Nonetheless, it was interesting to hear your thoughts on Voltron. Given your love of Mack multi-launches, I did wonder if it would be another Helix or RTH calibre ride for you, so I'm mildly surprised to hear that it isn't. You use the word "lumpy" quite a bit; if you don't mind me asking, what do you mean by this exactly?
Ah, it's really hard to describe, but it pertains to the layout, or 'flow' of the coaster.
Picture you've been asked to design a ride. You first begin by listing out a sequence of elements that you want to have. These individual elements form all of your favourite sensations on a coaster.
The next step in your design is that you have to determine the timeline - how long do you spend
within each of those elements, and
between those elements for them each to best be appreciated. This determines the flow of the coaster.
Now imagine someone else comes along and messes up all of that timing that you planned out, and sticks another few lesser elements in there, just because they can.
The result is lumpy. Great things are still happening, but not in a timeline that flows from one to the other nicely. One moment hits you, but then before you're done with it, something else gets in the way.
Something like that anyway, but my feeling is that it's something in the way rides with shorter trains need to behave. It's just less... masterful.
On a slightly more random note; if you don't mind me asking, what is it that continually keeps Helix at your #1 spot after all these years and after all these other coasters you've ridden?
I'm gonna have to copy paste and then tweak the answer I gave you a couple years ago after RtH, it mostly hasn't changed:
Layout, landscape, location, interaction,
the hill. Helix is still another level for me, but Voltron had a good crack at it.
The future is here, and it's launching beyond vertical.
Latest thoughts on the rest of the park then.
Alpenexpressenen Enzian
Fire is bad, but getting a new +1 is good. Fresh Mack mine train, rides well.
I was glad to not feel obliged to need the VR on this occasion and thereby ruin the visual experience although it's a shame it don't go through the diamond cave no more.
This statue of the miner mourning the loss of the dragon is such a beautiful touch.
Baa-a-a Express
Last time I was here this was under construction, a little blip of track seen from the observation tower.
It was being lovingly run by an old guy, so chill. Retirement goals to work on a ride like this.
The sheep sings as you go round, what more could you ask from a +1.
Piccolo Mondo
Don't remember much of anything about it from before. Don't remember much more now. Was cute.
Madame Freudenreich's Curiosites
Don't remember much of anything about the old dinosaur ride but this genre of 'add more character to a tired old dark ride' is something I can definitely get behind.
Gorgeous queue.
And dinosaurs with cake. Perfection.
Abenteueuer Atlantis
I liked working out which targets score more points on the interactive dark ride. Tactics always add to these things. S'alright.
Bench: the Ride
Don't remember much of anything about it from before. Don't remember much more now. Was cute.
Euromir
I liked Euromir a lot, save for the fact it bashed my knees up back in the day. Managed to avoid that this time and had a great time on it. Spins less than I remember with the whole controlled rotation aspect, but is probably wise, it goes real hard in that final section and would probably mess people up at any other angle. Great ride with great character. Next one to get a looking at now that Croatia is done though I hear.
Piraten in Batavia
Fire is bad, but getting a dark ride rebuilt is good. Don't remember much of anything about it from before.
Now it's amazing, a real standout in the park. In being very comparable to such Disney rides, it's nice to ride one that isn't a clone and matches the quality in many ways. Epic scenes, gorgeous scenery, a good time all round.
Snorri Touren
I love how understated some of the entrances are at Europa. With such a breadth of things to do they don't even need to hammer you over the head with -->MAJOR RIDE HERE<--.
And Snorri is a solid addition to the dark ride lineup. Love the character and the pacing in the first half of the ride but then it does end in a rather jarring and abrupt fashion, which I found a bit odd.
Best thing about the whole thing - his animatronic actually hits the right mushroom drums in time with the soundtrack.
Voletarium
Best thing about the whole thing - the drone in the queue.
It's fine, it's a flying theatre. Having one run semi-efficiently without a huge interruption between pre-show storyline and final showdown makes for a nice change but it's still a faff and then just wafting over some stuff. Was interesting how many European locations I didn't recognise - I swear they made some of them up.
Donkeys
The park has an excellent donkey game.
There's even one in the new area, with a hat.
Also love how many parts of the park can simply go unseen. Tell me where this is.
Eurosat
I was extremely worried about what had happened to my beloved Eurosat. Really fell hard for this ride in the past, it was a defining moment of the trip back in the day, an overwhelming emotional rollercoaster hearing the soundtrack in person on the lift, thoughts equivalent to 'I'm finally out living the dream and visiting these worldwide theme parks' in the early days of my hobby, perfectly paralelled with the phrase in the soundtrack 'finally, the time has come'.
Then they said they were making it the Can-Can. It felt like they were turning it into a joke. There's no way that can work, ride ruined.
And yet, somehow, it works. I expected to despise everything it had become but sitting there on that endless spiral lift hill - wait, what's this? They've kept the old music here, an updated and slowed orchestral version in perfect tribute to what this ride once was. The emotions hit me all again while in the dark, anticipating the inevitable. It's such a beautiful touch.
Then with all the build up and crescendo of reaching the top and it turning into something wild and fun, the Can-Can music actually works too. A wink from the moon and a bon voyage leads to a frantic carnival of sound with a wild indoor ride that still hauls and still kicks ass in all the ways it shouldn't be able to given the limitations of its situation. A classic piece of music that doesn't know how to end, but then neither does the ride, as you drop through a windmill and then there's just a whole extra floor to go after its already been going on an age.
It ends to epic fanfare, as it should. They've made it better, against all odds. I can only applaud.
Only thing I miss is the astronaut stuck in a wall mouthing words we'll never understand.
Silver Star
I'd heard they killed the fun of this ride too, by canning the cheesy ass song that was its only character anyway.
Don't remember the queue being quite as unpleasant, but it is. Basically a warehouse with some bad cars in it, and tv adverts for bad cars. But then on our second go, the theme hit on the speakers. It was all we needed. Ride on, Silver Star.
Still one of the better B&M hypers in my books, I had worried how it would stand the test of time (and experience). The old school nature doesn't lend itself well to that magic row near the front, which works on many of the newer ones but is a bit of a dud here. Instead, back row is best for the unrefined, jankier moments that include ejector out of the midcourse and some uncharacteristically fun twists and turns that so many others fall short on.
Pegasus
Better than a Vekoma Junior, but priced accordingly.
Kassandra
I don't remember this madhouse being so incomprehensible, but it is. The magic of the swing is a little lost when you don't know what's going on in the themed experience, but the magic within the seat itself cannot be denied.
Jim Button
Hadn't heard of this, and though this park is likely highly researched, it looked like it posed the question 'is it a dark ride?'
It wasn't, but this big dragon is great.
Wodan
Still one of the better GCIs in my books, I had worried how it would stand the test of time (and experience). I don't see it as being quite as epic as it once was, it's better than 'the norm' but far from up there with the greats. What have they done to the start? I remember it being real out of control into that first drop but now it just wobbles around on some asphalt.
Arthur
This went up in my estimation in that it was nothing like how I remembered. The locker faff has been rectified. I remember issues with the screens in that sitting in the back row would miss all the action in a comedic sense, unless I'm confusing it with another ride. There aren't many though. The soundtrack was funny. It had far more physical sets than I recall. It rode with a little vigor too and thus, wasn't entirely pointless. I'll assume they've fixed things rather than that I was wrong.
Oh, and is that spotlight and camera combo meant to look like a face? Creepy.
Frog game is pretty good too.
Think that's about it for Europa. Blue Fire was a thing of course, but I've ridden like 12 of them since, so really didn't care. They messed up the onboard soundtrack on my single lap, which is the only thing that makes the original worth doing to me, so that sucked.
Had a lovely 2 days, queues were a little bigger than you'd normally like to get absolutely everything done or spend time on some filler coasters, but shout out to the free fastrack system. If you game it on your phone in the first couple hours it can reward you pretty well, including a walk on Voltron or two.
Mm.. Voltron.
Up next - Coccinelle
