So my thoughts on PortAventura (finally)
The Park
I mostly found the park to be a pleasure to walk around, the area theming is really good, the only slightly drab area bizarrely is the plaza outside Dragon Khan. The themes are often stock theme park fare but done really very well. There is also a refreshingly nice presentation on some of the tacky standard theme park fare like the gaming units. Parks that have impressed me before just omitted gaming units mostly (EP/ Disney) but PA shows you can keep these in a park but not have them ruin the atmosphere as happens in Merlin parks by hanging the whole stock off the side of the building.
Queue Lines
Mostly horrid cattlepens, if you think Smiler is bad then these are horrid, even Shambala their latest ride is evil. I do get the fact they want to cover the queues due to the sun and a cattlepen is the best option for this but at least make the fences a little higher and provide some entertainment. Lots of graffiti too.
Ride themes
I found most ride themes excluding the queue reasonable. Dragon Khan is a little lacklustre but Baco is well themed as is Hurrucan Condor. The relatively new Sesame Street land is great too. Obviously the best of the bunch was probably Temple Del Fuego and Hurruncan Condor.
Hotel
Hotel Gold River is really good, for rooms and small details it isn't as good as EP and the bars are a bit pants but for scale and external theming GR is one of the best theme park hotels i have stayed in. The hotel feels like a proper town with a City Hall, various out buildings, a mansion for the high quality rooms. It even has a train station with a steam engine and a cemetery! The pools where lovely too and many a happy hour was spent lazing beside them
Had a wander around hotel PA, the outside seemed pleasant enough but it looks like it needs some TLC. It does have a lovely entrance into the park though.
Shambhala
Their latest roller coaster and by-eck is it a good one. The ride area is well themed and plays on its open environment on top of a hill going for the theme of a mountain temple complex. The external theming in the queue building and the station is really pleasant and the area very well done.
The ride itself is absolutely fantastic, the first drop is amazing and the tunnel at the bottom provides a head-chopper that had the whole train ducking down. The ride offers standard B&M floaty air-time and some great track interaction. I really like the seat layout, I was worried the back 2 seats would feel a bit lonely but the configuration actually allows for a really social ride experience as the whole row can see each other.
Over-all its better than Silver Star for air-time and pace, though its not massively better and it would have benefited from some of the twisty style track that you get at the end of the Silver Star.
Dragon Khan
Now I really liked the look of this ride, a proper old-fashioned B&M thrill machine from before the time they decided to go all smooth and boring. Unfortunatly what I got was severe headache every time I rode it.
You can tell that when it opened this beast would have been a fantastic ride as the elements are fast and intense and the way you get thrown around should be fun. Unfortunately its got so rough that my head was just repeatedly bashed into the OSTR’s. Although not as rough as Furious Baco I got a worse head-ache on DK. This is the first B&M I have ever come off in pain, it was truly horrid.
Shame as with some new trains it probably would be amazing.
Furious Baco
Good theme, nice pre-launch show, great launch then the most painful, boring piece of roller coaster rubbish ever forced upon the riding public. It really after the launch has no redeeming features, its dull and painful!
Stampida
I have had a few good conversations with John Wardley but these all occurred before my visit to PA, if I am ever fortunate enough to meet him again I may just have to ask if he had suffered a head-injury before designing Stampida and forgot about the concept of “banking”
To be fair the red side (which apparently has had some work done) wasn’t too bad, its no worse than Zues for roughness and it has some Grand National style ejector airtime on the double hills. But I am no woody fan and would guess it doesn't rate highly in woody geeks ratings.
Blue side was pure hell
As a side note Tomahawk is a cool kiddy wooden coaster.
El Diablo
So bad it became good by default
Temple Del Fuego
Absolutely amazing, this dark walk-through is very theatrical with a live actor and some amazing effects. The whole product just feels well-made and a true spectacle combining some very simple effects with amazing pyro.
Just never take Alton Towers Health and Safety Team to ride it, I don’t think they would survive the shock!
Rapids and Splash ride
The rapids at PA are mad, they are not so much rapids as Sonic Spinball on water! With a full boat you fly down the trough like a mad thing. Great fun and pleasantly damp in the warm weather.
The splash ride thing…. Looks old and drab and you get drenched
Conclusion
PA is a great park to visit with really good area theming but some areas that are a little tired. It does however feel like it needs at least one more good coaster, a dark ride and a few more good quality flats though
Definitely recommend a visit though, especially as easily added to a summer getaway to Catalonia.
