What is Dubai Parks and Resorts all about
Dubai Parks and Resorts is a brand new complex of theme parks that is made up of 4 different attractions. It’s an area that spans 30.6 million square feet and offers world class, state of the art entertainment in the middle of a desert!
Bits of it opened earlier this year, but it was officially opened by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum on the 18th of December 2016.
I was invited to spend the day there as part of a media/press visit to find out what it’s all about. This review is based on my up close and personal visit of the park and the attractions. We visited 3 of the 4 parks: Bollywood Park, Legoland Dubai and Motiongate. These 3 parks are all connected by Riverland.
Where is Dubai Parks and Resorts located
Dubai Parks and Resorts (DPR) is located at the border of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, right next to the new Outlet Village and not far from Dubai World Central Airport. With no traffic, it should take about 25 minutes maximum from most areas of Dubai to reach. I was dropped off at the Visitor Center for the Outlet Village then walked through a beautiful area that I think was called French Village that was part of Riverland. It was a gorgeous recreation that looked genuinely like an old town! I think it’s FREE till you get to the turnstile of the first park.
It was easy to walk from here, along a section of waterway to the first park we visited: Bollywood Park.
Bollywood Park in Dubai Parks and Resorts
Bollywood Park is the only one of this kind of park in the world and as it’s name suggests it really does focus on all things Bollywood from the architecture of the buildings the attractions are based in to the food and beverage offerings and everything in between.
There is a mega theater that takes centre stage in this park called the Raj Mahal Theater.
It’s a huge, gold and white themed building and has been designed to stage spectacular Bollywood style musicals complete with surround sound and dazzling sets. I’d think you’d need to pay extra ticket prices to see a production here but the street shows are free with entry to the park.
Bollywood Park is quite loud with Hindi filmi music playing in most bits of it. They also have sporadic song and dance shows in this park, of course Bollywood style. If it’s thrills you want then both the Krish rides and the Lagaan are must do’s. Hang on to your seats and DON’T do these if you’ve just eaten! The audience obviously LOVED this ride and wanted to do it multiple times.
Legoland Dubai
Legoland Dubai is I’m assuming based on Legoland in Windsor in the UK but it’s not nearly as big, as yet! It seems like a happy kind of park and has a large shaded walkway from the entrance right down to the end of the park.
It’s possible to buy lego by weight here just as you would frozen yoghurt! AED 45 for a small tub, AED 85 for a large tub!
The most impressive, awe inspiring bit of Legoland for me was definitely MiniLand! An area filled with iconic building made from, you guessed it, Lego! We couldn’t spend much time in this section but it by far the most popular bit of Legoland Dubai the day that we visited.
Everyone will want their pictures taken in MiniLand!
Motiongate Park
Motiongate Park is similar to Universal Studios but on a smaller scale. The whole theme of the Motiongate Park is of the art deco, 1920s jazz era with music to match! Look out for the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Cafe.
Little kids, and some older ones – will LOVE the Smurf Village bit of Motiongate. We didn’t see any smurfs or smurfettes the day we visited!
The Transylvania castle part also seemed worth a visit, but the rides weren’t operational while we were there. It’s in this park you’ll find the Zombie ride that many journalists thought was the most thrilling despite it only lasting a few seconds!
I was screaming in the Underworld ride, much more tame but again you don’t leave your seats and yet you’re literally transported to an Underworld. The children seated next to us seemed to love this ride and had done it many times!
Thanks to Nadia and Zeenat for being excellent guides in this bit of the park.
Which bits of Dubai Parks and Resorts are open now
Some bits of all the attractions are open now, but for example Dreamworks, a large part of the Motiongate park is not yet open. Furthermore, some rides, although open may not be working in the parks due to technical issues, this is what we faced on our visit. I think these would be temporary, but it is worth checking before hand that all accessible rides are operational.
What are the food and beverage options at Dubai Parks and Resorts
We really didn’t get the chance to sample the food and beverage on offer, but there seemed to be plenty of choice at the mid market level. I didn’t see much in the way of higher end or healthy choices around. There was a Tom Aikens Deli though and you could opt for healthy options within menus. 2 of the food outlets are licensed at the moment, one is the Rock On bar in Bollywood. I’ll find out which the other is and add in a comment to the post.
What are the prices like at Dubai Parks and Resorts
It seems the adult entry ticket to each park is around AED 300, but at the time of our visit there were reduced ticket prices on offer. This was probably as some of the rides weren’t open.
My recommendation is to buy a combined ticket to all the parks. I think this would cost around AED 500 that you could use over 2 days. This would be the best value by far. Check this page for the celebration offer of AED 295 for entry to all 3 parks in one day.
If it’s not busy, and it’s certainly not too busy yet, it’s entirely possible to do all the parks in one day. It’s about a 5 to 7 minute walk from one park turnstile to the next. We walked between parks all day when we visited! Ask for discounts or look for combination deals. But do wear the most comfortable walking shoes you have and take a cap or hat even in winter in Dubai.
Is it worth going to Dubai Parks and Resorts
Yes absolutely, great for adults and children alike! It’s a feat of very impressive engineering that really does provide world class entertainment. Has to be experienced to be believed but try and get a look at all the parks in part at least to get value for money. Also go now while it’s cooler and less crowded as bits of the park aren’t entirely complete.
I recommend the following rides
The Underworld ride in Motiongate, scary stuff but thrilling nonetheless. The Lagaan ride in Bollywood Park will make you feel like a cricket ball being hurtled across the world and the Krrish ride in Bollywood Park will have you fly through the air like an Indian Nemo from the Matrix all from the comfort of your seat!
Let me know if this was helpful and add your experiences or comments here. I’ll try and secure some tickets for a competition to welcome 2017! Wishing all our readers a very happy time over the Festive Holidays!
Thank You Monica.