* ~** ThemeParks megathread **~**

bajer100

We went to Portaventura twice last year. We went for a week in July and had such a good time that we returned for another week in August. The new B&M hyper-coaster, Shambhala is excellent. We stayed in The Caribe hotel as it was the best value. We went with directholidays the first time, but the second time it was cheaper to do it DIY, booking the hotel with alpharooms. We flew into Reus with Ryanair, but the return flight was very expensive so we flew home from Barcelona. If you are staying in one of the on-site hotels I would recommend getting the Express Pass which cost €49 per person last year. This pass is only available if you are staying in one of the site hotels and is valid for your entire stay. If you are not staying in one of the on-site hotels, the cost of the Express Pass is €49 per day! Park Entry is also included when you stay at any of the site hotels - regardless of who you book with. Entry to the aqua park is generally not included - unless you book with a travel agent, but you do get 50% off.

I wouldn't bother going into Salou - I thought it was extremely tacky. I took a trip in on the first day to stock up on provisions, and didn't bother returning.

We're also looking at Gardaland for this year, but are leaning more towards Mirabilandia which is only a couple of hours away from Gardaland (and doing a day trip to Gardaland). Mirabiliandia has two world class coasters - iSpeed and Katun. It also has the Mirabeach waterpark.

Wonda-Boy

bajer100 wrote: »

We went to Portaventura twice last year. We went for a week in July and had such a good time that we returned for another week in August. The new B&M hyper-coaster, Shambhala is excellent. We stayed in The Caribe hotel as it was the best value. We went with directholidays the first time, but the second time it was cheaper to do it DIY, booking the hotel with alpharooms. We flew into Reus with Ryanair, but the return flight was very expensive so we flew home from Barcelona. If you are staying in one of the on-site hotels I would recommend getting the Express Pass which cost €49 per person last year. This pass is only available if you are staying in one of the site hotels and is valid for your entire stay. If you are not staying in one of the on-site hotels, the cost of the Express Pass is €49 per day! Park Entry is also included when you stay at any of the site hotels - regardless of who you book with. Entry to the aqua park is generally not included - unless you book with a travel agent, but you do get 50% off.

I wouldn't bother going into Salou - I thought it was extremely tacky. I took a trip in on the first day to stock up on provisions, and didn't bother returning.

We're also looking at Gardaland for this year, but are leaning more towards Mirabilandia which is only a couple of hours away from Gardaland (and doing a day trip to Gardaland). Mirabiliandia has two world class coasters - iSpeed and Katun. It also has the Mirabeach waterpark.

NOOOO dont give me more options to look at :D
Excellant stuff, thanx for the input. I will have a look Mirabiliandia aswell, regardless of where I go it will be cheaper then Florida with Universal or DL tickets.

naughtysmurf

Daisy M wrote: »

There is a huge varience in price between sites, what was the site where you got the first price?

In regards to staying in Salou for cheaper, you could not pay me to stay in Salou too built up and lucky for my liking. Yeah, bit of a kip, I'd probably choose Cambrils or Tarragona as a base if staying off-site

Nautysmurf I will update this thread just for you in July!! I havent been to Florida but will be able to compare it to PA.

Good stuff, or a trip report, haven't been able to find suitable (for us) accom at Lake Garda, 2 bed apt, nice pool, quiet etc

What puts me off PA along with the cost is all of us in one hotel room, it wouldn't work, not for two weeks anyway, might investigate a week on / week off

Comparing Florida to PA is like comparing apples & oranges, price up staying on-site at Universal for two weeks :eek:

Blissy

I've been to both Gardaland and Portaventura and I preferred Gardaland.

Wonda-Boy

Blissy wrote: »

I've been to both Gardaland and Portaventura and I preferred Gardaland.

Could you tell us why please? It would be great to get an insight into why you dislike one over the other

Blissy

I dunno if this is true but I felt that Gardaland was bigger and had better quality rides. The only good rides I thought in Portaventura were the dragon rollar coaster and the condor though it has been several years since I've been there so things could have changed. Gardaland had several rollarcoaster and was less orientated towards children as portaventura. I didn't get a chance to go to any of the water parks but as someone already said there is a fairly big one next to Gardaland also along with a smaller movie based theme park. If you have money to spend I would definitely got to Lake Garda, its a beautiful place, really safe and there is so much more to do then staying in Cambrils or Salou but it is expensive accomodation wise.

Daisy M

naughtysmurf wrote: »

Good stuff, or a trip report, haven't been able to find suitable (for us) accom at Lake Garda, 2 bed apt, nice pool, quiet etc

What puts me off PA along with the cost is all of us in one hotel room, it wouldn't work, not for two weeks anyway, might investigate a week on / week off

Comparing Florida to PA is like comparing apples & oranges, price up staying on-site at Universal for two weeks :eek:

Not sure if this would suit your criteria but Bella Italia hotel have apartments. This is a large complex attached to Bella Italia camp site but apparently has its own facilities and the camp site does not intrude on hotel but hotel guests can use site facilities.

Then there is Belvedere which is owned by the same company but is I think separate. We looked at booking this but it had to be sat to sat in July and August which didnt suit.
http://www.camping-bellaitalia.it/en/accomodations/apartments/belvedere/

Blissy I would love to hear why you prefer Gardaland too, is the theming as good as PA? We had only planned on going one day but the multi ticket may be an option if it is worth a few visits.
Eta thanks bliss, crossed posts.

bajer100

I haven't been to Gardaland yet, but any coaster enthusiast who says it is better than Portaventura is lying! Gardaland has no world class coasters - end of. It has a couple of Verkomas, and that's it. Portaventura now has Shambhala - Europe's highest coaster, and Furius Baco - Europe's fastest coaster (0-135kmph in 3.5 seconds). It also has Dragon Khan which, until recently was the highest inverted loop in the world and also had the most inverts. Gardaland has nothing to compare to these rides.

It all depends on what you want. If you want the best coasters, Mirabilandia - which is only two hours drive away has iSpeed (and Katun). iSpeed is one of the best coasters in the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WEgV_Acn6E

zzdp

Been to both parks and also been to the parks in Florda, gardaland is a one day park at most portaventura is a park you can spend several days in.
Lake garda is beautful and salou is a bIt grotty.(cambrills down the cost is nicer)
garda land was expensive whereas you can get a 2 week pass for portaventura quite cheep.
stayng on site in portaventura besides the cost of the hotel can be expensive as they have no supermarket on site and food is expensive.I have been there 3 tmes in march ,july and octber. what i found in summer was it was too hot to stay in the park all day so we went in the evening most nights and went to the beach during the day.(In july we stayed in cambrills).a cost saving tip that i found good was to stay on site for 1 night of holday this gave us free entry to the park for 2 days and we were also given a number of fast passes which can be great when its busy.(not sure if they still give the fastpasses)

In regards to garda Pescherra del garda is where gardaland is if you are gong with kids have a look at bella itilia or camping del garda as there is a lot to do for kids on thes sites.hotels are limited for kids and they may be bored.Bella itilia has several types of accodmation so you should find something to fit.

Daisy M

Thanks for the info zzdp, I had been considering getting the multi trip ticket but don;t think I will bother now. From pictures I dont get the impression that Gardaland is as themed as Portaventura and you wouldnt spend as much time just looking and enjoying as you would in Pa.
We are staying in Altomincio, Bella was fully booked and I must admit I liked the idea od newer facilities.
I do get the impression that there is more day trips available in the Garda area than Salou and I think we will get a better balance of holiday as we did tend to spend a lot of time in the park as we loved it.

Wonda-Boy

I will defo head to Barca once or twice for a day trip and see the city, but I love theme parks and waterparks. My missus cannot swim but she would sit in them donuts and float around the lazy river (that goes slowly around the parks in Florida) for weeks if she could!!!

Already have the HD camera sorted for a front row POV of every coaster in the park....big kid is me

Gatica

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

If you had looked at the official disney site (there is only one, specific to each country), clicked on FAQ's, then clicked on eating at DRP, then you would have seen the following;
"Outside food and beverages are not allowed in the Disney Parks. If you would like to bring your own food, a picnic area is available between the Guest parking and the entrances to the Parks."
http://www.disneylandparis.ie/faq/index.xhtml?#

As somebody who has stayed there several times I can assure you that the security guys will confiscate any food they find, especially sandwiches and larger bottles of minerals etc.

anyone still reading this thread for updated info... This is no longer true, at least not when we were there last March.
We had small backpacks with sandwiches, apples and water. They went through the security scanners on the way into the park. No one batted an eyelid about the food or drink, though we were preparing for having to have someone run back to the hotel with the food.

Wonda-Boy

Still have not made up my mind and gonna book in the next couple of days.....lol.

More then likely its spain for 2 weeks.

kickslate

Both are brilliant fun, I'd probably prefer Gardaland but that is only because I love Italy!

imgonnarun

hi, Id like advice from anyone who has visited orlando before.

Heading over for a week in july, currently looking at the doubletree hilton hotel at sea world and the ramada plaza hotel, both on i drive.
The ramada is coming in cheaper and has breakfast buffet included, i'm just getting thrown by the reviews.
Has anyone stayed at either hotel who could offer an opinion re location, cleanliness, etc
Or have you been to orlando and would recommend a totally different hotel?

we intend going for 8 nights, seven full days and have picked the following parks, US, IOA, W&W, MK and Epcot. We have got a deal for the IOA, US and WW. As we just plan on one day per park so its looking like the best option for magic kingdom and epcot is to just buy day tickets to each, would people agree? and is this the best site http://www.officialticketcenter.com/magic-kingdom-tickets.aspx

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply hopefully

lynchie

Stayed at the doubletree for 3 weeks in 2010. Cant fault it really. 3 pools, good food, i-ride stop outside main entrance. Walking distance to sea world.

Ramada plaza would be further up i-drive and in a better location in terms of being able to walk to a lot more restaurants / shops. Doubletree is kind of isolated in that regard though if you are driving then it doesnt make much of a difference. Would stay at the doubletree again.

rossie1977

haven't stayed in either but doubletree is usually a more upscale brand than ramada. if its the ramada near wet and wild then thats in a better location imo, you are within walking distance of lots of restaurants and shops as well as wet/wild and universal is only a 10-12 minute walk as well

i have stayed at the rosen inn on 6327 International Dr before, its across the road from the ramada and about same level as ramadas i have stayed in other cities, the la quinta on 5825 International Dr is around same quality as ramada as well

i would recommend you visit seaworld, great shows and a few really really good rides, disneys a long way from both hotels you mentioned, last time we were in orlando we got a park hopper which allowed us to do all the big rides in each of the 4 disney parks in one day, to be honest the best rides in disney are Expedition Everest (animal kingdom), aerosmith and tower of terror (hollywood studios) and mission space (epcot) and the fireworks and light show at the end of the night in MK are spectacular

imgonnarun

Thanks guys, There is so much choice for everything over there!!! Our choice as actually changed (got better quote!) its now between the ramada plaza as mentioned above and the quality inn, anybody stayed in the quality inn?

from trip advisor, id be more inclined to go with the quality inn but the sales rep I was speaking to really pushed the ramada, said its been renovated is 4 star compared to quality (3*), anybody know how they compare location wise?

Also, is it crazy booking transfers from the airport to hotel? Costing nearly 110euro, would taxi be cheaper?

rossie1977

quality inn is a motel type accommodation (no hallways connecting rooms), ramada would be better choice

taxi from airport to i-drive should cost about $40 and you should have no problem getting one straight away

Smiley Lassie!

Hi all,

There are 3 of us going to Barcelona for 3 days this weekend, one of the things on the agenda is Port Aventura. I'm just wondering, where is the best/cheapest place to buy tickets online or is it best to buy them when we get there? Also, what's the best way to get there from Barcelona? We would like to spend as much time in the theme park as possible.

Thanks a mill!

hardCopy

Smiley Lassie! wrote: »

Hi all,

There are 3 of us going to Barcelona for 3 days this weekend, one of the things on the agenda is Port Aventura. I'm just wondering, where is the best/cheapest place to buy tickets online or is it best to buy them when we get there? Also, what's the best way to get there from Barcelona? We would like to spend as much time in the theme park as possible.

Thanks a mill!

I don't know where to get tickets but my top tip for Port Aventura is to move well into the park and away from the entrance early on. Everybody walks in and queues for the first ride they see and continues around the park. We queued for an hour on the first ride but when we were leaving there was only a 10 minute queue.

Smiley Lassie!

hardCopy wrote: »

I don't know where to get tickets but my top tip for Port Aventura is to move well into the park and away from the entrance early on. Everybody walks in and queues for the first ride they see and continues around the park. We queued for an hour on the first ride but when we were leaving there was only a 10 minute queue.

Sounds like good advice Hardcopy, thanks a mill! Do you know if they have those fast pass things like in six flags in America? Hoping to go on the Thursday or Friday as it will probably be a little less busy than Saturday.

SNORBEAST

Smiley Lassie! wrote: »

Sounds like good advice Hardcopy, thanks a mill! Do you know if they have those fast pass things like in six flags in America? Hoping to go on the Thursday or Friday as it will probably be a little less busy than Saturday.

Yeah they do the fast pass tickets for an extra €20, which I would recomend, was there last year and some of the queues were over an hour.

Smiley Lassie!

SNORBEAST wrote: »

Yeah they do the fast pass tickets for an extra €20, which I would recomend, was there last year and some of the queues were over an hour.

Thanks SNORBEAST! Did you buy the fast pass ticket online or when you got there? Also, I assume that's per person but then you get one fob for your group or does each person get a fob?

SNORBEAST

We bought them in the hotel we stayed in, worked out cheaper, we got 2 days in the theme park and 1 day in the water park, not too sure about the fob, we got the fast pass ticket for the young lad, myself and the wife were to chicken to go on most of the rides..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsNBcbd9hb8

Smiley Lassie!

Ah ok, was that hotel in Barcelona or Salou? Not sure what to do with the tickets. Aw very good, hopefully I'll get on most of them anyway!

SNORBEAST

Smiley Lassie! wrote: »

Ah ok, was that hotel in Barcelona or Salou? Not sure what to do with the tickets. Aw very good, hopefully I'll get on most of them anyway!

We stayed in Salou, in the H10 hotel.

SNORBEAST

I'd also advise you to bring your own drinks and maybe some sandwiches or rolls, the queues for the food places can be massive, and very, very pricey.

naughtysmurf

Best way to get there is by train, get off at Port Aventura, about 1hr15mins journey time, have a look at tripadvisor you may be able to buy a combined train & park ticket which could be good value

Smiley Lassie!

naughtysmurf wrote: »

Best way to get there is by train, get off at Port Aventura, about 1hr15mins journey time, have a look at tripadvisor you may be able to buy a combined train & park ticket which could be good value

Thanks Naughty Smurf, I checked on tripadvisor and found links to the official website with an offer of a combined train and park ticket but it seems to have expired at the beginning of this year. I wonder is there another offer somewhere, couldn't see anything on the website, would work out a lot cheaper!