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PortAventura

Theme Park Guy Rating: 3.53.53.53.5
Date Visited:
September 12, 2008
Website: www.portaventuraworld.com
Location: View on map
PortAventura Photos

Review

Spain's PortAventura resort contains both the PortAventura theme park and the adjacent Costa Caribe water park. It has a truly remarkable ownership history, having changed hands from Tussauds Group and Anheuser-Busch to Universal Studios and later from Universal to a Spanish banking group called Caixa. 'Universal Mediterranea', once Europe's only Universal-branded theme park, has since been abandoned by Universal Studios. Not sure what that should tell us.

Ride-wise, PortAventura is exciting with good coasters and flume rides throughout. The external theming is world-class, but isn't followed through in the rides themselves. PortAventura is a superior example of theme park window dressing, which reflects its soullessness resulting from so many owner changes.

Further construction is going on at the moment and there are plans to expand massively in the future. I look forward to seeing where they take it!

PortAventura entrance. Universal Studios' Woody Woodpecker is still here!Superbly-themed PortAventura theme parkPortAventura coaster Furius BacoIt's extremely fastPortAventura settingAfrican dance showDense jungleWater splash rideIt's a bit less wet than it looks!SwingboatQueuing for the Sea Odyssey dark rideSea Odyssey movie simulator rideAsian portPortAventura's landmark roller coasterChairoplane meets roller coasterCoastering through well-manicured landscapeMaya areaMexican-themed drop towerExpress passes available for this rideStampida is a dueling wooden roller coasterStampida coaster in actionPortAventura crowdsMine train coasterMine train in actionRiver rapids ride on two levelsRafting through the Wild WestRiver rapids ride POVPortAventura is one hour's drive south of BarcelonaThe Theme Park Guy having a siestaPortAventura in the evening
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