Here we are again, on the precipice of a fresh year of theme park trips, of new experiences and adventures that await...so why do I not feel the same excitement I usually do? Life-wise everything is a bit of a question mark for us right now - we're in the process of buying a house and as such we can't commit to many major trips as we have no idea how quickly everything is going to be sorted as that is our number one priority at the moment trip planning is taking a bit of a back seat. That and, is it just me or after what I feel was a bit of a bonanza year in 2024, there's just not tons of new stuff on our doorstep to be excited like there was last year?
Alas, first world problems aside, of course I'm not completely plan-less going into this fresh year, and there are a few exciting things and plans-in-motion on the horizon and around the things already set in stone I'm sure we can squeeze a few more trips in here and there, so here's some things I'm super excited to hopefully be riding this year!
Kicking off with what is weirdly the only guaranteed new coaster for me on this list so far - the absolutely incredible-looking duelling Mack coasters Stardust Racers, opening at the brand new Epic Universe themed park coming to Orlando in Spring 2025! Yes, alongside literally every other enthusiast on the planet I am practically foaming at the mouth to get inside this brand new theme park coming at the Universal Orlando Resort, and I'm particularly interested in Stardust Racers. The thing just looks like it has every single thing I adore in a rollercoaster - launches, airtime hills and great racing interactions. I also absolutely adore the train design and cannot wait to see what it looks like at night!
We've had so much on these past few years that I just haven't managed to squeeze Batman Gotham City Escape in just yet, but I'm determined for a little weekend in Madrid to finally manage a rider or two on this Intamin launch coaster that opened at Parque Warner Madrid in 2023. I've heard some say they prefer it to Velocicoaster, which honestly would really surprise me if I come away thinking the same because I absolutely adore Velocicoaster but I am excited to ride nonetheless and it's my 'most-wanted' credit in Europe for sure. Honestly, I don't love Parque Warner Madrid which is probably the main reason why I haven't gotten around to heading out there yet but I'm excited to see if this new coaster and ten years plus since my last visit will go anywhere towards changing my opinion of the place.
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It's been a hot minute since I've been to Walibi Holland as I've been holding out for these new duelling thrill and family coasters to open, and finally the time is upon us! YoY (hate the name, by the way) is a Raptor track design from RMC with a thrill layout on one side and a family layout on the other. I absolutely love the concept of this and can't believe we haven't seen anything like it before. I personally haven't done an RMC single-rail coaster but I loved Mahuka at Walibi Rhône-Alpes last year so I don't see why this should be any different.
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Honestly this coaster evaded me and for the longest time I had no idea this even existed! Helios is the second Mack Stryker coaster currently under construction at Austrian park I've never visited called Fantasiana just outside of Salzburg, which is somewhere I'd love to visit too so I thought it would be a nice idea to combine a visit to both. As long-time readers will know, I wasn't a huge fan of Voltron so I am very interested to see how Helios will ride in comparison and if Mack have taken any learnings and also what the park will do in terms of theming.
All going well with our buying/moving house plans, Sam and I are very keen for a trip to the UAE. We were planning on going last year but given Formula Rossa was SBNO for the majority of the year we decided to postpone our visit for a time when it was operational, which it gladly is now so hopefully all systems are go for this one! I'm not sure how I've managed to evade spoilers about Mission Ferrari given how long the thing has been under construction for, but I'm being completely honest when I say I have literally not got a clue what this Dynamic Attractions SFX coaster actually does, and I am very excited to find out!
We have no actual plans to visit Kings Dominion next year and Sam and I haven't even discussed the idea, but for some reason I am absolutely obsessed with Rapterra, the new B&M launched wing coaster opening at the East Coast park this year so I've decided to add it to this list as some kind of manifestation tactic as I am desperate to ride it. I also haven't been to the East Coast of the USA since 2012, so I am well overdue a trip back but between moving house, a potential UAE trip and our September trip to Orlando I'm not quite sure when we would squeeze such a trip in but I can dream!
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So there we have it - another year of exciting new coasters awaits and I cannot wait to see how it pans out. What new coasters are you planning to ride this year? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to have a chat!
Talk later xoxo,
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