The entrance plaza has changed a lot. It used to be a car park surrounded by trees, with 'Fantasy Islands' spelled out across the entrance archway on banners! This was changed over for the new tropical entrance in mid-2019.

The hotel's building has remained much the same, however the roofs have since swapped out to feature the new blue design, and the towers on the hotel were added on later. The hotel's grounds have changed a lot, once featuring flower beds, picnic areas and a hedge maze!

The central island was a large, square area with bridges joining to all of the different park areas. This area was only used for the old fireworks show, which was once swapped out for each new attraction that was added to the park!

Dragonspire Keep used to be very different to what it is today, consisting only of the castle and only containing three rides and one shop.

• Mystica, a B&M Wing Coaster, used to inhabit the castle, in which the riders could protect the castle with the help of a powerful beast.

• Mystical Adventure was a dark ride/family coaster located inside the castle itself, however initially it only occupied half of the castle due to the space needed for Mystica

• Aquieous remained much the same until the recent rebuild, however the ride type and rough layout is the same as the original

• Wizarding Wares used to be a shop on the lower floor of the castle, through which Mystica exited.

Dahland was probably the most loved area at Fantasy Islands when we first released it. Guests could journey to the back of the area, which consisted of a heavily forested park, or stay at the front, which was full of colourful facades.

• To the left of the main plaza there was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, an indoor boat ride that took you around scenes from the book

• The BFG's Dreamcups, a set of family teacups, in the building which has more recently been used to house Subject 101

• To the right of the area was Fantastic Mr Fox: The Ride, an indoor launch coaster

• Flight of the Giant Peach, a small family coaster, was where the entrance to Ascension now is

• The Twits' House, a building containing Mrs Twits' Balloon Flight, occupied the building now used for HyperDrive

• The Enormous Crocodile Coaster was in the centre of the area, where the lake in Xanerth now is, and was a small-scale and much-loved family coaster.

• At the back of the area was Dahland's main attraction - Flight of the Swan, a family coaster that sped through the trees in the area.

• Guests also had a host of shops to choose from: Danny's Souvenirs, The Grubber, and George's Marvellous Restaurant.

The Crypts has undergone a lot of change over its years at the park.

• At first, where Mine No. 13 now is, there was another dive coaster (Upgrade). The legacy of Upgrade has survived in the park even today with Subject 101, a horror maze based on its backstory.

• In the centre of the area there was a restaurant (The Brains Bar)

• To the right there was a water coaster, Splashdown, where Pit Stop now is.

• Nyctophobia has remained much the same as it was to start off with, however the preshow has been updated to feature new effects.

• Apocalypse has received large changes since the original version - the entrance used to be next to the entrance for Mine No. 13 now is, and the area for Apocalypse was much more run-down and abandoned looking.

• In the place of Nyctophobia: Twilight there used to be another horror maze, Nyctophobia: Sentinel. This would take you on a live-action tour of the inside of the legendary Nyctophobia building.

While Hobbiton has only been recently had a full-area revamp, there have been a large number of changes before.

• At first, in the place of Mount Doom: The One Ring, there were two coasters: Mount Doom and The One Ring.

• Bilbo's Hobbit Hole used to be a dark ride rather than a walkthrough attraction,

• The theming & layout for The Desolation of Smaug: Dragon Chase has been completely changed, however the ride style has remained much the same with the double launch

• As well as this, The Mines of Moria used to go by a different name (The Runaway Moria Train), with a different layout and set to how it is now.

• Firework Leap used to be a large launched drop tower

• Rivendell Rapids has remained largely the same, however used to contain an indoor section where the first lift hill now is.

• Spider Web has only recieved minor changes to the set since it was first built.

• Both The Prancing Pony and Sauron's Souvenirs offered guests a place to buy food & merchandise.

Rum Cove has changed a lot over the past few years:

• Twisted Curse used to have a different layout and theming

• On the edge of the island (by where Galleon is now) there used to be two flat rides: The Swinging Ship and The Lighthouse Slide.

• As well as this, over in the Rum Cove marketplace, there used to be a family coaster (Marketplace Adventure) which would take riders on a scenic journey around the marketplace.

• Treasure Hunter used to also be completely different, with no backstory and the ride being based entirely in a singular cave.

• The Haunted Galleon used to be a large-scale water coaster, located where The Legend of Skull Mountain is now

• Wave Rider has remained very similar to how it once was

• Subject 101 - While still based off of the same storyline as it is now, this maze was hosted next to Nyctophobia: Sentinel

• The Gruncher - A Dahland classic in the woods next to Flight of The Swan

• Jester - Mostly unchanged over the past years, Jester still occupied the space now used for The Miasadventures of King Ruphadonphalus: The Case of The Missing Crown

• Mineshaft - A one-year maze used as part of the marketing campaign for Mine No. 13, it would eventually return in 2019

• The Mines of Moria: Drums in the Deep - A classic horror maze which would end up returning for Islands of Screams 2020

Mine No. 13 opened in November 2017, and would remain unchanged until early 2020. This ride contained what was, at the time, a brand-new mechanism - an effect which simulated a moving lift during the preshow. It was themed to - as it still is - a haunted mineshaft, however at the time of opening the warehouse for it was much more industrial than it is now, consisting of a large ruined-looking stonebrick box.

In November 2017 we hosted a one-off event that would never return to the park - Fantasy Islands' Fireworks. Fantasy Islands' Fireworks was a large-scale fireworks show to take the place of the regular show in Kahiti Landing (at the time, the Central Island) which even contained a large burning bonfire.

Fantasy Islands' Wonderland was first hosted in 2017 (it would return for 2019 and 2020), for which park-wide theming was added as well as the lake in the middle of the Central Island being frozen over and a large snowman in the centre of it. Fantasy Islands' Wonderland 2017 was much smaller than the event in the following years, with the majority of the theming being contained within the Central Island.

Apocalypse: Citadel - Arguably the largest Islands of Screams maze ever, Apocalyse: Citadel took visitors into a Containment Facility for the Infected, in which they would ultimately meet their doom. This maze was about 10 minutes long, and even had its own island constructed!

Tormented Timbers - Later known as The Peregrine, Tormented Timers followed the storyline of Captain Mercy, a pirate who killed his whole crew before hanging himself in the ship's storage.

Jester - Returning for 2018, Jester featured an all-new route and effects while following on the same premise as the previous year.

Nyctophobia: Sentinel - Nyctophobia: Sentinel saw a special rendition for Islands of Screams 2018, as the attraction was set to close at the end of the event. This featured a more intense experience with new jumpscare effects.

Mirkwood - Mirkwood was a new-for-2018 maze located in the same place as The Mines of Moria was the previous year. More of a thematic walkthrough than a horror maze, Mirkwood was definitely the most tame maze at the year's event.

Mount Doom: The One Ring opened in October 2018, replacing Mount Doom, The One Ring, and Sauron's Souvenirs. It followed on much of the same premise as Mount Doom, however was a far longer ride with upgraded scenery and a new thematic experience.

Nyctophobia: Twilight first opened in December 2018, and provided an experience far above anything else offered at the time. It combined thrills, an immersive storyline, and technologically advanced effects to create a truly suspenseful ride. If you're looking for more fun facts about Nyctophobia: Twilight, our 2 Years of Nyctophobia: Twilight article can be found here

In February 2019, Rum Cove received a full revamp. This included the following:

• Twisted Curse had a full retrack and new station buildings added

• Treasure Hunter was entirely rebuilt with a new track and new theming elements

• The Haunted Galleon was removed

• Skull Mountain was added, taking guests into the story of La Kandaa and its treasures for the first time

Dragonspire Keep received one of the largest area revamps to date, with the entire area being rebuilt. Only the castle itself remained the same after the area was rebuilt.

• Mystica was removed

• Wizarding Wares was removed, and Mystical Adventure expanded to occupy the whole castle

• The Alchemist's Tower was added, taking guests into a now-famous storyline

• The Dragonspire Inn, The Battle for Dragonspire Keep and The Dragonspire Keep Shoppe were added in the Dragonspire Keep Village.

May saw a large change bought to the entrance plaza and hotel. The entrance plaza was entirely rebuilt in the first incorporation of the now-familiar tropical themes, with the hotel receiving new themed rooms and a new restaurant - Kahiti Bar & Grill. This made way for future changes to be made to the Central Island (into Kahiti Landing) and the Fantasy Islands Hotel.

Xanerth opened after over half a year of teasing, with construction happening on-site and the Ulysses Corporation slowly closing rides within Dahland. The whole area was reterrained and rethemed to form the alien planet of Xanerth:

• Ascension, a B&M hyper coaster that still dominates the skyline of the park

• Rampage, a family-friendly launch coaster at the back of the area

• InterStellar, a set of two new thrilling 200-foot drop towers

• Crystal Falls: Island Tours, a thrilling rapids ride intertwining with the paths in Xanerth

• HyperDrive, a retheme of The Enormous Crocodile Coaster from Dahland

• The Nebula Hotel, a large capsule hotel on the site of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory: The Ride

Islands of Screams 2019 featured 5 attractions, with 2 returning from 2018:

• Subject 101 - Returning from 2017, Subject 101 explored the link between the themes used in Xanerth and past attraction Upgrade. This time, it was located in the building previously used for The BFG's Dreamcups.

• Mineshaft - While Mineshaft returned under the same name and theme as in 2017, the experience was vastly different. Located in the Pit Stop restaurant.

• Sauron Meet & Greet - Sauron Meet & Greet was a new IoS-exclusive attraction located where Sauron's Souvenirs was (and is, although it was not at the time). Guests could meet Sauron himself!

• Jester returned in much the same form as the previous two years, however the layout was reversed - the entrance was where the entrance to The Misadventures of King Ruphadonphalus: The Case of The Missing Crown now is, and the exit was next to The Royal Pavilion Restaurant.

• The Peregrine was a return of Tormented Timbers from 2018, however under a different name.

Kahiti Point Waterpark opened in December 2019 after a short campaign on our YouTube, "The Making of Kahiti Point". It included the following attractions:

• Kahiti Plunge - Take a vertical drop off of the top of the volcano!

• Aril'u Run - Speed through the jungle with our family slide!

• Kirik'u Racers - Race against your friends down the volcano!

• Vucan River - Take a relaxing journey around the edge of the island.

• Tsunami Bay - A wave pool in the centre of the island

• Kahiti Point Gifts - A small gift shop offering souvenirs.

Fantasy Islands' Wonderland returned for 2019 (after being absent from December 2018), with more park-wide theming than before. This year, the Fantasy Islands Hotel was decorated with icicles and the entire park had been dusted with a light covering of snow. As well as this, select rides (such as Nyctophobia: Twilight) had additional Christmas theming in the form of Christmas trees and event-exclusive character outfits!

In February of 2020, Hobbiton reopened. While rebuilding the area, we wanted to keep it as close to the original as possible to preserve the many memories that had been made in the area. The area reopened with the following changes:

• The Desolation of Smaug: Dragon Chase was entirely rebuilt to feature a new layout and new set

• The Runaway Moria Train was entirely rebuilt, and renamed to The Mines of Moria

• Firework Leap was converted to be a set of 2 family drop towers

• Rivendell Rapids was given a new layout

• Bilbo's Hobbit Hole was converted from a dark ride to a walkthrough attraction

In March, a new Mack PowerSplash opened on the site of The Lighthouse Slide. Galleon, an immersive water ride, made its debut, a much-needed upgrade to Rum Cove's attraction lineup. At the same time, Wave Rider was also rebuilt to feature a new layout (with planned interactions with The Lost Island, however this was not publicly known at the time) and a new station building!

In May 2019, The Crypts received a large overhaul. As part of this work, the general area was rebuilt to include a much more industrial feel, most notably in the buildings for Mine No. 13 and Pit Stop. Infected, a small family indoor coaster, was removed from the area as part of the work, and both Apocalypse and Mine No. 13 were entirely retracked.

After almost 3 years of work, The Lost Island debuted after almost a year of teasing. Within the area, Dr. Roy Curtis invited guests to his archaeological dig of an lost civilization where ancient forces battled. The area included four attractions:

• Kurzu, one of two duelling wooden coasters

• Koltos, the second duelling wooden coaster

• Explorer, an entirely new design for trackless dark rides

• Daemon, a thrilling launched drop tower

Islands of Screams returned for the fourth and final year in 2020, with the largest lineup ever. Returning from previous years was:

• Subject 101

• The Peregrine

• Mines of Moria: Drums in The Deep

And new-for-2020:

• The Crown of Embers

• Rising

• Trick or Treat Lodge

• Jester's Last Dance

• Nyctophobia: Unleased

• Bilbo's Halloween Party

• Sentinel

In November 2020, Rum Cove opened following major work to the back of the area. This now included new brick buildings, adding a much-needed "dock" feel to the area. As part of the work, Sea Splash was rethemed to Sea Storm (with a few minor layout alterations), Gold Rush was added in the place of Treasure Hunter, and The Legend of Skull Mountain later opened, a retheme of Skull Mountain.

Fantasy Islands' Wonderland returned for 2020, with the all-new Santa's Grotto. This upcharge attraction allowed guests to meet Santa in the grounds of the Fantasy Islands Hotel, and receive a random gift.

As well as this, the park-wide theming returned complete with a new festive soundtrack!

Dragonspire Keep reopened in December 2020 after having been shut for almost 3 months. The new castle featured detailed rockwork, as well as a new colour scheme and a new attraction - The Misadventures of King Ruphadonphalus: The Case of The Missing Crown. The Alchemist's Tower, Aqueous, and The Battle for Dragonspire Keep all received updated theming.

The Fantastic Spectacular, a new-for-2021 fireworks show

On the 31st January 2021, we discontinued Fantasy Islands, meaning the server closed and the map download would never be updated again. Full details on the closing event can be found here.