Walibi Holland Discussion Thread

Hey everybody!

 

This thread is simple! Rather than having a million little threads about everything that goes on at Walibi Holland, this thread is designed to consolidate it all into one user-friendly thread. Feel free to use it to post updates, trip reports, questions, comments, and of course, general discussion. For pictures and videos of the park as well as past updates, see TPR's Park Index Walibi Holland Page.

 

Walibi Holland's Official Website

 

Below are some links to past updates from the park, you may be interested in. Enjoy!

 

--Robb

_____________________________________________________

2005

February 16th, 2005 - Park hosts strange Public Relations event (SEE BELOW!)

 

2007

February 28th, 2007 - Park announces startegy for 2007

September 16th, 2007 - El Condor to get new restraints

 

2010

September 10th, 2010 - Boomerang to be rethemed and re-open in 2011

October 1st, 2010 - La Via Volta gets a new paint scheme

October 16th, 2010 - The Music Battle coming in 2011?

November 7th, 2010 - La Via Volta to get a Music Battle overlay

 

2011

January 21st, 2011 - Park name changes from Walibi World to Walibi Holland

February 3rd, 2011 - La Via Volta update to include new Vekoma trains with on-board audio!

February 6th, 2011 - Speed of Sound (La Via Volta) audio revealed!

March 1st, 2011 - Speed of Sound tunnel and theming added!

March 2nd, 2011 - Speed of Sound tunnel construction continues

March 3rd, 2011 - Speed of Sound tunnel construction complete!

March 14th, 2011 - Speed of Sound trains added to the track!

March 17th, 2011 - Speed of Sound entrance complete!

March 21st, 2011 - Speed of Sound now testing

March 22nd, 2011 - WAB rock store debuts

March 25th, 2011 - Speed of Sound testing video posted!

March 28th, 2011 - Music Battle stage and new park theming added

April 6th, 2011 - Speed of Sound on-ride POV posted!

September 9th, 2011 - Xpress receiving new black coat of paint

October 6th, 2011 - Xpress painting continues

October 16th, 2011 - New 5D Cinema coming in 2012

December 7th, 2011 - Xpress now sports black track & blue support paint scheme

 

2014

September 25th, 2014 - Park hints about new Mack ride for 2016

 

2018

February 6th, 2018 - Robin Hood to get the RMC treatment for 2019

_____________________________________________________

Original Post:

 

 

I got this press release from Walibi World, and it's all in dutch, so all I can make out of it is what I get roughly translated from Babelfish and the screen shot they sent me. I'll post both versions of it here, the original in Dutch and the translated version and see if YOU can make heads or tails of it!

 

English Translation:

WALIBI AND WALIBELLE NEVERTHELESS WITH VALENTIJN! - Biddinghuizen, 14 February 2005

Walibi, the new hero of Walibi World (former Six Flags the Netherlands) are with its girlfriend Walibelle! Last week Walibelle did a succeeded help recall to the Netherlands its with finding the way to Walibi. As a thanks for all aid, they will bring together special Valentijnsverrassing to Monday in the surroundings.

 

Original Version:

WALIBI EN WALIBELLE TOCH SAMEN MET VALENTIJN!

- Biddinghuizen, 14 februari 2005 - Walibi, de nieuwe held van Walibi World (voormalig Six Flags Holland) is weer samen met zijn vriendin Walibelle! Vorige week deed Walibelle een geslaagde oproep aan Nederland om haar te helpen met het vinden van de weg naar Walibi. Als dank voor alle hulp, zullen ze maandag samen een speciale Valentijnsverrassing brengen in de omgeving.

 

Here's the photo that they sent. It LOOKS to me like two of the costumed characters got either engaged or married...or SOMETHING!!! :shock: All I know is that I'm kind of creeped out by it, and I can't quite figure it out!

Who can come up with the best caption for this photo?

Edited June 8, 2019 by robbalvey

The expressions pasted on the faces of those characters is about the scariest thing I have ever seen. Seriously how do kids like that sort of thing. :shock:

 

BTW Rob I like the fact that your profile still shows gender unknown...

Edited February 16, 2005 by kenshinmac

Aaaaah, Walibi and Walibelle... aren't they cute??

 

Walibi was from 1995 - 2000 in the park, and is back from travelling around the world.

Hmmm...that picture looks like something the police would find plastered all over the walls of some axe murderer's home...

 

Dave "looking forward to this park this summer...I think" Thomas

LOL!!!

 

Dude, I seriously cannot get over that picture! It kind of looks like one of those "furries" conventions!

 

Elissa "this park rules!" Alvey

Elissa why did you have to go there...

 

Seriously I don't know if this is worse or not because they will be around kids.

I didn't actually go to one!!! But I saw it on CSI!

 

Elissa "furries!!!!" Alvey

Furries rule!!!!

Yes Yes...ppl from the netherlands are mad.

LoL this is like promotion stunt number 30000. And i think there are a lot more to come.

 

The promotion that was done before this one, was that the Walibi got some kind of dutch pasport at the mayors office, and it's now a official member of holland....there were balloons and everything!

^ LOL!

 

I'm really looking forward to going back to this park. Has it changed much since it returned to the Walibi name?

 

--Robb

Furries!! woohoo!

 

 

 

~Trev32~

^ LOL!

 

I'm really looking forward to going back to this park. Has it changed much since it returned to the Walibi name?

 

--Robb

 

Not that much. Well, we had to say goodbye forever to the Looney tunes.

A new ride called Splash Battle will be placed, some new plastic ride made by Preston & Barbieri ( http://www.prestonbarbieri.com/view/6.htm )

 

These are some name changes:

 

Boris Ballen Fabriek (new)

Bonte Ballonnen - Elmers Weather Balloons

Boris Klauter Eiland (new)

Boris Pannekoeken Fabriek - Bugs Bunny Dining Place

Joe's Stuntvlieger - Yosemite Sam Flight School

Koa's Komische Karretjes - Taz Traffic Jam

Lollige Lilly's Bus - Daffy's Crazy Bus

Oscar's Boomhut - Tweety's Treehouse

Rocky's Trucks - Bugs Bunny's Trucking Company

Toeter - Looney Tunes Tooter

Wok's Waanzin - Road Runner Express

Walibi was/is the name of the first park of the chain, built near the Belgian cities Wavre, Limal & Bièrges.

 

That name sounded a bit like Wallaby, a small kangooroo-like animal, hence the kangooroo mascotte.

 

There are a total of 5 Walibi parks and 2 Aqualibi waterparks now, two of them were Six Flags branded from 2000 to 2004.

The Walibi group is now informing the press that Walibi was travelling around the world during the Six Flags era and has now come back with a girlfriend - Walibelle - and some more friends (which will be found in the kids areas of Walibi Belgium and Walibi World)

 

I don't find Walibi scary at all...it has been around for 30 years now.

Walibi World just announced their strategy for 2007. On a dutch website I found this article (in dutch):

 

http://www.rides.nl/nieuws/bericht/1031

 

It says that Walibi World continues to focus on getting a more "balanced selection of rides":

 

- Rides for the kiddies (there will be a new playground for the little ones)

- Family rides: Robin Hood, some pretty descent water rides, Merlin's Magic Castle and a new "interactive fountain", whatever that may be.

- Rides for the thrill seekers (Goliath, Xpress, Space Shot)

 

I Guess that's a pretty good strategy. Family parks do seem to work here. Take Efteling for example, it's been Holland's most popular day trip for years. Walibi World bases it's strategy upon research they did on their visitors. That's a good thing to do. But for me as a Roller Coaster lover, that's a pity... but that's just me.

 

For a nice family trip and not just for thrills. This policy - that's been going on for two years now, starting with "splash batlle" - resulted in the demolition of "La Via Volta". In may this year they will tear this cruel, spine torturing machine down. In april you can still ride it and say goodbey to LVV. I would rather have see them putting the new smooth train on it. But hey... tearing down a traditional boomerang is always a good thing to do.

 

We don't have to expect new spectacular Roller Coasters from Walibi World in the future. Too bad Walibi World didn't become the "Roller Coaster Capital of Europe" they once promised to be in TV commercials.

 

I only go back there for Goliath, and that's one hell of a reason, isn't it?

Edited December 17, 2011 by larrygator

Souds good for the park, i hope they'll get more visitors now (maybe the extra money can be spent on new thrill rides), i only hope that removing Via Volta won't scare away the dutch youngsters. thanks for the news!

The best direction a park can go is to become a "Family" type one, it has to have lots of rides which can cater for the whole age range.

 

I love this park (been there 4 times in 2 years) and will watch it grow over the years.

 

Removing "Via Volta" is no big deal, they could replace it with a Spinning or a Euro-Fighter model if needed.

 

I wish I could witness the destruction of a Vekoma in May

 

Personally I would like to see Walibi World become the companies top Park, A "Cedar Point" of Holland or Europe with a Hyper Floorless, Stand-Up, a B&M Heaven and more woodie coasters.

 

The Park is still young, did the new owners spend 25 million pounds in 2000/1.

 

Goliath (Is it possible to "love" a coaster so much you feel down when you have not ridden it for months) is so highly addictive to ride (on none-school holiday days of course) I can sit on it all day, I managed over 20 circuits.

 

It's very sad to leave this wonderful steel beast and I will be returning to the park for many years to come just to experience the lovely it produces.

 

I can't wait to smile at Goliath again after i've passed through the ticket booth's.

 

With Efteling, Walibi World and Toverland, Holland is a great place to visit for your coaster thrills and relax in their Centre Parc's, only 30 Euro's for a day visit.

 

In a few years I will be an hour or 2's drive away from all 3, not the 5-6 hours it takes from England.

 

"Tot ziens" as Via Volta is going to say in May

I hope the park will do some real maintenance now, especially for Goliath's sake. I hope the park will be worth visiting again someday... (of course: i will always go back for Goliath, but only if the entry is free of charge! )

 

The Vekoma Boomerang was probably regarded as one of the most scary rides there. And now there aren't many boomerangs left in Europe...

 

Just kidding!

 

I think the dutch ("we") are fortunate with those parks we have now, such variety, cheap, etc. Unfortunately, the government wants to raise the taxes on the tickets (now they have the low rate, 6%, it will be the high rate: 19%), so the tickets will be a couple of Euro's more expensive!

I hope the park will do some real maintenance now, especially for Goliath's sake. I hope the park will be worth visiting again someday... (of course: i will always go back for Goliath, but only if the entry is free of charge! )

 

The Vekoma Boomerang was probably regarded as one of the most scary rides there. And now there aren't many boomerangs left in Europe...

 

Just kidding!

 

I think the dutch ("we") are fortunate with those parks we have now, such variety, cheap, etc. Unfortunately, the government wants to raise the taxes on the tickets (now they have the low rate, 6%, it will be the high rate: 19%), so the tickets will be a couple of Euro's more expensive!

 

19% is pretty obscene. But, governments love to tax tourists, because they have absolutely no voice.

^ No it's not. In Belgium it's always been 21% and in some Scandinavian countries it's even higher.

I hope the park will do some real maintenance now, especially for Goliath's sake.

Yep, so true. La Via Volta already looks like scrap metal and so does Xpress. They really need to repaint Xpress this year. Goliath also showed some rust colleration here and there. Hopefully WW uses the extra money for maintenance. Lately Goliath also made a loud bang, just before ascending the lift hill (did somebody else notice?). They should fix that too.

I hope the park will do some real maintenance now, especially for Goliath's sake.

Yep, so true. La Via Volta already looks like scrap metal and so does Xpress. They really need to repaint Xpress this year. Goliath also showed some rust colleration here and there. Hopefully WW uses the extra money for maintenance. Lately Goliath also made a loud bang, just before ascending the lift hill (did somebody else notice?). They should fix that too.

 

isn't that just the cable car hooking onto the train?

Pobably. I didn't hear it on Expetion Geforce though, and in the past the loud bang wasn't there.

^ No it's not. In Belgium it's always been 21% and in some Scandinavian countries it's even higher.

 

So 19% isn't high because it's slightly lower than the tax rate in the countries that have the highest taxation in the world? 19% tax on a consumer purchase is pretty bad. The sales tax rate where I live is 6.5%. 19% is almost three times that!

I can hear it as well as vibrations when the coaster takes a helix. It's getting rough just like Colossus.

^^ 19% is average in Europe. Luxemburg is has the lowest with only 15%.

 

Besides, in the Nederlands the tax rate has always been 6% for essential products (food, water,...) and 19% for luxury items. The only thing that changed is that they finaly figured out people don't really need amusement parks to survive.