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Phantasialand: General Discussion

I think its unlikely Ling Bao's entry will be affected. This is more a finally getting around to do this + ensuring it is not left out as the only entrance-less hotel when Charles Lindbergh opens in Rookburgh.
The China area as a whole I expect to remain really just Geister Rikscha and the food outlets opposite (incorporating the remnant of the Silbermine hall behind them) that will be majorly redeveloped. They've spent quite a bit on the main area square over the last 5 years (new lanterns, IMAScore Soundtrack, landscaping, Wintertraum decorations specially made in China for them). As has also been rumoured previously it all suggests the main area remains untouched while the Geister hall underneath is reused.

My prediction would just be the closure of the street between the square and Colorado. In the corner between the China Snack and Feng Ju Palace is a large gateway to that top path of Klugheim which they since it opened haven't used yet - this link could temporarily replace the street for the duration of the build.

But then who knows for sure what they have planned. Will be interesting to see though when they actually go ahead with the next project. With Rookburgh's completion this year you'd expect they'd have set things in motion in the January-March 2021 off season. But who knows now with the impact of Corona on all the park's finances and plans...
 
Their commitment to things like that is second to none. They go beyond just the typical “fact finding” missions that other large parks and attractions might do.

Most of the materials used in the buildings in the China area, including Hotel Ling Bao, were created and imported from Asia too. They also had Chinese craftsmen flown in to work on the project to ensure authentic techniques were used in the construction. If I remember rightly the park was home to the largest collection of authentic Chinese buildings outside of China itself for many years, and may still be. Schmidt and Löffelhardt even received Cultural Medal honours from Taiwan for their efforts to accurately portray the culture and architecture (the first Europeans to ever receive such an honour).

The park did the same thing with Deep in Afrika when that was built. Many of the props like masks and pottery were imported from Africa for the park, and I believe some of the artwork was created by African artists too.
 
Europa-Park do very similar. The recent Rulantica behind-the-scenes videos that were released during lockdown showed how they sourced genuine crafts and materials.

It adds extra weight to a themed experience.
 
It's possible to make really excellent themed stuff either way, but it's a concept taken from high budget movie productions and that sort of thing—sourcing genuine materials from around the world for a prop you're never even going to notice in the movie.

It adds minute detail, which is the point I suppose. Any good attraction designer doing a 'realistic' cultural theme would study real world crafts anyway. But it's only the elitist parks that would actually go to the lengths Phantasialand do. The biggest thing it adds is being able to say that authentic crafts were used.

It's very impressive but I wouldnt say it's the reason for Phantasialand being the incredible park it is.
 
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OilyWater said:
It's possible to make really excellent themed stuff either way, but it's a concept taken from high budget movie productions and that sort of thing—sourcing genuine materials from around the world for a prop you're never even going to notice in the movie.

It adds minute detail, which is the point I suppose. Any good attraction designer doing a 'realistic' cultural theme would study real world crafts anyway. But it's only the elitist parks that would actually go to the lengths Phantasialand do. The biggest thing it adds is being able to say that authentic crafts were used.

It's very impressive but I wouldnt say it's the reason for Phantasialand being the incredible park it is.
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I much prefer the approach of buying in authenticly made elements from the countries that a theme is based on to what many modern theming companies do - which is buying pre-made 3D assets online and then CNC-ing them. It's a practice that sucks all joy and creativity out of the process for me.

To be clear - I'm not against the use of CNC machines, it's more that I object to the idea that good theming can be done by one person (often a sales person rather than a designer) picking and choosing from a library of items that were designed for generic use rather than having skilled designers creating theming elements specifically for that environment.

Often these decisions are budget driven but unfortunately, there is an element of cynicism there too. In many cases, the clients aren't aware that they're getting internet-sourced assets, they think they're getting something designed for them. To some people, theming isn't an art, or something that should be given a lot of thought, it's a case of box-ticking and giving the client what they technically asked for using the path of least resistance.

In an ideal world, all items would be designed in-house by a theming company and made specifically to fit that theme. In fairness, it does sometimes happen but it's becoming increasingly rare.

Anyway, I'm getting a bit off topic, I don't think any of these criticisms can be levelled at Phantasialand or the companies it works with. I applaud them for being one of the few parks to consistently develop fully-realised, original and immersive themed areas and letting the park's quality speak for itself rather than leaning on external IPs.
 
I 100% agree with you about everything you said.

CGM said:
In an ideal world, all items would be designed in-house by a theming company and made specifically to fit that theme. In fairness, it does sometimes happen but it's becoming increasingly rare
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This is very sad to hear it's becoming rarer now! But not surprising, you can see the difference it makes in some of the things being built today with no charm.

I think going to the lengths of authentic materials and traditions is maybe a seperate issue, you can still create excellent work without that extreme. I think that's the premium end of the spectrum which is what Phantasialand aims at, but you can still make great attractions with amazing craft elsewhere too. Amazing talented people who've been painting and prop making excellent work for decades in back yards somewhere, who work for all the big & small players and produce the best. It may not have the stamp of authentic materials from around the world but then that's going the next level.

It's a bit like how UK parks used to want B&M for every attraction, as if anything else wasn't good enough. B&M are great of course but they're the premium end, you can still have great cars that aren't Rolls Royces and a little bit different too.

Theme park soundtracks too, you would pay a premium to record a real orchestra and it will add an extra level (Disney make a point of this). But it's not a necessity to record a full orchestra in order to get a great sound these days, that still has a lot of creativity and charm in the final results, on a realistic budget. The flipside is you get producers who rely on presets and premade loops, understandable if the client didnt pay enough for original work, but sometimes just out of laziness.
 
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Following Europa Park restarting their shows Phantasialand's Musarteum and Ice College will be making a comeback this weekend too, alongside a new show in Silverado Theatre replacing Jump.

With lockdown slowing down work and creating issues with suppliers and contractors Rookburgh missed its originally planned opening for June. Work continues with various firms active on site finishing up final theming and hotel fit out however when it will now open is unclear. One member of management in a podcast a while ago did suggest they might wait for a relaxation of restrictions and were focusing on safetly reopening and operating the park for now.
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Inside the coaster appears to have finished testing and believed to have already had riders from management and Vekoma. The 2 Zeppelin theming objects delivered a while ago have been installed in the area recently too.
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On the previous page there was a post about Hotel Matamba's new entrance. The hotel reopened on 1st July (following the park and Ling Bao reopening at the end of May) giving a look into the new garden features on the hotel side.
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New outdoor seating for Restaurant Bantu.
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New seating area and Mamba viewing platform/hut beside the hotel bar.
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The park's neverending 20 year fight to expand has been in the news again this week. After the 2012 compromise plans and the Green Party losing power in the state government in 2017 hopes had been raised that the sale of the 20 ha. of land from the state to the park may finally happen. However its been relatively quiet in recent years. But parties confirmed negotiations are continuing and its hoped before the end of the current legislation period in 2 years a final decision will be reached.

There is still no decision whether the state is selling the forest. The talks are continuing, it was said from all sides. The Brühler CDU member of parliament, Gregor Golland, is involved in the negotiations. He believes that there will still be a result within this legislative period, i.e. in the next two years.

Phantasialand wants to grow by almost 20 hectares in order to remain competitive. Among other things, a water park and a hotel are planned on the new site. Hotel Charles Lindbergh currently under construction does not change anything that is planned, according to Phantasialand.
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https://www.radioerft.de/artikel/br...iterung-des-phantasialands-laufen-477899.html

Rookburgh opening, Phantasialand's expansion or London Resort what happens first?
 
Jump was a pretty impressive show when we saw it in October last year so hopefully there is something else good planned, we didn't watch the ice show though.

If the expansion is planning to add another hotel, do they really need that capacity? The park itself doesn't seem big enough to support four hotels, but then I suppose Alton Towers now has four plus "camping".

This extension will probably still be finished before London Resort!

The gardens of the hotel Matamba look good too, but overall it did feel a bit like Black Mamba and the hotel took up a lot of space when the park doesn't have much and maybe more rides should/could have been added?
 
jon81uk said:
If the expansion is planning to add another hotel, do they really need that capacity? The park itself doesn't seem big enough to support four hotels, but then I suppose Alton Towers now has four plus "camping".
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Well the existing 2 have quite a high occupancy rate with the park, dinner show and the conferencing/business events side of the business hence the need for the 3rd hotel now.

So if they do expand and add a resort water park I could imagine additional capacity in a 4th hotel alongside would be necessary.
 
Not stayed in the Ling Bao but I believe that it's a very high end hotel. Matamba is a bit more laid back but still high quality in look and theme.
 
I've not stayed in a Matamba room but briefly had a look around one a few years ago. I prefer the overall look of the Matamba rooms, but Ling Bao is the superior hotel for overall theming and atmosphere.
 
I stayed in Ling Bao a few years ago during their Winter event and it’s probably one of (if not) the best hotels I’ve stayed in.

From the ambience, theming, decoration and even distant soundtrack which gives the place character and atmosphere. The bars do decent drinks and cocktails for reasonable prices with one of those at the top of the hotel. The breakfast was also excellent.They also have a heated pool and keep part of the China area open which is generally great.

Did briefly venture to Matamba on the same visit to see how it compares and whilst Ling Bao looks the best it was still excellently themed.

On the subject of hotels, I think even with the park’s current footprint, there is potentially demand for a fourth or even fifth hotel, especially given how quickly they have sold out on previous bookings. Even offsite is quite limited, unless you are willing to travel from Cologne.
 
I think ultimately it comes down to personal preference. I’ve stayed in both hotels many times and for me I’ve always preferred Ling Bao.

It has a much more laid back vibe as others have said. That’s not to say that Matamba is some kind of loud, garish, kids club-type environment (*cough*Splash Landings*cough*). It’s still a perfectly pleasant place to be and offers a nice break. The theming in both hotels is first class.

There are different criticisms I’ve heard of both hotels. Some people say Ling Bao is too quiet for example. Others say that the Matamba rooms are too “cold” due to their solid floors and walls (mimicking the sort of clay and hard mud that you would find in traditional African buildings).

One of the biggest “amenity” differences between the hotels is the lack of a pool in Matamba. Ling Bao houses the resort’s only pool and sauna facilities, and also has the spa. It used to be the case that Matamba guests could still use the facilities, but obviously you have a bit of walk over the car park to the other hotel. Haven’t stopped in Matamba for some time now, so can’t confirm if that is still the case or not, but don’t see what sense there would be in removing this benefit. They do talk about pool usage on the Matamba webpages, so I assume it’s still a thing, but the wording is a little odd.
 
Only stayed in Matamba but found it really pleasant after a long day travelling and an afternoon on the park. The room was nice, and I had view of the park as well.
Breakfast was great as well.

Only been in the ground floor of Ling bao using it for park entrance but it seemed pleasant. My hotel choice was based entirely on Matamba being slightly cheaper of the two.

Seeing as the Charles Lindbergh (still amazed their naming a hotel after him) seems to be smaller rooms as part of the areas theme you could certainly see them building another premium hotel in the future.
 
Stayed in both Matamba and Ling Bao, not sure I could pick between them. They are different but would be hard pressed to say which was 'better'.
 
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