Phantasialand

[Benin]

22 hours ago, JoshC. said:

Some rumours are circulating that on the 14th we'll have more news.

 

Even though I had to cancel the stag do if they announce an opening for that weekend I might end up going anyway.

[JoshuaA]

Definitely gutted that I didn't get to experience FLY. But its an excuse to go back next year.

For those who have no time to read my review. I really enjoyed this park, Taron and Black Mamba are both really good coasters. I do still prefer Europa and Cedar Point. Though Klugheim is a work of art, and I hope Rookburgh continues the trend of great theming.

[Martin Doyle]

1 hour ago, JoshuaA said:

Definitely gutted that I didn't get to experience FLY. But its an excuse to go back next year.

For those who have no time to read my review. I really enjoyed this park, Taron and Black Mamba are both really good coasters. I do still prefer Europa and Cedar Point. Though Klugheim is a work of art, and I hope Rookburgh continues the trend of great theming.

 

Well. Cedar Point is simply untouchable though xD

 

Taron,Black Mamba and Chiapas are a line up that most other parks would die for!!

 

Glad to see you enjoyed the park!!

[Mattgwise]

Completely agree with your opinions there. Wish the other two parks had a Chiapas style ride though as that's certainly the best water ride there is! 

[JoshC.]

Rookburgh soft opens today, with the hotel to open a week today. 

 

 

 

The area will limit the number of people allowed in during this soft phase and is subject to closure at any time, as one would expect at such a point.

[Benin]

I hate this year.

[Matt 236]

Enthusiasts be like.

 

I think given the history of this project, opening in such a year was inevitable if I’m honest here.

[TPGG]

Hey, I'm looking to go to the park in December on a Sunday - tickets on the Phantasialand website are 54 Euros - is this the best place to buy them from?

Thanks!

[Marley]

Had only been once on a school trip all the way back in '06 and it looks like it's only gotten better over the years.

Beats the crap out of Disney Land Paris IMPO

[Matt 236]

Phantasialand are surely one of the most creative and imaginative parks out there when it comes to building new attractions and areas.

 

The amount of redevelopment they’ve covered over the last 10-15 years is stunning. Ripping out dated attractions such as old flumes and simulators, to replace them with state of the art attractions such as Chiapas and Taron.

 

All they need now is a substantial new state of the art dark ride. 

[RobF]

11 hours ago, Matt Creek said:

Phantasialand are surely one of the most creative and imaginative parks out there when it comes to building new attractions and areas.

 

The amount of redevelopment they’ve covered over the last 10-15 years is stunning. Ripping out dated attractions such as old flumes and simulators, to replace them with state of the art attractions such as Chiapas and Taron.

 

All they need now is a substantial new state of the art dark ride. 

  
they have one ……

[JoshC.]

They may have one in Maus au Chocolat, but I think that a new dark ride is what Phantasialand needs most now. Especially with the closure of Hollywood Tours, and the fact that the China dark rides aren't exactly great...

[Matt 236]

7 hours ago, RobF said:

  
they have one ……

Don’t get me wrong, Maus Au Chocolate is a relatively fun and decent dark ride. However I still feel the park is in need of something a little bigger that really stands out as a flagship experience.

 

Would love to see Phantasialand pull something out of the hat on the likes of Symbolica or Mystic Manor. Space and resources however may suggest otherwise. 
 

Depending what happens with the currently closed Hollywood ride, the only other option is probably to replace Geister Riksha. Assuming further land is not available.

[Matt 236]

And cut. It looks like Hollywood tour is no-more.

 

The park have removed all mention of the ride, which has remained closed since 2020. According to Towerstreet, the park’s guest services team have confirmed the closure.

 

The ride was dated and famous (for maybe the wrong reasons), but I’ll miss it a lot for it’s weird and bizarre traits. 
 

The park really could do with a new dark ride, and this would be the ideal place for it. Pity Fantassima exists and still needs a new home, given it’s the weak link holding that area from being redeveloped.

[Benin]

Literally couldn't care less.

 

That and Nighthawk going would open some fantastic potential with a revamped Wuze Town.

 

More sad about Geister going tbh. I'd prefer that to be updated rather than binned.

[MattyB]

So I visited Phantasialand for the first time recently.  We did a road trip and took in Efteling, a Center Parcs and Phantasialand.  

 

First off, F.L.Y and Rookburgh.  Wow!  My jaw dropped when we walked in through the hotel entrance.  The area is stunning, the level of detail reminded me of the level of detail at Disney Sea.  The way the coaster interacts with the land is amazing.  Loved the various elements (steam coming out of the manholes, the zeppelin, train etc).  I found F.L.Y to be a bit more intense than I had anticipated, however the ride was smooth, and I loved the small  dark ride section at the start. Both launches were great, and the near misses were very well done.  The IMAScore soundtrack tops off an amazing experience.

 

Taron - this ride was insane, and I can totally see why so many people love this coaster.  Again, the area theming is stunning and the ride just keeps on giving.  Both launches took me by surprise at how powerful they are.  Its one of the few coasters I've ridden where we got off and ran straight back round for another go!

 

Black Mamba - again, theming was stunning.  I found this ride reminded me more of Nemesis Inferno rather than Nemesis in terms of intensity, however was a decent ride.

 

Colorado Adventure - this took me by surprise at how crazy this ride was.  Was expecting a tamer Thunder Mountain, however the part in the dark took me by complete surprise.

 

Winjas - these were fun, loved the trick track sections and the elevator style lift system.  Again, the area theming was very good.

 

Maus au Chocolat - having ridden Toy Story Mania I wasn't sure if this ride would work as well, however it was very good, and the level of theming in the queue line and ride was amazing.  I think this ride type would do very well at Alton Towers.

 

Geister Ricksha - I do love the old school omnimover attractions, and we got to ride two on this trip (the other being Carnaval Festival at Efteling).  Would say Geister Ricksha is definitely showing its age, however was nice to see a different take on the haunted ride theme.  The China area of the park was stunning.

 

Talocan, Chiapas and River Quest were all closed for maintenance/cold season.  We didn't do Crazy Bats as I'm not a fan of VR on rollercoasters (I had a bad experience on Galactica).  We also missed Raik (as I'm getting on in my years going backwards on a coaster is not as fun as it used to be haha) and Mystery Castle (the person I was with doesn't like drop rides, however I will probably ride on my definite revisit).

 

General Park - so, the toilets in the Berlin area are probably the best theme park toilets I have ever seen .  Park ops were pretty decent, staff were friendly and helpful.  Park was spotless in terms of rubbish and graffiti.  I do love the fact that each area is screened off from the other which adds to the immersion, and can totally see why they have won the amount of awards it has.   Park was very quiet with 5min waits for most things. 

 

Loved their version of "Main Street", the waffle place was delightful.  And being able to sit along the street and soak in the atmosphere was very cool.  They were setting up for  Wintertraum, and it looked amazing. 

 

One of the things I think the park could improve on is its merchandise.   It felt a bit lacklustre.

 

We stayed at the Charles Lindbergh Hotel for 1 night.  Thought the price was quite reasonable considering it included 2 days park entry, x2 F.L.Y priority passes each (even though we didn't need to use them), a 3 course dinner and breakfast.  Also the views from the hotel were stunning.  Unfortunately we couldn't walk around Rookburgh at night as they were testing the light show for their winter event, however we had awesome views from the observation point at the top of the hotel.  The bar/restaurant was excellent, and the outdoor section of the bar gave some amazing close up views of F.L.Y.

 

All in all, an amazing park, can't wait to see what they do next!

[Matt 236]

This weekend I returned to Phantasialand,  almost 6 years after my last visit  and 8 since my last Winteraum. So a return was probably largely overdue. 

First things to say are  just how stunning the park looks, not only in winter but overall. The glow ups to Africa, Mexico and Berlin look great. 

The Winteraum event was just as spectacular as I remembered, from its stunning night time and stage shows to beautiful winter decorations throughout the park. 

The (new for me) Rookburgh area looks spectacular and arguably amongst the best park areas ever created. Whilst FLY isn’t my top coaster, it’s still a spectacular ride and feels more of an experience than a coaster. The perhaps extreme security measures are the only thing I can really fault. 

 

As for the rest of the park, Taron was just as great as I remembered (if not a little better), Chiapas delightful and still enjoyed Black Mamba, Colorado, Winjas, Maus and Mystery Castle. 

 

Now the negatives, as great as the park is, I cannot help but feel just how busy and overcrowded it becomes, especially around the shows in the evenings. The park is clearly attempting crowd control measures, but it felt rammed to the rafters at times. 

 

Crazy Bats & Geister Riksha feel like the weak links in the park currently, with Geister featuring many broken effects, poorly synched audio and a general sense of fatigue, as if the park are waiting to rip it out. 

 

For the second time running, my VR broke on Crazy Bats, as the monitor crashed and rebooted at the start of my ride. The park just needs redevelop that whole area of the now because it really sticks out, especially with the abandoned Hollywood ride sealed off. It would be the perfect site for a large scale modern dark ride and  more. 

 

Stayed in Matamba this time, had a park view (could see some of Mamba) and a tasty breakfast and dinner meal. Only setback was the service at dinner left something to be desired.   

 

Overall, it’s easily amongst the best festive events at any European park and feels magical in numerous ways. The vast amount of crowds and demand are the only thing I can fault here. I won’t be leaving it another six years for Winteraum, let alone the park!