23 June 2016
After returning from the UK, it was a bit of a shock to return to the desert weather. My lovely host Sue and one of her daughters Tilly took me on a trip to Yas Waterworld to cool down. We saw maybe 30 people the whole time we were there, so no wait times at all. As I had already discovered, the UAE was very quiet in daylight hours due to Ramadan. It takes dedication to refrain from food and drink while being out in the desert in 40+ degrees, so the place really came alive after sunset. The waterslides at Yas were pretty great, and there was also a surprise coaster! It was called the Bandit Bomber, and we were happy not to be waiting in a queue since each train only sat four people. The suspended coaster had no big drops, and didn’t reach great speeds, but was a fun addition to the water park. People could also try and aim water hoses at you from the ground, which actually helped you to cool off. We only needed a few hours to experience everything, then headed off for more desert adventures.
I had a stack of fun in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, from skiing at an indoor mall, some quirky rides at Sega Republic, a 4wd desert safari complete with sandboarding, and riding a dune buggy.
Sue showed me the Grand Mosque and some very fancy buildings around town. She had generous Muslim friends who spoilt me during Iftar (breaking of the fast) with some amazing meals. As a Westerner, I didn’t participate in the fasting while in private residences with other Westerners. I tried to be respectful by not eating or drinking in public though. I was mortified when other Westerners would sit in the malls and start eating in daylight hours, with staff running after them trying to staple their bags. When in Rome you know?
Shortly after returning to the UAE, all my dreams came true when Ferrari World announced that Formula Rossa was now open. I dropped everything and went straight to the park, although my buddies couldn’t make it. Once again I was greeted with no day time crowds, and waited for nothing at all. There wasn’t a huge amount of attractions at the indoor park, but I tried to experience everything to try and make the most of the pricey entry ticket. I’m not really in to cars, so wasn’t interested in the Ferraris on display, or the tyre changing experiences etc.
On recommendation from the staff, I commenced at the Karting academy which apparently gets very busy very quickly. This was a fairly decent indoor go-karting track, and I was pretty smug beating all but one of the males. I had a go on the Scuderia Racing challenge, which in my mind was no different from a 1980s arcade racing game, except the seat moved more. I eyed off two coaster tracks for new rides that hadn’t yet opened, and sat in on all of the 4D films and simulators which would be good for the kiddies. Most of the shows were not operating during Ramadan, nor were the restaurants open. No problem, I had 3 coasters to ride!
First up was the world’s fastest coaster, Formula Rossa. 0-240km in under 5 seconds. This was the first coaster I had ever been given goggles to wear, for good reason! The forces were out of this world, and I had not experienced a rush like it for many years. Starting from an air-conditioned indoor section, you are launched out in to the desert which felt like you were going straight in to a hairdryer. Unlike Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster the ride doesn’t end after the massive hill, so the fun continued with a few turns ending in some great little bumps complete with air time at the end. I rode front seat, I rode back seat, and many other seats in between. Throughout the day, I continued to jump over the barrier and I went back for a grand total of 13 turns. The coaster seemed to break down a bit which I guess is understandable with the risk of overheating. It had a weird water cooling system, and as you shot out, tiny little splashes of water would make a brutal impact when they hit you in the face. It was unfortunate that Ferrari World only sold the old-fashioned photographs in cardboard frames at ridiculous prices, or I would have had an impressive collection of digital ride photos. On amazing rides, I love the excitement that ends with people clapping and cheering at the end, and this happened EVERY time. I couldn’t quite bring myself to rank it above Millennium Force, but it currently sits at my #2 favourite coaster of all time.
In between turns on Formula Rossa, I snuck off for multiple rides on Flying Aces which was also an epic addition to the park. The wing coaster had rows of four, which allowed riders to hang over the edge of the track if they got seats 1 or 4, while the middle two seats gave more fearful riders a more ‘grounded’ option. A spectacular first drop lead in to a heart shaped loop with a twist in the middle, and was followed by a great mixture of turns over a great length of track. The queueing system was intense, which made me think that the wait time in peak periods would be out of control. With no such problems, I jumped straight on time and time again. I loved that there were vomit bags hanging up on the wall as you exited the ride.
I managed a few turns on the third coaster at the park, called Fiorana Gt challenge, which saw two trains racing each other over a flat curving track. There were multiple fast launch sections, and just like the other two coasters, the tracks were a great length thanks to their extension outside of the building.
Ferrari World had late opening hours, and just as the sun went down, massive crowds started entering and a party atmosphere complete with live music was underway. This was my cue to leave, one very happy roller coaster customer! I think I broke my record for the most number of coaster rides in a day, and not once did I get bored on them even though there were just three! The quality was excellent and I will definitely be back if I have any stop overs in the Middle East in the future.
Big thanks to my wonderful friends who looked after me. It was so much fun to catch up in a foreign country, and I was very thankful for the local perspectives they were able to share with me. Love you guys!
24 August 2018 Edit:
Returning from our trip to Germany, Terror and I stopped off at Ferrari World on the way home. It was Terror’s first time to the park, and I was very excited to take her on Formula Rossa! As we were staying in Dubai, we took a taxi all the way to and from Abu Dhabi. This was not cheap, but we had very limited time and the bus was going to take too long. I also think the local driving is manic (indication is optional), and didn’t want the pressure of having to survive a self-driving experience.
We had pre-purchased our tickets and fast passes for $146, and once again our fast passes were pretty useless on such a quiet day. The lesson of not pre-purchasing fast passes until you get an idea of how busy a park will be was certainly noted! The last time I had visited was during Ramadan, so the park was pretty different this time round. There was more music, food, shows and the atmosphere was understandably a little more lively.
I won’t talk much about the majority of the rides, as I have included more detail in my trip report from my first visit in 2016. We enjoyed the Karting academy (rather smugly since we both beat all the men in our race), as well as numerous turns on Formula Rossa which never disappoints! Flying Aces was as fun as I remembered it, although not the huge shut down period when some idiot lost their hat on the ride. After the GT Challenge, the only ride left to experience on our list was the Turbo Track.
Turbo Track was getting built during my last visit, so I was looking forward to something new. This looked like a little fast launch car across the inside of the park before heading skywards through the roof of the building, and dropping back down the same way. Unfortunately, it kept breaking down throughout the day, and we spent a lot of time waiting in the queue system only to be turned away, show up again later, and repeat. When we finally got on, the experience was underwhelming. The coaster looks a lot cooler than it feels, particularly because the seats face both forward and backwards so you can ride twice and have two slightly different experiences. After the disappointment of Turbo Track, we returned to Formula Rossa for a few more turns to finish the day on a good note.
Our taxi driver had stayed at the park the whole day, waiting in the car park which seemed nuts to us. We knew this in advance though, and the price certainly reflected this. It would not have been cheaper to arrange two separate one way trips, because you also have to pay for the driver’s return trip even if you aren’t in the taxi. The driver wasn’t even allowed to pick up extra passengers or make extra cash during the day, as there are some weird rules around the taxi system when you cross into a different emirate.
We were both pretty glad to get back to the hotel, and very ready to go home. Unfortunately, Terror and I did not get seats together on the return trip, because apparently these days you have to pay extra for that privilege. On the plus side, the plane suddenly lost altitude while I was standing waiting for the bathroom, so that was a bonus little ride. Although one of the flight attendants started screaming, Terror and I both looked at each other and smiled. I love our friendship – ride buddies for life!
Roller Coaster Ramble 