Lotte World: A Nice Dream

The thrill of roller coasters, the laughter of children, and the enchantment of a fairy tale world - these are the memories that lingered long after my visit to Lotte World in Seoul. 

Well, that was the image of Lotte World that I had in my head.

All I can remember of it was the incessant lines, overcrowding of attractions, and a million other issues that made my visit less than ideal.

Do I really care about those? Not really. Having a wonderful group of friends to go with, Lotte World is less about the rides and more about the experience of being there. 

Getting There

It is a quick subway ride from Yonsei to Lotte World. After you exit the station, you discover that you are below to the amusement park. Greeting you is the lower floors of the Lotte Mall and Lotte Tower. Within the area are tons of places to eat and shop, so if amusement parks aren’t you’re thing, there is plenty else to do. 

Tickets

Once you arrive in the lower levels of the park, you will need to purchase a ticket. If you do not have the app or have an annual pass, you will need to get into the line for the ticket booth which can get extremely crowded after 4PM. 

Why does it get crowded at that time? Well, after 4, the ticket prices are reduced. So, Pro Tip, go after 4 PM. 

Attractions

But enough about that, let’s get into the theme park! 

The first thing that struck me about Lotte World is that it's not your typical theme park. The indoor section, known as "Lotte World Adventure," is an enormous dome that shelters the different rides and attractions. If you don’t notice the drab green that colors the dome above your head, it is a wonderful place to be. 

The first ride that we went to was French Revolution. It is a small rollercoaster that features small drops and a loop over one of the pedestrian bridges in the park. 

The line for non-pass visitors was quite long. It took us about 100 minutes for us to get into the ride. The ride itself was quite nice but not worth the time it took.

The next ride we went on was the Gyro Swing. Located in the second half of the park (the Magic Island), it was also a similar story. A 100-minute wait for about 5 minutes of fun and excitement. 

I hope that you are realizing a slight trend here. Every ride, every attraction had an estimated wait time close to two hours, with some reaching almost 3. 

So here is another pro tip: If you want to visit Lotte World, go on a weekday and not during a holiday such as Chuseok. 

Our final ride was Atlantis, and after 3 hours of waiting, we were able to board. This was the one ride that felt like the roller coasters back in the States and it did not disappoint. 

Food

Like all amusement parks, food can be quite expensive and not really that great. In my very honest opinion, food, and drinks there were quite subpar and really expensive for what they were. You might be better off getting outside of the park once you are done. 

Overall

My NateScore for this place would probably be a 5 out of 10. It is nice to visit once, but not somewhere you would want to come back too.