ul9601

Oziris was the best by far - Zeus was ok and so was Goudurix. I rode Oz and Zeus a few time before decided to call it quits. operation was pretty loose yet efficient - cell phone selfies and glasses etc no problems - Europa park I visited a bit later was far more strict - unnecessarily so, I mean Blue Fire is ok but nothing to write home about and Wodan is good but not a great woodie. As for La Trace du Hourra, is it on track or free running like Flying Turns at Knoebels? Thanks all for your help. Cheers.

ok just came back - spent only 3 hours and managed silver star, blue fire and wodan. silver star has a couple of nice air but doesnt really have the variety or change or directions or high G. blue fire was pretty good, went for the 1st row but the operator took away my glasses and ski goggles (lol I wear them so I can see and also I dont lose my glasses in case the ride is really high G - yes I get the funny looks every time, but this was the first time I got told to lose them. CP Maverick ops thought I had a camera hidden in them, but they came around in the end but I digress) so I really couldn't see but the ride itself was pretty good. Wodan surprised me as I didn't expect too much based from the the other two rides. The park is massive and I had a problem getting around and finding the rides. And I really couldn't handle the lack of the skip the line pass really as I'm so used to it now. Also single rider queue seemed to move very slowly - says it's used to fill odd empty seat but I don't know if that's how it works or they put a single rider in between the regular queue as well. in theory, the single rider line could stay stationary all day. The speak good English so I needn't be worried. And the themes of the park seem quite well done. The speed of the operation, silver star was mind blowingly fast. blue fire was steadily moving, wodan I can't really comment as I was pretty frustrated stuck in the single rider line. Will I visit again? Probably not, mainly because of the lack of skip pass and I think I can do better elsewhere in terms of quality rides. But I don't regret paying a visit. Thanks all for the help. Cheers.

Thanks all - I'll see how I go. Cheers.

ok thanks. are the VR coasters any good? I've tried a few at Six Flags in 2016 - it's not much of an attraction to me as I'm practically blind without glasses so the focus is usually out and blurry. Do you think the following will tick the roller coaster boxes: blue fire euro mir euro sat silver star alpenexpress wodan recommendations to the best seat? thanks so much!

Hi guys, so Ive been staying in Biesheim for a few days (tomorrow is the last full day) and somehow I noticed that Europa Park is within 30 minutes. I will have half day free (probably afternoon) and I'm thinking of visiting. Can I ask for a quick and dirty guide to the park please - due to limited time, I'd go for the best roller coasters, preferably with skip the line pass if not too expensive. And any tips and comments regarding operations, rules with bags/loose articles like spectacles and whether I'll manage without much German (at least I was a bit prepared for Parc Asterix but this one is literally the last minute) cheers and thanks in advance.

Wait - so Pass Rapidus let you skip the line at each of those 8 rides, as opposed to one of the 8 rides? I really should pay more attention Anyway - do rides have separate lines for first rows like usual? As you had unlimited rapidus with the premium ticket, how many rides did you manage to squeeze in all up? Cheers

Thanks guys - any comments you can make on their operations - are they pretty tight and strict on rules - like wearing glasses on coasters or stamping down on queue jumpers or other losers etc? Cheers

Ok guys - I'm way behind with the planning so I'll just have to ask for help from you guys. I will be there in a week and a half and preparation (for parc asterix but the rest of france) is very under done. 1. Is Pass Rapidus EUR25 for each ride that is eligible? Do they have unlimited Pass Rapidus - or is Premium Ticket the combo deal of entry + unlimited rapidus? It's quite pricey at EUR149, (I'm sure worth it) Is there any other option? 2. Is there any order I should take on the rides (I'm after mainly roller coaster type maximum thrill rides)? You know, to avoid queues as much as possible and so on - I think I've read some strategies on other park threads. 3. Any other general advice?

Hi guys, Hoping to get some pointers for planning my trip there. I'll spend a full day in early July and do some other sightseeing around (but not in) Paris for a couple of days also - Rouen, Amiens, Laon, Reims etc. So I'd like to base myself somewhere in the middle of those areas - any ideas to the best place to stay? Also, how tight are the rules and such at the park - I mean, some I've been wouldn't let me wear glasses and what not and others were pretty reasonable. And anything else unusual or different compared to typical CF and SF parks that I need to be aware of? Last but not the least - ride recommendations... Cheers.

Thanks - I will definitely go for the rapidus pass. Its equivalents at CF & SF parks were invaluable during my mid-west theme park tour - that was also during school holidays (actually it might have been school field trip season or something - the whole month of June!!!). I will come back with more questions once I've read up on the thread.

Hi guys, I'm planning a trip here in July - I'm mainly a roller coaster guy but I don't mind good flat rides. I've yet to do a proper research yet but just wondering if 1 day is enough to do most adult rides. I'm thinking very early July as I understand it's school holidays from second week onwards. I've done a dozen theme parks in mid-west of the US so I'm not a complete newbie but then by no means hardcore theme park fan either. Cheers Sam

So, it's been done - a quick report and also thanks to a bunch of people who helped me and sorry to those who I managed to irritate with a bunch of question and so on... 2nd June, arrived at LAX, a rest day after 12 hour flight in economy. 3rd flew from LAX->CVG, picked up the rental car and drove to KI, by then it was around 830pm, so I just had the season pass processed and went to BW Mason for a sleep. I had a dinner at the Wendy's next to the motel and apparently a guy there works at Banshee, he told me it's the best (obviously)... 4th Kings Island It turned out to be a nice first stop of 12 park roadie - not too boring, not too intense. Did all the coasters except for Adventure Express. My favourite had to be Banshee, and Firehawk. The Beast also impressed me. Flight of Fear and Backlot Stunt Coaster weren't my cup of tea. I didn't think I'd like Invertigo (or any boomerangs) but I enjoyed it a lot. In short, I quite liked it for the size of the park and they run good operations -I would come back here if I'm going to CP. Had Fast Lane and would definitely pay extra for beating the queue, especially in the hot weather I had. 5th Cincinnati and Dayton on route to Cedar Point Had a quick look around Cincy and USAF museum in Dayton on the way to CP, pretty impressive setup they have there. Got to Breakers Express late afternoon, was pretty beat so, had dinner and rest. Found out that storm knocked the powerlines out and shut up the park on Monday. I had Fast Lane for 6th Monday but they gave me a free one for the next day and a free night's stay for Monday as well - which I thought was pretty good as it was my understanding they weren't obligated to do so. BE was cheap given the proximity to the park but otherwise service and cleanliness weren't all that flash. 6th Cleveland So I had a downtime, went to Cleveland and did the tourist stuff, Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and USS Cod and a few more, which I don't remember. Nice enough city. 7th Cedar Point They got it up and running so I'm happy. Did Millennium Force, Maverick, Rougarou, Raptor, Magnum, Mean Streak, Blue Streak, Wicked Twister, Gemini, Valravn, Gatekeeper. Top Thrill Dragster was down most of the day - I think I heard it was back up running for a short time before put to bed for good for the day. Which didn't bother me a great deal, as I've been on before but then it would have been good to compare against others (e.g. Kingda Ka) MF is now my #1 coaster here (if not all time #1), followed by either Maverick or Valravn. Woodies didn't impress me as much as the first time I was here. Rode most in either front or backrow (generally front on steel and back on woodie). The thing about MF is that it's always fun everytime I've been on and the sense of enjoyment or adrenaline rush doesn't decrease like others. As with previous times, CP ran good operations, I guess I was spoilt here (and KI) as there are some crappy operations to come... 8th Detroit on route to Canadas Wonderland 9th Canadas Wonderland half day Got there in the afternoon ish, was fairly tired so just did a few flats. A few runs on Skyhawk had to be the highlight. Managed to get a good amount of spin after a couple of tries. Spinovator (?) was surprisingly fun. 10th CW By now, I'm getting pretty sick of all the school groups mobbing the parks and also realised that I can easily do all the rides (in my case, just roller coasters) in half a day with a few multiple rides on stuff I really like. (note that I have had Fast Lane and Flash Pass etc everywhere). Done all the coasters minus The Bat, Thunder Run and Dragon Fire - which happened to be excluded from Fast Lane list. I don't see why Fast Lane shouldn't get you to the front of the line to all the rides that have reasonably long queues - on this day, the queues on these rides were pretty long. I figured these were mid level coasters and didn't want to spend time waiting on mediocre rides. Leviathan and Behemoth were major letdowns - especially Leviathan. It looked like so much fun but in reality it wasn't. So instead I spent the rest of the afternoon riding Skyhawk - I could have ridden it until the park closed with the Fast Lane, with no more than one cycle wait. The breeze died down and I was having problem spinning so I called it a day. Operations weren't as fast as KI & CP and they didn't seem confident for whatever reason. It was disappointing as I've heard good stories about the park - I won't coming back here, unless I happen to be in Toronto - if I do, then it'll be for Skyhawk only. Oh by the way, hardly anyone was using Fast Lane - there were some, not many at KI & CP but here, I don't think I've ever seen one person using it... 11th travel day to Six Flags New England 8 hour drive, luckily I stopped at Niagara Falls, which broke up the long driving nicely. I did a quick walk of the Cave of the Winds - didn't have the time for the Maid of the Mist (it was my second time here, so I'm not missing anything). 12th SFNE Had Flash Pass platinum - which was great for Superman, as the wait was fairly long even in the early morning - understandably so with VR slowing things down. Did it twice, one front row (w/o VR) and mid row with VR - I guess it's worth experiencing once but nothing to write home about. Apparently the original configuration as Superman was a great ride but this as is (with or without VR) doesn't do much for me. Did the new revolution VR at SFMM, I prefer SFMM one as it seems more interactive (shooting stuff although my gun got smashed fairly early in the ride). Superman here with VR is definitely a waste of a good coaster. Did the most of the coasters (if not all) - my favourite has to be Wicked Cyclone and #2 here is Goliath. They ran good operation (not counting VR but it's the nature of the beast) and I would come back for WC and Goliath. I've been thinking about WC vs Twisted Colossus at SFMM , I feel WC is a bit more intense but TC does have its moments with those little hops and the "racing" aspect. I can't pick which I prefer at the moment... 13th Lake Compounce This wasn't worth planning for a full day here - Phobia was pretty good, mostly for its sudden lateral movement (wasn't great for my back). Another thing wasn't good for the back was Wildcat but fun all the same. Was disappointed with Boulder Dash after all the things I've heard about it. I'd say it's maybe on par with The Beast at KI (or just a notch below). I was told to ride after dark but being in the middle of Summer the park closing time was way before sunset (I went back to motel for a break and was going to come back if sun set before the closing time). Good enough operation. Would I come back? If I'm passing through I might stop by for a couple of hours maybe... 14th on route to Six Flags Great Adventure & rest day 15th SFGAdv By now I sort of figured out what type of coasters I like and the types I don't. And I was getting a bit lazy so I started skip a few I figured I wouldn't like. For example, dark indoor rides like FoF so I skipped Skull Mountain and The Dark Knight. But even if they are good rides, if I don't know what I'm missing,no harm done, right? Anyway El Toro - it has to be #1 woodie (up there with the Beast but in a different way). Kingda Ka was definitely the highlight, which IMO trumps TTD easy. Nitro and Bizarro, I also liked enough to ride multiple times. Operations were good, it's a good park, if things are scattered around too much. 16th hanging out in Philadelphia 17th I dont remember much 18th Dorney Park It's pretty underwhelming place - but then I have been warned. Steel Force is pretty weak, a bit of waste of space and "steel" unfortunately. Possessed was good but by now I've experienced bigger and better things so nothing special. Thunderhawk was lame.Now the upside - Demon Drop, what a crazy contraption that is! Talon was surprisingly intense but I didn't like it as much as I expected to. It might have something to do with the dislike I developed for inverted coasters and the hard overshoulder restraint which prevents hands-up riding... And I loved Hydra... I enjoyed my time here although I understand why a lot of people bag it. 19th Knoebels I think it was Father's day Sunday - It was very busy probably because of it. I got what a lot of people rave about this place - I don't know if they have automatic organs all the time there but they had a few dozens of all different sizes running throughout the park - very impressive. As for the rides, I bought $20 ticket book, which got me on x2 Impulse, Phoenix, Twister and Flying Turns + Bumpercars. Impulse was a great fun, the others weren't all that - Flying Turns has a bit of a novelty value but I wouldnt bother riding it again. I really enjoyed the bumpercars - massive long queue but it was worth it. It's less of extreme place but nice enough for good family outing. 20th Hersheypark Unfortunately this place turned out to be the worst in this road trip. Fast Track really disappointed me as 1) you can only get on designated rows and 2) the order you can ride each ride is randomly generated (or at least that's what the guy explained to me) and 3) it's only one off - it's a terrible product. Operations were rubbish - I had to wait around 5 cycles on Storm Runner with Fast Track - what is the point of having it at all? They have signage saying you wait at the exit for the attendant to come and let you in but that didn't happen. So at the next ride I walked through the turnstile and the guy says I need to stay outside - what is wrong with this place? It wasn't just two different rides, but pretty much everywhere. As for the rides, it's ok - Skyrush has its moment but that's mainly to do with the restraint IMO, the thigh restraint is a bit different from the others I've been on and it lets you slide around more (which I guess is more fun and slightly alarming, depending on how you look at it). Fahrenheit is good, probably on par with Knoebels Impulse. Id find other rides that are on par or better elsewhere. With the terrible experience I had, HP doesn't have anything I'd come back for. So I won't. 21st Travel day to Kings Dominion Had a massive storm all day from Hersheypark all the way to KD, as if the storm was following me - lucky it was only travel day. Never seen so much rain in a single day. 22nd Kings Dominion Having ridden Intimidator 305 now it's probably my second favourite coaster, #1 being Millennium Force. I've heard it used to be a lot more intense with cases of blackouts - not sure if people still suffer blackouts with the current configuration but it's just a plain great ride to me. Other than I305, Volcano was a good fun and Rebel Yell was a good rough woodie that I could appreciate. This kid was sitting next to me at the backrow - unfortunately he was separated from his crowd by a few cycles. I don't know why he was there at the backrow anyway, because the other rows were mostly walkon. He was constantly yelling throughout the ride that it was too rough and complained to the ops once the train got back to the station - I just had to laugh... 23rd Travel day to Busch Gardens Williamsburg Not sure what else I did... oh yeah I went to Colonial Williamsburg - quite nice 24th BGW They put a lot of effort into putting theme in the theme park - great vibe and ambience. Rides weren't all that hot, I did like Griffon and to a lesser extent Alpengeist. Verbolten, I liked the outside part, not so much of inside but that's just my preference. Curse of Darkastle was ok, better than CW Mountain Guardian, if I put them in the same category. Didn't buy quick queue and worked out fine - it wasn't too busy. I'll probably visit again, next time I won't need to rush around too much I hope. 25th travel day to CVG What can I say, 9 hour drive, boring boring boring... Driving through West Virginia was beautiful but I was keep losing radio reception and more importantly GPS & cell reception so got lost a couple of times. 26th travel day CVG-> LAX Arrive in Valencia around 12, could have gone to SFMM but it was sooooooo hot (I'm not used to 100+F dry heat) so I just stayed in and watched TV. Really should have tried harder, knowing the many good rides they have... 27th Six Flags Magic Mountain A big park - not too good on such a hot day, hardly any shelters and refreshment options were rather limited. It was a bit of walk up the hill to Superman and Ninja & Tatsu - they must have utilised the terrain and decided not to flatten the whole park area... I had platinum Flash Pass but it's not as good a value as SFNE & SFGAdv as there is one time ride limit on a bunch of good rides. By the time I got there (11am) the queue was plenty long. Did the New Revolution VR, which was more fun (more interactive than Superman at SFNE) but tamer (the coaster itself isn't that hardcore), Full Throttle (which was unfortunately didnt live up to my expectation), Superman (ok for what it is, there was no queue so did it twice - it was a bit of a different experience riding coasters in dry heat), Ninja (not a fan of these but did it anyway), Tatsu (again, not a particular fan of flying coasters but this one has a great high g loop). Viper & Scream were also very enjoyable. Goliath was good but not great. Green Lantern was pretty much the same as The Joker at SFGAdv but rougher. Riddler - not my kind of coaster, I guess it's a ok ride but I wouldn't bother with it again. X2 was down so I missed out on it so I'll have to come back for it some other time. Now to my highlight of SFMM, Twisted Colossus - it's just too much fun, no other way of describing it. 28th SFMM Went back to find out if X2 was up and running, got there around 930 and waited for the season pass early entry - unfortunately it was still down and FT was too (I'm not too bothered with it but it would have been good to ride front row as well). So instead spent the next couple of hours at TC - a great way to finish the trip... 28th evening flight from LAX->AKL now back to stupid reality In summary, I found out that I'm not a true coaster junkie like most of you are - in that I get sick of riding stuff after around 6 hours. The coasters seemed like pretty much all the same after 2-3 parks (with a few exceptions, of course). Tripping solo sucks. USA in June is hot as hell. Sun in USA is blinding in Summer time. School groups suck big time. Any group of teenagers suck big time. Hersheypark sucks ass. My top rides in no particular order: Millennium Force CP Intimidator 305 KD Wicked Cyclone SFNE Twisted Colossus SFMM El Toro SFGAdv Kingda Ka SFGAdv Goliath SFNE Banshee KI Skyhawk CW My top parks in no particular order: CP SFMM Thanks and goodbye

Twisted Colossus at SFMM on 28th June, four times. This would be my "last" ride for a while, just as well it was a good one.

this must be a typo - that may be #1 in the park (not my #1 btw) but in the world? no

I don't know if all FoF are pretty much the same inside but it's not my kind of coaster - I like to see what's happening. Is it rough? It is a bit - but to me it seems rough because you don't really see what's gonna happen. As for whether you should ride it or not - you should defo try it at least once, so you know if you like it or not. It's not gonna hurt you like some other rides can (I'm thinking Time Warp, hands-free... )