So Valhalla wins best water ride at the Golden Ticket Awards again and myself much like the rest of the community across the world ask the same question. How?
Valhalla’s big reimagining has certainly made the ride more sustainable in terms of its effects but since opening Valhalla has been plagued with the same old problems that have caused issues since the day it opened.
Water flooding the boats before guests board, effects not working, dark spaces with nothing happening and frequent downtime.
Valhalla had a technical rehearsals day where we were touring an empty warehouse with zero effects triggering at one point.
Fast forward to the official opening day and the glorious fire effects were in full swing and the ride certainly stepped up in quality tenfold but it never feels quite as good as the original.
Whilst I love the new soundtrack from The Notable Stranger most guests seem to prefer the old soundtrack.
The new ice room is now not even cold but has a snow machine in there along with some questionable set decoration and other sets that have been added feel scaled down compared to the previous version of the ride.
The backwards drop that used to get you soaked is now a tame forwards drop and the empty space seems to be much more than what it was previously.
Don’t get me wrong Valhalla is a beautiful ride but this new version is a step down from what it was previously and it still wins best water ride?
Keep in mind all of the incredible water rides around the world and Valhalla is still winning this award?
Also keep in mind that I’m writing this whilst sipping tea from my new Valhalla mug. I like the ride and when all the effects are working I LOVE the ride but I’m realistic. World beating? You’re having a laugh.
Valhalla was closed for its refurbishment and it still won the award despite it being open. At some point it does make you wonder how on earth the awards are run.
No public vote is sent out to my knowledge and I’d be keen to know just what goes into the criteria for winning the award as on a world stage Valhalla is good but it’s not world beating. That’s not opinion, that’s a general fact.
Winning it for a 7th time is certainly an accomplishment that they should all be very proud of and it’s a great ride for the UK, but once again, on a world stage, it’s miles behind.
Valhalla is a Viking-themed water attraction featuring a ride system from Intamin. After being closed for refurbishment at the end of the 2019, the attraction saw a £4 million investment and recently reopened earlier this year.
