DaptoFunlandGuy

As i've already said, if an attraction is going in that vicinity, and if i'm right with my theory about 'The Joker' then your queue line will fit quite tidily within the front grounds of Wayne Manor. The halved the queueline to make room for batwing, and the remaining gardens are an incredibly big waste of extremely valuable real estate. They can't built outdoor "scream" attractions in Wild West - the neighbours will complain too much - so they have to keep looking to the front of the park. As I said - Joker, themed well, can go miles around the bloody carpark if you really want - and have the queueline come out from the front of wayne manor. It's actually well thought out - hinges off a recent movie, the park already owns suitable costumes to characterise it, and makes use of the vacant airspace in front of the park. Well done movie world.

I cannot recall who, but a member of the Sea World marine staff (animal handlers) indicated to me that the passes would indeed continue in 2011-2012.

I am totally with this one. the building is already there, as well as the "pathway" - all you need is the omnimover system, and the targets \ soundtrack. Obviously it can't be disney, but you could put pretty much any theme to it in the WB universe.

I think more the point is - do we know why it is happening? is it a service provider \ host issue? are they aware of it? etc etc... I mean I know if it were on Richard's end it'd be down a while, but fixed once and for all - so i can only presume the host is having major conniptions... i do know a small (but reliable) host that'd do it pretty cheap (as mates rates)

Since this area obviously feeds off the batman area, methinks it's time to speculate the arrival of a "Joker" attraction. (And since MW have a fabulous Joker show already costumed and choreographed since the marvel parade last year, it's a natural progression).

I would assume somewhere between 3 and 5. A departure every 10 minutes would be adequate, and to be honest, i don't think the tour lasted an hour...

Pretty much spot on Mickey. I'm in almost total agreement... I think it's a bit harsh to put them down on the reduced theming "indoors". I appreciate what you're saying about black ceilings and theatre lights, and agreed - disney does do it better, but they don't hide everything, and neither does USS. In all, I think it's more smart. Disney gives virtually an unlimited budget to a new attraction. The USS Consortium wasn't running on an unlimited budget, and certainly with the issues with Madagascar and Battlestar, there were some major hip-pocket hits, but at the end of the day - it's smart because they've blown the budget on things everyone can really notice, and skimped out in the places least likely to be noticed by everyone. For example - the queueline for Shrek was very well made, but with a blackened ceiling with all of the airconditioning ducts etc spraypainted black also, and the theatre spotlights highly visible. I think the point that needs to be made is that with so much detail on the walls, the floors etc, who is going to be looking at the roof? Answer: Enthusiasts who nitpick (like me). The general public, in general, won't notice, and if they do, won't care. Especially since few non-enthusiasts will have the opportunity to compare this effort with the exceptionally well themed efforts of disney. Last quick note - Disney doesn't always get it perfect... Hong Kong Disneyland's "Mickey's PhilharMagic" has bare "black painted" ceilings with black theatre lights and show devices. No others come to mind, but i know there are more...

Well, perhaps: a) since it was built when it was all about movie making and acting - knowing your lines, and getting them out in the correct timeframe, would have yet again been in fitting with the theme. the technology for the in-built microphone controller probably wasn't around back then. A modern change is present in JTTCOTE on main street - as the host has a button on their microphone to activate the sound effects of the T-rex at the appropriate time. Funny though when the button does not work. (I presume this was similar to the installation and controls for Shrek also)

I took a trip down to SW and MW on the weekend. I'm pleased to say that the WB shop on the corner of mainstreet now displays POLO SHIRTS... IN THEIR FRONT WINDOW! They're a new style of shirt - all cool-dry fabrics, a lot lighter and more wearable than the traditional cotton stuff that was too heavy for QLD conditions... MW featured 3 designs - bugs+logo, taz+logo, and the standard WBMW logo, on various colour combinations - each design had two different colours, black and white, black and grey, blue and red, blue, black... Sure they all fit on one little rack in the middle of the shop, but it's so refreshing to see that kind of classy "i'd wear that to work on a casual friday" style merchandise. Sea World isn't left out either - they have similar shirts of the same make, in a couple of different colours, with the standard SW logo. The only difference was that these were $29.95 rather than the $49.95 for the ones at MW. For a shirt that you can pick up in K-Mart for $15, I can justify doubling the price for the stitching and trademarking... but $50 is still a little steep for a cool-dry polo... even with a WB character on it (the standard WBMW logo was the same price). All in all though, it's good to see that kind of product back on the shelves in the parks, and yes, I did pick one up (from SW though...) Re-reading this topic i noticed someone said that Dreamworld has drifted more toward the generic Ripcurl \ Quiksilver brands etc... Sea World have also leaned in this direction - but at least they have a bit of a reason for it (and i'll slap anyone that says ocean parade is a good enough tie-in) Lastly, On the topic of merchandise, Sea World and Movie World both are now selling souvenir books for each park, full colour glossy, with some information about the park and it's attractions, and loads of photos. Didn't buy them this time round (looked like a few recent changes such as bermuda \ looney tunes river ride hadn't been updated yet.), but i'm sure to pick one of these up having seen how sought after this kind of product is later in life...

after 3 bumps and an original post, with noone even saying "i'll get back to you" I think it's safe to say grifter that No-One has any.

Perhaps an out-of-control broomstick? They'd have to get the new trains, and theme it to look like a broomstick - maybe get the guys that made the superman character for the back end of SE and make a nice big bushy broom-end...?

Wilko - you're going to be there - just go. Sentosa Island as a whole is well worth the trip. Universal Singapore is not a working film studio like the others, so it doesn't need to be AS BIG. I went almost a year ago and I can tell you that even without battlestar, or madagascar, it was still well worth the trip. Trust me when I say you don't want the park to get much bigger than it is - or you won't get to see it all in a day (and there are plenty of other things on Sentosa Island worth seeing as well). The main thing you've got to look at is - how often are you going to get this opportunity? If you're in a financial position where you know you're going to travel frequently, then don't go nuts - you'll get another chanc,e but if this is a once in a lifetime trip and you'll never be back - then spend whatever you've got and to hell with it... coulda shoulda woulda's don't belong on a trip like that. You're a member of this community, so you obviously share a passion for parks and attractions in general, so tell the travel agent to shove it up their ass and do what YOU want to do. When I was planning my Singapore trip, i'd chosen a hotel recommended by my frequent flyer program. I shopped around with some travel agents to see if they could offer any better. Two separate franchises badmouthed this hotel, saying it was dirty, poorly maintained and they had received numerous reports of theft \ crime against hotel guests. Of course, in the same breath, they suggested a hotel on the corner of Orchard Road, thereby almost doubling the quote I had from my member program. I told them to get stuffed. We stayed as planned, had no issue with the hotel (except it was an 'older' style hotel, with some 'older' style fittings, it was clean, the bathroom was modern, and the beds comfortable - thats all you need. Needless to say - the hotel the travel agencies recommended - we wouldn't have gotten a wink of sleep as the festivities surrounding the closing ceremony of the youth olympics continued for about 4 days, on orchard rd, right outside the hotel they suggested. Travel agents aren't trying to help you, they're trying to take your money. My guess is if they are downplaying a trip to universal, they probably don't get a good commission from them, as opposed to some other experiences they are offering.

Emailed whom? When? Pics or it didn't happen.

BattleSTAR Gallactica is working again from what I understand. I saw some shots recently of Madagascar, so I believe it was near completion. As for transformers - no idea.

To clarify my points, I wasn't suggesting WnWS would be an international draw card, just that those already visiting the country could be kept on village property longer \ in more than one state. Having said that, the Wet N Wild brand is gaining recognition around the world (the six flags of water parks?) with their rapid expansions. It may not be THE reason to visit, but it's just one more box to tick when you're here.

Just a quick side note - but I find it interesting that pre-Q150, many long-term posters bemoaned the extremely high gate price charged by village, especially when compared to the gate price of many overseas parks. When Q150 (and subsequently the VIP) was established, it was heralded by many as being "about time" and such a great idea. Now those same people criticise the concept, and take every opportunity to whinge about how detrimental the passes are to the parks. I'm sure i'll see some flames for this, but we all got exactly what we asked for, and now we're upset about it. Personally, many tourists enter Australia via Sydney. Sydney may be not much more than a day or two stopover before moving onto other places across the country, but for most, seeing the harbour bridge, and the opera house (two of the biggest and most iconic landmarks in the country, which most internationals recognise as THE symbol of this country, right beside Kangaroos and Koalas). I'm sure the NSW government is anxious to see this park increase the time spent in the state by many of it's tourists. Increased time in the state equals more money spent. Accomodation, transport, and night-time attractions as well. Wonderland may not have been the best we have to offer, but it was certainly something on the map for overseas tourists to visit. The major reason for the name change from Australia's Wonderland to Wonderland Sydney was because many tourists confused it's location with those on the gold coast, and went looking for it in the wrong state (something that WnWS ahs fixed on day one). I'm glad to hear the possible cooperation between Merlin and VRTP on the Sydney attractions as well. I'd like to see them offer WnWS as part of their goldcoast ticket combo as well - especially for overseas visitors who may tour the east coast. If a (previously three)-park ticket holder wasn't able to visit WnW GC because of poor weather, they'd have the opportunity to visit when they stop in Sydney where the weather might be different. Or if visitors did get all of the GC parks covered, and still had some spare days in sydney, it's yet another day where you've got the guest's wallets inside your gates because the entry ticket is already included - guests feel like they're getting value, when in actual fact VRTP just gets one more day to take a stab at their wallet for food, beverage, merchandise, and unique upcharge experiences.

It's always good to know the background of the person talking GoGoBoy. Wazza has extensive experience with wonderland. You may want to go back over some of his previous posts in wonderland based topics to get a feel for just how extensive. All of us know bits and pieces of the closure, and the reasons behind it. PART of those reasons was a struggle to pull numbers needed. Was the park viable? To an extent, yes... but the continued trading would see further decline of the theme park division without substantial investment which the owners were not prepared to do. VRTP on the otherhand will be able to keep interest in the park alive with ongoing attractions. An "attraction sharing" system would now be viable viz a viz Six Flags, where flagship attractions are installed in premier sites, and rotated around the other properties when they begin to lose their lustre. Second hand slides are as good as second hand rides - just take a look at the new home for twister.

History tells us it's more likely to be intamin.

Not a bug - more of a bug-bear... Where did the "forum front page login section" go? To log in now, you've got to go to a separate page to punch in details, whereas you used to be able to do this on the front page?

The one thing that gets me is they're suggesting an annual attendance of two million people, and in the same breath talking about both parks, golf courses etc... So are they expecting two million people through the theme park gates, or through the entire complex? Either way thats an average of less than 5500 people per day... And they're comparing the project to Walt Disney World? And wait a minute - let me get this straight - in their "downtown" precinct, they're going to have a 'disco'??? Next they'll announce they're calling it "1980's Land". I'm all for new park development anywhere on this continent, be they big or small. As stated previously, we do see these fairly often. As for telling the media before the government, its a good move - it gets public opinion on their side before they have to wade through the application process. If it immediately got shouted down - such as happened with the werribee zoo, then they'd know not to waste their money.

The short answer is it would be worthwhile to get it, but you should still take the time to stop and check out the queuelines in some of the larger attractions as they really spared no expense in theming them all. July is still going to be quite a peak season for them, and the hottest time of the year (though, the temperature doesn't vary too much - its just hot, hot and wet, or fucking hot and wet). Because of the temperature, buy a bottle of anything from inside the park (they won't allow external food and bev) but DON'T throw away the bottle - each and every queueline and frequently along the paths you'll find water fountains to refill it - and refill it OFTEN! Some attractions it isn't worth it - ROTM was one of those. The express pass as I observed it was on a piece of paper that had to be shown to the gate attendant at the start of the queue, they had to read it, make sure it was all correct, and then admit you to the queue. In that time, we'd gotten through half the ROTM queue. We walked PAST them to enter the queue, and they ended up in the gondola behind ours. Having said that a lot of the other attractions will definitely need the express as they aren't quite as scary, and therefore attract the big families. When it rains, head straight for Shrek 4d, Donkey Live! or Revenge of the Mummy and use your express pass to good advantage there. A lot of the outdoor attractions will close down during the storms.

The point I was trying to make with collectibles wasn't to try and emulate disney, but just to reinforce the seasonal aspect, and changing it up. Firstly - you don't need google (Just Bing! will do) to know that there are thousands of people who have closet collections. Spoons, thimbles, hat pins and stamps just to start. Belt buckles, baseball caps, pilsener glasses or beer mugs. Most people have some sort of collection, even if they aren't RABID fans of the product type. I know personally that I will seek out the "hat pin" style pins at every tourist destination, holiday, theme park or whatever, and pick up at least one. Disney pins are obviously easy to come by in each park, but the other parks i've been to (USH, USS, SFMM, SWSD, Knott's and more) all have a selection of pins to choose from, some generic, some just the logo, and some bearing the relevant parks licensed characters. These pins don't cost much, so manufacturing wouldn't, and you could carry 10 or so different styles year round for those collectors. Spoons, Thimbles etc are all the same story. Instead of the same 5 t-shirts in 4 stores in the park, spread them around, and make room for diversity. I'm not sprouting a pin-collector's mecca like a disney park is, i'm just saying, offer things that people will buy simply to "add to the collection". And even then, even if you don't buy that, i'm not just saying to bring in these odd little knick knacks. Bring back a more mature offering - i've a number of polo shirts that I bought from WVTP properties back in about 2001-2004. They simply don't do them anymore in favour of the iron-on transfer t-shirt. I can tell you that i'd buy at least 1 shirt per visit (and more if they were good value or in a buy-one-get-one-for-XXXX combo) so long as they weren't the same shit that had been on the rack for the past 4 years! Original said it best though - whether the VIP demographic is your target audience or not, those who visit periodically may buy the first time, but will stop when they keep seeing the same tired stuff in the same tired stores. Before I moved to queensland, my annual queensland trip involved at least two parks, and i'd always come home with something reasonably valuable from each of them. Now that I live here, I don't do that, but it isn't because I visit so often... its just that the crap in the window never changes!

I'll back that up. I have gift cards from MyFun for renewing my VIP pass. I've had them for almost 9 months and haven't used them yet - because theres nothing in the park that interests me. All you have to do is look at the items that disney do. Ok fair enough - during Eisner, a lot of the retail outlets sold identical kit in every park across the world - and the same stuff you could get at Disney stores too... but that is slowly changing. HKDL have special edition stuff featured around each chinese new year. Marketing need to think smarter - Do it as a test case, a one off increase to their budget to source, and supply unique, different items for the parks. Plush seals and dolphins won't cut it at SW. Plastic Oscar statues aren't working at MW. You need plush at a park - especially licensed characters for kids, but not the whole shop. And change it up - every 6-12 months \ change in season \ fit your theme (such as white christmas) and bring out different merchandise for that season... just don't order 10,000 of them... order smaller, and change more often. I tell you what too - Wonderland had the right idea at one point - they sourced THOUSANDS of different items, had a graphic designer make up a custom colour \ sized logo for the item, and they slapped a W on everything. These generics are small, don't cost much, AND they tend to be things people will buy because they collect them... Stamps, Hat-pins, Thimbles, Stubby coolers, bottle openers, teaspoons - these items tend to be things people collect as a hobby. All you need to do is make sure you offer 3 or 4 different designs, and change those designs every 6-12 months or whenever you sell out. Movie World used to have these really classy Polo shirts. These I would buy... now, all you can get are screen printed t-shirts with a slightly more childish print than something an adult would buy. Sure, the kids are going to want it "mummy mummy i want that" but its the adults reaching into their pocket to buy it. Over the years, i've purchased a cooler bag, stubby holder, and a few polo shirts \ boxers. The last purchase was more than a year ago as there hasn't been anything worthwhile in the park - it's all the same stuff, and the things that I used to buy - aren't there anymore.

Well TPGC, as I said, we missed it because we didn't look at the map. You may want to try looking at it too : Universal Singapore Map As I said, we didn't see it - it's more of an effects show than a stunt show - but i always confuse it with LMA for obvious reasons...

Wilko - it's definitely worth the trip. I've been to USH and USS was something completely different and worth the trip. Because they're purely a theme park, and not a working studio, they have been able to devote all their efforts into theming. It depends on what season you're going as to whether you need an express pass. Most attractions have been built with express pass in mind so you'll find it will get you to the front quickly (obviously) but the queues are so well themed that sometimes it's worthwhile queueing just to see it all (in particular, the jurassic rapids). Revenge of the mummy, because it is high thrill, I found it wasn't anywhere near as popular with the locals as the more sedate attractions. I visited the park, two people, no express pass, and we did not arrive spot on opening. It poured rain at about 11am (it tends to do that almost every day) so we got Shrek 4d out of the way. The only attractions we missed were Battlestar and the LMA type stunt show, the first because it wasn't open, and the second because we didn't look at the map. We re-rode ROTM several times, and spent some time just taking photos, so I guess an express pass would only be ABSOLUTELY necessary if you are really intent on just getting as many rides under your belt as you can without taking the time to notice just how nicely done the park is.