SCREAMS ARE LOUDEST IN DUBAI N
OT satisfied with merely having the world’s tallest building, the world’s largest mall or the world’s largest indoor ski resort,, the recordchasing Dubai has added another to its list of superlatives: the world’s largest indoor theme park.
The 140 000m² IMG Worlds of Adventure opened its doors earlier this month after a three-year building operation, and a spend of $1-billion.
The massive, climate-controlled park boasts 22 rides, 28 dining outlets and 25 retail stores. It is divided into four themed areas, referred to as “Epic Zones”, two of which represent global brands in the field of family entertainment, Marvel and the Cartoon Network.
The Marvel Zone’s rides centre on some of that company’s most popular superhero characters, including Spider-Man, The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and The Avengers.
The Cartoon Network Zone, meanwhile, features popular kiddie characters such as the Powerpuff Girls. It also contains the world’s first 5D Ben 10 cinema and the largest Ben 10 store in the world.
The Lost Valley-Dinosaur Adventure Zone includes animatronic dinosaurs and roller coasters.
It is also home to the park’s signature ride, the Velociraptor, notable for being the fastest and tallest roller coaster in the emirate. It shoots riders up to speeds from 0-90km/h in under three seconds before sending them on a hair-raising series of twists and turns.
“Not for the faint-hearted .... You think you’ve got what it takes?” the website dares.
The final zone is the IMG Boulevard, home to several attractions, including The Haunted Hotel — which you must be 15 or older to enter. “Know before you enter that leaving is not easy … Negotiate a maze of corridors and changing scenery, encountering all sorts of scary characters against a ghoulish backdrop. Hold your nerve as you try to find the exit … Immersive entertainment has never been this frightening!” says the website.
One of the more interesting shopping options is Adventure Photography, where visitors can get photos taken against a Green Screen, projecting them into scenes of dinosaurs or superheros.
Lennard Otto, the CEO of IMG Worlds of Adventure, told CNN: “We wanted this to be an icon for Dubai itself and an icon for the region. And opening the world’s largest indoor theme park seemed very fitting for this market.”
It might, however, also rank up there with the world’s most expensive day trips.
Tickets are priced at AED300 (about R1 000) for adults, AED250 (about R950) for children under 1.2m tall and free for kids under 3 years of age (or 0.9m tall).
Besides that, it won’t be the record holder for long. The even bigger Dubai Parks and Resorts development is set to open later this year.
Built at a cost of $3-billion, that park will boast a LegoLand, a Bollywood-themed zone and a water park.
For more info, see imgworlds.com.