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[2024] Europa-Park General Discussion

Tim said:
They did say the new coaster was at one point going into the UK area, so there must be some area of land available there for the station and queue.
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That concept would have seen the Arena of Football used for the station. Who knows if they still fancy replacing that with a significant attraction; a dark ride of some kind would be nice.
 
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I wouldn't be against the arena of Football going, although I'd like to see the football dodgems reworked into the updated area.
 
Just checking everyone's got their commemorative Jürgen Klopp Erdinger glass from Walter's Wurst already?

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Sadly I've not got a glass, but I've still got a unopened commemorative Jurgen Klopp erdinger can to celebrate Liverpools league title win.
 
Was at EP last week from Thursday to Saturday. Some musings:
  • The park felt like it was running at 100% for the first time since the pandemic. When I went in 2020, it felt like it was running at 80%, in 2021, 90% and in August last year, 95%. With the staffing issues fully resolved it now feels back to its best, which is great.
  • The balloon ride looks better in person than it does in pictures. It's hard to believe it's only been in that area for a couple of weeks – it looks like it's always been there (in a good way).
  • The Beautiful Croatia film is great – the best film I've seen in the Traumzeit Dome. Some really lovely scenic shots of rural Croatia, as well as Split at night. It's also really nice during a long day on park to lie on those beanbags for a bit. It'd be nice if the Traumzeit Dome could find a permanent home somewhere inside a proper building – maybe as a secondary attraction in the new Croatia area?
  • The return of Single Rider is very welcome. Works a treat, especially on Arthur. We used it extensively during our three days (mostly to avoid waiting in the Arthur and Wodan queues, which can get a little tiresome).
  • The expansion of Virtual Line feels like it makes almost no impact on the regular queue. We didn't use it, as it's a bit of a faff trying to link your tickets to it on the app, trying to sync up with your friends, and it was quiet enough anyway that we didn't really need it. But they must only give away a very limited number of tickets, as I didn't notice it holding up the main queues at all.
  • I took my brother and his partner, who haven't been before and whose main experience of theme parks is Disney. Interestingly, almost all the stuff they really went for (Batavia, Can Can, Arthur, Voletarium) was the newer, more immersive stuff. They weren't really as bothered about the old stuff.
  • It's probably time for Voletarium to get a new film. The current one is pretty good, but there are some flaws in it – particularly the snowy scenes feeling a little samey, and also the fact that some of the transitions are basically just fades when they could be a bit more imaginative. A new film would be an opportunity to show a slightly more diverse range of European scenes – flying over a Cotswald village perhaps?
  • It would be especially good if the next iteration of Voletarium could have scenes on 'shuffle mode', Star Tours style. Would vastly increase the re-ridability not just for enthusiasts but for the general public.
  • The park is generally so high quality now that some of the weak points are starting to stick out like a sore thumb. This wasn't a problem a decade ago, before Disney-level additions like Voletarium. I'm thinking in particular of 'Bench', Mir's queue and the 'Victoria Station' part of the England area. These are so poor and amateur-looking that I think they actively detract from the overall quality of the product. They should look at addressing all of them them sooner rather than later.
  • Josefina's looks better now, but it is a real shame about the station. It looks temporary, which is ironic, as it's by far the oldest thing in that area. It's hard to decide if it stands out just because I've seen the original plans for it, or if it stands out to everyone. They should revisit this after they've completed Voltron.
  • The shows feel dated. I went to see the ice show, on the promise of it having some new tech (the robot dog!). The first ten minutes were outstanding – the best part of an EP ice show I've seen. There was an amazing bit where everyone was wearing TRON-style LED body suits, that lit up and went dark in sync creating some amazing effects. It was innovative, fresh, modern – at a Disney / Universal level. Then, disapppointingly, it just slid back into exactly what it always is – 1970s Pan's People style spandex outfits, 10ft walls of sheer white tooth enamel, and five boys doing courting routines with five girls to Grease songs etc. It was such a disappointment as the opening was so good. It felt like they tried to update it but lost their nerve halfway through. Ditto the Italian show, which was a magician doing the kind of sawing-a-woman-in-half stuff that's been around since Siegfried & Roy (only to a techno soundtrack). I think they need to look at the shows and bring them all up-to-date a bit – a little more Cirque du Soleil and a little less end of the pier.
On the buses

The bus connection between Ringsheim station and the park needs sorting out. The timetable that EP link to from their own site is wrong. Then when the bus to take us home actually arrived (late), it had the wrong destination on it (it said it was going to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg!) and we very nearly missed it. Very stressful. Frankly, if they want more people to come by public transport then it isn't good enough. My brother said "They've put all that effort into theming the train station but can't be bothered to run their own buses", and I don't disagree with him.

The park should run their own free, regular shuttle between the station and the park, so you can just turn up instead of faffing about with timetables and apps. It's daft really that on a trip from Sheffield to EP, via Paris and Brussels, by far and away the most stressful and fiddly part of the journey was getting from Ringsheim to Rust and back. A free shuttle service would give more people the confidence to get to the park by train.
 
Spot being in the ice show is interesting. We have one at work and whilst it is incredibly stable, not sure I'd be confident to drive it on ice.
 
True about the buses. We took a day trip to Freiburg during our last stay but our return train became progressively more delayed as the journey went on. I could see we were going to miss the bus and the next bus was another hour later. When the train pulled up the bus was thankfully still waiting so everybody ran as quick as they could in case it drove off. Luckily the bus driver did wait otherwise we'd have had no choice but to call for a taxi which was an extra level of stress we didn't need.

A regular park shuttle bus every 15 or 20 mins would take all of this stress out of the journey.
 
The bus service does seem to of got worse over the years, though the train service has seemingly got better (Not that it could of got much worse). Bus gets held up in traffic in mornings so ends up being late, which usually results in seeing your train heading off in to the sunset. The hour wait (Now 1/2 hourly I think), or on one occasion 2 hour wait in Ringsheim is pretty boring.

Heading to Europa for New Year, I noted the timetable had a bus leaving 3 minutes before the train arrived then a 56 minute wait for another bus. Must of been looking at how the UK like to do things. :p . On this occasion decided to leave train at Freiburg, grab a beer and board the next train that tied in with the bus, hoping it was on time.

Also, sort out the shuttle bus between the hotels. I know it's only 'temporary' but it is awfully overcrowded at times and not a great impression to give. Notice it serves the main entrance now too, but when I wanted to get it to go to Kronasar it was that full no room for anyone else, so walked it instead. The rain made it quite refreshing to say the least.
 
I’m surprised the Rust Bus or whatever it’s called hasn’t got Ringsheim on its route. I wonder if it’s a local authority thing rather than just what EP want to do, considering Rust Bus is free I believe?

Have always found getting the bus back to the station really stressful. Getting to the park has never been too bad for me but then you have the care-free and happy feelings of being on holiday so perhaps you just don’t notice it as much. I never seem to know where the best stop is or which direction it’s going in, whereas at Ringsheim it’s only going the one way.

I did find though that by mid morning the 7231 doesn’t run for a long period of time, meaning you sometimes have to take an unnecessarily early bus to the station, and end up at the airport 4 hours early. It’s all a bit short of the mark.
 
It’s the hassle mentioned above that has always led us to book a taxi to be waiting us on arrival at Ringsheim.
 
Sam said:
Was at EP last week from Thursday to Saturday. Some musings:
  • The park felt like it was running at 100% for the first time since the pandemic. When I went in 2020, it felt like it was running at 80%, in 2021, 90% and in August last year, 95%. With the staffing issues fully resolved it now feels back to its best, which is great.
  • The balloon ride looks better in person than it does in pictures. It's hard to believe it's only been in that area for a couple of weeks – it looks like it's always been there (in a good way).
  • The Beautiful Croatia film is great – the best film I've seen in the Traumzeit Dome. Some really lovely scenic shots of rural Croatia, as well as Split at night. It's also really nice during a long day on park to lie on those beanbags for a bit. It'd be nice if the Traumzeit Dome could find a permanent home somewhere inside a proper building – maybe as a secondary attraction in the new Croatia area?
  • The return of Single Rider is very welcome. Works a treat, especially on Arthur. We used it extensively during our three days (mostly to avoid waiting in the Arthur and Wodan queues, which can get a little tiresome).
  • The expansion of Virtual Line feels like it makes almost no impact on the regular queue. We didn't use it, as it's a bit of a faff trying to link your tickets to it on the app, trying to sync up with your friends, and it was quiet enough anyway that we didn't really need it. But they must only give away a very limited number of tickets, as I didn't notice it holding up the main queues at all.
  • I took my brother and his partner, who haven't been before and whose main experience of theme parks is Disney. Interestingly, almost all the stuff they really went for (Batavia, Can Can, Arthur, Voletarium) was the newer, more immersive stuff. They weren't really as bothered about the old stuff.
  • It's probably time for Voletarium to get a new film. The current one is pretty good, but there are some flaws in it – particularly the snowy scenes feeling a little samey, and also the fact that some of the transitions are basically just fades when they could be a bit more imaginative. A new film would be an opportunity to show a slightly more diverse range of European scenes – flying over a Cotswald village perhaps?
  • It would be especially good if the next iteration of Voletarium could have scenes on 'shuffle mode', Star Tours style. Would vastly increase the re-ridability not just for enthusiasts but for the general public.
  • The park is generally so high quality now that some of the weak points are starting to stick out like a sore thumb. This wasn't a problem a decade ago, before Disney-level additions like Voletarium. I'm thinking in particular of 'Bench', Mir's queue and the 'Victoria Station' part of the England area. These are so poor and amateur-looking that I think they actively detract from the overall quality of the product. They should look at addressing all of them them sooner rather than later.
  • Josefina's looks better now, but it is a real shame about the station. It looks temporary, which is ironic, as it's by far the oldest thing in that area. It's hard to decide if it stands out just because I've seen the original plans for it, or if it stands out to everyone. They should revisit this after they've completed Voltron.
  • The shows feel dated. I went to see the ice show, on the promise of it having some new tech (the robot dog!). The first ten minutes were outstanding – the best part of an EP ice show I've seen. There was an amazing bit where everyone was wearing TRON-style LED body suits, that lit up and went dark in sync creating some amazing effects. It was innovative, fresh, modern – at a Disney / Universal level. Then, disapppointingly, it just slid back into exactly what it always is – 1970s Pan's People style spandex outfits, 10ft walls of sheer white tooth enamel, and five boys doing courting routines with five girls to Grease songs etc. It was such a disappointment as the opening was so good. It felt like they tried to update it but lost their nerve halfway through. Ditto the Italian show, which was a magician doing the kind of sawing-a-woman-in-half stuff that's been around since Siegfried & Roy (only to a techno soundtrack). I think they need to look at the shows and bring them all up-to-date a bit – a little more Cirque du Soleil and a little less end of the pier.
On the buses

The bus connection between Ringsheim station and the park needs sorting out. The timetable that EP link to from their own site is wrong. Then when the bus to take us home actually arrived (late), it had the wrong destination on it (it said it was going to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg!) and we very nearly missed it. Very stressful. Frankly, if they want more people to come by public transport then it isn't good enough. My brother said "They've put all that effort into theming the train station but can't be bothered to run their own buses", and I don't disagree with him.

The park should run their own free, regular shuttle between the station and the park, so you can just turn up instead of faffing about with timetables and apps. It's daft really that on a trip from Sheffield to EP, via Paris and Brussels, by far and away the most stressful and fiddly part of the journey was getting from Ringsheim to Rust and back. A free shuttle service would give more people the confidence to get to the park by train.
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Agree on most if not all of this.

The ice show opening is really effective and a great start. Then just when you think they’ve gotten away from cheese of previous years, the lobster and octopus costumes come out. A bizarre choice because even after the diner-in-space/under the sea sections, there are some pretty impressive and contemporary sections. If I’m being positive, I’d call it a step in the right direction, but the spectacular opening really does highlight just how outdated some of the other parts are.

I’m not sure I’d agree the park is back to 100% everywhere. Perhaps rides-wise, but certainly not with F&B or entertainment. For instance, Crocodile Bar is still closed, as too Magellan (although perhaps not for much longer). Entertainment across the park is perhaps best described as a little subdued. Whilst the main shows are all back in swing, the roaming entertainers and live music remain more limited than they were pre-Covid. There has been a slight improvement in the live music front, although there are still some gaps between the pop up entertainment and the music in the F&B venues - there’s just not as much as there has been pre-Covid.

Focusing on the hotel F&B elements, there is still a significant capacity issue. This last week has seen some pretty busy days across the resort, with tables being completely booked for evening meals everywhere except Kronasar. The hotels are turning people away from restaurants without a reservation and yet there are still so many places closed. Places that they clearly need to provide adequate capacity.

Bodega has been closed for years now. Cantina Amigo is shut with the campsite very full and families being turned away from Silver Lake. There are crowds milling around that area, clearly trying to figure out what or where they’re going to eat. Even Sala Santa Isabel is closed. Bar Colosseo and Buena Vista only open for a couple of days a week, despite the other bars being overflowing. It’s really not a good look for hotels priced at such a premium. We’re lucky enough to know better and book ahead, but I really felt for the families with tired kids being turned away with few other options.

These issues are replicated in the park, although to a far lesser extent. I’m baffled as to why Crocodile Bar cannot open when it has such a low staffing requirement. Bistro Tomi Ungerer stopped serving food at 1pm on Saturday. Chez Marianne has stopped selling savoury food altogether. Restaurant Mykonos, despite being nearly always busy, only ever seems to have half its order points open.

I’ve seen a definite improvement, but the reality is that demand has well and truly rebounded and they can’t cope on busier days. I’m sure at least some of it is staffing, but I’m no longer buying that excuse. Prices are up for both park entrance and food, so they need to provide a service along with taking your money.

I’ll post a fuller rundown of thoughts from our latest trip soon.
 
I would definitely email them some feedback along these lines - I agree that if the resort/park is busy, then things should be open.

The bars only open on certain nights thing really, really irritates me.
 
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I'm a little bit behind on the EP news, so my apologies if this is a few days out of date, but I must say that I'm very happy to hear of the single rider queues returning! Whenever I eventually return to Europa, I certainly intend to make good use of the SRQs on Wodan and Blue Fire in particular!

I'm a little stumped as to how it works on Voletarium, though; surely you'd only have 1 single rider every cycle?
 
You could have one single rider per floor. Can't imagine it gets through many people though, if there's more than a handful of people waiting it'll probably be no faster than main queue, I think it might be there more for the operational convenience of having all the seats filled.
 
venny said:
Agree on most if not all of this.

The ice show opening is really effective and a great start. Then just when you think they’ve gotten away from cheese of previous years, the lobster and octopus costumes come out. A bizarre choice because even after the diner-in-space/under the sea sections, there are some pretty impressive and contemporary sections. If I’m being positive, I’d call it a step in the right direction, but the spectacular opening really does highlight just how outdated some of the other parts are.

I’m not sure I’d agree the park is back to 100% everywhere. Perhaps rides-wise, but certainly not with F&B or entertainment. For instance, Crocodile Bar is still closed, as too Magellan (although perhaps not for much longer). Entertainment across the park is perhaps best described as a little subdued. Whilst the main shows are all back in swing, the roaming entertainers and live music remain more limited than they were pre-Covid. There has been a slight improvement in the live music front, although there are still some gaps between the pop up entertainment and the music in the F&B venues - there’s just not as much as there has been pre-Covid.

Focusing on the hotel F&B elements, there is still a significant capacity issue. This last week has seen some pretty busy days across the resort, with tables being completely booked for evening meals everywhere except Kronasar. The hotels are turning people away from restaurants without a reservation and yet there are still so many places closed. Places that they clearly need to provide adequate capacity.

Bodega has been closed for years now. Cantina Amigo is shut with the campsite very full and families being turned away from Silver Lake. There are crowds milling around that area, clearly trying to figure out what or where they’re going to eat. Even Sala Santa Isabel is closed. Bar Colosseo and Buena Vista only open for a couple of days a week, despite the other bars being overflowing. It’s really not a good look for hotels priced at such a premium. We’re lucky enough to know better and book ahead, but I really felt for the families with tired kids being turned away with few other options.

These issues are replicated in the park, although to a far lesser extent. I’m baffled as to why Crocodile Bar cannot open when it has such a low staffing requirement. Bistro Tomi Ungerer stopped serving food at 1pm on Saturday. Chez Marianne has stopped selling savoury food altogether. Restaurant Mykonos, despite being nearly always busy, only ever seems to have half its order points open.

I’ve seen a definite improvement, but the reality is that demand has well and truly rebounded and they can’t cope on busier days. I’m sure at least some of it is staffing, but I’m no longer buying that excuse. Prices are up for both park entrance and food, so they need to provide a service along with taking your money.

I’ll post a fuller rundown of thoughts from our latest trip soon.
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Things like Crocodile Bar and Magellan Lounge were never open every day pre-Coivid, there has always been some adjustments of F&B offerings depending on when you visit the park and how busy they expect it to be.

I agree regarding the hotels though, it is a real issue and something they need to get sorted. I know staffing has been a huge issue, but not having all of the bars open every night is poor. They can get away with it when the weather is warm and outdoor seating capacity can be used, but the indoor seating when you have Colosseo and Buena Vista closed is just not enough.

I do wonder if the issue that it is hard for them to get skilled cocktail makers as opposed to difficulties in getting waiting staff. The cocktail menus at EP are extensive and when you watch them being made it is a real skill. You can't just pull anyone off the street and get them to do it.
 
Burbs said:
Have always found getting the bus back to the station really stressful. Getting to the park has never been too bad for me but then you have the care-free and happy feelings of being on holiday so perhaps you just don’t notice it as much. I never seem to know where the best stop is or which direction it’s going in, whereas at Ringsheim it’s only going the one way.
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I agree with what everyone's said above about the buses. Getting there isn't much of a stress, as there's only one stop and the bus usually waits for a delayed train (it did for us). Obviously on the way back the train doesn't wait for a delayed bus.

If the park are really serious about increasing the percentage of people who arrive by public transport (and they have shown a lot of interest in sustainability recently, with the solar power project and the reusable 'pfand' cups), they need a reliable and regular shuttle bus service, run by themselves, to Ringsheim.

This will mean they have to bite the bullet and spend a few years watching mostly empty shuttle buses run back and forth each day. But over time, people will start to see the new service and have confidence that if they come by public transport they won't have to worry about the connection (just like how at WDW you know the transport around the resort will work without really having to plan it out).

I reckon there's hundreds if not thousands of guests each day who don't come from that far away at all, and who could come by train but actually come by car just to avoid the stress of that bus connection. The only major park in Europe that is really good enough in terms of public transport connections is DLP, with a TGV station at the heart of the resort. This should be the benchmark to aim at.
 
Thanks for your thoughts @venny – a lot of what you said chimed with my experience.

Magellan Lounge was open when I went (Saturday 8 April). I was in the park on Thursday and Friday too, but can't remember if it was open. The app said it was closed the entire time we were there.

Buena Vista was closed on Wednesday and Thursday night, but open on Friday and Saturday night.

It seems odd, given that they still can't get everything open, that they have poured time and resources into building a new entrance to make Magellan Lounge more prominent to guests. If they don't have the staff to open everything, you'd have thought they'd leave it mothballed and assign those staff to one of the other outlets?

I have to say I disagree about the roaming entertainment not being back to 100%. It felt just like how it used to be, for me (if not slightly moreso). Even saw that charming woman who walks around with a herd of geese.
 
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