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Just found a VERY nice video of the opening ceremony of Europa`s Splash Battle...with some very, I mean VERRRY nice ladies also

 

Clicky :

 

 

I didn`t care at all for this thing in the beginning...but it turned out to be a very nice addition to the island area...!

 

Greeds...GeorgeT

Edited by Moose
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New Trim`s on Silver Star !

 

Europa`s B&M Hyper "Silver Star" got electrical ("eddy current") brakes/trims instead of those mechanical one`s during the off season. Rumors say that this might make the operation during the winter-time possible...

 

While I didn`t test it myself yet, some reports from the german forums say that the ride just got smoother while others said that Silver Star has increased airtime now...but all the reports were positive !!!

 

I think this is some good news...

 

GeorgeT

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  • 1 month later...

Although it's one of my favorite parks, recently I didn´t have a really pleasant experience at Europa Park. They don´t allow handicapped (physically and/or mentally) people on most (if not all) of their rides. I think that might be something they could work on... Or at least give those people a bigger discount (more than 8 euro) since they can do almost nothing in the park.

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This is sad to hear...

 

Once there will be chance to talk to one of the Mack`s about it I´ll do so. They will be absolutely unhappy with this kind of review, I`m shure.

 

If the answer/reaction is worth to mention, I`ll post it here.

 

Greeds...GeorgeT

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Yeah, Menghini does have a point with the handicapped people policy at EP. Europapark ride operators say that when you cannot embark on the trains on your own, you are not allowed on the ride. The reason for this is that the ride MIGHT stop at one of the midcourse brakes, and people have to get out on their own then too, descending from small ladders, etc.

 

I was in Europapark with someone who had very poor vision (not blind), and made use of a stick to navigate around obstacles. He was not allowed on the roller coasters. Shame on you Europapark!

 

In Toverland and Efteling it is no problem for him to go on the rides at all. Ride operators will help you, and will let you go on the ride two times in a row, since it is quite an effort to get a handicapped (Blind / poor of sight) person on for example Booster Bike.

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Why is this a 'shame on you Europa Park'? I can perfectly understand their motivation for not allowing people on the ride that cannot embark on the trains on their own! It's all about safety. I think everyone agrees that we shouldn't let a 53" tall kid on a ride with a minimum length of 54" because parks shouldn't take any risks. So I think it's normal that a park doesn't want to take any risks in case of an emergency with a handicapped person on the ride. I'm not saying they HAVE to be this strict, but I'll definitely not judge them for not taking the risk.

 

There's one thing I don't understand: On the German (and English) part of the website they say that blind people and people in a wheelchair do not have to pay an entrance fee. Handicapped people that need an accompanying person have to pay 31 euro (instead of 35). But if someone's not in a wheelchair, I don't see any problem entering or leaving a train, except for a few exceptions, so they should be able to ride?

 

I think Janster's case is one of those exceptions, but personally, I'd rather not like to be involved in an emergency evacuation, where we have to evacuate ourselves, with a person that is almost blind, or someone who can't climb the staircase. Maybe Europa Park should imply a 3rd rate for those people, but their current policy is not that unreasonable either I think.

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Yeah...I guess "shame on you, Europa Park" is a little hard. I`d like to have an explanation from the park`s side before I judge here, although it`s always sad to hear of people who like/love to ride and who`re not allowed to.

 

I`d interested in Robb`s and/or Elissa`s opinion about this subject...and how other parks do handle this...

 

GeorgeT

Edited by GeorgeT
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I'd also like to hear the EP side on this. I can understand a bit why you wouldn't allow those people on rides (like iplf says), but as far as I know there's only one park that doesn't have wheelchair entrances to its rides (whether it is a dark ride or a roller coaster) and that would be Europa Park.

 

Why is it possible in many other parks and not in Europa Park? I mean: handicapped people also use public transport (like flying) or live in flats/skyscrapers, so why not riding a coaster?

 

I think you can't compare this with length/width: the trains are designed for a mean height en width of people, so if you fall below the standard deviation it's always a risk to ride whether the coaster makes the whole track or not.

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To iPIf:

First of all, if you are too small, too tall, too heavy, and you can't be secured safely in the trains, you cannot ride. That is where we all agree on. Second, yes, blind people do not have to pay for an entree ticket, we asked at the park entrance. But we thougth we were gonna ride roller coasters all day, we explained that and two of our party had to pay only 31 euro's. So Europark has a pretty decent policy so far.

 

But not letting blind people in a roller coaster is just insane. Suppose ther is an emergency what then? It wil be an inconvenience for rescue personnel. No more - no less. No life threatening situation what so ever.

 

As far as I know, Europa Park is the only park with this awkward policy.

 

In the q-line for the Dutch VOC dark ride is a sign that says it is not allowed to ride when you are in a wheel chair, WTF?! Seriously, shame on you Europa Park.

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To iPIf:

First of all, if you are too small, too tall, too heavy, and you can't be secured safely in the trains, you cannot ride. That is where we all agree on. Second, yes, blind people do not have to pay for an entree ticket, we asked at the park entrance. But we thougth we were gonna ride roller coasters all day, we explained that and two of our party had to pay only 31 euro's. So Europark has a pretty decent policy so far.

 

But not letting blind people in a roller coaster is just insane. Suppose ther is an emergency what then? It wil be an inconvenience for rescue personnel. No more - no less. No life threatening situation what so ever.

 

As far as I know, Europa Park is the only park with this awkward policy.

 

In the q-line for the Dutch VOC dark ride is a sign that says it is not allowed to ride when you are in a wheel chair, WTF?! Seriously, shame on you Europa Park.

All I was saying with that comparison is that if there MIGHT be something unsafe about a certain situation, I understand that the park doesn't want to take any risks. It's not other park's problem what Europa Park does. They're the ones to blame in case something goes wrong and they don't want to take any risks, which is understandable (I'm not saying I'd do the same!). Just look at it from the park's point of view and not from the customer. Is it really that strange that the park would rather avoid awful lawsuits and a bad reputation than make a very small % of their customers happy?

 

In your initial post you said that the reason was that in a certain situation, the riders would have to evacuate themselves, so it's not an inconvenience for the rescue team, but for the other riders and they might be in danger because of this.

 

Menghini makes a good point though, stating that handicapped people also use public transportation and enter skyscrapers etc. And I wouldn't really know how to react on it. But as long as we haven't seen their insurance policy, we can't know for the reasons behind this policy for sure, but I do think that Europa Park deserves the benefit of the doubt here.

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I think it has something to do with one accident that happened in the park. If i remember right, they had one accident in EuroSat some years ago, were one mentally handicapped man jumped out of a Eurosat train because he freaked out from the dark and the loud sounds. This is the reason why they put more lights in it and reduced the volume of the sound for years.

So maybe this is even one reason why they didn`t allow it to handicaped people...

 

The other reasons will be, like you all said the safety, and maybe the sometimes very long queue lines...

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^That's a terrible accident.

 

Hmm, it's not only Europa Park. I was scrolling some german theme park sites and they all have the same rules for blind/heavily disabled people. At Phantasialand it's free entry for those people, at Heidepark for a large discount. The regulation comes from TüV, the company that provides and checks the safety regulations for the rides.

 

I'd say that Europa Park should let those people in for a larger discount or for free... I now understand that the regulation isn't going to change. It would probably be a rule for every park in Germany.

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  • 2 months later...

In winter 2010 the EP build the "Bellevue" ferris wheel (60 meter) into the island area. But only for winter because the owner is the german fair-man Oscar Bruch. He (and his family) is the owner of Bellevue, Alpina-Bahn, Spinning Racer and a Break Dance. I think it´s great to see the park from top of the wheel.

www.epfans.info/?id=1417,13&

There are some informations of the expansion.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Yesterday died Franz Mack at the age of 89 years. He was the driving force in the construction of the park. Since 2006 was Franz Mack a "IAAPA Hall of Fame Member".

His son Roland Mack will guide the Europapark.

 

R.I.P.

 

Here is a translated article from Badische Zeitung

 

Franz Mack: A Life for the roller coaster

Franz Mack , carousel builder and father of the Europa Park in Rust , has died at the age of 89. An obituary of FC - editor Petra Kistler.

 

RUST . The Glamour has never interested him . Franz Mack was down to earth, industrious , precise and strict. A perfectionist, never satisfied with its achievements , but always full of new ideas. His confidence had to be earned - whether by his employees or son. He had a goal: He wanted to build the best technical roller coaster.

 

Mack was indeed the boss, but he understood himself as a worker . Every day he whould be standing at the construction table and designing attractions , recreational fun. And did he feel that enthusiasm himself. When Mack 1997, he designed high-speed roller coaster "Euro -Mir ", he sat down for the premiere ride in the front row - with 76 years of age. "Perfection is more important than size. " This sentence was heard by his sons Roland and Jürgen constantly.

 

The success story began in 1975 When Francis and Roland Mack visited the early seventies Disneyland in Florida, they brought the first sketches for their new business - on beer mats , designed on an evening in the pub. Not a gigantic theme park, but a place where father and son (seventh and eighth generation of a carousel company) would a showcase the rides that are still built by Mack Rides in Waldkirch.

 

Franz Mack is in line with Walt Disney

 

Back at home he shocked bankers, entrepreneurs, and even the neighbors with his idea. "Rust is a mosquito hole. " But Senior and Junior were convinced of their idea. They started with 25 employees. Today, the park plays in the upper echelon of the tourism industry. The company employs more than 3,100 employees and had annual sales of 250 million € . Back in 2006, Franz Mack was inducted into the Hall of Fame, World Association for the leisure industry - and is thus in line with Walt Disney.

 

Even after he had handed over the daily operations to his sons long ago , he was seen again in the electric car drive through the park - most recently last Saturday. His word mattered, and his two sons tried to prove to the father that the boys can do something . The age made him mild. There have been incidents that he allied himself with the five grandchildren.

 

Franz Mack, the father of the Europa Park , died on Sunday at the age of 89 years in his house in Rust.

 

MOD EDIT: edited and added a translation of a German news article

 

ADMIN EDIT: I have gone ahead and added the official press release sent to us by Europa Park on this sad passing.

 

Europa-Park founder Franz Mack passed away at the age of 89

 

Rust/Germany. On 3 October 2010 the entrepreneur and founder of Europa-Park Franz Mack has passed away at the age of 89 years. Together with his sons Roland and Jürgen, he was the thriving force for the opening and success of Germany´s biggest theme park. In 2006, Franz Mack was honoured by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) as a member in the “Hall of Fame”. IAAPA honoured Franz Mack as one of the “pioneers for the international success of leisure parks”. Franz Mack was considered an outstanding entrepreneurial personality in Baden-Wuerttemberg.

 

Franz Mack was born on 7 March 1921 as the fourth son of Heinrich and Theresia Mack. His career path started as a cartwright and coachbuilder. In 1948 he took over the responsibility of his father´s company together with his brothers Hermann and Willi. The company, which was founded already back in 1780 and famous for the construction of stagecoaches and carousels, was then relocated to a new and spacious area in the beautiful Black Forest town Waldkirch/Germany.

 

The product range of the company not only included caravans and vending trailers, but also special vehicles that are needed for carousels, go-kart tracks and multi-storey haunted houses. Numerous innovations among the fairground rides, such as the “Wild Mouse” or the “Swiss Bob Run”, made by the successful family company, were sold all over the world.

 

Today the Mack company combines various technological top performances, which have been developed due to the ingenuity of the entrepreneur Franz Mack, who was considered a great visionary in the industry. In the course of time the entrepreneur has entered the European, Anglo-Saxon and North American markets. Today Mack Rides has also established in China and the whole of Asia.

 

Franz Mack and his son Roland are the founders of Europa-Park, which opened its doors in 1975 in Rust/Germany. During his numerous business trips abroad, he and Roland Mack had the idea to build a leisure park. Still today, many of the attractions and rides which attract visitors from all over the world are conceptions of Mack Rides. Meanwhile, Europa-Park is one of the leading theme parks in the world and the market leader in Germany. Today the Mack companies have over 3,100 employees.

 

Thanks to his passion for technology numerous rides at Europa-Park bear the hallmarks of Franz Mack. Among others he has designed the dark coaster “Eurosat” (opened in 1989) and the high-speed coaster “Euro-Mir” (opened in 1997). Already in old age, he has designed and developed the model himself.

 

In addition to his entrepreneurial tasks, Franz Mack has accepted a number of honorary posts. For example he was a member of the standards committee of fairground rides of the TÜV (German Association for Technical Inspection) and a conciliator in the German Association of Amusement Parks (VDFU). Moreover, he supported numerous clubs and associations in Rust/Germany and Waldkirch/Germany.

 

Franz Mack was honoured by the German Federal President with the Federal Cross of Merit (1984) and the Order of Merit (1997). For his exemplary commitment for the public welfare, Franz Mack was appointed honorary citizen of Rust/Germany in 2001. Morevoer, he was honoured with the Golden Medal of Merit by the city of Waldkirch/Germany.

 

In 1948 Franz Mack has married Liesel Mack who passed away in 2004. He was a proud grandfather of five grandchildren. The change of generations within the company was very important for him already at an early stage: Today his two sons Roland and Jürgen together with his grandsons Michael and Thomas manage the Mack companies Europa-Park and Mack Rides.

 

Europa-Park´s managing partner Roland Mack: “Our father was a great role model for all of us until the last days of his life. He has “lived” character attributes such as humbleness, diligence, endurance, sincerity, emotionality and frankness and thus deeply influenced our family and our company.”

1039176339_FranzMack_a.jpg.408ad3a7347450dceb2ac9a6e86c267d.jpg

Edited by jedimaster1227
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For a lot of us who have toured with TPR through Europa Park,

 

we have usually, all-together proclaimed, that it is one of

 

The Best Theme Parks

 

in the world. Period.

 

Heartfelt thoughts and good feelings go out to the family, friends, co-workers, and aquaintences

 

of this great man.

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  • 4 months later...

So, hope that some of you are interested in what will be new at Europa Park in 2011 ! It`s gonna be a year with a few additions for families, especially for kids.

 

Close to the Europa Park Sea, some kind of Fairytale Forest with a Castle and a few different Houses, with Scenes of the Grimm Brothers (are they famous outside of Europe ?) will be build. Europa Park wants People to "enter" the Scenes instead of just standing in front of them...!

 

While Parts of those Houses are already build...this Artwork popped up at Europas Official Internet-Page :

 

For a better and bigger view got to http://www.epfans.info/?id=3259,13&lang=& and click on the Artwork to enlarge.

 

IT`S BEAUTIFUL ! (Very Efteling-Style IMHO)

 

Greeds...GeorgeT

Maerchenwald_Online_580.jpg.f1a2b96838ce22486b7d92e401e05cdd.jpg

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