Walibi World/Holland losing a coaster

[Absimilliard]

After years of ride removals, the next ride to leave Walibi Holland is the Wild Mouse. Flying Dutchman Gold Mine is already getting removed and moving to the small Mer de Sable park in France. Here is a link showing pictures of the removal: http://www.parczone.com/actu.php?idr=209 .

Mer De Sable is also owned by Compagnie des Alpes, which is rebuilding the park after doing an horrible job where most of the rides in the park left after the park purchase. The park had long term leases on an Enterprise, swinging ship, kiddie coaster and more flats and when Compagnie des Alpes bought the park, they chose to break the leases and replace those rides with a Zierer flat ride, a walibi world flats and a bunch of Zamperla family flats. The park had one coaster left, an horrible and boring Soquet mine train that consisted of one drop, an helix and a drop into the brakes! They finally closed the ride and "La Mine Bleue" (The Blue Mine) will be the used replacement.

 

[nadroJ]

They should get rid of the boomerang too, it's been sat there doing nothing for god knows how long.

The Walibi parks are awful and need a MASSIVE rehaul, although I hear 'something is going on at Walibi' next year, so who knows.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

^If I recall correctly the Boomerang is being redone and will reopen next year with the new trains and some rock n roll theme...

 

[nealbie]

Can't they lose a wasp or two thousand whilst they're at it?

 

[Martyn B]

^If I recall correctly the Boomerang is being redone and will reopen next year with the new trains and some rock n roll theme...

Apart from the rock n roll theme, I've heard its gong to be re-opening every year since it closed.

 

[rickydoodle]

The Boomerang is definitely reopening. This is the first time the park has commented or promoted it.

 

[Martyn B]

Did they buy a brand new train, or snatch an old one?

The Missile's old train was apparently being re-furbished, so I wonder if they went for that?

 

[KristofWB]

La Via Volta is announced to re-open in 2011. The ride is re-painted in orange and purple, will get new Vekoma trains, and if I'm correct, on-board music system.

Anyway, this is about the next ride to leave Walibi World. The park said a long time ago they do this because they have over-capacity. But how can that be possible when you have that little number of visitors per season. I mean, 2.000.000 visitors in 2000, 700.000 visitors 2 years ago.

 

[Martyn B]

La Via Volta is announced to re-open in 2011. The ride is re-painted in orange and purple, will get new Vekoma trains, and if I'm correct, on-board music system.

Is it one of them lap-bar trains?

 

[nadroJ]

I mean, 2.000.000 visitors in 2000, 700.000 visitors 2 years ago.

Obviously they have their reasons, no theme park purposely removes rides with the intention of lowering gates figures, but it does seem a bit silly that not only have they not had any significant new attraction in god knows how long, they're now removing rides, hence making the park even poorer than it already is.

It makes me sad. The park is dismal, fact. But it's oozing with potential and this is what frustrates me. It reminds me of one of those scenarios on RCT where you have to go into a park and fix it up. Like I have already said, the park just needs a massive investment into maybe one or two new (good and worthwhile) attractions alongside some retheming and general beautification of the park itself.

 

[nealbie]

It just feels dirty and dingy and poorly managed!

Except for the Bolognaise..... which is AMAZING! <3

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

It reminds me of one of those scenarios on RCT where you have to go into a park and fix it up.

I'm not sure if you said this intentionally with the fact that this park did appear in RCT2 as one of the real-life parks... :lol:

 

[Ben]

I still really liked Walibi World this year, I don't see what's so wrong with it?

It's CRYING out for investment though. They have Goliath which is one of the best coasters ever, but, nothing else. NOTHING had changed between 2006 and this year, except things had gone.

But, as a base park, I don't think it's grotty or anything...? All the fundamentals are there - a GREAT stand-out attraction, fun water rides, some good fillers, there just isn't enough there overall.

 

[KristofWB]

The thing with Walibi World is the fact that it once was one of the better themeparks in Europe. Before the Flagging in 2000, the park was this little and unknown local park in Holland. Even investing in El Condor in 1994 by the Walibi Group ended in a huge loss. When Premier Parks showed their interest in the Walibi Group in -I think- 1998, Walibi Flevo was the only park they wanted to get rid of. It was the weakest park from the Walibi Group, which included many parks (Walibi Waver, Walibi Flevo, Walibi Aquitaine, Walibi Rhône-Alpes, Walibi Schtroumpf, Bellewaerde Park, Mini-Europe and the Océade waterpark).

When the park transformed into Six Flags Holland in 2002, the park had a growth in number of visitors, going up to 2.000.000, but again a great loss one season later. I think there was this loss about 800.000 visitors. In 2002, Six Flags wanted to bring back up those numbers by adding Goliath, which didn't give those results at all. Goliath even brought a bigger financial loss than before. Number of visitors kept going down. The Belgian brother of Six Flags Holland ran away with the honor. Number of visitors for the Belgian park grew up to about 1.300.000 visitors and even almost 1.400.000 in 2003 with Challenge of Tutankhamon.

When the Six Flags parks were purchased by Palamon Capital Partners in 2004, they wanted to make Walibi World bigger again because they saw it as the park with the biggest potential to become a big park. Yet, no better results with only a sad 760.000 in 2006.

When Compagnie des Alpes purchased the parks in 2006, they said the group had only two parks that were reliable and earned the most budget, because they always had the best financial numbers and number of visitors: Parc Astérix and Walibi Belgium. So now Walibi World has ended into the list of some of the little local parks they own.

A pretty sad story actually!

 

[andrus]

^Interesting! But I just can't see why a relatively large park like this close to the capital can't be successful? They sure has to do something wrong, they have great potential for big visitor numbers.

 

[KristofWB]

^Interesting! But I just can't see why a relatively large park like this close to the capital can't be successful? They sure has to do something wrong, they have great potential for big visitor numbers.

Walibi World is close to Amsterdam, yet it is pretty hard to get to with public transport. The park is located in the middle of nowhere and is right in the middle with fields filled with cows.

One other fact is the presence of Efteling in Holland. This is one of the oldest parks in the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) and is really, really, really popular in Belgium and Holland. Efteling is very close to the Belgian border and many Belgians visit this park. And Efteling is one of the most important tourist attractions in Holland. It is also very popular in Holland and more Dutch people choose a day Efteling instead of a day Walibi World.

And I do even fear more for Walibi World with the growth in popularity of Plopsaland in Belgium and Toverland in Holland!

 

[KristofWB]

Sorry! Dubble post!

 

[Ben]

Walibi World is close to Amsterdam, yet it is pretty hard to get to with public transport. The park is located in the middle of nowhere and is right in the middle with fields filled with cows!

I can't say I agree with this... OK, it's in the middle of nowhere, but, there's a shuttle to and from the train station, from where the train only takes about an hour. It's basically getting to Thorpe or Legoland from London... Really not that bad!

 

[KristofWB]

I can't say I agree with this... OK, it's in the middle of nowhere, but, there's a shuttle to and from the train station, from where the train only takes about an hour. It's basically getting to Thorpe or Legoland from London... Really not that bad!

OK, this might be a luxuery problem since a one hour drive to a themepark with a bus is pretty far for us Belgian people Since most of the parks in Belgium take an hour with a bus and a train or even two trains

 

[Martyn B]

And I do even fear more for Walibi World with the growth in popularity of Plopsaland in Belgium and Toverland in Holland!

This just begs the question of why aren't they trying to compete?