originally posted on 4/29/2023 9:31:00 AM
On April 22, Liseberg opened its doors for the season, but this was even more special than a typical opening day: on this day, Liseberg celebrated its 100th anniversary! As part of the celebration, Liseberg debuted the Grand Curiosa Hotel, featuring 450 rooms, park-related theming and a prime location next to the park. But this wasn’t the only new experience at Liseberg: the park also opened its seventh roller coaster, Luna!
Luna's tallest point on the ride - its eleven-story spike.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
Built by Vekoma of the Netherlands, Luna is a family-friendly “boomerang” coaster. Most roller coasters feature a closed-circuit layout in which riders only travel forward; Luna is an open-circuit layout, commonly referred to as a “shuttle” or “boomerang.” While the track does end on an open-circuit layout, riders are never in danger; the train stays far behind either end of the track. As a result, shuttle coasters traverse their layouts both forward and backward, resulting in a longer ride despite a shorter physical track length.
Luna towers eleven stories above the park’s natural hilltop. Exiting the station backward, riders climb a short lift hill, savoring fantastic views over the rest of Liseberg. After pausing at the top, riders zoom back through the station at 42 mph. Luna then soars over park pathways, the celebrated mine train coaster Lisebergbanan, the historic FlumeRide and the park’s star roller coaster, Helix. At the other end of Luna’s 794-foot-long circuit, riders climb a spike, the tallest point on Luna. However, thanks to gravity, the train rolls backward — going through the entire ride layout once more, but in reverse.
Luna's lift hill out of the station.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
Riders zoom back through the station at 42mph.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
Luna’s track layout was custom designed to fit into Liseberg’s unusual location. It’s the tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster of its kind, but in no way does this mean that Luna is scary. It is the perfect fit for children, but it can also be enjoyed by the whole family. Riders must be at least 47 inches tall and 6 years of age, or 37 inches tall with the company of an adult.
Luna's track layout was custom designed to fit into Liseberg's unusual location.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
Luna was the perfect choice to bolster Liseberg’s surprisingly diverse roller coaster collection. Before Luna, there were pint-sized thrills in Stampbanan and Rabalder and significantly more wild coasters in Lisebergbanan and Balder; however, there wasn’t anything in between these extremes. Luna provides a much-needed stepping stone for Liseberg’s lineup. It’s not too small to be seen as tame, while not too large to be seen as intimidating. To enhance the overall experience, Luna features onboard music by IMAscore and a rather beautiful station.
Luna's rather beautiful station.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
All in all, Luna fulfills exactly what it was intended to and perhaps a little more. ACE congratulates Liseberg on 100 years, celebrating the centennial with a brand new hotel and another out-of-this-world roller coaster!
— Christopher Karlsson
#ACE360