Overrated parks

[Pink Cadillac]

Who said Alton Towers was as good as Phantasialand?
Can't think of any overrated parks, maybe USF, but they've added a lot since my last visit.
Underrated: Alton Towers, Efteling, DLP, WDW
Rated correctly: Phantasialand, Thorpe Park, Walt Disney Studios, Islands of Adv., Busch Gardens Tampa
Overrated: Universal Studios Florida
Blackpool might be overrated, but I find the park hard to rate and my enjoyment of the place seems to be heavily swayed by my mood that day.

 

[Gazza]

Pretty much agree with all of this EXCEPT that none of the coasters are anything above OK, I think Phoenix isn't just good, but great.

Yeah perhaps I was a bit harsh on Phoenix, yes it was quite good, but not quite elevated into the amazing category.

 

[Sandman]

Who said Alton Towers was as good as Phantasialand?

My comparison of Alton to Phantasialand was basically just to show how Alton genuinely looks against one of the best parks in the world, since Joey stated Alton is also one of the best in the world. Again, I don't dislike Towers, I just don't think it reaches that high a level.

 

[TMCoasters]

Six Flags Great Adventure

 

[Lofty]

After spending a couple of days at Europa Park, I can safely say that there's bucket loads of vegetation in any direction you look and the park is fab. It has some of the best theming out of any park in Europe.


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[SaiyanHajime]

After spending a couple of days at Europa Park, I can safely say that there's bucket loads of vegetation in any direction you look and the park is fab. It has some of the best theming out of any park in Europe.


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How do you feel about my criticism that the thematic subjects are boring, though?

Like, Phantasialand's subject matter is exotic and fantastical, Europa's is just.... local architecture.


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[Lofty]

How do you feel about my criticism that the thematic subjects are boring, though?

Like, Phantasialand's subject matter is exotic and fantastical, Europa's is just.... local architecture.


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I disagree with you, completely to be fair. I can totally understand where you're coming from, but it's hardly a terrible thing? They're using understandable key themes and easily recognisable narrative bases and expanding them to fantastical experiences? I think it's rather brilliant.

Same as PortAventura and to some extent, Universal Studios.

 

[zazobo]

I disagree with you, completely to be fair. I can totally understand where you're coming from, but it's hardly a terrible thing? They're using understandable key themes and easily recognisable narrative bases and expanding them to fantastical experiences? I think it's rather brilliant.

Same as PortAventura and to some extent, Universal Studios.

Agreed. I love the place, and while the themes are 'France' or 'Iceland' for example, they're so well thought out and the attention to detail is insane. I spent a lot of my various trips to Europa pointing out lovely little bits of themeing and interest. Examples being themed bins, man hole covers, lighting etc... it's all brilliant.

 

[Sythe]

First thing that comes to mind is Carowinds. It literally only has 3 worthwhile coasters. Hersheypark is another candidate because even though it has my number 1 (Skyrush) nothing else is that great.

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[LiveForTheLaunch]

I have to agree with whoever said Hershey. Granted, I love the park and I think it has some wicked coasters, but the theme and atmosphere isn't exactly second-to-none. Yeah, it has a few trees and whatever else but apart from that I wouldn't say the atmosphere is any better or worse than most parks.

Tokyo Disney is also a huge contender for this. DisneySea is fantastic, but the actual Disneyland park is not that good. It doesn't offer anything different and I don't find it as magical as some of the other Disney parks. Personally, I prefer Paris.

 

[Ben]

I don't really understand the 'Europa is set in real life Europe' argument?

OK there are parts that look like a French square, but there's also Norse Gods, Greek Gods, flying horses, space travel, dinosaurs, Atlantis, oil and gas exploration (?), whatever the **** Arthur is, ghosts, fairytales, more space travel, flying machines, pirates and a dollop of racism. It's not all stuff you trip over if you're on a day trip to Paris now is it?

 

[zazobo]

I don't really understand the 'Europa is set in real life Europe' argument?

OK there are parts that look like a French square, but there's also Norse Gods, Greek Gods, flying horses, space travel, dinosaurs, Atlantis, oil and gas exploration (?), whatever the :emoji_zipper_mouth: Arthur is, ghosts, fairytales, more space travel, flying machines, pirates and a dollop of racism. It's not all stuff you trip over if you're on a day trip to Paris now is it?

Well said.

 

[ThomVD]

Since when is not having fantasy theming a bad thing anyway? I love how Europa Park went for the European countries theme and stuck with it. They honestly do it better and more focussed than any other park I've visited. Since I love traveling and European architecture/style/mythology, I adore the theme that Europa Park offers.

If anything lets Europa Park down, it's the fact that aside from a couple of the big coasters, almost everything else is mediocre.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I guess for me it's that theming is kind of pointless if it cannot invoke something special, something foreign and unknown. It should be exotic and transport you somewhere, be that back in time or to a far off land. European theming would be fine if the audience weren't mostly Europeans.

Europa of course has magic and fantasy laced throughout, but the vast majority of its stunning theming is too familiar and too close to reality for my taste, just ends up being a bit boring.

It's the same reason why I don't get DBGT... why would you want to experience the ****ty London underground on your day off work if you live in London? It makes no sense to me.




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[LiveForTheLaunch]

It's the same reason why I don't get DBGT... why would you want to experience the :emoji_poop:ty London underground on your day off work if you live in London? It makes no sense to me.

That is so stupid. It's not like it just simulates the London Underground and nothing more. Clearly there is more to it, and I think there's something to be said for things that can take an ordinary experience and make something interesting out of it. Granted, I haven't been on DBGT, but I know enough about it to know that it takes the regular experience of the London Underground and makes it into something scary or surreal. That's literally like saying "I live in a house, so why would I want to go to a haunted house on my day off when I live in a house every day anyway?"

 

[Ben]

You want to be transported back in time as a fantasy?

ALL the areas in Europa are set in another time. All of them. Every single one of them. None of them are a replica of a typical street in 2017 in any of their countries.

Again, see my long list of fantasies that are present throughout Europa. These aren't real life places - they're myths, legends and stories associated with Europe.

Maybe people's experiences in Europe are different I've just never seen dinosaurs in Paris, ghosts in Italy, pirates in Indonesia (lest we forget it is NOT just Europe actually) or Gods in Norway. Must have missed those parts of the tours.

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

^ You didn't see the dinosaurs in Paris? It was practically Jurassic ****ing park. In fact, I slap fived a T-rex from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

 

[Hixee]

And/or, it should be a real park, with luxurious vegetation, gorgeous landscaping and a predominance of vegetation over buildings.

Just want to come back to this point. As @Lofty and @Ben observed with me last week, there's very little vegetation in Europa. It's very bland really.

 

[Ben]

There's just not a single tree anywhere is there?

I kept thinking I was at Ferrari World it was so arid.

 

[Pokemaniac]

I kept thinking I was at Ferrari World it was so arid.

The Salou version, I presume? Reading this post of yours, I pulled up my folder of pictures from a 2015 visit to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, and in the background of one blurry picture I could make out a row of cypress trees overlooking the crappy car ride. There is also a row of palm trees around the centre supports of the dome, in total making Ferrari World Abu Dhabi a veritable rainforest compared to Europa Park.