I rode The Ride to Happiness last Thursday, and oh boy did it deliver! It was my 100th coaster and is my new #1!
Plopsaland:
The park was pretty crowded since it was one of the last days of summer holidays in Belgium, however that wasn't a huge issue since the park mainly caters to children and family. The park itself is okay, not the easiest to navigate around, but has an ok lineup of attractions. Anubis is a great Gerstlauer Launch Coaster, Heidi a fun family wood coaster. SuperSplash was really disappointing for the 60+ min of wait time it had.
But time for the good stuff:
I got 3 rides on TRTH, two in the back and one in the front. The queue theming is really beautiful, the first part magnificent and get's you really hyped up for the ride. The ride was basically a walk-on at around noon, we waited maybe 3 dispatches and could choose our own rows.
The Mack seats are an absolute pleasure, I've never felt so free, open and comfortable in a rollercoaster (downside is that the restraints pull down after locking, so you kind of get stapled, however it doesn't really matter, since you're feeling so open from the hips up).
The ride:
The slow heartline roll out of the station is a great start, the music get's you pumped for the ride. The launch is surprisingly forceful for a Mack! Plus they really get you spinning there, holy **** is that a cool sensation!
The ride up twisted top-hat is a lot of fun in the first row with some good floater, but you have to sit in the back for the ride down! This was the most intense airtime I've ever had in my entire life, holy f#*+'!# **** and it just happened to coincide that we are riding this drop backwards, MENTAL!
The rest of the ride leading up to the second launch is a lot of fun, cool elements and the fact that you are spinning the whole time adds so much to the experience. The second launch is decently forceful but nowhere near the forces you get on Taron or similar Intamin Blitz coasters. The Jojo Roll is a lot fun in the front, you really get pushed through there with some amazing floater airtime. The last double up is a great finish for ride, delivering great air in the front and back.
During the whole ride you get blasted with music which you don't really notice in the first ride, but really start to add to the experience in the following.
To sum things up:
This is my new #1 coaster and it's such a delight that it was my 100th too! This coaster delivers in every way, decent length, great atmosphere due to the music playing and amazing elements with great launches. The airtime in the back-row riding down that drop backwards, made it my #1 coaster, it is absolutely mental, I think that gives me a taste of how X2 feels like. The fact that you're spinning the entire time is a sensation not found on any other type of rollercoaster.
Mack really delivered here and I hope more parks will start to build these crazy machines!