Joyland Disabled Access Review

image of Iona stood outside the entrance sign for joyand. Yellow background with text to the right side reads Joyland great yarmouth disabled access review with the symbol for trip report and cartoon of Iona riding a rollercoaster
Come and join me at the second park on our Great Yarmouth road trip Joyland. This is a fun little children theme park so come on lets see what it has to offer and figure out the access.

Table of Contents

Facilities and Services Available for Disabled Guests

Here is a quick overview of the facilities and services available for disabled guests at Joyland, so that you can decide if this attraction is able to meet your access requirements. Please note: some of the services are listed below and a full explanation is available later on in the blog post. In order to quickly navigate through the post you can use the table of contents.

  • Essential Companions: For guests with additional needs who are unable to ride alone Joyland allows the person with additional needs and carer to ride for just 1 token.
  • Free entry: entry to Joyland is free for all visitors just pay for ride tokens.

Arrivals

In this section of the blog we detail what will happen when you arrive at Joyland so you know what to expect and can get on the rides as quickly as possible.

blue badge parking

There was some blue badge road parking available nearby. We did really struggle with parking but managed to find a blue badge spot in a car park near the Weatherspoon’s. Really sorry I didn’t get any photos of the blue badge parking as I was quite stressed trying to get park and oh we were also running late that is not like me.

Purchasing Tokens

Joyland has 9 rides in total and each ride costs 1 token. Tokens are £3 each and can be bought individually or in 2 bundle a £30 Value Bag includes 12 tokens or a £60 value bag includes 25 tokens. Token can be purchased when from inside the park.

entering the park

Upon entering Joyland you are straight into the main park. There is a kiosk right as you enter where you can buy tokens as seen in the images below. I I recommend having a walk around the park first as it’s small and decide what rides you want to go on first. We visited for the Halloween event in the evening so some of the photo are Halloween themed.

Joyland amusement park entrance at night, brightly lit with a large sign and colorful lights, viewed from across the street.
Joyland park token kiosk at night, decorated with Halloween-themed props and a large sign that says "Get Your Tokens Here."

On ride photos

The rides listed below have on ride photo available however, unlike other parks there is a person with a camera that comes around and takes your photo before the ride starts. You are then given a sticker with your photo number on as shown in the image below.

  • Super Snails
  • Spooky Express
  • Jet Cars
image of a sticker that reads i rode the snails with a photo number and the joyland logo

Our day at Joyland

Now we’re in the park and have sorted all of our access out it’s time to enjoy the park and get on some rides. In this section you will find a write up of our day at Joyland including all the accessibility information of course. So come and enjoy the day with us!

Jet Cars

We started off on the first ride we saw the jet cars. The jet cars is very simple ride where you ride in a little car that goes around the track. The track goes around into a building with lots of lights. Unfortunately Joyland do not display hight restrictions they just have measuring signs that if you are under you have to go on with an adult as shown in the images below.

In terms of access, there was a slight step up into the ride area and although adults were able to fit in the car it was tight and due to the high sides would be a challenging transfer. During in the tunnel/indoor section of the car ride there is some cercal of lights on the wall that flash and the ride is dark in some places.

Tight interior view from inside a jet car, showing multiple small cars on the track in a dimly lit tunnel with bright lights overhead.
image of jet cars lined up in the station
Jet car navigating the indoor section of the ride, passing through a tunnel with decorative circular lights on the walls.
Ride entrance showing a sign stating "Young Children Must Be Accompanied By An Adult," with people waiting and part of the jet cars visible.

Spooky Express

Of course we had to go on the rollercoaster and get the cred! The Spooky Express was a very fun children’s coaster that had great interactions with the rest of the rides. The theming was amazing the tracks went over the Jet Cars as you can see in the images below. Joyland do not display hight restrictions they just have measuring signs that if you are under you have to go on with an adult as shown in the images below.

In terms of access, the Spooky Express is up a large set of stairs with the exit stairs being a spiral staircase. The ride itself I found it challenging to get into the ride cart as it was on an angel. Sensory wise the ride is dark and does go through an indoor section. The track does also have a sharp turn in it however, still a good first coaster.

Entrance to the Spooky Express rollercoaster, showing colorful theming and the sign for the ride inside Joyland.
Close-up of the Spooky Express entrance signs, displaying safety information and height measuring instructions for children.
View of the large staircase with red handrails leading up to the Spooky Express ride access point.
Themed tunnel section of the Spooky Express, with a rollercoaster cart entering a dark indoor area.
Close-up of a red rollercoaster cart used on the Spooky Express, showing seating and the track mechanism.
Blurry action view of the Spooky Express rollercoaster moving quickly through a themed section of the ride, inside an indoor area.

smaller Rides

Joyland has 4 smaller chidden rides the Major Orbit that is a small spinning ride, the balloon wheel a children’s ferries wheel, a little pirate ship and the skydiver a little children’s sizzler. Adults were able to go on all of the children rides which isn’t something I see often as they had no upper hight restriction. This was really nice as it mean younger children could ride with their parents/carers and adults that still enjoy a child style ride got to enjoy the ride. Joyland do not display hight restrictions they just have measuring signs that if you are under you have to go on with an adult as shown in the images below.

In terms of access, the Skydiver, balloon wheel and major orbit all had a step up into the ride area. The pirate ship had a small set of stairs with handrail up to the pirate ship. The only sensory effect on any of the rides was the lights in the middle of Major Orbit.

Colorful ride with small vehicles on arms — caption: Skydiver
skydiver
Small Ferris wheel lit up with multi-colored lights at night — caption: Balloon Wheel
Balloon Wheel
Circular spinning ride with lit center pieces, surrounded by a fence — caption: Major Orbit
Major Orbit
Amusement area at night with a small pirate ship ride elevated above, a staircase with handrail visible — caption: Pirate Ship
Pirate Ship

Super Snails

We had to go for a ride on the iconic snails!! The snails ride you wit a snail themed ride cart and go around a track with a number of turns and bumps. Joyland do not display hight restrictions they just have measuring signs that if you are under you have to go on with an adult as shown in the images below.

In terms of access, there was a step up to get into the ride area. The snails were a little hard to get into due to the small opening. The snail ride has no sensory effects

image of sign pointing to entrance of the snail ride
image of safety rules and restrictions for the snail ride.
A brightly lit snail-shaped ride vehicle carrying a rider is traveling along a track lined with decorative bushes and cartoon artwork at night, under a string of festive lights.
Close-up of a snail-themed ride cart with a passenger, moving on a winding track with brick walls and plants, illuminated by warm string lights at night.

Neptune’s Kingdom

Neptune’s Kingdom is a fun little dark ride located in the building under the Spooky Express. The ride is themed to under the see with a number of scenes and light effects. Joyland do not display hight restrictions they just have measuring signs that if you are under you have to go on with an adult as shown in the images below.

In terms of access, it was level to get into the ride area with a step up to get onto the ride. Sensory wisw a couple of the scenes were dark and have UV lights.

The colorful entrance to Neptune’s Kingdom ride, decorated with a painted mural of a bearded Neptune face and underwater-themed artwork.
Close-up view of the Neptune’s Kingdom entrance sign, with a yellow information board about ride access and entrance details.
Themed interior of the Neptune’s Kingdom ride, showing walls designed to look like underwater planks, a red ride vehicle, and a visible fire extinguisher.
The loading area for Neptune’s Kingdom, featuring a red ride vehicle and a large themed sign that reads “Neptune’s Kingdom: An Amazing Underwater Adventure.”
A blurry, colorful scene from inside Neptune’s Kingdom, showing glowing neon sea creatures and decorations lit by ultraviolet lights.

The Tyrolean Tub Twist

The tub twist ride was by far my favourite. You sit in a cercal ride cart shaped like a tub and go around the ride area on a spinning track. The tub spins a lot it was really cool and not like any ride I have done before. Joyland do not display hight restrictions they just have measuring signs that if you are under you have to go on with an adult as shown in the images below.

In terms of access, there is a few stairs to get up to the ride area. The tubs are quite deep and hard to get into it would be a very challenging transfer. The tub twist has no additional sensory effects making it a great choice for sensory seekers that love spinning.

People wait to board the Tyrolean Tub Twist ride at Joyland, standing on a raised platform by an entrance sign, with colorful lights and ride decorations visible.
Close-up view of the Tyrolean Tub Twist loading area, showing themed ride tubs, a height requirement sign, and playful decorations like pumpkins and spiders.
Side view of spinning tubs at the Tyrolean Tub Twist ride, surrounded by safety railings and a vibrant, cartoon-style backdrop with mountains and flowers.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Joyland is a great little theme park for children and definitely worth checking out if your visiting Great Yarmouth. I would say the rides are aimed at children 8 years younger however, adults are able to go on all rides so just depends on interests. Its worth noting their was very few places to sit down within Joyland. The park is small so perfect for people who can’t far or little once and is all one cercal. Joyland was not very wheelchair friendly in terms of being able to get on any rides however, you would still be able to get inside the park and look around. Well, that’s all from me for now thank you for coming to Joyland with me. See you on my next adventure, bye for now.

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Disclaimer​

The information provided on this blog about theme park accessibility is based on my experiences and the details available from the attractions’ official websites at the time of my visit. Please note that facilities and services for disabled guests may change, and the information may not always be up-to-date. I strongly recommend checking the accessibility section on the respective attractions’ websites for the most current information. The comments and opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of any other organisation.