Your indispensible guide to the UAE’s new theme park
▶ From the rides to the parking and what to eat, Saeed Saeed, Chris Newbould and Melissa Gronlund have everything you need to know before visiting the world’s first Warner Bros theme park
Huge indoor theme park Warner Bros World is now open on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island. The park covers 153,000 square metres and is made up of five immersive lands – Metropolis; Gotham City; Cartoon Junction; Dynamite Gulch and Bedrock. These branch off from the central Warner Bros Plaza, where films are projected on the walls, and which buzzes with restaurants and shops, some of which sell merchandise specifically designed for Warner Bros World.
The theme park houses 29 state-of-the art rides. When we visited on Tuesday night, not all of the rides were ready to open to the public, but word is, 27 of the 29 rides are now operational, with the park open to the public from yesterday.
When we visited it was a dark night for The Dark Knight as the Batman: Knight Flight attraction, which promises to whisk riders over the Gotham skyline in a prototype Batplane wasn’t ready yet, while Clark Kent wasn’t having a super time either – the Superman 360 attraction was also out of action. We also didn’t get to try the Warworld Attacks 5D Justice League ride. But here are the rides we did try …
Joker Funhouse
Gotham City’s take on the classic fairground funhouse sees visitors enter via a traditional mirror maze, with the added bonus of a soundtrack of The Joker himself taunting his lost victims. Once you’ve negotiated that hurdle, you’ll follow a trail of physical and mental challenges, from optical illusions to moving ladders and physical obstacles until you eventually escape The Joker’s clutches via a tube slide.
The warning sign at the entrance mentions that those with heart conditions and bad backs should give the ride a miss. We’d add anyone with limited mobility to that list. Some of the challenges are surprisingly physical, although a lift or staircase option is generally available as an alternative.
Riddler Revolution
Is it a roller coaster? Is it a waltzer? Is it a pirate ship? It’s a mystery to us.
And that’s most likely exactly what that dastardly Riddler would hope for. Riders are strapped around the edge of a large disk sitting atop a linear roller coaster track – basically a “W” shape. As the ride rolls, rises and plummets from the left-sided high point of the “W” to the right, and back, then back again, the disk also spins round and, we think, rocks from side-to-side, too. It’s hard to be sure as the overall experience is like taking a two-minute ride in a well air-conditioned tumble dryer. Thrill-seekers will love it.
Fast and Furry-ous
A surprisingly grown-up ride in the heart of the cartoon-themed kiddie section of the park, Fast and Furry-ous sees riders take on the role of Wile E Coyote as he chases Road Runner through the Southwest American desert on his Acme rocket. Riders are strapped into a car hanging under the track with their legs hanging free below, and are fired around a series of loops, banks, turns and drops with the desert’s rocks and random pieces of Road Runner-themed furniture often seeming way too close for comfort. The rider next to us was on her fourth ride of the evening, so this one looks to be a winner already.
The Scarecrow
Be warned, this ride is deceptive. With its backdrop being the noir-ish skyline of Gotham City, the ride resembles a spider with each of its multiple fingers home to a two-seat compartment. Once you are strapped in, you begin to move anti-clockwise, with The Scarecrow picking up speed and height. The kicker lies in the joystick stationed in the middle of the compartment. A toggle to the left or right allows the compartment to sway in those directions, while an almost semi-circle pattern can have you upside down in a few seconds. It only went for a few minutes, but it was enough to make us feel plenty queasy.
Green Lantern: Galactic Odyssey
This is one ride in the theme park that shouldn’t raise your blood pressure too much. That’s because this ride’s family appeal is more down to its technical prowess rather than its thrills. You are basically seated in a flying theatre as you join the intergalactic peacekeeper, the Green Lantern, while being transported through a star-studded universe with its eye-popping visuals and slick sound effects. The whole experience is like being in a moving planetarium.