Danica's Thoughts :): theme park

Showing posts with label theme park. Show all posts

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Movie Park Germany

During the summer we like to make a trip over to Germany and spend a day at Movie Park. It has fairly reasonable prices, and there is generally some kind of coupon or discount if you look for it.

Besides the decent prices there is plenty for the adults and adventurous kids. There are at least 7 fast rides including roller coasters that even the little ones can go on. Our daughter went on her 1st intense roller coaster at Movie Park when she was 3! (She's a bit of an adrenaline junky... she went on Space Mountain at Disney when she was 4!)

Our daughters favorite part of the entire park is Nick Land of course and the Dora log flume is top of her list. For the less adventurous kids there are slower rides, two playgrounds, and a handful of shows. The parade is on the weak side, but the character show & stunt show are worth it. And of course there is plenty of yummy treats along the way.

For the adults there are 3 large roller coasters and 4 other intense rides. And for the entire family a couple 3D/4D rides. My favorite ride is definitely the Van Helsing rollercoaster, it's fast & partially in the dark so you never know which direction you'll go!

The park tries to convince you to return for a 2nd day, but I feel you really can do everything in 1 day if you're willing to buy a Speedy Pass. Instead of waiting 1 hour per ride, you can whip through the park not missing a thing. We highly recommend the Speedy Pass, we've tried both Silver & Gold... you just have to read the details and decide which one works for you.

This time at the park my husband convinced me to go on one of these trampolines that soars you high in the air thanks to harnesses. He would have done it himself but he weighed too much, see it's actually for kids but I met the weight requirements and convinced them to let me on. And to be honest, wow, it's a little scarier than you imagine. I pictured Cirque Soleil, and instead I flew around uncontrollably for a while. Then went I attempted front flips, I ended up just screaming and wimping out halfway through. But then I built up the nerve and finally did a back flip! Once you get the feel of it the back flips are pretty easy. (You can use your arms to pull yourself up & over.) I would do it again, and definitely recommend it to the older kids!

So if you're ever in the area and looking for a fun summer day out, head over to Movie Park Germany! (Only say summer because of the fun water rides, not something you want to miss out on because of the winter cold.)

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Monday, December 30, 2013

Winter Fun

Each year around Christmas we try and pick out two unusual activities to mark the holidays. (Holidays = Christmas, New Year, & vacation from school & work... there's a lot to celebrate.) Last year we went to the Winter Christmas Circus here in Eindhoven and to see Disney on Ice.

And since we enjoyed the circus so much, we were sure to book tickets again this year. The "Kerst Winter Circus" is 3 hrs long, which is a lot to ask of little kids, but between the entertainment and bringing friends along the time flew by for our 4yr old. My husband & I thoroughly enjoyed the acts this year... laughing at the clowns (David Shiner & Jose Michel Clowns) and in awe of some of the difficult acts (Oktay Novruzov & Andreis Jacobs Rigolo). But the one that stuck out most in our mind were The Astronauts, I can only compare them to an amazing tight rope act but on a wheel, you really should just look them up! Of course there was everything a circus needed... balancing acts, magicians, and acrobats. If you're near the Eindhoven area, you really should think about attending when the winter circus rolls around again next year.

Besides a fun afternoon at the circus we spontaneously went to the Efteling. It's a pretty famous theme park here in The Netherlands. We have never been in the winter and we actually enjoyed it a lot more than the summer. The cold, the extra activities like ice skating, and the early sunset added to the feel & mood of the day. There was something for everyone, young & old! It was insanely busy but since we went with such a large group we were able to entertain ourselves in all the lines. The young kids loved the fairy tale woods & ice slide, the older kids loved the rides of course, and the parents enjoyed the train & water show (Aquanura) rounding off the night. By the time we finally all made it home some time after 10PM we still had smiles plastered on our faces, it was worth the trip & money. And considering when we woke up we had no idea we were going, it made it even more special.

As usual I've included a couple pics! Did you do anything extra special this holiday season?