OUR favourite theme parks are opening their doors for more thrills and spills.
And, just like Alton Towers, many at home and abroad are offering amazing new attractions to have the whole family screaming with delight.
7
There are record-breaking rides, adrenalin-pumping roller coasters, spectacular shows and birthday bashes.
Trisha Harbord reveals what’s new this year.
DISNEYLAND PARIS
THE park’s 30th birthday celebrations will come to an end with a magical grand finale.
Disney Dreams, a spectacular colourful laser, fireworks and music show with images beamed on to the Sleeping Beauty Castle, will be held every night from April 12 until September 30.
7
An Avengers: Power The Night drone show, dedicated to the Marvel superheroes, will light up the skies until May 8, using 500 drones to create icons representing Iron Man and Co’s powers.
A new Pixar-themed show We Belong Together, where families take part in a musical extravaganza alongside the characters, is opening this summer.
Royal breakfasts with Disney princesses are back in Fantasyland this spring and the icing on the cake is the re-opening of the ever-popular It’s A Small World, following its refurbishment.
GO: Two nights room-only at Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe, including Luton flights on May 3 and three days’ park entry, costs from £471, based on two adults and two children sharing. See disneylandparis.com.
BUSCH GARDENS
THE world’s tallest and fastest swing ride has just opened at the Florida park.
Serengeti Flyer has twin duelling arms, each carrying 20 riders sitting back to back in two rows, that reach 68mph and rise to 135ft.
With each swing, you will soar higher and higher, looking out over the park’s Serengeti Plain and feeling negative-G force moments before plunging back to Earth.
The park in Tampa Bay has a mix of heart-pounding coasters, rides for every age and is home to endangered animals.
Its sister park, SeaWorld in Orlando, launches its seventh coaster, Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, in the spring. Riders will hurtle 60mph, turning upside down on a wave curl along a 3,000ft track.
GO: Seven nights’ room-only at the Rosen Inn International, including flights from Heathrow in November and tickets to Busch Gardens, SeaWorld and waterpark Aquatica, costs from £749 per person.
See ocean-florida.co.uk and seaworldparks.co.uk to book.
CHESSINGTON
FLIP upside down in the jungle on the world’s only Jumanji rollercoaster at Chessington World of Adventures.
Mandrill Mayhem, the first new coaster at the park for 18 years, is the highlight of themed land World of Jumanji, where families follow in the footsteps of Dr Bravestone.
7
Riders will be swept up into the long arms of a mandrill then flipping while dodging the hazards of the jungle as they head towards the summit of the 55ft-tall Jaguar Shrine.
You will see its eyes glow before hurtling at 45mph along the 1,247ft track again – backwards. The new land, opening on May 15, also includes two more rides, Ostrich Stampede and Mamba Strike, plus food and drink outlets.
And six new Jumanji-themed rooms will be open at the park hotel from April 1.
GO: Tickets from £40 and one-night B&B breaks from £50pp. See chessington.com.
DRAYTON MANOR
IT’S party time as the attraction toasts the 15th anniversary of kids’ fave Thomas Land next month.
There will be street entertainment, games, a themed Easter egg hunt and live performances at the station from Thomas and train pals including Sir Topham Hatt and sidekicks Rusty and Dusty.
7
The Staffordshire park will get the bunting out again for Coronation weekend on May 5 and stay open late so you can ride the coasters in the dark and watch a fireworks display.
There are 50 attractions, including 25 rides, and the zoo is home to 500 animals.
GO: Season opens on Friday, March 31, tickets from £26, aged 2-3 from £15, under-2s free. New annual passes from £99.
B&B and tickets for a family of four from £266. See draytonmanor.co.uk.
LEGOLAND
WANNABE Lewis Hamiltons will love the new attraction speeding into the Legoland Windsor Resort.
The UK’s first Lego Ferrari Build & Race Experience, featuring three interactive zones, is opening this summer.
7
Kids build, test and scan their own car on to the interactive track – based on Ferrari’s Pista di Fiorano circuit – before racing others.
There will also be a life-size Lego Ferrari model, fun facts, drivers’ gear and awards. The park also launches Springfest, featuring music, entertainment and rides from May 13 to June 5.
Families staying at one of the hotels from April 1 can enjoy a new playroom full of Lego treats.
GO: Tickets from £34. B&B for a family of four in a premium room and park entry from £475, legoland.co.uk.
UNIVERSAL ORLANDO
MORE mischievous Minions are to land.
A family attraction inspired by blockbuster movie Minions: The Rise Of Gru is opening at the Florida theme park.
7
You will stand on a moving walkway and wind and glide as you target baddies on Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast.
In true Universal style, there’s amazing technology and elaborate sets.
The attraction opens in the summer in the new Minion Land, also featuring the Despicable Me simulator ride.
Universal Studios has one of the world’s best stunt shows, The Bourne Spectacular, and sister park Islands Of Adventure is home to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
GO: Seven nights’ room-only at Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites, including flights from Gatwick on October 3 and 14-day tickets to three Universal parks, costs from £1,149, based on two adults and two children sharing. See tui.co.uk.
THORPE PARK
SHIVER and shake on Ghost Train, its latest scary attraction.
Designers at the park, known for its spine-tingling rides, describe it as “an experience where you will leave the mortal world behind on a one-way ticket to meet your maker”.
7
Ghost Train, which replaces illusionist Derren Brown’s similar ride, opens this spring. It is one of the UK’s longest ride experiences, so prepare to be screaming in the dark for a good while.
You will come face-to-face with supernatural believers – actors popping out among the special effects. The Surrey park, which has seven thrilling coasters among 30 attractions, reopened this weekend, along with its quirky Thorpe Shark cabins sleeping four. It is also celebrating Mardi Gras and holding a summer carnival and Halloween Fright Nights.
GO: Tickets from £34 per person when booked on thorpepark.com. One-night breaks including park tickets cost from £129 for two people.
PARC ASTERIX
THE highest and fastest roller-coaster in France is launching in the spring.
Toutatis, the main attraction at a new £31million Gaulish zone at Parc Asterix, is nearly three- quarters of a mile long, soars to a height of 167ft and accelerates to almost 70mph.
New area Festival Toutatis has fabulous family fun including four spinning gondolas, the Golden Boar playground and a restaurant and shop. Parc Asterix, based on the classic comic books, is 20 miles north of Paris and has 40 attractions and a hotel.
GO: Adult tickets from £45, child £42. Offers between April 8 and May 5 include a free child ticket. B&B and a ticket costs from £82.
See parcasterix.fr. Eurotunnel for a car and up to nine passengers costs from £170 return. See eurotunnel.com.
