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Is there anything I should know before going to Europa Park for the first time?

The reason your parents won't be keen on staying near/at EP is obvious.

They will expect it to be like the Alton Towers hotels. Tacky and not the best quality for the price.

Don't worry, like my 60/70 year old parents, they will soon realise when they visit and next time, I bet they will want to stay there when they see just how high quality they are. Until people visit, it's impossible to explain the level the place operates at if you are only familiar with the UK, PortAventura and the like.

That said, I am doing Strasbourg myself later this month. I lived there for a year and can honestly stay it's a wonderful city.

:)
 
As it turns out, my parents have changed their minds anyway; their new plan was to stay in a Europa Park hotel for 3 or 4 nights in the last week of April (I’m off uni, but it’s not a British school holiday)!

However, when I looked on EP’s website at room availability, it said that there was nothing available, in spite of the calendar being green… have EP not released room availability for April 2022 yet or something?

As for which one, we’re thinking Hotel Colosseo!
 
I believe room availability for 2022 should be released within the next few weeks, Matt, so no need to worry. As for Colosseo? I've not stayed there myself (I've only ever stayed at Bell Rock), but I've been told that it's really good, especially if you get a room with views over the central piazza.
 
Jonathan said:
I believe room availability for 2022 should be released within the next few weeks, Matt, so no need to worry. As for Colosseo? I've not stayed there myself (I've only ever stayed at Bell Rock), but I've been told that it's really good, especially if you get a room with views over the central piazza.
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Have EP revealed a particular date, or is it just “look at the website come November”?

Also, is it one of those things where you have to be on the system within seconds of it opening to be able to book a hotel room, or does it matter if we miss the date by a few hours or days? I don’t know how popular EP’s hotels are, or whether the last week of April is considered a peak period, but I guess the fact that there was still some limited availability for 2021 was reassuring…
 
Colosseo is my hotel of choice. It feels like the hub hotel with the broadest appeal and offerings.

Don't wait too long to book, but rooms won't disappear over night.
 
Matt N said:
Have EP revealed a particular date, or is it just “look at the website come November”?

Also, is it one of those things where you have to be on the system within seconds of it opening to be able to book a hotel room, or does it matter if we miss the date by a few hours or days? I don’t know how popular EP’s hotels are, or whether the last week of April is considered a peak period, but I guess the fact that there was still some limited availability for 2021 was reassuring…
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I believe it was mentioned in another thread that 2022 dates will be available in October or November. No specific date confirmed as of yet, which I know is a bit frustrating! In terms of exactly when to book, Tim's right in that you're better off booking sooner rather than later, but equally, you shouldn't struggle to find one if you leave it a few days. It's not like Glastonbury. :p
 
That's relieving to know; thanks both!

Besides, with this site's enthusiasm for Europa, I'm sure it'll probably be posted somewhere on here when the 2022 rooms are online (as I said, with this being EuropaStreet, I doubt I'll be the only one seeking a room for 2022...), so I'll have to keep an eye out!

I'll admit I find it so exciting to ponder that in 7 months' time, I could well have been to Europa Park, and stayed in a Europa Park hotel! Then, I'll hopefully see what all the fuss is about...
 
Sorry to double post, but from what I know about Europa's attraction lineup, I've compiled a bit of a list of "points of interest" that I'd like to get on during my trip, and I'd be intrigued to know what you guys think of it.

Before I get into my list, I'll just clear up a few prerequisites:
  • It appears as though I could be getting 3 days on park. We looked into a 4-night hotel stay, and when I take out the 1st & 5th days for travel, as well as taking into account that my parents don't want to do Rulantica, that leaves 3 full days on park.
  • Even though you guys have said to me that Europa is not a cred-counting exercise, and I intend to take that into account, I would at very least like to aim to get on most of, if not all of, the coaster credits (B-a-a-a aside, as I'm not one for kiddie coasters) during the 3 days. I am a credit counter, and the potential count increase, as well as some of the more noteworthy coasters to get on, is currently one of the main things I know about the park. Of course I would prioritise some creds over others (I will certainly be heavily prioritising Wodan, Blue Fire and Silver Star, whereas something like Matterhorn Blitz might be less of a priority), but I intend to aim to get on all of the credits (B-a-a-a aside) at least once during my time at Europa. The only one I might possibly skip is Atlantica depending on the weather, as it looks very wet, and unlike Poseidon, it doesn't look like an especially substantial coaster in terms of actual coasting. Poseidon also looks less wet than Atlantica.
  • In spite of what I said above, I'm also keen to get on at least a couple of the park's dark rides during my visit. Voletarium and Piraten in Batavia are rides I'm very keen to try out, but I would also like to sample a couple of the less major dark rides as well.
With those in mind, the list I've compiled is as follows:
  • Silver Star
  • Wodan
  • Blue Fire
  • Eurosat CanCan Coaster
  • Euro-Mir (I'd like to get on this one, as it's pretty substantial, appears somewhat marmite, and is also rumoured to be going down for a refurbishment once the 2023 coaster has opened, so I'd like to be able to say that I've done Euro-Mir V1)
  • Arthur
  • Poseidon
  • Alpenexpress (I know it's only a powered coaster, but RMT at Towers is a real guilty pleasure of mine, so who's to say that Alpenexpress couldn't be the same?)
  • Schweizer Bobbahn (I'm rather looking forward to this one, as BPB's Avalanche is a coaster I do rather enjoy!)
  • Pegasus
  • Matterhorn Blitz
  • Atlantica SuperSplash (weather dependant)
  • Voletarium
  • Piraten in Batavia (I've heard very good things about this...)
  • Madame Freudenrich's Curiosities (I don't know much about this one, but it seems to have somewhat of a cult following here on EuropaStreet, so I'd be intrigued to give it a go!)
  • Geisterschloss (I rather enjoyed its Disney source material, so I'd be interested to try it!)
Of course, this list is by no means exhaustive, as I'm sure I'll probably find and really enjoy other stuff during the 3 days, but it's just a few ideas I have at the moment!

To be honest, I'm a little bit blind with regard to Europa's non-coaster lineup; I know of some of the non-coaster attractions, and I know what they are in terms of name, ride type and general premise, but I haven't researched the non-coaster lineup in too much depth or watched any non-coaster POVs. I don't know if you guys think this is a good idea or not, but I'd quite like for the dark rides to wow me for the first time in person! (dark rides rely more on the element of surprise than, say, coasters)
 
I would suggest trying Alpen Express with and without VR, you get a choice of VR films including a Paddington Bear one. (VR on both Alpen Express and Eurosat costs €2).
 
Matt N said:
Sorry to double post, but from what I know about Europa's attraction lineup, I've compiled a bit of a list of "points of interest" that I'd like to get on during my trip, and I'd be intrigued to know what you guys think of it.

Before I get into my list, I'll just clear up a few prerequisites:
  • It appears as though I could be getting 3 days on park. We looked into a 4-night hotel stay, and when I take out the 1st & 5th days for travel, as well as taking into account that my parents don't want to do Rulantica, that leaves 3 full days on park.
  • Even though you guys have said to me that Europa is not a cred-counting exercise, and I intend to take that into account, I would at very least like to aim to get on most of, if not all of, the coaster credits (B-a-a-a aside, as I'm not one for kiddie coasters) during the 3 days. I am a credit counter, and the potential count increase, as well as some of the more noteworthy coasters to get on, is currently one of the main things I know about the park. Of course I would prioritise some creds over others (I will certainly be heavily prioritising Wodan, Blue Fire and Silver Star, whereas something like Matterhorn Blitz might be less of a priority), but I intend to aim to get on all of the credits (B-a-a-a aside) at least once during my time at Europa. The only one I might possibly skip is Atlantica depending on the weather, as it looks very wet, and unlike Poseidon, it doesn't look like an especially substantial coaster in terms of actual coasting. Poseidon also looks less wet than Atlantica.
  • In spite of what I said above, I'm also keen to get on at least a couple of the park's dark rides during my visit. Voletarium and Piraten in Batavia are rides I'm very keen to try out, but I would also like to sample a couple of the less major dark rides as well.
With those in mind, the list I've compiled is as follows:
  • Silver Star
  • Wodan
  • Blue Fire
  • Eurosat CanCan Coaster
  • Euro-Mir (I'd like to get on this one, as it's pretty substantial, appears somewhat marmite, and is also rumoured to be going down for a refurbishment once the 2023 coaster has opened, so I'd like to be able to say that I've done Euro-Mir V1)
  • Arthur
  • Poseidon
  • Alpenexpress (I know it's only a powered coaster, but RMT at Towers is a real guilty pleasure of mine, so who's to say that Alpenexpress couldn't be the same?)
  • Schweizer Bobbahn (I'm rather looking forward to this one, as BPB's Avalanche is a coaster I do rather enjoy!)
  • Pegasus
  • Matterhorn Blitz
  • Atlantica SuperSplash (weather dependant)
  • Voletarium
  • Piraten in Batavia (I've heard very good things about this...)
  • Madame Freudenrich's Curiosities (I don't know much about this one, but it seems to have somewhat of a cult following here on EuropaStreet, so I'd be intrigued to give it a go!)
  • Geisterschloss (I rather enjoyed its Disney source material, so I'd be interested to try it!)
Of course, this list is by no means exhaustive, as I'm sure I'll probably find and really enjoy other stuff during the 3 days, but it's just a few ideas I have at the moment!

To be honest, I'm a little bit blind with regard to Europa's non-coaster lineup; I know of some of the non-coaster attractions, and I know what they are in terms of name, ride type and general premise, but I haven't researched the non-coaster lineup in too much depth or watched any non-coaster POVs. I don't know if you guys think this is a good idea or not, but I'd quite like for the dark rides to wow me for the first time in person! (dark rides rely more on the element of surprise than, say, coasters)
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@Matt N, this is your thread - if anyone's allowed to double-post it's you!

That's great to hear that you'll be getting a proper resort stay and 3 days on park - go Matt's parents :) You probably don't need to spend time making a big list, I imagine you'll be able to do most of it in three days.

Definitely don't watch any non-coaster POVs (or coaster POVs, for that matter - I think they spoil the enjoyment of that first ride). But there might be some YouTube vlogs with no on-ride filming that could help you to get a feel for the place and what's on offer.

I've never been to Europa-Park, but it sounds amazing - I'm sure you'll have an awesome time!
 
venny said:
I don’t really see the benefits of watching the dark ride POVs, but you do risk ruining the surprise. They also don’t do rides like Pirates any justice.
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That was why I wasn’t keen to watch any; I preferably want my first experience of Europa’s dark rides to be in person, so that their intended element of surprise works to its full effect on me! I’ve watched POVs of some of Europa’s major coasters (although the only ones of those I’d say I properly “know” what they do fully are Blue Fire, Wodan and Silver Star, as well as some of the “simpler” ones like Atlantica), as I don’t think coasters rely quite as much on surprise as dark rides do.
 
I think you're misunderstanding "EP is not a credit counting exercise".

Of course you'll want to go on all the coasters during your stay! I do and I've been 50 times! Well... maybe not Bob and Ba-a-a every time but still...

What people mean is, don't go into the park and just tick off all the coasters straight away. Just do them as you come to them.

Don't watch POVs.



Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk
 
As others have said with 3 days you'll be able to get the credits and go at a more relaxed pace.

I can't belive I'm about to say this but...
Theme Park Review did a really good video a few years ago of them walking across Europa at Halloween. It's one of their few video where they are quite chilled and sensible and a good watch if you want a general feel of the park with no ride spoilers.
 
There's a lot to say in response to your posts Matt but the vast majority has been covered. It sounds like an odd thing to recommend but I suggest you don't even look at a map on your first day - just wander around, happen upon the plethora of rides and restaurants, go on whatever takes your fancy and eat wherever looks nice to you. Then at the end of your first day, grab a map and see what you've done and what you've completely missed. (Can almost guarantee there'll be whole areas you've not even set foot in.)

You're visiting during a typically quiet time of year. 3 days on park is what I always go for and it's just the right amount of time to get everything done, with time for plentiful rerides, and most importantly having a relaxed approach to enjoy this semi-religious experience.
 
Do you guys think it would be worth me consistently checking the hotel website every now and then to see if availability crops up for that last week of April 2022, or do you think that it has already been booked up?

If it’s anything to go by, the dates we were looking at were listed on the booking site as green (implying availability; some closer dates were orange and red), but when I tried to look at more detailed reservations, it said “we are booked up for this date”… that seemed to be the case for every day after early March 2022, from what I could gather. I take it this is simply because the room bookings for the 2022 season have not been released yet, or am I looking too late?

Also; as an aside, how close are Europa’s hotels to the park entrance? Is it like Alton’s, where you walk for a good 15-30 minutes to reach them, or are they closer?
 
They won't be on sale yet, keep trying over the coming months.

Europa's main entrance is 20/25 minutes walk from the hotels, or 15 minutes on the bus from Kronasar and Rualantica. Luckily for you, there's a private entrance for guests in the Spain area that is directly adjacent to the main hotel cluster, or alternatively, the EP Express monorail will take you round to the gate.
 
Plastic Person said:
Europa's main entrance is 20/25 minutes walk from the hotels, or 15 minutes on the bus from Kronasar and Rualantica. Luckily for you, there's a private entrance for guests in the Spain area that is directly adjacent to the main hotel cluster, or alternatively, the EP Express monorail will take you round to the gate.
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So it’s a similar situation to Towers, then? Great to know; thanks @Plastic Person!

I know it seems like I’m being somewhat neurotic in terms of planning at present, so sorry for being such a pain, but I just want everything to go right for my first visit to such an esteemed place. I’ve heard so much about Europa in terms of hype (including from this site), and I would hate to make any mistake with it on my first visit that means I don’t like it…
 
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