Fantasyland: Gloria de Dapitan

I have to admit, when Dakak gave us free tickets to Fantasyland located in the Dapitan town proper, I thought it was one of those "peryas" found in most provincial capitals. I thought it would be something like Boom na Boom. But since the tickets were free, and we wanted to do something else, we rode on a shuttle to Fantasyland in Gloria de Dapitan after a hearty buffet dinner. We were already amazed entering the gates of Gloria De Dapitan, as shown in my previous post. We were dropped off in front of the entrance of Fantasyland. This was the facade that greeted us.


To our surprise, Fantasyland wasn't any come-and-go and carnival. It was more like Enchanted Kingdom. The tickets sold for P250 I think, for unlimited rides, which was a steal I thought. There was a promenade at the entrance that had several shops, even a Mac Store! There was a haunted house near the entrance that was still undergoing construction. It looked so good, I wanted to go inside.


There was a stage and an open area for events. A band was setting up at this time. It had just rained, so the maintenance people were sweeping off the rainwater.

Fantasyland had a lot of rides. There was the staple rollercoaster, that had single cars - meaning, one car was only big enough for one person. Though not as thrilling, this ride would be perfect for kids who want to experience the thrill of a rollercoaster ride.

There was also the log jam ride. Although it was a short ride, it was still a hit among the visitors who get wet after the splash.

There was also a space ship simulator. Most of the other rides are common already for any carnival, like the Galleon, a Swing Ride, Bump Cars, Carousels, etc. There was also a section for younger kids.

The ticket also listed a ride called Jump Bed, which intrigued me. We then realized that it was the trampoline. You get into rubber bands and tumble yourself as you jump high up. It was fun but tiring. I was able to make several somersaults.

All in all, Fantasyland really felt like a mini-Enchanted Kingdom. There were photo booths all around, souvenir shops, food stalls and all of them maintained really well. You can even take a picture with princes and princesses.

Fantasyland was indeed a pleasant surprise. I was expecting our pictures to look nostalgic, think provincial carnival, with old rides. Fantasyland was a modern carnival on the contrary, very well maintained. It will surely be a tourism drawer, now that the carnival is fully operational.

This ends my posts on Dapitan, the trip that was full of surprises. I commend the local government of Dapitan for investing on tourism facilities. I am assuming there are more attractions in Dapitan and further down in Dipolog. I just can't wait to go back and explore more.