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We couldn’t have imagined that our visit to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi would be as good as it was. We had a few nice surprises, were lucky with the weather, Noah had a blast on the rides and in the end one full day was not enough for us.
Our trip to Abu Dhabi started the night before, when we flew from India to Dubai. We had a great time in India and visited one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal, but now it was time for the Emirates. Our transfer from Dubai to Abu Dhabi took some time as we had to take a bus from the bus station in Dubai, but luckily our hotel was located just 2 minutes away from the bus station in Abu Dhabi. That was pure luck, as distances in the desert tend to be enormous.
The next morning we were up early and raring to go to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, but the park opens its doors at 11 so we took our time with breakfast, which was good as it allowed us to recover from the previous day’s trip. On top of that, I was still recovering from a cold that I’d caught in India on our last day. It wasn’t cold there, so I guess it was down to a mix of the air conditioning and the air pollution in Delhi. As a result I wasn’t too sad about the later-than-planned start.
When we got to the park it didn’t take long to collect our tickets at guest services, and then we decided to follow the route indicated on the map.
Almost all of the attractions are indoors, under the giant ceiling shaped like the symbol of Scuderia Ferrari. The only attractions that are outdoors are the rollercoasters, of which there are 3 in total.
We thought that the first rollercoaster – Fiorano GT Challenge, located near the entrance – would be suitable for Noah, but unfortunately he is smaller than the minimum allowed height of 1.3 meters. That meant I had to go by myself, and of course Noah was very sad because he simply loves this kind of adrenaline (that became clear at other theme parks around the world and on our tour of Huacachina desert).
Anyway, that first rollercoaster was pretty cool and good enough to get adrenaline coursing through my body.
I wasn’t sure about going on the other two rollercoasters. I was feeling sick and felt a bit dizzy in one of the simulators, probably because of the screens and movement. I therefore kept thinking that it might not be a good idea to go on the fastest rollercoaster in the world or the one with the highest loop as they would probably make me feel worse. I spent the first 2 hours in the park going to attractions with Ruth and Noah, but the whole time I was thinking about whether I felt well enough to go off and do the big ones.
In the end I turned to Ruth and told her I’d go. Heck, I don’t know if I’ll ever be back to this theme park, and we had been kindly invited to write a review of our experience there, so screw it … I’d rather feel bad later than regret not doing it 🙂 🙂
Ruth and Noah followed me to the entrance of the Flying Aces rollercoaster, and there we were told that the attraction was closed for about an hour as Ferrari drivers – Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel – were coming to the park just to go on that rollercoaster. Well, if they were there we wanted to see them on the ride and maybe try to get a picture with them both.
The security staff told us that they might take some time to get there, but luck was on our side as they arrived about a minute later. We asked Kimi if we could take a photo with him and he showed us why he is called the Iceman. Amazing enthusiasm for the picture 🙂 🙂 But we cannot complain as he was patient enough to pose for the shot.
We took a picture with Vettel after their ride, and he was very nice to us. He posed for a few shots and smiled for the camera 🙂 After they left I immediately joined the line for the rollercoaster and got through very quickly, as I had a fastpass. When I saw that extremely tall loop (the tallest in the world) I have to admit that I had goosebumps, but the adrenaline kicked in really fast and I enjoyed the ride like a kid.
Surprisingly, after the ride I was feeling much better and not dizzy at all, believe it or not. Maybe it’s a good cure for dizziness …
When I met Ruth and Noah at the exit, Noah was crying … It wasn’t because he was afraid I’d be hurt on the rollercoaster, but because he wanted to go on too 🙂 Little daredevil …
Then only the last rollercoaster was missing: Formula Rossa, the fastest in the world with an initial rush of 240km/hour in less than 5 seconds. Again, I went on this alone while Ruth took care of Noah. The first climb is the scariest one, as it is very high and it goes really fast. But after that I just enjoyed the speed.
So I think I passed the test – the fastest rollercoaster and the one with the highest loop on the same day.
As I mentioned above there are many attractions that are suitable for young children at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, so Noah enjoyed each and every one of them as if there was no tomorrow.
The one that Noah loved the most was Speed of Magic – a 4D simulator in which Nello, a Ferrari driver, takes your car to places like cliffs and oceans. I think Noah went on that one 8 or 9 times during the day.
He also liked the Bell’Italia a lot. Although very slow paced, as opposed to the fast rides that he usually loves, he liked the idea of driving a classic Ferrari 250 California along the roads that inspired Enzo Ferrari.
The other one that we know he would have gone back to if there had been time was Benno’s Great Race, where we helped Benno during his race by building cars, smashing tomatoes and carrying out a few other tasks.
There was plenty more to be enjoyed and it was tough for Noah to go from one attraction to the next, as he always wanted to repeat the previous one 🙂
We were only able to see 3 of the shows at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. Well actually it was just me, as Noah was so excited about the attractions at the park that I decided to go to some of the shows by myself.
I went to three of them:
A live juggling performance at La Piazza – very entertaining and great for kids. The attraction only lasts a few minutes and I had time to go to the next one.
Fast Lane: the Interactive Game Show is very entertaining. The host takes a few people from the audience to participate in a quiz show, in which the winner gets a prize. There weren’t many people in the audience, but there were at least enough to participate in the quiz. I was chosen as one of the 4, and not only that I won the prize 🙂 It was an easy question for anyone who watches Formula 1 and the prize was to have my picture taken in a replica of a Ferrari! Noah and I got the outfits and everything for the picture. It was a really nice moment.
Finally, the spectacle Red, with lots of dance, music and acrobatics. A very thrilling show that I just feel pity that Noah did not see it. But I’m sure he does not regret enjoying all the other attractions.
Ferrari World Abu Dhabi has several options for dining, and some of them seemed to be really tasty, especially the Italian options. I think the most famous one is the Mamma Rossella, a classic Italian family restaurant which is visited by some celebrities (and not just Ferrari drivers …). But we only had a quick snack during the day so we would have more time for the attractions.
To end this extremely entertaining and fulfilling day at Ferrari World I participated in a racing challenge at Karting Academy. Noah and Ruth were supporting me in the stands, but I didn’t win this one unfortunately 🙂
It got to 8pm and then there was only time to visit the store (open till 8:30pm) at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, as the attractions had already closed. There were lots of options to buy souvenirs that were perfect for people looking for nice Ferrari memorabilia. Just a bit later we were waiting for our taxi to take us back to the hotel.
We had a lot of fun and will definitely have great memories of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi.
Many thanks Leigh and team for having us at this extraordinary theme park in Abu Dhabi.
Family Travel Secrets visited Ferrari World Abu Dhabi as guests. All opinions and the oodles of pictures remain our own.