I can still remember all of the excitement surrounding the arrival of the Swarm. I was working at Thorpe Park at the time and watched with eager anticipation as the land for the new ride was being excavated and the Swarm Island rose up gradually out of the lake surrounding the park. We understood that the ride was going to be a B&M Wingrider but as none of these had yet been opened nobody really knew what this attraction would deliver. Continue reading
It seems like yesterday when my cousin returned from one of many trips to Florida to inform me that the Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster was a great ride. As a confirmed fan of coasters in the dark I was very jealous as this ride appeared to be right up my street. Happily it wasn’t long before I found myself at Disneyland Paris after the same ride was opened there. Continue reading
As a frequent visitor to the US I should be used to their propensity to supersize everything but each time I visit I am always shocked at the contrasts with the UK. I thought that with all the publicity about obesity and the cost of fuel, the food portions may have shrunk a little and people would be driving smaller cars but last year when I visited Cedar Point and Six Flags Magic Mountain nothing seemed to have changed. Continue reading
Valhalla represented a huge investment for Blackpool Pleasure Beach and was a commendably ambitious foray into new territory. The ride is a combination of water ride and dark ride which mixes drops, water effects and lighting and temperature changes to provide an intense all round sensory experience which has made the ride an absolute triumph. The Viking theming is the perfect complement to a dramatic water ride. Valhalla look enticing before you even enter the station. Continue reading
I have always been an enormous fan of Europa Park which possesses a winning combination of great rides, extreme efficiency and brilliant food. My trips to Europa Park have been so enjoyable that I have always been left wondering why I can’t find the features I so admire elsewhere. Most parks have dreadful food, British parks seem incapable of keeping their rides running and most curiously nobody seemed to have picked up on Blue Fire as act of brilliance. Nobody until now that is because Blue Fire technology is coming to Sweden!
Blue Fire
Blue Fire is an exceptional roller coaster and quite different from any other ride. A decent launch is followed by a fun and thrilling circuit packed with twists, turns and inversions which makes you grin with pleasure until you are back in the station. There are no shoulder restraints and so guests have a great feeling of freedom and are not assaulted in the head. The ride has a fabulous throughput which keeps the queue moving along nicely, a great boon in a busy park and Blue Fire’s greatest asset is the smoothness of the ride experience which is second to none. Blue Fire is so smooth and therefore so quiet that it is surely a ride system which is ideal for parks with concerns about disturbing the neighbours and yet unlike so many other coaster models this one has not been taken up with enthusiasm.
New Coaster
Whilst B & M’s wingriders are all the rage without any real justification in my personal experience, the potential of Blue Fire has been overlooked until now. A longer and more dramatic coaster with Blue Fire technology is being built at Liseberg in Sweden and this is enough to get me planning trip! I had not considered an expedition to Sweden before, at least not to visit a theme park, but the new coaster, currently dubbed Project Helix, looks fabulous. Project Helix will offer 2 minutes of ride time on a 4500 ft track and there will be two launches on the circuit. With the smoothness of Blue Fire thrown in this one is sure to be winner and I want to give it a go.
Sweden
Liseberg were concerned about noise pollution from a new ride and this fact heavily influenced their decision to go with Mack for their latest attraction. This is a ride that is sure to run smoothly with Mack technology and Scandinavian efficiency. The Scandinavians don’t appear to be able to do anything wrong these days. The clean lines and functionality of their furniture and homewares has taken the world by storm and I now suspect that I may have missed a trick in not sampling the theme park offering.
Sweden will almost certainly be a place where I can visit a park which will be clean, attractive and which runs its rides efficiently. There is a fair chance that I will like the food too and so it is time to plan a trip. The new ride opens Spring 2014 which sounds as good a time as any for a Scandinavian adventure.
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Article by Sally Stacey
The retail offering at UK theme parks never ceases to amaze me. I am always looking for a decent souvenir of my visit but usually find a huge array of plastic junk and silly toys that have little or nothing to do with the park. Whilst guests don’t visit theme parks to go shopping most end up wandering around the stores at some point but you rarely see people leaving the parks with bags full of merchandise. It is a very different story at the Disney parks overseas where almost everyone leaves weighed down under the enormity of their purchases. With a great deal of money to be made why don’t the British parks make more of an effort? Continue reading
A theme park is obviously a fun environment with an upbeat atmosphere where you get to be part of a team and so some of the attractions of the job are obvious. There are other perks to be considered if you are considering applying for a job on the rides but several downsides too which should not be overlooked. Continue reading
When working at a theme park you see many people trying to do the craziest things on roller coasters and attempting to smuggle amazing items onto the rides. Mad antics on coasters are becoming competitive and are proving to be a great means of getting publicity or making money for charity. Take “Scream If You Know the Answer”, a television quiz show where the celebrity competitors were filmed trying answer questions whilst riding the coasters. Adding a roller coaster to the mix makes for a good story and some great pictures. Continue reading
OK I admit it! I was always going to smile favourably on Wodan because I love Europa Park and I adore the wooden coasters off Great Coasters International. Having said that, even I was surprised by how good this attraction is. This is a ride that impresses as soon as you clap eyes on it and is a great adventure from the moment you enter the Plaza. Continue reading
Blue Fire is a launch coaster by Mack Rides situated at Europa Park in Germany. The Park is owned and run by Mack and is a showcase for their rides. This being the case it is surprising that there has not been a mad scramble on the part of other theme parks to buy one of these constructions because it is a very special ride! Continue reading