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Could Six Flags memberships eventually replace traditional season passes? I take a closer look at what this shift could mean for guests and why memberships may become the preferred option for many visitors. Read more: https://themeparksbydon.com/six-flags-memberships-vs-season-passes-future/

Ir anyone is disappointed by the fact that there’s not going to be a major coaster opening at the park next year, that’s on you. Pretty obvious.

Slagharen is a small wild West themed park in the north east Netherlands near the German boarder. This park (to my knowledge) has the largest collection of Anton Schwarzkopf rides in a single park with six different attractions - the Apollo, Enterprise, El Torito (polyp), monorail, observation tower, and Ferris Wheel. They also have a new gerstlaur coaster that replaced an old looping star as well as a Vekoma family coaster called mine train. Interestingly enough this park felt the most like a USA park in terms of the vibe but most signage and directions were not in English and some employees did not speak any English. In fact we had numerous employees tell us we were the first people from the USA they had met in the park. Slagharen had such a wonderful vibe and the rides were all running very well. They had an interesting Zierer carousel that was called gallopers (notice the top looks much like the well known wave swinger flat) The Enterprise has to be the most intense one we've ever done and the Apollo was relaxing and breezy. It was great to see some older Schwarzkopf rides still running well and looking well cared for. One final note is that El Torito was missing entirely from the park (see picture of the hole in the concrete). Turns out it is currently off site for a lengthy refurbishment and will hopefully be back later this year. Glad to see the park taking good care of it. 

Walibi Holland was definitely more about the thrill rides as opposed to themeing. The entire park kinda had an apocalypse theme which I'm not sure if that was intentional or perhaps just leftover from their Halloween event? It was interesting anyway  The coaster collection was great with the RMC Untamed which is probably near the top of my RMC ranking. Goliath was basically a mini milli so that was kinda fun. Walibi also has the original SLC and yes it definitely hurts! We also rode the Mack Big Dipper called lost Gravity which was a very unique experience. They also had a dueling RMC single rail which was a little  bit rattling but still a good ride. Express Platform 13 is interesting because it's a clone of rockin rollercoaster at Disney but entirely outdoor. It has a crazy indoor que line that is borderline haunted subway with jump scares.  In terms of flats the park had the typical lineup but I did enjoy seeing they are still running their Huss Enterprise and the have a rare HUSS Magic ride. They also have my new favorite Vekoma mad house (Merlin's Magic Castle). It had a wonderful lighting and interior effects as well as a very fun preshow (albeit in Dutch). The soundtrack was also a mix of Gustav Holst Plants and the soundtrack from Willow.  Overall we enjoyed the park but both Walibi parks do not have much in terms of food options. Most people we saw bring picnic lunches into the parks. 

Efteling wins the award for most beautiful park in my book. The Golden Ticket award has been trading back and forth between BGW and Dollywood the last few years and while both are nice parks Efteling looked like a botanical garden it was so well maintained and manicured! While the coaster lineup at Efteling was not quite as good as some other parks on the trip, they have a massive collection of wonderful dark rides that more than makes up for it.  First let's start with the coasters - while Baron is easily the best themed dive coaster it was not our favorite coaster in the park, that goes to the Flying Dutchman water coaster which had themeing and a que that was absolutely incredible (like better than Pirates of the Caribbean). We rode this twice because it was amazing. Baron was of course good but had a very lengthy line. The dueling wooden coaster and Python were both average and the indoor coaster and power coaster were fairly tame. Now for the dark rides -  The circus carnival one was literally their version of it's a small world with international themed singing dolls. The boat ride Fata Morgana was a journey through the tales of the Arabian Nights. Droomsvultch was a Peter Pan like suspended flight that had a surprising downward Helix section that got a pretty good speed. It was filled with fairies and woodland gnomes. Then Villa Volta was the old school classic madhouse with a great preshow and very beautiful interior. Symbolica is a trackless dark ride with incredible sets and three different journeys or tours of the castle. Dance Macabre was also such a great ride and is something I'd love to see inside the tomb raider building at Kings Island. Eftling also is home to a unique observation tower that is akin to the defunct tower at Cypress Gardens. The Pagode lifts up on a giant arm as opposed to a vertical tower. Was a very cool experience