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Europa Park | Rulantica Extensions | Waterpark | 2023

Magic-Man

Mega Poster
Oh my bad. Perhaps they are? I can't actually see anything that resembles groundwork in the video tbh but I take your word for it. I did hear that they're pretty eager to get the new accommodation built so I guess it would make sense? Could also be major landscaping work too?
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If you look over on the left you can definitely see some major construction. Not sure if that's for the new water slides or something else.
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
There's still a lot of the outdoor area and landscaping right down to Kronsar that's incomplete and still being worked on. No Phase 2 work yet. They want to see how well it does first before committing to another large investment like that.
 

Ethan

Strata Poster
Just out of interest, how much land to the Macks/Europa Park own, besides Europa Park itself and the Rulantica area (incl. expansion space)? Do they own anything else? Could we expect a third gate at any point?
 

cookie

Giga Poster
Just out of interest, how much land to the Macks/Europa Park own, besides Europa Park itself and the Rulantica area (incl. expansion space)? Do they own anything else? Could we expect a third gate at any point?
There was an image from a few years ago showing they were looking to acquire land spanning all the way from Rulantica to the Autobahn 5 to the east.

rul_konzeptzukunft.jpg


Not sure if anything came out of that but it'd be larger than the main resort itself.
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
Rulantica opened today!



And they've already starting teasing a new VR experience for next year. It had been previously mentioned they did wish to add a VR attraction in the water park so it seems to definitely happening.

Roland Mack in an interview recently again spoke about the future of Rulantica and alluded that the planned next hotel beside it may be coming sooner than expected:
The new hotel next to "Rulantica", is basically already too small again, which annoys the Macks. Although the adjacent indoor water park was not open at all, the 1300 beds in the "Kronasar" named house were already 93 percent occupied in summer, the businessman calculates - and afterwards states: "We have to think about other hotels relatively quickly."
Source
 

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
You know you're pretty damn prepared when you already have construction for an expansion ongoing while the place first opens.
EDIT: Oh, it's just theming work. Bruh.
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
Just some more information about the YULLBE VR attraction that was teased - it will be housed in the Rulantica building but is not actually part of the water park. It will be pre-booked midway attraction for the resort.

The newly opened Rulantica Water Park will be the testing environment for a novel virtual reality experience in 2020. Visitors should be able to immerse their entire body in a virtual environment and explore it interactively.
The novelty 2020 in Rulantica should be nothing less than "the ultimate virtual reality experience", with which the "barriers of life" can be overcome. The prototype is being developed under the name "YULLBE" by Mack NeXT GmbH & Co KG, a company of the Mack Group, which operates both the Europa Park and the Rulantica Water Park.
According to Sven Meyer, director of Mack NeXT, "YULLBE" is one of the company's most important projects to date. The name is a play on words from English "You will be" and denotes the idea that you can be anything. "It basically describes what we are aiming for with our new VR experience: a completely new but also very variable experience," says Meyer.

The new virtual reality experience in Rulantica will be entered via a separate entrance via the entrance hall of the water park. There, visitors who have previously booked the experience for a specific time, are equipped with the necessary equipment: a small backpack with computer, a helmet with virtual reality glasses and headphones and microphone and hand and foot tracker. This is how the whole body is to be imaged in the virtual world. In two to three minutes, visitors should be fully prepared for the upcoming adventure.
Visitors should be able to move freely in a virtual, computer game-like world. Up to eight people per group can share the experience of sharing tasks together in the virtual world. Around 50 visitors per hour will be able to experience "YULLBE" in Rulantica. For the new virtual reality attraction there are two rooms with 200 square meters and 100 square meters of space available.
Source

Michael Mack did actually tease the new headsets for this back in May on Twitter.

Should be interesting to see how well something like this does as part of the resort offering; and I'm intrigued to see what its like - I'd assume its the next step with their free roaming technology used on Valerian in Europa Park itself (which is a great attraction that highly I recommend btw ;) #workplaceplug).
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
Rulantica's first expansion will already be coming soon the park have confirmed. The outdoor area will be extended with an opening planned for April 2021.

Europa-Park announced further investments at the CMT tourism fair in Stuttgart. Among other things, the outdoor area of the new Rulantica water park should continue to grow and open in April 2021.

450,000 square meters of space, 25 attractions, including 17 slides, its own themed hotel, an investment volume of 180 million euros and a lot of encouragement from visitors: Rulantica, the new indoor water world of the Europa-Park, opened at the end of November, impresses with impressive Numbers and great offers.
The expansion of the park with the new water world has made them into a “24-hour entertainment company”, said Engelbert Gabriel, spokesman for the management of the Europa-Park, during the Rulantica day on Wednesday at the CMT
The first plans for the construction of a water park began 25 years ago, said Michael Kreft von Byern, director of Rulantica. During the planning and after intensive market observation, they consciously decided against sandy beaches and palm trees for the Scandinavian appearance of the water park. The concept was supplemented by the Kronasar themed hotel, also in the Nordic style.
Thanks to the new hotel and other accommodation options, Europa-Park now has a capacity of 6,000 beds. Gabriel is very satisfied with an occupancy rate of over 90 percent. On average, the guests stayed 1.4 nights. In the coming years, the aim is to increase this value to an average of 1.7 overnight stays. A not insignificant part of the nights in the camp resort contribute. Here, too, the park plans to invest in expansion in the coming years.

Rulantica is growing
The same applies to Rulantica: the outdoor area of the new water park is to grow and open in April 2021. Kreft von Byren also had a tip for all Rulantica visitors: “Anyone who stays in one of our hotels has earlier access to Rulantica. Otherwise, we recommend using the time after 5 p.m. - it is quieter and more relaxed. "
Source
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
Ground preparation and clearing work is now underway behind Rulantica for the 2021 outdoor expansion. A number of markers are in place behind Vildstorm on a flattened section of ground. Construction work is set to start next month.

The park have confirmed 2 new themed areas will be added: Svalgurok - "Action for the whole family with many new slides and will be Germany's largest water playground" and Snorri Strand with slides and water fun for young children.
 

VonRolland

Hyper Poster
Are there any further plans for expansion after this expansion? Also how's the new hotel coming along? Any idea what its theme is or when it'll be open?
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
Are there any further plans for expansion after this expansion? Also how's the new hotel coming along? Any idea what its theme is or when it'll be open?
They intend to expand it a great deal. A concept graphic was shared in earlier in this thread. They will gradually add more and more to the outdoor area, and eventually another calm shaped hall to double the indoor space. There's plenty of land reserved for expansion, and the park's development plan is intended to sustain the resort for the next 30 years.

As well as the two new outdoor areas for next year, a new relaxation and sauna area separated from the busy main hall will be added in existing rooms left empty for this future development. The large windows of these rooms can be seen above the Lumalunda restaurant in the park.

Another hotel beside Kronsar is planned, and given the high occupancy Kronsar had in its first summer without Rulantica even being open yet, the park accelerating these plans seeing a desperate need to further increase the number of rooms in the resort. The future 7th hotel will also have a Scandinavian theme fitting with Rulantica.

Of course though given the times we live I would not be surprised if, beyond the new 2 outdoor areas and the relaxation area which work is already underway for, that some future developments certainly the hotel will be somewhat postponed.

With the current 5 phase reopening plan set out by the state of Baden-Wurttemberg it looks likely that Rulantica might not open again until September; missing its first ever summer season.
 

VonRolland

Hyper Poster
They intend to expand it a great deal. A concept graphic was shared in earlier in this thread. They will gradually add more and more to the outdoor area, and eventually another calm shaped hall to double the indoor space. There's plenty of land reserved for expansion, and the park's development plan is intended to sustain the resort for the next 30 years.

As well as the two new outdoor areas for next year, a new relaxation and sauna area separated from the busy main hall will be added in existing rooms left empty for this future development. The large windows of these rooms can be seen above the Lumalunda restaurant in the park.

Another hotel beside Kronsar is planned, and given the high occupancy Kronsar had in its first summer without Rulantica even being open yet, the park accelerating these plans seeing a desperate need to further increase the number of rooms in the resort. The future 7th hotel will also have a Scandinavian theme fitting with Rulantica.

Of course though given the times we live I would not be surprised if, beyond the new 2 outdoor areas and the relaxation area which work is already underway for, that some future developments certainly the hotel will be somewhat postponed.

With the current 5 phase reopening plan set out by the state of Baden-Wurttemberg it looks likely that Rulantica might not open again until September; missing its first ever summer season.

That's good to hear and i wish them the best with that, we know how much local land they own currently?
Was there plans to extend the monorail up to Rulantica/Kronsar at some point or did i miss hear that from somewhere?
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
That's good to hear and i wish them the best with that, we know how much local land they own currently?
Was there plans to extend the monorail up to Rulantica/Kronsar at some point or did i miss hear that from somewhere?
Yes Mack Rides are working on plans for a monorail link up as they've already deemed the shuttle bus service to not be sufficient.

The suggested graphic for the Rulantica expansions - other the second hall and hotel the rest is place holders/suggestions rather than exact plans.
1573475424832.png

Overall the land EP owns - orange Rulantica and its expansion space; and on the other side of the road between it and the motorway land earmarked for the future.
20200410_152506.jpg
 

Rupert

Mega Poster
Yes Mack Rides are working on plans for a monorail link up as they've already deemed the shuttle bus service to not be sufficient.

Overall the land EP owns - orange Rulantica and its expansion space; and on the other side of the road between it and the motorway land earmarked for the future.
20200410_152506.jpg
I imagine the Macks have already considered this and ruled it out, but given the land they own between Rulantica and the motorway, I wonder whether there was a possibility of extending the monorail to Ringsheim train station to make the connection easier than the shuttle buses which can be super full in the morning. I doubt it would happen due to very high cost including building over the motorway, and relatively low ridership probably compared to between the parks and hotels.

Amazing to see how much land they own though, and that eastern area is basically the size of the main park! Have they ever said what it’ll be used for? A second park? I’d imagine that that’s probably just one investment too big for the family alas.
 

Geeky Pastimes

Mega Poster
I assume it's like what Disney do with WDW and Paris and the land has been bought just to stop development there that could interfere with what they want to do.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
 

JammyH

Hyper Poster
I wonder whether there was a possibility of extending the monorail to Ringsheim train station to make the connection easier than the shuttle buses which can be super full in the morning.

I heard somewhere that the park actually wanted to build a train track between Ringsheim and the resort, so that guests would be able to ride the train direct to the park, rather than having to get off and then take the shuttle bus.

With Rulantica soon planned to be connected to the main park via monorail, I assume this extended train track would supposedly run to the Rulantica resort where guests could transfer to the monorail to the main resort.

Not sure how feasible or viable this plan exactly is though, I just heard it floating about somewhere
 

roomraider

Best Topic Starter
From what I remember from the backstage tour I did last year of the park and water park they were actively looking at a number of options for the train station. Including getting their own station or running a monorail to the current one.

They were in discussions with the local authorities about the possibilities. That was coming up for a year ago now so it's possible things have moved forwards a bit one way or another but there were no firm plans then. Just a number of proposals.
 
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