Polar X-plorer may be the best coaster at a Legoland park. Located at Legoland Billund, this
Zierer family coaster combines some decent thrills with fun visuals to offer a full experience.
Find out why I’d love to see this coaster come to more Legoland parks in this review!
Polar X-plorer opened in 2012 as part of the park’s brand-new Polar Land.
This coaster was erected by Zierer. It would use the company’s elevated seating
coaster or ESC system that featured raised seats and opened trains.
The lap bars are identical to those on Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Verbolten.
Once lowered, they have some give to raise upwards slightly. But the trains on Polar X-plorer are far
more open on the fronts and sides, leaving you more exposed. If you rode Bowcraft Playland’s
Crossbow or if you’ve ridden Schwaben Park’s Force One, these trains are identical.
Now let’s talk about the theming. Parts are really good, others not so much. A large chunk of the
ride takes place in and around this snow-capped mountain. I think it looks really good and it
creates an air of mystery around the ride. You can really only see the ride’s start prior to riding.
Then you’ll just hear some blood-curdling screams emanating from the mountain. The ride’s outdoor
finale then passes some Lego statues and the brakes pass the adjacent penguin exhibit.
I think the track is in need of a new coat of paint soon, but it doesn’t look terrible. Then
while the station doesn’t have much to look at, it does capture the feel of a snow base. Lastly,
most of the queue line takes place outdoors in direct sunlight. It was a missed opportunity not
to theme the queue better in my opinion. This coaster is decently popular,
but since it’s towards the back of Legoland, you can get short waits if you head there early. This
coaster typically runs two trains, each seating 16 riders across 8 rows. And dispatches are quick
thanks to the simple restraint system. If you want the best ride, I recommend asking for the front.
The forces are a bit stronger up there and you get the unobstructed view for the theming.
Once dispatched, you head up the 66 foot or 20 meter tall lift. The first drop twists 180 degrees
left and it offers some faint laterals towards the start, especially if you’re in the back rows.
The pullout has a rattle to it, but it’s the only shaky spot on the ride.
The rest of the coaster is smooth. Next is an elevated speed hill.
And it actually manages to give some weak floater airtime across the train,
which I wasn’t expecting on a Legoland coaster.
Next is a 360 degree downwards helix that pierces through the mountain. It offers some good positive
Gs, much more so than I was expecting for a Legoland coaster, particularly in the front rows.
The train then zips over another bunny hill. Like the first,
you get some faint airtime and you also get a nice headchopper going through the mountain.
The next part of the ride is in a backstage area that cannot be seen off-ride.
Next is a 360 degree upwards helix that gives comparable forces to the first one.
You then turn towards a mid-course brake run and slowly crawl into the mountain.
If you want to avoid spoilers, skip to the time shown on the screen.
The inside of this mountain doesn’t look very good. It feels like the ride’s budget ran out
since you have black tarps everywhere as opposed to an icy cavern. You do have a screen in front
of you that plays a cartoony firm of two Lego characters climbing, but all of the sudden,
one of them falls. And moments later, you do too! Polar X-plorer has Zierer’s first ever drop track.
This 16 foot or 5 meter freefall isn’t large, but it’s sudden and gives a quick freefall sensation.
It felt pretty similar to the other drop tracks out there in terms of forces.
I knew it was coming, but you can tell a lot of people don’t by their screams.
At this point the thrills are over. You meekly turn outside and navigate a comically slow bunny
hill. It feels like you’re going to valley, but you at least pass some Lego statues on the way.
You then turn into the brake run where you can see a penguin exhibit to your left.
So this is honestly one ride where I don’t mind if the trains stack!
This ends the 1634 foot or 498 meter long coaster.
So what would I rate Polar X-plorer? I would give this dynamic Zierer coaster a 7.5 out of 10. This
ride does a lot of things well. You get some weak airtime and good positive forces on the helixes.
Then you have some good visuals between the snow mountain, statues,
and penguin exhibit. I just wish the coaster was a bit longer and there are some aesthetic
choices both on and around the attraction that contrast with the parts that look great.
I do think this is easily the best coaster at Legoland Billund and the best one you can find
at any of the Legoland parks worldwide. I hope this finds its way to the US parks one day!
So those are my thoughts on Polar X-plorer at Legoland Billund.
What are your thoughts on this icy roller coaster? Do you agree it’s the best Legoland coaster?
Let me know down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d appreciate it if
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roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!