Year in review: 2023
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| Eejanaika, Fuji-Q Highland |
It's that time of year again! Time for the year in review blog post! Tripwise 2023 has been a mix of new places and familiar places for me. I finally got to Japan and Finland, both of which had been on my bucket list for years (I had Finland originally booked in 2020 but had to cancel it) and revisited some of my favourite places like Oktoberfest, Düsseldorf Rheinkirmes and Wiener Prater.
Started the year with 765
Ended the year with 842
Total new coaster credits: 77
it has been a solid year for new coaster credits, with Japan and Finland doing most of the heavy lifting here. As I've visited a lot of the "low hanging fruit", easy-to-get-to-places, particularly in Europe, now, it's harder to get on new coasters without more complicated travel plans and I've also been a bit less focused on numbers and more focused on mainland european fairs the last few years. Sometimes I'd rather just hang out at a fair and take photos than go chasing extra +1s, which is perfectly fine, you do you and all that.
Best new coaster: Taiga
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| Taiga |
Runners up: Junker, Shuttle Loop, Steel Dragon 2000
As a long-term, big Taron fan Taiga was naturally high on my bucket list and it didn't disappoint. I found Taiga to be more intense than Taron and consequently a bit less re-rideable and it lacks the "magic" Taron has so I would rank Taron higher but Taiga has a lot more variety packed into it's layout. You've got a bit of everything packed in there with great pacing! Definitely a stand-out ride for me!
Junker also stood out on my Finland trip and nearly beat Taiga to the top new coaster for 2023 spot! I love the launch into the top hat and the finnish loop out over the water. It's definitely my new favourite gerstlauer! A shout-out must also go to the coaster I was most pleased to finally get on this year: Shuttle Loop at Nagashima Spa Land! Anyone who followed my instagram stories during this time will know that I nearly missed out on getting on this classic ride due to maintenance and had to go back to Nagashima for a second visit to get this credit. This is only Schwarzkopf shuttle loop still running with the original flywheel launch system! I was so happy to get on it! (If you're interested I have a video of the launch system in action on my youtube channel!) I'd also like to mention Steel Dragon 2000 as another new, notable credit. Whilst it wouldn't make it into my top 10 it was absolutely huge and forceful. It felt great to finally get on this iconic coaster!
Best new flat ride: Backwards Enterprise, Mondlift (fair circuit, new direction)
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| Mondlift |
Runners up: Devil Rock (fair circuit), Commander (fair circuit)
So I've cheated a little bit here and gone for a ride I had already ridden but in a different direction. At Oktoberfest this year I was lucky enough to experience a coveted backwards ride on the Huss Enterprise, Mondlift. Mondlift is one of my favourite travelling flats, as Enterprises were always a childhood favourite of mine so I was very excited to try this rare experience! I was expecting it to feel a bit sickly but it was surprisingly chilled. The g-forces feel different going the other way around and it actually felt easier to sit back in the seat than normal! I'd say this one might not appeal to everyone but if you're interested, definitely try it if you get the opportunity.
The runners up for this category were two very intense flat rides. I rode the legendary Commander in Hannover, which wasn't my first Mondial Shake but was definitely the most intense and well-decorated one I've done and I tried the legendary Devil Rock, the Huss Megadance/Flic Flac in Stuttgart with a friend who was a bit traumatised by it (sorry Dan!). Both of these rides were absolutely crazy!
Best new park: Nagashima Spa Land
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| Nagashima Spa Land |
There were a lot of interesting new parks for me in Japan but I think Nagashima Spa Land was my favourite. It definitely has that "Japanese Cedar Point" vibe that everyone talks about and is packed full of interesting rides, both in terms of coasters and flats. The sheer volume of rides here alone is really impressive. I love how they have never scrapped a single coaster since their opening in 1964 (if you don't count white cyclone, which I wouldn't) and so they still have all the classics mixed in with the new thrills.
You can't go to Japan and not mention Tokyo DisneySea so this park gets a runners up place for obvious reasons. Although the ride selection isn't as thrill-focused as some other parks, the theming alone here is something to behold!
Finland also delivered some quality parks, particularly Linnanmäki and Power Park so they get a little mention too.
So, that's my round up of my favourite new rides and parks for 2023!
Thanks for reading!
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