Europa Park (EPCOT in Germany?)

Model3 McQueen

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
No
From the video: "Europa-Park does Disney better than Disney"

Has anybody been here before? How does it compare to WDW / EPCOT? This is the first i'm hearing of it - and really, i'm wondering why, seeing how cool it looks.

 

Horizons '83

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
I've never been but those are some boot-leg AA's :joyfull:

Also, I see they have taken liberty with the Spaceship Earth by ripping it off here. Im sure if you lived in the area is would be a fantastic park but with just coasters and carnival rides, I wouldn't make a dedicated trip.
 

Model3 McQueen

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
No
I've never been but those are some boot-leg AA's :joyfull:

Also, I see they have taken liberty with the Spaceship Earth by ripping it off here. Im sure if you lived in the area is would be a fantastic park but with just coasters and carnival rides, I wouldn't make a dedicated trip.

LOL two things I thought about too. Those AA's look awful, and that Spaceship Earth rip-off is so blatant. I looked it up - Europa's "Dome" came after EPCOTs.

Still, the park grabbed my intrigue seeing they minimize the IP, it looks fairly similar to a Disney park, and the rides looks cool
 

Horizons '83

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
LOL two things I thought about too. Those AA's look awful, and that Spaceship Earth rip-off is so blatant. I looked it up - Europa's "Dome" came after EPCOTs.

Still, the park grabbed my intrigue seeing they minimize the IP, it looks fairly similar to a Disney park, and the rides looks cool
After doing more research there is much more than just coasters, looks like they have some dark rides too but I would totally check it out if I was within driving distance of Rust, but yeah Atlanta to Rust isn't really driveable :joyfull:
 

Heppenheimer

Well-Known Member
I've driven by, but never actually visited... but I know people who have. It's supposedly one of the best amusement parks in Germany, ranked by many below Phantasialand near Cologne. Although they have many different countries represented, I don't think the intention is the same as Epcot.

The location is daytrippable from Freiburg, Basel in Switzerland, Baden-Baden, parts of the Black Forest and Strasbourg in France. If you're visiting anywhere else of the typical tourist spots in Germany (the Middle Rhine, Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, the Alps), it would probably require an overnight trip.
 

trainplane3

Well-Known Member
It’s a very respected park in the industry.

The Mack family, who own the park, also own Mack Rides which manufactured Slinky Dog Dash.
This. I've only heard great things about the park.

Well except Eurosat to "Can Can Coaster". What a disappointment. Apparently they added more theming a couple months ago so it doesn't look like a budget cut RnRC.
 

Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
Futurescope is more of an overseas EPCOT doing EPCOT Center better than EPCOT of the last fifteen years has done. https://en.futuroscope.com/



Not perfect mind you, but tons more care to inspiring and mainteince than TDO has done with the park.

Any time I see this park it reminds me of an Imax movie that they filmed scenes at called Alien Adventure. We showed it at Six Flags Great America in the early 2000's
 

Trackmaster

Well-Known Member
I kind of wondering if them having a replica of Spaceship Earth in the front of the park is no big deal for them. Maybe them putting something in that's a nod to something that's iconic in Florida of the United States would be like when our parks put buildings that look authentic to their country in the World's Showcase. Maybe instead of being like "oh this is so authentic and cool" they're actually like "oh this is such a rip off!"
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
I kind of wondering if them having a replica of Spaceship Earth in the front of the park is no big deal for them. Maybe them putting something in that's a nod to something that's iconic in Florida of the United States would be like when our parks put buildings that look authentic to their country in the World's Showcase. Maybe instead of being like "oh this is so authentic and cool" they're actually like "oh this is such a rip off!"
The Mack family doesn’t deny their blatant imitation. They’ll even joke about how they coincidentally have a mouse for a mascot.
 

Heppenheimer

Well-Known Member
Does the American pavilion there have a Chinese buffet? :)
It's "Europa Park", not "Planet Eartha Park".

BTW, as good as the food in most of Europe is, I found Chinese restaurants on the continent almost uniformally terrible. If American Chinese food is bland compared to the original, the version prepared for European tastes goes even further in the wrong direction.
 

matt_g_uk

New Member
I've visited Europa park twice and it's probably in my top 2 theme parks in the world alongside Tokyo Disneysea. The similarity with Epcot is only very superficial - and in my view Europa park is better. Definitely more well rounded.

Europa Park is beautifully themed, the food is *amazing*, Europa Park's operations are legendary - they can get through crowds on a busy day better than any other park I've ever visited. No fastpasses, just great operations.

The rides have a bit more emphasis on thrills than most Disney parks, and yes a few of the older attractions are more 'classic theme park' than Disney quality. But the park has *so many* attractions. I'm not going to go away and count them now but I'm pretty sure it's at least twice as many as any single WDW park. The newest are definitely up to Disney quality by any standards.

The hotels are also high quality and beautifully themed - and not even that expensive compared with Disney prices.

Honestly I would recommend it to almost anyone. English-speaking tourists rarely make it there - the top two languages are German and French, though most signs are also in English as a third language. It's not well marketed in the UK, let alone the US.

It's already easily a 2 day park and when the water park opens next year it will be a very full weekend trip.

I know I might sound a bit like a Europa park shill account but I just get excited whenever someone mentions the place. It's so unknown in the UK or US and *so* good. The assumption that it's an Epcot rip-off couldn't be further from the truth.

WDW fans first reaction is always the Spaceship Earth copy, but when you visit the park it's such a minor feature - definitely not a centrepiece like it is in Epcot. Europa Park is so big that you can go a full day without going near it. I would cautiously agree that from a European perspective it's less egregious than, say, Epcot's Eiffel Tower. But maybe most importantly Epcot's Spaceship Earth is not even a particularly well known thing in Europe - if I mention Epcot to someone in the UK it normally gets blank stares unless they've actually visited.
 
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MrsPrice96

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
We have gone there several times while we lived in Germany. It is a very good park and dog friendly. They provide water dishes all over the park for dogs. Food is very good- my favorite is the food loop. It is an amazing and fun way to serve food plus they prepare it so well.
The mouse they have as their mascot is extremely creepy looking. Overall it is a great park and very underused by Americans who are overseas.
 

BoarderPhreak

Well-Known Member
I got to Germany a lot, and I'd have gone here... But it's a solid 8 hour drive south, each way. Eats up too much time before you even count park days. One of these days, though!
 

Walt Disney1955

Well-Known Member
I have heard nice things about it and it does seem beautiful theme-wise. I think Busch Gardens Williamsburg does similar stuff when it comes to theming. I would love to visit Europa Park with a combined visit if I ever get out to Europe.

But I don't think there is another Epcot out there. If anything is unique in its own way it would be Epcot.
 

Trackmaster

Well-Known Member
The Mack family doesn’t deny their blatant imitation. They’ll even joke about how they coincidentally have a mouse for a mascot.

I think as I was saying its an acceptable homage as its in a different continent. Like the park is giving you the feel of being in Orlando, FL, USA, like how EPCOT makes you feel like you're in France, Mexico, Norway, etc.
 

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