emmerse2891
TS Member
Thought I’d just gets some thoughts down from my recent (and 5th visit to Europa resort). I visited with one of my best friends who isn't a theme park enthusiast but enjoys them and really enjoyed a trip with me there in 2018
Day 1
Sunday mid-late afternoon arrived via hire car from Basel - 1 night stay in Kronasar - evening in Rulantica
Quick shower thought… Kronasar ever provide slippers? as I feel this was lacking in going across to Rulantica - robes are provided, but ended up having to slip trainers back on to walk there, worth maybe bringing your own flip-flops! Just seemed an obvious oversight, we turned the hotel room over looking for them as we were so sure there were some somewhere, but alas.
Spent 4 hours in Rulantica - went on most of the slides, tried out the new space bowl type ride in the new outside area SVALGUROK - was actually a bit chilly out there waiting for slides outside (the water in this part is colder too) so just did the one slide and headed back to the warmer waters of the outside bar.
The swim up bars where a big hit with my friend, the cocktails though pre-mixed are very tasty and pretty strong!
We did the large round raft rides - its important to note for Vinter Rytt you HAVE to be in twos or fours - no single riders or threes - this is worth noting for groups of friends going together ...if you are a 5 you won't be able to 2 and 3 it etc..
The second round raft ride Svalgur you can't go alone but threes okay.
All other rides at Rulantica are single or double rides.
I conquered my fear and faced the trap-door slide Vildfal.....I chickened out on my 2020 trip! the first time for me riding such a slide..... my main fear is being slammed into water at high speed and getting water forced up my nose or it hitting sensitive parts of the body!......but the slide actually peters out quite nicely towards the end - allowing you time to pinch your nose and keep ankles together..... was fun....did twice!
Did Snorii's Saga in 2020 and thought it was a bit….Snor-i zzz but somethings improved and I can't put my finger on it, I think it’s faster.... its a much better pace now ....also there's added tipping bucket water features now for 'added peril’, I think there might be better audio on it too, I seem to remember eerie silence in some parts previously.
The poolside cafe did tasty gluten free pizzas as my friend is Celiac and I’m intolerant, would recommend.
Couple of questions - has any done the Hygge upgrade? is it worth it, we ummmed and arrrred about adding it on…. and was told you can simply use your Rulantica band if you decide to use it whilst on park, and you’ll be charged the upgrade on departure….useful to know!
Second question - how do people take photos in Rulantica - waterproof phone covers? waterproof go-pro cameras? some areas are so photogenic, like the indoor swim up bar area- but we left our phones behind as we didn't want to risk dropping them in the water.
Day 2 Park day
Started with the Amazing breakfast buffet at Kronasar , then drove over to Bell rock were we would be staying for the next 2 nights , dropping our bags off and headed into the park
The morning and early afternoon was changeable weather wise with a couple of downpours so we decided for the first few hours to do the inside rides , CanCan coaster, Madame Freudenreich, Geisterschloss, Arthur, POB , Kassandras, Atlantis, Snorri tourin, Voltarium etc. Unfortunately my friend refused to do shows - Id have done any of them, will have to do another time.
We discovered a nice spot for a beer at the Irish Pub, due to it being at the back of the park, and in a kids area, I don't think a lot of people release it’s there, the upstairs bar wasn't serving but you COULD sit up there, was virtually empty They also served gluten free beer (bottled). Also by the toilets in the Irish pub is a little display with a live stream of the stalks/birds that nest on top of one of the hotels.....lovely little touch!
We spent the afternoon doing smaller outdoor rides and the water rides as it suddenly became hot again - and in the uncertainly of rain returning we thought they were the best (had a bad experience in the past of queueing for silver star when it was sunny but in the time we were in the indoor line a storm had come over - and was torrential by the time our train was dispatched - it wasn't fun) .
We had a late tapas lunch at Bogega’s, we arrived at about 15.20 and they informed us the kitchen was just about to close (15.30) so we got our order in…… this is worth noting as on the app it said it closed at 18.00 but this was just for drinks, so be aware kitchens might close early in certain places, the Tapas was of very good quality.
We also noticed different restaurants and bars closed on certain days , the Crocodile bar and Megellan lounge remained closed for our visit, which was a shame as I’ve had cracking cocktails in both in the past, we were on a mission for an Aperol spritz , which we eventually found at Mille Fleur.
Schloss Balthasar was also closed on the Tues and Fjord restaurant was closed the whole time, despite the app saying it was open!
We finished the day using the hotel facilities - before a late buffet dinner in Bell rocks Harbourside restaurant
One note about the wellness spa facilities at the hotels is they are ‘no costumes’ only (you can wear a towel) which might be a bit of an awkward shock to Brits. The pool facilities are usually very separate and costumes of course are allowed, in the case of Bell rock they are in complete different parts of the hotel!
Day 3
After another amazing buffet breakfast (Bell rock marginally surpasses Kronasar) we headed into the park
On either day we didn’t make use of the extra half hour in the morning in park, because the queues never built up that substantially and we decided to instead have more leisurely mornings enjoying the breakfasts.
A note on queues and crowd … we were visiting on a Monday and Tuesday mid May - no school or public holidays and the park had a good vibe crowd wise - with no ride ever being more than 35 mins wait in the app (Wodan, CanCan, Arthur and Matterhorn blitz being the ones in that category) , although i did see all of them have 5 min queues at several times too i.e. 30 mins wasn't sustained at each.
A good 60% of the attractions were on 1-5 mins queues constantly …. and it wasn't because they were dead… just a slow constant stream of people walking up and getting straight on.
The park was so well staffed on all fronts including litter pickers, wondering entertainers and gardeners who were changing out flower beds… the floral displays as always - spot on, the park was looking glorious .
We started our day on Matterhorn Blitz, due to queues often being on 30 mins most of the days, then it was a day of ‘action’ working round all the coasters, Silverstar and blue fire were on good form, Wodan was hauling ass , Euromir was fun up until after the first drop! ended up backwards which is the worst!
In the afternoon we did rerides on POB, Fjord rapids, Arthur, and Josafina’s cruise.
Lastly we did the jewel mine walk through …..WHERE HAS THE SMELL GONE? I hope it returns as it was so distinctive and memorable, even my friend remarked about remembering and missing the scent!
Final night had buffet dinner in Restaurant Castillo , again really tasty - best salad bar of the lot! with a man going table to table serving meat, although it was a bit pot luck when he came around!
Last day - flight wasn't until late afternoon - so after a late breakfast headed to the Rhine town of Breisach - was 30 degrees that day - and it felt more like a Mediterranean town - would definitely recommend it to kill an hour or two if you are driving back to basel airport, very set up for tourists with cafes/restaurants etc
All in all a wonderful mini-trip
Day 1
Sunday mid-late afternoon arrived via hire car from Basel - 1 night stay in Kronasar - evening in Rulantica
Quick shower thought… Kronasar ever provide slippers? as I feel this was lacking in going across to Rulantica - robes are provided, but ended up having to slip trainers back on to walk there, worth maybe bringing your own flip-flops! Just seemed an obvious oversight, we turned the hotel room over looking for them as we were so sure there were some somewhere, but alas.
Spent 4 hours in Rulantica - went on most of the slides, tried out the new space bowl type ride in the new outside area SVALGUROK - was actually a bit chilly out there waiting for slides outside (the water in this part is colder too) so just did the one slide and headed back to the warmer waters of the outside bar.
The swim up bars where a big hit with my friend, the cocktails though pre-mixed are very tasty and pretty strong!
We did the large round raft rides - its important to note for Vinter Rytt you HAVE to be in twos or fours - no single riders or threes - this is worth noting for groups of friends going together ...if you are a 5 you won't be able to 2 and 3 it etc..
The second round raft ride Svalgur you can't go alone but threes okay.
All other rides at Rulantica are single or double rides.
I conquered my fear and faced the trap-door slide Vildfal.....I chickened out on my 2020 trip! the first time for me riding such a slide..... my main fear is being slammed into water at high speed and getting water forced up my nose or it hitting sensitive parts of the body!......but the slide actually peters out quite nicely towards the end - allowing you time to pinch your nose and keep ankles together..... was fun....did twice!
Did Snorii's Saga in 2020 and thought it was a bit….Snor-i zzz but somethings improved and I can't put my finger on it, I think it’s faster.... its a much better pace now ....also there's added tipping bucket water features now for 'added peril’, I think there might be better audio on it too, I seem to remember eerie silence in some parts previously.
The poolside cafe did tasty gluten free pizzas as my friend is Celiac and I’m intolerant, would recommend.
Couple of questions - has any done the Hygge upgrade? is it worth it, we ummmed and arrrred about adding it on…. and was told you can simply use your Rulantica band if you decide to use it whilst on park, and you’ll be charged the upgrade on departure….useful to know!
Second question - how do people take photos in Rulantica - waterproof phone covers? waterproof go-pro cameras? some areas are so photogenic, like the indoor swim up bar area- but we left our phones behind as we didn't want to risk dropping them in the water.
Day 2 Park day
Started with the Amazing breakfast buffet at Kronasar , then drove over to Bell rock were we would be staying for the next 2 nights , dropping our bags off and headed into the park
The morning and early afternoon was changeable weather wise with a couple of downpours so we decided for the first few hours to do the inside rides , CanCan coaster, Madame Freudenreich, Geisterschloss, Arthur, POB , Kassandras, Atlantis, Snorri tourin, Voltarium etc. Unfortunately my friend refused to do shows - Id have done any of them, will have to do another time.
We discovered a nice spot for a beer at the Irish Pub, due to it being at the back of the park, and in a kids area, I don't think a lot of people release it’s there, the upstairs bar wasn't serving but you COULD sit up there, was virtually empty They also served gluten free beer (bottled). Also by the toilets in the Irish pub is a little display with a live stream of the stalks/birds that nest on top of one of the hotels.....lovely little touch!
We spent the afternoon doing smaller outdoor rides and the water rides as it suddenly became hot again - and in the uncertainly of rain returning we thought they were the best (had a bad experience in the past of queueing for silver star when it was sunny but in the time we were in the indoor line a storm had come over - and was torrential by the time our train was dispatched - it wasn't fun) .
We had a late tapas lunch at Bogega’s, we arrived at about 15.20 and they informed us the kitchen was just about to close (15.30) so we got our order in…… this is worth noting as on the app it said it closed at 18.00 but this was just for drinks, so be aware kitchens might close early in certain places, the Tapas was of very good quality.
We also noticed different restaurants and bars closed on certain days , the Crocodile bar and Megellan lounge remained closed for our visit, which was a shame as I’ve had cracking cocktails in both in the past, we were on a mission for an Aperol spritz , which we eventually found at Mille Fleur.
Schloss Balthasar was also closed on the Tues and Fjord restaurant was closed the whole time, despite the app saying it was open!
We finished the day using the hotel facilities - before a late buffet dinner in Bell rocks Harbourside restaurant
One note about the wellness spa facilities at the hotels is they are ‘no costumes’ only (you can wear a towel) which might be a bit of an awkward shock to Brits. The pool facilities are usually very separate and costumes of course are allowed, in the case of Bell rock they are in complete different parts of the hotel!
Day 3
After another amazing buffet breakfast (Bell rock marginally surpasses Kronasar) we headed into the park
On either day we didn’t make use of the extra half hour in the morning in park, because the queues never built up that substantially and we decided to instead have more leisurely mornings enjoying the breakfasts.
A note on queues and crowd … we were visiting on a Monday and Tuesday mid May - no school or public holidays and the park had a good vibe crowd wise - with no ride ever being more than 35 mins wait in the app (Wodan, CanCan, Arthur and Matterhorn blitz being the ones in that category) , although i did see all of them have 5 min queues at several times too i.e. 30 mins wasn't sustained at each.
A good 60% of the attractions were on 1-5 mins queues constantly …. and it wasn't because they were dead… just a slow constant stream of people walking up and getting straight on.
The park was so well staffed on all fronts including litter pickers, wondering entertainers and gardeners who were changing out flower beds… the floral displays as always - spot on, the park was looking glorious .
We started our day on Matterhorn Blitz, due to queues often being on 30 mins most of the days, then it was a day of ‘action’ working round all the coasters, Silverstar and blue fire were on good form, Wodan was hauling ass , Euromir was fun up until after the first drop! ended up backwards which is the worst!
In the afternoon we did rerides on POB, Fjord rapids, Arthur, and Josafina’s cruise.
Lastly we did the jewel mine walk through …..WHERE HAS THE SMELL GONE? I hope it returns as it was so distinctive and memorable, even my friend remarked about remembering and missing the scent!
Final night had buffet dinner in Restaurant Castillo , again really tasty - best salad bar of the lot! with a man going table to table serving meat, although it was a bit pot luck when he came around!
Last day - flight wasn't until late afternoon - so after a late breakfast headed to the Rhine town of Breisach - was 30 degrees that day - and it felt more like a Mediterranean town - would definitely recommend it to kill an hour or two if you are driving back to basel airport, very set up for tourists with cafes/restaurants etc
All in all a wonderful mini-trip
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