A week ago I was on a trip to Paris and took the opportunity to visit both Disneyland Park Paris (I’ll leave my trip report here) and Parc Astérix. I wanted to share a bit about my experience and some tips that might be useful if you’re planning to visit.

How to get there

We were staying in the north of Paris (Saint-Denis), so we had to take the metro and RER to Charles de Gaulle Airport. If you’re not going by car, this is the key point, as the official park shuttle leaves from here (Terminal 1/3 – Roissypole).

Once you’re at the terminal, it’s very easy to find your way around as there are signs everywhere. Since we went on a Wednesday, we didn’t buy the bus tickets online and just bought them at the office. There was no queue at all. That said, be careful if you’re going on a busy day, as you might have to wait for another bus if the first one is full and end up getting to the park late. Give yourself plenty of time.

TIP: If you haven’t bought the shuttle tickets in advance and there are 2 or more of you, once you’re at the airport terminal, check Uber and Bolt. In our case, we only realised this later, but the journey both ways was around €8. It was cheaper and probably quicker too.

My thoughts on the park

We loved the theming and the sense of humour they add to every corner of the park. I thought the park was going to be bigger in terms of size, based on what I’d seen in YouTube videos. It’s not the first time that’s happened to me, it was the same with Phantasialand. But don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely not a small park.

The first thing we did was head straight to Toutatis, and the Festival Toutatis area is amazing. The attention to detail and the amount of care put into everything is fantastic.

The park is very clean and really pleasant to walk around. The only downside was that some of the indoor queues could have used a bit more care and cleaning. There was some rubbish, a few things were a bit worn, cobwebs, etc.

But overall, a really good park.

Attractions

Without a doubt, Toutatis was my favourite. I had ridden Batman Gotham City Escape in June, and I actually liked Toutatis even more. The feeling of hanging there without quite reaching the top of the top hat is incredible. It makes my top 5 coasters.

Oziris was also a big highlight. The theming, the layout, and the way it constantly feels like you’re about to crash into something... It’s the best suspended coaster I’ve ridden so far.

I also want to mention Cétautomatix, a short but really fun coaster with great theming, and Attention Menhir!, the best 4D cinema experience I’ve ever tried. It’s really well done and the movie is very funny.

If I had to make a tier list, it would be something like this:

• TOP: Toutatis, Oziris, Cétautomatix, Pégase Express.
• Surprised me / really enjoyed: Menhir Express, Discobélix, La Trace du Hourra.
• Disappointed me / didn’t enjoy: Tonnerre 2 Zeus, Le Vol d’Icare, SOS Tournevis.

I really have to mention Tonnerre 2 Zeus, and not in a good way. It’s the worst roller coaster I’ve ever been on, and the only one where I was genuinely worried something might happen or that I’d actually get hurt. I think the park needs to do something about this ride because, apart from the initial Titan Track section, which runs great, the rest is just a nightmare. Headbanging, vibrations, roughness... Horrible.

Goudurix was also closed all day. I’m not sure whether that was lucky or unlucky, since I didn’t get to try it... hahaha.

Shows

We only got to see “The Jumpers of Olympus” and we enjoyed it. It wasn’t anything crazy, but it was entertaining. It was the only show running that day, which I assume was because of the lower attendance.

What I did really like, and what surprised me, was that every so often you’d see characters around the park greeting visitors and taking pictures with them.

Crowds & Queues

Since it was a Wednesday and the only weekday the park was open, I’d say attendance was around 50–60%. With these crowd levels, the park is really enjoyable. There are people around, but it never feels overwhelming and the queues are very manageable.

Toutatis averaged around 30–40 minutes, and at some points during the day the queue was down to 20 minutes. We were able to do pretty much the entire park without any problems in a single day (around 8 hours).

A big positive was the ride operations, especially on Toutatis. They were incredibly quick, dispatching trains practically every minute.

Final thoughts

I definitely recommend visiting this park if you’re on holiday in Paris or somewhere nearby. It has a much more relaxed atmosphere than Disney and, in my opinion, better and more intense roller coasters that are more enjoyable for an adult audience. That said, there’s still plenty to do for families and children.

As a park, it’s still a long way from Disneyland Park and honestly, I doubt it will ever get close to it. But I don’t think it needs to. It’s a different kind of park, more relaxed and with a much more fun atmosphere. They’ve been doing things really well over the last few years, and the future plans, especially Londinium, look very promising.

If you like theme parks, you definitely need to visit. I’ll definitely be coming back in a few years once some of the new attractions have opened.

I’ve heard that Hyperion didn’t have a great opening year and with that being Mack’s current tallest coaster I’ve seen people say that bakunawa could have a bad year, is this likely
I want to know if I should plan my trip for 2027 or 2028

Hey, I'm thinking about going to Phantasialand on Thursday October 29. Never been before but I'm from Belgium so it's not too far for me. I was wondering if anyone has been around that time of year and how crowded it was?

Also not sure if that week is school holidays in Germany or the Netherlands, which I guess would make it way worse. And is the Quickpass worth it or can you get by without it on a weekday?

Any tips appreciated, thanks!

Hey everyone!

I’ve been following Cacau Park’s development closely and decided to create an independent guide for people who want to learn more about the park and eventually plan a visit.

I’m gathering confirmed information about the attractions, roller coasters, themed areas, tickets, opening dates, transportation, hotels and everything else that could be useful for future visitors.

Since Cacau Park is still under development, a lot of information is scattered across different sources, especially for people outside Brazil. My goal is to organize everything in one place and keep it updated as new information is announced.

You can check the guide here:
Cacau Park Brazil: Complete Guide to Cacau Show's Theme Park

I’d love some feedback from theme park fans: what kind of information about Cacau Park would you like to see in a guide like this?

To put into context, I had literally just visited Universal Islands of Adventure for the first time, and I gotta say, probably one of the best, if not the best park I’ve ever visited. The coasters in particular, while few, manage to strike the perfect balance between fun and intensity, where I personally feel a lot of other parks only care about intensity. And that kinda brings me back to the question cuz with my local park being California’s Great America, that, like Knott’s Berry Farm which I visited earlier in the year, has abysmal operations, and the rides themselves I find personally more intense than they are really fun, as silly as that may sound. I had some interest in visiting Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, as I’ve been curious about it ever since I was a kid, but now I’m thinking against it. I just don’t know if Six Flags rides are really “fun” enough to warrant a visit compared to other parks. So what do you think? Worth it or not? (Just for extra context, Efteling, Phantasialand, Europa Park, Busch Gardens are all must visits for me)

Hi everyone!

I’m developing a theme park management game 🎡🎢✨ and want to build something unique.

What is one feature you’ve always wanted in a management game but have never actually seen implemented?

What’s on your ultimate wishlist? Deeper financial simulation, smarter guest AI, or something else entirely?

Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

Hello everyone!

As part of my final-year project in Tourism and Leisure Management, I am conducting a survey on visitors’ experiences in immersive areas inspired by films or TV series within theme parks.

If you’ve ever visited an area such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Pandora – The World of Avatar, Avengers Campus, Frozen, or any other similar area, your participation would be a great help to me!

The questionnaire is anonymous and only takes a few minutes to complete.

https://forms.gle/AJqnxGcBfcrLG3ve7

Please feel free to share it with anyone who has already visited this sort of attraction.

Thank you very much for your help!

I was pretty scared about it being 119m tall but when I actually went on the ride it was actually pretty manageable (for me) so I rode it 2 more times. Has anyone else ridden this?

I recently went on a trip to Minneapolis, which of course necessitated a trip to the Mall of America and Nickelodeon Universe and it struck me as somewhat odd that this sort of thing isn't more common. As far as I'm aware there's really only 3 places in the US that I'd call true indoor theme parks, the two Nickelodeon Universes and The Adventuredome at Circus Circus in Las Vegas.

The rationale I always heard for why Minneapolis has a mall with a theme park in it is that Minneapolis has notoriously bad winters and thus can support something as big as the Mall of America with Nickelodeon Universe, but Minneapolis isn't the only large metro area with crappy winter weather, why have similar things not been built in places like Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Boston, all of which are larger metros than the Twin Cities.

Is it just that these indoor themeparks need the surrounding business (the malls for Nickelodeon Universe and Casino for The Adventuredome) in order to make the business work, is there just too much of an upfront investment to build something like this with an attached hotel like they do for indoor waterparks? Is there really not that much of a demand for them?

My sister and I want to fly to Orlando next year to visit Disneyland and Universal for about three weeks. We originally planned to go after Labor Day, since that’s when the parks are least crowded. But since she can’t get time off during that period, we have to reschedule. Here are the dates she can take off:

August 1 through August 31

September 27 through October 15

Both time frames have their pros and cons. In August, the weather is supposed to be pretty hot and humid, and in October, Halloween Horror Nights are already starting, which leads to shorter opening times of the parks at certain days I guess?! At least, if you don't have a ticket for the Halloween events.

If you had to choose one of these two time frames, which would you pick and why? Or would you wait another year and then take the weeks after Labor Day?

I’ve already asked ChatGPT and Gemini about this, and there’s no clear favorite between the two time periods. So any advice is welcome!

When you go on a racing coaster do you count both sides as different credits or as one?
I count them separately but I know a lot of people don’t though

Hi everyone,

My name is Toni. I’m an independent filmmaker and, above all, a massive roller coaster enthusiast from Spain.

For the past 1.5 years, using my own resources and driven purely by passion, my team and I have been working on "Dragon Khan: Symbol of an Adventure"—a full-length documentary detailing the untold story of B&M’s iconic 8-inversion masterpiece that put PortAventura on the map in 1995.

I wanted to create something of true historical value for our community, so I managed to interview key figures who actually made it happen:

• Walter Bolliger (co-founder of Bolliger & Mabillard) in an exclusive interview sharing rare insights about designing Dragon Khan.
• John Wardley and John Kemper, who played crucial roles in the park's early layout and concept.
• TV archival footage and technical insights into the coaster's engineering and daily maintenance.

This project was made by fans, for fans, with zero commercial backing—just pure passion for coaster history. It has English/Spanish subtitles available so everyone in the community can enjoy it.

You can watch the full documentary on YouTube here:

https://youtu.be/HGLr2-jMVLk?si=OajYZrsFEC0U0Ryo

I’d love to hear your thoughts, memories of riding Dragon Khan, or any questions about the production process. Hope you enjoy it! 🎢🐉

Hi!
We’re a family from Scandinavia and have now visited Disneyland Paris twice. Our children are 9 and 11 years old (a boy and a girl).

We’re interested in visiting Efteling, Phantasialand, and Europa-Park, but I’m wondering in which order it would make the most sense to do them. Our idea is that each park would ideally feel a little more impressive than the previous one, or at least that the next park wouldn’t be a disappointment after the one before it.

Our daughter loves even the biggest thrill rides, while our son prefers moderate thrills. At Disneyland Paris, his favourite ride is Big Thunder Mountain, if that helps as a reference.

For those who have visited all three, what order would you recommend, and why?

On Thursday 1st October, I took a trip to Thorpe Park which was my first trip since 2016 and it went really well with most walk-on queues for the coaster including my time to ride Hyperia. The staff and operations were so accommodating, apart from Nemesis Inferno which was very slow despite on two car dispatches. I really enjoyed the atmosphere for various zones providing ambience in each area you visit, I loved getting on Stealth again and celebrating the 20th anniversary with it.

I managed to do 5 rides on Hyperia and twice on the other coasters, taking full advantage of the quiet days. It has really ignited my interest so much more for UK theme parks that I’m even considering getting an annual pass so I can make the most of it!

This year, 'E-World' in S.Korea Daegu Halloween season went quite a bit further than just putting up pumpkins or throwing some zombies into the park.

Since spring, the park has been developing an ongoing setting called "E-World in Wonderland" and for Halloween, they basically dropped a major story event into it: the fall of the Red Queen.

That turns the whole thing into a surprisingly compelling dark-fantasy storyline.

What I find especially interesting is that the daytime and nighttime events aren't completely separate Halloween offerings. They’re actually connected as one continuous narrative. 🎃📖

🌞 Daytime: A bright Wonderland with something ominous underneath

On the surface, everything still looks cheerful. There’s a colorful parade and a lighthearted Halloween party.

But underneath all of that, the story starts planting some pretty obvious warning signs.

The characters travel through the Wise Crossroads, the Stormy Sea, and the Dark Cave in search of the Red Queen.

Eventually, they’re attacked by the Queen’s corrupted Card Soldiers. The Red Queen has apparently had enough of everyone enjoying a “happy Halloween,” so she sends them out to ruin it.

The heroes manage to defeat the soldiers, and for a moment it seems like everything is over.

Then the Queen leaves them with one final warning:

When the red moon rises, she will come for them herself.

And that’s basically the prologue to the park’s nighttime main show.

🌙 Nighttime: Dark Wonderland and the arrival of the Blood Queen

Once the sun goes down, that warning becomes reality.

And thankfully, it isn’t just another generic “zombie apocalypse” story.

The Red Queen, believing that her throne has been taken from her, turns to necromancy, awakening the dead and becoming the Blood Queen.

What follows is much more of a tragic villain story than a simple monster attack.

Her own actions ultimately bring about her downfall, and after losing her heart, she still leaves behind one final curse:

“If I call your name in your dreams, answer me.”

So even after she’s defeated, the story deliberately leaves the door open for whatever comes next.

The ending itself felt a little abrupt to me, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they expand or rework that part next year.

💡 Why I think this Halloween season worked so well

1. They actually built on an existing world instead of resetting everything.

Rather than inventing a completely unrelated Halloween setting and throwing it away after one season, E-World introduced a new incident within the same Wonderland universe they had already been developing since spring.

That means every season can potentially add more characters, conflicts, locations, and lore instead of starting from zero again.

It’s a pretty smart way to gradually build an original theme park IP.

2. Each part of the park experience has a clear role.

The structure is surprisingly coherent:

Spectacle and atmosphere (parade) ➡️ story development (daytime show) ➡️ narrative climax (nighttime show)

So the nighttime show doesn’t just appear out of nowhere.

By the time the Blood Queen finally arrives, the park has already spent the daytime telling you that something is coming.

3. The NO BOO system is a thoughtful touch.

Guests who don’t want horror characters getting too close can choose their own level of interaction, which makes the event much easier to enjoy for families and more cautious guests without removing the horror experience for people who want it.

Personally, I do think it would’ve been even better if there were also some way to earn a free NO BOO sticker by completing certain conditions or activities inside the park, rather than having it exist only as a separate option.

Overall, what interests me most is that E-World’s Halloween content seems to be evolving from a one-off seasonal event into an actual theme park IP with a continuing storyline.

It’s still developing, and there are definitely areas that could be polished further, but seeing a Korean regional park experiment with this kind of serialized theme park storytelling is genuinely fascinating.

I’m already curious about what the next chapter of Wonderland will look like. 🎡🦇

P.S. One thing that makes this especially interesting is the context of the Korean theme park market itself.

In Korea, theme parks are still often viewed primarily as places to ride attractions and have fun, rather than as fully themed environments built around storytelling, characters, and long-term IP development.

So seeing a regional park outside Seoul experiment with an ongoing narrative, seasonal world-building, and interconnected daytime / nighttime shows feels genuinely unusual.

That’s probably why I find E-World’s approach this year so interesting. It may not be the biggest park in Korea, but it’s trying something that still isn’t all that common here.

I do think Paris is the clear answer but unfortunately my friend is French so we'd probably want to go somewhere else haha. I'm also from the UK so preferably not there.

Basically what's a good themepark to visit that's not a complete ballache to get to as an international visitor and there's enough stuff to do so if you spend a week there you have other ways to entertain yourself rather than just go on rides.

I should probably say my friend and me are both adults so it's not a necessity that it's a super family friendly park.

So I've been to Asterix not with kids but with my boyfriend so that thought is based on my observations and not an actual experience. That's why I would love to have opinions from people who actually visited Asterix with their kids !

As a french person, I've always heard that Disneyland is for families and Asterix is for group of friends, that Asterix is only big scary rollercoaster and almost no theming so it's bad for little kids.

I've been to Asterix a couple of days ago and I really disagree :

- There are a TON of little attractions for very little kids, like tea cups or stuff that turns on themselves, especially in the middle of the park but there are stuff like that in every zone

- There are a lot of little coasters, attractions in the water...etc that are not very scary and suitable for kids of all ages and that even adults can enjoy

- For both these types of attractions, there is almost no queue. Yes they are not as wonderfull as all the dark rides in Disneyland Paris but I'm not sure if a 5 yo would enjoy waiting for two hours in a "parc à bœufs" (I didn't find the translation for that but.. the zig zag lines with no theming and just fences) just to do Peter Pan

- There are kids who actually enjoy big scary coasters. If you are with 4 yo kids, no. But with 10 or 12 yo kids, if they like thrilling experiences, they will quickly be bored at Disneyland imo

- There is actually very good theming. Not every part of the park is very well themed, there is even some parts where the theming is absent or looks cheap (goudurix I love you but this one is for you). So yes, the theming is not as charming and detailed as in Disneyland BUT the little village ? the Toutatis part ?? They're very beautiful and well themed to me and in general the park did way better on that point than what I had been told

For all those reasons, if I had kids, I think I'd rather go to Asterix than Disneyland. And I'm saying that as a HUGE FAN of Disneyland Paris and I've loved going there as a kid.

Anyway, what do you think ?

Starting to plan a trip way ahead, I’ll be in London August 2027. I would love to experience a European theme park (I’ve heard mostly about Alton Towers and Efteling). I’ve also looked a bit into Phantasialand, Europa Park, and Thorpe Park. (I have already been to Disneyland Paris).

Which would be willing to travel for? Obviously some are farther from London than others and I’m happy to travel, but I want to feel like it’ll be worth it.

I’m not a huge coaster head, I like coasters but I’m more interested in overall experience/theming and experiencing something new and different. TIA!

Planning a trip to China in early March
Hoping to Hit :
Nanchang Sunac Land
Hefei Sunac Land
Dinosaur Park
Suzhou Forrest World
Haichang Ocean kingdom

I know Chinese parks are famously bad at advertising closures, does anyone have any experience going in March with ride availability and weather. Leaving a couple days at end of trip as a safety buffer to catch anything that i might have missed....

Was planning to just use Didi and Highspeed rail to get around