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Better late than never, right? To date I have never been overseas, nor ever applied for a passport. I've been driven mad jealous reading about all your overseas theme park stories, so now it's my turn to get out and explore the world a bit So I'm currently doing just that - ordered my certificates (birth, marriage etc) last week, they arrived in the mail today. Have filled out my application, also doing one for my daughter who will be my accomplice for my first destination! The next step is to get our photos done by the end of the week. I've had a few workmates offer to be guarantors. Then I'll be sending the applications off on their way to get processed My first short term goal is Universal Studios in Singapore Looking to be just a short stay, probably 3 or 4 nights. Looking to check out the Aquarium there as well I'm also doing it as a budget trip, so intending for us to just stay in a hotel on the mainland to help save $$ (the hotels on the island are crazy expensive!) and get the gondolas over to Sentosa Island on both days. Have already started squirreling money away, if the tax man is nice to me this year then it could very well only be a matter of weeks until we are off on our way - at the moment I'm aiming at around August/September. Hubby is just about to take on a second job as well, which is gonna help with saving up in the meanwhile Either way, I'm totally pumped and can't wait!!! If anybody has any tips for a Singapore trip, I'd love to hear them

Sea world new plaza and roof construction update!

Looking good, ‪#‎TWDatUniversal‬ @UniStudios! ‏@UniStudios 8m8 minutes ago SVP of Entertainment Tim Runco is ready to give the media a sneak peek of #TWDatUniversal! The Walking Dead at Universal Studios Hollywood. #TWDatUniversal @Attractions 360°

I would say superman was designed that way to be a more immersive experience and that most all other rides were that way when it was built. The park has kinda changed focus now (and also doesn't run the ride with 7 staff like when it opened) so I'd have no issue with superman sharing a single station.

Can we not downvote posts based on someone's history? Clayton's actually added something worthwhile here.

Ah. Can't see him. Site Announcements? Because yeah that has everything to do with the site. Given this is an Australian site, it would have been good to have the local time in Aus posted alongside the US times - but I guess Copy-Paste doesn't do that for you.

http://www.insidethemagic.net/2016/06/walt-disney-world-to-live-stream-disneys-celebrate-america-a-fourth-of-july-concert-in-the-sky-fireworks-on-july-4th/

Good post Clayton, contributing something to the forums that our regulars have not/are not covering.

I've had a couple of requests to post more of my theme park photos so I thought it would be interesting to begin a topic where everyone can post their favourite theme park photos they have taken. I'll begin... Dreamworld: White Water World: I still have plenty more photos from Movie World to share but that can wait till another day. I also have a number of photos I want to take in the parks when I get the chance. I'm really interesting to see what other people have to share. Happy snapping!

That's true, but imagine how much slower the loading process would be.

Fair enough. I've got a gtx 550ti which struggles ever so slightly to stay above 60fps in BF4 at 1080p on low, thinking of upgrading to a newer GPU and downloading more ram, should be good for a few more years off of that.

Maybe we are getting it in time for the olympics. Green and gold for australia, poo-brown because of how shit we do at the summer olympics....

It all comes down to what settings you plan on using to get the frame rate up. It would probably hit 30 on low with maybe some stuff up to medium, however it's more likely the CPU that will be your bottleneck first. Assuming based off your other choices it was a budget build so I assume a low-mid range i5?

Though it' been announced a bit earlier, my personal favorite is Mass Effect Andromeda. I simply adore Bioware's storytelling and (KotOR aside) ME games have one of the best plots I've had the pleasure to experience. Even with its somewhat unfortunate ending.

that's cool, what was your favourite game that was announced at E3? @joey

Hey, thank you for the welcome @Theme Park Ninja I have a custom built PC. Intel i5/Radeon R9 270/8Gigs of ram. The rest is just standard. No console here, waiting for the PSNeo

Welcome to the forums @joey What gaming consoles do you have or are you a PC gamer?

@Jobe It will actually be open before or on June 1st next year. So you'll definitely be able to visit! Quote from: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/universal-orlando/os-ipw-universal-volcano-bay-20160621-story.html

better question, have they removed the "no entry gate"?

^LOL they might start doing body cavity searches now. I got patted down once by this girl, she didn't believe there was no wallet in my back pocket (there wasn't). If they had an SE level locker policy I don't think I'd bother riding it, not sure I will anyway. If the ride experience is anything like Ranger at LPS it's not worth the chunder.

Yep, that's what I was trying to point out with my post

Awesome, congrats on getting one. After decades of travelling without a problem. I managed to destroy my Passport overseas last year and had to get an emergency passport - you do not want one of these lol. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures in Singapore. They have Halloween Horror Nights at Uni Singapore, but that gets crazy busy and would add expense to your trip.

@iwerks has pretty much hit the nail on the head. I prefer to stay away from Orchard road, where accommodation is cheaper. Their 'go' cards are really useful, and I found it unnecessary to use taxis, even though it saved time, because their metro system is an experience (in a good way) and you get to see a lot more of the local culture that way too. I also think the Monorail is worth the trip just for the ride - and I think they still give you a free return ride, which equalises the price a bit. I skipped the Jurong bird park, but I say the Night Safari is DEFINITELY a must do. The day zoo is still an awesome experience but it is still 'just a zoo' (an incredible one) if you're trying to weigh things up. Universal can be done in a day, two though is comfortable to make sure you don't miss things or to do re-rides. I'm saying this from a visit at a time when BSG, Transformers and Puss In Boots didn't exist, (And I missed LMA) so with that said a second day (even perhaps just a half day) could be worthwhile. If you plan it that way, the other half of the day gives you time to explore sentosa and do some of the other things they offer - I quite enjoyed the Luge, and we hired a bike on the coastal side and rode up and down for a couple of hours just enjoying the ambience. This 'second day' also gives you a chance to experience 'Wings of Time' which replaced Songs of the Sea - and is the world's only permanent show set in the sea. If it's anything like SotS, its a little camp, but still thoroughly enjoyable and well worth sticking around for. I still say you're nuts not going to Hong Kong and doing Disney as your first trip, but Singapore is a good substitute. Make sure to stop by Raffles for the original Singapore Sling (and Virgin Sling for Becky).. either way you're going to have a blast.

Haha watching people have their arms snapped back by an a accelerator never gets old. Very much enjoyed this at Knotts the other day (def the most forceful launch ever). I would holding on with Arkham because whilst it doesn't have the restraint to beat up uour head like before, it certainly ain't smooth.

With Sea Life they are all generally the same. But they do follow the rule of "same same but different". If you're willing to brave the heat, east/west side parks are nice, as is the Botanical Gardens. I also recommend popping into the lounge at the Shangri-La on Sentosa as the view is fantastic. The markets at Little India and China Town are great too.

When I went to USS we went both times in Easter holidays. The second time was a Saturday of our holidays. It was busy but we felt like a fast pass was not needed. Transformers was the only ride we waited a long time for and that was 1hour-1.5hour wait. But the way their queue lines are themed and have videos it did not seem to be as long. I suggest going directly to ride the Transformers ride as soon as the park opens. This gave us a 10 minute wait. Later in the day it was 1 hour.

Have avoided the Sea Life Aquarium in Melbourne as it's so expensive. Tues/Wed are definitely the best days for USS. I think their tickets are more expensive on the weekend. I'm not sure about return passes as you can pretty much do everything you want in a day there and it is open longer hours (they do have a reasonably priced 6 month pass). Usually, with careful planning, you can avoid a fast pass, although I did get one in early January one time and it was helpful at best. Weekday entry price is $74, whilst the unlimited fast pass is $70 (that's pretty simple maths). Their main school holidays are now (the month of June) and around the Christmas/New Year period. Dejiki's pictures of the queues at the moment are interesting. You might also want to avoid the Grand Prix time and their national day (August 9). The Jurassic Park River Adventure is very different from the versions in the US. It's still a hoot and lots of fun and worth going on for different reasons. I once went on it six times in one morning and got drenched. For me Transformers would have to be one of, if not, the best ride in the world. The technology is amazing. Wait times vary from 10 minutes at the start of the morning to 45 minutes on a quiet day (2 or 3 hours during busy times). Compared to the Japanese parks, USS is a breeze to get around. In fact, I couldn't recommend a better place to go overseas for your first time away from Australia. It will amaze you what they have down with a city/state with only 5 million people.

For us in Perth, USS is almost like our local park. Catch a taxi to Sentosa. The MRT(local train system) is really good and cheap, but when you do the numbers if it costs $2 for the train fare for each person and they're now charging $4 for the monorail out to Sentosa from Vivocity(it's free the other way), if there's more than one of you it's cheaper to get a taxi, which will be about $10-$15 from Orchard Road, which is where I like to stay. Hotels I recommend: The Quincy, a boutique hotel (all inclusive, but more expensive) http://www.stayfareast.com/en/hotels/the-quincy-hotel.aspx The York Hotel (which is just opposite, cheaper, and very popular with Australians) http://www.yorkhotel.com.sg/ They're about a 5 minutes walk from Orchard Road. Don't forget to go to the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Safari and Jurong Bird Park. They do tickets which include all of the biological gardens, but at least get to the zoo if you can. If you do the aquarium (which I find overcrowded and overrated) be sure to visit the Maritime Experiential Museum and its Typhoon Theatre (which is now a $2 add on, I think). Sentosa also has an Underwater World, which has a dolphin show, but it has seen better days. Whilst the train and bus system (with its ez-link cards) is cheap, you'll be hard pressed to pay more than $30 for a taxi ride to anywhere on the island, and you'll save half an hour on travel time. Whatever you do, do not hire a car, that would be foolish. USS is a great little park. Transformers is still the most popular ride there. Be sure to catch the first show of the day of Waterworld(around 12-12.45). BSG is pretty busy now that its capacity is halved. You also need to get to the Jurassic Park River Ride early, especially if it opens an hour after the park opens. The slow loaders/kids rides also get busier later on too. I would recommend getting to the Puss in Boots ride within the first hour of the park's opening. 'Madagascar', 'Shrek 4D', 'The Mummy, Lights, Camera, Action!' almost never get busy, so go as many times as you want (they're great places to cool off in the afternoon). And not forgetting my Singaporean blogger of choice, Dejiki. Just think of him as their 'Slick'. http://dejiki.com/

Toshimaen Japan

Thanks Theme Park Ninja. Having seen the new forum terms and conditions, I'll cautiously try making the occasional post. Not interested in being constantly disrespected like I was before though, so I'll only post now and then. Glad a few people here appreciate me though!

glad to see you come back on Parkz @pushbutton

I'd say Sea World probably has the best range of food outlets of any of the Gold Coast parks, even without the central food court at the moment. There is Dockside as mentioned above, and also several restaurants in the resort, plus the front food court. Still room for improvement though, especially in terms of non-alcoholic and non-sugary drinks. I'm hoping this will be addressed in the new food court.

Awesome! Um, guessing you're going to go over your baggage allowance on the trip back home?