Around Middle East: Part Six

In which I explored the Ferrari World

Day Two continues...

We entered the Yas Mall at 2:15pm. Tickets were scanned at the Ferrari world. We had lunch at 2:45pm at the IL Podia restaurant, I had lunch with Neha and Meena Kadam. We wrapped up the lunch by 3:30pm and were all set for the rides. 

Due to time crunch and post lunch, I could take only a few rides. Most travellers were engaged in clicking with the Ferrari and sitting in the Ferrari. Only a few were interested for the rides.

Ferrari World is the world's first Ferrari-branded theme park and offers a thrilling experience for car enthusiasts. It is divided into different zones. I am detailing the zones not in the order I walked through them.

Welcome Plaza: This is the central hub of the park and the first zone you encounter upon entering. It features various shops and restaurants and is where you'll find the park's iconic red roof.

Family Zone: This zone is specifically designed for families offering gentler thrills and interactive experiences. It includes: Junior Grand Prix, Tyre Twist (similar to cup and saucer), Flying Wings (revolving swing), Speedway Race, Turbo Tower (similar to dare to drop), Formula Rossa Junior, Karting Academy

Adventure Zone: This zone is geared towards thrill-seekers looking for high-speed and adrenaline-pumping rides. It includes:

Formula Rossa: The world's fastest roller coaster, reaching speeds of up to 240 km/h in 4.9 seconds and heart-racing heights of 52m. Unfortunately it was under maintenance.

Flying Aces: One of the world's tallest and fastest looping coasters, inspired by the "Ace of Spades" formation of the Italian Air Force. There’s nothing quite like watching your feet hang over the void as the Flying Aces goes through its series of precipitous drops, serpentine twists and rapid turns.

Turbo Track: A thrilling shuttle coaster that launches riders vertically through the roof and back down, a vertical climb and an epic zero gravity fall, all in 30 action-packed seconds.

Italian Zone: This zone immerses visitors in the charm and beauty of Italy, the birthplace of Ferrari.

Bell'Italia: A miniature recreation of Italy, allowing guests to explore famous landmarks in a Ferrari 250 California.

Speed of Magic: Journey through a majestic 4D fantasy with Nello, as he dares to go where no Ferrari has gone before and invites you along for the ride of your life. Dive into oceans, fly over cliffs, and venture into ice caves while simulator technology teases your senses with changes in temperature, moisture, light, and movement along the way. 

Viaggio in Italia: Take your seat, be elevated high into the dome of this multi-sensory simulator and soar over the spectacular Italian landscape.

Racing Zone (also referred to as F1 Zone): This zone gives guests a taste of the Formula 1 racing experience that Ferrari is famous for.

Fiorano GT Challenge: A dueling roller coaster where you race alongside another Ferrari GT car. In this unique roller coaster challenge riders are seated in a four-person, Ferrari F430 Spider-inspired car. Three cars make up a train, and there are two trains, each traversing its own 1.08 km-long  track. Varying acceleration plus sudden twists, turns, and exciting centripetal and centrifugal forces bring alive the feeling of being in an actual GT race.

Driving with the champion: In this immersive car driving experience with a Ferrari simulator, you play the role of a rookie Ferrari engineer in training. An F1 pro racer kindly takes you under his wing and puts Ferrari race cars through their paces

Mission Ferrari: Jump into a multisensory 5D rollercoaster experience set within a top-secret international spy headquarters, including high-speed launches, backward inverted loops and the world’s first sideways coaster drop.

Apart from the zones, there are real adventures like:

Karting Academy: An outdoor karting track for those who want to experience the thrill of racing.

Driving Experience: Offers the opportunity to drive real Ferraris on the Yas Marina Circuit.

Ferrari Past and Present: An exhibition showcasing the history of Ferrari and its iconic cars.

Galleria Ferrari: The world's largest Ferrari gallery outside of Maranello, displaying a collection of classic and modern Ferrari models.

There was a lot to experience and a day is not enough to do justice for the adventure parks in Yas. If you are a real adventure enthusiast, come stay in Yas Island and experience one adventure park per day. We had reservations for the evening mosque visit. So we left the Yas Island by 6:30pm. It would be my first visit to the mosque. More on this in next post.