June 17' Creds in Europe (Part 3: Holiday Park)

[Coaster Hipster]

P1: Fraispertuis City
P2: Walygator
P3: Holiday Park

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Part 1: Fraispertuis City

During several trips along with other French goons, Fraispertuis City regularly popped up in discussions about how charming the park is and how passionate its manager, Patrice Fleurent, can be about the coaster industry. Unfortunately the park is located deep into the Vosges valley and quite far away from Paris and any public transportation. However an opportunity to finally visit the place came up with a enthusiast meeting on June 10th! Some very efficient and dedicated organisation meant I was able to get a car sharing drive there. I was very excited indeed to join other fans and discover this acclaimed little park.

We arrived at the entrance a little before opening. The whole park has a western/American theming which surprinigly fits very well into the thick and hilly forest of the Vosges.

You can see both main thrill rides from the ticket booth line actually! Timber Drop held the steepest drop record for a short month (Takabisha took the distinction since) and is now joined by Golden Driller, an Intamin drop tower which I'll extensively cover later...

Even if the pretends to be your typical French jerk on this pic, the middle fingers guy is actually a cool guy! One cannot hate a Taron fan anyway...

We went inside the pizzeria restaurant to eat a little snack. Mr Fleurant greeted us with a short speech and some good news: the four sides of Golden Driller would be operating that day! We thus were among the first to get a taste of the floorless and stand-up versions of the ride. Right from the start I enjoyed the openess and care Fraispertuis' manager demonstrated towards his park and their enthusiasts.

Since an ERT on the drop tower were scheduled for us at the end of the day, we were in no rush to try the attraction. The group and I went for a tour of the park instead. The park is pretty with well integrated rides, some foliage all around the place and arguably very decent theming.

The dark brown colour looks nice and original on a drop tower! Each side is operating separately, which means you can hear riders on another car screaming during their fall while your car is going upwards. That's actually a good way to build your excitement when you're climbing up the tower

A pretty cool sign displaying all four ride positions. Note that the sitting sides are accessible for people over 1.2m (4ft) tall. This was a deliberate choice by the park to appeal to young but brave children!

I started with the stand-up floorless position which grants a nice view of the little... Soquet coaster and its neat canyon theming. I like how the vertical lift speeds up midway through the ascent and the 20° tilt at the top does spice up the experience a bit, especially with such a pretty sight. I hope you don't mind some French goons commenting over the footage

Timber Drop stands out from other El Loco models with its creative tree theming. It is well executed and the scenery textures feel genuine and fittingly rustic. A good example of how theming can enhance a cloned ride!

I enjoyed my rides on this compact but smooth and wild little coaster The restraints are a little odd but they did not ended up uncomfortable, even with the slight laterals provided by some of the tight maneuvers after the drop. The beyond vertical feature itself lacks in duration but is nonetheless fun and impressive. It's obviously no El Toro, but certainly something that punches above its weight and provides varied, thrilling sensations. I hope more smaller French parks build more clever additions like this in the future.

The pirate Splash Battle looks fun and inviting! Being quite intolerant to getting soaked, I still skipped it however.

Sheriff Academy, a 3D shooter thingy, was an attractive choice to dodge the hot weather for a short while. Fun little ride even though I think the targets appear and disappear too quickly! Might be just me and by less than impressive aiming skills perhaps

Le Cactus is a small Drop Tower-y with a sudden tilt before the final plunge. Despite its inoffensive looks, it is surprisingly fun and a good way to introduce kids to the world of thrills. Oh and the theming is really amusing too

I took this picture while waiting for a re-ride on Timber Drop. Despite their limited revenue, the park really pays attention to little details with their scenery. All the little fake cogs and saws really add a welcome extra to the atmosphere. The front part of the station is more empty but still looks more than decent imo.

Grand Canyon is a family coaster built by Soquet. Yes, the same manufacturer as the supremely awful King. This was wasn't really rough and the layout had an acceptable pace for a family ride. The good rockwork certainly helps making the experience somewhat enjoyable, though one lap was enough.

The ride op gave in to cheering kids and granted us 4 non-stop laps on la Ronde des Rondins. I thought this super tiny Zierer would be a +1 for me, but instead I found out this is a relocation from Parc Astérix! Oh well...

ERT on Golden Driller was our final rides of the day. Not only our group was allowed exclusive access to the tower, but the park employees were also able to test the ride for one hour! A really considerate gesture from the manager that you would not necessarily see at other parks.

Last but not least, I shared a car drive back to the nearest train tration with none other than Mr Fleurent himself! He was on his way to a private dinner and very generously offered to drive me to Epinal so I could get my train to Metz in time. Really kudos to him and Freddo, the meeting organizer who managed to get me this very special car sharing expericence! During my short trip from the park to Epinal, Mr Fleurent really showed he was deeply interested in the amusement industry and cared about his park's fans, asking me how I enjoyed the park and their new attraction. He doesn't refrain from giving insights into the hardships and rewards of being a park manager, and told me how installing Golder Driller and working with Intamin felt. I can't stress out how lucky this moment was!

Fraispertuis City might not have the biggest thrills and coasters, but it achieves what matters most: providing guests a fun and enjoyable time. The care of the park's management and employees is truly heartwarming and in addition, they're really adding some clever rides over the years. Reaching the park was quite a hassle but I had no regrets making the effort!


Coming next in Part 2 is Walygator and its Raptor Inverted clone, Monster!

 

[Hixee]

I've only recently firmed up a trip for later in the summer which will include Fraispertius City, and I'm looking forward to it. Your report has confirmed to me that it's worth a visit!

Sounds like a great day, and good of the park management to be so accommodating!

 

[Mysterious Sue]

Such a great little park, the effort and enthusiasm really shines through and, as you say, the western theme really seems to work with all the wood around the place. I think it helps being hemmed in by trees too - it adds to that 'cut off from the rest of the world' feeling.

What an amazing guy Mr Fleurent sounds. If only all parks had that kind of caring management.

 

[Coaster Hipster]

Thank you for the nice comments!


Part 2: Walygator

From the moment I booked my tickets to Fraispertuis I knew I was going to bundle the charming western-themed Park with its tempestuous neighbor. It boasts the tallest coaster in France - Monster which is only a measly 40m/131ft tall - and because a friend work there, I had a free ticket as well! The infamous Anaconda woodie spited me back in 2015 and I was oddly eager to ride it, even though I knew I was not going to like it x)

Instead of commenting the (obviously) wonderful scenery, let me share with you some history about the place. The park first opened in 1989 as "Big Bang Schtroumpf" and was themed around the Smurfs comics. Interestingly Astérix opened the same year, in the late 80s era when a lot of amusement parks popped up in France. Many of them only had poor Vekoma loopers to show and ended up in bankrupcy, and Disneyland's storming of the market in 1992 stifled any prospect for another similar project.

Big Bang Schtroumpf was among the most ambitious ventures but never matched its original attendance targets. It went through a long series of ownership changes, somehow being part of the Six Flags chain in the early 2000s (though it did not get the name change). I believe it is now owned by some Spanish business corporation.

Anyway, back on topic with what was my first ride of the day. Yellow Submarine is a fairground-ish Zamperla crazy bus. The only reason I went off the beaten tracks to try this was because my friend was its designated operator that day.

As you may know, The Monster was France's first B&M. When it was relocated from Japan in 2010, it ended a long and frustrating wait among French goons for a good and thrilling coaster. It might just be a coincidence, but since then my country has taken a really good dynamic, adding OzIris, Alpina Blitz, Timber and soon Yukon Quad in just under a decade.

Even in the morning, the coaster was as forceful and snappy as I remembered. The MCBR were removed (unlike on Raptor CP which shares the same layout) and thus this Inverted delivers a really enjoyable second half. However, the ride has developed a slight yet noticable rattle at a few sections (bottom of the first drop and bottom of the Cobra Roll exit) when you sit towards the back of the train. It isn't very surprising given the age of the coaster and the fact it's a relocation, and it is moderate enough not to ruin the on-ride experience.

Monster was almost a walk-on, so I chained 7 laps on it and still had time to take some pictures and off-ride videos. I really wish it gets a paint job someday, B&M curves can be so appealing when it gets properly showcased.

Unfortunately, Comet was the one looping coaster who received a colour refurbishment a few years ago. To my surprise it did not provide too much headbanging, but not much intensity and excitement either.

Along with Goudurix, Anaconda is the other national shame among French coasterfans which obviously made me very curious before riding it. My expectations were set ridiculously low, and perhaps as a result I did not disliked this woodie that much. It's sluggish and uninteresting, but the rattles weren't so bad except for the final turnaround. It's more very forgettable than outright garbage in my opinion, and the Wild One at SFA was way more brutal than this from what I remember.

Space Shoot (yes, the park spells it that way!) felt a little disappointing compared to my last visit. The launch gives you a nice rush of adrenaline and there's a small pop of airtime when you reach the top, but after that the vehicle meanders too long up and down with no really significant forces. Still the second best ride at the park though.

G-Lock is another good attraction for thrill seekers, but I'm more taken aback by the use of a plain billboard as theming in the background.

I did not ride this Wacky Worm on my last visit and it was time to make up for that. Family Coaster (very imaginative name) was added when the park was owned by fairground workers and it shows. I hope that someday this out-of-place credit will make way for some decent ride like a Family Boomerang.

One good thing about Monster's lack of theming is that you can see and stare at the naked mechanism of B&M Inverts, which I did not really bothered with too much since the coaster was, again, a no-wait. I ended up riding it 24 times for the day, my most whoring since my almost unthinkable 60 (or was it 80?) laps on Goliath WH more than a decade ago. Part of it is because there's nothing else to do, but there's much worse coasters to marathon than this fun and intense B&M classic!

One of the nicer picture spots of the park.

Even though my less enthusiastic storytelling can suggest otherwise, I actually spent a good time at Walygator. The ride ops were warm and efficient enough, and Monster remains the most intense coaster you can find in France. To be fair, the newest park owners retrived a very sketchy situation to make up for, and I'm curious to see how the place improves over the next few years. Of course RMC Anaconda will not happen any time soon (if it ever comes true), but maybe the park can join the good dynamic in France at the moment.


Part 3 will be a much bigger day as I returned to Holiday Park and got a lot of rerides on Expedition GeForce!

 

[Coaster Hipster]

Part 3: Holiday Park

There was a sense of anticipation and slight concern as I approached the park entry. Maybe I take coaster ranking too seriously, but the opportunity to ride again my #1 was certainly special and meant a lot to me. I was very curious to see how EGF was going to hold up against newer, acclaimed creations such as Helix and Taron.

In my opinion, this picture shows acurately what is Holiday Park today. Some prominent thrill rides such as the very obvious Drop Tower, within a nicely refurbished park scenery.

The employees let us enter a few minutes before official opening time. The costume workers were cheerful in greeting me, saying a warmful "hi!" to me and my friend and posing for the photo. I really appreciate that, especially since working in those thick costumes must be hard in warm weather. Kudos to them!

Plopsaland Group really improved the looks of HoPa. It looks a bit cartoonish, but I like it and it blends well with the surrounding forest.

We went aboard the first train of the day and got ourselves a nice front row!

Predictably, our early morning lap was a little underwhelming, but it was still fun with some good pops of airtime! I apologize if my on-ride "commentary" is a little obnoxious. I now realize how hard it is to "act" with a camera recording on something as intense and spontaneous as such a great coaster

This first camelback is glorious!

They might not be particularly memorable, but GeForce's overbanks are dealt with really decent speed.

We got another 4 laps on this marvel of a coaster before the lines got a somewhat longer. Operations are fairly slow because they have this policy of checking the seatbelts first, then going through the entire train again to check the lap bars. Those procedures seem a little dated after experiencing the seatbelt-free and very efficient Mack restraints, but since the park isn't very crowded anyway I did not bother that much.

I stayed away from Wickie Splash being quite intolerant to getting wet, but my friend tried the flume and ended up quite soaked indeed. The Viking theming is colourful and quite cute actually.

I did not get to spin at all of Sky Fly. One day I'll learn the technique! The new airplane zone looks pretty neat. Dare I say it has a lively and enjoyable atmosphere?

You can't miss Sky Scream even if it's located at the back of the park. The queueline and build-up to your ride is really well done actually, and not something you would expect from a park primarily known for its star coaster. It's my only Premier Sky Rocket II and even though I've ridden it before, seeing the short train breezing though the station back and forth is still impressive!

However, a very unfortunate event with a Sky Scream employee spoiled my experience on the coaster. As I was recording some off-ride footage with my GoPro, the cabin ride op talked to me in German, presumably asking me to stop filming. I was temporarily using my GoPro outside my secured harness for the station off-ride and was planning to put it back into the safe spot for my ride. Something which I tried to explain in English to the employee, adding that I asked for permission to the park twice (on Facebook, and to the entrance employee) and got permission twice. I was talking quite loudly as to compensate for the noise the coaster was making, and as a result the guy told me to lower my voice in quite an unfriendly manner. Then, to my astonishment, he said (in German) something along the lines of "We're in Germany here, so you speak German". He did all of that without a smile or some sort of considerate gesture. I found the whole situation very confusing and my friend (who works at Walygator) said this kind of behaviour completely unacceptable.

The coaster itself is more style than substance. The launches are forgettable, and the non-inverted loop is uneventful. The vertical twists are a little too sudden for me as well. There's a decent pop of airtime after the climb to the top if you sit at the front though. I think it's a decent coaster as such, but you are likely to end up underwhelmed because of all the exciting build-up beforehand.

The new beach area looks nice, carrying a little of the fun cartoonish of Plopsa too.

Lighthouse Tower gives you a nice view of the park and its photogenic coasters, as well as some welcome fresh wind! It goes pretty high for such a ride actually.

There aren't many rides in the medieval section, but you have a nice sight of EGF's overbanks! The zone itself looks surprisingly pleasant and there's a lot of shade to avoid the heat.

Picture taken with a chest mounted GoPro. Do NOT use loose cameras on rides!

Anubis shares the name with Plopsaland's Gerstlauer launch coaster, but it is in fact an Intamin Drop Tower. One side grants you with a pretty view of GeForce's whole layout, which makes me wish my old GoPro had better recording quality. The actual drop is pretty fun! Short, but exciting and the braking is fairly intense. The almost non-existing wait certainly helped me appreciate the ride more.

We felt it was time to ride again Expedition GeForce and rightly so: the wait times have significantly decreased from over 30 min to about 10 minutes. And on top of that the coaster has also greatly warmed up! The airtime felt as glorious as I remembered on my past visit.

Sadly EGF broke down again, so we went to the kiddie zone for some reason. It turned out the junior Drop Tower, Flower Tower, is hilariously fun! Really energic up and down pattern that surprises you. We ended up laughing uncontrollably and embarassingly in front of puzzled parents watching their kids riding the other seats.

The rest of the day consisted of getting as many laps on EGF as possible after it reopened. I finished the day with a grand total of 15 rides! Not as much as my 17 rides on my 2015 visit, but certainly very enjoyable whoring nonetheless

I really like the dynamic going on at Holiday Park. There's some good additions built regularly, and the scenery is better than you would expect. There's of course the fantastic Intamin Mega, but the place as a whole is quite pleasant to visit! I think they need to add some quality family coaster (a SFC would be an excellent match) to balance their coaster lineup, but still, I very much enjoyed my day there. Except for the rude Sky Scream operator, the park employees were quite nice and I have to give a huge shoutout to their Facebook CM who was helpful and responsive.


That's it for my June credding! I'll post again next month for CF Live @ Astérix, and am really looking forward to that!

 

[ThomVD]

Holiday Park is so much nicer than people give it credit for. Many pleasant areas and it's very green. And EGF is a beast of a coaster. So much better than its Dutch brother. Looking forward to going back later this year. That ride operator on Sky Scream sounds nasty though. I find that Germany in general has its fair share of rude employees. Especially in Phantasialand :/

 

[Hixee]

Sorry, been away and catching up with these trip reports.

Starting with Walygator. 24 laps on Monster is absurd. I've got a short day (I'll be at the park around opening, but need to leave by about 2pm) on my trip at the end of the summer - hopefully that's enough time for me to get everything done! I've never heard particularly good things about the park, to be honest, but you haven't made it sound too bad.

Holiday Park is also another one that people don't seem to rave about, but you've made it sound quite nice. At the moment, I can't say I see it, just seems like EGF is all it has going for it. I guess we'll see!

 

[HeartlineCoaster]

So did GeForce hold up?

I've got a short day (I'll be at the park around opening, but need to leave by about 2pm) on my trip at the end of the summer - hopefully that's enough time for me to get everything done! I've never heard particularly good things about the park, to be honest, but you haven't made it sound too bad.

Holiday Park is also another one that people don't seem to rave about, but you've made it sound quite nice. At the moment, I can't say I see it, just seems like EGF is all it has going for it. I guess we'll see!

Quite a few of these parks are like that. You can probably fill your day there if you had to, but you shouldn't, cos there's only really one reason to be there.

 

[Coaster Hipster]

So did GeForce hold up?

It certainly did! Still my #1 even after Taron and El Toro. Although Lech Coaster later this summer could pull a spectacular move if it lives up to the hype!


One of Holiday Park's administration manager sent me apologies yesterday for the rude employee on Sky Scream I encountered on my visit. I really appreciate the gesture and sign of care they've shown against a small guest like me, and wanted to share the info about their professional reaction the park had to this little incident

 

[Pink Cadillac]

I don't know much about any of these parks so it was nice to read a report on them! Glad that Plopsa are really starting to transform Holiday Park!