Lotte World

Have you seen the Korean Drama Stairway to Heaven? Do you remember the scene where Cholo brought Jodi to the carousel? Yes, it’s here! It’s in Lotte World.

I’ve been to Everland, Seoul Land, and Aiins World. For a year now, I’ve been searching for the best theme park in Seoul. I’ve always wanted to visit Lotte World, and now I finally got a chance to experience it!

Lotte World has the most expensive admission fee compared to the other amusement parks I’ve mentioned. The “Daily Passport Ticket” costs 50,000 won (full day), and 41,000 won (admission after 4 pm).

Luckily, I saw a promo! I used Naver.com, the standard search bar in Korea (It’s Google in Korea). I typed Lotte World and the event promo appeared. It’s written in Korean so it’s hard for foreigners to be updated with promos. I was able to buy a ticket for only 24,000 won (admission after 12 pm). I asked my boss to buy it for me using his Naver account. LOL.

Korean Traditional Restaurant

I arrived there earlier so I was able to try their Korean Traditional Restaurant. I ordered my favorite Galbitang, Korean beef short ribs soup. It costs 10,000 won. It’s not bad for a delicious meal. I must say that their prices are not expensive compared to other restaurants in a touristy place.

In preparation for this trip, I downloaded the app called Magic Pass. It supposes to make your waiting time shorter. Despite the bad reviews at Google Play, I still downloaded it. LOL. After claiming my ticket, I scanned it using the app. I got three magic pass tickets. However, I was able to use it only once.

WHY? Because it’s hard to reserve a slot. It easily gets full. On our first try, my friend and I got the same time slot. We were able to try a ride without falling in line. But the other tries made us upset. After getting a slot in another ride, my friend said she can’t reserve it because it’s full so I decided to cancel it. We tried again, we were able to reserve in one ride but with a different time slot. We decided to stop using the app and just enjoy the moment. The app needs internet to work, the wifi is all over the place but it’s hard to use because many people are using it.

Not all rides can be reserved using the app. Here are some rides that can be reserved:

• ADVENTURE – Adventures of Sinbad, Spanish Pirate Ship, Flume Ride, French Revolution, Jungle Adventure, Pharaoh’s Fury.
• MAGIC ISLAND – Comet Express, Gyro Drop, Gyro Swing, Atlantic Adventure.

I went there in October. The place is filled with Halloween stuff. I’ve seen many visitors that look like a zombie (Train to Busan), or Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad). They offer face paintings and costume rentals but it is not included in the admission fees.

Lotte World is divided into two: Adventure (indoor) and Magic Land (outdoor). To be honest, I regret that I spent more time indoors. I strongly suggest that you immediately go to the outdoor part if you like extreme rides.

Realizations:

I only spent five hours there (11am-4pm). It was a holiday so it’s crowded. I only tried two rides (Giant Loop & Conquistador) because it really takes time to wait for your turn. I guess the wait is worth it because I really had fun for few minutes. HAHA! To experience more without waiting in line, I opted to use the attractions with additional payment (3,000 won). I tried the Tomb of Horror and the Mirror Maze. At the line, I’ve seen kids/teenagers/adults crying because they got terrified. It made me more excited! But then I got a bit disappointed because it’s not that scary compared to what we have in Star City (in Philippines).

After that, I went outside to see the extreme rides. Seeing the long lines, I decided not to try them. I went to the Korean Folk Museum instead. Admission is free when you present your daily passport ticket. Since I really enjoy the museums, I can say that it’s really interesting. They have some miniatures, performance, and many more. Some exhibits are interactive.

How to go there:

Take the Seoul Subway Line 2 or 8 and get off at Jamsil Station (Exit 4 or 5). Use the underground walkway going to Lotte World.