Dickens World amusement park

[Bob Russell]

For fans of Charles Dickens who can't get enough of his fictional works despite his prolific writing output, there's a new delight in London - Dickens World.

"Dickens World is a brand new, innovative and exciting indoor visitor complex themed around the life, books and times of one of Britain’s best loved authors, Charles Dickens. It will take visitors on a fascinating journey through Dickens’ lifetime as they step back into Dickensian England and are immersed in the urban streets, sounds and smells of the 19th century.
With a host of captivating attractions, Dickens World features one of Europe’s largest dark boat rides, the Haunted house of Ebenezer Scrooge, a state-of-the art animatronic show, Victorian School Room, 4D high definition show and Fagin’s Den. Offering a unique showcase for one of the world’s best loved storytellers, Dickens World will truly offer visitors the ‘day out of a lifetime’.
Dickens World is based on a credible and factual account of Charles Dickens works and the world in which he lived. Working with The Dickens Fellowship great attention has been paid to the authenticity of the time, characters and story lines. It offers a new and entertaining way to enjoy Dickens and his characters as well as gaining an understanding of the times and conditions people experienced living in England in the early 19th century."

I know it sounds corny, but I'd really love to go. Doors were scheduled to open to the public on May 25, 2007. If you are in the London area, you'll have to check it out and share it with us!

From Gadling via Digg.

[cloggy3]

don't do it. don't go there. after quing for hours as they have no way of reading credit cards and every transaction was confirmed by telephone we entered an impressive looking Dickensian street. we were the some of the 1st in so headed straight for a very dissapointing boat ride around and through Dickensian rooftops. Not a lot to look at, no animatronics, no nothing really. still we were 1st on, no queue. Next the Haunted house. i can only call this experience, "dire". Walk through a labyrinth of unfinished corridors watching films of Dickens ghosts in story form. 2 five year old children in tow now nearly bored. Next the Dickensian school where you sit in front of a computer "schooldesk" playing computer snakes and ladders answering questions on Dickens books. Fine. it is a Dickens park afterall. as you can probably guess i now have 2 bored 5 year olds in tow. I was promised a real experience of the schools of that era and that my 5 year olds would love it. Oh well on to the 4D screen. Wearing 3D glasses (?) we were treated to an educational 5 min 3D film about Dickens life. As you can imagine i now have 2 VERY bored 5 year olds. Still there is always the soft play area. Or not? It was packed with children that found this an oasis in an oytherwise boring sea of Chuzzlewit. we decided to leave and the queues inside for these mundane attractions were worse than outside.
after paying £38 for the four of us , and 2 hours later , we found ourselves an indoor soft play area for 2 (now) excited 5 year olds. £7 and 2 happy hours. we should have gone there from the very beginning.

[Bob Russell]

Wow. Sorry to hear of the experience. Was it interesting for adults, at least?
Well, that's for the warning!

Of course, I still want to go! ;-)

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I dunno... somehow, I don't seem to remember Dickensian England as a very happy or interesting place overall... I mean, if Disneyland were based on those stories, Mickey and Minnie would be living on the street, Donald would be a pickpocket, Pluto would be sniffing for morsels on the curb, Goofy would have TB, and the Seven Dwarves would be mining coal.

But the Princes and Princesses would be having a ball...

[nekokami]

Sights, sounds and smells??? They have clouds of coal smoke floating about and rotten sewage in the gutters???

[UncleDuke]

now this i would go to, maybe next time over the pond

[mate]

dickens world was fantastic, i would certainly go again the smells are there now, the pick pocket (william sykes played by francis bethel) was the best one though a bit to good at picking pockets though but very entertaining really stood out loads of energy all day made it worth waiting in the que for

[astra]

Ah, very nice.
The first post, the first day and it is about Dickens World

[cloggy3]

there i was thinking maybe i have been too hasty, maybe i misunderstood the lady on the phone who told me two 5 year olds would love the experience and have loads to do. No. i was right. i happen to run a small hotel near enough to this attraction for some of my guests to make a day trip of it. i can honestly say that out of four couples none of them thought it "was anything special" or would go again or would recommend it. i don't and didn't want a "disneyland" type experiance as they would probably claim him as AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE!