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Robb & Elissa's European Adventures 2017!


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Today we made a side trip to Wiener Prater during our stop in Vienna today as it's not a place that Adventures by Disney includes in their itineraries.

 

Some of the park looked nice, some of it looked run down. Some of the ops were good. Some not so much. I get that everything is run by individual operators, but that's another reason why I wasn't a fan. Inconsistent rules and quality everywhere. And I could excuse it if they had any stand out attractions, but they don't.

 

When your BEST rides are a coaster on loan from Oktoberfest, a Boomerang with lap bars, and some other instantly forgettable Vekoma thing, you know your ride selection defines mediocrity. Yes there was a Star Flyer and a bunch of other flats, but I gotta be honest, they just looked like variations of other stuff we've seen and I wasn't interested.

 

They also had a Volare and one of the weirdest indoor spinning rides I've ever been on.

 

And then there a bunch of just “okay dark rides. I can appreciate a "good" classic dark ride, like the Coney's Spook-a-Rama, Haunted House at Knoebels or the Cave Train at Santa Cruz. But these were just your generic dark rides, and after riding about three of them, they all looked the same, and I was done. Give me a more modern Disney or Europa dark ride any day!

 

I think I wanted this park to be more like Tivoli Gardens, Liseberg, or even Bakken, but really it reminded me more of Coney Island before it was cleaned up.

 

As I said, some areas of the park DID look nice, but overall I just couldn't get into the place and I can't see it being a park I would hurry to make a return trip to. Oh! I should mention how insanely EXPENSIVE the park was! Since all the rides are owned and operated by individual operators, everything was a separate price for each ride. (Think like a permanent carnival here.) It was about 5-7 Euros per person, per ride. We probably rode at LEAST 10 to 12 rides today, so that's 150 Euros that we had to spend for a bunch of “okay” rides. Not worth it, IMO. We didn't even end up riding all the coasters or the dark rides because they were all just so "meh" that we lost interest in doing the rest of them.

 

Here's some photos & videos and I'll actually have more videos to post once we are back home with faster internet!

 

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Good morning from Vienna! Today we are at the Prater!

 

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This indoor spinning ride was...um... "something..." We'll have a POV of it later!

 

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The *obviously* officially licensed Cars Land at Prater has two rides! A roller coaster and a driving school! WOW!!!

 

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Let this go on record as the first time Kristen shot a TPR POV! Handing down the family business is happening! I can finally retire!!!

 

We are also going to count this as a junior wooden coaster since it will piss off a bunch of ACE members that can't ride it! lol

 

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So this was a Vekoma coaster pretending to be a Schwarzkopf that was better that most of Anton's rides!

 

IMG_1190.thumb.JPG.07f57fa6e215e530579043cba0749b76.JPGThis was certainly some "interesting" theming at the Wild Mouse! lol

 

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So Prater is not an official part of the Adventures By Disney trip, and honestly I can see why. 😂

 

Here's one of the funky looking flat rides here:

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This classic Ferris Wheel at the Prater is famous! It's been in movies and stuff!

 

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They have one of those Toboggan death slides here! It opens later! I'm sure there is a great chance for injury! lol

 

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So the "lap bar only" Vekoma Boomerang was actually REALLY GOOD! Why aren't these on all Boomerangs??? They don't have any padding, but that didn't seem to matter! This ride was GREAT! And yes, I'm saying that about a Vekoma Boomerang!

 

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This was… um… odd!

 

IMG_1354.thumb.JPG.7768c822a32134078deff56ef709de36.JPGAlthough you did have to walk through a cool queue in order to get punched in the face! lol

 

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Another "fully licensed" Disney attraction right? RIGHT???

 

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There are a wide variety of "Carnival fun houses" at the Prater, however like many of the other rides here, none of them really stood out. Just generic fun houses we've seen in many other places.

 

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The Scenic Railway was certainly interesting... it was mostly "scenic" and less roller coaster. It was fun, but it was nothing that special. 

 

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Guess what? GNOME BUTT!!!

 

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Höllenblitz is spending it's summer here at the Prater and it really is a kick ass spinning coaster! Fire! Water! Christmas trees! Lasers! It's got it all!!! See you at Oktoberfest in a couple of months!

 

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Normally when you hear the word "Pinfari" you run away screaming! This one was actually pretty good! But again, this is sort of the problem with this park. When one of your better coasters is considering "good" because it didn't try to murder you that's a sign you need MUCH better coasters! lol

 

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This really is the perfect way to describe a Zamperla Volare. These are terrible rides. No two ways about it.

 

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There's a lot of generic old-school dark rides here. And I mean a LOT of them! Almost too many. 

 

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It's kind of funny when a Top Scan seems so "old hat" now and no one was riding it.

 

This ride was sort of interesting looking...

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The Toboggan slide opened, and while it was super fun, it was a bummer that the conveyer wasn't faster and tried to kill people! lol That always makes for great entertainment!

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There were certainly some parts of Prater that looked a more more run down than others.

 

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There were "cheesy dark rides" everywhere. If you're a fan of these you'll go crazy. Most of them were very similar and sort of run down.

 

boobs.thumb.jpg.49101438f91b60a4f33bafb31829aa60.jpgAlthough some of them did have boobs, so there is that! (Again more reasons why I can see why Adventures by Disney doesn't recommend this place!) 😂

 

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OM NOM NOM!!!

 

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So yeah...It was just “okay.” We spent a lot of money and rode pretty average stuff.  We enjoyed our day, but it’s not amazing.

 

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Having pizza in Vienna, Austria and thinking of @scottspizzatour!

 

Click HERE for Part Seven of this report!

 

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Wow looks like this park sucks.

To be honest, it didn't "suck" it just wasn't that great. It seriously was like the definition of mediocrity. Although it did suck paying that much money for really average-at-best rides...

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It's amazing how inconsistent a park can be even if it's run by different operators.

 

this is useful info anyway, now I know not to stop there on my Euroadtrip, shame. And although I'd like to go on a lapbar boomerang I can do that at Walibi Rhone-alpes on the way. (They also have a Gravity Group woodie so)

 

Seems like this is really a park you go to mainly if you live in the area and just think "hey i feel like riding a few rides today"

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I have always found this park intriguing by seeing the crazy amount of coasters they have on RCDB. It's nice to hear that the Boomerang was great (seriously, those look even better than vest restraints!). But it's sad to hear the park was overpriced and run-down in places. Interesting report, nonetheless. Thanks for sharing as always!

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It's interesting because Vienna is such an amazingly clean and beautiful city, Prater did seem kind of "meh" and a little run down. Sure seems like they could spruce the park up or build a much nicer, bigger theme park just outside of the city.

 

We were there at night and did manage to get an interesting ride on the ferris wheel during a lightning storm though. Once we got off of that, most of the other rides had shut down for the night, so we basically just walked around, took some photos and then took the subway back to our hotel.

 

While those two weird flats looked interesting, the rest of the park just felt like a carnival. I was more impressed with the carnival ride collection at Oktoberfest, tbh.

 

Edit - Congrats to Kristen on her first official TPR POV....great job!!!

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I heard of Wiener Prater from a podcast. It sounded like a city carnival. From your photos, it doesn't look to far off. It's weird how each ride is owned individually. That has to be expensive to ride a lot. Kristen POV is the best. The rest of your Adventure has looked awesome, especially the food.

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Wow looks like this park sucks.

To be honest, it didn't "suck" it just wasn't that great. It seriously was like the definition of mediocrity. Although it did suck paying that much money for really average-at-best rides...

 

Makes sense. I'm guessing it's just different countries laws but I'm sure Disney can't like the use of their properties in a park like this.

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One question, is it like the cruise in that you choose your own port adventures, or does Disney create an itinerary for you to follow?

Disney creates an itinerary for you, but for many of the options, you can choose which ones you want to do or not do. For example, Prater was not part of their itinerary (and I can understand why after going there), but since the ship ports in one place for usually an entire day, you have plenty of time to do something on your own in a city, or go on one of the Disney organized excursions. There are some days where you can choose which excursions to do as not everyone does the same exact one all of the time.

 

And so far, all the excursions we've done are VERY well organized and have been very interesting!

Edited by robbalvey
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That's too bad about Wiener Prater, as I've always been a bit intrigued by this place. I doubt I'd make a special trip for it, but might consider visiting if I'm spending a few days in Vienna.

 

At least it really makes you appreciate parks like Tivoli Gardens and Liseberg even more.

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Disney creates an itinerary for you, but for many of the options, you can choose which ones you want to do or not do. For example, Prater was not part of their itinerary (and I can understand why after going there), but since the ship ports in one place for usually an entire day, you have plenty of time to do something on your own in a city, or go on one of the Disney organized excursions. There are some days where you can choose which excursions to do as not everyone does the same exact one all of the time.

 

And so far, all the excursions we've done are VERY well organized and have been very interesting!

 

Thank you. You already had me sold, and this makes even more sense.

We do love the Disney cruises as a family, but what I like from your trip report is that there seems to be a more "relaxed" feel to it, while still retaining what makes the cruise so good (the Disney touches). Looking forward to the next updates.

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Good morning from Slovakia!

 

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This morning we are touring castle ruins!

 

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We have stumbled upon a Slovakian army. Apparently they had a pretty wild night! lol

 

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Yay! The soldiers have awaken and are ready for battle!

 

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Oh, dear! They have recruited Kristen into their army! They have no idea what's in store now!

 

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Any adventure where the kids get to attack the parents is sure to be a hit! lol

 

The kids are learning to use their weapons. It's like the Slovakia version of Jedi Training Academy!

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Yes! We are playing real life Fruit Ninja! This is the best!!!

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These guys REALLY hate cabbage! lol (I agree!)

 

Children! March and ATTACK the parents!!! lol

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You know what makes every adventure more exciting? EXPLOSIONS!!!

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These guys were great! I really love all presentations Adventures By Disney has put together. They are fun and informative!

 

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View of the Danube River from the ruins of Devin Castle.

 

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The kids got to make coins in this coin stamping demonstration!

 

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Next up today was archery! This has been a very weapons heavy day! lol

 

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On a more historical note, we are walking through the obviously defunct "Iron Curtain" as Slovakia borders Austria.

 

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Yay! We got a bonus donkey credit on the trip!

 

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Just making sure you know EXACTLY what this trash can is for!

 

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Our day at Devin Castle was great! Very well organized activities! Kids & families seemed to love it!

 

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Oh yeah... Slovakia was a new country credit for all three of us! It's rare we all get a new country credit together!

 

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Elissa is super happy our ship is docked next to Slovakian McDonalds!!! Another new McDonald's country credit!

 

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Elissa was happy to get her Slovakian McDonalds credit! Some familiar and not-so-familiar items here!

 

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This afternoon we decided to hang out in Bratislava and take a walk around town.

 

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Yay! I got Starbucks in Slovakia! I need to start keeping track of my Starbucks country credits!

 

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Even Bratislava has Wagamama! We need more of these in the US!

 

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Slovakian Stark Tower?

 

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Champagne cocktail party on the ship! (Well, juice for the kids!)

 

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The captain & the crew have come out to say hello to everyone! The staff on this ship have been wonderful!

 

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How about some more food porn pics? Seriously the food on this ship has been fantastic!

 

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I simply cannot say enough good things about our Adventures By Disney "Adventure Guides." They add that Disney touch to an amazing vacation!

 

Click HERE for Part Eight of the report!

 

Oh yes, be sure to POST YOUR COMMENTS!!!

(we took the time to write the report, the least you could do is say something nice about it!)

Edited by robbalvey
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I get a Mc D country credit to every country I go to. I was just in Israel and not only are they serving only Kosher Food, it is really good and they had a Mc Kebap with a spicy souce that was so spicy. I loved it!

Slovakia is great, I am so happy that you are getting around a little and experience different countries. That is the fun part of travel.

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Wow, this cruise looks great. I never thought about doing a river cruise, but I may have to now. Looks like there are plenty of things to see and do along the Danube River to peak my interest. Thanks for bringing us along virtually.

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Another thing that's been interesting about this River Cruise is all the locks the ship goes through during the journey!

 

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Today is the final day of the river cruise. We are in Budapest visiting the "Great Market Hall!" Let's go see what's inside..

 

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If you want any kinds of meat or spices, this market is the place to be!

 

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Chocolate cake, anyone?

 

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Kristen wants ALL this pasta!!!

 

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Found these two guys together in the Great Market. Seems legit!

 

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They appear to really REALLY like the Rubik's Cube here! Gee, I wonder why?

 

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We found out the name of the final Star Wars movie!

 

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Just in case you forgot what city you are in!

 

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Welcome to Budapest... here's a funky building! Have a nice day!"

 

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Awesome looking bridge in Budapest crossing the Danube River!

 

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The classic Scenic Railway in Budapest still standing. It hasn't operated since 2015 but we've heard Budapest Zoo may reopen it. Any news?

 

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Our next adventure? Making Hungarian Goulash!

 

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While the adults make Goulash, the kids play in the playground!

 

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Elissa says "forget the Goulash, I'll just eat this bowl of garlic!"

 

Zip lines are awesome!

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Time for an equestrian show!

 

How many of you can ride horses standing up?

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We got in our Hungarian barnyard animals credit of the trip!

 

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...and then shortly after we ate some barnyard animals! Damn they were good!!!

 

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Here's another look at the 1926 Scenic Railway in Budapest. It closed in 2015 but hopefully Budapest Zoo will reopen it again soon!

 

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Budapest Cathedral credit! CHECK!!!

 

Because when I think "Budapest" I think "Conveyer Belt Sushi!" (Honestly it looks great!)

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Yay! Hungarian Starbucks! My trip here is complete!

 

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And Elissa got another McDonalds country credit in Hungary! Here's some of the interesting items on their menu!

 

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Budapest is a cool looking city! We just don't have anything that looks like this or has this sort of history in the US!

 

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On our final night we are going to do a tour of Budapest to see the sunset and the buildings all lit up!

 

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Sailing on a sunset river cruise in Budapest, Hungary! Watch the replay of our livestream below...

 

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But the REAL highlight of the night was the "Budapest Illuminations Cruise!"

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This was AMAZING! Check out the replay of our livestream:

 

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An Adventures By Disney tradition is a slide show of all the photos the Adventure Guides have taken on the final night of the trip!

 

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After the slide show all adventurers are given their final Adventures By Disney pin, and it's the saddest pin of the trip. "Farewell."

 

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While she looks happy here, Kristen was in tears at the end of the night as she didn't want to leave. It was sad, yes, but that's also a sign of a GREAT vacation!

 

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Wrapping up this Adventures By Disney vacation with the complete set of pins! We had such a great time! Looking forward to our next AbD trip!

 

For more information about Adventures by Disney, please visit their website: https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/

 

Oh yes, be sure to POST YOUR COMMENTS!!!

(we took the time to write the report, the least you could do is say something nice about it!)

Edited by robbalvey
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Always heard good things about river cruises and it doesn't surprise me that Disney and their partner in AMA were able to do a great job here as well. BTW: Do people still go crazy for pins? Flip them (RARE~!) on EBay and pay for the trip.

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