Photo TR: Cookiex Versus Hansa Park

[cookiex]

Every summer me and my parents take a boat trip from Sweden over to the German coastline. I've been in the region so many times I know most of it from the back of my hand. We usually visit the same places (Rostock, Kuhlingsborn, Grömitz, Neustadt im Holstein etc.) and the traditions that come with those places don't change all that much either. And of course one of those traditions that never change is the annual visit to Germany's only theme park by the sea (so they say in the ads!), Hansa Park! Not that I have any objections to such an awesome tradition.

 

This visit was different from earlier years. For starters, this the first time I've visited the park all on my own. My parents have had enough of theme parks for their lifetime, so they let me borrow one of their bikes and pedal from the Ancora marina in Neustadt out to the park. One thing you should know if you plan to bike to the park: the road to Sierksdorf from Neustadt is an exercise on it's own. The hilly terrain will tire you out before you even get there!

 

Second, this has been an important year for the park. If you've followed the news for the past year or so you've probably heard about Kärnan, a massively tall Gerstlauer Infinity coaster with the vertical lift hill entirely enclosed. It's basically Europe's answer to Cannibal at Lagoon. It's a coaster you wouldn't think the park would build in a million years. Not that Hansa Park didn't have impressive coasters like Fluch Von Novgorod already, but Kärnan is on a whole other level.

 

These pictures were taken on July 29th, so you may think I'm a little late in posting these, but I've been busy with college and all that so I haven't had time to compile a proper trip report. And apologies if the picture quality isn't the greatest, I took these photos from my Galaxy Young, which doesn't have the best camera.

 

This is Hansa Park from afar, about 20 minutes from opening. As you can see, Kärnan has made one heck of an impact on the skyline.

 

The park gates just a few minutes from opening. Crowds were a bit lighter than usual, probably because of the mixed weather, but the place got busy around noon. At opening there were only about a hundred people by the gates though.

 

I rushed over to Kärnan as soon as the gates opened. I have mixed feelings about this plan in hindsight: while I was one of the first few people to ride it, they didn't open Kärnan for another hour (the park opens at 9 and Kärnan opens at 10) so I had to do a lot of waiting even though I was first in line.

 

What's stranger is that they didn't even test the coaster before they opened the line. If you had an extra hour to prepare, shouldn't you take that time to test it so it's ready for opening? They need to iron out their procedures for next year.

 

After an hour of waiting the line finally opened and it was time to head in! It's a bit weird to go on a ride that technically isn't finished yet. This pathway may look very different next year.

 

Needless to say, Kärnan was awesome! The layout, the lift drop, the amazing soundtrack, all excellent. There were some rattle in the middle parts of the ride, but other than that it's an exhilarating experience!

 

The line was already over an hour minutes after I exited. It stayed like this for most of the day.

 

You can see Kärnan from almost every corner of the park! Here's the view from Fluch Von Novgorod's exit.

 

Speaking of Fluch, it was the day's next venture. As you enter the queue you're greeted by this sinister scarecrow animatronic.

 

You enter this ominous doorway and things take a turn for the spooky from here.

 

More to come in the next post!

[Nrthwnd]

How was the queue time for Fluch, in comparison to Karnan?

 

I'm just curious. Great start to your trip report.

Hansa is a great park. I wish it was a lot closer to me.

[cookiex]

How was the queue time for Fluch, in comparison to Karnan?

 

I'm just curious. Great start to your trip report.

Hansa is a great park. I wish it was a lot closer to me.

Fluch's queue was 30-40 minutes all day. I think the weather had more of an impact than Kärnan though as I said the crowds were lighter than usual for that time of the year.

 

Moving on!

 

Here's what Fluch has that Kärnan doesn't: free Wifi!

 

As you enter the castle you're transported back to 16th century Russia. Fluch's indoor queue is actually one of the most immersive I've ever been in. The ambiance, lighting and cramped hallways do a fantastic job in building atmosphere and suspense.

 

A skeleton can be seen watching you from the ceiling. Now that's what I call spooky!

 

Fluch does have a single rider line, but it only appears just before the final hallway. It's good if you want to save a few minutes, but you still have to wait for most of the queue before you can use it.

 

The way the Fluch starts is awesome. The fake wooden door opens, the lights begin flashing and the rocking soundtrack starts playing as you're sent on your perilous journey.

 

Even if it's been surpassed by Kärnan, Fluch is still one of my favorites. It's gotten a bit jerkier with age, although it rode better this year.

 

Now here's the most bizarre part of the visit: despite decent crowds and being in the middle of summer, the nearby log flume was basically ignored.

 

This is what the line looked like almost all day. I was one of six people there! You might blame the weather, but I've been to Hansa Park in worse conditions (and today's weather only had the occasional rain spurt intermixed with sunlight) and the log flume had more people on it then. It's even right next to Fluch, one of Hansa Park's most popular rides, so it's not like it's hard to find or anything.

 

It's not that long of a ride and log flumes have plenty of capacity, but I expected more people to be on it because water rides usually attract decent crowds, but not this time. At least it made it easy for re-rides.

 

This year Hansa Park has put up TV screens across the park that show queue times for their most popular rides. This is a common sight in larger theme parks, but it's a welcome addition here, makes it easier to plan your next move. It's not without it's quirks, however. See that 35 minute wait time for Nessie? Yeah, that was way off. I've never had to wait more than 15 minutes.

[gisco]

Do you get very wet on the log ride? Maybe that is why people were staying away.

[cfc]

^I remember it being a bit "damp" way back when.

[Nrthwnd]

I remember observing many splashdowns, then deciding nope. Not gonna ride it.

[cookiex]

Do you get very wet on the log ride? Maybe that is why people were staying away.

well I do remember getting a bit damp.

 

 

Heading over to Nessie. There was only one train operating for most of the day, but the line managed to stay below 15 minutes.

 

It's easy to get many re-rides on Nessie because of the short lines. It's not like you can go wrong with a good old Schwarzkopf anyway (now if they only did something about that awful noise in the brake tunnel).

 

Choo-choo!

 

Crazy Mine seems to have gotten a lot rougher these past few years. Maybe it's because I can barely fit into those cars. It's not like I'm an especially large person, and I can fit into most other Wild Mouse cars just fine. But those were Mack and this is Maurer...

 

This year they've added a single rider line (in case you don't see it, it's the wooden arch sticking out from the crowds in front of me). Saves you ten minutes or so, but like Fluch it's pretty late into the queue.

 

One thing that ticked me off is that they built a single rider line for Kärnan but it was closed, and apparently it hasn't been used since opening day. And it's placed fairly early in the queue too! I could've gotten so many re-rides if they actually decided to use it. Maybe it'll be open when everything's finished next year.

 

Rio Dorado usually gets long lines even in crappy weather, so always get to it before noon.

 

With the right weight combination you can get the raft to spin like mad which is really fun, otherwise it's just okay. At least the station is nicely themed.

 

It's actually possible to get stuck in the wide section before the last turn. Your only way out is if you get help from a passing raft or if another raft bumps you out and gets stuck in your place.

 

Fluch with Kärnan in the background.