Motiongate

6 August 2018

Day 2 in Dubai, and things showed no sign of slowing down! Motiongate didn’t open until 3pm and so I needed something to fill my morning. No problem finding something to do though, as I decided to go ziplining off a building in the city. This was pretty damn expensive for 5 minutes of fun at $230, but you only live one eh? After catching a lift up as high as we could go, we walked the last few flights of stairs to the roof.

It was so hot outside, that even people who were losing their nerve would have no problems taking the plunge, as you just wanted to get down to the airconditioned mall again. My palms got a little sweaty, as the platform which you are lying face down on is raised before being removed, so you just kind of dangle on the edge. Once you get going and the anticipation is over, the fear subsides and you just enjoy a really nice view flying over the traffic and water to the landing zone. Weeeeeeeee!

I walked back to the hotel, then grabbed another cab to Motiongate due to the lack of public transport (you can see the pattern here huh?) Motiongate is part of Dubai Parks and Resorts, and is ENORMOUS!

The area includes Motiongate, Bollywood parks, Legoland, the Legoland waterpark, and two onsite hotels. It reminded me a bit of Disneyland since each ‘world’ was connected and you could pay extra to hop between the parks. I was also super excited to see construction underway for a Six Flags park nearby – this alone will be enough to warrant a return trip!

I was pretty excited about the park today, as I had saved up to buy the 1 day VIP package which included entry to two of the Dubai Parks and Resorts parks, and a food and beverage package for around $115 Aussie dollars. The plan was to eat my way through the park, as you got a little card which enabled you to get free food once every hour. As it turns out, from my 8 food slots, I only ended up using 3. There is only so much take away food I can manage when you mix this with rides I guess! You had to select your second park when you bought the ticket. I was tempted by Legoland as it had one little coaster, but I settled on Bollywood as it closed later in the evening which I meant I could make the most of both parks. Plus who doesn’t love some musical theatre and corny love stories??

Motiongate is a Hollywood inspired park, and I went straight to the Lionsgate section first to experience the Hunger Games attractions.

First stop, the Capitol Bullet Train. This coaster had a fairly novel set up, where the first part of the track shifts sideways once you have loaded, to join up with a section that rolls you forwards before fast launching backwards. After heading backwards up the half pipe style section, you then get an extra hit of speed to propel you forward and through the rest of the track. While this was a bit of fun, it wasn’t as cool it as it looked, and it was a super short ride for all the infrastructure needed. After a few turns (there were no queues for the first hour or so), I went to the only other ride in the area, the 4D hovercraft inspired Panem Aerial Tour. The attention to detail in the queuing area was pretty great, but the experience itself was average. I know that the 4D stuff is great as an indoor option, but there in an oversupply of them in the UAE. They kind of make me dizzy without providing any kind of adrenaline hit or laughs.

Disappointingly, these were the only 2 attractions in the Hunger Games area. Plus, Peeta’s bakery was closed and I was looking forward to seeing what kind of ‘Peeta inspired’ art works they would create. With 3-4 more rides, this section would be greatly improved.

After Lionsgate, I strolled in to the Dreamworks area which was really cool. You are greeted by a massive blue wall that hides the adventure within.

This section is 100% indoors, and contains Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Dragons, and Shrek lands. Continuing with my typical ‘start left’ route, I started with the Kung Fu Panda 3D ride, which was set up as a boating adventure. I enjoyed this a lot more than the Hunger Games version, but the wait? Not so much! The Dreamworks area was the busiest section of the whole park. It is kind of like a park within a park, contributing to some major sensory overload!

The Madagascar circus themed section was a lot of fun, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed the second coaster of the day, Madagascar Mad Pursuit. It had a surprise little fast launch section, and reminded me somewhat of Space Mountain. The track cleverly wove around the space, and there was (almost) enough film and sound to keep you entertained while suffering through pretty long lines. Like the Kung Fu Panda area, there was really only one decent ride in this section, so I moved on to How to Train Your Dragon.

Again, I was pretty mesmerised by just how clever the indoor space was used, and the attention to detail with the buildings and theming was exceptional. This area contained the third coaster of the day, Dragon Gliders. This wasn’t a high thrill experience, but I really appreciated something a bit different. The suspended trains sat four people across and rotated so that you might be facing forwards or sideways depending on the track sections. You could really sit back and enjoy the decorations of the area as you sailed around the roof, in addition to the films and effects on the internal sections.

I had never experienced a set up like this before, but one of the later parks in the trip (in Germany) had something similar that was just as enjoyable. This stuff kind of reminds me that so many of the rides in Australia are around 20 years behind the rest of the world. Sigh. My Dreamworks experience finished off in the Shrek area, but this was underwhelming compared to the other sections. One pretty boring dark/flat track ride, which I guess would be great for the little ones.

I was sad to leave the airconditioned wonderous cavern that was Dreamworks, but made a quick stop in the Smurfs Village to tick off the Smurf Village Express. This little kiddy coaster was set in an adorable world of brightly coloured mushrooms and oversized ice-creams. It was also melting hot without a lot of shade.

Colombia pictures was next, and I was pretty damn excited about the Zombieland area, including a replica of the Blast Off ride from the movie. I have mentioned numerous times that I really hate the drop tower attractions, but I have to say, they are one of the few rides left that give me a bit of a rush. Am I perhaps finding a soft spot for them?

Either way, Blast off kept breaking down, so I had to return later in the day to play. The Underworld 4D attraction was underwhelming as a stock-standard moving chair/cinema experience, as was the Ghostbusters dark ride/shoot em up.

The Hotel Transylvania dark ride was advertised as a trackless experience, but felt like many of the other standard indoor set ups as you rotate around the rooms in your little capsule.

I couldn’t help but think that the polished concrete floor would have made an excellent place to roller skate. Hmm, a roller disco in a haunted house would actually be amazing.

I skipped on the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs river expedition ride, as the hot weather equalled a stupidly long line. Instead, I went on the last ride of the day, the Green Hornet high speed chase rollercoaster. There were some fun twists and turns on the zippy little track, but the experience was of a similar length to the Capitol Bullet Train (just under a minute) and was pretty rough. It felt like a Wild Mouse track for big kids – similar vibe, but a bit taller, faster and bigger.

5 coasters at one park was not a bad effort, but I think that Motiongate was really missing an epic high thrill ride. It surprised me how much time I spent at the park considering that I didn’t go on a huge amount of rides, but I really enjoyed just wandering around and exploring the different lands and engineering. This only left me with a couple of hours before most of the area closed, so I walked pretty quickly back to the central hub and dashed around to Bollywood Parks which was open until 11pm. I was glad I didn’t elect Legoland as my second park, as it would have been closed by the time I had got there.