Mark's Parks

Mark's Parks Theme Park News, guides, rumours and experiences from my travels across the UK and Europe.

07/09/2026

POV: the best seat in the house for the Giant Dipper isn't on the coaster… it's above it. 🎢🚡

Rode the Sky Glider at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and got these views of the 102-year-old wooden coaster doing its thing, with the Pacific right behind it. Such a peaceful way to see the park after getting rattled around on the Giant Dipper itself!

If you're ever at the Boardwalk, don't skip this ride — it's slow, scenic, and honestly one of the most underrated attractions in the whole park.

Moving on from Disney, the final park on our Californian trip was the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.This historic park had ...
05/09/2026

Moving on from Disney, the final park on our Californian trip was the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

This historic park had a fantastic atmosphere and a really fun mix of old and new attractions. The main reason to go (beyond it being the filming location of The Lost Boys) was for the Giant Dipper, a wooden coaster which is 102 years old.

The park have looked after this coaster beautifully and whilst it does ride like an old wooden coaster and will re-align every bone in your body it was great fun!

My other highlight was the historic chairlift which goes from one side to the other, it offered some great views of the coaster and the coast!

Parks

Next up in the holiday spam is Disneyland California, the park Walt actually built!This park exceeded expectations, ther...
29/08/2026

Next up in the holiday spam is Disneyland California, the park Walt actually built!

This park exceeded expectations, there was so much to do and see, some great rides and even getting there for rope drop and leaving just after 10pm didn’t allow us to fit everything in!

The park was also beautifully themed and it’s certainly somewhere I want to go back to!

Personal highlights:
Star Wars - Rise of the Resistance - I don’t like Star Wars but this ride and it’s pre-shows were so well done and incredibly immersive…it’s one of the best dark rides I’ve ever done.

Matterhorn - A fantastic historic coaster

Jungle Cruise - A really run trip with a guide who made more puns than me!

The third park of our Californian trip was Knott’s Berry Farm. This park had some great coasters, really fun wild west t...
24/08/2026

The third park of our Californian trip was Knott’s Berry Farm.

This park had some great coasters, really fun wild west theming and a delicious cheesecake! Well worth the bus ride from Anaheim

Sadly the Intamin launch coaster was out of action all day 😢

During my recent trip to California I managed to get in an afternoon/evening visit to Disney California Adventure Park. ...
22/08/2026

During my recent trip to California I managed to get in an afternoon/evening visit to Disney California Adventure Park. Having seen a lot of vlogs from this park I wasn’t expecting it to compare to other Disney Parks and whilst I’m glad I visited I felt like it was a little lacking in cohesion and attractions (whereas Disneyland California is PACKED with attractions).

Despite it being busy I managed to get on everything and Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout was the standout attraction for me. Incredicoaster was also good but did ride like a 25-year-old Intamin coaster! I did also enjoy getting on the Cars attraction and the rapids were great fun.

16/08/2026

Happy Roller Coaster Day!

Here's a POV of my favourite coaster in the world...Voltron at Europa Park. This coaster really divides opinion but I love it including the controversial turntable section in the middle!

What's your favourite coaster?

Recently got back from a trip to California which included visiting some parks for the first time!First up is Universal ...
15/08/2026

Recently got back from a trip to California which included visiting some parks for the first time!

First up is Universal Studios Hollywood. This park is pretty compact but fully of great attractions including an hour-long studio tour which even shows the set from Psycho!

Super Mario World was pretty surreal and we were lucky enough to get on the new Fast and the Furious Drift Coaster which was open for technical rehearsals!

01/08/2026

Vic's Whirlwind at Plopsaland Belgium!

What do you think of Art Engineering's Wild Swings? These things are popping up everywhere and this was my first one. I enjoyed it and it had a lot more swing than I was expecting!

29/07/2026

What do you think of SuperSplash at Plopsaland Belgium?

One drop into dubious looking water and a few minutes of meandering back to the station...personally, this is a bit of an odd ride that feels like it could have been a dark ride...what do you think of this Mack Rides SuperSplash?

25/07/2026

Nachtwacht-Flyer POV Onride | Plopsaland De Panne, Belgium (Star Flyer, 70m!)

The BEST views of the park!

Onride footage of the Nachtwacht-Flyer at Plopsaland De Panne in Belgium — a giant Star Flyer swing ride that lifts riders almost 70 meters into the air! Would you ride this?

📍 Park: Plopsaland De Panne, Belgium
🎢 Ride: Nachtwacht-Flyer (Star Flyer)
🏗️ Manufacturer: Funtime
📏 Height: ~70m

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