Aquaria amusemnt park - Construction Frozen. again.

[FLIPDUDE]

NEWS: This post was posted back in 2006. To view an update of the situation look further down the page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, a while ago they have announced that they're gonna build a new amusemen park here in Eilat, and it should be extremely awsome,w ith epople who worked on parks such as disneyland to help.

It is said to have a water park, world-class rollercoasters(which we're obviously missing), and many many more.

There have even been several maps going around, and they even have an area all fenced up, after the goverment took the ground from some Kibbutzmen. now here's the thing: Israel isn't really known for following through with projects, there are many cases of projects who were announced and not completed, or severly delayed, for example a mall with three skyscrapers on top has been announced, and after it was built, the third skyscraper was nowhee near finished and jsut sat there for several years, theys tarted building it again now, though.

but ont he other hand, we also had a new biblical themed theme park open and a new ride added to one of my home parks, so in order to stop me from wondering all the time, Iw as wondering if someone:

-1: heard anything about the project?

-2: Knows usually how long it takes to build an entire amusement park after te area is fenced up

 

Here is some of the information I have about the park:

http://www.harriscivilengineers.com/international2.htm

After googling the project, I came across this site, which says it will be responsible for engineering the park. I was excited to see htis because another one of their projects is the alantis hotel in paradise island.

 

http://www.nrg.co.il/images/archive/wallp/315/846.jpg

One of the three possible park maps released. This is one of the more optimistic ones, there was also anothe rmap released, inw hicht he park was shown at about half it's size in this map.

 

can anyone make any details on any ride here? Im especially curious about that weird triangle nnear the water

[rollermonkey]

^Dude, you need to work on how you use your space bar. It's no fun having to figure out what a person is saying.

Is Eliat the city north of Tel Aviv? I don't remember the geography of Israel very well.

[Gsus]

I spy with my little eye an aesome aquatrax in the center

[Cerberus]

I can possibly make out...

 

- "Ring Of Fire" type ride

- Boat stunt show with a jump through a ring. Woo

- Gyro drop, or a REALLY extended Topple Tower

- Some sort of flume

- An space observatory?!

- A water tower like many movie parks

- A strange triangular observation tower/wheel

- Sit-down looping coaster with three consecutive vertical loops

- Some sort of Family coaster? Perhaps powered judging by the strange elevations in strange orders

- Random King Kong on a building overlooking a pirate ship

 

Therefore, I conclude that this map means nothing and is merely a sketched "This space could possibly look like..." presentation maps and that none of the included attractions have actually been considered.

 

The artist was probably just told to draw a generalised park map for some sort of presentation with a few generalised ideas.

 

So.. Israel has a good tourist industry, right?

I've personally never considered it for a holiday, but eh, I don't know what the rest of the world is thinking!

[FLIPDUDE]

I can possibly make out...

 

- "Ring Of Fire" type ride

- Boat stunt show with a jump through a ring. Woo

- Gyro drop, or a REALLY extended Topple Tower

- Some sort of flume

- An space observatory?!

- A water tower like many movie parks

- A strange triangular observation tower/wheel

- Sit-down looping coaster with three consecutive vertical loops

- Some sort of Family coaster? Perhaps powered judging by the strange elevations in strange orders

- Random King Kong on a building overlooking a pirate ship

 

Therefore, I conclude that this map means nothing and is merely a sketched "This space could possibly look like..." presentation maps and that none of the included attractions have actually been considered.

 

The artist was probably just told to draw a generalised park map for some sort of presentation with a few generalised ideas.

 

So.. Israel has a good tourist industry, right?

I've personally never considered it for a holiday, but eh, I don't know what the rest of the world is thinking!

 

Actually Israel USED to have alot of tourism, especially in Eilat, and our economy was based on it, but with the beginning of the Intifada, tourism has dwindled alot, Aquira is part of an attempt to get tourists to go back there again. Eilat is actually quite full of nice stuff. Israel is overall a great place for vacation. It's not norht of Tel Aviv, it's actually at the bottom of the country, right at the border with Egypt(we're in peace with them, tho, so now orries)

 

as for the rides -

-I read the park will have several themes, such as hollywood, new york, and many more, so that explains the king kong and water tower stuff

-the water coaster seems to appear in all three versions of the park map,

so is the triple looping coaster.

 

Im uploading the other park maps, as well

the smaller map

If you download it and zoom in you can see some stuff that resemble the first map:

-ring of fire

-3 loop coaster

-strange fmaily coaster

-triangle by water, though it looks different now

-log flume/aquatrax thing

-2(?) halfpipe coasters

-observatio

[The Cheat]

The smaller one looks like it has some kinda Intamin with a cable lift.

[ECZenith]

Interesting, please keep us posted.

[FLIPDUDE]

Big Update!

 

Alright! I thought for sure this park was dead and buried, seeing as the press mentioned something about it having trouble getting some permits, and the project being abandoned severla years ago.

 

Well, today while surfing some forums someone scanned a 3 page story about the park. While I couldnt read the article because it was poor quality scanning, I could figure out that the park's project has been picked up again!!! Not only that, but now more detials hav eben released and the park even has it's own website(in english, I assume it's for investors).

 

 

 

The park will be themed to the silk road(the connection between the middle east and the orient) and from what I read(and please note I only skimmed through the text for now looking for naything coaster related so I probably missed alot), if everything goes according to plan(which I doubt, but a guy can hope), aside for amazing theming from the guys who are in charge of IOA and disneyland, and the golf/shopping resorts, etc.

Some of the key attractions of the amusement park section of the project will be(note I said key, I didnt bother mentioning things I wasn't impressed with such as carousels and firework shows etc. To read the full list go to the park's website):

 

-The Aquaria Tower(Im not sure what htat is but it is supposed to turn into the City's landmark)

-Wired Hang Glider coaster(On the park's description it is compared to Pteranodon Flyers at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, but it keeps mentioning flight so I suspect this may be the lie-down model), this will be in the park's indoor section

-Aquacoaster(They make it sound like a log flume, but they also mention cresting hills at high speeds)

-Many 4D style rides.

-Hot air balloons(Im not sure if they mean a ride or actual hot air balloons)

-White Water Rafting – Family Water Coaster (This is a master blaster, probably in the waterpakr section)

-Aquaria's racing center(From what I understand this will be a giant go-kar/drag racing section?)

-A shooting range(I must admit, this one kind of threw me off. I never heard of a shooting range in an amusement park. I suspect they're tlaking about real guns.)

Open-Air Cinema Complex(this basiclaly sounds like a movie theater, but alot prettier and breathtaking)

-Cirque de soleil

-Blue Man Group Theater

-Excursion Boats and WaterTaxis

-Wadi Dune Buggies(this probably reffers to actual dune buggies seeing as Eilat is built on sand dunes)

-4 "edutainment" pavillions revolving around technology, world tradition, and Israel's culture/geography

-Aquaria’s Entertainment City I suspect this to be like the universal city walk. Basically a palce with lots of bars, restaurants, shops, resorts, etc.

 

 

Aquaria’s Wild Oasis Water Park

-Sandy Beach(I can't tell if they mean a poolside beach or an actual beach, seeing as the waterpakr is palced right next to the red sea)

-Wave pool/s with 1.5 meter tlal waves. Supposedly one of the biggest wave pools in the world, and the biggest wave pool in the middle east.

-Themed Lazy River

-Volcanic eruption(I'm not sure if this is a pyrotechnics show, an actual ride, or both)

-Speed Slide Tower(Five story tall slide tower with enclosed tube slides)

-Master Blaster Family Ride(I know I already mentioned this but the file lists it again, maybe there are two?)

Volcano Tube Slides - 3 family tube slides

-Aquaria’s Water Park Atrium - this basically sounds like an rea where adults can enjoy natural rock grottos and waterfalls in a south island atmosphere, and the kids cna enjoy a play area

 

And naturally, theres the 18 hole golf course and sports club

 

 

the parks official website: www.aquaria.com

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE - I jsut finished rummaging through the park's powerpoint presentation and I dug up the following pictures, I am absolutely amazed because this level of detail and expense when it ocmes to scenery is something I ahvent seen anywhere in Israel.(I linked to pictures that were too big with thumbnails)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(I didnt post real-life illustration photos unless they have something praticularly interesting in them, if you want tos ee the things I didnt upload download the powerpoint presentation)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just so were clear, this is nothing like what buildings in Israel look like, so it's pretty amazing to know wed have european/greek style buildings there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am so freaking exicted, I seriously hope they build this!

[FLIPDUDE]

Also - just so you guys can see how exciting this is for me, this is my home park, and one of Israel's 2 "biggest" theme parks:

 

 

 

The amusement park is the area in the red

 

Copare that to the space Aquaria is expected to take:

 

[Airtime&Gravity]

Wow, those renderings look amazing, and hopefully this does get built. The only thing is that it looks a little ambitious and futuristic for something to open so soon. However, that does not mean it can't be built, I'm just skeptical on how close it will be to the renderings. Hopefully it does get built though as Israel could use a decent park, and this is could easily be one of the best parks in the Middle East when it opens.

[Tanks4me05]

Daaaaaaaaaang, a shooting range? I would DEFINITELY love to go to Aquaria. It looks like the mid east is picking up in some extra good parks. If they had an FN P90 available.... oh dang, I will just melt in excitement. Even better yet, this baby:

 

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/6044/g11gh5.jpg

Too bad that the German Military cancelled using it after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It's a pretty rare gun.

 

Anyway, what happened to the looping coaster?

 

Also, a couple of other questions:

 

FLIPDUDE, how safe are Kuwait, Lebanon, and Israel if I were to make a Mid East trip? (like what, 20, 25 years from now - I know a long ways away, as I'm only 14, but I want to go there some day.)

I know the UAE is safe, so I'm definitely going there, but all you really hear about on a regular basis over in the US is just Iraq, not the other countries, so I'm just wondering. I'm NOT tryng to stereotype the mid east as a complete terrorist land, I know there are several countries that are actually quite safe, like the UAE for example, I just want to know if the other countries are good, just making sure, you know?

[FLIPDUDE]

I have no idea what happened to the looping coaster. I was saddened to see it disappear too, but I don't care, I'd settle for that handglider coaster and a master blaster if thats what it takes to ge thte park going.

It seems alot has changed since 2006, there is now almost no mention of the fact that back in 2006 the park was thought to be themed to different cities around the world such as New Orleans, Hollywood, Bangkok, Etc. now it seems the park will be themed according to various parts of the world but most middle east to the orient.

 

I don't know how safe Kuwait and Lebanon are so I can't answer that, but I can say that, assuming you stay out of the dangerous zones of Israel(which are basically next to the gaza strip, hardly anything to look for there anyway) then it's very very safe. BECAUSE of the whole mess there is increased security pretty much everywhere, and many tourists or people who moved here from other countries say they actually feel safer here than they did back at their home countries.

 

Tel Aviv(the city I live in, which is Israel's commercial capital), Jerusalem(the religious and official capital) and Eilat(the city the park will be built in) are all thankfully very safe.

 

Though 25 years is a long time, can't predict what'll happen in the next 25 years. There might be peace, this might be a different country, and there are a million different scenarios.

 

 

Airtime - I doubt the park will open on scheduele. In Israel it's not uncommon for projects to ge tpushed back. Right nwo the big question is if it gets built or not. not so much "when".

[FLIPDUDE]

I just spoke to someone who is apparantly in charge of the project. It would seem that the project is currently frozen. The goverment has landed a full basket of red tape on it, and is causing magor delays.

 

I offered my help as a graphic designer and overlall coaster enthusiast, now all we can do is wait and see if the project makes it out of Beaurocracy hell.

[the sound]

FLIPDUDE, how safe are Kuwait, Lebanon, and Israel if I were to make a Mid East trip? (like what, 20, 25 years from now - I know a long ways away, as I'm only 14, but I want to go there some day.)

I know the UAE is safe, so I'm definitely going there, but all you really hear about on a regular basis over in the US is just Iraq, not the other countries, so I'm just wondering. I'm NOT tryng to stereotype the mid east as a complete terrorist land, I know there are several countries that are actually quite safe, like the UAE for example, I just want to know if the other countries are good, just making sure, you know?

 

I wouldn't bother going to Lebanon just for Habtoorland anyway, and with the recent issues with Israel (No offense Flipdude ) and inside the nation, it is quite unstable and unpredictable. Kuwait however is supposedly extremely safe. This being said, who knows what it's going to be like in 20 years. almost 20 years ago, Kuwait was very unsafe (Gulf war).

[FLIPDUDE]

yeah, 17 years ago the city I live in was being bombarded by Iraqi missiles, now, thankfully, it's alot safer here than it is in many big american cities.

[almightyfire]

The problem or me in America is that we dont have a combination of Cedar Point and Disney World. I love major coasters but I also love the theming of Disney. It seems parks across the water are an amalgamation of the 2