The Great European Cred Hunt - Time to finally get some world class creds! (Parc Asterix, Walibi Belgium, Plopsaland De Panne)

[silenthillXD]

For the last couple of years I’ve really started to neglect my coaster count. I mean you know it’s bad when your most notable new cred in 2022 was Turbo at Brighton Pier… Yes, I know, shame on me. The thing is prior to this year my cred count consists mostly of coasters from the UK (groundbreaking I know), Disneyland Paris (basic), Gardaland (would be interesting if it weren’t for the fact the only cred I have there is Ortobrucco Tour - Don’t ask… it’s embarrassing) and Florida (circa 2018 so sadly no Iron Gwazi, Hagrids or Velocicoaster) so ultimately my cred count was looking pretty anemic when it comes to world class coasters. Poor Mako and Montu were pretty much holding up the fort solo on that one (although I much prefer Mine Blower because I’m apparently a masochist). So yeah, needless to say a European cred haul has been in the works for some time. This year was finally the time when stars aligned and I got to visit three different European parks across France and Belgium (no prizes for guessing which three parks).

Parc Asterix - Monday 26th June

My trip started on the outskirts of Paris with my first visit to Parc Asterix. After years of building up the hype for Toutatis, this was the clear launching point for the trip in my eyes. As we drove up to the park I was pretty shocked how compact the park looked from the outside, alongside how humongous Oziris looked next to the road. Upon entering I immediately fell in love with the old school kitsch charm of the theming. The main entrance has definitely aged, but in a charming almost nostalgic way (despite not having ever visited the park before). Having Asterix looking down from his mountain was a cute addition that really created a nice entrance point to the park.

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The crowds built up quite quickly and it soon became apparent this wasn’t going to be the quiet day we’d hoped for. In fact, the whole rope drop cluster became quite claustrophobic and unpleasant given the space you were limited to waiting within. However, it wasn’t long before we were sprinting over to Toutatis (because of course that was where we decided to start).

The new Festival Toutatis area is breathtakingly beautiful. I loved how it maintained the comic book aesthetic whilst featuring immersive and detailed theming setpieces. The creative team at Parc Asterix deserve a raise (although I'm genuinely upset at the lack of Golden Pig merchandise). The queue for Toutatis itself is extremely well integrated into the area with some comedic wooden carvings and a layout that gives you some nice sneak peeks into what you’re about to experience. Thankfully things only get better once you’re in the station, which appears as a grassy tribal mound from the outside, but is a dark and magical cavern inside. It has to be one of my favorite ride stations of all time. No critiques here, just heaps of praise.

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So, given I haven’t ridden an Intamin Multilaunch prior to Toutatis (it’s probably for the best we forget Cheetah Hunt doesn’t exist) I was pretty curious to see how it would ride. Almost immediately I was beaming from ear to ear. The initial launch was punchy and the cutback element had some nice whip and hangtime to it. Before I knew it I was being flung down into the launch pit and being bounced backwards and forwards on the swing launch section. The launches are again pretty powerful and gave some great airtime whilst hopping over the hill. There were also some nice moments of floater on the top hat and spike. Unfortunately, the break on the other side of the top hat limits the impact of the following drop, but it’s still fun enough. I just feel the ride would be significantly better without the trims.

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The next section out in the woods was pretty spectacular. Having never done a zero g stall I didn’t know what to expect. The sensation this element provided was pure refined hangtime meets airtime. It was delectable. The airtime hills were intense, but I did expect slightly more from the outwards banked hill. One section which really caught me off guard was the final inversion… It’s sharp and whippy, but with the freedom the lap bars give you it feels really enjoyable.

Overall I fell in love instantly. Whilst I felt it was a little short and that some elements didn’t quite hit as hard as they could, there was no doubt it was my new no 1 (sorry Mine Blower, you’ve served me well as a niche no 1 credit but I guess i’m a basic Intamin fanboy now).

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After finishing with Toutatis we ended up succumbing to the Filomatix fastpass system as the park was horrendously busy. Our second ride of the day was Trace du Hourra, the Mack Bobsled coaster. Being a fan of Avalanche at Blackpool I was looking forward to this cred. Unfortunately, the ride op stapled me to the most severe degree that this ride became torturous. Despite having my stomach crushed by the restraints the whole way through the layout I couldn’t help but appreciate the layout of this ride. It’s incredibly long (which probably wasn’t the best given my predicament), but it was well paced and felt out of control and zippy throughout. It had some nice swing around the corners and genuinely provided an all around great experience. It’s just a shame the ride op tried to murder me… Oh well, I guess you can’t win them all.

We then decided to tackle the two major water rides of the park, Menhir Express and Le Grand Splatch. As we got to the boarding station for Menhir I was filled with instant regret. The people leaving the boats were drenched from head to toe. Now I’m not adverse to getting wet on rides, but this was far more than I'd expected from a log flume. Needless to say I set off on the flume with a sense of trepidation. The reason for this wetness soon became very clear as the water was incredibly choppy, often splashing up into the boats even when no drops were present. What about during the drops I hear you ask? Well, it wasn’t quite Valhalla levels of wetness, but it was closer than I’d ever expected to get on a simple log flume. Thankfully, both drops were pretty great, with the hidden bunny hop drop being quite a nice surprise. I came off Menhir loving the ride, the choppiness of the water made it stand out amongst other flume rides and give it a strong personality (and an obscene level of wetness too).

Speaking of obscene levels of wetness, it’s time to talk about Le Grand Splatch. Oh dear. Oh dear indeed. This ride is an absolute must on any visit to Asterix. It’s an absolute soaker, drowning you within seconds of leaving the lift hill. I must say I was a little disappointed in some aspects of the ride. Being set within the mountain Asterix sits on at the head of the park, I was expecting more theming (well to be honest ANY theming). But I guess I can’t complain when the theming budget seemingly got spent on a platoon of dangerously powerful water jets and fountains that were aimed at the boat. There’s no doubt about it, this ride is unpredictable. You never quite know who is going to get hit next or how powerful the water jet will be. My advice would be to avoid sitting on the right hand side. Sadly, the main drop doesn’t pack much of an impact and the ride ends on a bit of a tepid note. However, it was still one of the funniest moments of the entire trip. Me and my friends were in hysterics the whole way around. Well, at least I was given that I missed the brunt of the fountains. I’m not sure the same can be said from my friends on the right of the boat…

We decided the best way to dry off would be to get a ride in on OzIris. Walking into the plaza I was pretty awestruck. The theming in this area is second to none and I didn’t even get to go through the main queue line. Why can’t more parks put an effort into creating a beautiful area rather than plonking down a single theming element and calling it a day? The ride itself was an interesting one. My first ride was extremely rough. There was an obscene and constant rattle throughout the entire ride. Something I'd never experienced from a B&M before. However, my second ride later on in the day was glass smooth. Whatever the cause of this was, it needs to be sorted because no ride should be that bad. Thankfully the layout is sublime. The initial drop is huge and packs some great airtime and whip towards the back of the train. The following inversions feel like a chaotic whirlwind of elements that never let up. The zero g’s were a particular highlight and probably come the closest to delivering a true zero gravity sensation that any zero g roll has ever come. The pacing was relentless and despite hearing some people claim the latter half dies, I felt everything hit with a nice flow and level of whip. It’s an invert that puts Inferno and Nemesis to shame, although in my opinion is just below Montu when compared to other inverts.

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After Oziris we moved onto L'Oxygénarium. I’m not the biggest fan of Storm Surge so I went into this with low expectations, however I really enjoyed this ride. It’s definitely faster paced and the setting and theming make it quite aesthetically pleasing. It’s not the most thrilling experience at the park but it’s good fun and gets you spinning quite a bit!

We then stopped for lunch at Le Cirque which is easily one of the best themed restaurants i’ve been to outside of Disney. I loved the attention to detail with circus trailers, massive animal cages you could eat in and massive hanging posters showcasing the circus acts. Oh and the food was pretty darned good too! Lots of variety and seemingly better quality than most normal theme park food.

Now for the most infamous ride at Asterix! I was kinda dreading Goudurix, even moreso when I found out I’d be sitting towards the back. Honestly? It wasn’t all that bad. Don’t get me wrong, the tracking of this ride is atrocious, but I wasn’t in too much pain and my head didn’t get battered around. I expected a lot worse and came off being pleasantly surprised. The inversions are somewhat fun, albeit extremely janky and the setting is beautiful above the water. Would I ride again? Absolutely! Would I wait the 40 minute queue it ended up with? Hell no.

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Now i’m quite a big woodie fan, so I had high expectations for Tonnerre 2 Zeus (especially given Mine Blower had just been dethroned by Toutatis). I opted to do the backwards row on both my rides, so sadly I can’t comment on how good the forward facing experience is. No bother though, because backwards Zeus is quite frankly ridiculous. You haul through the layout and there’s nothing quite as terrifying as getting lurched down the drop backwards without any warning. The airtime is sublime. Sadly I would say the airtime in the rest of the layout isn’t quite as strong as I was hoping. It’s there and it’s fun, but it’s not the extreme ejector I got from Mine Blower back in 2018. That being said, I rank this ride really high. The chaotic nature of riding it backwards really elevated it to a whole new level.

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We then completed the cred list (well minus kiddie creds because I have some self respect) with Pégase Express. Honestly, what were Gerstlauer thinking?! This ride is certainly more powerful than I’d expect for a family thrill coaster. It’s a really nice midpoint between family and full on thrill. The launches had a good impact (more intense than some thrill coasters * cough * Icon * cough *) and the hills and turns were nice and swoopy. I particularly appreciated the themed show scene that has an unexpected water effect that certainly didn’t make me scream upon impact. That would be embarrassing if it happened. Thankfully that DEFINITELY didn’t happen. But yeah, great ride for upcoming thrill seekers with some nice theming. It’s a real shame we don’t have one of these in the UK. I’m hoping Paultons gets one eventually.

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We rounded the day out on the rapids which were pretty standard, then completed some re-rides on Toutatis, Oziris and Zeus. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to do everything I wanted, but it was heaving so that was pretty impossible to achieve. I genuinely loved the park. The theming is brilliant. The older sections of the park have a real charm to them and the new sections are just up there with some of the best theming in parks outside of Universal/Disney. The ride lineup is stellar and there’s honestly not much room for improvement here. I just wish we’d gone on a quieter day. Thankfully the ops at this park were beyond belief and incredibly fluid. It really makes you question how we don’t have a park of this level in the UK.

 

[silenthillXD]

Walibi Belgium - Tuesday 27th June

So, following a successful day at Parc Asterix where I had gained a new number one, we headed across the border into Belgium for Walibi Belgium. I must admit, I had downplayed this park before my visit. It never seems to get quite the same hype from enthusiasts that Walibi Holland does and Kondaa seemingly doesn’t seem to get the same attention as the other new gen Intamins in Europe. That’s not to say I wasn’t excited. Pulling up into the park, Kondaa looms overhead next to the main road. Despite not reaching 200ft it’s imposing and is a dramatic statement piece for the park. My anticipation certainly spiked upon seeing it in person!

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Eager to join the queue, we headed straight over to Exotic Zone the second the gates opened. Despite walking rather hastily through the park, I immediately fell in love with the place. It’s got a lot of charm and is rather beautiful to walk through. The humongous lake in the center really adds some nice viewpoints of the different attractions, albeit at the cost of a truly horrendous walk if you fancy riding something on the other side…

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Unfortunately for us, Kondaa was right at the back of the park, meaning we had quite the trek before we’d be riding anything. However, the instant we entered the Kondaa plaza, all was forgiven. This area is breathtakingly beautiful and creative. I really liked the imposing station building, from which the towering coaster emerges from. The tribal aesthetic feels unique in execution and really immerses you into the area. If I had one note for improvement, I feel more could’ve been done with the outdoors portions of the queue. Whilst they offer great views of the ride, it’s a shame there aren’t any theming elements present. That being said the station itself has a wonderfully ominous vibe to it that really builds up anticipation before embarking on the ride.

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Now just how was the ride itself? That’s an interesting question. I went into Kondaa excited, but not expecting a new no 1. On reflection that was rather naive. Kondaa is an absolute beast with simply divine airtime. The first drop has to be the most maniacal element on any coaster I've done. It whips you around and hurls you out of your seat. The ejector on this element is amongst the best i’ve experienced and put the fear of life into me. What followed was a nice short pop of positives before being hurled out of my seat violently over the first camelback hill. Once again the airtime was relentless and sharp. I’d honestly never felt anything quite like this. Needless to say, Kondaa wasn’t done with me yet. The outwards banked hill may just have been one of my favorite elements of the entire ride. It demonstrated that I was right in feeling disappointed in the same element on Toutatis, as the train hauled over this hill and once again ejected me out of my seat. I was starting to get the impression that Kondaa didn’t want me riding it, or that perhaps someone at Intamin wanted me dead. Either way, my mind was blown by the sheer unrelenting nature of the airtime on this coaster.

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Interestingly, people often complain about the non-inverting cobra roll on Kondaa. I was bracing for a bit of a lul, however this element delivered in bucket loads for me. I found there to be light floater and some really interesting whippy transitions on this element. It wasn’t the star by any means, but as a turnaround it was highly enjoyable and unique! From this point onwards everything was a blur. When I say this ride is relentless, I really mean it. It’s airtime hill after airtime hill, each providing ejector airtime perfection. None of the elements disappointed. Each hill flung me out of my seat with a ferocity I’d not seen before. The interesting thing is, each airtime hill provided variety. It wasn’t an endless course of camelbacks, there were multiple different forms of airtime hill. Some short and snappy, some more drawn out and sustained. It was like an all you can eat buffet of ejector airtime. By the time we hit the breaks I was exhausted and honestly my thighs were starting to hurt slightly. But boy, I was impressed. Completely speechless about what I'd just experienced. One thing was for sure, Toutatis had been dethroned and it wasn’t even remotely close. Kondaa was my new number one.

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After Kondaa we needed a rest, so headed onto the nearby Tiki-Waka. I’m a huge fan of Gerstlauer Bobsleds having ridden Cobra at Paultons Park so my excitement was quite high! The first thing I noticed was just how well integrated this coaster is within Exotic Zone. It brings the area to life with it’s cars racing around in the sky and dipping through what can only be described as ‘Mario Kart, but make it Polynesian’ theming elements. It’s beautiful and has to be one of the best themed family attractions out there. Now the ride itself was quite tame, even for a Gerst Bobsled. I loved Cobra due to the surprising snippets of airtime the ride provides. Unfortunately, this was lacking on Tiki-Waka. However, the drops were nice and swoopy and were a lot of fun. My highlight was the S-bend drop that dives through the play structure within the area. It’s not the most intense ride out there, but it will definitely bring a smile to your face. Given how beautifully it’s presented I dare say I might even prefer it to the aforementioned Cobra, purely due to the lively theming and atmosphere that surround the ride.

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As we were in the area we then headed onto the Challenge of Tutankhamon. I’d heard great things about this dark ride and I am glad to say it mostly lived up to my expectations. The theming is incredible and I felt immersed throughout the whole experience. Sadly, from my understanding some of the effects weren’t quite working. Alas we were missing the flame effects which had been hyped up by other enthusiasts. Whilst this was a shame the ride was still impressive and beyond the quality i’d expect from a park outside Universal/Disney. One thing I would say is it would really benefit from losing the guns. They definitely distracted from the stunning effects and visuals on display.

After finishing Exotic Zone we headed over to Psyké Underground. For some reason, I’d hyped this ride up quite a bit prior to visiting. I don’t know why, but the prospect of riding an old school Schwarzkopf really excited me. I guess it’s probably down to all the Alton Towers fans fawning over their lost Thunderlooper. Anyway, back to Psyké. This ride is a true hidden gem. The atmosphere is fun, camp and lively with a soundtrack that gives me Europop cheese at its finest. It’s pure Eurovision material, which automatically gives the ride bonus points. The ride itself is short but isn’t modest with its impact. The launch was a lot of fun and I loved the lighting effects that accompanied the entire ride. I particularly enjoyed the forceful loop, especially on the return trip backwards. For such a simple layout this ride is extremely enjoyable. I immediately wanted to get back on it after my first ride.

Given that Flash Back the park’s log flume was next door, we proceeded to head onto our first water ride of the day. It’s a very strong log flume with some neat theming and a great double down finale. Being the drop tower enthusiast that I am, I couldn't help but run over to Dalton Terror afterwards to dry off. Given how much I miss Apocalypse I was desperate to relive the intense airtime that ride produced. Dalton Terror didn’t disappoint. It’s absolutely huge and I'm not ashamed to admit I freaked out whilst waiting to board. The views were pretty spectacular from the top, although you’re not up there for long. I absolutely loved the drop. Whilst it’s not as powerful as something like Hangover, it’s got some great floater and an extreme sense of speed to it. The breaks seemingly hit quite low down, so you’re falling for quite some time. This is a definite improvement over Apocalypse’s sit down side. I just wish they had a stand up option. As Calamity Mine was right next to the exit for Dalton Terror, we decided to head onto that next. There’s not much to be said about it other than it’s a really impressive Big Thunder knock off with some great theming and a nice little geyser. Once again I was really impressed with the park's presentation with this one. It really felt like an effort had been made to make this western area immersive and well themed.

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After a quick bite for lunch we headed over to Pulsar… Oh god… Where do I even begin? First off, why does nobody talk about this ride? It’s an absolute powerhouse. It’s thrilling, it’s a real soaker and it’s all out fun! I went in expecting nothing and got the shock of my life the second we launched backwards. These launches mean business and absolutely hurl you over the airtime hump in between the vertical spikes. There’s some great airtime on this ride and it’s by no means a family coaster as I expected. This is all out thrill! To top it all off the splashdown is a real soaker if you’re sitting on the edges. I was soaked through to the bone. Thankfully it was a nice warm day so I couldn’t complain. But wow. This ride is massively underrated. It’s a fun layout with a really neat theme that is executed really well throughout the somewhat small station. I loved the beating heart that acted as the titular pulse. The light effects that beat out of the heart and into the ride op area were genius. We need more creative concepts like this in our coasters!

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Sadly, after being massively impressed by Pulsar I rode Loup-Garou. I don’t want to dwell on the negatives, but this might just be the worst coaster I've ever ridden. I got no airtime or force throughout the entire layout and the trains were unbearably uncomfortable. My restraint kept lowering throughout the entire ride, making the whole experience absolutely agonizing. I was stapled by the bottom of the first drop and things only got worse throughout the layout. I was thankful when the ride finished and can honestly say I never have any desire to re-ride it. Please dear god get RMC to retrack this. It’s in dire need of fixing.

I spent the rest of the day getting some re-rides in on Kondaa, absolutely cementing it as my new no 1. Kondaa is literally perfect. I have zero critiques. I dare say it’s going to be near impossible to dethrone this coaster from pole position on my top 10. However, given Ride to Happiness was due to happen the next day, I remained open minded. As Kondaa shut before the park closed, I managed to get another ride in on Psyké Underground before heading over to a very highly anticipated ride for me… Popcorn Revenge. Oh boy, the hype for this thing is totally warranted. It’s so charming you can’t help but fall in love with it. The sense of humor with some of the cinematic references was wonderful! I really liked the ride system too, it was great seeing the ride vehicles dance in and out of the movie screens. Honestly, this is a modern classic dark ride and I'm shocked nobody has tried to rip it off yet. This would work wonders in the UK! And that draws my day at Walibi Belgium to a close! I rounded out the day with a new number 1 that seemed almost impossible to dethrone and a love for what I found to be a near perfect park. The new family Gerst launch coaster will be a real nice addition and I can only hope that RMC come in and retrack Loup-Garou. But yeah, Walibi Belgium has shot up to become one of my favorite parks! It’s a fantastic place!

 

[Howie]

Great reports so far dude. Kondaa is indeed a beast, and I'm totally down with the Pulsar love!
Looking forward to part 3.

 

[silenthillXD]

Great reports so far dude. Kondaa is indeed a beast, and I'm totally down with the Pulsar love!
Looking forward to part 3.

Aw thanks! Yeah Kondaa was really surprising. It's just relentless! Haha oh Pulsar is brilliant, I can't believe how forceful those launches are. It's definitely slept on!

 

[silenthillXD]

Plopsaland De Panne - Wednesday 28th June

Our final day of the trip brought us to Plopsaland De Panne to ride what was probably my most anticipated coaster in Europe. I don’t need to tell you which one, because you sure as hell know it’s not Heidi the Ride. Whilst Plopsaland has a couple of must-do rides, Ride to Happiness is easily the star of the show here. Upon entering the park through the turnstiles I was immediately blown away. The entrance plaza is absolutely gorgeous. It’s like a fantastical European twist on Mainstreet at the Disney parks. The atmosphere is magical and it immediately sets a high bar for the theming that I expected in the rest of the park.

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Unsurprisingly, we dashed over to Ride to Happiness to get our first ride in on what had been touted as the best coaster in Europe, if not the world. Continuing the theme from the park's entrance, the area surrounding Ride to Happiness is breathtakingly beautiful. I love the combination of nature, futurism and steampunk that’s present throughout the area. It’s a unique vibe and the positive, uplifting and dreamlike nature of the theme is a refreshing change from the doom and gloom we’re all used to from most parks. The queue itself has some wonderfully ambient rooms which really help build your anticipation before the ride.

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Our first ride was on the back row, which we’d been told provided some kickass airtime. Initial impressions were strong, with the delightfully hangtime filled heartline roll providing a great opening to what would be an all out assault on the senses. I must admit the launches surprised me. Despite doing Pulsar the day before, I was expecting something tame like Icon. Needless to say once the launch kicked in, I was in for a shock. The train accelerated at near Intamin level speeds and spun around way more than I had expected! Before long we got our first taste of the incredible ejector airtime this ride has to offer, before plummeting down the vertical drop backwards, which was an experience in itself. This has to be one of the strongest openings to any ride ever. It’s absolutely bonkers and provides some really enjoyable forces and sensations. It immediately proves the benefit of having spinning cars on a more extreme layout. The Banana Roll was another surprise highlight for me. If you manage to get spinning heavily, this element is pure insanity. You simply don’t know what the hell is going on when you’re barreling around this inversion. I found myself laughing at the sheer absurdity of it all.

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Whilst I tend to be an airtime guy, I could help but love the inversions on Ride to Happiness. Taking an inversion whilst spinning at a reasonable pace is something that can’t fully be appreciated until it’s been experienced. It’s wacky and given the layout of the trains, it becomes a community experience as you get to see other rides having a whale of a time riding opposite you as you invert. Now personally, I found the second half of Ride to Happiness to feature the strongest elements on the entire ride. Forgive me for failing as an enthusiast, but the element/inversions after the second launch (please somebody tell me what it actually is) was mind bogglingly good. It had some nice airtime popping up into it and a reasonable level of whip and hangtime. It was a barrage of weird and wonderful sensations all in quick succession. To top this off you then hurl down into some fantastic airtime hills and a stunning swooping turn around the plaza heading into some abrupt and violent airtime hills into the breaks.

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Mack sometimes feel a little reserved with their rides. Icon has its moments, but feels like it holds back through most of its layout. Ride to Happiness is the exact opposite and is unashamedly unrelenting. There’s very little downtime and there’s only about one element that I feel could’ve hit harder (the hill just before the second launch). It’s truly an outstanding coaster and I can completely appreciate the people who rank this as their favorite coaster in Europe/the World. Do I rank it similarly? No. I still feel Kondaa beats Ride to Happiness as it simply offers more airtime. However, I do think Ride to Happiness thrashes Toutatis and sits comfortably in second place. I really do think this ride, like Kondaa, will be hard to top. It’s just a bizarre experience that really stands out from the crowd. It’s absurdly fun and will have anyone crying tears of laughter as they hurtle through its layout.

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After an even better ride on the front row, we headed over to Heide the Ride to hopefully make amends with wooden coasters after the atrocious Loup-Garou the day before. As we had come to expect from Plopsa, the area surrounding Heide was impressively themed to the alps, with a huge level of attention to detail. The queue itself felt like an authentic swiss lodge with actual artifacts from the region. Whether they were real or not I don’t know, but I was that immersed I sure felt like they were. Unfortunately, I didn’t have high hopes for the ride. Having ridden White Lightning in Orlando (a very similar layout) I knew not to expect too much from the force department. Sadly, Heide somehow under delivered even with my low expectations. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it’s a family coaster, but given how nippy this thing is and how it hurtles through the layout, I can’t help but wonder why there isn’t any airtime to be found. It’s a fun enough experience with some interesting transitions and a surprisingly relentless pace, but the lack of any force really lets it down. Even White Lighting had some tame floater. This sadly had nothing. For the sole family coaster in the park, this really was a disappointment. I can only hope a Vekoma SFC is in the Plopsa’s future.

As DinoSplash was closed, we headed back towards Anubis the Ride to experience the other major thrill attraction at the park. I found it interesting how the majority of the ride is hidden from view, outside of a well hidden pathway behind Supersplash. It really builds a sense of intrigue around the coaster as outside of the tophat you have no idea what to expect. Now let me be straight with you. Everything you have heard about Gerstlauer launches is true. In fact, if anything the power of acceleration of these things has been dramatically undersold. I don’t think anything could’ve prepared me for the launch on this otherwise unassuming coaster. This launch is an absolute beast and rivals even that of Stealth. Whilst it doesn’t go anywhere near as fast, I dare say the acceleration feels stronger. The second you hit those LSM’s you hurtle towards the tophat reaching peak speeds almost instantly. I kid you not, my brain didn’t have time to process the launch, it felt like i’d just gone from 10mph to 55mph in an instant. Thankfully the launch isn’t all Anubis has to offer. The top hat has some stellar ejector airtime and there are little pockets of positive and negative g’s all over this layout. It’s not anywhere near as intense as Ride to Happiness, but it’s a lot of fun and honestly has managed to top Smiler as my favorite Gerstlauer. It’s a real hidden gem of a ride that whilst not world class, provides one hell of a good time!

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(Don't ask why this picture of Anubis isn't centred, i'm just assuming she's jealous of all the attention going to RtH so wants to be 'different')

We then wandered around the park absorbing the atmosphere and charm Plopsa has to offer. We eventually found Mega Mindy Jet-Ski, a ride which will be familiar to anyone who has ridden Hydra’s Challenge/Squid Surfer at Legoland Windsor. These rides are a bunch of fun, especially if you manage to get a good whip. I will say however, I was reasonably let down by this ride thanks to the sheer lack of theming present. Given how spectacular the rest of the park is, I felt this ride really stood out like a sore thumb. Whilst it rode well, it didn’t fit in with the high quality of the rest of the park.

Thankfully our next ride would be the polar opposite of this. We then headed over to DinoSplash, which has to be one of the most over the top log flumes I’ve ever seen. The theming around the ride area is breathtaking. You have lush rainforests with giant fireflies illuminating the path. The station itself lies underneath the canopy of the rainforest and is wonderfully atmospheric. Thankfully this continues onto the ride itself, with dense jungles peppered with some pretty impressive dinosaur figures. Eventually the mood changes and you find yourself travelling into an active volcano complete with magma and a ton of smoke. The effort Plopsaland have gone into theming this ride is beyond belief. It really puts some of the other major European parks to shame. Thankfully, the ride experience matches the high standards of theming with a couple of really enjoyable drops.

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As Supersplash was still closed, we wandered around the park for a bit and dared to try out Plop’s Woods. I’m sure it’s a magical ride for those who loved the show as youngsters, however I found it to be almost as unbearable and nightmarish as It’s A Small World. Thankfully, it wasted enough time for the ride mechanics to fix whatever was going on with SuperSplash so I could claim the illusive ‘Is it or is it not a cred-cred’. I’ve got to laugh at how odd SuperSplash is. You’ve got a quirky indoors vertical lift, followed by a rather short drop and that’s pretty much it… I enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t wait in the extensive queues this ride gets. It’s over before you know it! Also for a ride called SuperSplash the splash isn’t exactly what i’d call super. I got wetter on DinoSplash. After a quick re-ride on Anubis I headed over to Ride to Happiness for the rest of the day and managed to get a solid 10 re-rides total.

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Overall, I really enjoyed the park, but couldn’t help feeling there wasn’t much that I wanted to re-ride. Obviously, I was eager to get back on Ride to Happiness and Anubis, but aside from that I feel the park needs to add more standout attractions. I feel it’s odd that a park with a family audience lacks any quality family coasters. You’re stuck between the two extremes of Anubis and Ride to Happiness and a Zierrer Tivoli and Vekoma Rollerskater. Sure Heidi the Ride fills that gap, but it’s probably one of the weakest family coasters I've done. I’d love to see a Vekoma SFC and family boomerang combo get installed here or maybe something akin to Movie Park Studios at Movie Park Germany. Just something to fill that gap. However, obviously I’m not the target market for the park and I can’t deny just how incredible this place is. The theming is just beyond what anyone could expect from a family park and it has what is easily one of the best coasters in Europe!

And that rounds out my first major European cred haul! Needless to say i'm now addicted and have a couple of ideas what might come next... Let's just say Wallibi Holland for Halloween and Phantasialand for Wintertraum are looking VERY tempting right now!