Features
Allison Udy: bucket-list Lapland trip, coach drivers and more
GTO Allison Udy on the uniqueness of her group and how a coach driver can make or break a trip.
There are hundreds of theme parks around the world but sometimes it’s hard to decide which ones are worth visiting for groups. We’ve pulled together a list of five of the best theme parks – and their top rollercoasters – in celebration of Rollercoaster Day today.
1. Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park, Surrey, is a place that offers something for everyone – there’s the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me out Of Here! Maze or the Storm Surge water rapids for the big kids, and plenty of thrill rides for the dare devils.
Derren Brown’s Ghost Train is an eagerly anticipated new ride for 2016, but The Swarm is perhaps the park’s top rollercoaster with an apocalypse theme.
It’s said to be the UK’s first winged rollercoaster and reaches speeds of almost 100 kilometres per hour.
Groups of ten or more receive a discount and VIP packages are available that include backstage tours and coaster climbs.
2. Efteling
Efteling is a fantasy themed amusement park in the Netherlands and is home to attractions based on elements from ancient myths, legends, fairy tales, fables and folklore.
It’s said to be one of the oldest theme parks in the world. There’s also free live entertainment throughout the park, including a water show that uses more than 200 fountains and 900 lights.
Thrill seekers will enjoy Baron 1898, a dive coaster which plunges riders down a 37.5 metre free fall into a mineshaft at the speed of 90 kilometres per hour. Groups of 20 or more receive discounted entry and the Bosrijk Village offers group accommodation.
3. Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is situated along the Flyde coast in Blackpool, Lancashire, and is a family friendly amusement park. It holds several such as the largest number of roller coasters in any park in Europe, as despite its smaller size compared to other parks, it is home to ten rollercoasters.
The Big One is its biggest and best known rollercoaster and, when it opened in 1994, it was the tallest and fasted rollercoaster in the world, as well as the steepest and longest. Today, it holds the record of the tallest coaster in the UK.
Groups of 15 or more benefit from discounted entry, unlimited ride wristbands, group dining packages and a dedicated car park for coaches.
www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com
4. Oakwood Theme Park
Groups should head to Wales to visit Oakwood Theme Park for a more family friendly park that, again, suits both the big kids and the little ones.
Although it opened as a small family park in the late 1980s, today it is home to five large thrill rides and other attractions such as crazy golf and a boating lake.
One of its biggest rollercoasters is Speed, which sees riders climb, plunge, roll, twist, turn and loop on a coaster that reaches speeds of up to 95 kilometres per hour.
Its other coaster – Megafobia – deserves a mention too, as the wooden roller coaster has often been rated as one of the best in Europe and celebrates 20 years at Oakwood in 2016.
Group rates are available for groups of 15 or more.
5. Europa Park
Europa Park is the largest theme park in Germany – and the second largest theme park in Europe – and boasts up to 16 themed areas, most of which are based around different countries such as Austria, Italy and England.
It’s worth visiting the park to ride Euro-Mir alone. Euro-Mir Is a spinning roller coaster that begins inside a large mirrored tower with the track then wrapping around the outside of the towers before descending into a large drop.
Group discount is available for groups of 20 or more and larger groups can benefit from group packages which also include lunch menus, cake and coffee, and reserved seats at shows. Group packages change per season, also.
