Gardaland Discussion Thread

[MagicAngel94]

Hell, just throw in another B&M (something in the mega-coaster size, like 40-60 Meters, no Inversions) to get rid of capacity problems

Well, gardaland has height limit for the buildings. Max 40 mt more or less

[DaveDowning]

Well, then make it a 39 Meter Woodie or B&M without inversions. There´s plenty of space (and plenty of coasters to tear down)

 

Airtime on the first drop I didn't expect and a ton of foot choppers.

 

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that. In the back, Raptor actually does have airtime on the first drop and one hill later, but the vest restraints don´t really allow much of it. It was my first B&M with the new ones, and I always thought I would love them because they look cool, but nope. I understand all the bad reviews they get. The thing is - you actually feel that there is airtime, but the restraints push you into the seat and don´t allow it to show.

 

Meanwhile, on Oblivion, you´re out of your seat for a solid 3,4 Seconds on the first drop in the back row and another 2,3 on the airtime hill.

Edited June 15, 2016 by DaveDowning

[DaveDowning]

double post

[livai]

Very bad

[JordyC]

Nooo, not another VR coaster.. When is this VR-thing finally going to end? At least, I hope it's going to be optional.

[Jew]

Nooo, not another VR coaster.. When is this VR-thing finally going to end? At least, I hope it's going to be optional.

 

When parks find something better that costs them almost nothing and allows for them to market something as all new.

[livai]

very few people today at the park

the entry at 14

village west

queue for the train

queue for magic mountain

ramses square

[Henry M]

Oh man! I have just clicked on this thread and am so sad. Firstly, those wait times awe really bad, secondly, the VR shows Merlin are going to put VR or more things to come. No doubt about a VR Colossus at heide park.

[Nrthwnd]

^^ What were all these people thinking??!

Haven't they got something better to do? Like get ready for Halloween?

 

Oh right, most of Europe doesn't do much Halloween like the USA do. Nothing to the level

of what's being done over here, nowadays. But soon, soon. They'll eventually catch up.

 

Boo.

[cookiex]

Oh man! I have just clicked on this thread and am so sad. Firstly, those wait times awe really bad, secondly, the VR shows Merlin are going to put VR or more things to come. No doubt about a VR Colossus at heide park.

I think it's more likely Big Loop or Limit gets VR before Colossos.

[SharkTums]

Wow, that's crazy busy!

[LeoBruz199]

Almost two hours to ride Blue Tornado? Nope, nopety nope.

[JordyC]

Oh man! I have just clicked on this thread and am so sad. Firstly, those wait times awe really bad, secondly, the VR shows Merlin are going to put VR or more things to come. No doubt about a VR Colossus at heide park.

I think it's more likely Big Loop or Limit gets VR before Colossos.

 

Yeah, exactly! They will never give Colossos the VR treatment. I think Grottenblitz or Bobbahn are more likely to get VR.

[KBrylczyk]

Sweet jesus with that crowd! Look, I love Gardaland and all, but if I walked up and saw that I'd just go two kilometers down the road to Movieland Studios. I'd rather risk my life than my sanity.

[Stonem]

New spot for the VR Magic Mountain

[livai]

Same Operation made for air at Alton Towers; Magic Mountain will be called SHAMAN

[LeoBruz199]

Same Operation made for air at Alton Towers; Magic Mountain will be called SHAMAN

 

Gardaland pls...

 

At least they're one step ahead of Mirabilandia. Instead of just slapping VR on a coaster, they're at least retheming it.

[ElvisLuv]

A quick question. We have no intention of renting a car when in Italy. We had planned on 2018 but pushed back a month in Europe till 2019. We will be taking the train from Venice to Milan, so my question is. Is there a shuttle to and from the station to Garda land and is their lockers for luggage to rent at the station if we decide to go for a day before continuing on to Milan.

[Stonem]

Hello. I live in Milan.

You can take a train from Milan to Peschiera del Garda (1 hour and 30 minute of distance) and then you will find at the station of Peschiera a free shuttle bus that will bring you to the park. And.. I think I didn't undestand the fluffy bunny question (?) LOL

[LeoBruz199]

^

Try typing the English for "armadietto" and then click on preview.

 

You're welcome.

[Anac0nda]

Hey guys!

 

I will be travelling to Gardaland and Mirabilandia on the first week of May. Any tips on rides, shows, food or anything would be greatly appreciated! In Garda I'm most looking forward to riding Raptor

 

I hope the crowds won't be that bad because it's not yet high season. I will be travelling by train/public transport and staying most likely in the park's own hotels (I loved Heide's Abenteuerhotel!). At the moment it's one day at Gardaland and two days at Mirabilandia, but I'm also thinking about having an extra day at Garda as well.

[LeoBruz199]

Well. This year, Gardaland has officially hit a new low.

 

Shaman, the new restyle of the historic Magic Mountain roller coaster, was supposed to incorporate Virtual Reality. After opening day, which was when the ride was SUPPOSED to open, the VR System continued to have various technical difficulties. Many theorize that it is because it uses the same VR system as Galactica at Alton Towers which has proved to be not very reliable, but TBH I'm not the one who has exact answers. Whatever the cause, the VR System could not operate until a few days ago (I don't know the exact date, but the earliest reviews of the ride date to July 6th). Anyhow, the ride continued to operate without VR no problem. This article explains both the functionalities and problems of the new system, but the highlights and their translations are as follows (I have only shown here the parts where it mentions the problems the ride has. I have also left out any parts which mention smartphone hardware, since it is still not clear whether or not Shaman uses smartphone based VR headset):

 

Shaman Gardaland, funzionamento e problemi del VR coaster

Quest’anno la novità di Gardaland si chiama Shaman, e consiste nella conversione delle vecchie Magic Mountain in un roller coaster con la realtà virtuale.

 

L’azienda scelta per sviluppare il progetto è la britannica Figment Productions. Una firma autorevole nel settore virtual reality, che ha già lavorato con Merlin Entertainments recentemente (per Galactica ad Alton Towers e Gost Train a Thorpe Park).

 

Il mistero di Shaman a Gardaland

Non è chiaro se l’hardware utilizzato per il roller coaster di Gardaland sia esattamente lo stesso usato ad Alton Towers. Tuttavia è certo che qualcosa non funziona come previsto. Dopo una breve apertura per la stampa, e tanta pubblicità, la realtà virtuale non è mai entrata in funzione per il pubblico. Non ci sono dichiarazioni ufficiali ed il parco denuncia solo un temporaneo problema tecnico. Il fatto che la VR non venga utilizzata nemmeno parzialmente, per alcune ore della giornata, denota che il problema è importante, e potrebbe essere in corso una controversia con il fornitore. Sono passati quasi due mesi senza una soluzione. Se si trattasse solo di un componente malfunzionante, non sarebbe stato facile sostituirlo in pochi giorni?

 

Le criticità

Ultimo ma non meno importante, questo tipo di attrazioni sono soggette e problemi di sincronizzazione (timing). Non è raro che il video sui visori sia in ritardo oppure in anticipo rispetto alla posizione reale del treno. Quando accade, le sensazioni percepite dal visitatore non sono coerenti con le immagini che sta vedendo. Questa circostanza, oltre che fastidiosa, può comportare alcuni problemi più seri.

 

TRANSLATION (Made by Yours Truly)

 

Shaman Gardaland, the functions and problems of the VR Coaster

This year, gardaland's newest addition is called Shaman, and it consists of a conversion of the old Magic Mountain into a VR roller coaster.

 

The company chosen for the project's development is the British firm Figment Productions. A notable firm in the VR sector, which has already worked for Merlin Entertainments recently (for Galactica at Alton Towers and Derren Brown's Ghost Train at Thorpe Park).

 

Shaman's mystery, at Gardaland

 

It is not clear if the hardware used for Gardaland's roller coaster is exactly the one used for Alton Towers'. However, it is certain that something isn't working as expected. After a short opening for the medias, and lots of advertisement, the VR was never available for the public. There are no official declarations and the park is calling it a temporary technical issue. The fact that the VR system is not even being used partially, even for just for a few hours a day, shows that the problem is important, and there could be some controversy surrounding the manufacturer. Almost two months have passed with no solutions (this article was written way back in May). If it really were about just one dysfunctional component, would it not have been easy to just replace it in a few days?

 

The critical issues

 

Last but not least important, is that these rides are subject to syncing problems. Delay on the videos is not a rare phenomenon. When this happens, the sensations perceived by the guests are not consistent with what is seen on the screen. Other than it just being an annoyance, this may lead to even bigger problems.

 

The real problem is that whilst the ride was having issues with VR for several months, the park was already advertising it as a new addition. And not as a small one, either. Their TV campaign IMO Rivals Oblivion The Black Hole's (shown below) (no longer airing).

 

 

And this is just the TV ad!

 

I'll be honest- if I wasn't following up with the Italian coaster forums, I'd be thinking the ride was open since the first day of operation!

 

It may not seem like much, but to me this is just way too poor communication coming from what many believe to be "Italy's top theme park."

Edited December 8, 2017 by LeoBruz199

[LeoBruz199]

Well, Merlin even though they didn't want to add in a Peppa Pig themed area to their UK Parks because of Paulton's, have managed to get one to Gardaland, and get this, even when Italy has its own version of Paultons Park, complete with its own Peppa Pig themed area!

Some articles snatched from GardalandTribe.com

 

 

Photo Source: Gardaland Park Fanpage.it

[livai]

Leolandia has a very small play area on peppa pig, gardaland will have mechanical attractions and shows. 2 completely different things

 

p.s: and in 2019 new coaster

[LeoBruz199]

^What is actually in the area is kind of irrelevant to my point. It's a matter of IP. My question would be, if Merlin couldn't invest (or better, *didn't want to*) in a Peppa Pig area in the UK because there was a park doing it already, which is Paulton's Park, why would they invest in a Peppa area in Italy, when there's Leolandia which is essentially our own version of Paulton's Park?

 

PS: The new coaster is anything but certain.