So you think of theme parks as noisy places with roller coasters and overpriced food where your kids want to drag you off to every year? But an experience of the mesmerising magical show, Cirque du Soleil, or an encounter with the swashbuckling pirates of the Caribbean, and you?d want to go through it again and again. After all, it?s what great vacations are all about, moments when complaints of overpriced food, plush-toy souvenirs, mouse ears and perhaps a night or two in a hotel, take a backseat.

The best theme parks use a lot of razzle-dazzle to immerse you in their alternate universes, but they never forget to tell a story. Engaging your senses, enveloping you and placing you at the centre of the action is a great attraction that makes you forget about the technology behind the illusion and transports you to a magical place.

And while on a tour of the world?s best theme parks, it might be a surprise to learn that the oldest operating amusement park in the world is not American but Danish: Bakken, in Klampenborg, Denmark, opened in 1583.

Disneyland, Anaheim, California

This is the original fantasy land ? the stuff of most children?s dreams from the time they learn to read or even listen to stories about Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the whole Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck gang. Disneyland opened on July 15, 1955 and instantly became the world?s most recognisable and popular theme park.

This was the only Disney theme park visited by the great Walt Disney himself before he died in 1966. Popular legend has it that he is cryogenically frozen under Sleeping Beauty?s Castle. In fact, he was cremated and his ashes were laid at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California, though that?s not half as romantic as the Sleeping Beauty myth.

This mother of all parks has set many standards over the years, with the world?s first steel-track, multi-train rollercoaster coaster (Matterhorn) and other ground-breaking rides, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Tours and the Indiana Jones Adventure. Also, this is the park remembered by most of us from old TV clips ? of Mickey Mouse accosting squealing children and Snow White traipsing down the glade, seven dwarfs in tow.

These age-old attractions will soon be augmented by more 21st century ones as Disneyland celebrates its 50th anniversary in May, 2005. On show will be Buzz Lightyear?s Astro Blasters, a video-game inspired dark ride where visitors blast away at Zurg targets and rack up points. Space Mountain will also reopen in late 2005, following a complete rebuild and the addition of new effects. Other rumoured attractions include a Finding Nemo submarine ride, also in Tomorrowland, in 2006.

Walt Disney World?s Magic Kingdom, Florida

After the huge success of Disneyland in California, the Walt Disney Co decided to start a theme park along the same lines in Florida. The Magic Kingdom opened on October 1, 1971 and was, for years, the only destination of note within the massive Walt Disney World complex here. Disney later added Epcot, the Disney-MGM Studios and Disney?s Animal Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom follows the same layout as California?s Disneyland, though on a much larger area of land.

The company first built a series of utility corridors, covered them with dirt and then built the Magic Kingdom on top of that. Today, the ?utilidors?, or underground tunnels, connect all lands in the Magic Kingdom, allowing cast members to move between the themed lands.

For a fun experience that doesn?t include being jostled around by kids and their parents, it?s best to visit this popular park between the American holidays of Labor Day and Thanksgiving and from the week after the President?s Day holiday (in mid-February) to the start of Spring Break, in mid-March.

If you are travelling with small children, it?s a good idea to start with Fantasyland as most of the really popular kids? rides are in that area, especially Dumbo and Peter Pan. Frontierland, with sites like Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, is also very popular with slightly older children. Then there is Tomorrowland?s Space Mountain for wannabe astronauts in the family and even for parents who grew up wanting to land on the moon.

A few new attractions at Magic Kingdom are also doing well, among them Stitch?s Great Escape, a re-theming of the Alien Encounter ride. One can?t possibly pack in all the attractions in a day, so a stay of at least three nights is a must if the kids are to be kept happy.

Universal Studios, Hollywood and Florida

Universal Studios Hollywood opened in July, 1964 as a guided tour through the studio?s Los Angeles complex. Its major attraction was what a movie-mad public wanted most ? to feel they were part of the film-making world and to know how it looked from the inside. Visitors boarded trams that took them along various soundstages and set pieces, some in working use and others strictly for the visitors? entertainment. Over the years, Universal added more special effects laden experiences to the tour, such as Jaws and King Kong.

Hang out at CityWalk and you might see Jay Leno filming a JayWalking bit. Filming demands also force Universal to constantly change the line-up of stops on the tour so it?s rarely the same ride twice.

The most popular attractions at the Hollywood Universal are Back to the Future, Shrek 4-D and Terminator 2:3-.D. Then there are the Revenge of the Mummy rides and the Jurassic Park River Adventure. Finish off by visiting the Special Effects Stages and Backdraft. There?s also a WaterWorld stunt show.

Opened in May 1990 as Universal?s first park after the original Universal Studios in Hollywood, the park in Orlando, Florida, abandoned the original?s tram tour in favour of a more traditional multi-attraction theme park design. Yet, this didn?t seem to find too much favour and it shifted track to a movie-themed attractions.

It has a live Barney show and play area for small children, while gamers can spend the day blasting aliens in the Men in Black: Alien Attack dark ride. Theme park fans will also enjoy Jaws and Revenge of the Mummy.

Busch Gardens, Williamsburg

Williamsburg?s Busch Gardens is ideal for people who prefer real animals to people dressed up as them. There are plenty of rides and attractions for thrill-seekers, but with an emphasis on nature.

The park, divided into 9 European ?hamlets? that celebrate English, Scottish, German and Italian cultures, is known for its nausea-inducing rollercoaster. The Apollo?s Chariot ride has nine drops, the first plunging 210 feet (or 21 stories.)

Since Virginia is too cold for zebras and elephants, Busch Gardens has Jack Hann?s Wild Reserve, where guests can spot wolves and lorikeets. Animals aside, parents will appreciate that the parent company owning the park is beer conglomerate Anheuser-Busch.

Parc Asterix, Plailly, France

nIf you are a fan of Asterix the Gaul and his boar-loving friend, Obelix, or you are just seeking a theme park experience sans mouse ears, head for Parc Asterix, north of Paris. The park features all the characters from Asterix.

Rides here include Flight of Icarus, Caesar?s Spies, and Descent Along the Styx. The latest attraction is the La Trace du Hourra, which is a bobsled-type ride that races down a tube of metal sheeting at 54km per hour.

In addition to the rides, there are shows such as the Theft of Mona Lisa and a Musketeers show. The park also has a hotel, the Three Owls; 40 candy stores; and six restaurants.

Ratanga Junction, Century City, Cape Town

Ratanga Junction is Africa?s first large-scale theme park with a large number of rides, and with the falling value of the rand, it?s also one of the best bargains around. The park has over 26 rides, including a white-water-rapids ride and several rollercoasters, including the Tarantula and the Bar One Bushwacker. The Hippo Hollow area is especially for children and has a Ferris wheel and crocodile boats. Ratanga also has its own cast of characters, with British names like Archibald Bird and Lady Cynthia Bird. Another added bonus is that the park is located next to Canal Walk, Africa?s largest regional shopping centre.

Legoland, California

Growing up, did you ever wonder just what you could build with millions of pieces of Lego? Legoland park, which has over 30 million Lego bricks, is one answer.

The highlight of the park is Miniland USA, featuring reproductions of American landmarks such as the White House, the Golden Gate Bridge and the New York City skyline. You can?t touch the models, but by pressing a button, you can do things like make the monkeys hop around Central Park.

The park also has a safari trek, with life-sized giraffes, zebras and lions, all built from Lego bricks, and a Lego factory tour. This apart, the park has 50 rides and a clubhouse where kids can take tips from Lego Master Model Builders (adults who play with Lego all day). There?s also a Lego Driving School where kids test their skills on faux city streets, and perhaps coolest of all is the Mindstorms robotic sessions, where pre-teens can build and program their own robots in conjunction with MIT?s Media Laboratory.

Planete Futuroscope, Poitiers, France

Dedicated to the cinema and moving image, Futuroscope is a theme park with a difference, complete with state-of-the-art technology and some of the largest and most amazing cinema screens anywhere in the world. The result is a series of adventures that you are not just watching ? you are actually living the experience.

Attractions include Adrenaline Rush, Magic Carpet, Space Station and The Challenge of Atlantis, allowing you to experience breathtakingly realistic sensations of falling, flying, space travel and underwater exploration. At dusk, a laser show adds the finishing touch to a great day out.

Everland, South Korea

South Korea?s first theme park opened in 1976 as Yongin Farmland. Six years ago it was bought by a division of Samsung and transformed into the Everland theme park. It?s now the fifth most popular theme park in the world.

Everland sprawls across 3,700 acres and consists of three theme parks: Festival World, Caribbean Bay and the Speedway. Festival World has 40 theme attractions as well as a zoo, plus seasonal festivals. Caribbean Bay has both indoor and outdoor water facilities, and Speedway offers racing courses. Parents will also appreciate the golf course and the mix of Korean, Chinese and American cuisines.

Upen Patel, model

I haven?t been to any of the theme parks in India but whenever I am in London, I make it a point to visit Alton Towers. It is the best theme park for grown-ups and has some very interesting and scary rides. I especially enjoy the fast rides as I love speed.

Navin Ansal, interior decorator

Recently I visited Sentosa Island in Singapore, which is a theme park in itself. It has everything under the sun. I loved the underwater world which is housed in glass. There is every imaginable species of fish including killer sharks in this underwater aquarium. The Dolphin Lagoon and Ice Mountain were fun as well.