lom.lom.lom
Roller Poster
This week in May is usually when work winds down for me during the week til the Fall. I found a reasonably priced flight to Brussels back in January and said why tf not, let’s go ride some bucket list coasters.
I started off this solo trip w a flight out of Philly 5/4 evening, getting into Frankfurt then Brussels by 10:15 AM on 5/5. I debated exploring the local area, maybe Ghent or Bruges. If I wanted to squeeze in a quick trip to Plopsaland, I’d only have a few hours there. I said f it and took the train right up to De Panne.
Plospaland Belgium:
I arrived with 2.5 hours to spare and ran right for Ride To Happiness. I’ve ridden Time Traveler on one trip to SDC and was whelmed. (I also may or may not have accidentally taken too much of a hallucinogenic substance that day and was having a rough time). This would be potential redemption. Boy did it not only redeem, it surpassed my already high expectations. What an incredible ride from start to finish.
I got 4 rides, one in each car, and each one was so different but still so good. The direction you take each element really does have a major impact on the experience. I liked taking the hills backwards (esp the first drop) and the inversions either sideways or spinning. This ride did not make me nauseous and I’m a bit of a lightweight for spinning.
The rest of the lineup is fine. #likeme was down but got 1x on the others. If I would’ve reridden any it would’ve been Heidi. Anubis is okay but not my cup of tea.
The park is beautiful. There isn’t a ton to do there but I could spend a full day there taking in the ambiance and lapping RtH.
After 10 hrs of flying and 5 hrs of trains for 2ish hours at a park, I stopped in the center of town for some funky lambics and then got to my hotel and passed out.
Walibi Belgium:
I woke up early to get a really tasty flat white and pastry and to take the train from Brussels Schuman to Ottignies to Walibi for opening. I wasn’t returning to my hotel, and I’d heard horror stories of people losing their bags on Mecalodon, so I got a locker at the front of the park first thing.
Part of this trip planning was revolving around warm (enough) weather, my free time, and avoiding holidays. The weather was good enough, about 55° F and damp but never more than a sprinkle. The crowds were LIGHT. Luck prevailed for sure.
My strategy was: Tiki Waka, Mecalodon 2x, Turbine, Fun Pilot, Popcorn, Cobra, Vampire, Loup-Garou, Pulsar, Calamity Mine, and finally Kondaa. Everything worked great except for 2 coasters on one train messing things up: Vampire (30 min wait) and Kondaa. Had I known Kondaa was on one, I would’ve hit it a few times earlier. The wait was still consistently around 20-30 min all day, so I ended up racking up 6 rides pretty easily. I also got on Tutankhamen (really great).
There are only 3 coasters worth talking about here at length. Loup-Garou was a pleasant surprise. I only got one ride and wish I got 1-2 more. The airtime is really solid, and it’s only a bit rough in the first 3rd or so of the ride. The worst thing about it is the hard restraint. Would def be a bruiser with more rides. Mecalodon was so much fun. Way more forceful than expected for a family coaster. The whole ride is a blast from start to finish. The layout is long and interesting.
Kondaa was my most sought after credit of the trip. The thing is overall a hoot. The first 3 elements are among the best sequence of elements on any ride. It borders El Toro for me, it might be arguably a better sequence, it’s definitely more interesting. The first drop is wild in the back. The camelback is maybe the strongest sustained ejector I’ve ever felt. The outer back is one of my favs of all time, maybe my fav. The rest of the ride is also great but not as great. A few great moments of airtime. Overall incredible speed and a fun layout. The aspect of it finishing less strong than it starts docks a few points for me.
The park overall was beautiful. I’m happy I got there on a good day. There were still some annoying kids around but thankfully not as bad as I’ve heard during peak times. Kondaa alone is worth the trip but there’s plenty to do there and I really enjoyed it there.
I made my way back to Brussels for a bit to imbibe a bit more before catching my train to Cologne. I went right to the hotel and passed out.
Phantasialand:
I once again arose early to catch a train.. this time to Brühl, to then catch the shuttle to the park gate. Although Kondaa was my most sought after credit, this was my biggest bucket list park.
I was able to enter the park right at 9:00. A few people ran to Maus au Chocolat so I did that first. I knew Black Mamba would be running early so I quickly got a ride on that as well. That one was a bit disappointing. The scenery is great but the forces are a bit lacking for me.
I once again both succeeded in good planning and lucked out with good weather and low crowds. By the time 10:00 rolled around, I wanted to ride F.L.Y. but it was down, so I knocked out the annoying low capacity rides. Crazy Bats was terrible and made me dizzy. Winjas Force was fun but not one that I’d go back to.
By then F.L.Y had opened and I got my first ride. What an incredible experience. There’s nothing like zipping through Rookburg on that thing. The forces were impressive and the variety of forces was pretty surprising and fun.
After that I trekked to Colorado Adventure. This was the surprise of the whole trip for me. I had a row to myself in the back car and got flung everywhere. So much fun. Without a doubt my favorite mine train.
Taron was next. I had heard mixed reviews but mostly positive reviews. This ride totally exceeded expectations. As much fun as it is going though the area on F.L.Y. this was an even more fun experience. So much speed, awesome airtime, so many interactions with the pathways and rock work and the waterfalls. I love this ride. It’s my 2nd fav Intamin launch coaster so far behind VelociCoaster and about Maverick.
I then knocked out Raik and Winjas Fear. I was all done w credits by 1:30 and had a few hours to take in the ambiance, get rerides, and do a few other non coasters like Chiapas and Mystery Castle (the ghost train was down sadly). I ended up w 3 on Taron, 2 on F.L.Y. Colorado Adventure and Black Mamba, and 1 on the others.
The park is beautiful and a real pleasure to hang out in. I don’t love Deep In Africa and China, they feel weird to pair with the other themed areas. I could spend all day in Klugheim, which might be my fav area in any park. I could see it feeling claustrophobic on a crowded day though. I also loved the vibes of Berlin and Mexico, and the area in Fantasy Land(?) by the water is also really nice.
I overall prefer Europa Park for having a bit better of a ride lineup and having a more park-like feel as opposed to an immersive experience. This place has some higher highs though. The scenery is 2nd to none. Every visual angle from every square foot in the park feels so thoughtful. It’s both visually impressive and comfortable. I was looking around in awe the whole day, especially in Klugheim.
After my day there, I took the shuttle back to Brühl and the train back to Cologne. Cologne is fine, nothing to write home about, I had more fun in Brussels. I woke up early to catch the train back to Brussels Airport (which is a total ****show, do not fly in/out of there!). I’m now chilling in Dulles waiting for my flight back home.
Closing thoughts:
This little trip was tiring. So much travel time for 2.5 actual park days. However these parks are really special and have some world class coasters. Of the 23 coasters I rode, 5 preliminarily made my top 100. Those are:
#3 - Ride To Happiness
#12 - Kondaa
#17 - Taron
#59 - F.L.Y.
#88 - Mecalodon
I think that the next priorities for me in Europe have to be Energylandia, Liseberg, Thorpe, Parc Asterix, and Parque De Attraciones De Madrid. They all have smaller parks that I’d pair with to make a little trip out of it. 10/10 would recommend this little trip.
I started off this solo trip w a flight out of Philly 5/4 evening, getting into Frankfurt then Brussels by 10:15 AM on 5/5. I debated exploring the local area, maybe Ghent or Bruges. If I wanted to squeeze in a quick trip to Plopsaland, I’d only have a few hours there. I said f it and took the train right up to De Panne.
Plospaland Belgium:
I arrived with 2.5 hours to spare and ran right for Ride To Happiness. I’ve ridden Time Traveler on one trip to SDC and was whelmed. (I also may or may not have accidentally taken too much of a hallucinogenic substance that day and was having a rough time). This would be potential redemption. Boy did it not only redeem, it surpassed my already high expectations. What an incredible ride from start to finish.
I got 4 rides, one in each car, and each one was so different but still so good. The direction you take each element really does have a major impact on the experience. I liked taking the hills backwards (esp the first drop) and the inversions either sideways or spinning. This ride did not make me nauseous and I’m a bit of a lightweight for spinning.
The rest of the lineup is fine. #likeme was down but got 1x on the others. If I would’ve reridden any it would’ve been Heidi. Anubis is okay but not my cup of tea.
The park is beautiful. There isn’t a ton to do there but I could spend a full day there taking in the ambiance and lapping RtH.
After 10 hrs of flying and 5 hrs of trains for 2ish hours at a park, I stopped in the center of town for some funky lambics and then got to my hotel and passed out.
Walibi Belgium:
I woke up early to get a really tasty flat white and pastry and to take the train from Brussels Schuman to Ottignies to Walibi for opening. I wasn’t returning to my hotel, and I’d heard horror stories of people losing their bags on Mecalodon, so I got a locker at the front of the park first thing.
Part of this trip planning was revolving around warm (enough) weather, my free time, and avoiding holidays. The weather was good enough, about 55° F and damp but never more than a sprinkle. The crowds were LIGHT. Luck prevailed for sure.
My strategy was: Tiki Waka, Mecalodon 2x, Turbine, Fun Pilot, Popcorn, Cobra, Vampire, Loup-Garou, Pulsar, Calamity Mine, and finally Kondaa. Everything worked great except for 2 coasters on one train messing things up: Vampire (30 min wait) and Kondaa. Had I known Kondaa was on one, I would’ve hit it a few times earlier. The wait was still consistently around 20-30 min all day, so I ended up racking up 6 rides pretty easily. I also got on Tutankhamen (really great).
There are only 3 coasters worth talking about here at length. Loup-Garou was a pleasant surprise. I only got one ride and wish I got 1-2 more. The airtime is really solid, and it’s only a bit rough in the first 3rd or so of the ride. The worst thing about it is the hard restraint. Would def be a bruiser with more rides. Mecalodon was so much fun. Way more forceful than expected for a family coaster. The whole ride is a blast from start to finish. The layout is long and interesting.
Kondaa was my most sought after credit of the trip. The thing is overall a hoot. The first 3 elements are among the best sequence of elements on any ride. It borders El Toro for me, it might be arguably a better sequence, it’s definitely more interesting. The first drop is wild in the back. The camelback is maybe the strongest sustained ejector I’ve ever felt. The outer back is one of my favs of all time, maybe my fav. The rest of the ride is also great but not as great. A few great moments of airtime. Overall incredible speed and a fun layout. The aspect of it finishing less strong than it starts docks a few points for me.
The park overall was beautiful. I’m happy I got there on a good day. There were still some annoying kids around but thankfully not as bad as I’ve heard during peak times. Kondaa alone is worth the trip but there’s plenty to do there and I really enjoyed it there.
I made my way back to Brussels for a bit to imbibe a bit more before catching my train to Cologne. I went right to the hotel and passed out.
Phantasialand:
I once again arose early to catch a train.. this time to Brühl, to then catch the shuttle to the park gate. Although Kondaa was my most sought after credit, this was my biggest bucket list park.
I was able to enter the park right at 9:00. A few people ran to Maus au Chocolat so I did that first. I knew Black Mamba would be running early so I quickly got a ride on that as well. That one was a bit disappointing. The scenery is great but the forces are a bit lacking for me.
I once again both succeeded in good planning and lucked out with good weather and low crowds. By the time 10:00 rolled around, I wanted to ride F.L.Y. but it was down, so I knocked out the annoying low capacity rides. Crazy Bats was terrible and made me dizzy. Winjas Force was fun but not one that I’d go back to.
By then F.L.Y had opened and I got my first ride. What an incredible experience. There’s nothing like zipping through Rookburg on that thing. The forces were impressive and the variety of forces was pretty surprising and fun.
After that I trekked to Colorado Adventure. This was the surprise of the whole trip for me. I had a row to myself in the back car and got flung everywhere. So much fun. Without a doubt my favorite mine train.
Taron was next. I had heard mixed reviews but mostly positive reviews. This ride totally exceeded expectations. As much fun as it is going though the area on F.L.Y. this was an even more fun experience. So much speed, awesome airtime, so many interactions with the pathways and rock work and the waterfalls. I love this ride. It’s my 2nd fav Intamin launch coaster so far behind VelociCoaster and about Maverick.
I then knocked out Raik and Winjas Fear. I was all done w credits by 1:30 and had a few hours to take in the ambiance, get rerides, and do a few other non coasters like Chiapas and Mystery Castle (the ghost train was down sadly). I ended up w 3 on Taron, 2 on F.L.Y. Colorado Adventure and Black Mamba, and 1 on the others.
The park is beautiful and a real pleasure to hang out in. I don’t love Deep In Africa and China, they feel weird to pair with the other themed areas. I could spend all day in Klugheim, which might be my fav area in any park. I could see it feeling claustrophobic on a crowded day though. I also loved the vibes of Berlin and Mexico, and the area in Fantasy Land(?) by the water is also really nice.
I overall prefer Europa Park for having a bit better of a ride lineup and having a more park-like feel as opposed to an immersive experience. This place has some higher highs though. The scenery is 2nd to none. Every visual angle from every square foot in the park feels so thoughtful. It’s both visually impressive and comfortable. I was looking around in awe the whole day, especially in Klugheim.
After my day there, I took the shuttle back to Brühl and the train back to Cologne. Cologne is fine, nothing to write home about, I had more fun in Brussels. I woke up early to catch the train back to Brussels Airport (which is a total ****show, do not fly in/out of there!). I’m now chilling in Dulles waiting for my flight back home.
Closing thoughts:
This little trip was tiring. So much travel time for 2.5 actual park days. However these parks are really special and have some world class coasters. Of the 23 coasters I rode, 5 preliminarily made my top 100. Those are:
#3 - Ride To Happiness
#12 - Kondaa
#17 - Taron
#59 - F.L.Y.
#88 - Mecalodon
I think that the next priorities for me in Europe have to be Energylandia, Liseberg, Thorpe, Parc Asterix, and Parque De Attraciones De Madrid. They all have smaller parks that I’d pair with to make a little trip out of it. 10/10 would recommend this little trip.