PortAventura has invested 15 million Euros in the brand new Street Mission interactive 3D dark ride based on Sesame Street, and we were invited to the media event to be one of the first to experience it.

As the most visited theme park in Spain, and one of the best in Europe, the resort is continually developing and expanding. It was only 2 years ago that we were there for the launch of Ferrari Land.

During a short press conference Fernando Aldecoa (General Manager of PortAventura) and Ed Wells (Senior Vice President of Sesame Workshop) spoke of creating Europe's first ever dark ride inspired by Sesame Street.

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The opening ceremony began with a few short speeches and a fun performance from some of the Sesame Street characters followed by a ribbon cutting and a shower of confetti as a finale.

Street Mission has been incorporated into the existing SésamoAventura area seamlessly, with part of the area's train station transformed into an entrance to the new ride plaza.

The cartoonish style elsewhere in this area of the park has been replicated on the the ride building, which blends in so well that it's like it has always been there.

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Inside the queue line for Street Mission, guests are immediately immersed in the world of Sesame Street. There are some charming scenes and a rolling 10 minute pre-show to keep everyone entertained. The highlight of this is when Grover, one of the key characters, who has previously been seen in his detective office via screens, comes out of the door as a realistic and talking animatronic.

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We love the taxi themed ride vehicles on Street Mission, not only do they look great and can comfortably accommodate 6 riders, each with a built in controller, but there is a functioning taxi light that turns on and off depending on whether there are passengers on board.

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The premise of the ride is simple, the residents of Sesame Street have a big party planned and had baked a giant cookie for the celebration, but there is a problem... it's gone missing, and Grover the detective needs your help to find it. The almost 6 minute ride perfectly integrates detailed sets, 3D screens, animatronics and interactive gaming controllers that are called cookie collectors.

As you pass through each scene you must look for clues, following the trail of crumbs using your cookie collector. It's very intuitive, aiming is fairly easy and the targets (a mixture of screen based and physical) all react to your actions. There are scents used to further enhance a few of the scenes. We noticed the smells of freshly cut grass and later on baked cookies.

The first few scenes feature some of the main characters setting up the storyline, including Grover, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, but things really get going when you find Count von Count and Abby Cadabby who use a little magic to take you on a flight through the Count's Castle. This part of the attraction is an absolute highlight.

Once the culprit is revealed and the giant cookie has been found, the party can go ahead, and riders receive their scores. 

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Street Mission is an excellent addition to PortAventura Park, perfect for the audience that it's aimed at. PortAventura World has worked in partnership with Sesame Workshop and Sally Corporation, using EFT for the ride system and Alterface for the gaming elements, and it all comes together beautifully.

If you've experienced Justice League: Battle for Metropolis at any of the Six Flags parks in the US, this could be considered as a family focused equivalent.

During our visit we made sure to check out all of the other Sesame Street rides, attractions and shows in SésamoAventura.

This highly themed area includes the Tami Tami family roller coaster, Magic Fish water ride, Coco Piloto monorail and other colourful experiences especially for children.

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Sesame Street characters star in the new live show Let's Dance. An entertaining 20 minute performance of chart hits and an original song.

There are some delicious new Sesame Street treats available at the park this year including donuts, lollipops and... cookies!

Some of the Sesame Street characters make an appearance in the PortAventura Parade which takes place at the end of each day. The yellow bus had Elmo, Bert and Ernie riding in the back on our visit.

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The gift shops are well stocked with an array of Sesame Street merchandise, so whether you are looking for clothes and accessories, or mugs and keyrings, there is something for everyone.

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We have previously reviewed the rest of both PortAventura Park and Ferrari Land in detail, and we're pleased to report that everything that the 2 theme parks have to offer was just as good as before. Thanks to PortAventura Express passes for both parks, our wait times were very minimal.

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PortAventura World is a really special place, that totally immerses you in it's themed areas and features a superb range of rides, attractions and shows.

We were invited guests of PortAventura on this trip. For our 2 nights and 2 days we stayed in The Callaghan's, part of the 4-star Hotel Gold River. This superb resort is made up of a large complex of stunning Western themed buildings and feels like an actual Wild West town. We were treated to some excellent meals throughout our stay in restaurants at the hotel and in both of the theme parks.

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Buy your tickets to PortAventura here:

• PortAventura Tickets