-
ℹ️ Heads up...
This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.
PortAventura: General Discussion
- Thread starter DynamiteDaly
- Start date
Rick
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Crux
Pleasure Beach Valhalla
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
Digital Dan has shared his experience at Port Aventura when he went this week!
siralgenon
TS Member
PortAventura July Update
It's been a busy month for PortAventura with the re-opening of some of the parks and hotels as well as many press releases about Covid and new projects so I thought I'd try and sum them up in one post! It's brilliant to see so many future plans for the Resort appearing even though we're in the middle of a pandemic!
Covid-19
Surprisingly (given PortAventura's track record on guest service) from reading numerous reports and vlogs, PortAventura have received some of the best reviews on their Covid-19 measures and precautions, as well as all of the usual measures that have been implemented in Park around the world, PortAventura have also added extra bathrooms around the Parks for added hand washing and then something I was quite impressed about... In the permanent toilet facilities they've installed sensors above the entrances to count guests in and out, with screens on the wall telling you whether to enter or wait until the area is clear!
You can find more information here:
New Resort Music for 2020
Back in lockdown PortAventura's Entertainments Team recorded and released 'In the Streets of PortAventura', a new song about eventually being back at PortAventura World with family and friends and last week they released the official song for the 25th Anniversary, (personally I prefer the first):
Hotel Colorado Creek - Phase 2
PortAventura have revealed that next year, Hotel Colorado Creek is set to double in size with the addition of extra deluxe bedrooms, an a'la'carte restaurant and a pool area. The new hotel opened last year with 150 deluxe bedrooms, a bar and premium buffet restaurant. As of 2020 'The River Bungalows' are now a part of Hotel Colorado Creek as opposed to Hotel Gold River.
New 'Adrenaline Attraction' Coming Soon!
As @Rick already mentioned above, PortAventura's CEO announced that one of the PortAventura Parks will be receiving a new thrill ride in the near future.
PortAventura Express
PortAventura Express is currently not in use while the Parks are at 30% capacity, as the capacity increases Express will return but without the 'Gold' option for front row riding. A new kiosk has also replaced the old wooden shed kiosk in front of Furius Baco.
Street Mission - Capacity Increased
One thing that has always boggled me about Street Mission is that it has a large loading area yet only one vehicle could be loaded at a time. Surprisingly for this year PortAventura have added two more air gates to another loading bay so two ride vehicles can load at the same time. It's yet unknown if both vehicles now go around the attraction at the same time or split off after loading.
New Dino Store in Polynesia
A new dinosaur themed store has opened in Polynesia, replacing an arcade. The attraction Dino Escape 4D and its adjacent store are closed this year, it's rumoured that a brand new attraction will be constructed in the building in the foreseeable future.
25th Anniversary
Although it's a huge shame that this years new 25th Anniversary shows can't go ahead, including the reimagined FiestAventura we've finally been given the chance to see the birthday decorations throughout PortAventura Park and they look stunning as ever. Themed 25th Anniversary decorations can be found all throughout PortAventura Park on nearly every building, lamppost, stall and stage. Here are just a few, there's literally hundreds around the park:
It's been a busy month for PortAventura with the re-opening of some of the parks and hotels as well as many press releases about Covid and new projects so I thought I'd try and sum them up in one post! It's brilliant to see so many future plans for the Resort appearing even though we're in the middle of a pandemic!
Covid-19
Surprisingly (given PortAventura's track record on guest service) from reading numerous reports and vlogs, PortAventura have received some of the best reviews on their Covid-19 measures and precautions, as well as all of the usual measures that have been implemented in Park around the world, PortAventura have also added extra bathrooms around the Parks for added hand washing and then something I was quite impressed about... In the permanent toilet facilities they've installed sensors above the entrances to count guests in and out, with screens on the wall telling you whether to enter or wait until the area is clear!
You can find more information here:
New Resort Music for 2020
Back in lockdown PortAventura's Entertainments Team recorded and released 'In the Streets of PortAventura', a new song about eventually being back at PortAventura World with family and friends and last week they released the official song for the 25th Anniversary, (personally I prefer the first):
Hotel Colorado Creek - Phase 2
PortAventura have revealed that next year, Hotel Colorado Creek is set to double in size with the addition of extra deluxe bedrooms, an a'la'carte restaurant and a pool area. The new hotel opened last year with 150 deluxe bedrooms, a bar and premium buffet restaurant. As of 2020 'The River Bungalows' are now a part of Hotel Colorado Creek as opposed to Hotel Gold River.
New 'Adrenaline Attraction' Coming Soon!
As @Rick already mentioned above, PortAventura's CEO announced that one of the PortAventura Parks will be receiving a new thrill ride in the near future.
PortAventura Express
PortAventura Express is currently not in use while the Parks are at 30% capacity, as the capacity increases Express will return but without the 'Gold' option for front row riding. A new kiosk has also replaced the old wooden shed kiosk in front of Furius Baco.
Street Mission - Capacity Increased
One thing that has always boggled me about Street Mission is that it has a large loading area yet only one vehicle could be loaded at a time. Surprisingly for this year PortAventura have added two more air gates to another loading bay so two ride vehicles can load at the same time. It's yet unknown if both vehicles now go around the attraction at the same time or split off after loading.
New Dino Store in Polynesia
A new dinosaur themed store has opened in Polynesia, replacing an arcade. The attraction Dino Escape 4D and its adjacent store are closed this year, it's rumoured that a brand new attraction will be constructed in the building in the foreseeable future.
25th Anniversary
Although it's a huge shame that this years new 25th Anniversary shows can't go ahead, including the reimagined FiestAventura we've finally been given the chance to see the birthday decorations throughout PortAventura Park and they look stunning as ever. Themed 25th Anniversary decorations can be found all throughout PortAventura Park on nearly every building, lamppost, stall and stage. Here are just a few, there's literally hundreds around the park:
jmc
TS Member
PortAventura July Update
It's been a busy month for PortAventura with the re-opening of some of the parks and hotels as well as many press releases about Covid and new projects so I thought I'd try and sum them up in one post! It's brilliant to see so many future plans for the Resort appearing even though we're in the middle of a pandemic!
Covid-19
Surprisingly (given PortAventura's track record on guest service) from reading numerous reports and vlogs, PortAventura have received some of the best reviews on their Covid-19 measures and precautions, as well as all of the usual measures that have been implemented in Park around the world, PortAventura have also added extra bathrooms around the Parks for added hand washing and then something I was quite impressed about... In the permanent toilet facilities they've installed sensors above the entrances to count guests in and out, with screens on the wall telling you whether to enter or wait until the area is clear!
You can find more information here:
New Resort Music for 2020
Back in lockdown PortAventura's Entertainments Team recorded and released 'In the Streets of PortAventura', a new song about eventually being back at PortAventura World with family and friends and last week they released the official song for the 25th Anniversary, (personally I prefer the first):
Hotel Colorado Creek - Phase 2
PortAventura have revealed that next year, Hotel Colorado Creek is set to double in size with the addition of extra deluxe bedrooms, an a'la'carte restaurant and a pool area. The new hotel opened last year with 150 deluxe bedrooms, a bar and premium buffet restaurant. As of 2020 'The River Bungalows' are now a part of Hotel Colorado Creek as opposed to Hotel Gold River.
New 'Adrenaline Attraction' Coming Soon!
As @Rick already mentioned above, PortAventura's CEO announced that one of the PortAventura Parks will be receiving a new thrill ride in the near future.
PortAventura Express
PortAventura Express is currently not in use while the Parks are at 30% capacity, as the capacity increases Express will return but without the 'Gold' option for front row riding. A new kiosk has also replaced the old wooden shed kiosk in front of Furius Baco.
Street Mission - Capacity Increased
One thing that has always boggled me about Street Mission is that it has a large loading area yet only one vehicle could be loaded at a time. Surprisingly for this year PortAventura have added two more air gates to another loading bay so two ride vehicles can load at the same time. It's yet unknown if both vehicles now go around the attraction at the same time or split off after loading.
New Dino Store in Polynesia
A new dinosaur themed store has opened in Polynesia, replacing an arcade. The attraction Dino Escape 4D and its adjacent store are closed this year, it's rumoured that a brand new attraction will be constructed in the building in the foreseeable future.
25th Anniversary
Although it's a huge shame that this years new 25th Anniversary shows can't go ahead, including the reimagined FiestAventura we've finally been given the chance to see the birthday decorations throughout PortAventura Park and they look stunning as ever. Themed 25th Anniversary decorations can be found all throughout PortAventura Park on nearly every building, lamppost, stall and stage. Here are just a few, there's literally hundreds around the park:
In spite of their questionable operations and attitude, there is no denying the park is very aesthetically pleasing! A+ for effort, especially in comparison to Altons repurposed birthday cake...
Enter Valhalla
TS Member
PortAventura have dramatically reduced their opening hours for the rest of the season.
This is particularly applicable to August. During the month of August, the park has typically opened from 10:00- midnight for as long as I can remember. This has now been reduced to 10:30-8:00pm. Whilst 8pm may not seem too early by U.K. standards, this is extremely early compared to the closing times we normally see over summer at PA and when we consider the crowd numbers that they usually get. I think it’s safe to say that covid is clearly having a big impact on their visitor numbers.
Another massive change is that during the Christmas period, normally a fairly busy time for them, the park will now close at 6pm, again extremely early by Spanish standards. Full information https://www.portaventuraworld.com/horarios-calendario
This is particularly applicable to August. During the month of August, the park has typically opened from 10:00- midnight for as long as I can remember. This has now been reduced to 10:30-8:00pm. Whilst 8pm may not seem too early by U.K. standards, this is extremely early compared to the closing times we normally see over summer at PA and when we consider the crowd numbers that they usually get. I think it’s safe to say that covid is clearly having a big impact on their visitor numbers.
Another massive change is that during the Christmas period, normally a fairly busy time for them, the park will now close at 6pm, again extremely early by Spanish standards. Full information https://www.portaventuraworld.com/horarios-calendario
siralgenon
TS Member
I initially thought this, but when you think the parks are only running at 30% capacity and with no shows, I don't there's any need to be open till 10pm. 10am-8pm will be more than enough time for people to get everything done to which I think the park would be very quiet at 10pm.
Of course COVID is having an impact on PortAventura, I would be more surprised if it wasn't. Correct me if I am mistaken, but a lot of their hotel revenue comes from foreign tourism, and the USP of staying in the hotels is you have a park open significantly later to cater for those staying, free entry, and many other benefits. Now that foreign tourism is at an all-time-low, particularly the Brits and the Germans staying away, coupled with operating at a reduced capacity, I see no need for the park to open later than 8pm.
A few weeks ago as air bridges were announced, I'd argue PA could have had a more successful year from British tourism. Now, with the cut-throat way the UK Govt are cutting countries from the air bridges with minimal notice, I doubt many people would want to risk going away to risk the country they're visiting being put on the quarantine list and having that awkward conversation with their boss about why they won't be in work Monday morning, and that they now need to self isolate. Don't forget, Spain is difficult to access now as a holiday destination because of the widespread cancellations as a result of Spain being on the list. I know summer is probably a key time for PA, and if the foreign visitors aren't coming, there's no need to open late because most local Spaniards won't stay late in the evening; they'll want to get home once they're done. They're serving a reduced local market with reduced capacity.
I think the only park to my knowledge which is increasing opening hours is Towers, surprisingly. As if 2020 couldn't get much more bizarre and surprising.
A few weeks ago as air bridges were announced, I'd argue PA could have had a more successful year from British tourism. Now, with the cut-throat way the UK Govt are cutting countries from the air bridges with minimal notice, I doubt many people would want to risk going away to risk the country they're visiting being put on the quarantine list and having that awkward conversation with their boss about why they won't be in work Monday morning, and that they now need to self isolate. Don't forget, Spain is difficult to access now as a holiday destination because of the widespread cancellations as a result of Spain being on the list. I know summer is probably a key time for PA, and if the foreign visitors aren't coming, there's no need to open late because most local Spaniards won't stay late in the evening; they'll want to get home once they're done. They're serving a reduced local market with reduced capacity.
I think the only park to my knowledge which is increasing opening hours is Towers, surprisingly. As if 2020 couldn't get much more bizarre and surprising.
Benjsh
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Ferrari Land certainly needs more attractions. It's barely a half day park at the moment and I think most people just buy the park hopper for Red force. I think a huge Frisbee ride in there for 2021 would be a sensible investment.
Think it will be a while until we see their next major coaster but yeah any of those choices would be good. Wouldn't rule out an RMC either. Stampida to get the 'Gwazi treatment' will have definitely crossed their minds I bet. Technically a new coaster replacing an existing one I know but would be a huge upgrade.
Think it will be a while until we see their next major coaster but yeah any of those choices would be good. Wouldn't rule out an RMC either. Stampida to get the 'Gwazi treatment' will have definitely crossed their minds I bet. Technically a new coaster replacing an existing one I know but would be a huge upgrade.
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
I’m not sure if PA would want to RMC Stampida given that they retracked a huge swathe of it fairly recently. It wouldn’t surprise me if they hired GCI and gave it the GhostRider treatment, where they retrack the remaining bits they haven’t done yet and fit it with Millennium Flyers. Tomahawk was fitted with Millennium Flyers a few years back, so PortAventura clearly has good relations with GCI.
With regard to this upcoming “thrill attraction”, I think the choice of wording does imply a flat ride, personally, but I’m not sure if a flat ride would be planned that far in advance. If I had to pick a specific flat ride, I’d agree with @Benjsh and go with some sort of frisbee; neither park has one, and you could quite easily put one in Ferrari Land to pad out its ride lineup and theme it as a huge tyre, for example. Maybe an Intamin Mega Gyro Swing, like Loke at Liseberg, would work?
As for what I would personally put in Ferrari Land, I’d personally go for a family launch coaster of some kind; maybe something from Mack, a little like Slinky Dog Dash at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (which I must admit, I really enjoyed!). They could even do a dual-tracked one, if they were willing to spend, as the Ferrari park in Abu Dhabi has a family racing coaster from Maurer, and I think a racing launch coaster for the whole family would fit the Ferrari theme well, and also provide a mid-ground family coaster for the park (as things stand, there’s very little mid-ground between Junior Red Force, a tiny SBF coaster, and Red Force, a launched Intamin behemoth). As well as that, it would also add significantly to Ferrari Land’s capacity.
With regard to this upcoming “thrill attraction”, I think the choice of wording does imply a flat ride, personally, but I’m not sure if a flat ride would be planned that far in advance. If I had to pick a specific flat ride, I’d agree with @Benjsh and go with some sort of frisbee; neither park has one, and you could quite easily put one in Ferrari Land to pad out its ride lineup and theme it as a huge tyre, for example. Maybe an Intamin Mega Gyro Swing, like Loke at Liseberg, would work?
As for what I would personally put in Ferrari Land, I’d personally go for a family launch coaster of some kind; maybe something from Mack, a little like Slinky Dog Dash at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (which I must admit, I really enjoyed!). They could even do a dual-tracked one, if they were willing to spend, as the Ferrari park in Abu Dhabi has a family racing coaster from Maurer, and I think a racing launch coaster for the whole family would fit the Ferrari theme well, and also provide a mid-ground family coaster for the park (as things stand, there’s very little mid-ground between Junior Red Force, a tiny SBF coaster, and Red Force, a launched Intamin behemoth). As well as that, it would also add significantly to Ferrari Land’s capacity.
Benjsh
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Didn't realise it had been re-tracked. Probably won't happen then I agree. Maybe they could add a brand new one from scratch somewhere in the park.
Another family coaster in Ferrari land, perhaps with moderate thrills to bridge the gap, would be very good too I agree. There's nowhere near enough rides in that park as it stands. It would have been better being a new themed land than a separate gate given the lack of rides.
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
According to rifling back through this topic, Stampida had a multi-stage retrack done, which also entailed reprofiling sections to introduce banking and make them more comfortable done, which started in 2015 and lasted quite a few years. I’m not sure they actually ever finished it. If anyone in the know about PortAventura knows anything, did they finish it?
From what I’ve heard, a change in trains to the GCI Millennium Flyers, like what Tomahawk had, would solve a lot of its current problems, and it would also be far cheaper; important in the current economic climate!
siralgenon
TS Member
It got completed the other year, they've only re-tracked the curves as the straight sections weren't a problem.
As for the new attraction I'd like to see a duplicate of Pulsar (I don't know what the ride type is actually called) in Ferrari Land either themed to a gondola to suit the Italian theme or some kind of Ferrari speedboat. I think it would be a great addition to Ferrari Land adding another family thrill ride and also bring a water ride to the park which is definitely needed with the heat PortAventura has in the summer.
If the ride was to go in PortAventura Park I'd like to see a new generation top spin in the Polynesian lagoon where Typhoon once stood.
Without jinxing it PortAventura seem to know what they're doing with their park improvements and new attractions so I look forward to seeing what it is. If their normal marketing is anything to go buy the attraction will be half built before we find out what it is.
Benjsh
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
I wouldnt say Ferrari land has been a huge success one bit so that statement is a bit iffy for me.
The main park by and large is great though.
venny
TS Member
Millenium Flyers would be a massive improvement to Stampida over the current hateful Kumbak rubbish. It seems crazy that they’ve focused on the retrack but totally overlooked the rolling stock. It’s the single biggest improvement they could make.
As for new attractions, I’d like to see Templo make a full return; it’s a very well themed and executed attraction which is very unique. It’s a shame to see it in its current state. The other area that would be good to see an expansion in the main park is Angkor. At the moment it’s out on a limb and is essentially a dead end with a low ridership water ride. Adding one or two more attractions here would flesh it out and there’s a decent amount of room to do so.
A giant frisbee is probably the most exciting prospect just because of how food the ride experience is. They are very tall though so they risk it being incongruous with some of the areas if they don’t locate it properly. It would likely fit in best in Ferrari Land just because of how poor that park is and there’s not too much of a theme to worry about disrupting it with a giant flat ride.
As for new attractions, I’d like to see Templo make a full return; it’s a very well themed and executed attraction which is very unique. It’s a shame to see it in its current state. The other area that would be good to see an expansion in the main park is Angkor. At the moment it’s out on a limb and is essentially a dead end with a low ridership water ride. Adding one or two more attractions here would flesh it out and there’s a decent amount of room to do so.
A giant frisbee is probably the most exciting prospect just because of how food the ride experience is. They are very tall though so they risk it being incongruous with some of the areas if they don’t locate it properly. It would likely fit in best in Ferrari Land just because of how poor that park is and there’s not too much of a theme to worry about disrupting it with a giant flat ride.