Not the best of starts…

The day did not start too well. When we arrived there were lots of people (as expected) yet the queues at the taquillas (ticket booths) were short. The problem was they were not moving. Not at all. We waited over half an hour and the area is not shaded. It was already very hot. Some people said they had been there almost an hour!

I knew it would be hot and I knew it would be busy. This was July in Madrid for goodness sake; but this kind of inefficiency is not acceptable. Someone at Warner Bros needs to address this issue.

Cartoon Village

Needless to say, by the time we got inside the park Dani’s dad was a little grumpy. Dani too. (I wonder where he gets it from?) He was ready for a relax and suggested we go to a bar!! I would have gone along with that idea – there are plenty of places to eat and drink. Instead we made straight for the cartoon village area. Who doesn’t love the Loony Tunes cartoons?

First attraction we tried was called Daffy Duck Emergencies (Emergencias de Pato Lucas). Dani was unable to shoot the water as the buttons were very stiff. My side was almost broken and there is no way a small child could operate them without adult help. Note to Warner Bros park: Those need fixing!

Things got a lot better….

The next place we went to was the Coyote rollercoaster. For some reason children over 105cm tall can be accompanied by adults. I thought he would love the ride because Wile E Coyote was “driving” the train. As it turned out this “moderate” (terror) ride proved a little too much for him. He just about put up with it and thankfully (as is usual with this type of ride) it was over in less than a minute. He was in no hurry to try it again but I think he was fairly pleased he had done it.

We visited several other attractions in the cartoon village including the Scooby Doo Adventure (house) which was an updated version of what we used to call a ghost train ride when I was young. The cars have laser beam guns which you can fire at targets. Your scores are displayed on the cars “dashboard”.

Perfect Timing

Dani’s mum wanted to go on a particular water attraction so we headed into the Wild West zone. We could not believe our luck. En-route we bumped into a certain Wile E Coyote. Walking right toward us. He stopped for a few photos. Dani was incredibly excited. Photos with his favourite character. What more could we ask for? That alone made his day.

Rio Bravo

For some reason small children are allowed on this one. I have been on several of this type of ride in the past. Usually there is the steep climb followed by a slow flowing “river”, finishing with a water slide descent and a big splash where everyone gets soaking wet. I have to admit the finishing chute to this ride was far steeper than anything I had seen before. Dani was showing signs of fear. I was also a little concerned. After 40 minutes of waiting Dani finally decided he did not want to go on it. We did anyway. He cried but we survived.

His fears were justified. The final descent was not even the worst part. Once inside the “mountain” the boat is turned and thrown backwards down an equally steep fall. Both myself and Dani (sat in the back row) physically left the seat. It is no wonder the little fella was scared. The odd thing is that there is another similar water chute ride in the park and it is a lot less severe. Yet it is deemed unsuitable for kids of Dani’s height. Meanwhile Rio Bravo takes kids only 1 metre tall.

Gotham City

Next stop was Gotham City and a chance to meet some D.C. Comics superheroes. We had photographs with Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern as well top Villains The Joker and Cat-woman. Some were less convincing than others I have to say.

 

We went on The Jokers Coches de Choque (bumper cars or dodgems) which meant yet another long wait. The turnaround time on some attractions could definitely be improved. It was worth the wait. Dani loved it.

                        

Then there was a stunt show at Gotham City Hall. The Batman facing his nemesis The Joker. An animated young boy pretended not to be too impressed when it was all over. During the show however he was completely engrossed, narrating every bit of the action for all around to hear. Very funny.

Final Fun….

Before we left the park Dani insisted that we go into Scooby Doo’s “house” again. Another long wait. Over 40 minutes. But he enjoyed it and that is what matters most. I have to admit I also enjoyed it.

By the time we came out the sun was going down and the final parade was about to start. We watched the parade and he loved it. All the characters took part, apart from (curiously) Wile E Coyote. This was duly noted, but the boy did not complain. It was late in the day and we were all tired. We went straight into one of the shops and bought a Coyote and headed for the car. Within minutes he was asleep still clutching the Wile E Coyote.

Suggestions to Warner bros.

An excellent day out. I am seriously considering buying an annual pass. However, I do hope Warner Bros. take note that they can still make some subtle improvements – especially to the chaotic entrance operations.