IMG
Worlds of Adventure
Theme Park Review
Recently, Missy and I had the chance to visit a couple of theme parks in Dubai, UAE. It was something I had wanted to do since our last visit to the region back in 2019. At that time, we settled for a day of dune bashing in a 4×4 (do this!) and a trip to the Burj Khalifa building, which is touted as the tallest structure in the world.
Given that I’m an avid fan of Disney and Universal parks around the globe, I seriously doubted that anything in Dubai could hold a candle to the overall quality of Disney World or Universal Orlando. I mean, for starters…
I had never heard of IMG Worlds of Adventure or Motiongate before randomly doing a Google search for local theme parks in U.A.E. back in 2019, but boy was I wrong! Not only did each park meet and exceed my expectations, but some of their attractions are downright game changers. In an effort of fairness, I’m going to review each one separately. However, just know that if you like theme parks and ever get an opportunity to go to Dubai, you should absolutely check both of these places out.
Ticket Cost
Starting at price, IMG Worlds of Adventure was pretty inexpensive for what you get. In fact, during Amazon’s Prime Day, I was able to get discounted 1-day tickets through Viator for $60 each, instead of the normal $99 General Admission tickets sold on IMG’s website. However, you can also find discounted tickets in the $60-70 range on other travel sites like Klook, Headout and Expedia. Some of them even include a meal voucher or line-skipping options.
It goes without saying, but given the annual price increases at both Universal and Disney, paying $60-70 to visit IMG was a steal! This was another reason I had considerably low expectations before our arrival. I just kept thinking there was no way the quality could be on par with the big parks based on the price. Again, I was wrong.
TRIP Details
From the moment we pulled up to the front entrance, I was blown away by the level of theme and detail the park contained. Honestly, aside from it being mostly an indoor park (the world’s largest one, apparently), it really felt like something you’d find in Orlando or Anaheim. It also had the added benefit of not being crowded which gave us plenty of time to explore each land or “zone” at our leisure.
The park itself has a Marvel zone that offers surprising rides like Spider-Man: Doc Ock’s Revenge (a high-speed roller coaster that felt a lot like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot), Avengers: Battle of Ultron (which reminded us of The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride at Universal’s Islands of Adventure), Thor: Thunder Spin (which is SUPER intense and Missy refused to ride) and Hulk: Epsilon Base 3D (which is a seated theater ride that rotates 360 degrees and feels like a cross between Canada Far and Wide at Epcot and a motion theater attraction like Shrek 4-D or the DreamWorks Theatre Featuring Kung-Fu Panda at Universal Studios Hollywood, but cooler!).
Some of the other zones include a Lost Valley zone (think Jurassic Park at Universal) which has a ride called The Forbidden Territory that is eerily similar to the soon-to-be extinct Dinosaur ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, except it’s a lot longer, better lit (which allows you to actual see the dinosaurs along your journey) and the ride feels very smooth versus awkward and bumpy AND there’s even a small Kids’ zone area (which we didn’t do).
At the front of the park, there’s an IMG Boulevard zone that offers a cute little train ride around the entire park.
It also hosts a museum area which has a wide array of weird and rare objects. Several times throughout our visit. Missy and I found ourselves scratching our heads and asking “Why is this here?”
Next to the Lost Valley area, there’s a Cartoon Network Kids’ zone that has five attractions — two of which are Adventure Time: The Ride of OOO With Finn & Jake (which feels like a way longer and cooler version of The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride at Universal’s Islands of Adventure) and The Amazing Ride of Gumball (which is a better alternative to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom in Florida).
And, for some strange and glorious reason, IMG also offers a zone called The Haunted Town featuring a walk-through scare attraction called The Haunted Hotel that feels like it came straight out of a Universal Halloween Horror Nights fever dream. This attraction was a bit of a nice surprise. The cast really gets into character and tries to frighten the bejesus out of you! Just note that it didn’t open until 3pm on the day we went.
Overall, each of these zones were done very, very well and we easily spent a whole day here. In terms of comparing IMG to Disney or Universal, I think the quality is definitely there in most of its areas. Yes, some attractions tend to lean a tad too much on screens versus practical or physical sets, but many of them feel like they could or should be offered stateside and made us wish this park was a lot closer to the U.S. or that Disney or Universal would up its ride rosters and build similar ones.
Park Food
Turning to food, IMG does offer themed restaurants or counter service options for each of its zones. However, much like some of the parks here in the States, the menus and food choices are a little lacking. Plus, the cost for a meal for two people at Mama Scano’s Of Yancy Street in IMG’s Marvel zone was somewhat on the pricey side at around $19 for a medium-size barbecue chicken pizza. The pizza was pretty good though and the staff was very attentive. So, I guess it really depends on whether or not you decide to splurge. If you do, I don’t recommend getting a milkshake there. It tasted a little off and seemed more like a bland milk drink than a creamy ice cream one.
Merchandise
One last thing to note, we did find IMG’s pricing on merchandise to be extremely reasonable. Specifically, their customizable shirts. I bought one that I wanted to have the IMG logo added to and was surprised to find out later it was only about $26! Still can’t believe what a great deal that was!
Was it worth it?
Yes! Although IMG seems as if some wealthy oil tycoon must’ve built this park for their children or something (due to its theming being all over the place), it’s definitely worth visiting and completely exceeded our expectations. From its polite and helpful staff, to its envelope-pushing zones and attractions, it certainly makes a strong case that it should be taken seriously as a legitimate theme park destination. Just be sure to either visit on a full stomach or get food afterwards.
