Burbs
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Iron Gwazi
(All POVs in this thread were filmed by myself and belong to my own website.)
Hi all! As a lot of you know, I made my first of hopefully many trip to Europa-Park back in March/April of 2015. I instantly fell in love with the place the night before I had my first day on park, when I was wandering around Hotel Colosseo and the exterior of El Andaluz, in awe of everything I could see and hear. "Can we come back to EP?" was something I said that very night, before I had even stepped foot inside the park, which strikes me as something phenomenal. I got the chance on the final day of my trip to spend time with @Rob, @Russell, @Sazzle and Ella-May, which was most pleasant, given that I didn't even know they were on park until the afternoon of my second day! So thank you all for making me feel most welcome (and telling me to bugger off at times
) during your holiday!
I thought I would relive these fantastic memories by writing a full review of EP: rides/attractions, areas, hotels, shops and restaurants, however all but one of these topics I wouldn't have much to talk about, due to us staying off resort (and not having chance to experience the hotels in any detail), only going inside a couple of shops and one restaurant. For the park areas I would also be repeating myself a lot, which I don't want to do, thus I have decided to only review the rides and attractions in this topic.
I'll be splitting the review into 5 different posts, each recounting 3 different park areas, and the last post will take into account the transport systems around the park too. There will be a significant time gap between each part as well, due to the fact that I will upload a section as soon as it's been written, then move on to writing the next. So, without further ado...
Part 1
Eurosat
One of the most noticeable buildings at Europa-Park is the futuristic silver dome which houses Eurosat. It is visible from most places and is the focal point of the French themed area. As you approach the ride, a narrow cattle pen queue line is the first thing you see, however this, like all the queues at Europa, moves very quickly. Once at the front of this queue section, you pass through a turnstile which leads you onto a short escalator and into the ride building. Eurosat’s station is just round the corner from the top of the escalator, where you batch yourselves into the loading bays of two people.
The train is dispatched through to the first holding brake, where an astronaut addresses you with your brief for the mission. The train slowly begins to ascend the spiral lift hill. You exit the lift after a 10 second countdown from the spaceman you were acquainted with beforehand, and you enter the main ride. Sharp twists, sudden turns, high speeds, near misses and epic lasers/lighting effects are accompanied by a loud and raving theme tune, pulsing around the building. The exit line runs adjacent to the main queue, before baring into the Eurosat shop, which leads you back into France.
Universum der Energie (Universe of Energy)
What appears to be a small scientific walkthrough to pass the time is actually a large Omnimover attraction! The prehistoric themed ride takes you on a dinosaur’s journey, through forestry, woodland, and even a volcano. The fantastic animatronic theming could have been enhanced somewhat with on-board audio (which most other Omnimovers have), telling us a story of these creatures, or maybe even some interesting facts about them. The ride occupies space below Eurosat, as there is significant room where the station is raised due to the escalators.
Silverstar
Dominating the skyline driving up to, and anywhere inside EP, is the awesome Silverstar! With its entrance hidden away behind Eurosat, the queue line weaves in and out of some great models and information about various Mercedes classics, with the Benz being the main feature. Without a cattle pen in sight, you find yourself in the busy station, where you can decide whether you would like to enhance your experience by waiting that little bit longer for front row.
With B&M’s finest lap bars to keep you firmly in your seat, the 9-row train climbs the prototypal chained lift hill, with the ground below you getting further and further away. There’s no turning back as the train edges over the peak of the lift and into the whopping first drop. This is followed by a number of large air time hills and a fantastically fun, sharp drop after the mid-course brake run. The ride, much like other B&M hyper coasters, doesn’t consist of any inversions, however they are hardly needed on a ride this good! Bare in mind that in high winds of over 24km/h*, Silverstar is likely to close until the wind speed has dropped.
*or somewhere around this speed
Euro-Tower
The impressive Euro-Tower is the best attraction to visit if it’s stunning views of the park you’re after! Riders sit on a long bench curving around the circumference of the pod, which quickly escalates and revolves around a very tall tower, dominating the park. The views available are nothing short of beautiful, and even on a dull day, you can see everything clearly. With the Europa-Park suite playing softly in the background during your flight, it brings a tear to your eye when you realise just how flawless the park really is!
Piccolo Mondo
Jump aboard and take a ride on a luxury bench through the romantic Italy! Accompanied by the upbeat Ciao Ciao Italia, this quaint little ride passes many quirky scenes of Italy, topped off by animatronic theming elements dotted around the place.
Geisterschloß (Ghost Castle)
Situated close to the entrance of EP, Geisterschloß is a haunted house Omnimover, though unlike Universe of Energy, it has on-board audio of a somewhat creepy theme tune. It is similar to Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris, in the way that it begins with an elevator illusion, before you proceed through to the ride’s station after you have supposedly travelled way down into the dungeon of the castle. This mirage works effectively in my opinion.
You then move through to the turntable platform where riders board their carriages of two people. The attraction is constantly moving at a steady speed around the castle, where you will encounter various demons, ghosts, skeletons, mad scientists and lots more.
Volo Da Vinci
What at first appears to be a cute little pedal attraction turns out to be one of the better minor attractions at the park! This suspended monorail of individual cars takes you on a journey, flying above the Italian area. The track is much longer than it looks at first glance – and even when you’re on it, due to the ride system weaving in and out of the buildings and trees around it. The cars can seat up to 4 people, and each rider has their own set of pedals to power the ride. Of course though, the cars are naturally powered by the track itself, however when riders are pedalling, the speed of the vehicle gets noticeably faster. This feature I was not expecting, which pleasantly surprised me when riding this fun attraction!
Fjord-Rafting
As one of the best rapids rides I have ever ridden, Fjord-Rafting is a wet one! Consisting of large waterfalls, several water effects and two heavily themed indoor sections, the rafts of 6 riders make their way along the river, through the Scandinavian themed park area, behind authentic structures and adjacent to the pathways that fellow park guests walk along. The ride reminds me of Drayton Manor’s similar attraction, albeit much more fun and with nicer décor.
A personal highlight of the ride for me is the lift hill back into the station area at the end of the ride. It houses a number of quirky animatronics and water features to keep you entertained when normally the lift section would be slow and boring.
Vindjammer
Vindjammer is a great swinging ship, which is themed throughout! With a huge mast protruding from the centre of this ride, it sure packs a punch and the sequence goes on for quite a long time - something which is all too often missed on other versions of this classic ride. Vindjammer sits right at home in the middle of the Scandinavian area of Europa-Park, on the river, adjacent to Fjord Rafting.
Hi all! As a lot of you know, I made my first of hopefully many trip to Europa-Park back in March/April of 2015. I instantly fell in love with the place the night before I had my first day on park, when I was wandering around Hotel Colosseo and the exterior of El Andaluz, in awe of everything I could see and hear. "Can we come back to EP?" was something I said that very night, before I had even stepped foot inside the park, which strikes me as something phenomenal. I got the chance on the final day of my trip to spend time with @Rob, @Russell, @Sazzle and Ella-May, which was most pleasant, given that I didn't even know they were on park until the afternoon of my second day! So thank you all for making me feel most welcome (and telling me to bugger off at times
) during your holiday!I thought I would relive these fantastic memories by writing a full review of EP: rides/attractions, areas, hotels, shops and restaurants, however all but one of these topics I wouldn't have much to talk about, due to us staying off resort (and not having chance to experience the hotels in any detail), only going inside a couple of shops and one restaurant. For the park areas I would also be repeating myself a lot, which I don't want to do, thus I have decided to only review the rides and attractions in this topic.
I'll be splitting the review into 5 different posts, each recounting 3 different park areas, and the last post will take into account the transport systems around the park too. There will be a significant time gap between each part as well, due to the fact that I will upload a section as soon as it's been written, then move on to writing the next. So, without further ado...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 1
France
Eurosat
One of the most noticeable buildings at Europa-Park is the futuristic silver dome which houses Eurosat. It is visible from most places and is the focal point of the French themed area. As you approach the ride, a narrow cattle pen queue line is the first thing you see, however this, like all the queues at Europa, moves very quickly. Once at the front of this queue section, you pass through a turnstile which leads you onto a short escalator and into the ride building. Eurosat’s station is just round the corner from the top of the escalator, where you batch yourselves into the loading bays of two people.
The train is dispatched through to the first holding brake, where an astronaut addresses you with your brief for the mission. The train slowly begins to ascend the spiral lift hill. You exit the lift after a 10 second countdown from the spaceman you were acquainted with beforehand, and you enter the main ride. Sharp twists, sudden turns, high speeds, near misses and epic lasers/lighting effects are accompanied by a loud and raving theme tune, pulsing around the building. The exit line runs adjacent to the main queue, before baring into the Eurosat shop, which leads you back into France.
Universum der Energie (Universe of Energy)
What appears to be a small scientific walkthrough to pass the time is actually a large Omnimover attraction! The prehistoric themed ride takes you on a dinosaur’s journey, through forestry, woodland, and even a volcano. The fantastic animatronic theming could have been enhanced somewhat with on-board audio (which most other Omnimovers have), telling us a story of these creatures, or maybe even some interesting facts about them. The ride occupies space below Eurosat, as there is significant room where the station is raised due to the escalators.
Silverstar
Dominating the skyline driving up to, and anywhere inside EP, is the awesome Silverstar! With its entrance hidden away behind Eurosat, the queue line weaves in and out of some great models and information about various Mercedes classics, with the Benz being the main feature. Without a cattle pen in sight, you find yourself in the busy station, where you can decide whether you would like to enhance your experience by waiting that little bit longer for front row.
With B&M’s finest lap bars to keep you firmly in your seat, the 9-row train climbs the prototypal chained lift hill, with the ground below you getting further and further away. There’s no turning back as the train edges over the peak of the lift and into the whopping first drop. This is followed by a number of large air time hills and a fantastically fun, sharp drop after the mid-course brake run. The ride, much like other B&M hyper coasters, doesn’t consist of any inversions, however they are hardly needed on a ride this good! Bare in mind that in high winds of over 24km/h*, Silverstar is likely to close until the wind speed has dropped.
*or somewhere around this speed
Euro-Tower
The impressive Euro-Tower is the best attraction to visit if it’s stunning views of the park you’re after! Riders sit on a long bench curving around the circumference of the pod, which quickly escalates and revolves around a very tall tower, dominating the park. The views available are nothing short of beautiful, and even on a dull day, you can see everything clearly. With the Europa-Park suite playing softly in the background during your flight, it brings a tear to your eye when you realise just how flawless the park really is!
Italy
Piccolo Mondo
Jump aboard and take a ride on a luxury bench through the romantic Italy! Accompanied by the upbeat Ciao Ciao Italia, this quaint little ride passes many quirky scenes of Italy, topped off by animatronic theming elements dotted around the place.
Geisterschloß (Ghost Castle)
Situated close to the entrance of EP, Geisterschloß is a haunted house Omnimover, though unlike Universe of Energy, it has on-board audio of a somewhat creepy theme tune. It is similar to Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris, in the way that it begins with an elevator illusion, before you proceed through to the ride’s station after you have supposedly travelled way down into the dungeon of the castle. This mirage works effectively in my opinion.
You then move through to the turntable platform where riders board their carriages of two people. The attraction is constantly moving at a steady speed around the castle, where you will encounter various demons, ghosts, skeletons, mad scientists and lots more.
Volo Da Vinci
What at first appears to be a cute little pedal attraction turns out to be one of the better minor attractions at the park! This suspended monorail of individual cars takes you on a journey, flying above the Italian area. The track is much longer than it looks at first glance – and even when you’re on it, due to the ride system weaving in and out of the buildings and trees around it. The cars can seat up to 4 people, and each rider has their own set of pedals to power the ride. Of course though, the cars are naturally powered by the track itself, however when riders are pedalling, the speed of the vehicle gets noticeably faster. This feature I was not expecting, which pleasantly surprised me when riding this fun attraction!
Scandinavia
Fjord-Rafting
As one of the best rapids rides I have ever ridden, Fjord-Rafting is a wet one! Consisting of large waterfalls, several water effects and two heavily themed indoor sections, the rafts of 6 riders make their way along the river, through the Scandinavian themed park area, behind authentic structures and adjacent to the pathways that fellow park guests walk along. The ride reminds me of Drayton Manor’s similar attraction, albeit much more fun and with nicer décor.
A personal highlight of the ride for me is the lift hill back into the station area at the end of the ride. It houses a number of quirky animatronics and water features to keep you entertained when normally the lift section would be slow and boring.
Vindjammer
Vindjammer is a great swinging ship, which is themed throughout! With a huge mast protruding from the centre of this ride, it sure packs a punch and the sequence goes on for quite a long time - something which is all too often missed on other versions of this classic ride. Vindjammer sits right at home in the middle of the Scandinavian area of Europa-Park, on the river, adjacent to Fjord Rafting.
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