Walibi Belgium
Wavre·Belgium·Europe
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Visit
Breakdown
Introduction
We visited Walibi Belgium on July 19th, 2024, for our first ever visit. As our initial experience at a Walibi property, we were highly anticipating the coaster lineup, with Kondaa being the biggest draw of all. Formerly a Six Flags park, Walibi Belgium was known for its focus on high-octane thrills, but since being taken over by Compagnie des Alpes, the park has placed significant attention on theming and immersion. Still, Walibi delivers big thrills with a healthy dose of character, featuring one of Europe's best coasters and some intense water rides. It is not the smoothest park experience out there, and it stumbles in areas, but when it works, it really works. Overall, we had a great time at Belgium's premier theme park!
Walibi Belgium Review
Best Coaster
9.5
Let us not overthink this: Kondaa is a beast. Perhaps the most airtime-focused machine in Europe, this coaster delivers immense airtime from start to finish, featuring an insane first drop, truly magnificent pops of air, a relentless pace, and wild transitions - did we mention there is a lot of airtime? This coaster was clearly designed by someone who hates gravity, and it shows. It is an exciting and thrilling package, all wrapped in an ultra-smooth experience with some of the best coaster trains in the business. The only thing really missing is an inversion or two to bring the whole thing to another level, but we can't complain about what Kondaa delivers; it is a true standout coaster and one of the best in Europe!
Coaster Depth
7.5
As we quickly learned, Kondaa stands far above the rest of the lineup, and when it comes to evaluating what surrounds it, we are left wanting more. Psyké Underground is a delightful experience, and both Tiki Waka and Calamity Mine serve as strong family coasters. What ultimately holds this category back is Walibi's darker side, or rather, its old Vekoma side. Loup-Garou is a fun but headache-inducing woody, and Vampire is a not-so-fun SLC that will have you wishing you could go back to just having a headache. We are very curious to see how this category evolves once Mecalodon opens.
Water Rides
9.5
This category turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the trip. Walibi Belgium might quietly house some of the best water rides in Europe (Yes, Chiapas we see you), assuming you are not afraid of going beyond wet and straight into fully soaked territory. The log flume "Flash Back" is a very good flume with a turntable and tunnel sections. Pulsar, a water coaster hybrid, combines real thrills with equally real drenching. And then there is the parks rapids "Radja River", which we are still convinced violated at least three safety standards. At times, we genuinely think we would have exited drier had someone simply hosed us down. A truly mighty, and very wet, trio.
Flatrides And Darkrides
7Walibi offers a solid dark ride in Challenge of Tutankhamon, but unfortunately we missed out on Popcorn Revenge. As for flat rides, the park covers the basics with a decent Top Spin in Buzzsaw and a standard Wave Swinger. It also has a large Intamin drop tower in "Dalton Terror". Overall, the quality is solid but there is plenty of room for improvements. After all, this is not the main reason you come to Walibi Belgium and that is perfectly fine.
Park Appearance
9
Walibi is a very beautiful park, with a massive lake at its center that elevates both navigation and overall atmosphere. The calmness of this centerpiece is quickly contrasted by the controlled chaos surrounding it, especially in the area around Kondaa, which is a genuinely impressive plaza given to their top coaster. The park has several exotic themed areas that contrast nicely against each other and while you will not find Disney level immersion here, that is not what Walibi is trying to be. It's doing its own thing, and it does it well.
Park Practicality
8
The park is laid out in a simple circular pattern around the central lake, and it works. Everything is fairly easy to find, walking distances are reasonable, and signage does its job. The downsides are a lack of shaded or seated areas and an app that borders on unusable. The area where their new coaster is going was under construction during our visit which did cut off some navigation options but overall, navigating the park was refreshingly straightforward.
Food
6.5As ParkRating season 1 & 2 tradition dictates, we always have to try a burger, purely for scientific reasons. Walibi delivered something on par with a McDonald's quality burger, featuring a soft bun and a patty of familiar size. That said, it was perfectly decent, and the overall food selection across the park was solid enough. Nothing particularly stood out and it very much seems like the Six Flags spirit lives on here, but the food game is perfectly functional and will keep you fueled during your visit.
Snacks And Drinks
5.5
Smoothies were good. Soft ice was fine. Pancakes were a disaster. That about sums it up.We waited all day for the pancake house to open, only to be met with a stack of dry, pre-cooked pancakes hidden under a sheet of foil. When a park cannot spare thirty seconds to make a fresh pancake on request, it leaves a bad taste in our mouths (literally). Selection was very standard and overall quality was okay, but we hope to see the park improve in this category in the future.
Ride Operations
7.5Kondaa ran like an absolute dream. Most rides featured solid dispatch times, and staff were generally on point throughout the day. However, breakdowns on Cobra and several on Pulsar and a - at times - impractical Speedy Pass system, particularly on Vampire and Calamity Mine, where being routed through exits led to some awkward moments when groups had planned to ride together, kept this score from reaching the top. Still, overall efficiency remained solid and operations were good.
Park Management
4
This is the category where Walibi truly failed. The entrance experience was needlessly clunky and chaotic, parking was confusing, and the overall arrival experience felt unnecessarily frustrating. While we could forgive all of that, the stall management was borderline unacceptable. On a hot summer day, we struggled to buy even basic necessities like drinks or ice cream. Many locations were closed until late evening, despite the app claiming otherwise.The saving graces were a strong merchandise selection and non-staggered ride openings, which are the only reasons this category avoids dipping even lower. While the park is overall a great time, be ready for some potential frustrations during your visit.
Roller Coasters (8)
Main Coasters (7)
Optional Coasters (1)
Gallery
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