rollin_n_coastin Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) No TPR trip in 2012 meant it was finally time to head back to Italy to do non-coaster stuff and enjoy seeing my family and friends, many of who I had not seen in almost eight years. It was one of the best vacations I've had for many different reasons. It was simple really. I would get up early and hit the beach with my cousins, then go home and enjoy authentic home cooked meals. Throw in lots of great discussions with many Italians over wine along with checking out the most amazing surroundings of the Abruzzo region and you have a perfect vacation. For the most part, that is exactly how it went. But honestly, once you get that itch and know that friends will be close to so called roli-coaster places that you also happen to be close to for a few weeks, you jump on the chance to squeeze in a few diversions. One of these involved a weekend trip to visit Olivier (DraganKhan) to check out Port Aventura along with the neighbouring beach resort area of Salou. I didn't really know anything about Port Aventura. It really blew me away in terms of how beautiful it was. A very exotic looking IOA if that makes sense? Fantastic coasters (with an exception--see if you can guess which one) and a very nice collection of flats throughout for Europe. One of the most well-rounded parks that I've seen in Europe for sure. The hotels are quite nice and the theming throughout was beyond expectations. Even more so as it wasn't even expected in the first place. Would I go back? Absolutely. A beautiful beach and park adjacent to each other. What's not to love? Port Aventura Park, Shows, Resort Hotel and beach Up first, Day 1 at the park! The trip started at this little regional airpot. After a connection in Milan, I was on my way. Barcelona airport has to be one of the nicest ones that I've seen. This is a live Duty Free shop ad. Unfortunately, she only asked little kids to dance with her... Salou offers group transfers from the airport, which made the trip logistics so easy to deal with. This is the view upon arriving to Salou. Here is the Italy/ Mediterranean portion of the park. The best themed Mediterranean area that I've ever seen attempted. This mysterious blue track is part of the fastest coaster in Europe. After not riding that many intense coasters over the season, Furious Baco literally made me remember what intense on a coaster really feels like. OMG insane. A little bouncy and rough around the edges? Sure! But I'd ride it again and again. The new for 2012 ride in the background showing off the best hyper coaster turnaround ever built. Main entrance The Polynesian area of the park. Entering China, which is home to the biggest rides in the Park, Dragon Khan and Shambhala. You've heard the stories. You know the legend. Is it really an intense, forceful and incredible B&M? You betcha! If you love Kumba, you will love Dragon Khan. New for 2012 - Shambhala. I believe this area's theming was recently completed just before summer and it looks fantastic. A few ups and downs. Day one ran well into day 2 with Noche Blanca! How about some 2am rides? Sure! The night ended with a last ride on Baco. Tip--if you're really tired, Baco will finish you off for the day after slapping you around good like What Noche Blanca party would be complete without a foam party by Dragon Khan? Edited November 9, 2012 by rollin_n_coastin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollin_n_coastin Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) Day 2 at the park Coming out of Hotel Gold River's entrance to the park. Walking to meet friends at the main entrance staying at another hotel meant a walk through the Far West area. One of many family flat rides. Baco on the way to the front entrance. The main ticketing area and entrance. It was shaping up to be a very hot and busy day. The fast pass bracelet was worth every cent! Polynesian area An amazing Sesame Street themed area. Busch should take notes. Let's take a closer look at two of the best attractions at the park. This is Shambhala, B&M's newest hyper coaster. Shambhala is quite simply the best of the new B&M hypers/giga built to date. I think it combines the best of Behemoth and Leviathan to make it so. It looks fantastic too! Intense El Toro, Skyrush or Bizarro air? Nope, but for a new B&M hyper, it had much more than expected, especially in the back row. Some Himalayan rock work along the way. Our line for the weekend with our fast pass wrist bands. How about checking out the now classic Dragon Khan? They sure don't build them like they used to! The first drop sneaking under Shambhala's lift. Make no mistake, this is a very intense ride. Shambhala provides some great balance to the park with Baco and Khan. A view from the great wall.. Love that turn around! Leaving China and heading to Mexico! El Diablo is a pretty good mine train! Got that TPR Trivia App players? Ah yes, a 328 ft drop tower. Just what the doctor ordered. Hurakan Condor is a ride that is not on the fast past system so it was a bit of a wait. I think this is tied with Fritt Fall at Grona Lund for scariest tower for me. I'll end the rides section with a roller coaster that I haven't mentioned up until now. Not only is it the roughest coaster at the park, I think Stampida takes the prize for the most painful roller coaster ever. Let's just say that the metal and plastic trains don't work well with human impact on a very rough coaster. The Tomahawk junior wooden coaster next door was a lot of fun though and a great surprise. Edited November 1, 2012 by rollin_n_coastin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollin_n_coastin Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 I asked myself how families spending up to a week at the resort would find things to do? One of the ways is in the number of shows offered that for a theme park, are quite good. Each night ends with the Sesame Street parade and a really cool show in the lake. One of the unpleasant issues with the shows are that their theme songs will be burned into your subconscious for decades even if you never see them. They are on every channel and advertised everywhere Here are a few pics This Polynesian traditional dance show was beautiful and as authentic as it gets. Beware-audiance participation happens here! Well, if you ever wanted to see a Spanish MJ or Gaga...this show is for you. Music Generation sure got the kids dancin' in the aisles. There are classics and oddities like the bird man here, and the bubble man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollin_n_coastin Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Staying on property was great. I stayed at Hotel Gold River, the newest property, as it was the most affordable at the time of booking. This is one of five hotels and is attached to the Far West section of the park. It only included full breakfast. The other hotels had minimum stay lengths and were all-inclussive. European hotels can be hit or miss on features and amenities so hopefully this can give a sense of what a typical resort hotel and Port Aventura's theming is like to anyone considering staying on property. The outside entrance. The main building with check-in, concierge, rooms and breakfast buffet and bar. Lobby atrium The exit to the other room buildings. The proof of resort guest card. This will allow you to enter the park, is your room key and allows you to charge items to your room throughout the park. My room was in here facing the pool area. Standard single Pool area view The hotel property walkways The hotel's entrance to the park Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eBen Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Theres a load of great pictures here, thanks Jason. The B&M fanboy in me is eager to get to this park, especially given your thoughts on Shambhala Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 The Spanish parks have intrigued me since I saw the TRs from Theme Park Review's trip there back in 2007. This hotel looks great (much better than the western-themed hotel at Paris Disney). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollin_n_coastin Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 ^^Thanks Ben! Aside from Alton, if you're a Euro B&M fan, you'll love Port Aventura. ^Chuck, same here. The hotel was a huge surprise. I've never stayed on property at a theme park resort before. This park in particular has really nailed a good formula - location, substance and style. Speaking to location a bit more, Salou is a very inexpensive resort 'train' ride away. Tons of night life, tacky tourist shops and beautiful beaches to appeal to a lot of people I'm sure. Here is the last set of picks for Port Aventura and Salou. Next up - A stop over in the UK to visit the Brit Crew and check out Alton Towers. This is party train! Riding one of these tram things in main streets is a bit frightening, not gonna lie. Bars and clubs as far as the eye can see! Who doesn't love the NBA? This woman was caught up in the tacky tourist shop area. Anyone try this out before? The fish eat the dead skin off of your feet? Let's take a closer look! After a great weekend, it was back to Italy. Life is good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Khan Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I was so glad we managed to meet up after my stay at the hospital in July... But Jason... why didn't you post the video of us as protagonist of the polynesian dance show ? I'm sure some of our common friends would enjoy that part almost as much as the pictures (J/K ... unless someone insists ) It was awesome to ride and re ride my favourite steelie with you and I'm so happy it lived up to the hype... BTW, for those interested in stayong on property, I'll just rectify something about the All In option, which is offered at Hotel El Paso only. But it's worth every penny, as all kinds of alcohol beverages are included too Interesting too: when staying at that hotel (my case with the family), even if you spend whole days at the park, food is included at selected places in all thematic zones of Port Aventura (choice of starters, main courses, dessert and soft drink) It's a CERTAINTY that if I go to Salou again (and I will...) I'll stay at El Paso again. Oh, and my kids miss you, Jason ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollin_n_coastin Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 ^Thanks Oli! Really glad that I kept my Euro park skepticism in check and decided to check out what turned out to be such a great place! Thanks for correcting the hotel info! Say hi to the family for me! Coming soon....another perspective on Alton Towers by photo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 The fish-nibble-your-feet tank has so much potential as a grisly scene in a SyFy movie. "Mini-Mega Piranha," anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Johnson Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Great Trip Report! I hope to make it to this park someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Fantastic report; loved the photos, esp. the shots of your hotel! I'm very impressed. This park has long been way up on my wish list, but has moved even higher now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 We did the fish thing in Dubai this year. A little weird at first and kind of tickled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollin_n_coastin Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Thanks for the comments everybody! I did spend the last week enjoying the awesomeness that is Italy--food, wine, family, friends, beaches, etc etc Since my flight was round trip from Heathrow, I planned on visiting an old Canadian friend and some awesome Brits in the UK for the weekend prior to heading home. Andrew had finally made the move to Manchester and had finally found an apartment! There was a lot to celebrate. I wasn't too sure if the need to throw in a park or two was necessary. Ah, who am I kidding, with an invite to check on some of the UK's best, how could anyone resist? Arrival night was a lot of fun catching up over a few drinks and experiencing being a passenger on the wrong side of a car for the first time. ALTON TOWERS TPR is about parks and coasters so on to those! The first day was a nice drive up to Alton Towers. This has to be another of the most beautiful parks that I've ever been to. I've heard that three parks in Europe and the UK offer amazing surroundings--Port Aventura, Europa Park and Alton Towers. So glad I've been able to check out two of those so far. The setting at Alton is exactly what I imagined the UK countryside to look like. They've done a phenomenal job incorporating some good attractions into the landscape. Now, about those rides. The theming is great and sure, some may view Merlin's marketing as over the top but I see it as something to have fun with and not take too seriously rather than criticize. When you suffer from height and noise restrictions, you have to be creative and Alton has succeeded in spades. My favourite rides at Alton were Air, Th13teen and Oblivion. Best show is Nemesis sub-terra--Over the top and cheesy but a good concept that was really fun if you're not expecting too much. The thing I found with UK rides is that they were either not high enough or long enough, always leaving me with wanting more, especially after experiencing amazing "full size" versions of similar rides in other countries. It was a like having high quality appetizers before the expected real meal, which never comes. This was especially so after riding Khan and Furious Baco a week earlier. My three favourites at Alton suffered from these issues somewhat but made the best of them by working themselves exceptionally well into the landscape and using their length and ride style to their advantage. Nemesis was definitely a forceful invert but not being that high off the ground took away a lot more than it gave for me personally. I still rank Montu, Talon and the Batmans ahead. I haven't been on Katun yet. Nemesis was definitely an example of the awesome theming and creativity throughout Alton, without a doubt. As an overall package, I can understand how Alton Towers is considered the best in the UK. Just a beautiful and fantastic place to walk around with some solid attractions, if not the most thrilling. I'm really glad that I had a chance to go and can't thank Andrew, Brad and MIke enough. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they're building next! Ok, here are some pics! Up next, London during the Special Olympics and a trip to Thorpe! Arrival night at the new flat and already, evidence of duelling Brits are everywhere Congrats again on the new flat guys! Really awesome that Mike was able to join us. This has something to do with tomorrow's road trip.... Alton demands plenty of rest? Morning! Not so much hung over after few interesting drinks the night before. Just a quick stop for gas and tissues to take care of the cold I was catching and we were off. A really nice drive down some crazy roads, some with cows. Ug, runny nose....hold up a second let me grab the box of.... ...travel sized tissues, which is all the gas station had. I understand that for certain fans of Alton Towers, this type is preferred for other reasons Here we go! This was really exciting. The old Corkscrew looks awesome outside of the front entrance as well. The grounds are spectacular. Heading to the rides section. I had the best wild mouse ride here, not because anyone working there knew anyone of course A little Rita! I loved how everyone was lining up for all but the front row when we were there. We just walked up the first set of stairs with no front row wait whatsoever. Very happy that our group was the only one who could apparently read signs. That or the Brits were just too polite and cleared the front row for foreigners Mike leads the way. I see something verrrrry unlucky through there.. The lineups weren't too bad at all. I really liked Th13teen. It was like a really smooth mine train with the best ending ever that scared the poop out of me. Our no line front row ride. MIke and Brad test to make sure that new cable is working flawlessly. After hearing so much about Nemesis, this was such an exciting moment. This is without a doubt a solid and forceful ride. Andrew mentioned the water was red before? Great theming. The best invert out there? It's very good, yes. But, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the best compared to some other old school inverts in the US. I think this could be my favourite flying coaster. Not too long and not to short. This just seems like what flying is meant to feel like. Looks fantastic and packs a punch. Oblivion is a great ride. I just wish it were a bit longer. Thanks Brad, Andrew and Mike for a great day at Alton! It was back to Manchester. Up next, London and Thorpe Park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollin_n_coastin Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 Early morning meant an early train ride to London. Virgin train time! One of the days in the London area involved a trip out to Thorpe Park. I've heard a lot of things about the place, in particular the clientele. Those stories were for the most part true but I have to say, I loved the rides at the park, although Nemesis Inferno was a little short. Swarm was fun, had some crazy theming and was my first B&M wing rider. It looked menacing in grey. If the wait wasn't so long, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more. It was a fun for what it was for sure. What Swarm did do was peak my interest for Gatekeeper come next season. Thorpe was also home to my favourite coaster of my UK trip leg, Colossus. Oh, and for those that count, I figured out that a great coaster called Stealth was my number 400! A great day with awesome weather! A first for me in the UK Here is.... THORPE PARK The night before involved taking a look at the hotel bar. So that we could have a little something on our London roof top patio. Unexpected upgrades are awesome. The morning was early but hey, it provided us with a virgin. Everyone hop on? Looking forward to putting this to good use! We were luckily swept in through the Merlin seasons pass holder entrance No metal detector for me...I lost my inner hooligan I guess. I see you 400.. I really do heart this, very, very much. Inversion number 10,521.. Inversion number 11,001....take that Alton One of the better Eurofighers around in terms of theming and a pretty good ride overall. Loved the line cutting proof queue line! Oh, yes. There will be blood. Just a short detour to the flume and a little reminder of home... Hello 400! After riding TTD and KK, I just with this was just a wee bit higher and longer. Still a great ride though. We'll end with the cause of a downed plane and pure chaos. The Swarm... The twist off the lift hill to... ...the current highest inversion? Gate...errr...tower fly throughs. The suspenseful climb up Swarm does look fantastic. Before heading back to London, this little hidden gem was a great way to end the day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Alton is a great park--need to get back there someday. Did you ride Hex? That's still my favorite Madhouse ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayTricky Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 I'm surprised you think of Nemesis in that way. Of course it's personal preference, and opinion, but to say it's not as good as the Batman (SF) inverts? They're all just replicas of one another? I still think Nemesis packs a punch even after two decades, and having ridden nearly all the inverts there are, it's my favorite along with Montu. Great report though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollin_n_coastin Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 Alton is a great park--need to get back there someday. Did you ride Hex? That's still my favorite Madhouse ride. I can't believe I completely forgot to write about Hex! It is absolutely the best Mad House out there. I love them personally. I look forward to going back one day as I'd love to actually check out more of the gardens and above all, try out the new ride. ^Thanks very much, it's always fun re-living travels after the fact. Thanks for understanding that my thoughts on UK rides and Nemesis are an opinion . I guess if Nemesis wasn't practically all underground I'd rate it much higher. Sure the Batmans are all clones but they pack as much of a punch, if not a bit more. More of them is a good thing. Regardless, there is no arguing the fact the Nemisis is a great, solid and forceful ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Alton Towers is the reason I would want to go back to England. Like all the pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarnes84 Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Thanks for posting the trip report, great pictures and descriptions, it's so refreshing to hear someone not think Nemesis is the best thing since sliced bread (as they say over here). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 I really want to like Swarm when I eventually ride it. I'm not a Wing Rider fan at all, but I just love the theme and look of Swarm so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayTricky Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 I really want to like Swarm when I eventually ride it. I'm not a Wing Rider fan at all, but I just love the theme and look of Swarm so much. It does look the bees knees. Post apocalyptic theme helps when the typical Thorpe clientele decide to throw their trash around.. ... With its glowing eyes, it just looks like it wants to kick your ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollin_n_coastin Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 ^I think the glowing eyes are awesome! Really a great touch and overall, Thorpe has really done a fantastic job with the overall experience here. ^^Elissa, it's really well done and I think the diving through the 'scene' is really cool and would make up for any of a wing rider's apparent short comings. I actually liked this wing rider thing much more than the flyers. Not be overly facetious, but the best theming of all has to be diving and flying over the endless queue line crammed with people that really makes it looks like there is only one way out of the disaster. The natural theme of people looking irritable while waiting up to two to three hours to ride this really fits in well with the "after disaster" feel. Yes, I think the queue is massive and just when you think you're almost there, you're really not. Nope, not even close Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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