Winjas at Phantasialand is one of the weirdest coasters in the world. In fact,
it’s two entirely separate coasters. This is a pair of Maurer spinning coasters. One is named
Fear and one is named Force. Both are located indoors and feature a series of tricks that
make the experience memorable. Some may call them gimmicks, but they really enhance the experience
and I’ll explain why in this review. Before going in deep, I want to say that
Winjas is best if you don’t know about the specific tricks prior to riding.
That is how I experienced this coaster for my first time and I wouldn’t have wanted it any
other way. And that’s how Phantasialand wants it too since all the tricks are hidden out of sight.
Therefore, I will consider any of these enclosed sections as spoilers and I’ll give a warning
before discussing them. And I also want to give a warning that this ride’s RCDB page lists the
tricks at the bottom under the facts section. Winjas opened in 2002. This was a very
important and much needed addition for Phantasialand. Just one year prior in 2001,
a massive fire damaged half of Phantasialand’s coasters, leading to the closure and removal
of both Gebirgsbahn and Grand Canyon Bahn. Winjas immediately stepped in to fill that coaster void.
This coaster was accompanied by a new themed area in Wuze Town. This is a separate indoor
section in the Fantasy area of the park. The land is themed to an underground city of the
fictional Wuzen people. The whole area has a whimsical, dreamlike vibe to it with the
ornate architecture and odd rides. And Winjas adds a ton of energy to
the land. You can hear the delighted screams of guests as their colorful cars twirl above you.
Both coasters have an iconic helix around the weird Tittle Tattle Tree ride in the center.
The perimeter of the building has some of the rides larger drops. Then you can also
explore the upper-levels of Wuze Town and get shockingly close to the ride’s hairpin turns.
But for as much as the ride shows, the special tricks are hidden behind walls in darkness. The
dark black track helps conceal these features. The ride’s entrance is tucked in the back of
Wuze Town, but it has undergone some changes in recent years. Originally, the split point for
the two tracks was at the start of the queue line. This was recently moved towards the end
of the queue line. This makes sense since the two sides always seemed to have similar waits.
There were two key changes during 2020 and 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Guests had to queue for the attraction outdoors and it was random which side you were assigned.
And that last part was a pretty big deal. These two rides aren’t clones or mirror images. Each
side has its own unique path and set of tricks. The two tracks are also immensely helpful with
capacity. Like the other Maurer spinners, the ride features individual cars on seating just 4 riders.
If you’ve been to Disneyland Paris or Hersheypark, you know just how slow a single Maurer spinner’s
line can move. Both sides of Winjas have plenty of cars and the speedy operations you’d expect from
Phantasialand. Even in the peak summer months, the line is usually just 20-30 minutes most days.
Pairs of guests sit back-to-back facing outwards. I prefer this orientation over the spinners facing
guests inwards since I think it offers superior visuals. The cars are a bit cramped though. The
seats aren’t my favorite since you’re positioned awkwardly low with your knees above your waist.
This can cause the lap bar restraint to rest in a weird spot against your legs, but the restraint
itself is fine and doesn’t cause any issues. Both sides great and I recommend trying both,
but I do prefer the Fear side. That seems to be the consensus among most coaster enthusiasts.
Regardless of which side you choose, I recommend sitting such that you leave the
station going backwards. It only impacts the first elements, but it makes that element even better.
I’ll start with the side I prefer in Fear. Once dispatched you move forwards.
Please skip ahead to the time shown on your screen to avoid the first indoor section.
You then move forwards into a dark elevator. It briskly raises you to your max height of 57 feet
or 17 meters. About halfway up the lift, the track starts to tilt and it stays in that position when
you reach the top. If you dispatched riding forwards, you’ll be tilted downwards. If you
dispatched going backwards, you’ll be pointed upwards. As you tilt, the music builds to a
crescendo and interestingly, this music was a snippet from the old Disney film Dinosaur. You
then hear an ominous voice say Winjas- Fear and you’re released into the main layout.
You’re sent down a sizable drop in darkness. You can see some light at
the end of the tunnel going forwards, but you can’t see how long the drop will last
if you’re going in reverse, so you get this fun freefall sensation.
You then leave the enclosed section and head up a giant camelback.
You have some surprising speed over this hill and you get some decent floater airtime on the drop.
And if you’re going backwards, you’ll get a bit of a freefall sensation too. Plus there’s a cool
headchopper with a walkway on the descent. You then sharply rise upwards, getting a pop
of airtime. The vehicles then unlock and start to spin. This next bit is a series of hairpin turns.
While your vehicle won’t have much speed, the tight turns induce some great spinning.
This leads into a helix that circles around a flat ride. You pick up some decent speed here.
You don’t spin as quickly as the prior section, but you do tend to get a more prolonged rotation
while also getting some light positive Gs. You then twist into a mid-course brake run.
You then head back indoors, so skip ahead to the time on-screen if you want to avoid this part.
You have a decent drop in the dark that has some zip to it.
You then navigate a horseshoe turn. It’s quite disorienting in the dark. And you sort of stall
at the top, so you get a pinch of weightlessness. You’re then spit out of a frog’s mouth. You roll
through another mid-course brake run and head right back into the darkness.
The rest of Fear is hidden, so the time stamp on screen will bring you to my Force review.
Fear has a little dip indoors, heads up a little incline,
and comes to a very abrupt stop while still inclined.
You hear another snippet from the Dinosaur film. Then, like a see-saw, the track tilts upwards
to connect with track on the opposite side. You’re then released down an incline. It’s not
super steep, but it’s in the dark and has that freefall sensation going backwards.
You then have a few final turns in the dark that cause some final spinning
and then you hit the brakes, but Winjas still has one more trick up its sleeve.
As you head towards the unload platform, you have this weird bounce track. As you move
over this segment of track, it quickly dips down and right back up. It doesn’t offer any forces,
but it’s a very surprising maneuver I haven’t seen on any other ride. This must
have been particularly shocking in 2002 since drop tracks weren’t a thing yet.
You then return to the unload platform, ending the 1523 foot or 465 meter long coaster.
Now let’s talk about Force. Some parts of this section may be repetitive if you listened to
the Fear section, but that’s deliberate. It’s just in case someone only experienced one side
and doesn’t want to spoil the other. Once dispatched you move forwards.
Please skip ahead to the time shown on your screen to avoid the first indoor section.
You then move forwards into a dark elevator. It briskly raises you to your max height of 57 feet
or 17 meters. About halfway up the lift, the track starts to tilt and it stays in that position when
you reach the top. If you dispatched riding forwards, you’ll be tilted downwards. If you
dispatched going backwards, you’ll be pointed upwards. As you tilt, the music builds to a
crescendo and interestingly, this music was a snippet from the old Disney film Dinosaur.
You then hear an ominous voice say Winjas- Force and you’re released into the main layout.
You’re sent down a sizable drop in darkness. You can see some light at the end of the tunnel going
forwards, but you can’t see how long the drop will last if you’re going in reverse,
so you get this fun freefall sensation. You then leave the enclosed section and
sharply twist upwards. No airtime, but the turn at the top is super tight,
so you’ll get some decent laterals here. You then navigate a slalom section. You’ll start
to spin here- and you’ll spin quite fast. Plus you’ll get some nice views overlooking Wuze Town.
This leads into a section of hairpin turns. As with the Fear side, the car isn’t moving too fast,
but you’ll continue to spin like you did through the prior section.
Next is the helix around the Tittle Tattle Tree. You pick up some decent speed here.
You don’t spin as quickly as the prior section, but you do tend to get a more prolonged rotation
while also getting some light positive Gs. Winjas then cruises through a mid-course
brake run. Rather than heading indoors, you head down a sizable swooping drop.
It’s fine going forwards, but sweet going backwards since you can’t see where you’re going.
Next is a bunny hill. It offers some weak floater airtime plus that familiar falling
sensation if you experience it backwards. You then head indoors for the remainder of Force,
so skip ahead to the time shown if you want to avoid spoilers.
After heading indoors, you stop on this piece of track. The track then tilts you
sideways at an angle to align with another piece of track. The car is then released.
You have a small but ok drop followed by some weak turns.
You do spin a bit, but it can’t compensate for the weak finale.
You then hit the brakes. As you head towards the unload platform,
you have this weird bounce track. As you move over this segment of track,
it quickly dips down and right back up. It doesn’t offer any forces, but it’s a very surprising
maneuver I haven’t seen on any other ride. You then return to the unload platform,
ending the 1345 foot or 410 meter long coaster. Both sides are very smooth. The tracking is
perfect, but there are one or two brakes that are pretty abrupt.
So what would I rate Winjas? I would give both sides of this spinning coaster an 8 out of 10.
This is a great ride. It has some of the elements you’d expect from this type of ride. You have some
sections with strong spinning and a few drops that are sweet if taken in reverse. But those hidden
and trick elements are what makes the ride truly memorable. There are some one-of-a-kind elements
here that’ll leave you confused in the best way possible. This is why it’s not only the weirdest
spinner, but also one of the best. Those tricks aren’t just gimmicks; they add to the ride.
So those are my thoughts on Winjas at Phantasialand. What are your thoughts
on this coaster? Which side do you prefer? Let me know down below. If you enjoyed this review, I’d
appreciate it if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a
lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!