Walibi HollandWalibi Holland was one of my most anticipated parks in Europe. It was both due to the coaster lineup and the unhealthy amount of Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 I used to play. And the park didn’t disappoint.
But I have a question. Were the designers on acid when they came up with the themes at this park?
And I mean that as a compliment. The themes are so bizarre and eclectic, but Walibi Holland goes all-in so they end up working.
- At first Walibi Holland may look like your standard pretty park.
- But then you see theming like this. WTF?
Since I only had a half day after work, I was absolutely getting a Fast Lane. It didn't matter that it was dark, dreary, and rainy, Europeans still come out in droves since they aren’t wimps like Americans.
It was the biggest help for Untamed. The new-for-2019 RMC was only running one train and the regular queue was almost 2 hours in length. I felt a little guilt riding Untamed as many times as I did, but I couldn’t help myself. It’s truly one of the world’s best coasters.
Untamed kicks things off with an amazing first drop and speed hill. And as you’d expect from RMC, both delivered fantastic airtime. That’s then followed by the double stall thing that is loaded with crazy hangtime. It may have been my favorite element on the ride.
You then rocket through this curved hill mixing ejector airtime and laterals. That’s then followed by this massive camelback. The sustained ejector on this hill rivals Storm Chaser’s second hill. You then have a wave turn/hill that feels exactly like the one on Twisted Cyclone.
After a wonderful zero-G roll, you go through another wave turn/hill. This one’s airtime was more of the floater variety, but any airtime is extreme when you’re perpendicular to the ground.
The return run is glorious. I can see it being too much for some. You have 8 straight bunny hills with powerful pops of ejector air. The only reprieve is this low-to-the-ground barrel roll, which is also wild. Would you expect anything else from RMC?
I love coasters that are perfectly paced and that is most definitely Untamed. There isn’t a single dead spot on this ride. Untamed feels like a wilder and faster paced version of Twisted Timbers. And now it’s my second favorite steel coaster, only behind Steel Vengeance.
10 out of 10
- Does anyone know what this ride is called?
- It's impossible not to love Untamed. The lift hill commands you to love it.
- So much airtime and twisted track. It truly is untamed.
- I think Untamed is themed to a hippies in the wild. But your guess is as good as mine.
The easiest way to tell that Walibi Holland used to be a Six Flags park is the presence of a ride called Goliath. And I was definitely looking forward to this junior hyper. That’s why I was a bit nervous when I saw the back row blocked off and people wearing what appeared to be VR headsets.
I say appeared to be since Walibi Holland was doing this blindfold challenge. I didn’t partake, but it seemed to be a hit with teenagers. And because it was like a sleep mask, it didn’t slow loading one bit.
- Because just closing your eyes is too much effort.
They were loading the back row with non-blindfold riders every other cycle and I’m very grateful since that’s the money seat on Goliath. The second hill is sustained ejector in every row, but the finale’s airtime is considerably stronger in the back. Plus you have the great air on the first drop.
I loved the beginning and end to Goliath, but the ride does hit a bit of a lull towards the middle. You can still appreciate the ride’s speed, but the S-hills had no airtime and the helices had no force.
8.5 out of 10
- Unlike most Six Flags parks, this Goliath is actually the tallest coaster in the park.
- If only Goliath had a middle. Then it would be the perfect coaster.
- Goliath was temperamental all day. Hence the lack of a train in this photo.
Lost Gravity was basically Mack taking a Gerstlauer Eurofighter and pumping it with steroids. This thing was nuts! And it all started with that violent first drop. It has some Expedition GeForce levels of ejector air and crazy laterals.
That’s followed by a powerful speed hill (similar to those on RMCs) and a funky top hat that offers another dose of airtime and laterals. Next is a camelback with some good ejector air. You then get a quick pop of air as you enter a turnaround and hit the MCBR.
The second half is noticeably slower, but that works to Lost Gravity’s advantage. The dive drop and zero-G roll have some fantastic hangtime. But if you prefer more traditional airtime, don’t worry. There are still 2-3 other tiny pops before you hit the brakes.
I really liked Lost Gravity, but I need to mention this ride had a serious rattle to it. It didn’t bother me after my first ride, but I definitely had a headache after 3-4 consecutive rides. Really that’s the ride’s only weakness.
9 out of 10
- Yes, you really do enter through this school bus. WTF?!
- This drop is wicked.
- Lost Gravity really is a bizarre ride. And that's what makes it so good.
- Can you find my gravity?
Drako was a respectable junior coaster, but there was nothing memorable about it. I actually like the whip on the first drop on the large Zierer tivolis, so it always bums me out to ride the castrated medium Tivoli model.
3 out of 10Since Walibi Holland has arguably the world’s worst SLC, they are at least considerate enough to have arguably the world’s best boomerang. Speed of Sound has the Vekoma vests so I could appreciate the Gs without the pain.
But the real star is the dance club atmosphere. You have booming on-board audio and an enclosed lift that I’m going to call the party tube.
6 out of 10
- It may look like your ordinary boomerang.
- But it's really a dance club.
If you ever wanted to know what it would be like to ride Rock “n” Roller Coaster with the lights on, go to Walibi Holland and ride Xpress. While the launch is good, particularly due to the lighting effects, the rest of the ride is sort of uneventful without the darkness. It is still smooth though.
My favorite part of Xpress was actually the queue. I had no clue it was essentially a haunt. The queue had several jump scares and the theme of a haunted subway station was downright eerie.
6.5 out of 10
- I preferred this to Platform 9 3/4s.
Larry, shield your eyes. I too experienced NeuroGen, but I didn’t find it earth-shattering. Just good.
It’s definitely cool a VR attraction like this exists at such a big park. And the health clinic theme is well executed. I just wasn’t wowed as wowed by the quick-cutting, acid trip plot. I will admit the VR was as crisp as any I’ve ever seen though.
7 out of 10
- I'm currently in the outpatient clinic.
Crazy River was a much more elaborate flume than expected. I was already excited for the double down, which was quite good, but I had no idea this thing had a backwards portion. That seems to be a common theme with European flumes.
8 out of 10
- I never used to like double downs, but maybe that was because they were from KFC.
- Yes, the park even has a joke about child labor.
SLCs are arguably the most maligned coaster model out there. And it’s for good reason. They are multi-million dollar concussion machines. And it had to start somewhere. El Condor is the original.
As I approached El Condor, the heavens opened up. It was all too fitting. It was like the stereotypical movie scene when the villain’s lair is always accompanied by a torrential downpour.
But I have to be honest. El Condor wasn’t *that* bad. It was still wretched. But it didn’t reach the true turd levels of a Flight Deck, MP-Xpress, or Blue Tornado.
2 out of 10
- El Condor is Spanish for pain.
I then returned to Untamed and the rain only intensified. If they chose to shut the ride down, I would have totally understood. But since they didn’t, you can bet I was going to ride it.
I’m thankful my favorite seat on Untamed was the back row since I had 22 human shields in front of me. Riding a coaster as wild as Untamed in a rainstorm as ferocious as it was seemed surreal. It made me love the ride even more.
- I think this is the hardest rain in which I've ever ridden a coaster.
It’s worth noting that Goliath had been closed for a few hours at this point. Since it was just 15 minutes prior to closing, I found it unlikely they’d reopen it. But for peace of mind, I had to check. And the coaster gods answered my prayers; it was testing.
It was quickly apparent what the issue was. The drive tires on the brake run were too slick to pull the train back into the station. SFNE’s Superman has the same issue on rainy days. After much squealing, the train returned to the station and Goliath reopened.
The smart decision would have been to ride in the back. It was the better seat and less painful with the rain. So of course I chose the front.
After the acupuncture, I had just enough time to a final ride in the back.
- No pain, no gain.
Since I’m a coaster nerd, I of course wanted a souvenir. But the apparel was as odd as the park’s theming. While it may be acceptable to wear a shirt that says “F#ck slow, hard gaan (go fast)” in the Netherlands, I don’t think that’ll fly back home.
- Hmmm, this seems like something I couldn't wear in America.
- But in the Netherlands it's perfectly fine. Look at the employee modeling the shirt.
- If I had a greater connection to Robin Hood, these would have been super tempting.
Any of the top three coasters alone would make Walibi Holland worth visiting, so having all three together is a real treat. The theming is downright odd, but it can’t help bring a smile to your face.
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