In 2022, I visited Energylandia exactly 33 times, and to this we have to add a few more trips in 2021. There were weeks when I had fun in the park in Zator even twice a week, but there were also 2-3 week breaks. My goal was to thoroughly get to know the entire park, each attraction and complete them all in different ways. I managed to achieve my goal, and at the same time I gained a lot of experience and knowledge about the largest amusement park in Poland.
For this reason, I decided to create a series of posts titled „I spent a month in Energylandia„. Part one discusses my experiences with people, a the second part is devoted to employees, thanks to which we can have such a great time at Energylandia with a smile on our faces. This time I am looking at prices of tickets, souvenirs, food and everything else we have to pay for in Energylandia. I invite you to read.
Part 3 – „Prices” – „I spent a month in Energylandia”
Energylandia is the largest and best amusement park in Poland. That 70 hectares 123 attractions were installed, including top rollercoasters and extreme carousels, several swimming pools, gaming arcades, arcade games, dozens of restaurants and catering points, shows, performances, seasonal games and workshops, stunt shows, huge parking lots and much more. All this has to cost something, and business is business, so we don’t get anything for free. However, is Energylandia really as expensive and expensive as it seems? Let’s check it out.
Ticket prices, or not much but too much fun
At the opening of the Energylandia park in 2014, the prices of a single ticket were around PLN 69. After 9 years In 2023, we will pay PLN 179 for a spring ticket, and in the high season 189 PLN. This is almost a threefold increase, and On average, ticket prices increased by about PLN 14 year after year. It may not seem like much, but currently a trip to Energylandia for the whole family it is an expense of several hundred zlotys for just the tickets. Is that a lot?
Let’s compare the trip to other popular places in Poland: to Legendia in Chorzów, Mandoria near Łódź, Zatorland in Zator, Twinpigs in Żory, and even the zoo and orientarium in Łódź and to the circus.
Legendia, Mandoria, Zatorland and Twinpigs
One day a ticket to Legendia in 2022 cost 129 PLN, which is 50 PLN less than to the park in Zator. However, in exchange for the ticket we gain access to only 33 attractions, of which only a few can be considered extreme, and a large part of the carousels leave much to be desired. In addition, we can complete the entire Legendia much faster than Energylandia. After about 4-5 hours, you can safely end the fun.
Mandoria near Łódź can boast only 23 attractions, and for For a one-day ticket we have to pay 100 PLN. What’s more, practically all attractions and rollercoasters can be classified as children’s and in Mandoria we won’t have fun on any extreme attraction. We’ll probably finish the whole fun after 3-4 hours, completing some attractions several times.
Zatorland is located relatively close to Energylandia, also in Zator. A one-day ticket costs PLN 90. In return, we gain access to 14 attractions for the youngest, playgrounds, an exhibition of moving dinosaurs, an insect park, a mythology park and an inverted house. We can go around each of the parks and exhibitions in a few dozen minutes, and we can have fun in the amusement park for about 2 hours. In fact, we can visit the whole of Zatorland in a day without crowds in a maximum of 4 hours.
Żory Twinpigs has long since passed its glory days. About 10 attractions for children, playgrounds, animals, shows and mini cinemas are fun all around 2 hours for 70 PLN per person. Considering frequent failures and downtime of attractions, the fun may be even shorter.
Finally, let’s compare time spent in circuses and one of the most popular zoos in Łódź. A circus performance lasts about 2 hours, and a ticket for one person it usually costs up to 70 PLN. The Łódź Zoo and Orientarium can be visited in about 3 hours and we will also pay 70 PLN per person.
What does it look like in Energylandia?
We have 123 attractions in Energylandia, including extreme devices and rollercoasters, the largest outdoor water park in Poland with many swimming pools, lots of slides, shows and entertainment, lots of carousels for children, whole families and adults, as well as a 7D cinema and gaming arcades. 10 hours is definitely not enough to cover all the attractions in one day. We pay 179 PLN per ticket.
It’s easy to calculate that 1 hour of real fun in Energylandia is the cheapest, about PLN 18 per hour. In the case of Zatorland, Mandoria and the Łódź Zoo, 1 hour costs us about PLN 23-25. The most expensive option is a trip to Legendia, Twinpigs and the circus, where for 1 hour of real fun we will pay about PLN 35.
We can therefore safely conclude that for 179/189 PLN we get a lot of fun and attractions at our disposal, which cannot even be included during the 10 hours of the park’s opening in the season. In addition, in Energylandia almost all devices are always working, modern, well-maintained, and the entire park is of a high standard. The same cannot be said about some of the places I mentioned.
Parking ticket – mandatory or not?
Energylandia has several huge parking lots. I have never encountered a situation where there was no free space during the season. In addition, the park in Zator organized the parking service very well. Thanks to our numerous employees, we are guided as if by the hand — from the moment you enter to the moment you stop. In high season, parking attendants direct traffic from the roundabout near McDonald’s, and at the end of the day, they facilitate the exit from the parking lot.
However, for the above advantages we have to pay 20 PLN. We can buy a ticket online, in machines, or at the exit gates. Not so long ago, using the parking lot at Energylandia cost only PLN 10 and I think that was the perfect price at that time. It got a bit expensive today, the increase is twofold. In addition, the owners year-round tickets they cannot count on free parking (as is the case in Legendia).
I think that Energylandia could introduce free parking for year-round tickets or at least reduced-price tickets. For example, 10 parking spaces at a 50% discount or another flat fee for unlimited parking throughout the year.
While for people who go to Energylandia once a year there will be no problem paying the PLN 20 fee and they will not be interested in season tickets, for guests with annual tickets such an offer would definitely be a plus.
Of course, to avoid the 20 PLN fee, many guests leave their cars outside the park’s parking lot. Cars are sometimes left in the parking lots of the nearby Netto and McDonald’s, and even at the entrance gates to nearby production plants. Some also decide to park in Zator itself and reach Energylandia by choo-choo or on foot.
Are we forced to purchase a wristband for deposit lockers?
Directly no, but indirectly yes. In 2022 the band for all the cabinets cost 12 PLN. It allowed us to use 1 locker at a time throughout the park. Thanks to this, we don’t have to enter the attractions with a backpack, purse, phone or wallet. We can conveniently store all our personal items and pick them up after the ride.
During the high season, at many flagship attractions, such as Zadra, Formula, or Abyssus, we are forced to use safety deposit boxes because the staff do not let guests in with backpacks and other larger items. This is no longer a problem in Winter Kingdom, when the park’s attendance is much lower. The situation is still different at Hyperion. Since 2022, two metal detector gates have been installed in the Hyperion building. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to get through them with backpacks, handbags, or even a phone in our pockets. We are forced to buy a wristband and leave all the items in cabinets next to the gates.
To sum up – in the high season, let’s immediately buy a wristband for the lockers and let’s not go with backpacks and handbags to the attractions. Let’s put them in the lockers right away. In the low season and during Winter Kingdom there shouldn’t be a big problem with entering the attractions with a backpack and leaving your personal belongings on small shelves. On the other hand, when going to Hyperion, let’s leave our things in the safety deposit boxes right away.
Arcade Games – A Goldmine
In my opinion, a particular goldmine from which Energylandia generates a lot of revenue at relatively low costs are all the gaming arcades and arcade games. For 50 PLN we get 5 attempts in the arcade game, and these in turn involve throwing a ball at a target or knocking down cans. When we hit, we win a large teddy bear. However, most do not win, and 50 PLN goes to the park’s account.
It’s similar in gaming arcades. There, fortunately, after topping up the contactless card for, for example, PLN 50, we can play on any slot machines for about 1 hour. The points you earn go to your card and you can later exchange them for gadgets. Unfortunately, the prices of gadgets are high and you have to earn a really huge number of points. To put it simply — we have to spend hundreds of zlotys on games to receive a prize worth several or several dozen zlotys.
During the season, many guests take up the challenge of winning a plushie and every now and then you can see daredevils trying their luck at the next arcade points. Unfortunately, many leave empty-handed and children cry. However, there is a tip that increases our chances of winning. Not many people know how to ensure a virtually guaranteed win. I will write about how to do it in the future.
Is gastronomy actually expensive?
Gastronomy at Energylandia it’s certainly not the cheapest. However, food prices at Energylandia park are not much different from food prices at petrol stations, fast food chains or restaurants. We can eat pizza for just 38 PLN, acasserole for 18 PLN. On the other hand for 15 PLN we will be satisfied with soup, and for the main course we will spend just over 40 PLN.
There are also many snack points in Energylandia. We will pay 7 PLN for a scoop of ice cream, small Italian ice cream 8 PLN, pancake 10 PLN, and popcorn 12 PLN. In terms of drinking for half a liter of water we have to pay 6 PLN, Pepsi 0.5 liter 10 PLN, tea 8 PLN, and coffees start from 10 PLN.
Alcohol is relatively expensive. For a canned beer we have to spend 13 PLN, mulled beer 16 PLN, and for the popular mojito drink 28 PLN.
While I have no complaints about the prices of alcohol and meals, 6 PLN for a small bottle of water is a relatively large amount. A pack of popcorn for 12 PLN also seems like a large amount, especially considering the production cost of this delicacy. On the other hand, the prices of hot drinks could be fully acceptable. Unfortunately, they are served in small cups. For example cappuccino for 14 PLN I have the impression that it is served in a cup with a capacity of about 100 ml.
Fortunately, we can freely take snacks, sandwiches and drinks with us and bring them into the park, so we don’t have to spend money on everything in the park, especially if we can’t afford it.
20 PLN for a small photo
A large part of the attractions and rollercoasters in Energylandia It is equipped with cameras, which take a photo of all passengers during each ride. Thanks to this, after leaving the attraction we can buy a souvenir with our photo. For printing a small photo we have to pay 19 PLN. The keyring costs PLN 21, and the magnet PLN 24. There is no point in hiding the fact that Completing photos from a dozen or so attractions will cost less than PLN 300.
In my opinion, however, it is a big expense, but it certainly brings in a lot of revenue for Energylandia. I would gladly use the photo passes or digital-only photos at a lower price. For example, a package of 10 photos for PLN 100 or a digital photo for a maximum of PLN 10. The photos are uploaded to servers anyway, and when you purchase a photo you receive a code that allows you to download the file, so I don’t see any problem with implementing such a solution, which would positively affect the number of people buying photos.
Update: from 2023, Energylandia will introduce a Photo Pass for PLN 50, which allows you to purchase an unlimited number of digital photos for one day! Energylandia — thank you! 🙂
Business to business
In 2022, Energylandia was visited by 1 million 850 thousand guests. In simplified estimates, these people generated revenue for the park of around 277 million złoty for tickets alone. Parking brought in 10 million złoty, and locker wristbands 5 million złoty. These numbers are impressive, and to this must be added revenue from catering, arcades, arcade games, souvenir shops and photo booths.
However, running such a large park with hundreds of permanent employees and 2,000 employed during the season is not cheap. Water, electricity and other media also cost Energylandia many millions of zlotys. And as a curiosity, I will add that According to data from 2018, Energylandia consumed 7 GWh of electricity. That’s as much as all of Poland uses it for 16 minutes. So It can’t be cheaper, because business must pay off, and if we want more investments and great attractions in the future, Energylandia must earn money. And what do you think? Are the prices in the Energylandia park acceptable, or are they not for your pocket and you prefer cheaper entertainment?
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