European Theme Parks Are Next Level!

What makes a theme park good? Is it the rides, the theming, the uniqueness or a combination of all of those factors? Why are European theme parks so good? Let’s explore that on this episode of ReviewTyme.

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[ReviewTyme]

Hey friends. I’m Dom, the writer and producer of the video. I want to apologise for two glaring mistakes in this video. The first is that I refer to Europe as not being part of the western world. The second is mentioning that Phantasialand is in rural Germany. Both of these are frankly not true. I’m sorry for any confusion caused by them and thank all the people who have taken the time to correct me in the comments. My intention for this video was to showcase the amazing theme parks found across Europe. I hope that with these two comments omitted that I’ve still managed to pull that off!

[ft]

„In the middle of nowhere“ isn’t exactly how I‘d describe „on the outskirts of Germany‘s 4th largest city and adjacent to a metropolitan area with more than 10 million inhabitants“

[randomnickify]

You missed one thing: we get thing called "Winter" here meaning most (if not all) our parks are seasonal, open only 6 months per year and that impacts attendance. I'm honestly impressed our parks are growing that fast with only half year of operation time.

[svenlakemeier]

Wait, did you contrast "the western world" and "europe" as if they were separate things? That's an interesting take.

[HalfBewolktBestondAl]

Great video, but I wouldn't say Phantasialand is in 'rural Germany' lol
It's just outside of Cologne (population: 1.1M) and in a relatively central location in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area (population: 10M)

[AVdE]

From personal experience, theme parks are seen as a lesser form of holiday destination in Europe; going as far as "you're in this country/region, and you want to waste a day on a freaking theme park?" types of conversations (I've had that conversation many times, and have had to visit amazing parks by myself because my traveling companions weren't interested). With the exception of Disneyland and maybe Europa Park, you don't really go out of your way to visit a theme park which for the most part locks you to ones you can drive to, visit and drive back home from on the same day.

Europe just doesn't have the same theme park/roller coaster culture that the US seems to have, so you have to attract guests with beautiful, relaxing scenery rather than loud in your face advertising or record breaking rides that very little people care about over here

also you're right, you slaughtered quite some names in this video ;)

[ChristianJiang]

Re: the argument that Europeans live closer to many theme parks and that most of them are just a cheap flight away…

I think you’re applying an American/Australian perception of distance to the European environment. As a European, EuropaPark in Germany and Efteling in the Netherlands are sooo far away!! Even though the tickets might not be super expensive, the idea of going all the way there is already overwhelming enough

[Blast]

Europe: Crafts beautifully decorated roller coasters with fully realized storylines and theming contained to the ride itself.

America: Six Flags pooped another clone into their parking lot this summer.

[freundlichermensch]

I would argue, a strong factor are building requirements. No theme Park is allowed to build whatever they want, they have a list of restrictions. It could be noise or height restriction. The reason why Phantasiland and Alton Towers first dig a hole before building a Coaster is exactly that. Phantasialand is located next to neighborhoods and a wildlife protected area, so everything they do has to get a permission, and Noise is a HUGE Factor. All the theming around F.L.Y or Taron is a "hidden" noise barrier.
I don't wanna get political, but restrictions lead to more innovation, you cant just build taller/faster, you have to work around and make the best you can, rather than just scale it up. Think about Formula Rossa, does anyone really cares about it?

[medea]

So refreshing to see the European parks getting the limelight they deserve! 🤍
The irony is that a lot of the original Disney IP was heavily based on European stories... just drastically toned down for American audiences. From Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty to Pinocchio.... many Disney stories derived from old European folk & fairy tales and stories from the likes of the Brothers Grimm, Jules Verne & Rudyard Kipling. So when you know the rich history of storytelling & folklore in Europe it's no surprise that their theme parks deliver such a colourful, unique experience!

[blank]

Very great topic. I’m from the USA but seeing European park vlogs on YouTube I notice that their local parks care a lot more about theming then the USA local parks. They include bonus rides like dark rides or mad houses, indoor attractions with stories and that is cool!

[rct]

Fantastic video, you nailed a lot of things!
One more aspect about european family owned parks: They really care about the experience itself, not about the commercial aspect of adding IPs like Disney. That is a very strong difference! Disney might try to convince guests that they care about the experience but let's be real here: Essentially all these IPs are methods to make a lot of money from merch, food and other additonal offerings. In parks like Phantasialand they care about the attractions itself, the quality of the product is the key selling point and not which IP makes the most money!

[Fromfieldds]

The Efteling is a theme park I would go to yearly with my family. It still is my favorite theme park I’ve ever been to. Highly recommend to anyone visiting the Netherlands or Belgium!!

[RankingTheMouse]

This is legitimately one of the best videos in all of theme park YT. Seriously fantastic. Incredibly well done Dom.

[jarmoliebrand]

I’m Dutch and I visit Efteling at least once a year. I prefer theme parks over amusement parks. Great atmosphere with occasionally good coasters make for a better experience than great coasters with an occasional good atmosphere, in my opinion. A park like Efteling is a complete package. A few coasters, most of which can be enjoyed by the entire family, immersive darkrides, in which you will likely see something new everything you ride it, great music, both in the foreground and background, innovation and uniqueness (look at Villa Volta (first Vekoma madhouse and the fairytale forest, a unique core of the park), good storytelling and finally, there is a lot of greenery. Even the biggest thrill coaster is heavily themed, and more of an overall experience rather than unique thrills.

[jelmertje]

This video truly is US centrism embodied, lol. First the comments about Europe not belonging to the West, then claiming that Phantasialand is in rural Germany…

[PoseidonEntertainment]

I believe it's important that parks like this get more exposure. A theme park is not just some cheaply incorporated IP being thrown into unfulfilling experiences. If people wanted that, they wouldn't have paid the money to visit an immersive, transformational place that acts almost as a work of art. As we see Disney moving away from what made them special, other parks and especially European ones, are starting to catch people's attention. How could corporate laziness compete with the charm of Efteling or the theming of Phantasialand?

[PaddletailPhilly]

From what I've seen of them on YouTube, I can definitely say theme parks in Europe add to the continent's aforementioned man-made beauty.

[sevendam]

the Efteling is actually so old (1951) that even Walt Disney himself did pick some thing up from it before he started doing theme parks.

[joswonderland]

This video actually made me pretty emotional. I'm Dutch myself, and I'm so Incredibly proud and lucky to have grown up with so many of these parks.they all have a wonderful sense of charm to them, while also maintaining the thrill most of us love. They are catered to everyone, and tell wonderful, innovative stories through the form of rides and attractions. I love them so so much, and I'm really grateful so many non-europeans think the same thing about it. Thank you.