dr.gumbo Posted September 3, 2009 Posted September 3, 2009 Dr.Gumbo's here and he's got a Trip report for you all so sit back and pay attention. Duinrell (or Dune Spring if you want a translation) is a small park that until a few years ago, no one gave a toss about. This year, they opened they're new coaster 'Falcon' after years of seeking planning permission to build it. If my memory serves me right, this particular Euro-Fighter was set up at the Gerstlauer factory two years ago so the ride isn't really brand new, but what the hell, its still just as awesome. ----- Because we were staying at the parks camp-site, we were allowed not only free admission to the water park and attractions, but we were also granted free access to the grounds at night. But screw that.... ----- ...these day time pictures are much better. ----- Check out that funk. ----- Here's the water park, which conveniently is placed right in the middle of the park. Don't ask why, Chuck Norris decided it. ----- Word of warning, if you don't like trees, this place isn't for you. ----- However, if you an tree hugger, this place is pure porn. ----- As you may have gathered, the landscape in this place is absolutely gorgeous. The atmosphere is fantastic. ----- I suppose I'll have to stop here and show you what you really want to see: ----- THE FLOATING TAP!!!! ----- Copperfield was stumped. ----- Now onto the second main attraction, Falcon! ----- Here's a lovely night photo of the lift hi... wait a sec. ----- ...much better. ----- Here's the awesome (if brief) first drop. ----- And here's the loop, which to be honest wasn't that great. ----- Not sure why rcdb list this element as an Immelmann, its more of an over bank. ----- Here's the awesome first drop again. ----- The second best part of the ride has to be this element. So fun and smooth. ----- Here's the entrance to the sweet but forgettable helix, also done smoothly. ----- One sweet thing about this ride is that you can view the ride from every angle, making it very photo friendly. ----- I took these after closing hours incase your wondering why its gone dark all of a sudden. ----- This isn't theming, a plane really did crash into the coaster. I saw the whole thing, really. ----- Luckily, I got plenty of pictures before the incident. Including this one of the train in the station. ----- I like to satisfy all my readers, so I got some nerd shots for you all. ----- Woo!!! ----- Oh yeah!!!! ----- Hold your excitement, though. I've got some bad news... ----- ...Mascots have taking over the park. ----- Neep!!! ----- Gah!!!!! They're multiplying!?!?!?! ----- NOOOO!!!!! It got me!!!!!!!! ----- I'll stop with my childishness and get back onto the trip report. ----- Here's the parks toboggan run, built on the non-existing hills of Holland. ----- Lifthill: Volume I ----- Lifthill: Volume II ----- Onride!!! ----- The park tried to build a suspended coaster a few years ago, but it was what we call an 'epic fail'. This station is all that remains. ----- Boring!!! ----- Jumping back to the other side of the park... ----- What's happening here? ----- These people are about to find out. ----- KABOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ----- This bridge can be more popular than the ride at times. ----- Artsy? No? ----- Cowards!!!!!! ----- Personally, I found these cover things a bit uncomfortably. However, without them you might as well just jump into the pool after the drop and swim to shore. ----- Not sure if the wood is genuinely holding up the ride. If it isn't, they've done one hell of a job making it look natural. But wait, what's that I see through the trees? ----- Kiddie coaster!!!!! ----- The head choppers on this thing are insane. You can reach out and touch pieces of track and support mid-ride. Not that I advise it in any way. ----- The Mad Mill, probably the best themed ride in the park (including a gallery of wood cutting tools pinned up on the wall in the queue). ----- General park picture. ----- I suppose the TR is running out of steam now, so I'll leave you with these final pictures of Falcon. ----- Time for ride reviews!!! ----- Falcon: For a family park, this ride is nearly perfect. Not only does it offer a great experience, nearly the entire family can enjoy it. Due to its low height limit, its a great opportunity for young kids to experience their first major coaster. From a coaster enthusiasts point of view, this ride is mediocre at best with only the drop and heartline roll offering any substantial forces. Also, some parts could have been shaped better, especially the over bank which was the only bumpy part of what was mostly a smooth ride. As far as theming is concerned, its no where near Disney standards, but it certainly looks the part. The only complaint I have about it is the lack of ride interaction, but other than that, Duinrell have done a fantastic job of decorating what could have be a white elephant for them. 7/10 ----- Mad Mill: Out of all the Frisbee rides I've been on, this one is by far the best. Not only is the theming superb, the ride program is excellent and most importantly, non-repetitive. Usually, I find that these rides do the same trick over-and-over for 2 minutes but on this one, the spin speed constantly changed from very fast to nearly stopping, all while the rides swing got progressively higher. Because of this, the ride held my interest right until the very last swings. If I had any complaints, it would be with the uncomfertable head rests but other than that this thing is awesome. 8/10 ----- Splash: These rides, in my opinion, have one fundamental flaw. They're a one pony trick which means that if they want to impress anyone, that trick has to be pretty damn impressive. Fortunately, this one does. The splash is absolutely spectacular not only to spectators, but to riders as well. However, because of the strange features each boat carries, you can't experience the full potential of the splash. The cover your given on the roofless boat is especially annoying, but that's just me. I would have liked a more fleshed out ride, but considering what its got, it does one hell of a job of entertaining you, riding or watching. 6/10 ----- Thanks for reading, Alton Towers will follow soon.
CorkscrewFoley Posted September 3, 2009 Posted September 3, 2009 Thanks for posting this TR, Dr. G. I have to say, I love the theming on Rick's Delight, erm...Falcon, The supports look amazing with the wooden feel to them--obviously, they're not wooden.
dr.gumbo Posted September 4, 2009 Author Posted September 4, 2009 Time for the park that needs no introduction, Alton Towers. ----- I'll start with the towers themselves. If you visit this place, I advise you have a look in here. Very impressive building if you ask me. ----- Yarr! I be smellin' a Gentlemen o' fortune ----- Yarr! We be milkin' of the Pirates of the Carribean craze. ----- Yarr! I be visitin' Katanga Canyon twice o'er. ----- Yarr! I be seein' too many a Pirate movie. ----- Avast! Port awaits! ----- All looks well and good, but little do they know Niagara falls is around the corner. ----- Brave souls, I salute you. ----- The place proves good practise for Z-Day ----- Spooky! ----- Now, time for what you've all been waiting for. Coaster photos!!!!!!!!!!!!! ----- Great timing let down by shaky hands. Screw my life. ----- And thats it! Long story short, I left my camera with my Dad when I rode Nemesis and I didn't see it again till we were back in the car park. So to make up for it, I decided to post some Kittens. Enjoy!!! ----- ----- Reviews NEMESIS: What can I say, awesome layout, awesome theming, awesome pacing, awesome forces, awesome queue, awesome everything. 9/10 AIR: I'm not sure how to rate this ride because its completely different to everything I've ridden so far. I hate to start on a negative note but the queues were absolutely awful. They were by far the worst in the park by a long shot. I'd say its either down to the rides popularity or the fact that the ride was running two trains instead of three, but either way, if the queue had more for guests to look at it would have felt much quicker. As for the theme, I liked the style the ride had but it could have been a bit more elaborate and consistent for example, the tunnel before the lift is just ghastly compared to the rest of the area. The ride itself, however, was superb. I felt the feeling of 'flight was very effective and thanks to the position the trains are in, there was a lot of interaction with the surroundings. Also, despite the riders position, felt the trains were very comfortable and track was the smoothest at the entire park. I know this may be a sin to say, but I thought it nearly matched Nemesis. 8/10 RITA: Out of all the big coasters at the park, this one had the most sparse theme by a long shot yet despite this, queueing for this was the most entertaining due to its location beneath the ride and the amusing radio station that accompanied it. The trains not only looked good, they actually enhanced the ride experience thanks to they're exposed feeling. I've heard some complaints about the restraints but I personally thought the were very good. The launch blew me away, as expected and the layout offered some great airtime while maintaining the pace well. While it isn't the most impressive ride, its still very good. 8/10 OBLIVION: One phrase come to mind, one pony trick. Thankfully, what the ride does do can blow you away. The drop feels amazing and the actual 'oblivion' effect in the tunnel is really effective. Even though the rides only seven seconds long, I was satisfied when the train hit the brake and that's one impressive feat. Of coarse I wish it did a bit more but what it has is world class. The area which surrounds the ride is cleverly done, and the design and look of the queue effectively creates a sense of paranoia, like they intended. Thanks to the sheer mass of trains, the queue tends to go quite quickly so you don't have to worry about whether its worth queuing up for. 7/10 ----- Again, thanks for reading. If you have any comments, don't be shy.
Koolkid Posted September 4, 2009 Posted September 4, 2009 Great Trip report's I visited Alton Towers a few weeks ago and Nemesis is running fantastically at the moment, seriously out of this world Glad to hear you had a good time and it's a shame you didn't take many pictures.
RedSpecial Posted September 5, 2009 Posted September 5, 2009 Thanks for two very interesting reports - question - I love Nemisis at Alton Towers - love riding this in the dark; however after a recent trip to Thorpe Park and after multiple rides on Nemisis Inferno I'm really struggling to work out which one I prefer. Don't get me wrong I love both rides but if you had to compare the two which one would you rate top and why? Not sure but Nemisis Inferno feels faster and a bit more intense but I really like the theming at Alton Towers. Two great rides but would be interested in hearing others comments on this. Thanks again for the pics - did you check out the SW6 area on your visit?
Koolkid Posted September 5, 2009 Posted September 5, 2009 In my opinion , Nemesis at Alton Towers is so so so much better. Nemesis, the whole rush you get of it never slowing down and flying through rocks and above waterfalls. The theme is so much better and it's actually "finished" . Nemesis is, by statistics, faster but not by much. And I definately think it feels a hell of a lot faster, as well as being a lot lot more forceful. I don't know why I've just never been a fan of Nemesis Inferno. It's the best ride I've ever done including the ones in America.
RedSpecial Posted September 5, 2009 Posted September 5, 2009 In my opinion , Nemesis at Alton Towers is so so so much better. Nemesis, the whole rush you get of it never slowing down and flying through rocks and above waterfalls. The theme is so much better and it's actually "finished" . Nemesis is, by statistics, faster but not by much. And I definately think it feels a hell of a lot faster, as well as being a lot lot more forceful. I don't know why I've just never been a fan of Nemesis Inferno. It's the best ride I've ever done including the ones in America. Interesting - agree that the theming at Alton is much better. Comparing the stats on the two Inferno is 2460' 8" in length compared to Nemesis at Alton: 2349' which makes Inferno a longer ride. Nemesis at Alton pulls 3g where Inferno pulls 4.5g which should make Inferno the better ride. I honestly can't decide. You are correct about the speed Nemesis goes 50mph where Inferno does 47.8pmh. Wonder why Inferno only has 28 riders per train compared to Alton's 32? One thing we did spot at Thorpe is that Inferno became stuck on the main lift hill and everyone had to be walked back off the ride - would have made for an interesting experience. Must admit never have I seen anything like this happen at Alton Towers in regards to Nemesis. Looking forward to scarefest at Alton - would make the trip just to ride Nemesis in the dark - great fun. Nemesis Inferno Stuck
Manny In England Posted September 5, 2009 Posted September 5, 2009 The place proves good practise for Z-Day I couldn't approve more of subtle cult classic references, good all round look at Alton.
Koolkid Posted September 5, 2009 Posted September 5, 2009 Nemesis Inferno's G-force is 4.5g but Nemesis' is 4g, not 3 Thought I should point that out. And also, about the length of the ride, the actual ride itself if you know what I mean is longer than Nemesis Inferno's as that stat will inculde the pre-lift section. About the train getting stuck on Nemesis Inferno's lift, I've heard of that happening quite often actually, quite surprising really. I don't have a clue as to why the train is 7 rows instead of 8 on Nemesis Inferno, seems like an easy way to increase capacity. Am I right in thinking the newer B&M inverts have 7 rows?
RedSpecial Posted September 5, 2009 Posted September 5, 2009 Nemesis Inferno's G-force is 4.5g but Nemesis' is 4g, not 3 Regarding the G factor rcdb must have a typo them : http://www.rcdb.com/776.htm
dr.gumbo Posted September 6, 2009 Author Posted September 6, 2009 Thanks for two very interesting reports - question - I love Nemisis at Alton Towers - love riding this in the dark; however after a recent trip to Thorpe Park and after multiple rides on Nemisis Inferno I'm really struggling to work out which one I prefer. Don't get me wrong I love both rides but if you had to compare the two which one would you rate top and why? Not sure but Nemisis Inferno feels faster and a bit more intense but I really like the theming at Alton Towers. Two great rides but would be interested in hearing others comments on this. Thanks again for the pics - did you check out the SW6 area on your visit? Concerning the second question, yeah I did have a good look in the construction area while queuing for Rita. Not a whole lot too look at if I'm honest, but I did notice a circle ditch with steel netting for support foundations which I suspect is for the turnaround after the drop (EDIT: I'll correct myself, its seems to be for a turn before the lift) and a deep ditch. Also, I saw some work happening in the forest but I couldn't get a good look at that. I was planning on taking some pictures but as you know, I couldn't. As for the first question, I can't really answer that. Never been to Thorpe Park in my life. lol Thanks for all the comments people.
RedSpecial Posted September 6, 2009 Posted September 6, 2009 Thanks for two very interesting reports - question - I love Nemisis at Alton Towers - love riding this in the dark; however after a recent trip to Thorpe Park and after multiple rides on Nemisis Inferno I'm really struggling to work out which one I prefer. Don't get me wrong I love both rides but if you had to compare the two which one would you rate top and why? Not sure but Nemisis Inferno feels faster and a bit more intense but I really like the theming at Alton Towers. Two great rides but would be interested in hearing others comments on this. Thanks again for the pics - did you check out the SW6 area on your visit? Concerning the second question, yeah I did have a good look in the construction area while queuing for Rita. Not a whole lot too look at if I'm honest, but I did notice a circle ditch with steel netting for support foundations which I suspect is for the turnaround after the drop (EDIT: I'll correct myself, its seems to be for a turn before the lift) and a deep ditch. Also, I saw some work happening in the forest but I couldn't get a good look at that. I was planning on taking some pictures but as you know, I couldn't. As for the first question, I can't really answer that. Never been to Thorpe Park in my life. lol Thanks for all the comments people. Thanks for the update; planning on a two day Scarefest trip in October so hoping to see some progress on SW6 by then. When you get the opportunity you should really visit Thorpe Park - SAW was a really good ride and Stealth is a one trick 20 second fun experience. Out of all of the UK parks I think that Alton Towers is still no. 1; don't think anyone can better their halloween experience.
Koolkid Posted September 6, 2009 Posted September 6, 2009 I would say Chessington's up there, I do also agree that Thorpe Park would really be worthwhile for you, try and go on as quiet a day as possible though as it's a place that can't handle the crowds very well.
RedSpecial Posted September 6, 2009 Posted September 6, 2009 I would say Chessington's up there, I do also agree that Thorpe Park would really be worthwhile for you, try and go on as quiet a day as possible though as it's a place that can't handle the crowds very well. We did Thorpe Park on the last bank holiday weekend and boy was it busy. Also added to the vibe of the place but would have been happy with shorter queue times. Haven't done Chessington yet - always looked on it as a kids park - but shouldn't judge until I've been. Noted the recent pictures of the rapids ride at Alton Towers - had a go on the vikings ride at Legoland and a little disappointed - Alton Tower's ride is still n0. 1
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