Which park should I go to in Summer 2024?

[Zeock]

My parents have offered to take me to any of these theme parks in Summer 2024 as a GCSE reward trip. I am stuck between these. Which one do you recommend I go to?

 

[JAperson]

Are your parents absolutely loaded? The one's in the US and Japan would cost a bomb.

 

[Zeock]

Are your parents absolutely loaded? The one's in the US and Japan would cost a bomb.

It's just a one-off, but I'd say that they are around upper-middle class. A positive of EP would be that it should be much cheaper than the other two.

 

[RicketyCricket]

Cedar Point 100%.

 

[Trooper Looper]

It depends really. Are you looking for big Thrills, Themed Experiences, or a bit of Both?

 

[Zeock]

It depends really. Are you looking for big Thrills, Themed Experiences, or a bit of Both?

If I had to choose one, it would be a bit of both, which would mean Europa Park. However, the amazing attractions of Cedar Point and the outstanding theming of the Tokyo Disney Resort make this a hard choice, which is why I have asked the forum.

 

[Trooper Looper]

If I had to choose one, it would be a bit of both, which would mean Europa Park. However, the amazing attractions of Cedar Point and the outstanding theming of the Tokyo Disney Resort make this a hard choice, which is why I have asked the forum.

I see. Well, I can't really say either as I've never been to any of those parks

 

[Matt N]

I’d probably say Europa Park. I haven’t been to Cedar Point or Tokyo DisneySea myself, but if you’re looking for “a bit of both”, I’d struggle to recommend a stronger choice than Europa Park.

It is a true chameleon of a theme park which tackles just about every element of theme parking you can think of and executes them all incredibly well. I was certainly blown away on my first visit to the park back in April, and even if it’s not your favourite park, I have every faith that you’d probably really enjoy it. As an added bonus, Voltron will most likely be open by then too!

Also, it’s vastly quicker and cheaper to get to from the UK than the other two, if money and time are being considered. A flight from the UK to Baden-Baden or Basel costs only £100-200 each, while flights to Cedar Point would likely cost at least £500 each and flights to Tokyo DisneySea would likely cost the best part of £1,000 each.

Based on distance alone, Tokyo DisneySea/Tokyo Disney Resort in particular seems like somewhere I’d almost recommend that you don’t visit on its own. Each to their own, of course, but a 12+ hour flight for only a few theme park days (I assume?) seems like a lot of effort. I haven’t been, though, so maybe I’m not the best barometer.

 

[JAperson]

If I had to choose one, it would be a bit of both, which would mean Europa Park. However, the amazing attractions of Cedar Point and the outstanding theming of the Tokyo Disney Resort make this a hard choice, which is why I have asked the forum.

I suppose it also depends which country you fancy the most, you won't just be in the theme park. Do you fancy Japan? Or the US? Or staying in Europe with a trip to German.

 

[Zeock]

I suppose it also depends which country you fancy the most, you won't just be in the theme park. Do you fancy Japan? Or the US? Or staying in Europe with a trip to German.

If I had to pick a country, it would be Japan because I am interested in the culture there. It is also a country that I know my mother wants to visit, and of course this trip shouldn't be completely about me. This leans in favour of the Tokyo Disney Resort.

 

[DistortAMG]

I would pick Tokyo or Cedar. Europa Park is very easy to get to from the UK, no issues doing that on a whim anytime. The other parks and specifically Tokyo is much more difficult / expensive. So if you have the chance to do one of the more difficult ones, take it. You can do the easier ones anytime.

 

[Matt.GC]

After your GCSE's you get to go to Europa, Cedar Point or Tokyo Disneyland?! Wow.

All I got after I finished my GCSE's was a clip round the earhole and told "well you're not laying about here all day, go and get a job and start paying some rent".

 

[JAperson]

After your GCSE's you get to go to Europa, Cedar Point or Tokyo Disneyland?! Wow.

All I got after I finished my GCSE's was a clip round the earhole and told "well you're not laying about here all day, go and get a job and start paying some rent".

I mean I got told to stay inside, your GCSEs are cancelled, now do nothing for two years, so when you return to education you’ll find it really easy. Thanks Gavin Williamson.

 

[MattyH]

Tokyo Disneysea just sounds fantastic and a unique opportunity. Japan is a place I'd love to visit too and personally I'd be heading there.

I'd put off EP until you can drink. I feel EP is such a fantastic place enhanced by the wonderful bars around the park and hotel.

 

[Zeock]

Thanks for all the help! I am currently leaning towards Europa Park, because of its combination of thrills and theming. However, it is much closer than the other two parks, which are likely to be one-off opportunities I may never have again, so I am still undecided. I might just go with whichever ride wins the vote on the forum.

 

[OtherBen]

I would pick Tokyo or Cedar. Europa Park is very easy to get to from the UK, no issues doing that on a whim anytime. The other parks and specifically Tokyo is much more difficult / expensive. So if you have the chance to do one of the more difficult ones, take it. You can do the easier ones anytime.

this, so hard. no disrespect but who knows where you might end up in life? take the most expensive and potentially once in a lifetime trip. europa is easy to do even if you're not massively well off. cedar point would be an ace park to go to but i'd pick japan, purely because there's a lot more to see/do as well as the parks.

 

[Zeock]

this, so hard. no disrespect but who knows where you might end up in life? take the most expensive and potentially once in a lifetime trip. europa is easy to do even if you're not massively well off. cedar point would be an ace park to go to but i'd pick japan, purely because there's a lot more to see/do as well as the parks.

Thanks for this. This is great advice and I will be thinking about it deeply!

 

[MattyH]

You've also said your mum wants to go to Japan?

Then that would be an epic trip to do.

 

[John_P]

Would the park trip be part of a larger holiday or would you basically just be attending the park for a number of days then heading home?

Just for the cost of flights to America and Japan for me I'd be wanting to do more than just visit the one place.

Plus with Cedar Point I think Air Lingus have said they'll be running flights to Cleveland from 2023 but outside of them your looking at flying to Cincinatti, Pittsburgh, or Detroit and then a 3ish hour drive to Cedar Point.

Whilst flights to Tokyo would be much more abundant. And for Europa Park you could even just drive from the UK if you wanted to.

 

[Zeock]

Would the park trip be part of a larger holiday or would you basically just be attending the park for a number of days then heading home?

Just for the cost of flights to America and Japan for me I'd be wanting to do more than just visit the one place.

Plus with Cedar Point I think Air Lingus have said they'll be running flights to Cleveland from 2023 but outside of them your looking at flying to Cincinatti, Pittsburgh, or Detroit and then a 3ish hour drive to Cedar Point.

Whilst flights to Tokyo would be much more abundant. And for Europa Park you could even just drive from the UK if you wanted to.

I would have thought that it would be part of a larger holiday. As I stated in an earlier comment, it shouldn't be completely for me so I think that my parents and I should also do other things that is not simply just for me. GCSE's are a milestone in someone's life but I think that my parents also deserve to have the same amount of fun as I receive from the trip due to the fact that they are the ones that have brought me up, fed me, clothed me etc.