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[davewasbaloo]

And Pegasus is a very impressive family coaster, fast and quite scary in places. We all loved it!

[davewasbaloo]

We had an amazing afternoon with a chinese/thai lunch in a dark restaurant in the Pirates of Batavia ride. WE enjoyed exploring Russia, though the dark rides are not DIsney quality, they have a charm of their own. The Russian Craftsmen were increadible too. And the parade was cute. It was more like a Victorian Circus parade than a Disney parade as the performers from the shows proceed through the park in sections themed after the countries represented in the parks.

The Europa Park 35th Anniversary exhibit and show is increadible, putting Disneyland's 50th somewhat to shame. It uses a Carousel Theatre like the Carousel of Progress/America Sings/Meet the World and showcases the history of the MACK business and the park. It was in German and I understood it, but even my non German speaking family enjoyed it!

The football exhibit is interesting (I don't like soccer) because it ends with bumper cars and a giant football where you aim to get control of the ball. Fun. The Crazy Taxi ride is a Zamperela (thanks Sven) and it is a walk on (unlike the hour queues at WDSP for Cars).

We then went to the ice show, which was first rate! A Michael Jackson routine on skates, tango which was really sexy, and a very European show. We loved it, and it easily competed with the ICe Capades, Disney on Ice etc. Difference is, this one is included in the price of admission and is almost worth that price alone.

The Greece Area is very well themed. The temple for the water coaster has real flaming cauldrons. The Mad House is ver well themed (I believe this may have been the 1st in the world). And the Pegasus family coaster is a real coaster, very fast and a lot of fun!

We then made our way through France and into the Mercedes exhibit that also houses the queue for Silver Star (Europe's tallest and fastest coaster - we skipped it as the kids are too small - we will ride when they are tall enough, and I am small enough). It was fab, showing how Mercedes Benz have changed over the last 100 years and showing some of their previous race vehicles!!! It was edutainment and we loved it (supped a german beer while we explored).

Then on to Italy, which was nicely decked out for Easter. We went into the spectacular theatre, decked as if it were Carnival in Venice. In the theatre we saw Luminocity which was a combo of dance, magic, comedy, and acrobatics. Sadly in all the shows, no pictures or video are allowed. This show was great - some burlesque in a body suit (hot), a great comedian/juggler that the kids really adored, great dance numbers, and the most beautiful and graceful male acrobatic troup I have ever seen. Wonderful.

When we got out of the theatre, I thought the park was closed (it was after closing time). But they extended the hours due to crowds (funny, the waits and crowds seemed very low compared to Disney, this is old school Disney style, fab). So we grabbed a ride in the Geister Schloss - their rip off of Haunted Mansion, themed to the blood thirsty royal families of Italy. It is very cool, and at the same time very camp. It is not as well polished as HM, but we loved it none the less. And the guy being electricuted and the guy being buried alive were quite realistic. Loved it.

We then hopped on their newest attraction which is a surreal trip through Italy with dogs and food. But it was fun, and the smell of pizza made us hungry.

We had reservations for dinner, so we hopped the monorail to the hotels and went to the El Andaluz Don Quiotte for dinner. In the next installment.

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[davewasbaloo]

In the evening we had a great meal with some Cervezas and Sangria in the Spanish themed hotel, and then we explored the 2 Spanish themed and the wonderful Portuguese monestary themed hotels, followed by enjoying the fountain show from our bedroom window!!!! It was awesome, and all so easy on foot. I do not like WDW as it is too big. I prefer compact, and this fits the bill nicely.

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[dagobert]

Extending the park operating hours?? That will never happen in Paris. There you get staggering opening hours of attractions. I'm not sure if any Disney park extends park hours. I wonder how that works with the employees at Europa Park, because Germany has a tough law according working times and labour in general. The Labour Unions are also very strong in Germany. I think that the company pays higher wages than DLRP and offers more benefits to their employees.

[davewasbaloo]

I am not sure, but they did it both nights and also at Phantasialand. Disneyland in California used to do this all the time when I was a kid too.

[davewasbaloo]

We had an awesome second day, this time after our character breakfast, we headed off into the Portugal section and the kids wanted to ride Atlantica Splash - a water coaster that shoots you down a small drop dackwards, turns you around, and then drops you down a steep and tall drop into the pool of water below. It was sunny, and I though, well if they are willing to try it, why not?! The queue was very well themed and full of pirate AAs, though it was interesting the hear the Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl soundtrack. It was fantastic fun, what a way to wake up.

We then headed into the Iceland section to see if I could ride Blue Fire while the park was quiet. Sadly I am still too big and the kids are too small. We encouraged Sarah to go on this amazing launch coaster. While she rode, I took the kids on the Whale Watching Cruise attraction, which was full of fantastic whale facts (in German, French and English) - edutainment!!! Yay. Disney forgot how to do Edutainment. Afterwards, we hooked up with mama and went into the Gazprom exhibit. They are the gas company who sponsored Blue Fire, and it is a good place for kids to go as well if they cannot ride Blue Fire. It is very Epcot!!! There are 3 360 cinemas (part of the queue for Blue Fire as well) where you can see how natural gas is drilled and piped. There is an interactive video game where you sit on a seat and control the speed of gas flow (very cool), and a huge fussball table - about 10 people can play) to show the importance of team work (also Gazprom sponsor a football team too, so I suspect that is more of the reason).

We then hopped the other monorail for a relaxing ride to see how busy the park was, followed by a walk to Spain to see the amazing stunt show - The Devil and the Queen. It was superb, using horse stunts, jousting, and a fun story. We all loved it, especially Jessica. Soon after, we then watched the great Flamenco show that was not only dancing, but bull whip and lasso tricks as well. Lovely.

We took the other monorail to the GErmany section, and I loved the section of the Berlin wall there and explaining the significance to the children. We then did a little bit of shopping (the shops are just as detailed as Main Street in the Disney parks with a more interesting selection of merchandise) and had lunch in the German gardens - some wonderful german wurst and friekedella with German beer and wine (mezzo mix for the kids).

We took some time to explore the real palace and the gardens, and then headed for the slow boat and train rides, which Jessica really adored. The gardens were gorgeous.

Heading into Italy to see the Carnival of Venice show (there are singing birds, flowers and statues - sound familiar? Though these sing Opera, and we loved it, but I think we were the only family in there who did). Before going in, there was a silly rubber head show, but at least there were some hot dancers who made it more bearable for the parents.

After another spin in Geister Schloss haunted ride, we then went into France to enjoy the 4D film of Sammy's Adventure - a cute environmental film told by a turtle, followed by the Universe of Energy which although a rip off of Epcot, was still a very cool Dinosaur dark ride, I loved it.

We then went on the tower ride (similar to the ones at Knotts and Sea World). It was a great view over the park (no pictures, I videoed it).

We then waited for the Bobsled ride in Switzerland. Now this area is very cool and immersive, and the bobsleigh is not like the Matterhorn. Although not as pretty, it is a real trackless bobsled coaster. I have been on other versions at Blackpool and other parks, but this is my fav version. Mike and I snagged the front to boot. Jessica was upset though as she was just that little bit too short. A lovely lady gave her some sweets to make her feel better. Awe. The people in germany were so lovely.

Afterwards we decided to grab a bite to eat in Switzerland, some Swiss sausages, and a bigger priority for me, some hot raclette on swiss bread. A real famous snack of Europa park. It was good and not badly priced for a theme park. MMMMMmmmmm.

Afterwards, we went on a few more small rides and the kids had been begging me to try the Food Loop restaurant, but with queues of an hour (it had only been open a week) we had tried to see if it would be quieter towards closing.

WE arrived 15 minutes before the park closed. They advised us that the kitchen was closed, but we could still order drinks. Now this place was very cool (again I videoed some of it).

You sit at a round communal table, and each stool has a number. You are given a smart card each when you walk in and are taken to your table.

There are a number of touch screen monitors where you insert your card, press the number of your seat, and then order on the touch screen. The food or drink is then dispatched via a roller coaster. We had fizzy drinks, so they go through the spirals, but some of the salads and things actually travel through a loop! It was great fun. We had german soft drinks of apple soda, kandi malz and ice tea flavours we cannot get in the UK.

When we left, the park was closed, so we made a slow walk back to the hotel and grabbed some ice creams and the fountain show from ground level before going home the next morning. Mikey fell over in the fountain and was very bruised on his knees and elbows, which put a slight downer on the day, but overall it was excellent!

Overall we loved Europa Park. It is better managed, cleaner and has better behaved guests than the Disney parks. The rides are fun and diverse, and the entertainment is top notch. If Mack ran DLP that would probably be the perfect park. I cannot wait until we return, and the kids claim it is their fav park.

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[dagobert]

Thanks for another wonderful update and the great pictures.

It seems Europa Park took the best parts of WDW and assembled them to this wonderful park. What was your experience with the Castmembers? Did you have any problems with the language? Were there many international visitors?

I don't want to offend anyone, but sometimes I really think that TWDC should have built Disneyland in Germany. Germans are known that they want everything to be perfect. You just have to look at Dave's pictures. In Germany you will hardly find any waste on streets or in amusement parks, because they want everything to be clean and perfect. That's the German mentality, while at DLRP I sometimes had the feeling people and some CMs don't care at all about the parks. As I said before I don't want to offend anyone, but in Germany when there is a fence, then no one climbs over it. And if someone still does, then they are told not to do that. I miss that in Paris. Maybe Disneyland would also be cleaner and better maintained, even with the given financial situation of DLRP. Some people consider Germans to be unfriendly, because of their mentality of wanting everything to be perfect and not to tolerate several things, like bad behaviour or to pollute public places.

[sven]

It's me again. First-time TRs are always an interesting read, and I'm sure that amount of praise by an experienced Disney-traveller like you would make some people in Rust very proud

Modern mad houses were pioneered by Vekoma, and the first one was 1996 in Efteling. Look forward to it, it easily tops Macks version of it.

Extending the opening hours is pretty common, at least in EP and Phantasialand. At our visit on Halloween 2009 (busiest day of the season with about 45000 reported guests that day) they extended it to 9 in the evening, iirc.
I guess not many people working in german amusement parks are organized in unions, and the needed flexbility for longer openings is a requirement for the job.

e: About the "taking the best parts of Disney": I think every park operator gets inspired by Disney or at least was starting the park. But EP is the biggest copycat in Germany, up until today. Have you noticed the big rock in Iceland that bears a stunning resemblance (but of course smaller) to the wolf-rock or how it's called at Grizzly River Run in DCA?
They even renamed their "It's a small world"-style ride "Ciao Bambini" to "Piccolo Mondo", meaning "small world", this year. I don't judge it, especially as they do a good job about it, but it's kind of a running gag in the fan-scene in Germany to ask: "Where did they copy off" with a new attraction

[davewasbaloo]

Now this is interesting to comment on. I did not have an issue with German as I have studied German at A level (Abentur) and 1st year at University (it was to help with my research into the origins of the Cold War). But my wife and kids speak no German other than danke schon. Lol. And they still had a great time.

In the hotel, there were English speaking cast members, and all the written materials were provided in 6 languages (including the free souvenir book that someone would pay 15 euros for at DLP). The shows, while mostly German, a lot of it was visual and set to music. The menues were in French and German. So people who have to have everything in English may be put off. In our time there I would say they were 60% germans, 35% French, and a lot of Swiss and Dutch. We bumped into a couple of American families and one British Family. There were a few Spanish and Italian licence plates in the car park.

As for the cast, they were mainly efficient. Not as smiley as Disney, but efficient. The guests though were in the main delightful.

Phantasialand however, most things were German/English and visual. The cast were friendlier, but the guests were not (lots of pushy teens from Cologne and other cities). But still a great experience overall that we will write up.

But yes, we were very impressed over all. Paris made sense geographically and demographically, but the treatment of the park and poor management does make you question a few things. But even if it were built in Germany, I do think it would still have problems, afterall, look at what is happening to WDW!!!!

Ok, I was not aware it was Vekoma, I look forward to seeing it at Efteling this summer. My fav is the one in Phantasialand followed by Hex at Alton Towers.

[davewasbaloo]

Lol about the copying. Disney used to be the best (and at some things they still are - have you guys seen Tokyo's Fantasmic). But it is sad the Oriental Land Company and MACK run their businesses better than Disney, the company who set the standard. I was going expecting some good shows and thrills, but was concerned it would be a bit like Dreamland Nara. Instead I returned very pleasantly surprised. And while the food and drink are more expensive than real Germany, it is still MUCH cheaper than DLP.

[dagobert]

I know that most things wouldn't have been better. It's just my personal opinion, which is based on experiences I had over the recent years. DLRP is fantastic, but some CMs really don't care about the guests and the parks and some guests are very rude at DLRP. You, some members here, myself or friends of mine who go to DLRP once a year since 1992 and to Europa Park on a regular basis, return from DLRP and nearly never everything works fine. There are always some things that you don't expect from Disney, while most guests return from Europa Park and are amazed by the service, by the hotels or by the maintenance. Honestly, we should get that from Disney. But unfortunately it all comes down to the bad financial situation of the European MK.

[davewasbaloo]

Day 12 - Swimming at Europa Park, Freiberg and the black Forest enroute to Heidelburg.

It was time to move on from Europa Park to Heidelberg via Freiburg and the Black Forest. We decided to have a swim first, and although it was a little nippy outside, the pool was heated. We had a lovely swim, pretty much with the pool to our selves. We then went to breakfast and checked out.

We went down to Frieburg to explore the town which was nice, although we preferred Strasburg. We parked up and took the tram into town, exploring the architecture and markets. We then took up north through the Black Forest, which was very pretty.

The children slept most of the way until we got to Triburg, where we wanted to see the largest waterfall in Germany and the largest cookoo clocks in the world. We parked up to hike down to the falls. But the kids were a little nervous, and they were worried about wolves (a mix of a conversation sign we saw coupled with explaining how many of the fairy tales the kids loved were based in the Black Forest). we abandoned our hike half way down, but it was still great.

We got into Triburg which is a real tourist trap, and were quite disappointed with the world's largest cookoo clock. We decided to head up to Heidelberg as time was ticking.

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[davewasbaloo]

We woke up and decided to go out for brunch. WE ended up at McDonalds - kids choice, but it is always great to try the differences of a McD's. Not proud, but on a long trip, it has to be done.

We explored Heidelburg, which while lovely, is also a bit of a tourist trap. It does have the oldest University in Germany, lovely churches and the castle on the River Necker. But there are nicer towns.

The children touched the monkey statue, to assure a return to the city. And the mice statue, to ensure we have grand kids!!! Just please be married and in your late 20's please kids.

We then set off to the Mosel, and the 16th century Weinkelter apartment. It was a fantastic choice and a bargain. What we did not know was the landlords lived about 10 miles from us for about 8 years before moving to Germany, small world!

We got everything up the three flights of stairs, and then explored the lovely, non commercial village.

WE then went to a Weinstube for dinner, and had a wonderful meal outdoors with a great bottle of Riesling from their winery.

We then returned to the weinkelter for a nightcap. And we were pleasantly surprised. A bottle of wine was less than the cost of two cokes for the kids! Awesome. And they had a labrador they were dog sitting when we were there. Also awesome!

we were really pleased with our choice, and a community where there was little tourism compared to the neighbouring villages and towns. This village was all about the wineries!

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[davewasbaloo]

Day 14 was a very lazy day. As the bank holiday weekend meant the stores would be closed most of our time in the region, Mikey and I got up to go the bakery for breakfast and some provisions. We then got cleaned up and went into the picturesque (and really crowded town for Easter) town of Cochem to buy groceries. Upon our return we had a bite to eat, and the family napped while I watched our newly purchased Europa Park 35th anniversary DVD.

When everyone got up, we got changed and went into the wine cellar for a night cap, conversation with our hosts, and a series of board games. a nice relaxing day, and much needed. The next day would be Easter, our Wedding Anniversary, a castle in store, and a BBQ.

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[Laura678]

I keep checking back every few hours for updates!

I am loving reading your reports and looking at your pictures!