As someone who usually only darkens the doorway of the Netherland's Walibi Holland during spooky season, it obviously had to be something pretty special for me to break that tradition. So when the chance came for me to finally ride my very first RMC single-rail rollercoaster and combine it with a trip to Sam's favourite city in the world at just about an hour away, it was a bit of a no-brainer. Having opened in 2025, YOY is the newest rollercoaster to open at Walibi Holland, the Netherlands' premier 'thrill' park, and features duelling single-rail tracks aptly named 'Thrill' and 'Chill', reflecting the experience of each of the tracks.
Yes, the RMC single-rail had eluded me until now. The ones that opened over in the US have been at parks I visited a long time ago before they were added, with the exception of Six Flags Magic Mountain's Wonder Woman Flight of Courage, which sadly couldn't make it's mind up on the day of our visit meaning we ended up missing it. BUT - last summer I did manage to get my butt on Mahuka at Walibi Rhône Alpes, an Intamin single-rail coaster that I had an absolute blast riding and ended up being one of my favourite new coasters of 2024. So I guess what I'm saying is the RMC single-rail model was a highly anticipated coaster type for me, and what better than duelling tracks with pretty much every element this design can pull off in one go to give me a full taste of what these things can offer.
So, any long-time readers of this blog or followers of my social media know that I am, as a true Libra through and through, an aesthetically driven girly. A large part of the way I enjoy coasters does indeed come from how aesthetically pleasing it is, and I can be extremely forgiving of attractions that give a less than stellar ride experience if they are pretty (looking at you, Voltron...) Alas, YOY...is not a great looking coaster at all. I think the single-rail designs from both RMC and Intamin look cheap and flimsy anyway, and that coupled with a not-very-easy-on-the-eye colour scheme and the sprawl of track on a muddy field surrounded by basic fencing just did not make my brain go brrrr. It reminded me a lot of being a kid playing on MS paint when you'd draw a giant ugly spaghetti on the screen and click to fill in the colours. It does not spark 'joy' for me in any way, which is ironic given the name...
But it doesn't stop with just the track! The trains are also bizarre looking and the station(s?) too - reminiscent of arts & crafts hour in a toddler day care and not in a good way (if that's even a thing?) And honestly, I am actually a bit of a Walibi Holland defender when it comes to their...unique stylisation and theming but this was too much even for me. I do not really know what they were thinking but I would love to see the mood boards because lord only knows how they landed on this. I DID actually like the big weird tree you walk through as the entrance portal, and how the branches intertwine to spell 'YOY'. What does it mean? Who knows! What is the theme? Stuffed if I know, but I love a fake tree as well as the next theme park enthusiast so a small saving grace there.
Unsure if they still offer this but we had no gauge for how long the queues were going to be on the day we visited, so we picked up some 'guaranteed ride on YOY' passes for €2.50 per rider, per side which I thought was incredibly reasonable and would do again in a heartbeat if I had any intention of riding these again. First up we jumped on the blue side, 'Chill'. This, as you can probably guess from the name, is the tamer of the two sides and if I had to pick a favourite it would be this one. I was lucky enough to be placed in the front row, which let me tell you is a very vulnerable riding position if you're wearing a skirt as the trains awkwardly have you sat in a position where your legs are spread apart. Loss of dignity aside, I had fun riding Chill. It was fast and swooshy with some great transitions, but pulling onto the brake run I didn't have that 'I want to go again!' feeling that I look for in a great coaster.
'Thrill' next then, and a big step up in elements and intensity. This side boasts six inversions and is a whole 2mph faster than 'Chill' according to RCDB. And this is unfortunately where it all goes (literally) downhill for me. I found this to be such an uncomfortable ride - like you could feel every bump and groove in the welding in the track, leading to a horrible rattle/vibration throughout. The transitions were almost too snappy and violent, feeling jerky and erratic and generally unpleasant. Also, not sure if I had it on wrong but my restraint kept slipping off my shoulders which was uncomfortable and distracting. It was an annoying coaster to ride, and pulling into the brake run I felt irritated, which is not an emotion one would often associate with great thrill rides, let alone an attraction that opened in 2025 manufactured by a company some would argue are best-in-class.
The real saving grace of YOY and easily the most enjoyable thing about the things is the way the tracks and trains interact. Both on and off ride, the most thrilling moments all come from those 'near miss' moments - my favourite being the 'hi-5' style inversion where 'Thrill' inverts above 'Chill' and riders feel like they can tap hands with each other. That is super fun, and I imagine even better if you were with a large group racing against one another. But sadly, it just isn't enough for me to warrant giving it a more glowing review or even recommending you get over to Walibi Holland to ride it. That said, there are some other excellent coasters in that park and a world class Halloween event, so if you find yourself in the Netherlands in October it's certainly worth checking out, I just wouldn't make YOY your sole reason for visiting.
So my first RMC single-rail experience was a bust, but I am still intrigued by what the larger models can deliver as I've heard very mixed reviews. Maybe next year I'll be able to try a few different ones to get a clearer gauge on this coaster type!
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What do you think, have you ridden YOY? Which side did you prefer: Thrill or Chill? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to have a chat!
Talk later xoxo,
1 comments
great to hear a similar perspective to my own on the coaster
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