Divv3k Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 DAY 3 - Part 1: BOBBEJAANLAND Day three saw us move over to the Dutch speaking side of Belgium (this made Erik very happy!) to check out Bobbejaanland. This was a really cool park. It's one of those places that you look on on paper that really doesn't seem like much but when you actually visit you come away pretty impressed. The place has a real nice atmosphere and charm despite not having any real super coasters. The Eurofighter is good fun. It's no Speed but its definitely better than the other two I've been on. The real stand out ride here was ®Evolution. This thing was just mad and random. Of course when you add those ingredients to a TPR takeover and throw in a stupid line jumping kid hilarity will ensue! Miles and I had fun with that kid! Anyway, I'll let the photos do the talking for the rest of the place... Bobbejaanland was a real surprise place. I didn't expect much going in but it was a great little place. Off to Holland next... Ben and Steve don't count this as a rapids credit but we rode it for them anyway. Erik finally admitted that Vekoma messed something up with Gouderix. He felt so guilty that he followed the admission by shooting himself. This awesome spaghetti bolognese was our lunch for today. Even better than the food was the FREE BEER! And this is a demonstration of a typical shop visit on a TPR trip! Erik gives a demonstration of a typical morning at the Vekoma offices. The best thing about this photo is that right after Erik posed like this he actually tripped over the banana! Of course after the previous day's two hours rapids wait we felt we had to justify it by riding this rapids too! Dave enjoys squeezing into the cars tight with Steve! Steve may be enjoying it a bit too much. Housed in this box is probably the most messed up but best ride in the park! Steve doesn't care about a missed credit. Well not that much! Only the left side of the coaster was open when we visited. I'm including that in the caption so that I remember to check it before I visit the park again! Despite it not counting for me I have to say I really enjoyed another powered coaster on this trip. And you got to shoot everything! Gotta love El Paso Special! Domestic abuse... Defecation... More strippers... Boobs... Strippers... It has cocks... Next on the schedule was this. The best shooting ride... EVER! More Vekoma ERT awaited us next. Everyone do what the clown does! Dreamcatcher made Erik very happy. Although I'm sure Arrow might have been responsible for any uncomfortableness caused by the restraints. =P Jes was still dazed from the grill as we went onto our next ERT coaster! I passed on this but some stupid people braved George Foreman Grill ERT! Hi Ryan! Isn't TPR ERT just the best? Eurofighters do elements like this very well. Hey Big Mike! If you ever forget a coaster's name make sure the first place you look is the loop! This photo is special for not only showing how awesome TPR ERT is but it also marks Lou's photo debut in this TR! Where else to start but with ERT on the Eurofighter? Bob and Jane Land is next up for the TPR tour! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BasD Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Next one is Toverland if I'm not mistaking, I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of one of my favorite parks in Holland .. Bobbejaanland is Great .. ®evolution is defenitly the best coaster in the park and before changing the theme it even was the best coaster off Belgium.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyoverlord71 Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Another great TR Divv. Have an imaginary cyber cookie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiroo Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Revolution is awesome. Opryland had the only other copy of that ride (Vekoma Illusion) in Chaos. Of course that's long since been sold for scrap. It's a shame too. It was always my favorite. Did they have the full ride show (including the video screens on the floor and celing) running? I can still remember the music... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Thriller Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I like Typhoon better then Revolution. But Revolution is insane in the way back. Looks like you all had fun --James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 ah those hideous 12 year olds at ®Evolution. You know, you and Miles could have been done for threatening a minor, but hell, better that then in the UK where you could have been done for assaulting a parent! Was it the same nerds we beat on at the rapids or were we just out to kill anyone under 5 ft tall? Great park - mega log flume, weird locals! (unless they are TPR folks of course) PS - I think we should see more of Lou's Benny hat! PPS - TP Dave got the better out of that deal for sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kooky Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 ... Did they have the full ride show (including the video screens on the floor and celing) running? I can still remember the music... you make me intrested in this coaster, so i found these three little videos, which made me intrested evenmore: one where you see the screens on the celing: in this you can see the screens on the floor: and one with lights on: and i am very impressed how long the trains are seems to be! in the lights on video you se the back of the train at the other site of the room... really impressive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divv3k Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 DAY 3 - Part 2: TOVERLAND If ever a park rolled out the red carpets for TPR it was Toverland. Not only did we get three hours of ERT there was also a free open bar for the duration! What a night this was! Of course the big draw at Toverland is Troy. I was very excited for this ride beforehand having really loved Kentucky Rumbler and Renegade. Thankfully Troy didn't disappoint. It was really amazing fun from beginning to end. Not quite as good as Kentucky Rumbler for me but still right up there on my wooden list and my favourite woodie of the trip. The rest of the park is a lot of pure European quirky fun! From the funky Bob Karts to the triangle of death it's a place that has to be seen to be believed. It's got a real unique atmosphere and I can't wait to get back! Here's some photos... We had an amazing evening at Toverland. I can't wait to go back! More Dutch shenanigans to come! Exclusive never seen before pose! Well done to Jeff Johnson, he stayed on Troy (TROY!) the whole session. I'd have probably done the same were it not for me trying to get as much free alcohol as possible! Empty seats started appearing on the trains as more and more people sampled the free bar! GCI woodies had a three for three success rate for me at this point (I wouldn't ride Gwazi til later in the year!) Troy. TROY! (Let's play Yahtzee) She wasn't the only one! Lou appears to be VERY impressed! LOL! We rode Troy a LOT! Troy is Big Mike approved! I lost count of the amount of times I rode. A lot of the group were very impressed. Of course most of the time at Toverland was spent on this baby. The Booster Bike was good, though a bit slow when the train wasn't full. At least that was the excuse Erik gave us. I think he said something about Arrow being responsible too. The best way to cure pain and suffering is of course to ride some Vekoma goodness! The triangle of death was the source of much hilarity. Although for Erik it was the source of a lot of pain and suffering! Erik's a big fan of Bob too! Anth loves riding Bob! First of all we got the indoor rollerskater out the way. Erik was very excited to ride this. It's just a Vekoma! Toverland was the second park of day. It's an indoor and outdoor mish mash of fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chauncey Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 what's wrong with Gwazi!?!?! i always feel bad for that ride — especially since i think it's pretty awesome (of course, having never been on one of the “good” GCI's, that might just be because i don't have anything better to compare it with…) Troy does look great, though… nice pictures, but i kind of wish they showed more of the coasters! back to Bobbejaanland for a second, sort of: has anyone ever seen this? hands down the best Bobbejaan Schoepen video, ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPDave Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 "At least that was the excuse Erik gave us. I think he said something about Arrow being responsible too." Ha! Great TR Divv I can't wait to get back to Toverland, that place is so good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shockwave Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Great stuff Divv! Nice to see Bobbejaanland again after goign there 3 years ago. And Toverland is looking more amazing photo by photo! Should really get over at some point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divv3k Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 DAY 4 - Part 1: EFTELING After Leaving Toverland we headed out to the Efteling Hotel. In all my wisdom I decided upon arriving that instead of waiting in the queue for the elevator to head up to my room I'd go to the bar for a bit first. I don't think I got to my room til 3am. I had a fun night, though I am a little sad that I didn't get to experience the room a little more. What little time I did have there though really impressed me. Plus, the laugh we had in the hotel bar was great! The park itself surprised me. I went in not knowing what to expect after hearing a lot of hot and cold reports on the place. I guess I fall into the camp of people who really like it. I still for the life of me can't figure out the layout of the park at all but I thought it looked beautiful and some of the dark rides were amazing. The only thing that hurts the park is the coaster line up, which is mediocre at best. If the place had even one kick ass coaster it would be one of my favourite parks ever. Still, the new Flying Dutchman ride really surprised me. The queue(line) is exquisitely themed and I thought the dark ride section of it was really impressive. I just wish they'd themed the coaster section too. It's not often that I feel the coaster section is what lets a ride like this down but the dark ride part really impressed me here. I wish I got to ride it again. Also today was a extra special for me as my good friend AJ who I'd met on the Midwest trip joined up with us. AJ is tremendous fun and it was good to catch up and have him show us around one of his home parks. Onto some photos... Efteling really surprised me! While I still feel its lacking a really good coaster I can't wait to go back and explore it some more! More Dutch fun coming up! It's not often I take a photo of flowers! I must have been very impressed with these! Some places you look in Efteling you wouldn't even know you're in a park. This is seriously the most amazing ATM machine ever! Poor Ben somehow got stuck on his own. As if that wasn't sad enough, about three boats overtook him! Poor Ben! LOL! Efteling has a rapids. It had to be done. Hi Brian! The coaster section is a little short. But its fun and the dark ride portion was great! Fudgey would love this ride. Look at the orgy of lampposts out there! Even in a queue Steve can't pass up the opportunity to visit the bar! The big attraction at Efteling now is The Flying Dutchman. The madhouse at Efteling was really cool. The soundtrack is amazing. So epic! Its worth owning the Efteling CD for that track alone! Complete with fatty porn! Because they're on the Dutch version of Small World! Why are these guys so happy? Vogel Rok has one of the coolest coaster entrances in the world. Its a shame the music wasn't working when I rode. It apparently makes a big difference to the experience. Today's guest star is AJ! AJ wants to give a big "HI" to his friend Dave Fudge! The woodie looks nice enough but it really didn't do much to warrant being labeled as "good" or "bad". Out in the park we start with a "filming session" on some of the park's coasters. I include this picture only because Lou loves the glass holder so much. I didn't spend long in the hotel room due to excess time in the bar but it was very nice! Ben tried to add to the creepy creature collection by creating his little friend: Bob Cesar. The Efteling Hotel is home to a lot of these creepy creatures. This is apparently a bin. So that we could drink some more! After all the hilarity of the free bar at Toverland we headed over to the Efteling Hotel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Awesome, Divv. I also loved Efteling. I'm a sucker for aesthetics. I also felt that Efteling was the only park on the trip that had dark rides that rivaled Disney in quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divv3k Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 DAY 4 - Part 2: DRIEVLIET & AMSTERDAM Next up on tour was a little Dutch park called Drievliet. This park is notable for being home to the launched X Car coaster - Formule X. Now my only previous X Car experience is the big piece of crap in Drayton Manor so I wasn't expecting much from this one. But man, did this blow me away! It was just pure fun. I think replacing the awful lift hill with a fun launch really makes all the difference to this coaster. This is a perfect ride for small parks like Drievliet to install. If you followed the Big Mike Road Show in Europe you'll know that Drievliet was also notable as it was the place where I picked up my 300th coaster credit! In keeping with crappy coasters being my milestone credits Koppermijn, the wild mouse, was bestowed with this very prestigious honour. After the park we checked into a hotel in Amsterdam where AJ gave us a little tour of the city and joined us for a few beers... This was a great day in the Netherlands! Such a fun country and we still have another day there to go! Not content with our drinking session in the city we decided to have a few more at the hotel pub! I think the logic behind this was: "Everyone pose with your tickets, it'll make for a REALLY funny photo!" You can tell Steve, Brad and Jes had had a few to drink this evening! They weren't Doritos but they tasted great! In the bar AJ convinced us to try out some Dutch snacks. I forget what they were called. AJ was driving so had to drink non-alcoholic beer! LOL! Poor AJ! Fudgey won't like this photo. He thinks the lamppost should be IN the Sex Museum! After the park we ventured out for some culture in Amsterdam. How cool am I? Drievliet is much cooler. I'll be happy if more of these start appearing around the world. This really was a shock to everyone when we found how good it was! This ride is just hands up fun! Is Jeff taking the piss out of the Hooters guys here? LOL! Time for some X Car ERT! I don't think Brad will ever forget this ride! Moments before Steve witnessed Brad getting his restraints fly kicked into his belly! If only I had photos! This ride was the scene of one of the funniest moments of the day. AJ loves eating red crap even more! We love random mini monorails! Brad and AJ are petrified of the Ghost Train! If I counted powered coasters I'd have hit 300 a long time ago! Steve appears to love wild mice too! God, I hate wild mice! Which is why I chose this to be my 300th credit! Steve and Erik don't quite know what to make of it! Twsitrix. This was one messed up coaster! No we're not in Ancient Rome or Greece. But you'd be forgiven for thinking so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Just a quick response to say I'm just finishing page one of this thread and already there's all kinds of Lou Abuse!!!! I'm offended, you b*stards. And no Dave, I never did finish my trip report, but I'm proud to have got as far with it as I did!! Enjoying this so far Divv, even though all I've read up to yet is places I haven't been so boo to that! Looking forward to reliving this one, yet another great trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_G Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 If I ever see that ride opp again I will be inviting her to take a seat, pull the restraints down and see if she likes being kicked. I still feel the pain every time I see one of them. Anyway it's all Steve's fault, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 ^I still feel the pain from laughing so hard at the event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Great report so far Divv. I keep looking at things and thinking "hmm, I don't remember that!", before realising I didn't really start hanging out with you guys for another day or two. I so wish I'd witnessed Brad getting kicked. How did poor Ben end up separated from everybody like that on the rapids?? And more importantly, was he (as always) the most supersoaked person both on his boat and in the whole group?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Brad - even though what happened was the funniest thing ever, I wish it had not happened to you (though I do wish Lou had seen it also - and in fact we had captured the whole moment on video). Karma is now on your side, and something BAD ASS will happen to one of us witnesses to make it all good. Hope it's not me though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJJman Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Hope it's not me though. Whatever you say, Donald! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mike Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Hey Divv! Of course we can't let your 300th coaster go by without some sort of picture memorial! You still have to pick a picture for me to frame since I was your personal photographer that day! Peace, Big Mike Figured I would add one of Steve too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divv3k Posted February 27, 2009 Author Share Posted February 27, 2009 Thanks Big Mike! That was an awesome picture memorial of the historic moment! Hopefully the Big Mike Road Show will be looking to secure the exclusive rights to Divv's #400 in Scandi! I actually realised the other week that I hadn't picked out a photo yet for my prize. How about this one from the start of the trip? Can't beat a photo of me with the superstar that is Big Mike, my awesome roommate Erik and some other random drunkard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mike Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Great choice! I was going to go look for that one too the night I posted them, but was too lazy lol. I will work hard to get the exclusive rights to coaster #400! Peace, Big Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillerman1 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 This is really great Divv! Fun to relive the trip through someone else's eyes and see their different experiences. WOW Formule X was probably the biggest surprise of the trip for me. I absolutely loved it! Can we get one of these at Beech Bend please? Anyway, I can't wait to see more of your pics. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollin_n_coastin Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Divv, amazing TR! Yours along with Brent's stuff, always good for a mid-morning laugh during break! Kudos for keeping it going, especially after the trip. Looks like all of you had a great time! Looking forward to some Scandi craziness! Cheers, J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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