I've done Coasters, Flat rides and Water rides, so now I'm doing dark rides. I'm definitely more of a dark ride person than water ride person, but because I have terrible memory, I'm not including anything from Efteling or Parc Asterix. (This includes Danish, Spanish, British and U.A.E dark rides) Let's get into them!
10) Laser Raiders, Legoland Windsor
I've been on this quite a lot now, and it's my least favourite shooter at a merlin park. I love the concept of an Egyptian tomb style dark ride, but I don't think it really mixes with lego very well. That being said, it's still a good addition to the park, gives them and indoor ride for when it rains, and can just be fun.
9) Ghost - The Haunted House, Legoland Billund.
I rode this back in 2018, and it's fair to say, I really liked it. It felt like Haunted mansion but if you made it slightly less scary by shoving Lego figures in, mixed with the idea of TOT (tower of terror) by having a drop. Basically you could tell it was Disney 'inspired'😂. But I really like ghost trains/haunted houses and bringing one into a legoland setting is cool. This is like the scarier predecessor to Monster Party at Legoland Windsor, just with an actual drop ride inside.
8) Ninjago the Ride, Legoland Billund / Windsor
I've done both of these versions of the ride, I'd say I slightly prefer the Billund version, but their both really similar. I like shooter rides, but I'm not really a fan of the hand-shooter versions on this ride. Other than that, I like the theming and the storyline. (I'm also not a fan of the 3D goggles, but anyway). It's a really cool new dark ride concept that I think makes a good addition to the themed areas at Legoland. P.S: I didn't mean to put al the Legoland dark rides at the bottom, it just happened that way😂.
7) The Haunting, Drayton Manor
I didn't actually know what type of dark ride haunting was until I entered the ride show-room😂. I loved how intertwined the ride and pre shows were, with an exciting yet scary story that really pulled you through, making you want to find out more. I really like Vekoma Madhouses, (Hex is one of my favourite rides, it comes up later,) and the Haunting is a great example of one done well. Unfortunately, it was shut for the whole of 2020, so I didn't get to ride it when I went in August, but I'm planning to go in September 2021, so hoping it will be open then.
6) Duel, Alton Towers
I'm not one of these people that says 'I don't do Duel with the blasters cos it ruins the experience' (there's nothing wrong with this, but...) I like the added fun of battling with whoever you're with as to who can get more points, and I think you're still given time here and there to take in the scenery. I understand that the really old-school style set, similar to an original Ghost Train isn't really the first ride I'd put shooter technology on, but I think it goes quite well😂.
5) Derren Brown's Ghost Train Rise of the Demon, Thorpe Park
100% the most controversial one on here, DGBT opened in 2016, and was updated to Rise of the Demon the year after. I rode it for the first time in 2018, so never got to see the original version. I don't know if it was my age at the time, but I was really scared by it so proceeded to learn how it worked to then never look at it the same😂. It's still a really big feat in science, but I think Thorpe should have known going in to it that it wasn't gonna be a permanent investment and that it would get boring after a while. I don't imagine Ghost Train's gonna last much longer, and if it does it's not gonna be very popular.
4) Tomb Blaster, Chessington
Chessington has one of the more balanced line-ups of a UK Merlin park, balancing flat rides, coasters, water rides and dark rides pretty well. However, Tomb blaster is the only REAL dark ride, but it is really good. After it's development over 2019-2020 closed season, it's been given slight changes to the shooter sections and new on-board audio explaining the story. I really liked the updates when I got to ride in June, and it's just a great all round family ride with beautiful set pieces!
3) Hex, Alton Towers
Best dark ride in the UK. No question. In my humble opinion, Hex has the best theming and storyline presentation in Merlin. I'm no creative lead, but using a storyline already woven into the park the ride is in is genius!😂. It's location, storytelling, set and ride experience are great! Being a Vekoma madhouse, they're not the MOST re-rideable option, but I still think Hex is ok in that respect. My only complain of Hex itself, is that the videos aren't the best quality, but I mean they're 21 years old and the ride storyline is based in the 1500's so I think it adds to the theming😂.
2) Flying Over Italy, Ferrari Land & World
I've done both variations of Flying over Italy, and I don't really know which one I prefer. Flying theatres are probably one of my favourite (non-coaster) ride types, and I'm really excited to see what Chessington do with Mythica later this year. It takes you through an interesting storyline, yet still is related to Ferrari, yet offering a (kind of) thrilling ride! I love both of them, and can't wait to get back to either of the Ferrari parks to get back on them in the near future!
1) Sesame Street Street Mission, PortAventura Park
Yes. A sesame street themed dark ride is my number one. I think it's how glistening and new it was when we went and how surprising it was! I loved it's shooter system (the 'guns' reminded me of wii remotes😂) and I really like all the theming inside. Overall it's just so fun and is a really nice-looking ride from inside and out!
That's my top 10 Dark Rides! I'll come back to my top 10's once I think they've changed enough, but that's it for now. I hope you've enjoyed, I'll catch you next time!
Cleo x
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