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PortAventura: General Discussion

In some ways PA is the antithesis of Towers...

... Generally Towers build entertaining ride hardware (Smiler is the 2nd highest rated coaster in the UK on Mitch hawker) but their theming is mediocre at best. PA have really good theming but they don't always pick the best ride hardware.

Obviously there are exceptions to both rules (shambala).

It's too long for a splash battle but it's beautiful to look at.
 
I agree that a huge amount of fuss is being made over Angkor considering the type of ride it is. However nobody can deny that the level of theming is superb. Any suggestions that the theming is sub-standard are, in my opinion, bizarre and baffling!

For the amount of land and level of theming put into this ride, not to mention all the hype, it does disappoint me somewhat that it is only an extended splash battle. Now if we had this level of theming on a Mack water coaster I'd now be saying it was the best water ride in Europe and possibly the world.

It does however surprise me that parks keep wanting to install Splash Battles when, even on sunny days, they don't attract huge queues and have pretty poor capacity, especially for Mack!
 
Angkor update: PortAventura Fans have been complaining that the water pistols on Angkor weren't reaching far enough to wet the other boats and guests, so the boats have now been modified to shoot a longer distance :)
 
Looopings said:
Uncertainty about fastest roller coaster in Europe
ferraricoaster11614.jpg

12-06-2014, 16:30 | Comments (32)


The record-breaking launch coaster that the Spanish Port Aventura theme park would open in 2016 has still not been ordered. Two years before the opening of the fastest Launched coaster in Europe, with a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour, there are no signatures on paper. "We are in the process of approaching the various manufacturers and requesting quotes " confesses project manager Luis Valencia Park World magazine. Also sponsored by Ferrari theme area where the main attraction will be located, is little known. Port Aventura has still not decided whether 'Ferrari Country' just a theme part, or a whole new theme park with a separate entrance fee.
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Oh dear!

I presumed it was pretty nailed on as Intamin. This looks unlikely to be opening in 2016 if they haven't started construction on it yet. :)
 
That's very strange. The coaster is surely going to be an Intamin though!? And they don't even know yet if it's going to be an area of the current park or a separate gate. Something doesn't seem right, clearly there's a lot of work to do still.

:)
 
So they have a very set vision and direction for the new Ferrari area yet they don't know who their major coaster manufacturer will be or whether this is a second gate?

You'd like to have think they'd have these things nailed down *before* releasing details to the press and public.
 
You can understand why they wouldn't want to use Intamin after all of the trouble they had with Baco, but aren't Intamin effectively the only manufacturer of Accelerators of this type with the drop towers attached? That is, if they stay true to the concept artwork.
 
Intamin seem the best choice, for this type of coaster you want a more violent launch.....
 
Never really ever paid much attention to PA, so I'm a little embarrassed asking, but is Baco a 'proper' Intamin accelerator, ie. Hydraulic pump, accumulators etc?
 
Just got back from a week at Portaventura with my grown up kids and had an excellent time, I'm not gonna write a trip report because I'm sure you all know more than me about the place but I thought I'd share a few thoughts of a first time visitor :

.Buy the Express Wristbands !!! If bought at the hotels they're 54 Euros for the week and represent fantastic value. This week the park was really busy with queues for the big rides often well over an hour but unlike Alton Towers the Express passes allow you to bypass the entire queue line right to the airgates !
I think the longest we queued all week for any coaster was about ten minutes for Baco one day, the ride ops give priority to pass holders every time. I know some people disapprove of the whole Fastpass system but when you can ride Shambala all day without waiting more than 5 minutes max rather than waiting in a cattle pen for an hour and a half each time it's got to be worth every penny !

.Which brings me to Shambala which was probably the main reason for dragging my family to Spain in the first place. I knew before even seeing it I was going to like it, it's a B&M hyper coaster after all but I wasn't prepared for just how brilliant it is !
I'm sure the coaster goons can reel of a list of ten coasters world wide that they consider are better than Shambala for one reason or another but I don't care, I loved it, every second of it !
Not only is it a thrilling ride it's completely re-ridable again and again !
From the view from the lift hill, to the thrill of the first drop to the almost unlimited airtime at the back it was everything I wanted it to be and more !

.However then we come to Furius Baco....
I really wanted to like it, I truly did!
The theming is brilliant, the station is great, the crazy back story, the kooky touches scattered around the area, what's not to like ?
The launch is one of the most forceful I've experienced, even better than Stealth and the dip at the end of the launch run is inspired but dear God the rest is awful !
I know I've seen it written a hundred times on different forums just how bad it is but I convinced myself that everyone who hates it is just a wimp, but now I know just why it's got the reputation it (deservedly) has.
Front inside seat isn't too bad, not exactly enjoyable but OK, anywhere else is just terrible, why it gets such long queues I do not know.
Sorry Baco, I really wanted to prove everyone wrong but you really are a nasty monkey !

Dragon Khan I didn't enjoy for the first couple of rides, it's the roughest B&M I've experienced up to now and is obviously not ageing as well as the mighty Nemesis, but once I learned how to ride it properly, bracing at the shoulders it became much more enjoyable and it's made it into my top ten.

The other coasters are how I expected them to be, Stampida varies from rough to very rough depending on where you sit and which train you ride, Tomahawk is a surprisingly fun little woodie, El Diablo is a decent mine train with too many lift hills and Tami Tami (which I only discovered on my last full day) is a instantly forgettable kiddie credit.

The log flume is a better ride that I was expecting and shows just how dated and uninteresting the Tower's flume is now although it has a higher duck count of course !

Angkor Wat I felt was a bit of a let down, don't get me wrong, the whole thing is dripping with gorgeous well thought out theming from the entrance all the way to when you leave but it all feels a bit pointless.We rode it on a blazing hot Spanish day and barely got damp, there just isn't enough to keep you interested. Apart from the odd boat on boat battle there's very little to it, you might as well appreciate the exquisite theming from the raised pathways then bugger off for another go on Shambala instead !

The park as a whole I was really impressed with and I was still discovering parts of it on the last day I hadn't seen before, there's some real attention to detail gone into the theming and much of it puts Towers and the rest of the UK parks to shame.
The late opening including one night until 0200 last week and the opportunity to ride Shambala in the dark was superb.
My daughter fell in love with the Polynesian dancers, especially the night time fire show and we ended up having to watch it every night, they really do work hard and put on a great show !

So , yes we had a great time, and although I was worried a whole week spent almost exclusively in a theme park would be too long, it turned out not to be the case at all !
 
It seems that Ferrari Land will definitely be a completely separate park as predicted: (as sent to PBE)

PortAventura Press Release said:
PortAventura, 14th July 2014. – Over recent years, PortAventura has executed a strategy of continued expansion with the aim of turning the resort into a leading destination resort in Europe. To achieve this, the company has developed a strategy of internationalization and the incorporation of new projects every year since 2009 with an investment of over 125 million Euros.

This strategy will continue until 2016 with “Ferrari Land”: PortAventura has reached a licensing agreement with Ferrari to establish a new theme park dedicated to the global brand of Ferrari and the first Ferrari Hotel in the world, all within the destination resort. Besides, this season PortAventura has opened the new ride “Angkor: adventure in the lost kingdom” and Kooza by Cirque du Soleil will raise the curtain today in the resort until August the 30th. This agreement, which brings together two of the largest companies in the tourism and entertainment industry worldwide, means that PortAventura will be the first resort in Europe to host a Cirque du Soleil show. This project is part of PortAventura’s strategy to continue to set new international standards to position the resort, with almost 4 million visitors annually, as the best family entertainment destination in Europe. KOOZA will be a huge draw for the summer months, including foreign tourism which currently represents almost 50% of total number of visitors to the park.
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Just been on park today. Angkor really is a stunning ride, the theming and detail looks amazing and you can see a lot of work has been put into it. Saying that, once you get past just how pretty it is you come to the realisation it is a generic Splash Battle.

It didn't seem that busy today either. In terms of theming it fits in well with PA and looks amazing. The ride system just leaves you turning around and finding something more unique to go on.

Also paying to use the pistols around the ride is a joke, no one was using them amd everyone on the ride looked bone dry and tired of shooting at people on paths who didn't want to do anything back because they cannot warrant the daylight robbery.
 
NRAAlMp.jpg


From themeparx.com

The park have also official announced the project for 2016 on their website, and it definitely will be a separate gate. Excited about this! Not crazy about the theme, but it's a pretty massive deal! Bring it on! :D
 
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