rockysam382 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Hi guys! I'll be in Osaka this coming January and needless to say, I'll be spending some time at Universal Studios Osaka. In fact I am looking at staying on property there in order to maximize my time at the park. At the same time, I'll be looking to do one additional park on week long stay in Osaka. After checking out the TPR Forum and TPR Japan Trip Reports over the past years, I've decided that I want to do either Parque Espana or Nagashima Spa Land. I am sure both parks are awesome in their own ways and I wish I had the time to do both but the truth is I do not, partly because my partner is not very much of a theme park junkie. My only concern is that both places are a bit away from Osaka and would require at least 2 hours of travelling time. I've also checked the operations calendar for Parque Espana and realized that it'd be closing for an entire month from 28th Jan 2013 till some time in late Feb, which is presumably the off season. I'm looking at doing Parque Espana on the 27th of Jan which is a day before it closes for the off season. Since it's the last day of operations before closing, will everything in the park still be open? My main concern is that Parque Espana does not have too many credits and it'd be a waste if I went all the way there and everything was closed. Do they close coasters at the slightest sign of bad weather? If so, I would probably do Nagashima Spa Land instead as there's a whole lot more credits so even if some were closed, there would still be a fair bit left to ride. Not to mention they've got some pretty kick-ass flatrides as well. My heart tells me Parque Espana as the theming's lovely and Pyrenees plus Gran Monsterrat are two awesome coasters I do not want to miss out on. But common sense tells me Nagashima Spa Land because there's a whole lot more credits and stuff to do as well. Most importantly, are these two parks worth going all the way from Osaka? Or should I stick to Hirakata Park or Himeiji Central Park where they've got a B&M invert as well? Hope you can guys can answer my questions. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 It's a hard call like you said. Parque Espana is the better 'looking' park, but Nagashima certainly has more rides and things to do. Nagashima is also much easier to get to then Parque Espana. I wouldn't worry too much about going before they close for the off season as it's Japan and they're going to do their best to make sure rides are running and nothing is shut down early. There are ALWAYS credits down though, so make sure you're prepared for that. We actually loved Hirakata, but it is more of a children's park. Himeji Central Park is pretty far off the beaten track but probably worth it so you can grab the B&M Invert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockysam382 Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Would it be possible for me to find out which rides are down before going to those parks? I've been to the websites of some of them but it's all in Japanese so guess I'll probably take my chances! Parque Espana looks really really tempting though and my heart is telling me to go there And yes my aim on this trip is to get at least 1, if not more B&M inverted credits in haha. Seems strange that a B&M invert would be located in the middle of nowhere though. Is Parque Espana worth going the extra mile just for the two awesome credits there though? On the many occasions you guys have been there, have the coasters there been closed at any point in time throughout the day? Sorry that I am asking so many questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I really like Parque Espana a lot! Here is my one bit of advice, though... Pyrenees does NOT seem to run as well with an empty train, and every time we have been to Parque Espana, other than our group, the station has been empty with only one or two riders on the train. I will say that a slower Pyrenees is still better than Steel Dragon, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockysam382 Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Hey Robb my thoughts exactly!! So the park was pretty much empty most of the time? I'd be going on a weekend though so hopefully Pyrenees gets a few more riders to make it that little bit faster! But how are the park operations like though? It'd be pretty sad if I went there and the two big credits were down If the operations are anything like Fuji-Q, I'd fear for my life haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 We've been there four times now. The only time there was an operations problem was when a Typhoon was coming through, and even that day had all of the indoor rides operating! Japan is very strict about ride closings in wind/rain. If the weather looks bad, I would not go all the way out to either parks on the day you've chosen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockysam382 Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Yes trust me I've had my fair share of that when doing the parks in the Tokyo area earlier this month too! This is probably a little off topic but is one day good enough for Universal Osaka? Also, how is it compared to the rest of the Universal properties? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 ^What day are you going? Are you willing to pay for the Express passes? Do you do all shows and reride stuff? For me, an 'average' Universal fan one day with Express passes is enough. If you're a big Universal Fanboy, or you're going during a crowded time without Express passes you may want to do two days. We always described Universal Osaka as kind of a 'best of' the Universals. They have stuff from Hollywood, Florida, and Islands of Adventure. More to do there than Singapore's Universal, probably on par with Florida's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockysam382 Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Hey Elissa! Well I would say I am probably somewhere in between a hardcore Universal fan and an average one? I am much more of a Disney fan though! But yes I'll be willing to spend money on as many express passes as I could afford mainly because I see myself re-riding rides like Jurassic Park, Hollywood Dream, Spidey and Jaws several times over? And I an pretty sure Jaws in Japanese would be awesome! I'll be going on a weekday some time in late January during the off season? On another note, what other reccomendations in terms of activities would you have for the Osaka area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I think you'll be fine for one day then. We usually base in Nagoya and haven't spent too much time in Osaka (outside of the Universal area). I know they have a couple of interesting ferris wheel's and I'm sure they have cool stuff but I have a soft spot for Nagoya and love exploring there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockysam382 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Guess what Elissa? I totay forgot about Nagoya when planning for my trip Do you think Nagoya's feasible as a day trip from Osaka? I know Nagoya's far closer to places like Parque Espana or Nagashima Spa Land as well right? I just spent 5 awesome days at Tokyo Disney earlier this month so nothing's gonna beat that though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Well, we do Universal as a day trip from Nagoya, so I see no reason you couldn't do Nagashima as a day trip from Osaka! Nagashima is only about 40 minutes from downtown Nagoya (including train and bus/taxi). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockysam382 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 That's good to know Elissa! I always had the impression that Nagoya's pretty far away from Osaka haha. Did you guys take the bullet trains or coach buses to Universal from Nagoya? It potentially looks like I could drastically cut my travel time with the bullet trains, but would I need to purchase my ticket several days in advance? Also, are cabs horrendously expensive in Japan which is what I've been lead to believe? I did not board a single cab during my stay in Tokyo recently because I realized the trains were able to get me just about anywhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 ^We use the bullet trains between Nagoya and Osaka. Taxi's in Tokyo are very expensive, they're not so bad everywhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockysam382 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Good to know! Would I need to purchase my bullet train tickets several days in advance or could I just go to the station like usual and purchase the tickets on the actual day of travel there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 We almost always use rail passes, but I'm pretty sure you could get a ticket last minute for just a non-reserved car if all the reservations were booked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockysam382 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 That's a big relief because I might be have to make some last minute changes to my itinerary if the weather's not looking too good! Any good parks to reccomend in the Nagoya area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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