CookieCoasters
Giga Poster
This is one of the park's in Europe I've wanted to do for quite some time, so I was very happy when we decided that Vienna was going to be one of our short breaks this year. Now just to make it clear, this park certainly has not been on my wish list from the perspective of coaster enthusiasm, but more to the fact I love fun fairs and Prater always seemed like one of the largest in the world (it probably is in terms of permanent ones). The main reason I love fun fairs is because I am almost as much of a 'flat ride' enthusiast as a coaster enthusiast (when I say flat rides I mean like 'thrill rides', not dark rides or other types that may also come under this term) and fun fairs do tend to run their flats on the most intense/long cycles.
We visited Prater for a couple of hours on two separate evenings. In the first part of this report I will focus on the coasters at the park, whereas in the second part, I will review the other rides I rode at the park. Firstly though, I'll give some details of what I thought of Prater itself.
The first thing that struck me when we walked in on the first evening (Wednesday), was how the park was almost completely dead. I know that because Wednesday is mid-week that it certainly wasn't going to be the busiest night, but I was still expecting a 'healthy' number of people in the park. This made the whole place feel rather sketchy and atmosphere-less. Kind of strange and not what I was expecting. As the evening went on, a few more people came into the park so the atmosphere improved slightly, but still was lacking. When we walked around the whole area, it also seemed apparent that much of the 'theming' was in quite poor-condition, as were several of the smaller rides (particularly the water for the small boat rides </3). I know that because the rides are all owned by different operators that it is more complicated to maintain a consistent level of cleanliness and upkeep, but it was definitely one of the more unappealing city parks we've visited and I started to wonder if this was the reason it didn't seem as popular with the locals as I was expecting.
However, there was a definite improvement in atmosphere when we went last night. Even though you would clearly expect a Friday night to have buzz at a place like this, I was pleased to see how many more people were out enjoying the park. One of positives about having a larger number of people in the park was also that some of the more unsavoury parts were less-noticeable, which overall, left me and my parents with better feelings about the place in general. It is not on the level of other city parks such as Liseberg, Grona Lund and Tivoli Gardens, but because of it being in the style of a fun fair as opposed to an amusement/theme park, it provides quite a different experience in many respects, which unfortunately many of us enthusiasts will see as inferior. Although I like the fun fair style, I too think the overall experience at parks I've mentioned above is nicer, but from visiting on the Friday, I'm sold that Prater still offers a good place for locals to hang out on an evening and have a very enjoyable time.
Anyway, I'll get on with the coasters now
The first coaster you see when you enter the park is Dizzy Mouse, a Reverchon spinner. Now unlike many others, I actually find some level of enjoyment on these rides and this one was probably the smoothest I've ridden. However, it was also the most heavily trimmed so I guess that's just a balance of a pro and a con. It was still probably the most enjoyable one though, but obviously a very average coaster overall. 4.5/10
Just behind Dizzy Mouse (painted in a very similar colour-scheme, which could deceivingly make the two look like one big coaster) was Super 8er Bahn, a Pinfari coaster. Being a Pinfari, I was expecting to be it to be awful and it was a little bit awful, but not too bad really. The ride is very basic with its figure 8 layout (guessing that's where the 8 in the name comes from). It is quite bumpy in some sections, but overall, not dreadful and mildly thrilling. 4/10
Moving along, next up was Insider, a Maurer Sohne spinner. It had the same layout as their wild mouse coasters, but obviously with spinning cars. This was easily one of the most interesting experiences I had at Prater. Let's start with the queue line because that really blew my mind. From memory, you go up some stairs and enter a couple of very dark corridors, with the odd laser lighting up to guide you through. You then enter a large room with a fab mirror maze, in the dark with laser and light effects. It was really fun, if not a little creepy. After that, you go through some more laser lit corridors and then down into the station. It was really good and quite strange, being that I was the only person walking through it.
The coaster layout is not at all special, but again it is vastly improved by more laser effects, music and otherwise, pitch-black darkness. It was quite jerky towards the end, but it didn't stop me from enjoying what was easily the most unexpected coaster surprise at Prater. But despite the surprise factor, I still can't say it is a particularly good coaster. 6/10
I believe the next coaster I rode was the Zamperla Volare. I've never done one of these coasters before, so even though they get a lot of hate, I was actually a little bit excited. The whole way you enter the ride vehicle and the restraint system is just weird. I also found it worrying that I couldn't feel the restraint system on my back, even when pushed myself upwards a little bit. I'm not gonna lie, I did find the coaster a little unnerving. As for the experience, it's fine except for when it turns and at those points it is gross. I enjoyed the inversions, but not much apart from that. Wasn't expecting to be impressed and I wasn't really. 4/10
After that was Megablitz, a Vekoma coaster, which was one of the few slightly above average coasters at the park. I was surprised at how smooth it was. It looked like it could have been quite rough, but it certainly wasn't. It has some okay drops and some highly banked turns which had a little bit of intensity. It was a decent coaster and there isn't much else to say about it. 5.5/10
Prater's 'New for 2015' roller coaster was Maskerade, a Gerstlauer spinning coaster that was partially enclosed. Now there are two things about this coaster which make it rather pointless. Firstly, it may be enclosed, but you can see perfectly well as it is not at all dark, so therefore, they might as well not have bothered with putting it in a shed. Secondly, it is far inferior in pretty much everywhere to Insider, yet it is essentially trying to be the same thing. This makes it a redundant addition. On top of that, it is also very short and just because it has an elevator lift, does not mean it is good It's only redeeming feature is that it's pretty smooth and so is perfectly comfortable to ride. 3.5/10
Wild Maus was just a standard Maurer mouse, with a less trimming than usual on the first mouse turn section. There's no need to go into anymore detail. 4/10
However, I would like to go into a little more detail for this fab little kiddie cred. Der Zug des Manitu is a CAM Baby Kart, which seemed to be themed around native American Indians in the Grand Canyon? Firstly, you start off backwards (a nice surprise) and then just after a tunnel I believe, you stop and change direction and carry on going forwards for about four circuits around the track. What I liked about it was that it wasn't really that tame and had a little bit of 'power' to it. I was laughing to myself that I was actually quite enjoying it. 5/10 (quite high for kiddie cred)
The most dull coaster at the park was definitely this Side Friction Wooden coaster, Hochschaubahn. It was also burdenous because it took us ages to find, to the point where my parents started saying "Are you sure they haven't gotten rid of it?" Thankfully, we eventually found it just behind Maskerade. The reason it's very dull is that it has about two or three drops, which are pretty small and then it just meanders around. The way it's integrated into the 'mountain' is nice, but it doesn't stop it being a bit ****. I'd give it a 2, but I'll add an extra point for theming. 3/10
I was actually spited by Boomerang on the Wednesday night because its owners clearly couldn't be bothered to open it, but luckily I got it last night. The main appeal of this Boomerang is the lap bar restraints, which I believe are unique to this clone. I've found the ones with the newer Vekoma OTSR's better and these restraints just took this one, a step further. I really enjoyed the forwards part (the backwards part is always a bit meh) because obviously the extra freedom makes the ride both more comfortable and more thrilling. The track itself was also one of the smoothest. This is arguably the Prater's most exciting cred, but although it's probably my favourite Boomerang, it still wasn't exactly 'world-class.' 6.5/10
Unfortunately, I was spited by Race (another kiddie cred) on both nights due to it being closed :roll: I wasn't expecting to get Auto BergBahn because I had read from several sources that they charge adults an extortionate amount of money to get the cred. Even so, this was also closed both nights.
Thank you for reading. As I said, in Part 2 I will report about the non-coaster rides I went on at Prater.
We visited Prater for a couple of hours on two separate evenings. In the first part of this report I will focus on the coasters at the park, whereas in the second part, I will review the other rides I rode at the park. Firstly though, I'll give some details of what I thought of Prater itself.
The first thing that struck me when we walked in on the first evening (Wednesday), was how the park was almost completely dead. I know that because Wednesday is mid-week that it certainly wasn't going to be the busiest night, but I was still expecting a 'healthy' number of people in the park. This made the whole place feel rather sketchy and atmosphere-less. Kind of strange and not what I was expecting. As the evening went on, a few more people came into the park so the atmosphere improved slightly, but still was lacking. When we walked around the whole area, it also seemed apparent that much of the 'theming' was in quite poor-condition, as were several of the smaller rides (particularly the water for the small boat rides </3). I know that because the rides are all owned by different operators that it is more complicated to maintain a consistent level of cleanliness and upkeep, but it was definitely one of the more unappealing city parks we've visited and I started to wonder if this was the reason it didn't seem as popular with the locals as I was expecting.
However, there was a definite improvement in atmosphere when we went last night. Even though you would clearly expect a Friday night to have buzz at a place like this, I was pleased to see how many more people were out enjoying the park. One of positives about having a larger number of people in the park was also that some of the more unsavoury parts were less-noticeable, which overall, left me and my parents with better feelings about the place in general. It is not on the level of other city parks such as Liseberg, Grona Lund and Tivoli Gardens, but because of it being in the style of a fun fair as opposed to an amusement/theme park, it provides quite a different experience in many respects, which unfortunately many of us enthusiasts will see as inferior. Although I like the fun fair style, I too think the overall experience at parks I've mentioned above is nicer, but from visiting on the Friday, I'm sold that Prater still offers a good place for locals to hang out on an evening and have a very enjoyable time.
Anyway, I'll get on with the coasters now
The first coaster you see when you enter the park is Dizzy Mouse, a Reverchon spinner. Now unlike many others, I actually find some level of enjoyment on these rides and this one was probably the smoothest I've ridden. However, it was also the most heavily trimmed so I guess that's just a balance of a pro and a con. It was still probably the most enjoyable one though, but obviously a very average coaster overall. 4.5/10
Just behind Dizzy Mouse (painted in a very similar colour-scheme, which could deceivingly make the two look like one big coaster) was Super 8er Bahn, a Pinfari coaster. Being a Pinfari, I was expecting to be it to be awful and it was a little bit awful, but not too bad really. The ride is very basic with its figure 8 layout (guessing that's where the 8 in the name comes from). It is quite bumpy in some sections, but overall, not dreadful and mildly thrilling. 4/10
Moving along, next up was Insider, a Maurer Sohne spinner. It had the same layout as their wild mouse coasters, but obviously with spinning cars. This was easily one of the most interesting experiences I had at Prater. Let's start with the queue line because that really blew my mind. From memory, you go up some stairs and enter a couple of very dark corridors, with the odd laser lighting up to guide you through. You then enter a large room with a fab mirror maze, in the dark with laser and light effects. It was really fun, if not a little creepy. After that, you go through some more laser lit corridors and then down into the station. It was really good and quite strange, being that I was the only person walking through it.
The coaster layout is not at all special, but again it is vastly improved by more laser effects, music and otherwise, pitch-black darkness. It was quite jerky towards the end, but it didn't stop me from enjoying what was easily the most unexpected coaster surprise at Prater. But despite the surprise factor, I still can't say it is a particularly good coaster. 6/10
I believe the next coaster I rode was the Zamperla Volare. I've never done one of these coasters before, so even though they get a lot of hate, I was actually a little bit excited. The whole way you enter the ride vehicle and the restraint system is just weird. I also found it worrying that I couldn't feel the restraint system on my back, even when pushed myself upwards a little bit. I'm not gonna lie, I did find the coaster a little unnerving. As for the experience, it's fine except for when it turns and at those points it is gross. I enjoyed the inversions, but not much apart from that. Wasn't expecting to be impressed and I wasn't really. 4/10
After that was Megablitz, a Vekoma coaster, which was one of the few slightly above average coasters at the park. I was surprised at how smooth it was. It looked like it could have been quite rough, but it certainly wasn't. It has some okay drops and some highly banked turns which had a little bit of intensity. It was a decent coaster and there isn't much else to say about it. 5.5/10
Prater's 'New for 2015' roller coaster was Maskerade, a Gerstlauer spinning coaster that was partially enclosed. Now there are two things about this coaster which make it rather pointless. Firstly, it may be enclosed, but you can see perfectly well as it is not at all dark, so therefore, they might as well not have bothered with putting it in a shed. Secondly, it is far inferior in pretty much everywhere to Insider, yet it is essentially trying to be the same thing. This makes it a redundant addition. On top of that, it is also very short and just because it has an elevator lift, does not mean it is good
It's only redeeming feature is that it's pretty smooth and so is perfectly comfortable to ride. 3.5/10
Wild Maus was just a standard Maurer mouse, with a less trimming than usual on the first mouse turn section. There's no need to go into anymore detail. 4/10
However, I would like to go into a little more detail for this fab little kiddie cred. Der Zug des Manitu is a CAM Baby Kart, which seemed to be themed around native American Indians in the Grand Canyon? Firstly, you start off backwards (a nice surprise) and then just after a tunnel I believe, you stop and change direction and carry on going forwards for about four circuits around the track. What I liked about it was that it wasn't really that tame and had a little bit of 'power' to it. I was laughing to myself that I was actually quite enjoying it. 5/10 (quite high for kiddie cred)
The most dull coaster at the park was definitely this Side Friction Wooden coaster, Hochschaubahn. It was also burdenous because it took us ages to find, to the point where my parents started saying "Are you sure they haven't gotten rid of it?" Thankfully, we eventually found it just behind Maskerade. The reason it's very dull is that it has about two or three drops, which are pretty small and then it just meanders around. The way it's integrated into the 'mountain' is nice, but it doesn't stop it being a bit ****. I'd give it a 2, but I'll add an extra point for theming. 3/10
I was actually spited by Boomerang on the Wednesday night because its owners clearly couldn't be bothered to open it, but luckily I got it last night. The main appeal of this Boomerang is the lap bar restraints, which I believe are unique to this clone. I've found the ones with the newer Vekoma OTSR's better and these restraints just took this one, a step further. I really enjoyed the forwards part (the backwards part is always a bit meh) because obviously the extra freedom makes the ride both more comfortable and more thrilling. The track itself was also one of the smoothest. This is arguably the Prater's most exciting cred, but although it's probably my favourite Boomerang, it still wasn't exactly 'world-class.' 6.5/10
Unfortunately, I was spited by Race (another kiddie cred) on both nights due to it being closed :roll: I wasn't expecting to get Auto BergBahn because I had read from several sources that they charge adults an extortionate amount of money to get the cred. Even so, this was also closed both nights.
Thank you for reading. As I said, in Part 2 I will report about the non-coaster rides I went on at Prater.
