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Legoland Viking River Splash to close 25th September...

B

Bowser

Mega Poster
Forever!

Every single time i've visited it's been shut anyway so i've never actually been on it but it didn't look great tbh.

Wonder what they will replace it with? What's been the cause of it never working? Could they turn it into say a Gruffalo style indoor Dark Ride using the existing "track"?
 
JoshC.

JoshC.

Strata Poster
It's had a lot of downtime in recent years (seemingly also only being open May-Sept too). It's also a ride which suffered from Merlin's extensive H&S review following Drayton's Rapids accident a few years back, both in terms of experience and number of staff required to operate it.

Assuming the ride itself is closed for good (ie we're not seeing a retheme), it's hard to imagine a replacement coming next year, given they have their new coasters opening next year.

The park has a lack of water rides as it is, so the removal of one is far from ideal.
 
Thekingin64

Thekingin64

Strata Poster
:(

It's been heavily neutered since the Drayton incident but was still one of the best things in the park, and the best rapids in the uk IMO.

Not sure what can replace it as its position halfway up the hill is very custom built for it.
 
Niles

Niles

Giga Poster
I have mixed feelings about this, it was great at throwing you around but mabey a bit to much as gf with zero balance was like a pinball 😅

I liked some of the theming but it was sparce and the ride allways looked unfinished to me with its concrete walls. When it opened it was great, a fantastic part was the big bucket hut at the end, then they removed it.

As it is going looking at the space its a decent sized plot of land and away from locals housing sooooo....coaster?

If there were to be a place to build a more thrilling coaster this is a great location, something like a launched Polar X-plorer would be fun. Other options i could see are a new little land with some flats or as we are loosing one a replacement water ride, it will be interesting to see what they do.
 
toofpikk

toofpikk

Mega Poster
I echo what everyone else here has said. Viking River Splash is a weird one. Rapids wise, it's the most intense one in the UK. I got properly winded by it back in 2016, being knocked by a wave maker so violently I slammed my chest straight into the cnetral grab ring.
But also, it was so utterly poorly themed, it was such an eye sore, a great big concrete scab on what is otherwise a quite green and pretty park. some of it's models were cool but it never really felt like it fitted in.

JoshC. said:
The park has a lack of water rides as it is, so the removal of one is far from ideal.
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I actually disagree with this statement, between Pirate Falls, Fairy Tale Brook, Lifeguard HQ, whatever on earth the squid surfer things are called now, and the atlantis ride, Lego does pretty well for water attractions. Don't get me wrong, with VRS and the chutes being removed in recent times, it's set the balance off and it'd be good to have a ride with a bit more oomph to it on some water, but I think any sort of slightly more intense attraction than just another flat ride, or ride in a box will do the trick.
 
B

Bowser

Mega Poster
Thekingin64 said:
It's been heavily neutered since the Drayton incident but was still one of the best things in the park, and the best rapids in the uk IMO.
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Really? Interesting, i've generally heard quite negative feedback about it and visually it always looked.... well, rubbish quite frankly. Although as i say, in 3 years and probably 8 or so trips i've not once seen it running with the water in it.

Better than Alton Towers (which has delightful theming imo) or Thorpe Park?
 
Thekingin64

Thekingin64

Strata Poster
Bowser said:
Really? Interesting, i've generally heard quite negative feedback about it and visually it always looked.... well, rubbish quite frankly. Although as i say, in 3 years and probably 8 or so trips i've not once seen it running with the water in it.

Better than Alton Towers (which has delightful theming imo) or Thorpe Park?
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Theming wise, arguably Drayton wins. Shame they've had to neuter it to the point you can hardly call it rapids anymore. Wettest is Gulliver's Rotherham, a sleeper hit and will get you soaked if sat in wrong seat.

Rode Viking river splash today to give it a final send off and I stand by my statement. Was closed all morning and only opened around 3pm on a 6pm close day...

Yes, towers is probably the better all round package but viking is surprisingly quick and violent, especially for a Legoland attraction. Before the Drayton incident, there were a lot of water fountains designed to squirt the boats. They've all been switched off since and some removed completely. The ride does suffer from that but it's still good fun.
 
Robbie

Robbie

Hyper Poster
Really enjoyed these rapids, even the fact they looked a bit out-of-place. One of the few rides at Legoland with a bit of an edge to it, and as such a good part of the park's all-round offer.
 
B

Bowser

Mega Poster
Thekingin64 said:
Theming wise, arguably Drayton wins. Shame they've had to neuter it to the point you can hardly call it rapids anymore. Wettest is Gulliver's Rotherham, a sleeper hit and will get you soaked if sat in wrong seat.

Rode Viking river splash today to give it a final send off and I stand by my statement. Was closed all morning and only opened around 3pm on a 6pm close day...

Yes, towers is probably the better all round package but viking is surprisingly quick and violent, especially for a Legoland attraction. Before the Drayton incident, there were a lot of water fountains designed to squirt the boats. They've all been switched off since and some removed completely. The ride does suffer from that but it's still good fun.
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Ah fair enough, glad you enjoyed it one last time! Going this weekend so will see if i get 9th time lucky 😂

I think personally i prefer my rapids to have good theming above all, whereas getting thrown around and soaked (what with it being England) are low down on the priority list.
 
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