PortAventura World — Attraction in Salou

Queues were so long. Some were well over an hour.

First ride we were told to GET OFF that they weren't starting the ride til we left. I wanted to get on with my child, he's 9 and his first ever holiday. They tried to make us ride separately. Excuse me but no thankyou.

We tried a few different queues. To which we were told on the ride next to dragon khan, the big blue one. That spanish people say no face. (From a Spanish man) meaning, different. I asked him is that why were being treated so poorly. He said yes. You're not the same. Pure racism. Not only from the park staff but the Spanish people. Not all but a very good portion.

I remember 2 sisters , twins. Very gaunt looking that's why I remember them. They were coming to the first ride and proceeded to jump the queue of I would say over 150 people and they got on the ride as my child and I were waiting. Stood before they ever turned up. Surprise! they were Spanish. Sure we were the ones that were made get off.

Each ride after that, we queued like EVERYONE else. Minus the people that jumped the queue. (Not with express passes as there's a separate queue for that) We stood for however long to be told at the end, youre not allowed on.

I spent SO much money on being able to go to portaventura and the caribe waterpark. 3 days 2 parks. All we got was disrespect and discrimination. Cause we weren't from Spain nor spoke the language!

My child was called an idiot. Stupid. By a Spanish person, within the park.

The height restrictions. Yeah. They dont apply to the local kids. They could be newborn and still be able to go on the biggest rides in the park. But when we spent half our day queueing to get on rides my child was fit enough for. They said no. Allowed younger kids on but not my child. He's slightly under 1.4m but that didn't matter for the Spanish kids did it? When I pulled them up on it. Nobody understood me but the 3 people that did understand. Didnt want to know. They dont care for foreign visitors but they'll take every penny they can get out of you.

I feel they could've height checked before anyone started to queue. It's unfair and a waste of your time and money to go to this place when youre being turned away.

Not once did I see a ride operator, check the height of a Spanish child. Only white children. To be declined a ride on the stupid thing.

I recorded my wee boy beside a Spanish child the EXACT SAME HEIGHT but my child was still told to GET OFF!! I showed the operator the video and she tried to tell me the wee boy was of height. His hair was slightly touching the height bar. But his head wasn't. They pushed hair down and everything for my wee boy, he never stood a chance!

I know we are not the only people this has happened to. I know that for a fact. If this is how they show their thanks for their tourism and everything else. We will NOT be back. You pay to get in and you also pay for absolutely everything else within the park. Even to shoot water. My God.

Anyway. That's it for now. I will never be back. Thanks for ruining our experience for this place. Both myself and my son, expected to have a fantastic day out but they done nothing but make him cry and make him feel small.

Oh also, the Spanish man that told me we were different. Poked me in my chest and proceeded to call security on me cause I wouldnt let his friends in front of me.

Emailed portaventura TWICE, no reply. Called once and no answer apart from being on hold for ages.

I fully expect a refund for both my tickets for both days. That we have not got to enjoy thanks to the Spanish being so disrespectful and rude to their customers. Foreign customers sorry. Must correct myself.

Racist discrimination is what that is. Will not be back.

On a good note. We saw 1 lizard. A billion dragonflies and so many beautiful birds and butterflies just flying around. Had i just paid for the wildlife we would've had...

Park is great if able bodied but in the dark ages when it comes to disability.

Even when there are flat surfaces on and off they often direct everyone to cross a bridge. Where there are lifts they are generally out of use. Even in Ferrari land, the most modern park, rides have zero accessibility entrances. We're still expected to go up and down stairs and the lift appears not to be for consumers albeit there are no signs either way.

They also have a habit of putting disabled people at the back of rides, the most uncomfortable seats on a coaster, it certainly hurt my back. It felt like we're the least important guests and should be happy with merely jumping the queue. On that note, almost as punishment, I was left to stand for 3 trains on Stampida for no apparent reason, she just kept telling me to wait. If you just make people wait, at least provide a chair of some kind. I was jostled by three loads of exciting passengers.

The big one, many guests stay in your hotels so already have tickets. However, there was no guidance as to where to go. Again, forced to wait in the blazing sun with many other guests, many of which have only administrative issues. Again when the attitude that we're just faking the disability to jump the queue.

Now, I can remember not having the disability and it's basically the same park so I have to say it's still good.

That said, some rides have exceeded their comfort limit. Sadly, Dragon Khan is just painful. Stampida is injuries waiting to happen. Both those need either major renovation or replacing, they are showing their many decades and I do remember when they first opened.

Shows, at least in June, are too infrequent. Guests pay the same so please provide the air conditioned entertainment.

Ankhor, did I spell that right (probably not) had to be found. It's really easy to walk past without realising and it's actually a great fun ride. Please make that more obvious. It's actually Polynesia going on China. Heading from that direction, it's much quicker to head through sesame street to get to Shambala and China.

In many of the restaurants food ranges from near inedible to barely ok. The table service offerings are much better but stupidly expensive.

Guests are not supposed to take in food and drink and that's because, given a choice no guest is going to want to pay their rip off prices. The average bottle of pop can be up to 4x the cost outside the park, it's very disrespectful.

During our 10 night stay it was nigh on impossible to get to Uncharted whilst it was actually running. All too often it was on a technical stop.

Unless you really need to do Red Force, don't pay for Ferrari land. Most of it is a museum to the cars and the majority of rides are for children, they even have the nerve to charge another €14 for one attraction! They have a simulator ride, similar to Soarin in the US I'd recommend. Sally, we only got to ride it once as it broke down. Again, as a disabled person and an English speaker, we were left to fend for ourselves. Made to walk down two flights of stairs with zero English explanation. They were offering priority pass on red force as compensation. When they noticed my disability wrist band they just said I don't need it and sent me packing. Probably the most inconvenienced customer they had with no acknowledgement. Then we discovered ourselves on the opposite side of the building needing to walk around to the other side to get to my mobility scooter. After that, no choice but to leave the park.

For reference, the accessibility customer services has an indoor entrance inside the park on the right hand side after entering. It's not easy to sort just trust me on this one there is a specific wheelchair entrance too. Why it's not better explained...

We attended the park in early June 2024. I am the proud mother of 2 autistic boys and one neurotypical girl. Both boys have sensory issues and would find it very challenging to queue for a long time, therefore we always get assistance passes to help them with this challenge.

I am very sad to report our experience in Port Adventura was very poor. Even now, a year on my children are still traumatised by the way they were treated by the staff in Port Adventura. They often talk about the nasty way they were treated when friends mention they are going to Spain on their holidays.

My first issue was that the actual queues to purchase a queue assistance pass were extremely long and slow moving. Only one window open when we arrived, and music blaring through loud speakers, not a good start, and shows a complete lack of understanding on the part of Port Adventura of the issues that the people who need this help have.

Once we finally did get assistance bands, your employee informed me that the boys would not be able to go on rides by themselves. I was absolutely shocked at the comment, as nowhere on your website do you mention that you believe autistic children to be less able than neurotypical children. The boys werent allowed to sit together on rides, even though my eldest was 10 and well able, I was made sit next to him and leave my daughter by herself. Or there were rides that they insited an adult was needed for each child, and as a family of 5 it meant that one adult had to wait with 2 children, and one adult go on the ride 3 times.

We have been to countless theme parks in Ireland, UK, France, The Netherlands and Florida, and never experienced our children being belittled like this. Not in Universal, not in Disney (Florida or Paris), not in Eftling, not in Emerald Park, not in Legoland, not Paulsons Park, Not in Alton Towers. Autism is NOT an intellectual disability, my children are very intelligent, and have no issue following rules, so please tell me why your theme park has decided that they need to be singled out for such paternalistic treatment?

I have brought the boys up to know that they experience the world differently to their sister but that this does not give anybody the right to treat them as less inteligent or less able, and they must always stand up for themselves, that this world must change the way it sees and treats people who are different.

I am telling you that your theme park is mistreating neurodiverse children when it insists on different rules for them vs neurotypical children. My two boys were very distressed by not being allowed to sit with each other as they have done in every other theme park we have visited. They still talk about how horrible their experience in Port Adventura was today.

The person who knows a child best, whether they are neurodivergent or neurotypical is their parent. No parent is going to let any child go on a ride by themselves if there is a chance that they will be distressed by it. What your organisation has done by implementing these rules is institutionalised prejudice and needs to be reviewed as a matter of urgency. It is not acceptable in 2024 /2025 to treat autistic people in such a condescending and belittling manner.

As an international tourist attraction you have a responsibility to keep up with international best practice, which I am sad to say you are failing on. I ended up chasing you 3 times last year for a response to the email where I raised the issues we experienced directly with you. The response was cursery, with no commitment to change / review the...