FreeFaller Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 (edited) Hey TPR! Another trip, another trip report! Since all the parks here in Germany opened their season in early April, I finally ended my coaster withdrawals by doing a PRE trip to my local park Holiday Park before flying to the country of bulls, tortillas and Sangria! You all know that I'm talking of no other country but SPAIN! Before I took a plane to Spain, it was time to check out Holiday Park's new coaster Sky Scream by Premier Rides and some Intamin goodness called Expedition Ge Force! The first thing I noticed when I got to Holiday Park was the advertisement of their new Express pass. This is a great addition for people coming from far away and who want to seek Holiday Park's thrills for sure, but for all the locals here it is definitely not necessary at all, especially because the lines always look longer than they usually are! Even in summer, it's not a big problem as it is at Europa Park. The pass costs 29 Euros. The next thing I was surprised about is the fact that the world famous boob scene at ''Burg Falkenstein'' (''Castle Falkenstein'') was gone! There is still the woman holding the blanket in front of her boobs, but she does not show them anymore. Sorry guys, but I think this is because the park is getting more and more family friendly! As for the new coaster Sky Scream, all I can say is that it is a great addition to the park. I love Premier Rides and having the first here in Germany is really awesome! I'm pretty sure it will be a tourism magnet for the next couple of months. However, it is not a coaster which I would ride all day long. Getting some rides on it is quite enough for me, because there is still Expedition Ge Force Plopsa did some nice theming in the park with lots of details especially at the water ride ''Wicky Splash''. I'm really excited about how the park will look like in 10 years! With that being said, are you ready for some German coaster goodness? To be continued Hey guys! It's time to ride coasters or towers? Nice theming at Wicky's Splash! ...Intamin Food! YUMMY! I had some food but this was better... First row for sure! More Sky Scream! Nice logo! Whee! Looks twisty! First stop: Sky Scream! Information about the coaster! Upside down! Superwirbel's corkscrew is lightning up Sky Scream! Wicky and his guys are everywhere you look! Fat guy representing Wicky's Splash Theming! New shop! Souvenirs! EGF! RIP Superwirbel! Holiday Park's Museum! Welcome to Holiday Park! Edited April 26, 2014 by FreeFaller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinschroder Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Oh great pictures as usual! Looking forward to my first protest lap on Sky Scream with you soon! Oh - and it's Maja's birthday today I see - great timing for your trip report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted April 23, 2014 Author Share Posted April 23, 2014 ^Thanks Robin! Can't wait for your visit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_koppen Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Awesome pictures! Love the new look for the Flume Ride. Looking forward to the rest of the trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Great TR! Look forward to visit Holiday Park one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
televisedconfession Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Great update so far Marcel! Looks like Sky Scream is a good addition to the park. They needed something else to really attract new customers. Looking good so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted April 23, 2014 Author Share Posted April 23, 2014 ^ exactly Neil! I'm really happy that they got at least a new coaster. Now they attract families and more thrillseekers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oriolat Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Great report, so far, Freefaller! I am looking forward to reading the rest of your Spanish adventure! Even if it's a bit of a spoiler, what parks did you visit around Spain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted April 23, 2014 Author Share Posted April 23, 2014 Okay I'll give you a spoiler thanks to your profile photo: I visited Tibidabo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted April 23, 2014 Author Share Posted April 23, 2014 Hey guys! Are you ready for some SPANISH AWESOMENESS called Port Aventura? If so, this update is exactly what you need! After the day at Holiday Park, I took a plane to Reus Barcelona which is right next to Port Aventura. Thanks to Ryanair the flight was really cheap and I could use my savings for taking a cab to Port Aventura I have stayed at Hotel Gold River during my last visit, but this time I decided to stay at Hotel Port Aventura which is closer to the park. Their rooms and beds were way bigger as the ones at Hotel Gold River and my from the balcony was INCREDIBLE because all you saw was Shambhala! The park was a little bit crowded, but however I did not decide to buy the FastPass, because the Spanish people did not know how to use the Single Rider queue, so that was a plus for me! If you stay at one of their resorts, the FastPass is valid during your whole stay, which is a really good offer. Normally you pay like 46 Euros for one day and in the hotels you pay 54 Euros for your whole stay! I really enjoyed the park and its Mediterranean atmosphere. I was a little bit annoyed by all the Spanish people doing queue jumping, but that's what all the Spanish people obviously do. At the end of my stay I went downtown Salou where you can find an American Diner called Shambhala! If you want to dine in a restaurant that is called like Port Aventura's great B&M coaster, this is the right place for you! There you can find the Spanish version of a Hamburger, which was a really interesting creation. Get hungry and watch my photos! My view from the balcony! Really nice hotel! Welcome to Port Aventura! ...to explore the park! Hello from Spain! The worst coaster right at the beginning. Great launch, but painful ride! I better go and search for some B&M goodness I think I'm right here! My heart is bumping! Two B&M's in one photo! Drop tower selfie! Angkor! Their new Splash battle looks GREAT! You get a nice view on Shambhala's first drop from the new area Great element Breakfast time! A piece of Shambhala More Shambhala Way too early! Where is Reus? Theme Park Review member on tour! Walking to the plane! Hey guys! Enjoy your flight! Plane POV! My ticket to... The view is amazing! Shambhala! Postcard photo Soaking zone! POV Panorama photo! Theme Park Review chap stick Marcel is trying to eat clean and healthy for dinner! New profile photo? There is a rollie in the background! Just relaxing! About to ride Dragon Khan! Only some more weeks until I am in America! Q selfie! Panorama! More panaroma! It's a Shamb(h)ala diner! ala diner! The Spanish version of a Hamburger! Boobs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Projektion Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Absolutely love PA, great update. I can guarantee I was right behind you when you took that Furius Baco pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WFChris Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I love your trip reports, you're so happy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 PA looks really nice, great TR! Do you prefer Dragon Khan or Shambhala? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillerman1 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Really awesome adventure pics at HP and PA! I hope I can get to PA one day. Thank you for sharing, Marcel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 PA looks really nice, great TR! Do you prefer Dragon Khan or Shambhala? Honestly said, I don't know which coaster I prefer, Yin I think I prefer Shambhala for riding it over and over again, and I prefer Dragon Khan when I want to seek inversions Thank you guys for all the nice comments! I love sharing my trips with you, because you're the best community on earth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 Hey TPR! This update is about some sightseeing in Barcelona and Tibidabo! Yup, you're reading right, I did some sightseeing! Crazy, isn't it? From Port Aventura I took a train right to Barcelona. The next morning, I visited the world famous ''Sagrada Familia'' which will not be renovated until many many many many years! The construction looks really impressive, so it's worth for some photos! I took some photos and went to Tibidabo afterwards. There is a bus that is driving you up the mountains to the amusement park where you have a fantastic view over the whole city! Tibidabo is famous for his ''bucket of death'' which freaked the crap out of me! That thing was so terrifying and even if I'm riding every coaster, this was the first attraction after many roller coaster riding years that scared me! There is also a kind of inverted monorail ride, that has a nice little surprise at the end of the ride Everybody who watched TPR's Coaster Expedition in Spain knows what I'm talking about! I only say 'heart attack'' While visiting Tibidabo I forgot my purse at a restaurant which made me freak out! I had big luck, because I noticed it only 5 minutes later, so I went back where a French family was waiting for me, because they found my purse! I was so happy, that I gave them some money to buy their kids some ice cream! Apart from that, my day at Tibidabo was a fun day! It is worth visiting that place, even though there are only two coasters. The view over the city is just amazing and the bucket of death anyway! Enjoy the photos! 11 pm, still 21 degrees Celcius! isn't that great? Arrival in Barcelona! For all the Apple whores out there! First stop: Sagrada Familia The bucket of death! Credit! You're right: At Tibidabo! Where could I be? Really terrifying! Breakfast! Sightseeing! More sightseeing! Bye Tibidabo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atadritaata Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Bucket of death and also the plane on a stick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Always great to see some culture! The park looks packed, how long did it take to wait for Muntanya Russa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Those views are stunning. I've been to Barcelona but never to Tibidabo. Nice pictures. PA looks really nice, great TR! Do you prefer Dragon Khan or Shambhala? Honestly said, I don't know which coaster I prefer, Yin I think I prefer Shambhala for riding it over and over again, and I prefer Dragon Khan when I want to seek inversions Shambhala gave me a better ride this year than in 2012 but I still think Dragon Khan is an awesome ride! (no surprise it is my favourite coaster) so I like it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 The day after Tibidabo, I took a train to Madrid where I wanted to visit Parque Warner and Parque de Atracciones to end my Spain trip. The train ride was really fast and they even showed a film during the ride! It was pretty cool to see this service on a train! Even though I could not understand anything of the film, it was still fun! After my arrival at the hotel in Pinto, I took the bus to Parque Warner to get plenty of rides on the best Batman clone in the world, well at least according to my friend Bas! Bas, if you're reading my trip report I just want to let you know that I enjoyed my rides on Batman and I did some rides in honor of your enthusiasm about your number 1 coaster! I don't think it's the best Batman clone, but I guess it's because there wasn't the Spanish summer heat! I bought the Fast Pass, because it seemed to be busy, but somehow the park was really empty and most people were in the kiddy area! Really, this section of the park was so crowded and then you came to the thrill seekers areas and the queues were empty! I was really surprised. The park is opening a waterpark this summer, which will help to increase the number of visitors. They haven't already finished building it, but it should be done really soon. The worst coaster in the park was the Giant Inverted Boomerang. I'm sure this coaster ran better many years ago, but it gave me a huge headache. I rode it once to get the credit, because more rounds on this coaster would have killed me. Their wooden coaster looked like pain, but nothing is worse than HADES 360! The weather was sunny but really windy. Feel free to comment on my photos! Random Spanish countryside They're showing a movie during the train ride! A tropical area INSIDE the train station I found a traditional Spanish bakery! So delicious stuff! I think I am at Parque Warner! It was only 29 Euros! Getting my FastPass! The kiddy area was so crowded! Scooby Doo Dark Ride! Ouch! Looks like pain! Nothing can be worse than Hades 360, can it? Batman! G-Forces! Superman! Lifthill! Hey guys! Bad Boomerang! Not good! Random photo! Free Fall! TRUE! Pure happiness! Happy Rider! Food! Just to remind you where you are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Nice pics! I went to the park in 2007 and 2008 and it was also rather empty (especially in 2007) so it's interesting to know it hasn't changed much. It's a shame that Stunt Fall has gotten bad, when I rode it it was great and packed a nice punch, making it a pretty good ride! Coaster Express, on the other hand, is the worst coaster I have ever ridden: it gave me a terrible headache because it was super super and, one more SUPER rough. And then there is the fact that the layout itself isn't great either. So if yo say Hades 360 is even worse, I can only imagine... How was superman running? I'm interested as it is kind of a special coaster for me as it was my first properly big one and for a long time, my favourite. (and, yeah... you can tell by my avatar picture) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Zo Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Fun trip report, Marcel! That train station looks fantastic -- and the parks are very nice also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Great TR! Seems like you had a good time there. The park looks pretty well themed aside from the S&S combo tower (Whole white?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon8899 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Nice TR so far... On what day of the week did you visit? And was the Fastpass really good value? Next to that I read on some older reviews on other sites that the two Madrid parks only dispatched a train if it was completely filled and therefor took some time to dispatch a train. Is that still so??? Just have all this questions as I will fly for long weekend in Madrid early May... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dacocovid Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I was in PW last year and Stunt Fall ran great! It is soooo intense!! Love GIBs! Maybe you ride it after Coaster Express hahaha ^Only suffered the infamous full train rule in the inverted Intamin at Parque de Atracciones. I never suffered big crowds in PW and never used a Fastpass or felt I should use it. Anyway, It is time for school trips in Spain, so maybe there are a lot of teenagers around any day... I would recommend you to go in the park and buy it after checking the crowds. Something curious that I always experience in PW is that one hour waiting time can be a walk-on two hours later. I always walk around the park looking for empty rides, it is a small, easy to walk park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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