Europe 08/21 – Magic Park World, OK Corral, Funny Land + Magic World
Day 9 – Magic Park World
Had a bit of Jacquou déjà vu the following morning, while queuing outside this catchily named place. Once again it took forever to get in, though this time there were two unfathomably long lines that actually went to different places – pre-booked or on the day. The car park was made of the worst surface imaginable and took some serious off-roading to even navigate. Off to a good start.
Off to a very good start. This Pinfari is named #1 Strom, which I like to believe is in tribute to the legend that is Strom Chaser. It’s also terrible.
Things almost got extremely Jacquou Parc here, as by the time we reached the second attraction of the day, after being amongst the first guests on park, the spinning mouse was ready to close for ‘lunchtime’.
Luckily this time around we managed to squeeze in just as the rope was put in place after us. Once again it created a huge conflict between staff and the guests who were being told they can’t ride a major attraction for 90 minutes, no more than an hour into their experience. I don’t get it.
This Fabbri is named #2 Formula 1, probably as it has a lot in common with the sport. It’s also terrible.
We continued to dodge the staggered lunchtime closures and hit the ghost train, Magic Mystery House next. I will of course ride these when I don’t have to specifically fork out for them. It’s also terrible.
Was #3 Shark Trip the best ride of the park? Probably. Something about weighting issues and the fact that it made several children cry and then not board meant that the train was dispatched with just our party of 3 adults on board, while a disproportionately large queue looked on in disgust.
All in a day’s work.
OK Corral
This was the main park for the day, the park themed to the old West, not that that narrows it down much. I’d had it on my radar a few years now, ever since riding Gipfelstürmer and subsequently wanting to complete the rather obscure set of Gerstlauer family shuttle coasters.
And so the visit began at #4 Gold Rush.
It starts like a normal boomerang, completes one full circuit around the top and then another half, before stopping on the reverse ‘spike’ and doing a backwards half.
Basically you get a longer and better ride out of it than you would on the German Goat or at Adventure City where the third version lives, and even as standard they’re much better than the Vekomas.
For the briefest of glorious moments I now have the full collection, with both Korea and Australia about to spoil it for me, any second.
Next up was this fascinating piece of kit. I had it in my head after Spirou that #5 Pioneer was yet another Force One, but it’s actually one of the very few custom Zierer ESC 535s . It also has unique trains, with the front 6 seats being horses and the rear 6 being a carriage.
It’s quite a nice terrain layout with a couple more attempts at airtime and twisty moments than the standard model. The carriage suffers from the exact same rattle that the others develop, but the horses are a winner.
I was dreading them as I usually do for any ‘motocoaster’ experience but they’re completely different in design, with no horrible back clamps forcing you into an uncomfortable position. If anything it rode more like a stand-up, nice and exposed. I liked it.
Final coaster was #6 Serpent Hopi, a Tivoli large as a snake.
They also have Croc Drop before it went vertical.
And a dark ride called Mystères de l’Ouest, a decently paced (for once) ghost train style attraction with a western theme to fit the park. Well, until the end, when 4 or 5 cars were stacking outside the station leaving people stuck in the last scare for multiple takes.
We were told by the friendly admissions staff not to miss ‘the show later’, so heeded their advice and settled down in the arena once all the rides were done.
It was underwhelming to say the least, though probably alright for the budget – I am rather spoilt when it comes to this stuff. A bit of a twist on cowboys vs Indians with some mild horsey action. I didn’t manage to follow the storyline. One bloke wanted them all to co-exist in peace, performed a ‘traditional’ dance, then the cowboys all got beaten up and it ended.
We lasted most of the day here, which was nice. It had a genuine and friendly vibe, a solid and interesting lineup of not quite just +1s and a decent coherent theme.
Funny Land
This park was known only to me as the 1am Wacky Worm, because it is just a Wacky Worm, one that stays open until 1am.
Wait a minute. This is no ordinary Wacky Worm. #7 Crazy Chenille is the rare type with the diagonal lift hill, a straight big dip and a more violent final drop. Class.
Once again the night ended on a big funfair affair.
Magic World
Not sure I can handle any more magic in one day, but I like the sign.
Oh look, a spinning wild mouse. #8 Mouse Coaster also killed us. They’re obviously not afraid to run them hot in the south of France.
#9 Banzai is just silly. A massive and pointless U-shaped shuttle coaster. It performs a teasing first sequence of reverse lift hill, drop, then coasts back and forth for at least 5 minutes with no braking until it comes to a natural stop.
Is that it? No. It then performs another lap, but this time it starts a bit higher up the spike, drops, then coasts for at least 5 minutes with no braking until it comes to a natural stop. Oh, and the combination of shoulder restraints and weird lap bar is awful.
At least they have a #10 Magic Pomme with an oversized inflatable to end the night on a high.