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2014: Arthur in the Minimoys kingdom

Definitely trying to visit during Christmas this hopefully for new year and wasn't expecting so much to be open :)
 
Not that England are going to be making a World Cup Final any time soon, but say they did, can you ever imagine Towers doing something like this?



Bloody brilliant!

:)
 
Looks like a great event! Fantastic to see all of the Mack family celebrating into the night. :)
 
I cannot imagine doing that here no, because for a start some of the idiots in our country wouldn't allow it go off that smoothly with that kind of atmosphere. I am not saying the Europeans are faultless or perfect, but from what I can gather, when it comes to a responsible drinking culture the Germans seem to have this down. Brits on holidays just seems to be a embarrassment so a confined environment with loads of booze and an England match at a theme park?

I remember in Brum City Centre a few years ago after a win, people jumping off bus shelters onto buses, then leaping from bus to bus, climbing all over buildings etc - it was absolute bedlam. It was funny and fun at the time, there were incidents of course, but it was absolute chaos.

Multiply that by about a 100 for a world cup win? As a nation, we just aren't responsible enough to celebrate that way in large numbers because small numbers always seem intent on absolutely ruining it. This is a trend that's getting worse.
 
Are we though?

The celebration of winning the Olympic bid? Winning The Ashes? Open top bus parades for various football teams in cities up and down the country? The Tour de France? All sorts of sporting celebrations for a multitude of sports and events have taken place in this country in recent years, all involving tens of thousands of people lining all sorts of different streets. I haven't noticed any going diabolically wrong?
 
I thought the World Cup match screen in the Courtyard in 2010 went really well, I don't remember any trouble, and everyone seemed to have a good time. England Vs Germany, same day as the Pink Concert.

I like to think if the matches had not been when the park was closed 95% of the time, they would of got a big screen up.

Ian
 
Scott and Ian - shush! You're ruining the consensus that every last person in Britain is a lager-swilling hooligan with a St. George's Cross painted on their face, out to beat up any stray lesbian or asylum seeker who gets in their path.
 
Scott and Ian - shush! You're ruining the consensus that every last person in Britain is a lager-swilling hooligan with a St. George's Cross painted on their face, out to beat up any stray lesbian or asylum seeker who gets in their path.

Do me a favour. Or did you miss this part of my quote on purpose?
because small numbers always seem intent on absolutely ruining it.

I've been to plenty of events where that has happened.

Also there is nothing wrong with painting a St George on your face and enjoying a beer. How you managed to take my point from a small minority getting carried away ruining an event to a full on EDL or homophobia rally goodness only knows.
 
Seem to be going off topic quite heavily here now, so can we move any debate regarding patriotism etc to a dedicated topic if you wish to continue, and keep this topic related to Europa please :)
 
Summer 2014: Events

With the main summer period now underway at Europa-Park, I thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase some of the events which will be taking place round the resort between now and the end of German school holidays in the second week of September. The new Europa-Park website makes finding events much easier, and information on each has been expanded. There's even a new search function so you can find events aimed at your demographic. The full list can be found at: http://www.europapark.de/en/park/events

During the period, the theme park will generally be open later - a typical closing time of 7.30pm will be offered although a final decision is taken daily, with the website and app updated at 2pm local time. Information boards are also updated across the park. Extensions on the busiest days up to 9.30pm with exception to 26th July when the park will close at midnight, regardless of footfall.

The vast majority of events are included in your theme park admission or are free entirely. Where there is a charge, I have indicated.

19th July: Baden Wine Festival
A showcase of regional wines at the castle park in the theme park. With live music and entertainment, food and drink from 5pm onwards. Price €6 (£4.50) per person.

20th July: Black Forest Adventure Day
Traditional displays and live music across the theme park. Included in admission.

20th July to 14th September (Sundays only): Grimm Fairytales - reading
At midday, fairytales from the collections of the Brothers Grimm will be read by storyteller Ilka Wolf to the children. Included in admission.

25th July to 5th September (Friday only): After Park Lounge
Drinks, lounge music and chillout at Kaffi Hus in Iceland every Friday evening from 8pm onwards. Free entry.

26th July: Summer Party
Theme park open from 9.00am to 12.00midnight. Live music, entertainment and rides after dark. Fireworks at 11pm. Included in admission.

26th - 27th July, 23rd - 24th August: Lanny Isis live
Live music set from Lanny Isis at the SWR3 Rock Café. Included in admission.

27th July - 7th September (daily): Imperior Summer Show
Spectacular summer show in the Colosseo Piazza. Daily at 9.30pm. Free entry.

9th August: Music@Park 2014
Live music from Anastacia, The Exchange and more in this live music festival!

16th August: Gazprom Adventure Day
Giveaways and games across the park. Included in admission.

30th August: Wind Music festival
Live music. Included in admission.

7th September: Alsace Day
Traditional crafts, music and celebrations. Included in admission.

:)
 
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Short but nice video...nice impressions, but no onride of Arthur. And no, you don`t actually need to understand what he`s saying...the pictures speak for themselves !

 
So I've finally ridden Arthur. Also for the first time I have just watched a POV. It's fair to say that the POV does not do the ride justice at all.

Let's get some negatives out of the way first. Europa are clearly experiencing a lot of problems with the ride. It breaks down a lot and it is not currently running at full capacity. On Friday evening I queued 2 hours for the ride only to be evaced from the queue when 5 minutes before riding which was very frustrating. At this time the ride was only running 3 trains, to get it operating again they would probably have had to taken another train off and running it on 2 would really not have been worth it so I see why they did it. We also got exit passes which was good.

So I didn't get to ride it properly until Saturday. I had somewhat low expectations of Arthur following comments on here. I was expecting a pleasant ride that was lacking in several areas. The queue is one of the areas that is lacking slightly I feel. The outdoor section is nice, you have lovely views of the ride and it just feels a nice place to be. The theming in the indoor section is great, especially around the baggage area. However there are parts after you've gone up the stairs where the ceiling is just plain black paint. You do get the impression that this is something that will be worked on for 2015 as you can see where the themed roof just finishes in places.

The station of Arthur is stunning. I particularly like the projected map. There are also some lovely touches including letters from what I assume is the alphabet in the film spelling out names on branches such as "Roland Mack" and "Michael Mack" etc. Such a tiny detail that you have to work out yourself. As you would expect the loading system for the ride works really well.

Now the ride system itself is something else. I am not surprised that it keeps breaking down as it is so complex. The way the trains move along the track is so smooth and movements just feel perfect. It speeds up and slows down so well. Mack are onto a real winner here. Once they sort out the technical issues there will surely be a huge demand for these rides.

The ride itself is really enjoyable. It is not ground braking. It is not a world class dark ride. It does not have effects that make you go "wow". Like Blue Fire it is so wonderfully fun and it makes you smile. My favourite scene is Paradise Alley; it is so vibrant with lots going on (including a sign about Mack Rides, another lovely little touch). However my favourite part of the ride is flying over the dome, it's pure magic. With the on-board audio playing you just feel so amazed by what you are looking at. Guests in the dome are all looking up at you, it's brilliant. Once again though it is the way the ride system works that helps make this what it is.

The outdoor section is also great fun thanks to the ride system. It's faster than I was expecting and acts as a great ending to the ride.

What you have to remember is that this whole project cost €20 million (around £16 million). That is less than The Smiler and nothing for a major dark ride. I think EP have done a brilliant job considering this and you know that they will keep working on it to make it better. There are places where it seems theming is missing or it looks a little bare but it's not a major issue. I would give the ride a 7/10; a solid dark ride that is far better than the park's current offering yet with room for inevitable improvements.

Away from the main ride the Arthur dome looks stunning in my opinion. I will admit it is a little smaller than I was originally expecting but there is so much going on and the lighting is great. When you first walk in you do feel as if you are walking into another world. We rode the Poppy Towers which a great fun for a little kids ride. Interestingly you can see exactly where they are going to add a second towers presumably in 2015.

All in all it is a great investment for the park and it is very popular. It also seems to be going down well with guests. It was running 6 trains at times over the weekend which is far better than what it was managing on Friday evening. I should also point out that the single rider queue for Arthur is excellent, it move very quickly and is considerably shorter than the main queue at present.

I can't wait to get back and ride it again!

:)
 
Thanks for the review....and thank god you actually rode it WITH the onboard audio working ! I heard that also had some issues last weekend...
 
My first ride was actually without the on-ride audio working and it does make a big difference to the whole ride experience. Thankfully it was fine on all my other rides. I found that I was enjoying Arthur more and more each time I rode it.

:)
 
In other Arthur news, EP have posted this to their Facebook page:
Europa Park said:
Here is our sixth and final video blog about the new world of adventure Arthur - In the Kingdom of the Minimoys!
The good news: After a month, a successful test run ARTHUR is now officially open for from you!



:)
 
I noticed it when I was watching it through, nice to see a Tower's T-Shirt, even if it is the Smiler. Good to hear it is officially open as well.

It was a fantastic ride, and one that you will want to make sure you do not miss when visiting EP.

Ian
 
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