Ferrari World: Fun Guide to Visiting the World’s #1 FASTEST Theme Park
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I have a thing for theme parks. Maybe it’s the adrenaline, maybe it’s the random junk food, maybe it’s baking in the sun like a potato while I wait in line. All I know is that if there’s a theme park – I’M THERE. Needless to say, when I found out there was a theme park in the UAE, Ferrari World, I immediately booked my tickets to visit. And that was BEFORE I learned it had two world record breaking roller coasters. Ferrari World: where an adrenaline junkie’s dreams come true.
That said, just because it has two of the world’s most extreme roller coasters, it’s still a fun spot for kids in the UAE as well. So bring the whole family!
Ferrari World Basics
Before we jump into my personal experience at Ferrari World, I just wanted to drop all the boring, but necessary, information.
- Location: Abu Dhabi (Yas Island)
- Operating Hours: 12:00pm – 8:00pm (usually)
- Free Parking: Yes
- ATMs: Yes
- Prayer Rooms: Yes
- Smoking: Yes, in designated areas
- Lockers: AED 35 per locker, AED 50 for luggage storage
- Strollers for Rent: AED 40
How Much are Tickets?
Tickets work sliiightly different than other places. Instead of adult/child tickets being determined by age, at Ferrari World it is determined by height. So if anyone taller than 1.3m (4’2″) is ticketed as an adult. However children under 3 years old are free!
Single Day Adult Admission: AED 295 (~$80 USD)
Single Day Junior Admission: AED 230 (~$62 USD)
There are also a few other attractions that you can add on to your experience for an additional charge:
Roof Walk Experience: AED 125 (~$34): you can walk on the roof of the Ferrari World building!
Zip Line Experience: AED 95 (~$25): you actually zipline THROUGH the loop of one of the roller coasters (Flying Aces, world’s tallest coaster loop!)
Roof Walk and Zip Line Experience: AED 175 (~$47): surprise, you can get them in a bundle deal!
Driving Experience: AED 795 (~$216): yooo, you get to DRIVE a Ferrari
Passenger Experience: AED 595 ($162): Ride-along experience with a professional Ferrari racer
And if you happen to REALLY love Ferrari World, you can even grab an annual pass for AED 990, and for UAE residents, there are additional discounts and deals. You can check the Ferrari World’s website for more ticket pricing.
Getting to Ferrari World
Ferrari World is located in Abu Dhabi, so if you are already in the city, it’s pretty simple to take a taxi or rideshare. If you are located in Dubai, then renting a car for a day is probably the simplest way to get to the park. That is what I did and had zero problems! Driving in Dubai and the UAE is pretty straight-forward, especially for travelers from North America. Similar to driving in Jordan, signs are labeled in both Arabic and English, so that makes things extra easy! You also don’t need an international license.
However, if you are uncomfortable driving, you can still take a taxi but it won’t be cheap. It will probably cost you about $80USD each way. You can also catch a bus from Dubai to Abu Dhabi for about AED 2.00 each way.
What to do at Ferrari World
Okay, now that we got all the boring stuff out of the way, let’s talk about everything else that’s super fun and exciting!
So when you arrive at Ferrari World and park (the parking garage is huge and covered, thank goodness), you’ll notice it is attached to a sort of mall complex. Don’t worry, just follow the signs. The theme park will be at the back end of the building.
And speaking of the building, YES IT’S INDOORS. So you won’t have worry about baking in the sun while you wait in line for rides. It’s cool, air conditioned, and pretty spacious. If you visit on a week day (I went on Monday), wait times don’t usually get longer than 30 minutes (for Formula Rossa).
Attractions
Rides and attractions are probably what you’re most excited about, so let’s start there. For a small-ish theme park, I was pretty surprised by the amount of rides at Ferrari World! In fact there are…about twenty rides in total, including go-karts. About half of those rides are suitable for younger children.
There is also a fun vintage arcade/carnival type game! And you can try your hand at changing a tire on a race car. It’s…harder than it seems. All of these rides are included with your admission ticket, so you can ride on as many as you want – AS MANY TIMES.
If you want to be strategic and tackle the longest line rides first, that would be: Formula Rossa, Flying Aces, Fiorano GT Challenge, and Turbo Track, usually in that order. Those are of course the biggest (and fastest and highest) rides, so that makes sense.
But even that said, it’s nowhere near the line lengths at any Six Flags or Disney park. Even Hong Kong Disneyland (the LEAST busy Disney park I’ve been to) was a stampede compared to Ferrari World. So if something looks a little busy, just go do something else and come back to it after the lunch rush.
Shows
Speaking of, if you need a break from the action, you can pop into the park’s mini cinema, Cinema Maranello. It shows a whopping one film, Coppa di Sicilia, which explores the backstory of the Ferrari brand and how Enzo Ferrari got his engines going.
…
I was trying to make a car pun but…you know what I mean.
Anyways, it’s a nice little film, especially if you’re a car head. I, however, am not. You might also visit during a special event, in which there will usually be some kind of performance or show in the plaza. I visited during Diwali and it was amazing. Great dancing, fun atmosphere, a lots of music.
Keep an eye out for the “Ferrari World” characters, which include a Chuck E Cheese looking mouse guy, a bear, and a few other furry friends. I don’t know what they do, but you can take a picture with them!
Dining
So there are supposed to be six restaurants (I think???) but I literally only saw four. Idk where the other two went. But if you get hungry, you have a few options.
The restaurant with the widest range of options is Mamma Rossella. In true Ferrari fashion, it’s an Italian restaurant named after the owner (Rossella Giannini) of Ristorante Montana in Maranello, Italy next to the Ferrari factory. In fact, the original restaurant even helped create recipes for the theme park restaurant.
In true UAE fashion, it is actually the first restaurant in the Middle East to offer technically authentic Neapolitan pizza, as it was certified by the True Neapolitan Pizza Association.
However, if you’re not feeling pasta and pizza, there’s also Il Podio which offers Arabic and Indian food. And a few Western dishes as well (hello rotisserie chicken). For a choice that’s a little faster, eat at Officers Food Quarters, which has the usual theme park food (burgers, sandwiches, non-authentic pizza lol).
For café lovers, there’s Espresso Rosso which -unsurprisingly- has Italian drinks, pastries, and gelato!
Shopping
Well, there’s only one store. The gift store. BUT Y’ALL KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE A GOOD GIFT STORE.
If you don’t, hi. I’m Kay. I love gift stores.
Anyways, in typical UAE fashion, the gift store at Ferrari World is actually the world’s largest Ferrari retail space. Like the Ferrari brand, it’s a little pricey. Just a heads up. Tons of branded memorabilia for car heads, and even more clothes, accessories, and all of the usual souvenirs (magnets, mugs, shot glasses, teddy bears, etc.)
They DIDN’T have unsharpened pencils though, which is my favorite souvenir. Tsk tsk.
World’s FASTEST Coaster: Formula Rossa
OKAY – you didn’t think I would end this post without talking about the roller coaster, did you??? I mean, it’s the actual reason I even visited Ferrari World in the first place.
I literally do not care about cars at all.
But honey. WHEN I TELL YOU THAT THEY WERE NOTT PLAYING ABOUT THE WORLD’S FASTEST COASTER.
Okay, as you’re waiting in line, you’re inside, but you can see the ride shoot off from a window.
I have never seen ANYTHING move that fast in my life. Including my sister whenever she heard my mom pull up and she hadn’t dethawed the meat yet. If you love roller coasters, seeing this alone will get you excited. If you don’t, you’ll probably pee yourself.
I did both.
Right before you get next in line, you will be handed a pair of eyeglasses. If you’re Black (or having a suspiciously grand hair day), one of the attendants will discreetly ask you if you’re wearing a wig and if you need a cover so it won’t fly off.
Yes, ya girl got clocked for my $20 Amazon clip ins.
Well dang. I thought they were convincing.
Anyways, they’ll strap you in and then the countdown begins. AND THE ACCELERATIONN. Whew. 240kmh (150mph) in 5 sec. And I felt every bit of it. Seriously, the entire time I was having a ball, but it also felt like my brain was slapped against the back of my skull. But it didn’t last long; the world’s fastest roller coaster is only 1 minute 32 seconds.
I didn’t walk very well after and had to go sit at the café haha. It was awesome and 10/10 would recommend.
Ferrari World: Conclusion
Unfortunately for poor ol’ me, I didn’t get to ride the other record breaking roller coaster, Flying Aces, for the world’s tallest loop. The ride was down for routine maintenance that day. Boo.
If you’re really bent on riding a specific roller coaster, I’d recommend calling ahead to see if any of them are out of service before buying tickets for a specific day. There is also free WiFi! All the staff have the password in case you miss the sign.
In conclusion, I had an absolute BLAST at Ferrari World. Formula Rossa alone made the entire experience worth it, but also seeing the Diwali performance and chowing down on some randomly good Italian food in the Middle East was icing on the cake! If you don’t have kids or aren’t concerned with riding every single ride, you can budget for three or so hours, more if you grab food.
And while you’re on Yas Island, you can check out a few of the other nearby things to do like Yas Beach, Etihad Arena, Du Arena (look ahead for concerts!), and the Marina Circuit.
Have you ever been to Ferrari World? How was your visit?
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