Sven: This might be my final theme park of the year but what a way to end it. Europa-Park in winter was a first for me, but pretty sure it won’t be my last. Get ready for a Rulantica update, Piraten von Batavia update and Christmas atmosphere in of the world’s best theme parks!
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A relaxing weekend in Rust? Of course, we couldn’t resist! First stop when you drive up to the park was a peek at the construction site of Rulantica!
Let me just say, it’s HUGE! This waterpark will definitely be something big and unique. Plus the style of the hotel looks amazing!
And let’s have a look at all the slides that are ready to be installed! The first installation are already confirmed by the park!
As you can see, it’s a large collection and we can’t wait how each of them will be themed!
But let’s wait no longer and enter the park! Europa-Park is all about the clichés, so you will see Christmas trees EVERYWHERE.
You enter the park through the traditional Christmas market which stretches all the way to the back. There you have really traditional and local crafters showing of their best pieces.
For us, there was another big novelty that we hadn’t done before: Eurosat Can Can Coaster and Valerian Coastiality. To avoid queues, we started with the latter!
6 euro later each and we were ready to board the train. In the pre-boarding room you get your headset and discover the world of the movie. Even though it wasn’t a big success, it fits the theme perfectly as you need special glasses to see the hidden world. Once ready, you walk with the headset on towards the train! Not easy at first, but just follow the instructions and you’ll do fine. The digital version of your fellow riders are HILARIOUS btw.
So was it a good ride? Probably the best VR experience I’ve had so far. Personally however I’m not a big fan of VR, because the quality is just too poor. Understandably but I’m waiting for a version that’s mind blowing.
Luckily, there’s also the new regular version: Eurosat Can Can Coaster! The ride definitely belongs in France now with the Moulin Rouge theme. Honestly, it didn’t feel as strange as expected. 
Even when you know the former version. The queue really shows that Europa-Park wants to step up their game theming wise.
The ride itself is a lot smoother than before, which makes it a wonderful family coaster to ride. As for the new theming inside the ride itself… Well, not as bad as I had heard about. But the carton Notre Dame and Arc de Triomph need to go. We’ll see what they do with it after the winter season.
During the winter season, there’s lots of extra activities because some rides might be closed due to bad weather. During this visit however, only one major ride was closed: Atlantica. Yet, it’s as usual replaced by the Bellevue Ferris Wheel.
The good thing about the Ferris Wheel: a good view on the Piraten von Batavia/Scandinavia site! Have a look on how they cleaned up well since the big fire.
The first building’s back up as Scandinavia should already reopen next year. There’s still a lot of work to do however to build Piraten von Batavia again.
For some more coasters, amazing nighttime entertainment and more Europa-Park, click here for part 2 of the report!