Originally Posted By WDWdreamin So, I received some recommendations for European parks. I've been trying to do some research. There are very few guide books and some websites are very poor (Europapark). I was looking at Parc Asterix, The Prater, Tivoli Gardens, Europa Park, and Phantasia Land. Any one been? Davewasbaloo? Experiences? Thoughts? I mean, The Prater in Vienna looks more like a big carnival and we didn't go when last in Vienna. Yes, I know I'm leaving out DLP. I've been there and know it. Of course I would love to o again.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I went to Tivoli about a decade ago, and really enjoyed it. I was in a big tour group, so we didn't have a ton of time there (just one evening). The park is pretty all the time, but it certainly comes to life after dark (which can be a challenge in the summer, when it's sunny until almost 11). Also, make sure that you catch the pantomime show at the stage with the peacock covering. It's been running (in various forms) for about 150 years, and is one of the few things that you will understand without a translator. I don't remember too much about the attractions, but there was a scare house ride that we did that was supposed to be really scary, but we just came off of it laughing hysterically. The figures in it were saying things that I'm sure were supposed to be scary, but it was all in Danish, so we thought it was the funniest thing ever (particularly after being terrified to get on it in the first place). It seems like they've been adding more thrill rides (there were some when I was there, but not a ton), but they manage to not take much away from the park's charm. It's been said that when Walt was creating plans for DL, he visited Tivoli for inspiration, and it certainly shows. If it really excells at one thing, it's creating a really pleasant charming atmosphere. From what I remember, DL's charming little nooks have nothing on this park, which is just charming all over.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I have been to all of these parks and will comment at the weekend when I am not on my way to work. But I also recommend Puys du Fou, futuroscope, eftling, europa park, alton towers, port aventura and the legoland parks. If you like coasters, then Blackpool pleasure beach is recommended. But I will get back in more detail later: Most magical - tivoli and eftling Best shows - asterix, puys du fou and europa park Coasters - alton towers, blackpool, europa park I would not bother with the carnival in vienna, and Phatasialand is ok, but they got rid of their dark rides in favour of more thrills.
Originally Posted By exp_627 >I would not bother with the carnival in vienna, and Phatasialand is ok, but they got rid of their dark rides in favour of more thrills.< Which PHL dark rides are you talking about? They got rid of one. At its place, they are opening a new, probably interactive, family ride called "Maus au Chocolat"...
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Tivoli is a wonderful, wonderful place. It's small, though. It's all about the charm. Just don't go expecting any large-scale Disney-style attractions (there simply isn't room for any), and you'll love it. They still have a roller coaster and a fun house that are nearly a century old, and that alone is pretty charming. And the atmosphere, especially after dark, is really magical (the word actually applies here). Copenhagen also has Bakken, which usually gets credit as the oldest amusement park in the world. It's in a literal park setting (more like a woodsy area, really), and is quite nice in its own right, if not nearly as nice as Tivoli. What I remember most is as you go into the tunnel on the old wooden roller coaster, there was a flat wooden naked woman (this IS Denmark, after all) above the tunnel, with a red heart over her crotch, bearing the legend (in English, no less), "take your time." I couldn't make that up! Years ago I also went to the Parque de Atracciones in Madrid, which true to its rather generic name, is a pretty generic six-flags-type park. Some good thrill rides. They also had the worst rip-off of Pirates/Peter Pan EVER. You rode in a suspended ship-on-a-bus-bar a la Peter Pan, but went past scenes of skeletons. No AA's. Just the skeletons. And most of it was outdoors (!). A couple of the skeleton tableaus were straight rips from the DL Pirates. And does THIS look familiar? (From "la jungla") <a href="http://www.parquedeatracciones.es/es/atracciones-familiares/la-jungla" target="_blank">http://www.parquedeatracciones...a-jungla</a>
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 Wow - that is INCREDIBLE!!! I had heard one of the reasons(besides the bad weather)for there not being a JC at EDL on opening was because there were so many bad ripoffs in Europe. They didn't want visitors to think EDL was copying the OTHER bad versions!
Originally Posted By brotherdave Oh, it's a Parques Reunidos park! It really caught my attention seeing my local park logos at the bottom of the screen (Kennywood and Idlewild). Overall, the park looks nice, but definitely a JC ripoff in that photo!!!
Originally Posted By brotherdave Bob, are there any decent parks in Australia??? I've never really heard much except about the Warner Movie World there and possibly Dreamland and Sea World, but never really heard much about any of them discussed in detail.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros My understanding of the Australian parks is that they are more or less like the Cedar Fair and old Paramount parks in the US. They're a really nice way to spend a day or two of your vacation, but you wouldn't plan your trip around them. You might head to the nearest one on the weekend, but I don't think people have dreams of visiting them like they do for the Disney and Universal parks in the US. They seem to be a really good break from the ordinary, but hardly a destination.
Originally Posted By WDWdreamin So, I haven't been to that many different parks. And I don't like coasters. I'm afraid of heights. I've been on Screamin' and ToT each once. I like magic. I did know the Tivoli inspiration story. I guess that means I should have known that would be the top of the list. Phantasialand and Europapark would not be that far from my in-laws' so that's why I was thinking about them. Then, I read Asterix as a kid, so that looked good, and I speak French... Dave, can you say where the parks are too, when you write?
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 brotherdave - Ferret is basically correct. Our population is just not big enough(about 22 million now and that only increased from about 17 million fifteen or so years ago because of what appears to be[in my neighbourhood anyway]an AGGRESSIVE immigration programme)to support the kinds of amusement centres you have over there in the US. Up until 1983 we basically had Luna Park(read:Coney Island)style amusement parks in the Eastern states. In that year, however, a park called "Dreamworld" opened near the Gold Coast(just south of where the recent flooding took place). At opening, Dreamworld was a bit of a cheap ripoff of DL. The entrance was a train station and you funnelled into the park through an old town type Main Street. Funny enough there was a Country Bears type show but featuring marsupials like kangaroos, koalas and other Australian wildlife. There was the "Captain Sturt" paddle wheeler that traversed past scenes of bushrangers(our version of your bad guys in old westerns)and there was a log flume ride. That park's popularity spurred on construction of Warner Brothers Movie World just up the road and a few other big attractions like Wet 'n' Wild. Today, however, Dreamworld has basically been gutted of any theming(and if Tripadvisor's contributors are to be believed, any cleaning equipment!)and the unique attractions mentioned above(save for the paddle wheeler)are gone. It is now a typical coaster/thrill ride/giant swinging pirate ship(HATE AND LOATHE those rides - NO, just because you have a GIANT SWINGING PIRATE SHIP in your park, DOES NOT MEAN you have an attraction like POTC!!!)amusement park. Funny that Ferret said people don't plan their holidays around these places because that is EXACTLY what I have planned for May of this year! Well, not exactly, and YES, I DO know these places are not up to DL, USH, Epcot, DAK, IOA, TDL and TDS standards, all of which I have visited, so I am NOT going in as an ignorant noob thinking I am getting a Disney theme park type experience! You see, I have not been to a theme park since June 2002 and I am STRUNG OUT for a theme park fix. March of '09 was New Zealand(nature/beauty)and March of '10 was Tasmania(nature/history)so, in lieu of waiting for our October 2012 holiday to the US to see all the new DLR upgrades and to satisfy my theme park needs until then, we are travelling to the Gold Coast in Queensland just so I can ride some rides and get ANY kind of theme park exposure before my rapturous return to the US and a BRAND NEW and IMPROVED DLR!!!
Originally Posted By exp_627 >>Phantasialand and Europapark would not be that far from my in-laws' so that's why I was thinking about them<< Where are your in-laws living? In Germany, you can't do much wrong with EP and PHL. EP has a wide variety of rides and shows, set in beautifully designed areas. What's lacking is a certain story-telling element in their attractions. But the park itself makes up for it! PHL is trying to tell a bit more of a story with its attractions - and is quite imaginative with it! The park is TINY, but they are packing a lot in on what little space they've got. Their China-themed hotel Ling Bao is also excellent. I also heard very good things about Efteling in the Netherlands (I am hoping to go there sometime this year, if possible): When crazy little park I'd recommend is Tripsdrill (between Heidelberg and Stuttgart). Its theme is pretty much the life of the local people - and it offers a wonderful spin on it. Whatever park you might end up visiting: have an amazing time in Europe!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>>Which PHL dark rides are you talking about? They got rid of one. At its place, they are opening a new, probably interactive, family ride called "Maus au Chocolat"...<<< Phantasialand used to have a fantastic chinese mythology dark ride (now a haunted swing), a lovely arabian nights ride (now a kids play area and spinning maurer sonne coaster), a space mountain type knock off witt AA's - gone. The only dark ride they still have is the Silver Mine (though that said the new Black Mamba coaster, the topspin with fire, their lesser themed version of Tower of Terror, and their rapid rides are great). Also they have magic shows that are vegas quality (Zigfried and Roy used to perform here before they went to Vegas).
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>> You might head to the nearest one on the weekend, but I don't think people have dreams of visiting them like they do for the Disney and Universal parks in the US. They seem to be a really good break from the ordinary, but hardly a destination.<<< I think the same is true of most european parks. There are great coasters and history, but only DLP and maybe Park Asterix are destinations where you can spend a reasonable amount of time (though Europa Park has 49 attractions plus shows and we are spending 3 nights there this year in their highly themed Hotel Colloseo, but it is also convenient for visiting Strasbourg, Frieberg and the Black Forest.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Hmmm, it is a challenge to know where to start. If we discuss Germany first (which I adore and am looking forward to visiting again later this year. The two big parks (as Exp627 has already discussed - good to see you on here again buddy), are Europa Park in Rust, the Black forest between Strasbourg and Frieberg - so the south west) and Phantasialand is in Bruhl, near Cologne at the north of the Rhineland, again in North West Germany (there is also The Movie Park in Boppard, but to be honest, it is like a 6 Flags Park with minimal theming, so I would not bother with it now that the Neverending Story and Police Academy theming of the stunt show are gone).
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Europa Park <a href="http://www.europapark.de/lang-en/Vorschaltseite/c1548.html" target="_blank">http://www.europapark.de/lang-...548.html</a> Europa Park was built by Mack as a showroom for their attractions. Therefore a number of them are coasters (some of them are awesome) and rapid rides and the like. However, there is a lot of charm here too. the place has a bit of an epcot World Showcase vibe as there is a lot of live entertainment and shows, and each land is themed as a European country - UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Iceland, Russia etc. The theming is not quite as detailed as Disney, but it is still nice (whereas the hotels look nicer than a lot of the Disney ones, though we have yet to stay in one, this year will be the first). There are also some rip offs of Disney rides that are not too bad - Pirates of Battavia, a Haunted House, Universe of Energy etc. It is a very clean and well kept park.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo <a href="http://www.phantasialand.de/" target="_blank">http://www.phantasialand.de/</a> Phantasialand is in Bruhl, near Cologne (where there is also a great Chocolate museum, and the UNESCO heritage site cathedral, a tall gothic structure that was the tallest building in Europe for centuries before the Eiffel Tower was built. It was spared in WWII as it was an important navigation icon for the allied pilots. Anyway, onto the park. I went to Phantasialand back in the 80's and it was a great little park, but not more on a scale of Knott's Berry farm, not worth travelling to in it's own right, but a wonderful diversion if in the area. They had a number of dark rides that were the quality of the 60's - 80's era Knott's, but they have now ripped most of them out in favour of thrill rides (highly themed thrill rides however). We will be trying out the Ling Bao hotel on our upcoming Germany trip as that looks to be a fantastic hotel and the girls love Chinese things (we will make it to the real thing one day - I have been to Hong Kong, but the furthest East Sarah has travelled is Dubai, Germany for the kids - lol). WE are not sure if we will bother with the park however, as the kids are too small for most of the good rides, though the magic shows still look like they are first rate, and therefore I will definately be tempted, we are trying to see if we can extend our trip longer and take the kids out of school, if so we will try it. Oh, I should have said, on Trip Advisor, many people claim Europa Park is better than DLP. That said, as a kid, I knew people who though Magic Mountain was better than DL. Personally I think DLP is different and better than EP, but EP is great fun.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Heading North of Germany into the Netherlands is Eftling Park. Before DLP was built, many Europeans considered this the most magical park in europe (though I think that should go to Tivoli Gardens personally - though I will come back to this one later). It is not too much of a journey to visit Delft (where Lillian Disney fell in love with the china, much of which was imported to the US for her, some of which were donated to make the fountain at the Walt Disney Concert Hall - there is also a tribute hidden in the Old Mill at DLP's fantasyland). and Amsterdam is not much further north (adult theme park). <a href="http://www.efteling.com/EN/EN-Home.html" target="_blank">http://www.efteling.com/EN/EN-Home.html</a> Efling is definately more low key than most American parks, and that is a part of it's charm. The real elements worthy of note are the Fairytale woods - a highly stylised walk through attraction retelling popular European fairytales in their original form (not the simplified Disney form). They also have a reputation for great and original dark rides. I am looking forward to going this summer as it has been 20 years since my last trip, and the family have never been. The new attraction Ravelijn will be an arena knights stunt show that looks from just the gate, like it will be an amazing experience. There are also some good thrills to be had here too (though I always believe thrill rides are rarely worth travelling for). We are going to stay in their new Bosrijk village which looks really charming, and includes admission to the park. It is affordable by European standards too.
