Europe Trip Advice

All three properties are incredibly well themed and my only advice is to not try to rush through everything and check things off like a box, take your time to truly enjoy them. These are not parks where you go just to go on the rides and leave if you want to make the most of your experience.

Phantasialand is relatively small so you can do that in one day, but with DLRP and Europa you should spend at least 2 days at each property if not more. Europa is a huge park with a lot of attractions, but I will say I enjoyed walking around and exploring the resorts there as well as they are incredibly well themed. The "vibe" of the Europa property is very different from a normal park because its owned by the Mack family, not a big soul-less corporation. You can definitely tell by being at Europa that it just feels different from every other major park for that reason.

For Europa i'd expect the three longest lines to be Voltron (their newest and best coaster), Arthur (a really great family coaster/dark ride hybrid), and Voletarium (flying theater ride similar to Soarin).

Phantasialand is amazing, one of the best parks in the world in my opinion. It is a tight, compact park, but you're fully surrounded by the highly immersive theming throughout the property. The park opens an hour before the rides start running, so I'd recommend getting there early and lining up at your first attraction of the day. I would probably recommend going for Taron first, followed by F.L.Y. and Maus au Chocolat in the Berlin area, then work your way around to the park's other major attractions in whatever order makes the most sense. You're probably okay with one day here as I found the longest lines to be 30-45 minutes, but do be prepared for it to be a very full day. If you can do a day and a half or even two days, it will allow you to not rush around the park, but is not essential to get in everything.

Europa Park is a bit overrated in my opinion, which means while I still think it's a good park, I don't think it's the best in the world and enjoyed a few other German parks more (including the above mentioned Phantasialand). The number of attractions at this park is absolutely massive, and you need a minimum of a day and a half for it, with two full days preferable if possible. Park hours are a bit weird at this one...the Germany area at the front of the park (including the very popular Volatarium) opens about a half hour early, and the closing time isn't determined until mid-afternoon at which point it will be posted at all attractions. My only visit to the park was before Voltron was added so I'm not sure of the best strategy, but I'd probably try to do that one as soon as the rope drops on one day of your visit, then head for France and Switzerland after you get off (each of the areas are themed to countries). On your other day, I'd prioritize Iceland and the Arthur indoor section for your first stops, then explore from there. Europa Park's operations are insanely fast so the longest lines are often only 30-45 minutes here, but they do offer a free virtual line service on a few attractions that can be used to book a return time for a shorter wait (don't miss your window, however...they're strict). Lastly, if you're a waterpark person, I highly recommend getting an evening ticket to Rulantica on one of your days, as that place is one of the best waterparks I've ever experienced.

Disneyland Paris I haven't visited in a long time (my only visit was on a family trip in 2012) so I'll leave the tips for others who have visited more recently, but I remember enjoying Disneyland Park quite a bit (Walt Disney Studios Park sucked, but we only spent two hours there as time limitations meant we only had one day for both parks). Like any Disney park in the summer, be prepared for 1-2 hour waits for E-ticket attractions, though these parks also have quite a few walkthroughs that rarely get a line and can be used to fill in gaps between the bigger waits. I'd say three days minimum to fully explore both parks, but if you have the ability to do four or even five days you might still find it worthwhile depending on how into Disney you are.

The EU (and still the UK) have excellent consumer protections for delayed/cancelled flights. These apply on all flights within the EU/UK, and all flights leaving the EU/UK, but on flights into the EU/UK they only apply on EU/UK airlines… so fly home on any airline you like, but flying into the EU/UK, you should always choose an EU/UK airline if you can.

I visited them a couple of years ago, and stayed on resort for all 3. I had 2 days at Phantasialand, 3 days at both DLP and Europa. I found that was plenty of time, but would not have wanted to spend less time. It was just perfect for all 3, to get everything done. There are some great shows at Europa and Phantasialand, so try to fit those in as well.
I went in May/June when the kids were still at school. The summer months will be very busy, so be prepared.
If you have the time, try and get to Efteling and Plopsa. Both are excellent, but Plopsa has Ride to Happiness, so if your a coaster enthusiast, make that a priority.

Im hoping to go back in a couple of years, but I'm going to prioritize the UK, with Port Aventura and Energylandia on my list of to-dos.

Have fun, and if you can learn a few words of the native language, it goes a long way with the locals. Even if it's just hello and goodbye.