Theme park thrills
The big thrill
School’s out and the big question is what to do with the kids. Give them something to tell their friends about with a trip to the latest bone-shaking theme park rides to open around Europe
words by Joanna Moorhead
illustrations by Nishant Choksi
Crush’s Coaster
at Disneyland Paris
This brand new family thrill ride at Walt Disney Studios Park plunges guests into the underwater world of Disney/Pixar hit Finding Nemo. You’ll be transported into the adventures of little Nemo the fish and his surfer turtle friend, Crush. Nearby, there’s a second new ride: Cars Race Rally, inspired by the animated kids’ movie Cars. It lets guests of all ages take a crazy spinning ride on the famous Route 66 along with stars of the film including Lightning McQueen, Sally and Doc Hudson
It’s the 15th year since Disneyland Paris opened, and the resort is celebrating on a large scale with events planned through the year. As well as the new rides, there’s a spectacular new parade and the Sleeping Beauty Castle has had a sparkling makeover. If all that isn’t enough to tempt you, there’s an extra bonus: for the whole year, under-sevens stay and get into the park for free.
And if you’re planning a visit in 2008, there’s still more fun on the horizon: the fright-filled Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is currently under construction. From next year you can board a decrepit hotel service elevator that hurtles down through the ‘fifth dimension’ in a pitch-black lift shaft, plummeting from the 13th floor! Lovely!
Fly to Paris www.disneylandparis.com
Time Voyagers
at Gardaland, Italy.
Time Voyagers is an amazing all-senses, multimedia cinema experience that takes you on a mysterious journey through time. You’ll traverse high canyons and gloomy valleys, feel the rain on your face and the wind in your hair. The scariest moment comes when the abyss threatens to swallow you up, and your only hope is an alien being that might – or might not – come to your rescue.
Gardaland, near Milan, is Italy’s biggest theme park, with more than 40 attractions, set on the banks of the beautiful Lake Garda. Other exhilarating rides include the fast-flowing Jungle Rapids water ride, or you can find the pharaoh’s treasure in the Valley of Kings. The truly adventurous shouldn’t miss the Blue Tornado inverted coaster, or the loopthe- loop Magic Mountain Roller.
Fly to Milan www.gardaland.it
Disk’O
at Vidampark, Hungary
At Disk’O you sit on a circular platform with outward-facing seats, and then ride back and forth while also spinning, experiencing both a rocking and a swirling motion. Visitors to the park this year have flocked to this new attraction, which updates one of the park’s best-loved rides of recent years.
Vidampark sits on a 16-acre site near Budapest and offers 50 different rides. Both modern and traditional, it combines thrills with a bit of local culture. Pride of place is given to Europe’s longest rollercoaster, wooden-framed and still the most popular ride in the park after 80 years. The Cave Railway, formerly known as the Railway of the Dragon, was built at the start of the 20th century and tells the story of John the Valiant, the poem by Hungary’s Sándor Petõfi.
Fly to Budapest. www.vidampark.hu
The Flying Fish
at Thorpe Park, England
This isn’t a brand new ride, but a back-by-popular-demand one. The Flying Fish was a part of the furniture at Thorpe Park for many years, and its disappearance was much-lamented. Now it’s back – and better than ever, say its fans. The ride – designed for young thrill-seekers wanting a fun, fast, first-time rollercoaster – takes visitors on a speedy trip round a track surrounded by gardens, fountains, bushes and waterfalls. A huge treat to boost a whole new generation of little adrenalin junkies.
Other attractions at the park include the legendary Stealth, a ride that tops 63 metres and accelerates from 0-80mph in less than two seconds. That’s faster than ever, say the designers: they’ve tweaked the nitrogen boosters for even quicker acceleration!
Fly to London www.thorpepark.com
Splash Battle
at Walibi World, Holland
Take a submarine ride through foggy tunnels, spurting geysers and splashing waterfalls – and then aim at the crowd, and fellow riders, with your super-soaking water gun. No chance of staying dry on this ride, which opened last year to great acclaim and which Walibi World claims is unparalleled in other waterparks.
Other rides at the park include the Crazy River journey and, in the thrills section, the aptly-named Goliath, which takes you to a height of 46 metres before you fall at a 70-degree angle at speeds of up to 106km/h. There are more than 50 other attractions and shows, too. Walibi World is about an hour’s drive north-east of Amsterdam.
Fly to Amsterdam. www.walibiworld.nl
Screamin’ Swing
at Liseberg, Sweden
The Screamin’ Swing is a gigantic, pneumatically powered swing with two gondolas, each holding 16 people seated back-to-back. The scariest thing about this ride is that your legs are dangling free, 40 metres above the ground
There’s something for everyone at Liseberg, near Gothenburg. Other thrills include the Balder, Scandinavia’s biggest and most thrilling wooden coaster, as well as other hair raisers including the Flume Ride and the Kanonen roller coaster that’s fired out of its station like a cannonball.
Fly to Gothenburg www.liseberg.se
Furius Baco
at PortAventura, Spain
Opened this June, the Furius Baco accelerates from 0-135km/hr in three seconds – faster than a racing car. It travels 900 meters in 25 seconds, roaring past trees, ditches and – in the most thrilling section of all – out over the lake.
PortAventura is an hour from Barcelona, and features various high-octane rides including the Dragon Khan, with its eight loops of rollercoaster, and Hurakan Condor, in which you are launched into freefall from 100 metres up – you may not even have time to scream before you (safely) reach the ground.
Fly to Barcelona www.portaventura.es
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