Here is my report from a trip I did a few weeks back when I visited Codona’s Amusement Park in Aberdeen followed by Flamingoland near York the next day.
I know that the two parks aren’t exactly close but I originally had wanted to visit Flamingoland just to try Mumbo Jumbo but then I figured out that flying into Aberdeen and flying back from Leeds plus the cost of the train from Aberdeen to York when booking it on the internet were working out nearly the same as doing a day trip flying into Leeds. I guess Ryanair are a good choice for when you want to fly in and out of the smaller airports.
I didn’t really mind the long distance as I like travelling and the train journey down the coast from Aberdeen was quite scenic. I also wanted to visit Codona’s to finish off all the Scottish parks and check out Aberdeen and hopefully get to visit the Stadium where Aberdeen FC play. Unfortunately I got slightly lost I only managed to view the stadium from a distance.
Codona’s Amusement Park
The park is located right on the coast and is about a 20 minute walk from the city centre. Thank god for the Grampian Eye Big Wheel as it was the only way I would have been able to find my way to the park.
Towards the front of the park was the Pirate Island Adventure Golf course which had some nice looking theming. It’s a shame they didn’t continue this on, into the amusement area.
After purchasing my wristband I started off with the Grampian Eye Big Wheel.
I don’t usually do the big wheels as I’m terrified of heights but even at the highest point in the strong wind I didn’t panic on this one. I couldn’t really manage any decent photos due to the crappy perspex and various metal bars getting in the way.
Next up was the highlight of the park, Crazy Train the ‘Wimpy’ sponsored Pinfari mini mega coaster.
Its not the best coaster in the world but its still miles better than the other two coasters at the park.
Overall there were some nice good twists and turns and you got two circuits.
The photographers were out in force that day.
The new addition for 2009, The Galleon swinging pirate ship.
Next up was the Looping Star or Rooftop Roller Coaster. It was very hard to get any decent photos of it.
Half way up the stairs to the Looping Star you come across the Apple Coaster's big apple blocking the view.
Prepare for the pain. Probably the roughest Pinfair looper I've done since Tornado at M&D's. Scotland really is the place to go if you like it rough.
The kiddie coaster 'Apple Coaster'.
Standard job, but I'd still prefer doing a few circuits on it compared to the Pinfair looper.
White Water, the water chute ride.
Judging by the colour of those clouds it wasn't just the people on the ride who were going to get wet very soon.
Welcome to Sunset Boulevard or the rear entrance to the park.
Just outside the entrance there were lots of cafes, restaurants and arcades running along the road at the seafront.
Aberdeen beach. Shortly after this there was a massive thunderstorm which I avoided by having something to eat in one of the cafes at the same time. It was crazy, I’ve never rain and thunder like it and then a few minutes later it was sunny and warm again.
I took a quick trip down to the beach to get some photos and this one of the Grampain Eye Big Wheel.
After a while they most of the attraction re-opened.
The awfully bad Haunted House.
This is the indoor area which houses the bumpers, bowling and arcades.
Another one of the indoor sections but this area had an amazing looking indoor jungle themed crazy golf course with thunder effects. Codona’s certainly caters for the crazy golfing enthusiasts.
Then I finished off the day with another few turns on the Crazy Train.
Overall you would probably only need an hour or two at the most to get everything in the park done. But with the indoor areas and the seafront and beach you could nearly stretch it to another a few hours. It’s certainly worth a trip if you are in the local area.
Flamingoland
After staying in York overnight the next day started off with catching the early bus to Flamingoland. Seeing as the bus was pretty quiet I thought the park might not be too busy but once it had arrived and judging by the amount of cars in the car parks I knew most of the day was going to involve standing in queues. I guess it was to be expected with the school holidays and the new addition of Mumbo Jumbo. Most of the day was spent queuing for Mumbo Jumbo and Kumali, which I hadn’t done before, so I was unable to take too many photos.
Once I finally got in, I started off with Mumbo Jumbo with the queue already back to the entrance area. It took about an hour until I eventually got on due to the slow loading but luckily on the second time I queued they were much quicker.
I was a little disappointed with the coaster. For something with a record breaking drop I would have expected it would have been a bit scary and more intense but it was quite tame.
Maybe I was disappointed due to having to queue for a long time to ride it but I was still expecting it to be a bit more enjoyable than Saw but now I’d probably rate it around the same.
It was very smooth and I really enjoyed the inverted drop and the barrel roll towards the end of the ride. But I’d still rate it behind Kumali and Velocity.
Next up was Kumali, again with a longish queue due to slow loadings and only running on train. About half way up the lift hill we came to a stop and one of the ride ops had to climb up and push the release button. I had to try and calm the guy down beside me because he started to panic. I felt sorry for him as it was his first time ever on Kumali.
I seemed to have enjoyed it more last year and this time around it did feel rougher on some sections. I’d probably prefer the standard SLC model without the cobra roll.
Luckily I had joined the Velocity queue while they were testing just prior to re-opening the ride so I manage 2 quick rides in before the queues had built back up.
Easily my favourite coaster at the park and I love everything from the motorbike theming to the launch. I could happily whore it all day long.
On the brake run just before entering the station.
Luckily I had done most of the other coasters last year when I visited the park on a quiet day. But on this day even the Runaway Mine Train had a longish queue.
It was the same with Corkscrew with the very slow loading times.
And there was no way I was going to queue for it just so I could end up with a headache for the rest of the day.
The only flat ride I did was Navigator when the queue had died down.
They are a bit tame but they are a good ride to relax on and they don’t usually make me feel ill like most other flat rides.
Going all arty with a reflection shot of Mumbo Jumbo and Cliffhanger.
Unfortunately, something had happened to Splash Battle during the day as they had mechanics working on it in the afternoon.
Flip Flop.
Sky Flyer and Wagon Wheels.
Finally, I managed another go on Velocity and took a few final photos before having to catch the ‘journey from hell’ bus to Leeds city centre.
With the huge number of people that were at the park, Mumbo Jumbo is certainly doing its job attracting people. I reckon it’s a very good investment and all the hype surrounding the world record title certainly helped. Hopefully they will improve the ride loading over time and they really need to improve the times with some of the other attractions especially on a very busy day.
I know that the two parks aren’t exactly close but I originally had wanted to visit Flamingoland just to try Mumbo Jumbo but then I figured out that flying into Aberdeen and flying back from Leeds plus the cost of the train from Aberdeen to York when booking it on the internet were working out nearly the same as doing a day trip flying into Leeds. I guess Ryanair are a good choice for when you want to fly in and out of the smaller airports.
I didn’t really mind the long distance as I like travelling and the train journey down the coast from Aberdeen was quite scenic. I also wanted to visit Codona’s to finish off all the Scottish parks and check out Aberdeen and hopefully get to visit the Stadium where Aberdeen FC play. Unfortunately I got slightly lost I only managed to view the stadium from a distance.
Codona’s Amusement Park
The park is located right on the coast and is about a 20 minute walk from the city centre. Thank god for the Grampian Eye Big Wheel as it was the only way I would have been able to find my way to the park.
Towards the front of the park was the Pirate Island Adventure Golf course which had some nice looking theming. It’s a shame they didn’t continue this on, into the amusement area.
After purchasing my wristband I started off with the Grampian Eye Big Wheel.
I don’t usually do the big wheels as I’m terrified of heights but even at the highest point in the strong wind I didn’t panic on this one. I couldn’t really manage any decent photos due to the crappy perspex and various metal bars getting in the way.
Next up was the highlight of the park, Crazy Train the ‘Wimpy’ sponsored Pinfari mini mega coaster.
Its not the best coaster in the world but its still miles better than the other two coasters at the park.
Overall there were some nice good twists and turns and you got two circuits.
The photographers were out in force that day.
The new addition for 2009, The Galleon swinging pirate ship.
Next up was the Looping Star or Rooftop Roller Coaster. It was very hard to get any decent photos of it.
Half way up the stairs to the Looping Star you come across the Apple Coaster's big apple blocking the view.
Prepare for the pain. Probably the roughest Pinfair looper I've done since Tornado at M&D's. Scotland really is the place to go if you like it rough.
The kiddie coaster 'Apple Coaster'.
Standard job, but I'd still prefer doing a few circuits on it compared to the Pinfair looper.
White Water, the water chute ride.
Judging by the colour of those clouds it wasn't just the people on the ride who were going to get wet very soon.
Welcome to Sunset Boulevard or the rear entrance to the park.
Just outside the entrance there were lots of cafes, restaurants and arcades running along the road at the seafront.
Aberdeen beach. Shortly after this there was a massive thunderstorm which I avoided by having something to eat in one of the cafes at the same time. It was crazy, I’ve never rain and thunder like it and then a few minutes later it was sunny and warm again.
I took a quick trip down to the beach to get some photos and this one of the Grampain Eye Big Wheel.
After a while they most of the attraction re-opened.
The awfully bad Haunted House.
This is the indoor area which houses the bumpers, bowling and arcades.
Another one of the indoor sections but this area had an amazing looking indoor jungle themed crazy golf course with thunder effects. Codona’s certainly caters for the crazy golfing enthusiasts.
Then I finished off the day with another few turns on the Crazy Train.
Overall you would probably only need an hour or two at the most to get everything in the park done. But with the indoor areas and the seafront and beach you could nearly stretch it to another a few hours. It’s certainly worth a trip if you are in the local area.
Flamingoland
After staying in York overnight the next day started off with catching the early bus to Flamingoland. Seeing as the bus was pretty quiet I thought the park might not be too busy but once it had arrived and judging by the amount of cars in the car parks I knew most of the day was going to involve standing in queues. I guess it was to be expected with the school holidays and the new addition of Mumbo Jumbo. Most of the day was spent queuing for Mumbo Jumbo and Kumali, which I hadn’t done before, so I was unable to take too many photos.
Once I finally got in, I started off with Mumbo Jumbo with the queue already back to the entrance area. It took about an hour until I eventually got on due to the slow loading but luckily on the second time I queued they were much quicker.
I was a little disappointed with the coaster. For something with a record breaking drop I would have expected it would have been a bit scary and more intense but it was quite tame.
Maybe I was disappointed due to having to queue for a long time to ride it but I was still expecting it to be a bit more enjoyable than Saw but now I’d probably rate it around the same.
It was very smooth and I really enjoyed the inverted drop and the barrel roll towards the end of the ride. But I’d still rate it behind Kumali and Velocity.
Next up was Kumali, again with a longish queue due to slow loadings and only running on train. About half way up the lift hill we came to a stop and one of the ride ops had to climb up and push the release button. I had to try and calm the guy down beside me because he started to panic. I felt sorry for him as it was his first time ever on Kumali.
I seemed to have enjoyed it more last year and this time around it did feel rougher on some sections. I’d probably prefer the standard SLC model without the cobra roll.
Luckily I had joined the Velocity queue while they were testing just prior to re-opening the ride so I manage 2 quick rides in before the queues had built back up.
Easily my favourite coaster at the park and I love everything from the motorbike theming to the launch. I could happily whore it all day long.
On the brake run just before entering the station.
Luckily I had done most of the other coasters last year when I visited the park on a quiet day. But on this day even the Runaway Mine Train had a longish queue.
It was the same with Corkscrew with the very slow loading times.
And there was no way I was going to queue for it just so I could end up with a headache for the rest of the day.
The only flat ride I did was Navigator when the queue had died down.
They are a bit tame but they are a good ride to relax on and they don’t usually make me feel ill like most other flat rides.
Going all arty with a reflection shot of Mumbo Jumbo and Cliffhanger.
Unfortunately, something had happened to Splash Battle during the day as they had mechanics working on it in the afternoon.
Flip Flop.
Sky Flyer and Wagon Wheels.
Finally, I managed another go on Velocity and took a few final photos before having to catch the ‘journey from hell’ bus to Leeds city centre.
With the huge number of people that were at the park, Mumbo Jumbo is certainly doing its job attracting people. I reckon it’s a very good investment and all the hype surrounding the world record title certainly helped. Hopefully they will improve the ride loading over time and they really need to improve the times with some of the other attractions especially on a very busy day.
