Disney around the World - Day 3 Part 3 - Lotte World 2018-10-16

Back to our Korea trip! To round out our final day here in Korea, we're going to Lotte World! This whole trip we're doing will be taking us to Shanghai Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland. Why not go to some place similar in Korea? Lotte World is one of the most visited entertainment locations in the world, making it to the 11th spot back in 2011. 

After finishing our lunch, we walked over to the main entrance of Lotte World! There's two different "lands" that make up Lotte World. The world's largest indoor theme park called Adventure, and an outside location called Magic Island. 

A map I found of the layout. There's a bunch of stuff inside, isn't there. 

First things first, we need tickets. Theresa was having some heartburn spending $54 each on tickets when we're only going to be there for a few hours. While we were waiting in line, Theresa and Jacob started searching for discounts. 

Success! There's a discount website here called Klook.com that gave us a great deal! Klook had 1-day tickets for just $27 instead of $54. That's much easier to swallow. We got to the front of the line to redeem the voucher, but were told we'd need to go to the South entrance to redeem it. They'll be checking our passports to confirm we're not Korean citizens, as this deal is for foreigners only. 

To get to the south gate, we walked through an outer hallway, which still had some decorations. We ran across the main characters of Lotte World. 

Lotte World opened in 1989 and shares a few similarities with Disney parks. 

Lotty and Lorry Raccoon are the symbols of Lotte World Adventure. They look very similar to a pair of familiar mice I know, with Lorry even sporting a red bow, a polka dot dress, and pantaloons. 

Another character called Sharon cat. That castle in the mural looks familiar too. 

At the south gate, Ruston went inside to confirm we were in the right place. There's a sign just to the right in this photo that confirmed we're at the Foreign Ticket Booth. 

While we were waiting, Ian and Alli got a lot of attention from this group of students. "I'm Ian. This is my sister Alli. It's her birthday today!". She got lots of "Happy Birthdays" back. 

Once we confirmed we were in the right spot, the rest of us went inside, showed our passports and got our 1-day tickets. We're in!

The entrance takes you to the Adventure indoor area, but I know what our first stop has to be. 

We've got to get a picture in front of that look-alike castle. 

There was a bit of a line to get this shot, but it was all very orderly. There were no workers here taking pictures for people, so you just did the best with what you had. One of the reasons for the long line was that people were taking lots of different poses, but no one seemed to be in a hurry or rushing you to move on. And when someone saw me trying to get a group picture like this, they offered to take a group picture for us. 

Now we're all here!

One difference between Disney World and Lotte World is that there's a little bit more horror and gore here at Lotte World. It's Halloween so it's decorated as such. Skeletons, zombies, blood splattered fabric, and warning signs. A lot of people are into it too, wearing headbands that make it look like saws, knives, syringes, or scissors are coming out of their head. And there's a long line of people waiting to get "wound" makeup. There's row of people doing it and so many waiting that I wonder if it's complimentary. The whole thing seems like something out of Itchy and Scratchy Land. 

Who wants an Original American Waffle? I wondered what food we're known for outside the states. 

Our very first ride was in the kids zone and named the Petit Pang Pang. It was a slow car ride around a little lake, but Alli was the driver and she loved it. 

We weren't sure we were actually going to make it to Lotte World, so I didn't get a chance to do any research before-hand. We're pretty much winging it. This one looks interesting. Something called Fantasy Dream. I wonder if it's something like small world? But how could a ride fit inside this tiny house?

Ah, that's how. As soon as you enter, you're going down 2-3 stories underground. 

There's not much of a line here. You board a train built for 6 (perfect for our small group) and then enter this giant clown's mouth. I hope you're not scared of clowns. 

Time for our Fantasy Dream! Or maybe more like a Feverish Nightmare. This ride was a really weird one. 

It starts out interestingly enough with a cool rainbow tunnel. 

Now perhaps something is lost in translation. Maybe this is just as adored here as it's a small world back home at Disneyland. 

There's singing flowers. 

And giant singing candy. 

And finally a huge dragon with a big hoard of candy. 

Here's a video that SoCal Attractions 360 took of the whole thing. And I see we're not the only ones who got that vibe from the ride. They've titled their video "Unique and Creepy Dark Train Ride". 

Let's try something a little lighter. This balloon ferris wheel should do the trick. 

I squeezed into it with the kids while the others waited down below. 

After a slow rotation all the way around, we hopped off. It's not quite Mickey's Fun Wheel, is it?

After riding the balloon ride, I wanted to get a good view of the entire park. The best way to do that is by going on the World Monorail! 

Ian, being the super friendly guy he is, met some school-girls as we were climbing the stairs and said hi. 

Girls - Oh, hi baby!

Ian - My name is Ian!

Girls - Ooh, so cute! How old are you?

Ian - I'm 4 and my sister is 3 today!

Girls - Oh Ian, I love you, I love you. I don't have a boyfriend. 

This monorail doesn't look like we've seen at the usual Disney parks. More like an airport tram than a monorail. 

The six of us squeezed into a compartment and set off on our tour of the park. 

First a view of the outside with a very beautiful castle. 

Catching a sun-star behind the castle. 

After the tour outside the monorail went around the inside perimeter of the show building. There's so much going on in here! 

And that balloon ride looks pretty great! We're definitely going to have to give that a try. 

Wow, there's a whole ice skating rink at the bottom level too? This place is huge!

Just as we exited the monorail, an indoor parade was going by. 

With dancers and characters walking along. 

Next up, the four of us who were tall enough, and also don't particularly get motion sick, boarded the Wild Wing! Looks like we're flying with Captain Jacob today!

This one really reminded me of Star Tours crossed with one of those VR headset games. The premise is that you're in a glider and being towed behind a bi-plane. You can imagine all the crazy situations you might get into when this tethered plane is going over bridges, barns, and other wild stuff. Ian was grinning the entire time. 

After we finished the ride, we found Theresa and Alli munching on something that looked like Dippin Dots along with a strawberry smoothie. 

Afterward we rode a very tame flume boat ride that both kids enjoyed. 

I wonder if these are beloved characters or if they're just random pieces they've thrown in there. 

Time to go on the ride that we've been seeing go over our heads this whole time. Aeronauts! The time on the front said the line would take about 30 minutes but there's not all that many people in line. Surely it couldn't take that long, could it? 

Either way, we're going to have a treat while we're waiting in line. The desserts here are delicious! Alli got a Strawberry ice cream based on Sharon Cat. Ian's heart shaped watermelon really tasted like a real watermelon and not the artificial watermelon that we have in the USA. 

Jacob's cookies and cream bar had an entire Oreo in it!

Well I guess it's good! It's nice that they have the paper holder on the bottom to catch any drips. 

The line was moving a lot more slowly than I was hoping. Good thing there's entertainment along the way. A wandering juggler came by to show off his skills to the captive crowd. The juggler even let Ian participate! The goal was to throw the juggling pin all the way back to him so he'd catch it in the air and continue juggling. But with a high rail and two rope barriers, it was a little too far for him to throw it all the way back. 

It didn't matter though. Ian loved it!

We were wondering how we were going to enter the balloons that were moving along the ceiling. When they get close to the boarding area, they lower down and then rise back up to the ceiling after you've loaded. 

Well it didn't take 30 minutes. It was 45 minutes of waiting to get here. Since we had a party of 6, we didn't have to share our balloon with anyone else. The edges are fairly high so we had to hold the kids for them to actually see out. 

I think it was more fun to see it from the ground than to actually ride it. It was a pretty tame ride. 

We did time it just right such that was could see another parade going by while we were going around. 

The only interesting part is when you go through a section that is Egyptian themed. The kids got a little scared with the smoke, flashing lights, and statues. 

Before too long, we were back at the loading zone again. It was something unique at least!

It's starting to get late, but we have time for just one more ride. Alli really wanted to ride the carrousel, and we all thought that was a great idea. She's picked her favorite horse, right on the outside. 

All set? 

Yep!

I couldn't quite understand what they were asking, but eventually figured out that everyone was required to put on the belt strap. Even the adults. Interesting that back home kids don't need straps as long as their feet can touch the stirrups. 

This was something different. The workers gathered around the ride as it was going and gave the kids on the outer ring high-fives as they went around. Alli reached out to give them fives the whole time and loved it. Ian wished he had sat on the outer ring. 

Man, having two cute little white kids was like having a couple little celebrities. They got so much attention. The school-kids who were there wanting to give them high-fives after the ride was over. The random strangers wanting pictures with them. It was a bit odd, but they didn't mind all the attention. 

Ian going over to get his high-fives too. 

It's been a fun day today! Certainly a full day! And it only took nearly 3 years to write up the entire thing! Let's hope the rest of this whole trip report write-up moves a little faster.  

Thanks Lotty and Lorry! We've had fun at your Lotte World park today! We said goodbye to Ruston and Jacob (they're staying a bit longer) and headed out to the metro trains to get back to the hotel. 

It's been a really long day, starting with a trip to the Namsangol Hanok Village, celebrating Alli's birthday and dressing up in traditional Korean hanbok costumes, and then finally going to Lotte World. The kids are really tired, but we're trying to keep them awake until we get back to the hotel. Alli was just about to fall asleep so I gave her my phone with the Tsum Tsum game on it. Ian asked why she got it (mine is the only phone that has that game), and I told him it was because she was about to fall asleep. He then quickly closed his eyes and leaned his head over to the side of the stroller. Ha, nice try buddy. He looked up at me and smiled. 

At the station, the kids were still threatening to fall asleep, so Theresa and I had races with the strollers. For dinner we stopped by the convenience store near the hotel and got ramen, cookies, and more. For Alli's birthday, she got to pick out a special treat of whatever she wanted!

At the hotel room, we dined on ramen, canned corn, and grapes, and we talked about all the fun stuff we did together that day. And for dessert, we pulled out those Tsum Tsum candies that she really wanted on the first day we got to Korea. After a quick shower, brushing teeth, singing, and then hugs, it was time to sleep. They were out super quick. 

It's been a long day for us too. Tomorrow we're flying to our next destination, so we really should try to get things ready to go. But after taking a shower, T laid down in bed and that was that. We'll pack up tomorrow morning. 

Ruston and Jacob are still at Lotte World and they shared a few of their pictures. We might have Mickey pizzas, but at Lotte World they have Lotty pizzas. 

There's a special light-up parade at night. 

And they have light-up drones!

There's even fireworks indoors! The castle above the ice rink has pyrotechnics that light off!

It's pretty cool what all they could do inside. 

Korea, it's been a blast, but it's time for the next stop of our journey! Tomorrow we're flying to China!