Quick Facts (thanks to RCDB for the statistics):
Height: 105 ft.
Speed: 49.7 mph
Duration: 2:25
Manufacturer: Vekoma
Type: Wooden Roller Coaster
Year Built: 2000
Other facts: Robin Hood is one of only three wooden roller coasters built by Vekoma
Height: 105 ft.
Speed: 49.7 mph
Duration: 2:25
Manufacturer: Vekoma
Type: Wooden Roller Coaster
Year Built: 2000
Other facts: Robin Hood is one of only three wooden roller coasters built by Vekoma
Before Ride Thoughts
Before riding, I didn't expect anything from this roller coaster. I predicted it would be the worst "thrill" coaster in the park. I actually kind of forgot about it when we arrived to be honest. So… yeah, I didn't really have any thoughts on this coaster before riding, except that it would be rough. However, I did notice that Robin Hood is being re tracked. The lift hill is already done, and It looks like they're planning on re-tracking the rest of the coaster. From the outside, the Vekoma trains and lap bars reminded me a lot of Millennium Flyer trains
The Ride
When boarding, I noticed that the trains were actually pretty comfortable. I sat in the front car for both rides. Just a tip, leave some space between your legs and the lap bar so you'll have the best, most fun ride possible. The Ride operators at Walibi never staple you in anyway. As the train rattled around the first turn before the lift, I was jostled from side to side in my seat, thinking "o great, here comes a really rough ride." After the super slow, loud lift hill, the train edged over the top and began to crawl down the drop. It slowly picked up speed until the back car went over the lift. Then, at the bottom of the first drop, the fun began. The back car of the train started pushing the others, causing a huge, fun, sudden burst of speed on the lowest point of the drop. This and the jolt that came along with it created a really fun feeling that I've never felt on a coaster before. This happened on most of the drops for the rest of the ride. At the top of the first hill, I realized the coaster wasn't an unenjoyable rough, it was a fun, rickety, wooden coaster rough. I put my hands in the air and let the coaster jostle me around, making the ride more fun. At the top of the second hill, you get a nice pop of floater. The laterals on the turnarounds make the whole experience even more fun as you get jostled around from side to side. Then, the pops of floater air on the first turn-around turned into pops of ejector on the second turnaround. The next few hills provided more pops of ejector, and a fun head chopper effect. Finally, Robin Hood rattles into the brake run, giving riders one more pop of air as it slows to a halt.
Overall Thoughts
Robin Hood really exceeded my expectations. It is truly one of the most fun roller coasters I have been on to date. The roughness actually adds to the ride instead of making it worse. The ride is perfect for people of all ages. I love rides like this where you can just put your hands up and let go while bumping around in a fun, non-painful way. This ride is truly one of the stand out attractions at Walibi and is exactly what a wooden coaster should be, fun.
My Rankings
Although it is one of the most fun roller coasters I have been on, that doesn't mean its one of the best. For my overall score, Robin Hood gets about a 5/10 (average).
Robin Hood gets a 2 on my thrill scale. It's more about fun than intensity, which makes it a great family coaster.
For my theming scale, Robin Hood gets a 1 as the theming isn't really noticeable.
Mitch Hawker Coaster Poll Ranking: Current Rank is ranked 89th
Robin Hood's Highest Ranking was 35th
Robin Hood has never dropped out of the top 100 since its debut
Robin Hood has been in the top 50 five times
Have You Ridden Robin Hood? Have you ridden another one of the Vekoma wooden coasters? Share your experience by commenting, I am int