Port Aventura opens 'world's longest interactive boat ride'

May 6, 2014, 9:40 AM · Spain's Port Aventura has debuted what the park is calling "the world's longest interactive boat ride," Angkor: Adventure in the Lost Kingdom.

Angkor course
Photo courtesy Port Aventura

It's a Mack Rides "splash battle"-type boat ride, with theme design from PGAV Destinations, where visitors blast targets with individual water guns, while sometimes becoming targets themselves.

Angkor boat
Photo courtesy Port Aventura

Located in the park's China land, but inspired by Cambodia's Angkor Wat, the ride offers multiple themed scenes along with its abundant opportunities to soak and be soaked. From a press release from the ride's creators:

The ride path guides them through a lush jungle, where they meet numerous creatures along the river’s shores. They then encounter a native village in the second act, inspired by river villages throughout Thailand, where they’re challenged to blast a variety of characters and targets with water. In the third and final act of the 300m adventure, the course doubles back in close proximity, and guests are flooded in an all-out water battle with the other boats.

Replies (6)

May 6, 2014 at 1:59 PM · So um.. how long is it?
May 6, 2014 at 2:47 PM · The release says 300 meters.
May 6, 2014 at 3:26 PM · These rides can be a lot of fun on hot, crowded days when a lot of folks are riding and the competition between boats is at its fiercest. But most of the time, without the interaction that comes with a busy day, they are really boring. So, I am not sure a longer version of the ride is necessarily a good thing....
May 7, 2014 at 4:59 AM · Looks very similar to Buccaneer Battle at SFGA, except longer and better. I think it is the same manufacturer
May 7, 2014 at 3:47 PM · I'm surprised to see PortAventura pushing Angkor as hard as they are... I got to ride last week, and it's a long way from a headliner. Much more akin to a stripped-down Jungle Cruise - sans-skippers of course - with the added novelty of water guns.

The design of the thing is beautiful, particularly when complemented by the Costa Daurada weather. But in essence, it's not much more than a gentle, pleasant boat ride past relatively nondescript scenery. There are few notable set pieces along the way and the ride vehicles, though smooth, are so clearly running along a track that any real sense of "adventure" in the journey - exactly the thing that makes Jungle Cruise an unlikely triumph - is lost.

The water guns are also something of a missed opportunity. There's no interaction with the environment here, as you would expect from an attraction with a shooting element - you're left to be content with shooting at the other boats. Fine - except that the opportunities for this are also pretty minimal, particularly when spread across the aforementioned lengthy track. (Even the chance to shoot at guests on the land are surprisingly kept to just once or twice, with the bridges over the track too high to be reached by the low-pressure water cannons.)

Queues were approaching the two-hour mark when I visited. It was admittedly a busy day, but for such a low-energy attraction, I'd be surprised if more than a few guests weren't left somewhat underwhelmed. PortAventura should be applauded for a welcome (and well-funded) addition to their roster of family-level rides, rather than pure kiddie or thrill. But Angkor is torn between attempts at a scenic boat trip and an interactive adventure - and as a result, doesn't quite hit the target on either.

May 8, 2014 at 1:42 AM · Unless you're a kid these types of rides look like a giant miss. The one in legoland Fl doesn't look too great either.

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