swimming area. I'm sure on a normal day, this section would be packed with swimmers. the path cuts up thru a park and some more greenery. hi Jon. . . this amused me. . I liked how they tried to camouflage the tunnel with "natural" rock formations. ooo. .I spot the observation tower/restaurant at Särkänniemi up ahead. ok..this i found to be among the coolest stuff I saw while in Finland. Finlandian Graffiti. and it was mostly really well done! it really was so beautiful here. . I know I keep saying that, but it's true! and coming around the curve in the path? across the way - on a peninsula reaching out into the water: Särkänniemi along the waterfront is that horrid torture device known as "Trombi" ( a Zamperla Volare - flying coaster) also behind it in this pic is "Hype" (a Premier skyrocket II), and off to the left is part of "Tornado" (an Intamin suspended coaster - one of only 2 in the world) they were open, as the rides were running - just not really busy today. see? the skyrocket II is running. .the train is about to invert at the top. and the disco over the water, is a great placement. better view of this side of the park - with Tornado (that's hard to miss with it's Neon orange & yellow trains) the park really does look wonderful, and I was very excited about coming back in the morning for our visit. a boat engine of some kind on display at the Marina across from the park. there was a sign on it, but it must not have been in English (or not interesting) as I have no pic of it. view more from the front. . with a better idea of the Skyrocket II layout. and Tornado's neon orange train. turning away from the park to start the trek back, sMisty had found an area called "fairy park" - or something like that. . it sounded interesting, so we detoured that way to check it out. not sure if this was a playscape or a sculpture. (I THINK a playscape tho) thruout the park, there were multiple "hidden" / small sculptures of pixies/faeries playing., this one is definitely a playscape. it had Trampolines. and big red balls.. LOL and a throne? don't mind if I do! tons of fun detail everywhere - like these iron "Spiderwebs" under the roof of this shade structure. whimisical .. and lovely area found another pixie and a handful of folks enjoying the day. from an overlook at the top of the park, you get a lovely view of Särkänniemi across the water Hype doing it's thing notice Trombi hasn't run in any of my pics. I think it's because only fools like us would attempt to ride the horrible thing. I would have checked out the museum. . but it was closed today after a long walk/sight seeing, it was time to head back. Stomachs were rumbling and there was chat in the thread about places for dinner. there were a few options, and I know Erik/sMisty ended up checking out a pub. but some of us decided to check out the pizza place that was spoken very highly of. . with some unique pizzas. so we headed over that way. hmm. .not sure what they are selling Space Bowling!!! (in the dark with neon lights).. but no one was really interested. oh my. . . quite the wait. (and the most people we'd seen all day!). we joined the line, and saw a number of other TPR Trip folks as well. . . a snapshot of the menu. some very interesting options. before too long, we were seated, and our order taken. (notice the line never got shorter! it stayed about that long the whole time. we took an outside seat, so didn't have to wait as long as those waiting to sit inside). a closeup of the unique pizzas. i ended up getting the Struzzo BBQ - ostrich peppers and bbq sauce. (it was SO good) all food comes with a trip to the salad bar first: and my Pizza. which I ate all of - other than the parts I shared with others who wanted a taste. and then it was back to the hotel where i decided I was gonna sauna - and did it the traditional (nekkid) way . . you're welcome again for no pictures. then a shower, and crashed. tomorrow was gonna be a full day, and the truth is? the sauna really was refreshing and knocked me right out.
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