Tusenfryd
Vinterbro·Norway·Europe
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Visit
Breakdown
Introduction
We visited Tusenfryd on October 4th, 2024, for our first ever visit. We were unsure what to expect from Norway's largest theme park when we rolled into the parking lot on that cold and misty October day, but we left with a positive impression. The park is situated on a mountainside, offering stunning natural scenery and great views alongside a fairly impressive ride lineup - even though we did encounter a few major ride closures during our visit.
Tusenfryd Review
Best Coaster
7.5
The best coaster at Tusenfryd is Storm - The Dragon Legend. This small Gerstlauer inverted Infinity Coaster sits on the upper section of Tusenfryd and was the newest addition to the park at the time of our visit. This is a small but mighty ride that packs one hell of a punch; while it is admittedly very short, you are treated to fun launches, freaky hangtime, strong positives, and one downright violent pop of airtime (and we mean that as a compliment). It is a somewhat incomplete ride, especially considering its duration, but it is absolutely a coaster worthy of the title of Norway’s best and a must-ride for any thrill-seeker.
Coaster Depth
6
Tusenfryd has three supporting thrill coasters. Speed Monster is a smooth, fun launched looping coaster, while ThunderCoaster is a rough, intense wooden coaster with a great layout and some solid forces throughout. Loopen is an old Vekoma Tornado coaster which offers a nice vertical loop and a novelty experience, but it was quite janky and not particularly exciting. Apart from a small Zamperla spinning kiddie coaster, the park's only true family coaster is Western-Expressen; however, we sadly didn't get to experience it due to it being down for most of the day, and therefore we cannot include it in this rating. This park desperately needs a bigger family coaster with a modern layout to bring their coaster lineup to the next level.
Water Rides
7.5
It is impressive for a park this far north to feature three water rides, and Tusenfryd performed better in this category than we initially expected. While the old Arrow flume ride, Tømmerstupet, was forgettable - easily among the weakest water rides we have experienced - the SuperSplash by Mack Rides was a simple but fun attraction, offering great views and a large drop that results in a massive wave. The standout, however, is undoubtedly the rapids ride, Ragnarok. This Hafema rapids ride features a brisk pace, a strong layout with a large whirlpool element, solid theming, and a few absolutely drenching moments. Overall, this is a very strong water ride lineup, and we were pleasantly surprised that everything was still fully operational on such a cold October day.
Flatrides And Darkrides
4.5Unfortunately, we were hit by two major ride closures during our visit. The first was the interesting-looking dark ride Thor's Hammer, which would have offered a nice indoor experience on a cold October day. The second was the park's biggest flat ride, the Zamperla pendulum SpinSpider. With the park's only dark ride and largest flat ride out of commission, we were left with only one highlight - an S&S Double Shot tower - alongside some classics like a swinging ship, teacups, and a wave swinger. Thor's Hammer and SpinSpider would have done wonders for the lineup and the score here.
Park Appearance
7
Tusenfryd's appearance is a tale of two contrasting qualities. On one hand, the incredibly beautiful natural scenery and impressive views do a lot for the park; for instance, Speed Monster utilizes the hillside to boost its ride experience, and there are countless spots to take in truly breathtaking vistas of the park and its surroundings. On the other hand, the park is fairly light on theming, and we couldn't help but feel that the "Route 66" area - which features the most theming - felt slightly outdated.
Immersion isn't particularly high, and had this park been located on a flat plot of land, it might have received a middling score. Luckily, Tusenfryd possesses the surroundings that it does, and the positive effect this natural beauty has on the overall experience cannot be denied. Ultimately, the park performs quite well in this category.
Immersion isn't particularly high, and had this park been located on a flat plot of land, it might have received a middling score. Luckily, Tusenfryd possesses the surroundings that it does, and the positive effect this natural beauty has on the overall experience cannot be denied. Ultimately, the park performs quite well in this category.
Park Practicality
3.5One thing you learn quickly when visiting Tusenfryd is that you will be doing a significant amount of walking - and it is not just strolling along straight paths. The park consists of several flat areas situated at different elevations, and the paths connecting them are long, winding, and, at times, steep. It does not help that the area housing the water rides and dark ride is tucked away in a secluded section with only one way in and out; that path is brutal, so if you miss an attraction or want a re-ride, the return trip can be quite draining.
Also, the park does not offer an app or any digital means to track queue times. While that wasn't strictly necessary on the day we visited in October, it is a drawback for a modern park. Simply put: Tusenfryd is many things, but practical it is not.
Also, the park does not offer an app or any digital means to track queue times. While that wasn't strictly necessary on the day we visited in October, it is a drawback for a modern park. Simply put: Tusenfryd is many things, but practical it is not.
Food
5
We ate burgers with loaded fries at Rockburger in Route 66 and while our seats offered some amazing views of Speed Monster's launch, the food wasn't anything to write home about. It wasn't bad per se but it was about as standard as it could get, which feels a lot like Tusenfryd's food game in general. Variety and quality seemed just okay and the score reflects that.
Snacks And Drinks
7
Now given our food, our expectations for snacks weren't that high but we were left quite surprised with the quality of our two waffles with ice-cream and toppings that we got from "Ice cream palace" on the hill behind Loopen. They were a bit more complex and better tasting than usual waffles with ice-cream. The parks variety doesn't seem particularly big but this is an example where quality beats quantity.
Ride Operations
8
Operations at Tusenfryd were excellent. Not only did they have several trains running on all major coasters (except Storm, which can physically only run one), but we were especially impressed with the way staff handled unfortunate incidents involving unruly teenagers attempting to queue-jump, join lines after they had closed, and even jump onto the security netting at Speed Monster to retrieve a lost vape. All these situations were handled swiftly and admirably by the park staff, leaving us with a very positive impression. Dispatch times were acceptable, and given the lack of ride breakdowns, the park impressed us quite a lot in this category.
Park Management
7.5
Our day at Tusenfryd was good and left us with a positive opinion of the park, though it was not without its setbacks. We were as impressed with the fact that they operated all three water rides on a cold October day as we were disappointed by both Thor's Hammer and SpinSpider being closed for the entire day. The parking situation - specifically regarding where to park and how to pay - was also quite confusing; however, there were no amenity closures, and the park offered some decent merchandise. The park was, overall, well-run, and had there not been any major, full-day ride closures, Tusenfryd would have ranked quite high on our list. But I suppose that just means we will have to come back in the future!
Roller Coasters (6)
Main Coasters (5)
Optional Coasters (1)
Gallery
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