It might seem that all I do these days is rant, but this time I can't stop myself.
Continuing the theme of shite customer service in Belgium, Walibi gets the award!!!
I have always been a big fan of this park, ever since my first visits as a kid. But in the last year or two this local, small but pretty decent park has just lost the plot - or rather the park bosses have.
My visit to the traditional Halloween Nocturne on Wednesday should give you an idea to how bad things have become.
We turned up at around half 6 in the evening in what felt like subzero temperatures to find the park absolutely packed.
The theming as always for Halloween is not bad, They have clearly put a bit of money into this, probably hoping it will distract the coasties long enough so they won't notice the heaving park.
We see the queue on the Cobra coming right up to the turnstile and instantly we know what this night is going to be like. Usually, even on a really busy day, queues on Cobra will never exceed 25-30 minutes ( Which in any other park than Walibi is actually VERY good). Tonight it was at least an hour.
Our friends queuing for the Vampire did so for over an hour and 20 minutes. Which is unbelievable as we have never spent more than 15 minutes queueing.
A quick walk around the park shows us that the two water rides are shut, given the cold, this is a good thing. But it wasn't just the water rides. Turbine, Go-Karts and a good number of kiddy rides were shut too. Not a good thing when the park is full as it forces people to accumulate at other rides thus creating even longer queues.
It turns out while miraculously having its two trains running, Werewolf has approx 40% of it's seats corded off. WELL DONE.
Anyway, we realise that unless we are prepared to stand outside in the freezing cold and queue for the whole night, we're not really going to get on any rides. So we decide to go for food.
We are used to the burgers at Walibi.
WAY overpriced at 8.50 euros for a meal compared to a regular meal at McD's where you'll expect to pay about 6.50 euros. we have a maximum of 5 people in front of us, and still it takes them over 20 minutes to serve us. The drinks machines seem on the blink (we have seen this before), the burgers are under broken (or just not turned on) heating lamps, while the working lamps are heating nothing at all. And of course, it takes 3 and subsequently 4 employees to work a bancontact machine. During which time NO ONE is getting served.
Pathetic and really unnecessary.
How easy is it to leave 2 people at it, and ask the customers behind the ones trying to pay if anyone would like to pay cash - and serve them!!!
No smiles once we actually do get served, and when I get my burger and check that it is at least warm - which it isn't of course, having been placed under an off lamp - I am told that it will be hot once I eat it! HUH??
How does that make sense in her little mind ???
(I have numerous times returned to the counter to exchange my food because it was cold, this is not a today specific problem.)
And every time, no smiles, courtesy and definitely no apologies. It seems we might even be pissing them off by just ordering food.
Having eaten, I watch the boys go off for a relatively manageable queue on Dalton. I go in search of some open toilets (the ones in the resto were OOO.) I get back to the Dalton in time to see the guys get off. At least they got a ride in!!
(I won't mention that even Dalton was running only 3 cars.)
We head over to the arcade so I can finally do my little corporate video on my favourite machine. Tuns out that it is striking along with the drinks machine, and is on the blink too. Aah well.
It is after 8 and because the queues are soo large, they have now stopped letting people into rides to clear the backlog of frozen humans in time for closing. I'm starting to get a bit peeved by now and along with the cold, I'm about ready to call it a night.
We figure a beer might be the only way to salvage what has been so far a complete waste of time and bearing in mind this is only our second visit to the park this season, I was pretty much excited about coming.
After queueing (AGAIN) for half an hour for a beer at the Brasserie, deflated, we head to the resto attached to Aqualibi for a final try.
Here I admit, despite having a good laugh at the makeshift pen the waiter is using, we get served fast and manage finally to get a table and sit.
Half an hour later, the park is closing and we head on to the exit.
It has become very noticeable for a while now and especially tonight that Walibi's strategy is to fill the park, get money on mediocre food and merchandise and not give a damn if people don't actually have a good time.
I know they have to recuperate the deficit they must have created during the whole Vertigo fiasco but ultimately the first rule in business is make your clients happy or they won't come back! - And they most certainly won't recommend the park to any of their friends.
Customer satisfaction here (and in this country in general) practically counts for nothing and it is a real shame.
So for the first time in 6 years, Walibi will not be getting a season pass from me next year. It is just not worth the hassle or the money.
Showing posts with label Coasters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coasters. Show all posts
Saturday, 1 November 2008
Saturday, 15 March 2008
It's in the air tonight.
The Georges Henri carnival is in town!
It's a tiny thing with one or two kiddy rides, arcades and food stalls, but it has brought a nice atmosphere to the street.
I'm sat here tonight, with all the windows open (uhuh, it's 15 ° outside) and I can here the occasional scream, not from the landlord this time, but from the rides.
(god, I really miss the Waltzers - although I didn't realise they were so perilous!!)
We are very lucky this year, Easter falls early and so do the holidays. This means we get an extra couple of weeks of rollercoaster season. :)
It's that time of year again. The season is almost upon us!
(I know most of you will have lost interest by now)
Now the last year couple of years have been crackers with a good few little outings. I got to go back to Disneyland resort Paris (or whatever) for an exhausting 2 days. I managed to detour slightly to Alton for one of the best coasters yet for me. And then; there was Goliath.
But there has always been Walibi (- finally an updated website!).
I know we are in Belgium, and it's a shitty little place, but out of all the parks I've visited, the best mix is there.
It's a manageable sized park, and it has some great rides. However, last season, it was starting to be more about queuing than anything else.
I'm all for a bit of queue. I'm usually fine with a good ten minutes. I think it's necessary to let the adrenaline levels lower inbetween rides. But when you spend your day out standing in queues surrounded by idiots, and at the end of it, you realise you only managed three or four rides, it leaves behind a bitter after taste.
Anyway, start of season should be ok.
By the time we get there, the machines (coaster, tills or otherwise) should be well oiled.
Must check if there are any parks on the way down to spain!
It's a tiny thing with one or two kiddy rides, arcades and food stalls, but it has brought a nice atmosphere to the street.
I'm sat here tonight, with all the windows open (uhuh, it's 15 ° outside) and I can here the occasional scream, not from the landlord this time, but from the rides.
(god, I really miss the Waltzers - although I didn't realise they were so perilous!!)
We are very lucky this year, Easter falls early and so do the holidays. This means we get an extra couple of weeks of rollercoaster season. :)
It's that time of year again. The season is almost upon us!
(I know most of you will have lost interest by now)
Now the last year couple of years have been crackers with a good few little outings. I got to go back to Disneyland resort Paris (or whatever) for an exhausting 2 days. I managed to detour slightly to Alton for one of the best coasters yet for me. And then; there was Goliath.
But there has always been Walibi (- finally an updated website!).
I know we are in Belgium, and it's a shitty little place, but out of all the parks I've visited, the best mix is there.
It's a manageable sized park, and it has some great rides. However, last season, it was starting to be more about queuing than anything else.
I'm all for a bit of queue. I'm usually fine with a good ten minutes. I think it's necessary to let the adrenaline levels lower inbetween rides. But when you spend your day out standing in queues surrounded by idiots, and at the end of it, you realise you only managed three or four rides, it leaves behind a bitter after taste.
Anyway, start of season should be ok.
By the time we get there, the machines (coaster, tills or otherwise) should be well oiled.
Must check if there are any parks on the way down to spain!
Thursday, 13 September 2007
Day 4: Alton Towers
Today I got to finally fulfill a childhood dream.
The fun actually starts before you even get to the park. It is completely hidden in the countryside and in amongst the hills. When you see the landscape, you understand why the park has strict restrictions when it comes to the height of rides. You are driving down a country lane, turn a corner and there is a small entrance. You'd miss is it if it weren't for the sign and the fact that the GPS is telling you you have arrived at destination. You drive on (in your fantastic car) and the magic begins....
The car parks are huge and quite far from the park itself but a decent monorail takes us through the forest and there... you get your first glimpse of Air, Nemesis and Katanga Canyon.
Notice how, in both photos (a bit blurry i know), the rides seem totally immersed in nature. It's like this on all the rides in the park. It really gives it something special.
Note: I won't be going into tech details on this post. I have been finding out about them, but it's taking me ages and if I don't get this post out now, I'll start forgetting stuff, and this is a day I want to remember for ever!
Any info you want is just clicks away on a really great site: www.rcdb.com
Ok back to the park.
Armed with wristband to record our visit, we head to the Spinball Whizzer, a spinning coaster in Adventure land. It's a great little ride that got us going for the day. Perfect.
Here is also where we saw the first of the "queue jumping signs" which John and I decided we should print out and stick everywhere at Walibi. (More on queues later).
From there, we headed the long walk to the far side of the park to UGland to try out Rita, Queen of speed (normal queue time: 0 mins, front seat queue time: 7 mins).
The station is in two parts and there are two trains therefore turnaround is lovely. All safety announcements are made through the speaker and we get our first glimpse at how nice it is to be in an English park. There are 4 members of staff manning the station and another two dealing with queue distribution and ride manipulation.
This ride is mostly about the launch, and as opposed to Turbine's flywheel launch at Walibi Belgium, this is a hydraulic launch.
It propels you into the ride at huge speed and then proceeds to give you three instances of airtime that really give the ride it's edge (and it doesn't break once during the ride). Rita boasts 4.7Gs, however I didn't feel them as much as I was expecting. Fun enough to ride it three times though, that, and the fact that apart from the front seat queue, there was no queue.
We tried out the front and back seats and as always, the view from the front seat is unmissable. The ride from the back feels heavier but you lose nothing of the launch or airtime.
Remembering how rough old corkscrews can be, I was expecting to get my head bashed from side to side on the Corkscrew (nqt: 2 mins) and I was right. Corkscrew was built by Vekoma in 1980 and it shows. It is really jerky, not very fast and just downright painful. I'm a dab-hand at reducing headbanging on these rides, and subsequently had to spend the ride sticking my head forward as much as possible to avoid injury (I failed miserably). The only thing going for it, is the fact that it is built in and around Rita, so you get the excitement of seeing her whizz past you. The ride is old and really should be shut down.
We leave Rita behind us and walk back towards the castle and enter it for HEX.
(Alton Towers is basically a huge park with a castle in the middle of it.)
Reading the limited info on it, we guessed it was an Ali Baba replica. And we were right. You have to walk through the castle in very little light and listen to the Legend of Alton Towers before getting to the actual ride part. While the ride is essentially the same, it has the edge on the rides of this type I had already tried because of the theming and effects. Unfortunately, the end is so anti-climactic that you leave thinking you just wasted 20 minutes.
Exiting in the castle grounds we realise how great this building would be during Halloween season.
Oblivion was our next stop. Their opening ad campaign had reached me and I was really excited about riding it. I had decided I would try everything in the park, but faced with this, I wussed out. I'm not a fan of drops and this looked like exactly that. John volonteered to brave the longest queue of the day (15 mins) to give it a go. It is classified as a vertical rollercoaster however a drop coaster would be more accurate. You are brought up to a vertical drop, hung over the edge and then released into a tunnel of mist.
For the scaredy cats out there, there is a great viewing section right at the foot of the drop where the tunnel starts and the rush of adrenaline you get from watching it thunder down the drop was enough for me.
No photos from the top so i 'borrowed' a couple from elsewhere.
John will describe the ride more accurately than me in his trip report, but he used one word to describe it. CRAP. Can't see how that is possible but I'll trust the master.
We stopped off for KFC in this area. The food throughout the park is really varied, there's something for everyone, from the fast food classics of burgers, pizzas and chicken buckets, to the healthier option of baked potatoes and salads. You can even get traditional English food and a cooked breakfast.
Our long walk across the park takes us through the Haunted Hollow (path in the woods with spooky theming that does what it's supposed to - distract you from the walking).
All the areas in this park are quite far away from each other and sometimes only accessible via one route. This layout does wonders to dissipate crowds but it means you do an awful lot of walking. Which i can imagine would be great on a busy day when you spend in excess of one hour queuing for each ride. There is a huge lake in the middle, surrounded by vast lawns where you can sit and relax in the sun. A Huge bonus for Season pass holders.
We arrive into the Forbidden Valley to be greeted by Air, Nemesis and Ripsaw.
We didn't ride Ripsaw as we have the same ride at Walibi. But Alton Towers has added an excellent twist. WATER. The jets are controlled by a member of staff and granted, this is a bit of fun when on the ride, but I think the most fun is had by the people watching. It is hilarious.
It's a little long, but the video below shows the moment when riders are lowered onto the jets face on. I saw this happen many times and it still cracked me up.
Next was Air (nqt: 10 mins, fsqt: 15 mins). My first ever flying coaster. We rode this twice and my second time was a lot better. Mostly because I was not in the front seat on the first try. And the lovely view of dirty socks and being downwind kind of distracts you. The harnesses are really comfortable despite looking a bit like a torture device as they also have leg bars. You have to back into the seat and sit down, before being harnessed in and then tilted to a lying position before you are told to "Prepare for Air" (sorry) and the ride begins.
This ride is not the most thrilling of the park but it is an engineering marvel. It's pretty impressive. During the 'flight', you are sometimes turned to lie on your back, but mostly you are lying face down smoothly passing over the scenery. Not tempted by Skydiving, this is a good alternative for me, but the fact that it is low on the ground means that sensation is not huge. I'm looking forward to riding a higher version of Air.
We had great fun on this one though, singing the Superman theme tune and striking the out-stretched clenched fist pose. :) And for some reason making a total arse out of yourself on a coaster is allowed!!
Over the square to Nemesis (nqt: 0 mins, fsqt: 10 mins). This was the ride I was most looking forward to. An inverted coaster but clearly the best one of it's kind. The harnesses are not the soft foam kind, but rather hard. We were worried this might be a problem when inevitable headbanging arises in banks, but there were none. NONE! The ride is soo smooth, it allows you to really enjoy the ride. It lacks in height but its amazing speed and design takes you in ravines, over blood coloured water and in through the trees. Brilliant!
I'm ashamed to say, at one point I got so overwhelmed by excitement, I nearly peed myself (I said nearly) :)
I never bother filming rides as I feel it never lives up to the ride itself, but I did this time and even though I only got 40 seconds of footage without sound it came out great. (Not for the fainthearted)
We spent the next 30 mins going from Air to Nemesis and back again before deciding we should get on with the other rides.
Onwards to Katanga Canyon.
John LOVES water rides and the sun was out, so I followed him eagerly onto the RiverRapids (nqt: 7 mins). BIG MISTAKE. This is your traditional rapids ride with 8 per boat and as always, it's basically a gamble whether you get wet or not. As the park was so quiet, we were able to get a boat to ourselves. The good thing about these rides is not everyone gets wet to the same extent, and when a fellow rider gets a good wave, it's hilarious. The smile was wiped off clean off my face and onto John's when I received a drenching which left my back and most of my jeans soaking. Hmmm.
It gave us the opportunity to try out the drying cubicles at the exit of all water rides. Cool feature though kind of cheating and not efficient when drenched.
Whilst already wet, we move on the Flume (Not ONE could come up with a better name!?). Apart from it's low water level but amazing scenery nothing really sets it apart from other flumes. Except maybe the fact that whilst in the tunnel, if your are lucky - which we were - you get the Runaway Mine Train whizzing past you in the opposite direction. Very cool. There's a nice little drop in complete darkness to surprise you too.
It was nearing 4 pm and with only an hour left to go, we headed back to the park entrance to pick up our purchases to avoid the end of day rush. Ha, end of day rush.... that's funny.
You can buy photos, mugs, etc at the rides and collect them all at once so you don't have to carry them around with you all day. A nice little service which is really handy.
Nemesis called from afar, and I was eager to get the end of the ride on film so we walked/ran back through the Canyon and the wood. This walk basically finished us off. We didn't manage to get the front seat as the line was closed so I didn't get my film. But what a great way to end the day. :)
Stopped off for another snack and watched the last Ripsaw riders get drenched by the jets (the guy operating the water was clearly on a mission and barely stopping the jets at all. Then began the endless path back to the entrance, onto the monorail and back to the car.
Everything shut down at lightening speed once the clock hit 5pm but we were incredibly lucky that it was so empty and with queue times so short we were able to have at least 15 rides, which is huge (I have read that in peak season it can get so busy that you would only manage 3 or 4 rides in a whole day. We even had bags of time to check out the arcades. We didn't venture into the smaller rides or kiddy areas of which there seem to be plenty, nor did we stop off to shoot the living dead).
Both staff and fellow coasties were very courteous and respectful of the park. We saw no pushing, no queue jumping and above all no spitting. A real delight. Everyone seemed to be having a fantastic day and it made the whole Alton Towers experience that much more fun.
Also noteworthy is the fact that we had no ride breakdowns - which has been a thorn in Walibi's side all season.
So I think I speak for both of us when I say we are very proud of ourselves for making the trip.
The third member of our mini coaster fan club was not with us on this visit, and he was missed. but hopefully our trip reports as well as other video and photos will make up for him missing it.
The fun actually starts before you even get to the park. It is completely hidden in the countryside and in amongst the hills. When you see the landscape, you understand why the park has strict restrictions when it comes to the height of rides. You are driving down a country lane, turn a corner and there is a small entrance. You'd miss is it if it weren't for the sign and the fact that the GPS is telling you you have arrived at destination. You drive on (in your fantastic car) and the magic begins....
The car parks are huge and quite far from the park itself but a decent monorail takes us through the forest and there... you get your first glimpse of Air, Nemesis and Katanga Canyon.
Notice how, in both photos (a bit blurry i know), the rides seem totally immersed in nature. It's like this on all the rides in the park. It really gives it something special.
Note: I won't be going into tech details on this post. I have been finding out about them, but it's taking me ages and if I don't get this post out now, I'll start forgetting stuff, and this is a day I want to remember for ever!
Any info you want is just clicks away on a really great site: www.rcdb.com
Ok back to the park.
Armed with wristband to record our visit, we head to the Spinball Whizzer, a spinning coaster in Adventure land. It's a great little ride that got us going for the day. Perfect.
Here is also where we saw the first of the "queue jumping signs" which John and I decided we should print out and stick everywhere at Walibi. (More on queues later).
From there, we headed the long walk to the far side of the park to UGland to try out Rita, Queen of speed (normal queue time: 0 mins, front seat queue time: 7 mins).
The station is in two parts and there are two trains therefore turnaround is lovely. All safety announcements are made through the speaker and we get our first glimpse at how nice it is to be in an English park. There are 4 members of staff manning the station and another two dealing with queue distribution and ride manipulation.
This ride is mostly about the launch, and as opposed to Turbine's flywheel launch at Walibi Belgium, this is a hydraulic launch.
It propels you into the ride at huge speed and then proceeds to give you three instances of airtime that really give the ride it's edge (and it doesn't break once during the ride). Rita boasts 4.7Gs, however I didn't feel them as much as I was expecting. Fun enough to ride it three times though, that, and the fact that apart from the front seat queue, there was no queue.
We tried out the front and back seats and as always, the view from the front seat is unmissable. The ride from the back feels heavier but you lose nothing of the launch or airtime.
Remembering how rough old corkscrews can be, I was expecting to get my head bashed from side to side on the Corkscrew (nqt: 2 mins) and I was right. Corkscrew was built by Vekoma in 1980 and it shows. It is really jerky, not very fast and just downright painful. I'm a dab-hand at reducing headbanging on these rides, and subsequently had to spend the ride sticking my head forward as much as possible to avoid injury (I failed miserably). The only thing going for it, is the fact that it is built in and around Rita, so you get the excitement of seeing her whizz past you. The ride is old and really should be shut down.
We leave Rita behind us and walk back towards the castle and enter it for HEX.
(Alton Towers is basically a huge park with a castle in the middle of it.)
Reading the limited info on it, we guessed it was an Ali Baba replica. And we were right. You have to walk through the castle in very little light and listen to the Legend of Alton Towers before getting to the actual ride part. While the ride is essentially the same, it has the edge on the rides of this type I had already tried because of the theming and effects. Unfortunately, the end is so anti-climactic that you leave thinking you just wasted 20 minutes.
Exiting in the castle grounds we realise how great this building would be during Halloween season.
Oblivion was our next stop. Their opening ad campaign had reached me and I was really excited about riding it. I had decided I would try everything in the park, but faced with this, I wussed out. I'm not a fan of drops and this looked like exactly that. John volonteered to brave the longest queue of the day (15 mins) to give it a go. It is classified as a vertical rollercoaster however a drop coaster would be more accurate. You are brought up to a vertical drop, hung over the edge and then released into a tunnel of mist.
For the scaredy cats out there, there is a great viewing section right at the foot of the drop where the tunnel starts and the rush of adrenaline you get from watching it thunder down the drop was enough for me.
No photos from the top so i 'borrowed' a couple from elsewhere.
John will describe the ride more accurately than me in his trip report, but he used one word to describe it. CRAP. Can't see how that is possible but I'll trust the master.
We stopped off for KFC in this area. The food throughout the park is really varied, there's something for everyone, from the fast food classics of burgers, pizzas and chicken buckets, to the healthier option of baked potatoes and salads. You can even get traditional English food and a cooked breakfast.
Our long walk across the park takes us through the Haunted Hollow (path in the woods with spooky theming that does what it's supposed to - distract you from the walking).
All the areas in this park are quite far away from each other and sometimes only accessible via one route. This layout does wonders to dissipate crowds but it means you do an awful lot of walking. Which i can imagine would be great on a busy day when you spend in excess of one hour queuing for each ride. There is a huge lake in the middle, surrounded by vast lawns where you can sit and relax in the sun. A Huge bonus for Season pass holders.
We arrive into the Forbidden Valley to be greeted by Air, Nemesis and Ripsaw.
We didn't ride Ripsaw as we have the same ride at Walibi. But Alton Towers has added an excellent twist. WATER. The jets are controlled by a member of staff and granted, this is a bit of fun when on the ride, but I think the most fun is had by the people watching. It is hilarious.
It's a little long, but the video below shows the moment when riders are lowered onto the jets face on. I saw this happen many times and it still cracked me up.
Next was Air (nqt: 10 mins, fsqt: 15 mins). My first ever flying coaster. We rode this twice and my second time was a lot better. Mostly because I was not in the front seat on the first try. And the lovely view of dirty socks and being downwind kind of distracts you. The harnesses are really comfortable despite looking a bit like a torture device as they also have leg bars. You have to back into the seat and sit down, before being harnessed in and then tilted to a lying position before you are told to "Prepare for Air" (sorry) and the ride begins.
This ride is not the most thrilling of the park but it is an engineering marvel. It's pretty impressive. During the 'flight', you are sometimes turned to lie on your back, but mostly you are lying face down smoothly passing over the scenery. Not tempted by Skydiving, this is a good alternative for me, but the fact that it is low on the ground means that sensation is not huge. I'm looking forward to riding a higher version of Air.
We had great fun on this one though, singing the Superman theme tune and striking the out-stretched clenched fist pose. :) And for some reason making a total arse out of yourself on a coaster is allowed!!
Over the square to Nemesis (nqt: 0 mins, fsqt: 10 mins). This was the ride I was most looking forward to. An inverted coaster but clearly the best one of it's kind. The harnesses are not the soft foam kind, but rather hard. We were worried this might be a problem when inevitable headbanging arises in banks, but there were none. NONE! The ride is soo smooth, it allows you to really enjoy the ride. It lacks in height but its amazing speed and design takes you in ravines, over blood coloured water and in through the trees. Brilliant!
I'm ashamed to say, at one point I got so overwhelmed by excitement, I nearly peed myself (I said nearly) :)
I never bother filming rides as I feel it never lives up to the ride itself, but I did this time and even though I only got 40 seconds of footage without sound it came out great. (Not for the fainthearted)
We spent the next 30 mins going from Air to Nemesis and back again before deciding we should get on with the other rides.
Onwards to Katanga Canyon.
John LOVES water rides and the sun was out, so I followed him eagerly onto the RiverRapids (nqt: 7 mins). BIG MISTAKE. This is your traditional rapids ride with 8 per boat and as always, it's basically a gamble whether you get wet or not. As the park was so quiet, we were able to get a boat to ourselves. The good thing about these rides is not everyone gets wet to the same extent, and when a fellow rider gets a good wave, it's hilarious. The smile was wiped off clean off my face and onto John's when I received a drenching which left my back and most of my jeans soaking. Hmmm.
It gave us the opportunity to try out the drying cubicles at the exit of all water rides. Cool feature though kind of cheating and not efficient when drenched.
Whilst already wet, we move on the Flume (Not ONE could come up with a better name!?). Apart from it's low water level but amazing scenery nothing really sets it apart from other flumes. Except maybe the fact that whilst in the tunnel, if your are lucky - which we were - you get the Runaway Mine Train whizzing past you in the opposite direction. Very cool. There's a nice little drop in complete darkness to surprise you too.
It was nearing 4 pm and with only an hour left to go, we headed back to the park entrance to pick up our purchases to avoid the end of day rush. Ha, end of day rush.... that's funny.
You can buy photos, mugs, etc at the rides and collect them all at once so you don't have to carry them around with you all day. A nice little service which is really handy.
Nemesis called from afar, and I was eager to get the end of the ride on film so we walked/ran back through the Canyon and the wood. This walk basically finished us off. We didn't manage to get the front seat as the line was closed so I didn't get my film. But what a great way to end the day. :)
Stopped off for another snack and watched the last Ripsaw riders get drenched by the jets (the guy operating the water was clearly on a mission and barely stopping the jets at all. Then began the endless path back to the entrance, onto the monorail and back to the car.
Everything shut down at lightening speed once the clock hit 5pm but we were incredibly lucky that it was so empty and with queue times so short we were able to have at least 15 rides, which is huge (I have read that in peak season it can get so busy that you would only manage 3 or 4 rides in a whole day. We even had bags of time to check out the arcades. We didn't venture into the smaller rides or kiddy areas of which there seem to be plenty, nor did we stop off to shoot the living dead).
Both staff and fellow coasties were very courteous and respectful of the park. We saw no pushing, no queue jumping and above all no spitting. A real delight. Everyone seemed to be having a fantastic day and it made the whole Alton Towers experience that much more fun.
Also noteworthy is the fact that we had no ride breakdowns - which has been a thorn in Walibi's side all season.
So I think I speak for both of us when I say we are very proud of ourselves for making the trip.
The third member of our mini coaster fan club was not with us on this visit, and he was missed. but hopefully our trip reports as well as other video and photos will make up for him missing it.
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Vertigo
I've decided not to write a third version of this post.
I direct you to John's post of our rooky flight on the Vertigo.
You can always check Simon's view of the day too to get another perspective.
I'll just end with this:
It's a good ride, and I think with practice, the swinging could be synchronised and it would add greatly to the enjoyement of the ride. The lift bit reminds me way too much of Dalton though which will make absolute certain that I will NEVER set foot on the vertical tower again.
And my day will be remembered for other things besides the Vertigo:
• the absolute soaking we got on the log fumes - including J's decorative and somewhat confusing "wet" marks on trousers);
• the discovery that I have a talent for blowing things up;
• the Turbine still rocks!!! (even with mysterious smoke in tunnel). For those nostalgics amoung you, check out what Turbine looked like when it was still the Sirocco.
The countdown begins D-8...
I direct you to John's post of our rooky flight on the Vertigo.
You can always check Simon's view of the day too to get another perspective.
I'll just end with this:
It's a good ride, and I think with practice, the swinging could be synchronised and it would add greatly to the enjoyement of the ride. The lift bit reminds me way too much of Dalton though which will make absolute certain that I will NEVER set foot on the vertical tower again.
And my day will be remembered for other things besides the Vertigo:
• the absolute soaking we got on the log fumes - including J's decorative and somewhat confusing "wet" marks on trousers);
• the discovery that I have a talent for blowing things up;
• the Turbine still rocks!!! (even with mysterious smoke in tunnel). For those nostalgics amoung you, check out what Turbine looked like when it was still the Sirocco.
The countdown begins D-8...
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Vertigo... Finally
It has happened!
You can finally experience the "Closest thing to fly".
Tech specs can be found here.
I'm guessing the Corporates in Wavre must be breathing a huge sigh of relief this week as finally the public get to try out the new attraction. Albeit only 400 people per hour. (Compared to 760/hour for the Cobra and 1040/hour for the Vampire)
They chose to open the attraction with limited capacity rather than leave it closed while they figured out how to enable the maximum 800 person capacity that is advertised (This was a good move on their part I think, in theory). To reduce queueing times, a "Pass" system has been put in place - much like the Disney Fast Passes. This system tends to work quite well - but it remains to be seen, how the Belgians deal with such a complicated organisational task!!!!
Walibi is notoriously quiet when it comes to the media and very rarely do they issue press releases. We have been blessed with one this time around (most likely due to the fact that they actually had good news to share). It's in french but you can find it here.
They have posted some rider's comments which suggest that the thrill factor (it is marketed as a family ride) is secondary to the view and the flying sensation (but that's OK because while there's the Turbine, nothing else is needed!). However, the ride seems to run smoothly - This is a selling point as sometimes the coasters can be a bit rough (especially at the start of the season).
Even the ever so static and slightly boring website has got it's own Vertigo page... though I've not yet been baptised as a Vertigonaute so it seems I can't have access to the top notch site.
Add this marketing stunt to the other they have going on all over Brussels (Kangaroos reenacting the "I want you..." slogan that was used by the U.S Army) and it seems the people at Walibi have finally grasped the concept of Marketing and are trying to make the rest of the 2007 season more successful than start.
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