Water Rides
parkworld-online.com
The new water ride is overlooked by PortAventura’s Shambhala and Dragon Khan rollercoasters (white track/ red track)
Angkor
Cambodia comes to the Costa Dorada!
How much would you invest in an interactive water ride at your park? PortAventura’s just splashed out (sorry) €10 million. The result is one of the longest and most-richly themed attractions of its kind, but then Spain’s market leader has always believed in putting the ‘theme’ into park park
pened on 11 April, Angkor: Adventure in the Lost Kingdom kicked off the new season in style and should really come into its own when summer arrives on the Costa Dorada. Or as one of the first reviews of the ride on TripAdvisor put it, “It’s worth a squirt!”
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It looks great too. “The level in theming is high, maybe the most themed attraction of its kind in the world,” confirms PortAventura CEO Fernando Aldecoa. “Normally when you find this type of attraction in other parks, it is like a swimming pool where the guests can see everything. We wanted Angkor to be more like an expedition, filled full of special effects, surprises and total interactivity. A ride on Angkor will be fun, it will not be a drag, but you will get wet!”
Built in the shadow of Europe’s highest rollercoaster, Shambhala, and the 7-inversion Dragon Khan, guests access the attraction via an elaborate themed archway and plaza. At 10,500 sq m, it is almost an entire themed area in itself. “Also there’s lots of landscaping,” adds Aldecoa. “I don’t know how many plants we have on this attraction, but it’s like a real jungle.”
Religious replica
The ride takes its name from the Cambodian temple of Angkor Wat, considered to be the world's largest religious structure, a replica of which sits over the loading area. After securing bags and electronics in the waterproof chests on either end of the raft, passengers take their seats and man the water cannons ready for a nine-minute, action packed voyage.
The first half of the attraction passes through mysterious themed villages where straw-roofed huts sit on stilts above the water. Riders can take aim at various interactive targets, including numerous animatronics provided by Sally Corporation. A tiger is seen protecting the temple, but will guests be brave enough to wake him with their water cannons? Large water-spitting pythons and a waving monkey also sit along the route, together with many village inhabitants going about their daily work. There’s a light-hearted touch to some of Sally’s gags, like the man holding a water-spitting fish and another unexpected surprise from a man in an outhouse (call it toilet humour). The second half of the Angkor adventure, filled with more theming including ancient ruins and overhead walkways, allows for plenty of raft-to-raft water combat.
36 MAY 2014
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