Vekoma was a joke among coaster enthusiasts for many years, but something happened over
the past decades.
They improved their track fabrication, so their new rides are some of the smoothest
in the industry.
And they hired a new designer who has made action-packed layouts.
So now, the company is churning out really good coasters, particularly overseas.
So in this video, I will rank my top 30 roller coasters from this Dutch manufacturer.
Before starting the countdown, I need to note that I have not been to several of the Asian
countries where the newer Vekomas are found like China.
Fortunately I have ridden most of their other major coasters.
The one other notable exception is Thundercoaster at TusenFryd.
Additionally, I have reviews published for many rides on this list if you want more in-depth
thoughts, including everything in the top 15.
30) Blue Hawk at Six Flags Over Georgia- This is essentially the SLC, just in sit-down form.
Thankfully it’s a lot more comfortable.
It’s jerky, but the vest restraints make this tolerable.
The positive Gs on the butterfly inversion at the start are immense.
Then the corkscrews later in the ride are disorienting too.
And there are a lot of great headchoppers along the way as well.
29) Phoenix at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park- This custom suspended coaster is smooth does
a really good job in the positive G department.
The two overbanks in the middle of the ride are very powerful up front, including one
that feels darn close to an inversion.
Meanwhile, the final turns offer more oomph in the back.
This ride is just missing a good drop, but it’s otherwise smooth and appeasing to all.
28) 453m Suspended Family Coaster- Examples include Orkanen at Farup Sommerland and Dragonflier
at Dollywood.
This one does the one thing Phoenix does not.
It has a good drop at the start that goes into an underground or underwater tunnel.
Then you have an intense overbank that also feels like it inverts you.
The rest of the ride is a series of graceful and fluid turns with a pinch of force.
27) Booster Bike at Toverland- This company’s original motorbike coaster has had a lot of
downtime in my visits to this Dutch park, but it is still smooth after 2 decades of
operation.
The launch, which is actually a hydraulic one, has a good kick to it.
Then the layout stays relatively low to the ground to keep the speed going, which is quite
enjoyable in that motorbike position.
26) Mammut at Gardaland- This is one of the most criminally underrated mine train.
It’s a knock-off Big Thunder Mountain.
This is a long coaster with 3 lift hills that winds around and through a snowy mountain.
You have some ok turns plus a few surprise pops of airtime.
This isn’t as smooth as Vekoma’s newest coasters, but it’s far from uncomfortable.
25) Roller Coaster Mayan at Energylandia- This ranking likely applies to any newer SLC
with the vest restraints.
The trackwork isn’t perfect, but it is significantly more comfortable than the older SLCs.
These rides won’t beat you to a pulp.
So it’s possible to appreciate the rapid blitz of inversions that toss your body about.
24) Wild Mouse at Idlewild- This company’s only wild mouse rides unlike any other out
there, but it’s one of the best rides of its kind.
It starts with a tilted lift that goes back to its Wiener Prater days.
Then the layout has a lot more variety.
It has plenty of lateral-inducing turns and dips with some airtime, but they’re not
in the usual order.
And they have more power than usual.
Just watch out for this ride’s final brake!
23) Bandit Bomber at Yas Waterworld- This is an odd, one-of-a-kind inverted coaster.
It’s the only Splash Party out there.
The on and off-board water effects were broken during my visit, but this ride still offered
an enjoyable experiencing weaving past the central mountain and park’s water slides.
And there were 2-3 solid dips as well that sneak up on you.
22) Xpress: Platform 13 at Walibi Holland- One of the best parts about this ride is its
queue line.
It’s themed to a haunted subway and it’s a pseudo haunt with some jump effects.
The ride itself is Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster just outdoors.
The initial launch is decent and the first two inversions are forceful, but the rest
of the ride does a lot of meandering.
Thankfully the ride is smooth despite the time period when it was manufactured.
21) Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Walt Disney Studios-
This is Xpress but placed in a box.
You have a pre-show and some great on-board audio.
Then the layout is masked by some effects, which helps for the meandering bits.
Paris had a series of disorienting strobe lights whereas Florida has you whiz past signs
and billboards. 20) Giant Inverted Boomerangs…and I have
to say this…that run the original trains.
The now defunct Goliath at Six Flags New England was wretched with those Premier trains.
The old Vekoma ones offer a nice ride experience.
These rides are intense.
The vertical lift has some freaky visuals and that initial drop has a great freefall.
Then you have 3 positive G heavy inversions, and they’re extra dizzying going backwards.
The cobra roll may bash your head lightly, but the rest of the ride is smoother than
you’d expect.
19) Big Thunder Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland- This is the weakest of the Disney mine trains.
You have the same beautiful mountain that track goes through and around.
For whatever reason, this one doesn’t have the same power.
It doesn’t have the airtime pops you can get on the others and the laterals aren’t
quite as abrupt.
It’s smooth at least.
18) Nighthawk at Carowinds- The prototype flying dutchman does a lot well.
The layout has some very strong positive Gs on the turns and valleys.
And they get even stronger on the vertical loop.
Most of this coaster is comfortable, but there’s a notable exception- the final 2 corkscrews.
These can really shake you up.
17) Firehawk at Kings Island and Batwing at Six Flags America- This is Nighthawk with
two changes.
First, the 2 corkscrews are replaced by inline twists.
These are far more comfortable and the rapid spin tries to spike you into the ground.
Two, there are two bonus elements.
You have a forceful final helix and a 180 degree flip going into the brakes.
16) Megablitz at Wiener Prater- This might as well be called helix the ride.
You have three long and forceful helixes with the first being particularly intense.
This ride pulls nearly 5 Gs!
Then there are two steep drops towards the start that offer a bit of floater airtime
to compliment those positives. 15) Goudurix at Parc Asterix- For years I
heard this coaster was one of the roughest and most painful in the world.
But those who rode it in 2019, like me, said it was riding much smoother.
So I actually liked this ride.
It had barely any headbanging.
So not only were the inversions tolerable, but they were great.
They had some incredible power, especially since they are chained together.
14) Colorado Adventure at Phantasialand- This mine train is deceptively wild in back.
There, you have some surprise drops that’ll try to chuck you from your seat.
And that’s not all.
There’s also an indoor section that’s in near total darkness with nice positive
Gs and laterals.
There’s plenty of scenery too as you head through caves and past theming, especially
since it creates some wonderful headchoppers. 13) Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal
Kingdom- This mine train variant takes place in one of the most iconic theme park mountains
ever.
It’s stunning.
And you have the massive yeti on the inside as well.
Even in disco mode, it still looks incredible.
Then the coaster is good too.
The largest drop is decent in the back rows.
Then the positive forces may surprise you.
You get pretty good Gs on that outdoor helix, but the star is the enclosed, backwards helix.
This element is shockingly intense and it’ll really make you dizzy.
12) Muntanya Russa at Tibidabo- This ride may have the best views of any coaster.
Perched atop a hill, you get a stunning vista of Barcelona down below.
Then the rest of the ride winds past trees.
This layout has no airtime, but it does a surprisingly good job in the positive G department.
The pullout from the first drop and helix by the station pack on some serious forces.
And this ride is super smooth too, although that never really was an issue with this company’s
family coasters. 11) Fly the Great Nor’Easter at Morey’s
Piers- This is the king of the SLCs for three key reasons.
One, it has the vest restraints to eliminate headbanging.
Two, the ride received a near full-retracking a few years ago that has it running fairly
smoothly.
Still some light jerks on transitions, but overall very tolerable.
Three, this ride has some terrifying near-misses as the inversions wrap around water slides
and amusement rides.
All this makes the rapid-blur of snappy inversions enjoyable for once.
10) Loup-Garou at Walibi Belgium- This is the only Vekoma wood coaster I’ve experienced.
This company didn’t build many, but it showed some promise.
The layout is quite good.
There are some great drops in the back car with some really good airtime.
But if you want a smooth ride, this is not for you.
It is very bumpy.
The cushiony trains mitigate this issue for me, but it may not be enough for some.
9) Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Paris- This my favorite mine train coaster anywhere.
Per usual, the layout takes place and through the picturesque mountain.
The main layout has turns and helixes with good laterals and multiple dips giving pops
of airtime, including one that is particularly strong.
What makes this particular Big Thunder so special is its location.
The mountain is on an island.
So you have these long, dark, underground tunnels going there and back.
And the sense of speed down there is fantastic.
8) Formula at Energylandia- This was one of the most important rides for Vekoma.
It was the culmination of improved engineering and manufacturing.
This ride is on the shorter side, but it has everything else.
It has a decent launch.
The big Immelmann and low turns have good positive Gs.
The two corkscrews are snappy and there are some airtime hills that pop you out of your
seat.
This is both a well-paced and glass-smooth ride.
7) Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain at Disneyland Paris- This is the most intense Disney coaster.
It starts with a great launch.
It’s thematic between the audio and cannon, and it has some sneaky force since it’s
uphill.
Then you have several great elements.
There are forceful turns, a super strong sidewinder, a few airtime moments, and a corkscrew while
a tie-fighter shoots at you.
On that note, most of the experience takes place in a starfield, but there are some additional
screens plus fun on-board audio.
The ride jostles quite a bit, but the vest restraints prevent any headbanging.
6) Hals-uber-Kopf at Tripsdrill- The prototype suspended thrill coaster or STC has a well-rounded
layout for an invert.
The drop and 4-5 bunny hills all offer airtime pops you rarely get from this type of ride.
Then you have the usual inversions and force.
All there inversions are floaty and the turns hit you with positive Gs.
And this ride also has some neat visuals with the family boomerang running beneath you.
5) Abyssus at Energylandia- This multi-launch coaster does a little of everything.
The first half is the appetizer with the ok initial launch and a little floater airtime.
The second launch is quite lackluster, but the rest of the ride delivers.
The top hat has a trim, but you get strong ejector airtime in the back.
Then there are several other hills with good airtime pops too.
Then there are some moderately forceful and floaty inversions for variety.
All these elements were supposed to be paired with some great aquatic theming, but it isn’t
yet complete.
4) Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind at Epcot- This Disney World park took nearly
4 decades to get its first coaster, but it got a winner.
This is an immersive ride start to finish.
After a series of pre-shows, you board a prototype spinning coaster ride system from Vekoma.
These ones don’t spin freely; rather they rotate at pre-determined points to emphasize
certain ride or story elements.
The ride is pure chaos and fun.
I think it’s Disney’s best paced coaster.
You have a fun launch at the start followed by a long layout with some airtime pops and
some fairly forceful turns.
Then you also have the environment of Space Mountain with some giant video screens to
progress the story.
Lastly, you have on-board audio that just adds an overwhelming sense of joy.
3) Fonix at Farup Sommerland- The first Wildcat layout is a very well-paced ride.
There isn’t a dull moment.
There are over a dozen airtime hills.
It’s mostly floater, but they occur in rapid-fire succession.
The best airtime by far occurs on that first drop if you’re in the back.
But the highlights are the inversions.
The stall loop offers several seconds of hangtime.
Then the barrel roll and corkscrew offer fantastic whip and laterals.
The latter is especially sweet since it charges through the station.
This ride is light on the positives, but big on fun.
2) Lech Coaster at Legendia- This is one of the best rides in the world for positive Gs.
I greyed out repeatedly from the forceful valleys and intense inversions.
The best example of this was the sidewinder inversion at the start.
The other two inversions are more about whip, but they’re still great, particularly the
corkscrew through the station.
Then the ride throws in plenty of airtime too.
You have a super steep, twisting plunge with ejector airtime and laterals.
Then the smaller hills offer brief but strong negative Gs.
1) F.L.Y.
at Phantasialand- The prototype next-generation flying coaster is a masterclass at blending
thrills and theming.
Rookburgh is stunning and it’s magical flying through it.
Not only are the visuals awe-inspiring, but it also hides what comes next.
This coaster has some very intense valleys and turns, particularly in the back row.
Then there are also several airtime pops, which is both weird and fun to experience
while in the flying position.
Last but not least, you have two floaty inversions smartly woven in.
This is such a well-paced ride that kept me engaged start to finish.
So those are the top 30 roller coasters from Vekoma that I’ve personally experienced.
What are your favorite coasters from this Dutch manufacturer?
Let me know down in the comments.
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