I've turned BLUE!! Im 26 with a degree in Politics with Human Rights and finished a masters in comp...
I've turned BLUE!! Im 26 with a degree in Politics with Human Rights and finished a masters in computing!
Member since:06.08.2003
Reviews:41
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I've been in the resort of Salou in the Costa Dorada of Spain. One of the main reasons this place was chosen was because it been so near a theme park. Port Aventura is run by Universal.
Location =======
It is really near where I stayed in the centre of Salou so it only took a short walk to get there which made it very convinent. It involves walking along a dual carridgeway and a fwe roundabouts but there is a wide path so it is not dangerous thorugh there are trees in the middle of the paths.
There are a lot of hotels in the area so it makes it great for families who want a beach holiday but also a day or two in a theme park. If you are really lazy, you can get the train too from the main train station in Salou or use a bus, taxi or road train. If you live a bit further away in such towns as Cambrils or La Pineda, there is also a bus service so you can get to the front of the theme park entrance.
Opening times ============
For 2004 ------------- The park opens in March.
From 19th June to 12th September from 10am to 12am From 13th September to 1st November from 10am to 7pm Starting 2nd November until 19th December open only weekends to 7pm From 26th December 2004 to 9th January 2005 from 10am to 6pm
The park is closed on 25th December and 1st January. The park is closed between Januray to March.
The park is divided up into season A and B and this reflects the time of year and it means that in the low season, the ticket costs are lower.
Tickets ======
Season A (high season) -------------- For 1 day: Adults - 35€ Junior/Senior - 28€
Evening: There is no evening ticket available in the low season.
Disabled: Adult - 17,50€ Junior/Senior - 17,50€
Adult are aged between 12 to 59. This is because of the height as a 12 year old will usually be tall enough to go on the rides aimed at older people. Junior: aged 4 to 11. Senior: 55 and over. Childs ages 0 to 3 get in for free.
If you want to go to both Port Aventura and Costa Caribe (the waterpark next door) It is worth considering a ticket that allows the first day at Port Aventura, the second day at Costa Caribe and/or Port Aventura and the third day at Port Aventura to be used within 7 days of the first visit 3 days / 2 parks: Adult - €61 Junior/Senior - 49€
Costa
Caribe has a limited capacity so its a good idea to turn up early to ensure you can get in.
There are also some tickets available that let you get onto the rides without needing to queue for a little extra. I did not bother with this as i went in Mid June and there was hardly any queuing at all.
Where to get the tickets? ===================
you can buy the tickets once you get to the park. Alternatively, you can get them from your tour operator in the UK or from the hotel representative in the hotel.
When to visit ===========
The park can be very busy at times. It is best to avoid weekends as there is a lot of French school trippers down for the day and also Mondays. Later on in the week can be a good idea as it is not as busy although I did not have any problems myself. However, avoid Fridays too as the park can be quite full of Spanish school children too and especially in the evenings.
Heat ====
Being an outdoor activity, it can be very hot there in Spain. It is not a good idea to come in July and August as its extremely warm and busy. Being a theme park, wearing a hat can be tricky on some rides so it is not always so easy to keep your head covered. The water rides really do get you very wet so be expecting to get soaked right down to your underwear so maybe it might be best to dress appropriately. I did not enjoy walking around with a wet skirt clinging to my legs so perhaps shorts might be best! With all this water, it is best to reapply sunblock too as it can easily come off if you get wet. If you do not like the heat, it might be an idea to come later in the day so then it is cooler and during the beginning and end of the peak season when it is not so hot.
What is there to do ? ================
There are not as many rides as Alton Towers thats for sure so if you like the white knuckle ones, Alton Towers is better but there is still a lot to do there. The park is divided into areas based on geographic zones.
Each zone is designed with buildings that reflect that zone and have plants and trees that you would expect to find in that part of the world.
The rides:
Polynesia -------------- Kon-Tiki Wave - This is like a pirate ship and not for the fainthearted or if you have just eaten!
Loco-Loco Tiki - this is a merry-go-round for the littlies which has some annoying tropical sounding music!
Sea Odyssey - this is an interesting experience which I went on twice. It was based on being on a submarine with a film whilst you sit in some chairs that move to the film. It is worth going to but not queuing up for an hour or anything.
Tami-Tami - this is a rollercoater for the young ones. It was a bit disappointing as it seemed to be over far too quickly.
Tutuki Splash - this is a ride where there is really an opportunately to get splashed! You can get soaked from head to toe so it is probably a wise idea to go and put the cameras in a locker before you get onto this ride. The ride is a boat that fills quite a few people in it - about 6 people per row. The boat does down big drops where you get so wet. If you think that was bad enough, the public can spray water at you with water cannons to ensure you are really dripping. With this in mind, it is a good idea not to wear jeans and to wear swimmies under a pair of shorts and t-shirt.
Mexico ---------- El Diablo-Tren de la Mina - this is the runaway mine train. It is a small wooden rollercoaster that now includes a seat at the back of the train where it is backwards!
Templo del Fuego - this is a walk through which is not really a wide. A guy talks about how horrible things in the temple and it seems well acted. He comes on as an indiana jones type. Unfortunately some of it is lost on me as I only now about 5 Spanish words so it is very hard to make sense of the dialog. We all walked into the chamber where it looked good but it did not make a lot of sense.
Far West ------------- Buffalo Rodeo - the dodgems
Grand Canyon Rapids - This is unlike the British water rapids - you really do get very very wet. It is not helped by people squirting you with water as you go by.
Penitence Station - this steam train train takes you back to Mediterrania.
Silver River Flume - there are about four drops on this ride and each time you get really wet. The final drop is the biggest of them all and you are bound to come off this ride quite wet!
Stampida - There are two wooden rollercoasters that race against each other on parallel tracks. I think the blue one has slightly bigger drops than the red one. The red one is very jerky as there are quite a few turns in the track. I wanted to sit at the back on the blue one but the staff there would only let us go onto the rollercoaster in order so we could not sit where we wanted.
Tomahawk - this is a very shaky wooden rollercoaster that goes quite fast with small drops.
Mediterrania ----------------- Estació del Nord - this is a steam train that goes right around the park. There was a long queue to wait for the train to arrive so I probably would not bother with it if I visited the park again.
Port de la Drassana - this is a short boat ride that goes to the China zone.
China --------- China features a small scale of the Great Wall and has junker boats sailing around the river.
Dragon Khan Rollercoaster is here in China and is one of the largest rollercoaster in Europe though Thorpe Park beats that with a 10 loop the loop one. It has twists, loops and great drops. It is worth mentioning that you can not take bags onto this ride as it goes upsidedown. You are also not advised to wear glasses. I had mine taken off me which annoyed me somewhat as I can not see more than 2 foot in front of me and trying to explain to a guy that actually they didnt fall off at Chessington, Thorpe Park or Alton Towers loads of times means they aren't going to come off here didnt get my far. Rules are rules I guess. Do not expect everyone who works there to speak perfect English!
Àrea Infantil - this is a small playground area for the little kiddies featuring dragons and kites.
Fumanchú - this a chinese themed flying chairs ride. I did not go on it as it makes me feel sick :-)
Tea Cups - the usual - the teacup ride - there to spin you dizzy.
Waitan Port - this is a port where you can get a boat back to the Mediterrània zone.
There are dozens of other smaller rides and activities, especially for the younger children where there are whole areas designated for them.
Shows ======
Aves del Paraíso (Polynesia) - this is a show showing beautiful tropical birds flying about.
El Sol de Oriente (China) - a show featuring the best acrobats in the world from the Grand Imperial Theatre of China.
The Can Can Show - This is in the Far West zone.
Fiestaventura ===========
This occurs in the peak season at midnight. It consists of fireworks and boats that go across the river with lights on them to resemble characters from a story. It is spectacular to watch. It is a bit hard to see as there are so many people about so it is worth getting to the beach in the Mediterrània area before midnight to beat the crowds. When this is over, there is a breathtaking lazer display. Smoke is projected out acoss the lake and coloured lights are beamed onto the smoke to make animation of Universal characters. This was the best part of the show for me and well worth giving it a look. A lot of people went by then and missed the lazer show thinking everything was over so there were less people about too.
Food and Shops =============
The food and shops relate to what geographical zone you are in. You can buy postcards and gifts that are all themed to the zones and to Universal film characters. Yuo can get burgers from the Far West, tortillas in Mexico and noodles and sweet and sour chicken from China. The food seemed okay but a little expensive. I was not that impressed with the look of the BBQ ribs in the Far West. (I didnt eat it myself as I dont eat that sort of thing). The food was alright but quite expensive. It is worth bringing a few bottles of drink as keep forking out for drinks can get expensive for all day.
Services =======
There are lots of toilets in all the zones. I thought the women's were clean but reports from my boyfriend where that the men's smelt of human waste although the toilets themselves looked clean. No problems in the ladies!!
Overall =======
There was a lot to do but I found because there was not that many queues that day, we had done just about everything by about 7. We got there at 10am. We relaxed a bit to wait for the the final Fiestaventura show. I think if there had been more queueing, the day would have been filled up more with hanging about and waiting for rides. I did not need a second day there so we did not feel it was necessary to come back. The park was certainly smaller than Alton Towers with less to do as I did go back for another day there.
I am unlikely to come back until there are some new rides to go and try out as obviously it is not easy to go there just for one day although I did see at Reus airport (10 mins away) a Ryanair plane that went to Stansted so I guess it could be possible to stay at one of the theme park's hotels for a few nights if you wanted a purely theme park only holiday.
It is well worth going as it is a beautfully designed and laid out theme park with a lot of thought into the different zones.
Well though going!
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