* ~** ThemeParks megathread **~**

johnnykilo

I really like Port Aventura outside Salou in Spain. I went there not expecting much but it really impressed me. I've been to Disneyland Paris and it's ****e. Went to Orlando - Disneyland / Epcot / Universal... the usual suspects and while they were good I dunno there's something about the independent nature of Port Aventura that really made it for me.

ScummyMan

I love Islands of Adventure, the new Harry Potter land is something else, a must see imo.

EoghanIRL

Universal and island of adventure Orlando. There right know

Galadriel

lockie1983 wrote: »

Never been heard some mixed reviews of the place and some really negative reviews of it!

I went about 5 times when Ryanair where flying into Blackpool as the flights where so cheap, I LOVED it, there's about 3-4 rollercoasters and plenty of other rides to keep you going for the day!

hdowney

Universal in Orlando for me - although I haven't been since the Harry Potter section opened

I haven't been to Alton Towers for a few years either, they have a few new rides now so might be worth another trip

Angel8ie

Universal studios is probably my favourite, haven't been there in a few years though. I was in Alton towers, port adventura and thorpe parke this year. I wouldn't go back to Thorpe parke, thought it was a bit rubbish. I've been to port adventura a couple of times over the past few years, they just got a new ride there in May, its really good!

Loughc

hdowney wrote: »

I haven't been to Alton Towers for a few years either, they have a few new rides now so might be worth another trip

Was thinking the same thing myself and there's another new ride due to open there next March as well.

Spook_ie

Universal studios and IOA........ going next year !

Angel8ie

Spook_ie wrote: »

Universal studios and IOA........ going next year !

Lucky you:) hoping to get back there soon myself

Spook_ie

yep angel8ie, we're thrilled to be going back, last there in 2005, so have been saving our cents, and not going anywhere this year in order to be able to afford it. Defo staying on site in the Hard Rock hotel for 2 nights in order to get the unlimited fast passes !!!

Angel8ie

Spook_ie wrote: »

yep angel8ie, we're thrilled to be going back, last there in 2005, so have been saving our cents, and not going anywhere this year in order to be able to afford it. Defo staying on site in the Hard Rock hotel for 2 nights in order to get the unlimited fast passes !!!

It'll definitely be worth not having a holiday this year:) is the hard rock hotel a reasonable price?

Spook_ie

Angel8ie wrote: »

It'll definitely be worth not having a holiday this year:) is the hard rock hotel a reasonable price?

No ! its not a reasonable price !!!! probably will cost me approx 280/300 usd per night (room sleeps up to 5) which is approx 240 euros, but what you get is early entry to the park (1hr before normal opening), unlimited fast passes, and being able to walk to the park in 5 mins. So, when you get a bit hot and bothered you can pop back to the hotel, freshen up etc, and head back to the park. Although it is expensive, its worth it !

Angel8ie

Spook_ie wrote: »

No ! its not a reasonable price !!!! probably will cost me approx 280/300 usd per night (room sleeps up to 5) which is approx 240 euros, but what you get is early entry to the park (1hr before normal opening), unlimited fast passes, and being able to walk to the park in 5 mins. So, when you get a bit hot and bothered you can pop back to the hotel, freshen up etc, and head back to the park. Although it is expensive, its worth it !

Woah, that's pretty expensive but I suppose you're paying for the convenience and it'll be a happier holiday. It'll be worth it to know that you can just nip back to the hotel whenever you want. Handy for food during the day too

dilallio

Busch Gardens in Tampa and Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando.

If you like Roller Coasters, Busch Gardens is the business. They have 6 top-class coasters. Also, there are plenty of other attractions for folks who don't like Roller Coasters. The park is so big, it's hard to do everything in a single day.

Universal has 2 parks side-by-side - Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The Island of Adventures is much better for younger people with fantastic rides and has the Harry Potter World and ride which is very very good. The regular Universal Studios is more laid-back and has older rides such as Jaws, Earthquake, The Terminator, but also has an amazing Simpsons Ride.

Spook_ie

Sadly for those hoping to see the jaws ride, it closed permanently earlier this year, we did it in 2005 and had looked forward to doing it again next year, but alas it is no more. I have noticed on other forums that it is possibly going to be replaced with another HP ride.

UnknownSpecies

Busch Gardens is the best for coasters in Florida I reckon. IOA is brilliant, the Hulk is something you must do, it's so epic.

The best I've been in would be Six Flags Magic Mountain in California. It's full of some of the world's most famous coasters like Superman and Goliath, one of the best days I've had.

Savman

Busch Gardens is excellent.
Islands of Adventure obviously is up there too.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is very underrated, it's a great compact park with some class rides.
Port Aventura was a Universal location until recently, so it's not really 'independent' but still a very good park
Alton Towers I wasn't crazy about, lots and lots of walking and the rides were very short. I shiver at the thought of standing in a Q for over an hour to get on a ride that is over in 2 minutes (I was there in off season so no queues, luckily).

Would be interested in hearing reports of Thorpe Park near London and the various Six Flags locations in the US, but I suspect Orlando will take some beating.

slave1

If you have young kids then Magic Kingdom else Busch Gardens in Tampa, the only pain being the drive there and back from Orlando

rossie1977

slave1 wrote: »

If you have young kids then Magic Kingdom else Busch Gardens in Tampa, the only pain being the drive there and back from Orlando

free bus from orlando to busch https://secure.mearstransportation.com/MearsExpress/BuschGardens.asp

noodlespoodles

Does anyone know if cambrills park provides bbqs.

mary21

a

SdoowSirhc

Two years ago I was in Cambrils town staying in an apartment which was fantastic. Wasn't in the Cambrils park but I passed it a few times on a bus and it looked like a nice spot. Cambrils is great for kids and Salou, Taragona and Reus are all near by. If it's your first time in the area I would say you might want to spend a night or two in the Portaventura theme park hotel. The theme park is ran by Universal studios and is divided into a few different themed areas like China and the Old West and so on with plenty of rides suitable for adults and kids alike. And there is an amazingly good water park on site too but it's a separate entry cost and I would say it's better to skip the theme park all together and hit the water park instead :P I've been to the area I think 4 times in my 16 years and I love it :cool: :P

403 Forbidden

Heya,

I am looking to head to Port Aventura this month.

Anybody recommend any good travel agent etc.

Thanks

Daisy M

Do you mean you are planning on staying in Portaventura theme park hotels or the nearby Salou area. Do not go to a travel agent book it yourself.

403 Forbidden

Daisy M wrote: »

Do you mean you are planning on staying in Portaventura theme park hotels or the nearby Salou area. Do not go to a travel agent book it yourself.

Yea gonna book it my self Has anyone used portaventuraholidays.ie They are 35 euro cheaper that the main Port Aventura site.

Otherwise ill just go with the official site

Thanks

Daisy M

From what I understand portaventura holidays is a reputable site it has a few sister companies holiday nights is one of them.

Now my experience has always been that thompsons.co.uk have always been the cheapest for portaventura I usually get half board for what the all other sites are charging for breakfast only.
Which hotels appeal to you? Feel free to ask any questions I have been there quiet a few times!!

Heres a link to thompsons site
http://www.thomson.co.uk/accom/page/search/searchresults.page

403 Forbidden

Daisy M wrote: »

From what I understand portaventura holidays is a reputable site it has a few sister companies holiday nights is one of them.

Now my experience has always been that thompsons.co.uk have always been the cheapest for portaventura I usually get half board for what the all other sites are charging for breakfast only.
Which hotels appeal to you? Feel free to ask any questions I have been there quiet a few times!!

Heres a link to thompsons site
http://www.thomson.co.uk/accom/page/search/searchresults.page

You have PM

jonnyfingers

I hate to revive an old thread but I notice the parks in Orlando are being mentioned a lot, and rightly so as they're great. But there are a lot of great parks much closer to home that deserve a mention.

Alton Towers and Thorpe Park are possibly the most accessible from Ireland and I've been to both numerous times. You will get top class rides but go on the wrong day and you can have a horrible time, long queues, ride breakdowns etc. However go on a good day with short queues and you'll get plenty of goes on some excellent rides. Both parks are missing the magic that a place like Disney or Universal has though.

Blackpool is very overlooked in my opinion and a number of reasons make it a great place to visit. Firstly they have some classic wooden roller coasters which any thrill seeker needs to experience. Go on their wooden Wild Mouse and you will come off with a smile on your face and queue up again straight away for another go. Second is the sheer number or rides there, 10 roller coasters alone, and very unique ones at that, in addition to dozens of rides of different types. It also caters for all age groups with the excellent Nickelodeon Land providing plenty for smaller kids to do.

If you do have kids Drayton Manor is a really nice family run park with Thomas Land proving really popular for them. It also has a zoo and some decent bigger rides. Plus it's very close to Birmingham so can be got to easily from Ireland.

If you look at Europe you have Parc Asterix near Paris and Port Aventura in Salou, both have some unbelievably good coasters. Germany has some top class parks with possibly the best one in Europe in Europa Park. It's the closest you'll get to Disney in Europe, Disneyland Paris included! It's huge with over 100 rides, everything from massive roller coasters to innovative dark rides, as well as great food and live shows. Getting there can be a little difficult as it's by the Black Forest but you can fly to a few airports within about an hour of the park and then either rent a car and drive to the park or get a shuttle bus. Either way it's well worth a visit if you can get there.

If you are planning a trip to America you can't go far wrong with Florida. You have easy access to a number of top parks, a special mention goes to Universal and Epcot at Disney.

If roller coasters are what you're after then Cedar Point in Ohio or Six Flags Magic Mountain in California are where you want to go. However they have so many coasters and are so popular you may not get on all of them in a single day! If you do ever get a chance, however, visit Knoebels in Pennsylvania to see a really good family run park. Also Holiday World and Dollywood are fantastic.

The truth is popular and well known parks are popular and well known for a reason. But there are some great little parks dotted around the globe which should be given a chance.

tittymouse

Hi
We are travelling to Disneyland, Paris next week for 3 days with two kids (boy 8, girl 5).just looking for some tips, advice on what to do to make the most of the time there, what to bring etc

Thanks

athtrasna

Are you staying in one of the Park Hotels or off-site in another hotel? Two different experiences.

It gets really really cold in Marne La Vallee in the winter so gloves, thick socks and lots of layers are vital. Remember you're going to be outside most of the time, and if you're standing in queues or waiting for parades you need to be well wrapped up.