Everland vs Lotte World
There are two major theme parks in South Korea; Lotte World and Everland and now we’ve had the chance to visit them both. Let’s compare the two.
Lotte World
40-1 Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul
Founded: 1989
Admission Price: 34,000 won (special coupon discount for foreigners)
Annual Attendance: 4,261,000 *
Number of Roller Coasters: 3
Lotte World is the largest indoor theme park in the world and also home to a hotel, department store, fitness center, ice rink and museum. The main attraction here is Atlantic Adventure; the only Intamin AquaTrax coaster in the world. Though the Gyro Drop comes a close second. Read about our Lotte World experience here.
Everland
310 Jeondae-ri, Pogok-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do
Founded: 1976
Admission Price: 34,000 won (special coupon discount for foreigners)
Annual Attendance: 6,169,000 *
Number of Roller Coasters: 5
Everland is divided into 5 distinct zones; Global Fair, Zoo-Topia, European Adventure, Magic Land and American Adventure. The main attraction here is the T Express; the steepest wooden coaster in the world (at 77 degrees) and the 6th longest in the world.
After much discussion we both decided Lotte World gives you more bang for your buck, in terms of wait time for rides and attractions. It’s easier to get to (via subway) and more compact. Everland is HUGE and you’ll exhaust yourself walking from A to B all day. Everland is also much more popular with schools and groups thus making it seem more crowded.
One major complaint for both parks is wait time, an hour plus is not uncommon. South Korean theme parks employ a queue jump system, where you pay more for you initial admission ticket which allows you to choose a time to return to the ride and skip the massive queue of people already there. Unfortunately this means the people who have been queuing for an hour plus get bumped back when massive groups of people return for their set ride time. A little frustrating to say the least.
* Amusement park annual attendance figures are from 2009. Results can be found here.
LotteWorld never looked like it had that much going on, compared with Everland, but I never went into the park, just met with people in the shopping centre. I went to Everland on a day I had off from my hagwon, that most kids didn’t have off and it wasn’t too bad crowd-wise. I can imagine on a weekend or during holidays, it would be mental!
(I want to read your Lotte World Story, but there’s a problem with your link)
Thanks Sabrina. That link is fixed now. I think I enjoyed Lotteworld more because a large part of it is inside and outside was freezing at the time. A few of my fellow teachers wrangled a trip to Everland with their students, not sure if I could have handled that kind of madness!