Yas Island Theme Park Adventures

Well, we are finally down to the mid 90’s, so the weather is still an obstacle for us but supposedly any day now it will change. I find myself checking the weather a few times per day to see how hot and humid it is, or is going to be. I also look to see if there is anything in the 10-day forecast to get excited about. The anticipation is driving me crazy. In spite of the weather we got out and about a little this past week since Tyler was off of school for his mid-term break.

We ventured out to Warner Bros World for the second time and the boys went to Yas Waterworld for the second time too. The first time we visited the parks was for Tyler’s birthday weekend back in September. Back in September both parks weren’t very busy and so the lines weren’t very long. This time around both parks were a little busier, but nothing like what we are use to when visiting Disneyland back home.

Warner Bros World, like almost all the theme parks here, is completely indoors. The theming and strategies for creating this theme park is pretty impressive, but it did feel very strange to be at a theme park that was indoors. During our first trip, I felt kind of claustrophobic when we first stepped into the main plaza. There is plenty of space but the visual effects that are put in place made me feel a little strange. It was great not getting all hot and sweaty while enjoying a theme park though, not to mention not having to worry about getting a sunburn.

Warner Bros World brought back lots of nostalgic memories of Saturday morning cartoons as we walked through Bedrock, Dynamite Gulch, and Cartoon Junction. I was ready to rush home and introduce Tyler to The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Tom & Jerry, and expand his exposure to the long list of Looney Tunes characters. He was already familiar with Scooby Doo because last summer he ran through the episodes that were on Netflix. Brian and I have more than done our job of exposing Tyler to all things Disney but I realized we had fallen short when it came to cartoons outside of the Disney bubble. We are working on fixing that now.

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The Gotham City and Metropolis sections of Warner Bros World led to some fun conversations with Tyler, as Brian and I (more Brian than I) talked through the various DC villains and their back stories. Again, we have done a good job of exposing Tyler to Marvel but not so much DC. He knows the basics but let’s be honest the DC movies are a lot darker than Marvel and I don’t think he is ready to enjoy and appreciate them.

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So far, we have enjoyed every ride that we have been on which includes: Tom and Jerry: Swiss Cheese Spin, Tweety Wild Wockets, Scooby-Doo: The Museum of Mysteries, Batman: Knight Flight, and The Joker Funhouse. There are a lot more rides but we are pacing ourselves since we get in free as one of Brian’s work benefits.

There are two rides that might be a little too extreme for Tyler and myself, The Riddler Revolution and Scarecrow Scare Raid. For me, these rides seem more intimidating because they are indoors. I don’t consider myself claustrophobic but this indoor theme park with rollercoasters inside are making me second guess myself on that one.

During this last visit to Warner Bros World, we got to enjoy Scooby’s Trickity Treats event. They had Halloween decorations, the various characters were dressed up in their Halloween costumes, and Tyler also got some great candy by visiting the 6 trick or treat stations that they had. They also have Frightful Fridays, were the villains of Gotham come out so I assume this is for the older kids and adults to enjoy.

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It was interesting to see how they structured the trick or treating. Kids ages 4 – 12 were given a map that showed the various treat stations and a cute bag to collect the treats in. At each station Tyler would receive a stamp on his map and a treat. We thought they gave out pretty awesome treats. We realized that because they had it structured this way it resulted in 3 great things. First, only the kids within the age range could receive treats, so no parents or teenagers were able to take advantage. Two, the kids could only go through the treat station once. This leads to the third great thing; the lines didn’t get that long. Plus, I don’t have to deal with a tone of candy in the house that I have not only ration out to Tyler but also do my best to not eat.

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As for Yas Waterworld, I let the boys enjoy that adventure because I don’t like waterparks, ok if I am being honest, I have never been to one but it has never sounded like something I would enjoy. The boys are trying to convince me to join them next time, they said we could get a cabana so that I can just lounge, read my book, and maybe join them in the wave pool or the lazy river. The cabana sounds like a good idea to me but after it cools off a little more. Tyler’s favorite slide was the Slithers Slides but he also enjoyed the Marah Fortress, Hamlool’s Humps, the Al Raha River, and the Cinesplash 5D experience. The most surprising in the group was Hamlool’s Humps as it is a speed drop slide from the highest point in the park. Tyler called out his want to go down it from the Al Raha River and never backed down. With a big smile, Brian recollected hearing Tyler giggle all the way down the first speed portion until he disappeared down the first of two drops. When he reached the bottom himself, Tyler was all smiles, though reluctant to climb back up for another run.

There is a third theme park on the island, Ferrari World, but we haven’t even discussed going there yet. We can however see the Flying Aces roller coaster from our apartment. They have a few large rollercoasters that are outside but everything else is indoor. Tyler isn’t quite tall enough to ride all the rides there. Since there is that outdoor element, I think we will wait until it cools off before venturing over there.

Come on Abu Dhabi “Fall”, adventure is waiting on you!