Visited after 10 years gap, very pleasantly surpri...

Visited after 10 years gap, very pleasantly surprised. Most people assume Imagica is the better park, let me share why I believe the opposite is true, hope this helps others decide.

We took the ferry from Borivali which was well organised, clean and not too crowded. Rs. 50 each for the round trip of about 7 mins each way. Life jackets are prominently displayed, and not packed in plastic bags so you drown while waiting to remove them - unlike the local ferry from the same jetty. We couldn't find any Esselworld parking at the jetty, so had to park on the road (was slightly stressed my car might be towed, though I was in roadside parking). This could be improved, maybe we just missed the signs to their parking.

Esselworld overall is well maintained, with brightly painted enclosures, very neat and clean, lots of green grassy areas, clear signage all over. Rides are in excellent condition, with the exception of the Virtual Reality one which had only 10 VR goggles, while the ride could seat nearly 20. Food and drinks are reasonably priced, especially compared to Imagica. Lots of water fountains everywhere, which was thoughtful. In Imagica, the lack of drinking water forces you to buy over priced mineral water. Toilets were plentiful and quite clean. One exception was the ladies changing rooms near the Aqua ride, which stank of urine. Some visitors are disgusting, with no consideration of others who will use the space after them. Not the park's fault, but they should post an attendant to teach such people how to behave in public.

The staff all over (jetty, counters, food stalls, rides, toilets) were very helpful and cooperative, lots of smiles and I could see them supporting families with small kids which is very good in encouraging repeat customers.

A little bit about the rides... We visited with 3 kids, a couple of tall 10 year olds and 1 was 7. The older kids could enjoy all the rides as there was no height restriction. The younger one had lots of options including some good roller coasters as well. Much better than Imagica for smaller kids and families with a variety of age groups. For older kids and adults, I felt the big rides at Imagica were more thrilling, but too short. As an overall experience, we all found Esselworld much better because of the peaceful experience with many many ride options to choose. Taking a favourite ride many times was too easy, and we took full advantage! Imagica was long on hype and short on rides, in general.

We visited Esselworld on a Saturday, and the park was not crowded at all. Short queues and long rides are a great combination! In Imagica I felt like each ride was 30% shorter than it should be, while the lines were long and hot. Lots and lots of greenery meant that Esselworld was cool and breezy despite a fairly hot February day. The place is also just 1 hour from our home in extreme North Mumbai. Western suburbs are quarter to half this travel time.

Overall, I'm very glad we visited. This is our preferred amusement park near Mumbai once again.