| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 24/07/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 44 |
| Copyright: Other |
Theme park round-up by Matthew Hampton
Regions make play on park and ride
Rival attractions square up to take on a growing share of the family market
In the Costa Dorada corner is Mediterrania, Polynesia, China, Mexico and the Far West. In the Costa Blanca corner we have Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Iberia and the Islands.Yes – it’s the battle of the theme parks and it’s no Mickey Mouse affair. Universal Studios’ Port Aventura on the Costa Dorada, open since last year and already admitting a stream of Spanish and foreign visitors, will be squaring up this summer to Terra Mítica on the Costa Blanca, which opens to the public next month.
Port Aventura has the eight-looped Dragon Khan ride as its centre-piece, while Terra Mítica boasts the Magnus Colossus – Europe’s largest wooden roller coaster, which it hopes will pull in the crowds.
Travel Weekly has been to both park
The interactive rides are the park’s stars and are more focused on special effects as opposed to white-knuckle thrills. In the Minotaur Labyrinth for example, visitors ride around in wagons and try to shoot the minotaur with their own laser pistols.
Old-fashioned thrill-seekers will be most impressed by the Magnus Colossus though – the largest wooden rollercoaster in Europe, clocking in at just under a mile long.
Terra Mítica is still under construction and due to open in August and the owners acknowledge that Spain will be the predominant market for the first year. But what has been completed is impressive and will provide a full day’s fun for families, whether they are interested in Mediterranean history or not.
Sail on: the park’s different zones are linked by waterways
Dragon Khan: Europe’s only eight-loop roller coaster
Splash out: the park’s newest ride is Sea Odyssey
Splash out: the park’s newest ride is Sea Odyssey
Thrill-seekers have been visiting Spain’s top-selling theme park, Port Aventura, for over five years, discovering its five themed zones depicting the far-reaching corners of the earth.
Back in 1998, theme park supremos at Universal Studios stepped in and took a hefty stake in Port Aventura and, two years later, you can feel the Universal presence with the likes of Woody Woodpecker and other Universal characters strolling around the park.
Universal Studios Port Aventura, as it has now been renamed, opened its newest ride, Sea Odyssey, back in May. This indoor family ride is expected to be the first of many undercover rides to be introduced to the park within the next five years.
Next year’s new ride is called Templo del Fugo (Temple of Fire). It is hoped, of course, that they will attract the crowds all year round.
Presently the park is open from March 16 to November 5 and has only one indoor ride. It already packs in the punters, offering over 30 rides catering for all ages.
One of the park’s most popular rides, the world-famous Dragon Khan, is the only rollercoaster to have eight inverted loops guaranteed to take your breath away and also turn your stomach.
If this is not your idea of fun, then treat your stomach with more loving kindness and visit one of the park’s many restaurants, where you can sample a host of delicacies from seven continents. After a day of endless rides, you can then spend some time browsing through the many souvenir shops and pick up some great handicrafts or Universal memorabilia.