Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

Photo TR: Larrygator returns to Europe with TPR


Recommended Posts

YES!!! I've been waiting for this report!! LOLOLOL!!!!

 

Me too! And yet after reading every word of Larry's NeuroGen review, I still have no idea what in hell it's actually about.

 

Honestly, the best part of the whole day was Larry's completely serious recounting of the experience to all of us while we were waiting for the park to close. I'm still not sure if anyone actually believed what he was saying at the time.

 

I kind of assumed we were listening to the crazed ramblings of a broken man ... but actually, that's basically what NeuroGen does to you, isn't it?

 

As for D&D, if you could combine Duinrell's nice setting with Drievliet's cute theming, you'd have a pretty killer family park. Both parks definitely had their bright spots, and a few fun rides too. I hope you journeyed into Old MacDonald's barn. It was quite the experience.

 

Great updates Larry!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 70
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Energylandia

 

I was really excited to not just visit Energylandia but also to be in a new country. I was looking forward to walking around Krakow, as I hear good things from a co-worker and others who have visited. Krakow pictures will be posted at a later time. I can certainly enjoy a large park that only has two very good coasters under certain conditions. Lines have to be managable on the major coasters, well at least we got quite a few rides on Formula, even though the theming was cheap the ride was great.

Hyperion started out on the wrong foot because of the weak understanding of ERT by the park and our host, and the supersized queue we had to walk through. I started riding in the back on the outside and felt quite a lot of vibration, I got smoother as I moved out towards the front and with an inside seat. I liked it but didn't love it.

 

However, after these two coasters Energylandia was missing many of the complimentary things that round out a park. I have no doubt that the creators visited other parks, but they did not take into account the intangibles that make a park work coherently.

1 - There was a lack of thrill rides in the flat department, but I guess that happens if you stuff a family coaster into every corner. Maybe the park is just trying to not cater to teens.

2 - There was only one dark ride and it was a catastrophe.

3 - The park had no charm. Most operators just seemed to be going through the motions without emotion (props to the Formula crew though). Only saw the park mascot near the front entrance, although there were some stilt walkers around the park.

4 - The clientele just didn't appear to be very happen (maybe that's a Polish thing)

5 - Love the attempt at a wait time ride board, except the times were ridiculous. Every major ride was stated as 0-3 minutes, except Hyperion which showed 10 minutes most of the day (even though it was much longer) and Booster was was truly reflective of the wait time.

6 - Stunt show story line was senseless. OK, the stories are usually silly, but this made no sense in any language.

 

The park certainly shows that more is not always better.

 

A few good things to say about the park. There are a good amount of family rides. Food was very good and lines were short, but we ate at off times. Beer and pastries were plentiful throughout the park. The new section with Zadra is much better designed than the rest of the park. Consistent theming and spacious walkways. On to the photos and captions

20190723_081707.thumb.jpg.e47e1dd5373fdbe4e1e11a3a3c3e6bf0.jpg

This must be the place

20190723_165819.thumb.jpg.bf8d90a6e86b10e3b06926e8e3c21164.jpg

Big coaster out front

20190723_165802.thumb.jpg.50a00a9c786bb4850b8ac64d6c17af32.jpg

Most of Hyperion is "outside" the park

20190723_094858.thumb.jpg.765f61d1a6e194881ee01528de3e0bae.jpg

My favorite coaster in the park

20190723_113117.thumb.jpg.a7109c12d456aeb34b9348f251369f3e.jpg

Not good, but at least they have Formula. so locals will know not all Vekoma's are horrible (or they can just go to Legendia.)

20190723_102950.thumb.jpg.0fb7ae0852efa4e5713382cfdf3bd662.jpg

The park bought a surplus of fiberglass dragons and placed them everywhere

20190723_105209.thumb.jpg.19f38ae7d92edc7350a6d5360dfa1e0c.jpg

The Jr. Boomerang was fun, it would have been more fun if the line was 40 minutes shorter.

20190723_110636.thumb.jpg.c541310235b843f54419176d88961076.jpg

Many on the trip hated the wild mouse, I found it no different the typical wild mouse.

20190723_111038.thumb.jpg.448a47f3713b3babee3b418b8feeda5a.jpg

Oh, hello there

20190723_094701.thumb.jpg.882976b20656762b83d6424460c6affe.jpg

Worst shooting dark ride ever

20190723_094939.thumb.jpg.1c176d68869257f36655886523b254be.jpg

Just because Dragon Coaster was re-rideable does mean I have to re-ride it.

20190723_141215.thumb.jpg.6009aabd2a8d9eca94f0e65367662216.jpg

A coaster not themed to dragons. The Space area of the park made me laugh as the park just put the word Space in every ride name.

20190723_142924.thumb.jpg.b4980e2cf8155c41b2c58b48cd5749fb.jpg

Booster becomes Space Booster

20190723_142900.thumb.jpg.a7229257145e6b684542634b31cc445b.jpg

Space Gun, at least the signage looks cool

20190723_144105.thumb.jpg.33e72a8d08b33eb24aaeb845124f86ba.jpg

The stunt show was pretty lame. It involved gangsters and a street gang trying to steal their briefcase. The street gang treated the crowd by playing with fire and juggling while not trying to get the briefcase. The chase occurs in front of a prison. So naturally the prison escapee and police become involved in trying to get the briefcase, also. The non story line made me long for Neurogen.

20190723_165028.thumb.jpg.3f13d09c47106605ac0848070ed15608.jpg

I only rode the Wacky Worm to get a closer look at the superb theming.

20190723_164850.thumb.jpg.68a64005aa508761ab08507baea07db9.jpg

The park had multiple stilt walkers, but I fear that angry looking Polish men in the park were going to punch out one of them.

20190723_144147.thumb.jpg.c9ffefce8e4f9746fb94edcefcf8785d.jpg

Soft opening for the Dragon Zone, as if there weren't already enough dragons in the park

20190723_145229.thumb.jpg.a249f832f04e940f997cc255c0e22d9b.jpg

The area looked nice

20190723_144439.thumb.jpg.cd7fee7de67fa6ed8c16e728727b8db7.jpg

The SLC even looked nice when viewed from the Dragon Zone

20190723_152409.thumb.jpg.3d7b1449cfed8d23326ac66e9ba65bc1.jpg

There are two family/kiddie coasters in the Dragon Zone, but many can now ride Zadra, we missed it by a few weeks.

20190723_152734.thumb.jpg.8db8df8dbc5b817ebf9e8feb77ba9c60.jpg

I had a beer at King Arthur's

20190723_165303.thumb.jpg.ad8997408afc6bf221d400344c0f8665.jpg

I never saw the park mascots far from the front gate / exit area.

20190723_151252.thumb.jpg.944bc9ecfe615f7da7aa875251168433.jpg

Ir I return to Energylandia it will be for this.

20190723_094909.thumb.jpg.9634a97ec537c5f3191c55394e2af450.jpg

20190723_110650.thumb.jpg.ce9926698673e9e0e331c3b3e51cf559.jpg

20190723_104843.thumb.jpg.829e3f187a09d0268306e22e4873948e.jpg

20190723_113058.thumb.jpg.e705df43c6063d4d22db2b7c81c9d2ec.jpg

20190723_112918.thumb.jpg.36dae051515ad160999ba33404144e91.jpg

20190723_112843.thumb.jpg.45c595eecd1eebab02d90ccc2b682dc4.jpg

20190723_151640.thumb.jpg.8e58f988b5585a2c594e300530624bd1.jpg

20190723_113309.thumb.jpg.4f7c2bbf13e2673283605d17a41c5f84.jpg

20190723_151139.thumb.jpg.a79ef9244c87111902e537a028d1c069.jpg

20190723_144917.thumb.jpg.d1245030537ee867ee0e4431c2c72fce.jpg

20190723_120115.thumb.jpg.e4e075648eee49bae3d4cb9e669e3e85.jpg

20190723_144752.thumb.jpg.b6b82a80531a17a8f971f2d4072034d2.jpg

20190723_144443.thumb.jpg.dea428005357f8efcdb12de2521476c8.jpg

20190723_140206.thumb.jpg.1f253ae22411c4dee0647b0b354f9581.jpg

20190723_142204.thumb.jpg.706b0591d3c8f603e20f491f524cefab.jpg

20190723_140242.thumb.jpg.c35831a4e220e09cf83fb4e69bbd00ab.jpg

20190723_104225.thumb.jpg.07121ca83a89c0f649185f3be0d6f375.jpg

20190723_141051.thumb.jpg.549fdab52b8e8c6fb58b55f09e524765.jpg

20190723_112918.thumb.jpg.a267bc7a81cb81f25b231c6468adee30.jpg

20190723_120434.thumb.jpg.8ce0edd92ba79d87eea4efd07421ac98.jpg

20190723_120645.thumb.jpg.584a716ddea97ad07a9aa50d04eb21ab.jpg

20190723_102527.thumb.jpg.a16b676923321bdea5c81f8d1989ab09.jpg

20190723_115809.thumb.jpg.1bb031af31b01c217649f806d1c299aa.jpg

20190723_142852.thumb.jpg.03e6feeda0ef13f152221a76c2f56fc5.jpg

20190723_140041.thumb.jpg.7982b81815ed0f64f9a3ede0ca95d7dd.jpg

20190723_094518.thumb.jpg.cdf4aa5ad2e9e0c3d4bffe1f22940f5a.jpg

20190723_112843.thumb.jpg.9e3b6241c46b99625ae36b6af730647e.jpg

20190723_144132.thumb.jpg.f587f5f7aadad04f1b166e88353bd5b6.jpg

20190723_144128.thumb.jpg.525f23e683d5828e2c5ac28cc784cc21.jpg

Edited by larrygator
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Legendia

 

I am so glad I waited a for extra years to visit Krakow and this park for a few reasons. The main reason is that I feared writing the old name of the park, Śląskie Wesołe Miasteczko, for years. The other benefit of waiting was to experience the best Vekoma coaster to date and an award winning trackless shooting dark ride. I had not seen photos from Legendia for years until Lech Coaster was built. After visiting the park and speaking with the park representative it is clear that the park is willing to invest money in the park to upgrade the quality of the rides. Unfortunately, that means a few difficult to service veteran rides need to be sacrificed, but based on the latest additions it is worth it.

 

Most of the TPR group left to park after 4 great hours to visit Auschwitz. While it sounded like a fun side trip, 7 of us decided to stay behind at Legendia for 2 more hours. I would love to say that the 7 of us got to ride the Zyklon Galaxi that was not operating in the morning, but it never did open. And that's OK, because I got to ride Bazyliszek about twenty more times.

20190724_085124.thumb.jpg.01c26eb60e34aad646f5db5f5b6ced63.jpg

The park is essentially built around a lake.

20190724_085223.thumb.jpg.2c92d52a8af4e2279796dd7d2ff5827c.jpg

It's better to be early and wait for the gates to open, than to be late.

20190724_091254.thumb.jpg.65afa601cd7c23d7a3b8158afe6e2dc1.jpg

The main street area was redone a few years ago and looks great.

20190724_093602.thumb.jpg.05ac9b78dd06aac4f4bf6da26c294234.jpg

Nice big coaster across the lake. More on that later.

20190724_093728.thumb.jpg.0920fed9bb12ffb7cdba49efd0d00381.jpg

What's that?

20190724_093723.thumb.jpg.09d9780fe6e33e724960d25a10deb1b9.jpg

Just a beach set-up in a tent

20190724_093753.thumb.jpg.2cf522383f42bedbad7290d553f6c485.jpg

This is the Royal Ballroom, OK OK it's just a Chance Trabant

20190724_093835.thumb.jpg.75b90655a0aac5877b27c88594e98218.jpg

Some parts of the park have already gone through recent beautification efforts

20190724_113555.thumb.jpg.302d8c17669ff2a7bf1abf1eababf203.jpg

Other parts of the park and rides await their fate.

20190724_101033.thumb.jpg.fec73f128a66f0ae871869025e50bd42.jpg

It is easy to determine which rides are on their way out.

20190724_104617.thumb.jpg.7f9347fb15b7386ab7b3a3727be2ad79.jpg

As the park expands, a sign for next year's rapids ride.

20190724_114025.thumb.jpg.140951f43cca8f583f55034db1e1c742.jpg

The park plans to keep this iconic house built classic ride. Maybe they can figure out how to get the ride up to speed and slow down quicker.

20190724_104936.thumb.jpg.29340e884e2300d1a7674834f82a3ff8.jpg

Diabelska Pętla was just an uncomfortable ride for me.

20190724_100710.thumb.jpg.a4b67bbb38bc90f2490b2bc6b1152f58.jpg

Dream Hunter Society had some mechanical issues early in the day. But got its act together.

20190724_112022.thumb.jpg.edb91b0e07f9d37245cd046998d454d8.jpg

Unlike Scary Toys Factory which never did open.

20190724_111558.thumb.jpg.e308fab7f9497542ce7f029e3d8bc80b.jpg

Before Brad and Chuck headed to Happy Funland Auschwitz we had some laughs in the hall of mirrors.

20190724_120836.thumb.jpg.5427851744157742e5beb7d0026d77cc.jpg

After the others left I mostly walked around taking pictures

20190724_120945.thumb.jpg.5e40000bdb2509187f2cb4fa51f8fa74.jpg

of the remaining rides

20190724_112441.thumb.jpg.ae7308220c0f784dc9aa7606d17fbfe7.jpg

I really wasn't in the mood to ride much

20190724_100931.thumb.jpg.d2da1cfe8abdecab909e2f000555edcb.jpg

Another ride I don't expect to have a long time remaining in the park

20190724_122232.thumb.jpg.c9d3c0dc282174878bd569567623f2f0.jpg

I'm still not sure if the flume ever ran with passengers during our visit.

20190724_104808.thumb.jpg.343c423ce561dcc8168298838a6d6d15.jpg

I usually ride this but decided to dedicate my time after the photo lap to one ride.

20190724_111314.thumb.jpg.7d992f8dd7aa54b4146cac1689db17b3.jpg

If was a tough choice, but this ride was not the winner.

20190724_095301.thumb.jpg.8c5550da0954e70b78f9478274b28194.jpg

I spent about an hour in this ride vehicle

20190724_094142.thumb.jpg.d9ae1b02674f33349030e303757dbc41.jpg

and repeatedly walking through the line admiring the details

20190724_094246.thumb.jpg.1fda388a46aa5133abe9d24714b968d1.jpg

that this small park put into their dark ride

20190724_135548.thumb.jpg.a77390c5dc7e81990c7c0d3b45be322f.jpg

I completely missed this the first dozen or so times through the queue

20190724_142501.thumb.jpg.e8884d1f6a73120410191b8797cce799.jpg

My highest score of the day.

20190724_142711.thumb.jpg.6b654b73b07ebed3735b4714b4920c80.jpg

One final cool thing the park did. The people in the purple shirts are park employees that roamed the park interacting with kids. I saw them juggling and teaching juggling and also playing games with kids.

20190724_093744.thumb.jpg.8f5b74b972aaea484d28b3817d8cbe65.jpg

20190724_093848.thumb.jpg.f8c1bc501295a64feeb1fa972e5fd0f3.jpg

20190724_100931.thumb.jpg.db103bccb55d1bfc0d18ae150d091774.jpg

20190724_100700.thumb.jpg.8b545f4da6cc7c0386d7d56c04cae05b.jpg

20190724_100827.thumb.jpg.fbf04943db293de8a0b170f15e7a91c3.jpg

20190724_100839.thumb.jpg.2173fab6b167ac008da30aadfbcc5843.jpg

20190724_111130.thumb.jpg.15dbfb35c4f727f06f4cac99c32b20f9.jpg

20190724_111134.thumb.jpg.3601d07a3c3b603f9bf3d79e65a48285.jpg

20190724_104808.thumb.jpg.d8cd6e591dcb2a57b8ee56b4c4fa52b8.jpg

Edited by larrygator
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I loved Legendia. We also skipped the Depression Tour, and were happy to have the extra two hours in the park. Indeed, I would've liked to have had a full day, in retrospect. Didn't make it on the Ferris wheel, and never did figure out what was up with the slow one-car sky ride that was (possibly?) outside of the park.

 

We did ride Diamond River, though, so it definitely took guests. It was...interesting, but I wouldn't kick yourself too much for missing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I loved Legendia. We also skipped the Depression Tour, and were happy to have the extra two hours in the park. Indeed, I would've liked to have had a full day, in retrospect. Didn't make it on the Ferris wheel, and never did figure out what was up with the slow one-car sky ride that was (possibly?) outside of the park.

 

We did ride Diamond River, though, so it definitely took guests. It was...interesting, but I wouldn't kick yourself too much for missing it.

 

I didn't even see this mysterious sky ride looming above the park, but since multiple reputable people (and several unreputable ones) did, it must be true.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Stranded in Poland, The Tale of the Polish Princes

 

It was hard to get some sleep after Legendia. Many participants went into Krakow to sight see drink and eat. Since I did not go to Auschwitz Funland I had an early start on sightseeing. I was heading back to the train station for a 9PM train and ran into about 8 participants at an outdoor restaurant and they were kind enough to offer me a seat at their table. Afterwards I rushed to get the last train back to the airport hotel around midnight since we were planning to leave the airport at 4AM for a 7AM flight to Gothenburg via Amsterdam.

 

As we gathered that morning, Elissa warned us of a fueling issue in Amsterdam that might cause delays. But so what, we were on our way to Sweden. After a short delay we headed to our gate, only to be stopped and redirected back to the counters. From there all I can say is Elissa and Robb busted their asses to redirect 24 of us to Gothenburg as soon as possible. Robb and Elissa juggled phones and constant visits to the ticket counter to re-assign us on outbound flights that would get us to Gothenburg. It was clear that all of us would lose that night at Liseberg, but everyone was still in good spirits. When Elissa finally finished her phone call with the airline (over 3 hours later) all of us were scheduled on various flights through many destinations in Europe. Some people were already on their way to gates. And then there were the Polish Princes.

 

We were chosen because we were handsome, strong, brave, and not credit whores. Steve, AJ, Andrew, Brad, Colin and myself would have to spend another night in Poland and take an early morning flight to Gothenburg via Frankfort. Actually, we were chosen because alphabetically our names were the last six. But let's not have the truth get in the way of a great story.

 

Robb and Elissa assured us that transportation would rush us directly from the airport to Liseberg when we arrived and they would try to re-arrange morning activities. Around noon the Polish Princes checked back into the ariport hotel and used our generous lunch voucher at the hotel. Afterwards Brad and I took the train to sight see, Brad had skipped out on sightseeing the night before I so was his tour guide. Steve, AJ and Andrew did a Segway tour and I have no idea what Colin did. Quite frankfully, I'm not even sure if Colin was even the sixth Polish Prince.

 

So those of you expecting amusement park pictures, all I have is Krakow photos. As a picky eater, Polish food is generally not a de facto choice for me. But living in New York one eventually tries good food from every culture so I knew what food was Larry friendly.

20190724_200212.thumb.jpg.385c4e52e46622459d8803381bce86f7.jpg

Upon arriving in Central Krakow I really didn't have a game plan beyond: grab a map, find Wawel Castle and get something to eat. So many of my photos won't have captions, just admire the architecture

20190724_201306.thumb.jpg.ad359f3fa7c943e3edd84d4ab74aff26.jpg

20190724_202142.thumb.jpg.e5c28ba18be51d88351f287cd28b8f78.jpg

20190724_202154.thumb.jpg.fedb88ed7b4f3adbecef685020115b42.jpg

20190724_202234.thumb.jpg.963f441f062f190fcd1102142fe6ee25.jpg

I knew it would not top Neurogen, so why even try.

20190724_202306.thumb.jpg.a909906dcbb061117d89d1b0f28dd0ff.jpg

20190724_202425.thumb.jpg.ab70dcbafb811339645225fef3cba8e6.jpg

20190724_202445.thumb.jpg.aae1c19b851faba218f8c3de018de1f2.jpg

20190724_202452.thumb.jpg.4562840f8640ecc623a543419417b1a0.jpg

20190724_202651.thumb.jpg.a45b8ce0a826e42cd83309c366b3f0fe.jpg

20190724_202819.thumb.jpg.998acf81c6fc946d43aea2332b138942.jpg

I think this was the oldest building in Krakow

20190724_203503.thumb.jpg.df231f266a76ae69f2af23aaf6b2acad.jpg

Statues of the 12 apostles in front of a church

20190724_204025.thumb.jpg.3b56e72bcddb1b30aafa0e63d508707a.jpg

After 45 minutes I made it to the castle walls

20190724_204436.thumb.jpg.77a761a473d511b9cf0b8dec56139838.jpg

and the gate to the castle was still open

20190724_204559.thumb.jpg.c3da182f214fe54aff988a936f18cc82.jpg

Not the sexiest rook, but it serves its purpose

20190724_204702.thumb.jpg.017bcd287826ed90dcc515e0583cc620.jpg

A view fit for a prince

20190724_204905.thumb.jpg.26d51bf68afa9475332c9fae4189dfae.jpg

Walking on this surface is not fit for a prince.

20190724_205226.thumb.jpg.efc5beb8a203207cdb92878c4ba1e90b.jpg

Goodbye Wawel Castle

20190724_205526.thumb.jpg.0507a08a9bfcc17ee5641a86a1f02410.jpg

By happenstance I came across the former parish of Pope John Paul II

20190724_205655.thumb.jpg.b1a5b6b7d51efb64f44316ce31df7696.jpg

20190724_210724.thumb.jpg.84808eb74d03c0347ded76d196c272b6.jpg

There were quite a few gelato shops but only one had Chocolate Chili, a princely treat

Edited by larrygator
Link to comment
Share on other sites

these are some great pics in this update, Larry.

 

and how wonderful that y'all were able to keep such a positive attitude - the the trust in Elissa and Robb is so well placed: these two under pressure and/or crazy uncontrollable stuff? it's astounding to see how they can roll with it and adjust accordingly. They are superstars. period.

 

keep the Polish Princes name, you should add it to your signature, as you are Royalty now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was the one that went off on my own. I was originally going to try to go the salt mine by train since the train map and Google maps made it seem easy but once my train stopped at Krakow Glowny and I couldn't figure out which train to switch to get there (Google maps was wrong) I decided to just explore around the Old Town area and Wawel castle and I think I made the right decision.

 

It looks like you made good use of your time in the city! Definitely not the first city that springs to mind to want to explore in Europe, but when in Krakow... Glad you had a good time!

Same here, but I really ended up liking the center of Krakow and it definitely felt like a European city. We made lemonade out of lemons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/