DaptoFunlandGuy

A B&M Standup, from a park that has this kind of landscape to work with? THats a whole new element of scary... THe other two pictures attached were signboards on display in the park in february 2010. I believe from the other signage in the park it was suggested a toboggan style coaster in the polar section, and the thrill section was their next big coaster plan.

Besides, paying to play what is not much more than a PS3 game inside a motion unit (which you can do at places like time zone) is a fair bit different to the HSD experience. Cost wise, V8RL, once the units have been paid for (which I'd say they'd be close to) they're covering staff, power and occasional maintenance (pretty sure these things are fairly low maintenance because they have that sort of thing in timezone). With HSD, they have the hell drivers, camera crew \ production crew (for the video), photographer, cost of food, maintenance on the vehicles (which as discussed in another thread, the vehicle maintenance costs are pretty high), fuel, and power. I realise there is a huge price gap between the two experiences, but HSD is not taking ANYTHING away from paying guests, contributes more money to the show which will allow them to keep it running (it's earning it's keep so to speak) and will further encourage more expenditure at the park (from both guests and management). V8RL on the other hand is taking up valuable real estate in the park's prime attraction area, and the cost to ride, while not prohibitive, is simply to prevent mile-long queues and nothing more (except the extra $5 for a passenger - thats pure money-making). When it was constructed, Dreamworld touted it as a major attraction - an upcharge in lieu of a more substantial investment. While we're on the subject of capitalising on existing investments, i'd like to see them offer some sort of "premium" Outback Spectacular experience - behind the scenes \ be in the show, something like that...

Besides, if we're going to argue the fact that it is a "movie themed" park, then a lot of movie sets have artificially controlled conditions - weather, light, etc. Many outdoor night scenes are shot inside soundstages etc. As for the poles, if we were to speak hypothetically and say that main street is a "movie set" then the poles would simply be themed to be telegraph poles or similar anyway, which doesn't take long to do.

Obviously there are better (more expensive) ways to put a roof in (this is Universal Singapore), but given this roof was part of the original design, and not an afterthought addition, they've thought it out well. Ok so it doesn't block the facades, but it's still a roof! The supports in Movie World do stand out, but they aren't right up against the facade, so you can still see it, you may just have to walk around a little. Photos do not represent the roof as it really appears, and in reality, when you walk down mainstreet, the only three things you notice with the roof: the sound is different under the roof all the rain falling off it near dirty harry and ricks cafe will drown you if you're standing on the edge much cooler not being in direct sunlight in the middle of summer

I wasn't complicating matters, and I wasn't talking about "selling reproductions". What I said was an article that was ORIGINALLY FOR SALE being given away in a reproduction, wholly or in part, FREELY would be an issue. Copyright on printed work usually lasts a while. A Copyright holder has up to the defined statute to pursue breaches of the act. Which is still reproduction, in whole, or in part. Thats a pretty big claim to make Spencer. I would say your agreement would come out of the benefit you would obtain rather than any educated legal opinion. I'm not trying to wield a big stick here - just trying to point out a few facts which may be useful for those who may consider doing the above. My current job is in analysing and interpreting law as it relates to a given situation. I've supplied a few facts in relation to this issue below that may be of some use. I think you will find, if anyone in the publishing house has their head screwed on straight, that within the first couple of pages, or on the back cover, every one of those books is going to say I would sure love to see a copy of such a book, however, I don't encourage anyone to breach copyright, especially of organisations with the financial backing of Macquarie Bank and Village Roadshow. Most large companies have the money and the balls to fight a breach of their intellectual property, and usually do. It is no different to downloading unlicensed music via peer-to-peer sharing programs, without paying for it. I know many people do, without thinking about it, but then - those people don't post on a public forum that WE KNOW management of VRTP view "i don't think they'd have a problem with it, let's do it!"

As usual Rappa, the park looks amazing. You have outdone yourself and the rest of the team involved have done a great job too. I can make comparisons to other parks that have made similar efforts, but given a first attempt that has been pulled off so well, it would be unfair to do anything but heap praise on the park, and it's crew. Thanks for the pics too Jordan! (all i'll say is maybe you want to get a tripod next time???) but otherwise - great coverage and good to get an advanced look - we'll be going on the 17th.

I'm with Ads. In general, your Maintenance guys would be.... performing maintenance. Where a breakdown occurs during the day, depending on who is doing what at the time, one of them would respond to the breakdown. Obviously if you have lots of breakdowns during the day, not a lot of maintenance would get done, which is why, sometimes, rides that are closed for a defined period exceed that period. (Other times its because they need parts they didn't plan for).

I would hesitate, and suggest you double check the copyright warning on such books - they usually contain a blurb regarding the reproduction by any means, and the storage of such information on a retrieval device. Particularly with regard to the current trademark owners for the GC parks, they usually defend their intellectual \ trademarked property fairly vigorously. I don't speak on behalf of Parkz, but I don't think they would be happy to see scanned copies of "for sale" articles given away freely without prior permission. Just my $0.02.

I'm inclined to agree and disagree with both views. Ben and Jerry's isn't exactly special or unique. Go over to singapore and it's like Mcdonalds or Starbucks over here. Ben and Jerry's are just the latest US chain to enter the market, and they have a very strong business plan on new territories (take a look at singapore to see what i mean). On the other side of the coin, at present there aren't a large number of dedicated stores, and it is more "licensed retailers", so supply is limited and therefore it is somewhat unique. If we were going to see more "special/unique" food, I'd rather the parks invest in a product that you CAN'T get anywhere else. Not a very strong example - but Dirty Harry's Nachos would be the kind of thing that I mean. Now I realise the parks can't invest a lot in producing their own product - pre-fab, pre-packaged and frozen, or "construction" \ "production line" style food (like the burger joints), keeps the bottom line happy while still having something on offer for guests that they like \ suit most people - but having one or two premium products over and above your standard range makes it enticing to give it a try - the potato twister things that VRTP brought out a few months ago is a unique product that sells well purely from a novelty value. Hawaiian Sno was a product I saw in Wonderland in 2001 which was also a lot of novelty in a glorified sno-cone (albeit with awesome flavours). They need niche markets - little operators with big ideas that can pull together to provide a unique product that you don't see at your local Westfield \ Centro foodcourt. If I had to list a few that really stuck in my mind: Walt's "original recipe" Mint Julep - unbeatable in my opinion Churros (well - in 1996 when I went to DL California, it was totally Alien to me...) but it was damn well made FRESH too (newsflash Aussie parks - they aren't meant to be CRUNCHY) Hawaiian Sno Potato Twisters Poffertjes (Little Dutch Pancakes) Traditional Aussie BBQ - sausages and onions slapped on a roll (Wonderland did it in Goldrush, MovieWorld are doing it in Wild West) It may not be unique to us, but to many tourists it's the first and only time they've experienced it I can't think of the name - but its a mexican dish which is like a taco, but in a tube (think mexican cannelloni) This is what I mean by unique - sure some of these products have now been around a while - so don't try them, but come up with something that makes you special, market the hell out of it, and you will get the sales - even if it is only for the curious - make it a mobile stand, and change it up every three months! If we can learn anything from Carnies - then we should know that this years next big thing is a weird looking pile of plastic that you can drink from or wear on your head will sell by the thousands - and by the time everyone is over it - you've got the next big thing lined up to take over! Well let's see.... Chronologically we have: MW announces White Christmas WnW announces AquaLoop DW announces Wedgie DW Opens wedgie DW announces Winter Wonderland DW opens Winter Wonderland WnW open AquaLoop - which is seen as a far superior product, and worth the wait. WnW commended on their efforts Movie World open White Christmas and......? (i'm sure you can fill the blanks)

Hey i've got one - what about parks and rides that are now defunct?... Oh wait... Just kidding Paul. Defunction was actually a good idea, and it was a shame it didn't make it. Call me crazy, but while I realise it is a coaster, isn't scooby technically a dark ride too? Bermuda and LTRR are technically dark rides, but also flumes....?

Definitely... Rolls Royce

Bussy, if e-stopped while the train is in the boomerang, would the brake line at the bottom of lift 2 stop it before it climbed the hill itself?

Just got an email from MyFun today too - they've cut the price of the VIP pass for locals just $79.99. Interesting that this now puts Dreamworld and Whitewater World cheaper, at $69.95. Rather than WVTP scaring people over to dreamworld with a higher price tag, i'm inclined to think WVTP has just positioned themselves as a premium product, and most people will view that as such.

Well Rappa, from what I understand, they're importing 1500KG of bud lights from singapore specifically for the event - If they're going to that much trouble, I'd assume an ice rink in the middle of main street is a definite possibility. I will say too that if they're constructing an Ice Rink in the middle of main street, its going to crap all over the man-made snow hill that dreamworld came up with...

Bound to happen eventually. I think we've all whinged enough to finally bring this about...

So.... wait. One minute, he doesn't know the difference between a currently running animal show and a decade old bushranger style show.... THe next minute he knows everything going on in the park: IMHO it's just not cricket. In the meantime... Well no, you didn't say it would be big, but you did say it would be a lot. Whether it's big, or a lot, it would take time to construct either. Big takes time, a lot takes time.

No. Take a look at the most popular thread on parkz... The Scenic Railway Counterweight. I'm sure prior to moderator editing, that thread had countless posts in a row by the same member.

Ut oh. When Rappa hopes, the accountants at VRTP cry....

As above, a theme park it isn't, but still worth a full day trip. Don't go when raining or cold \ really windy

Actually a lot of theatre projection screens are silver. For the same reasons as you describe, but they work on 2d movies too, and a lot of the big theatres have them - usually the ones that have curtains \ drapes covering the screen until the feature starts. SOme more commercial theatres may have moved off to a white backing, but the silver does reflect the light back at the audience much better.

Apologies for the lateness of part 2. Too many things going on this time of year. I've had to cut this one short (Lost world is fairly lengthy) So Ancient Egypt and Sci-Fi City will be carry over for next time... PART 2 The Lost World Leaving Shrek 4d, we headed into the lost world. By now, the rain has stopped, and it's back to the sweltering heat and humidity of a singapore summer. We just happened to walk by right as they were about to close the queue for the WaterWorld show. I lucked out when I went to Hollywood and missed the WaterWorld show, but since that was 14 years ago, and they've just built this one, I have to assume it has relatively good staying power. The stunts and action are great, backed up by great pyro and prop action, with well timed and executed SFX and other specialties. Well worth the look in, definitely more "re-ride" potential than HWSD. Leaving waterworld, we headed beneath the main gates (well themed, and almost identical to the main gates in the movie). First up is Canopy Flyer It's a rather unique suspended coaster, that operates single car trains, with two seats facing forward, and two backward. I'd call it a single rail coaster, but it does have two rails, just that the track is vertical, rather than horizontal. This allows the track to tilt slightly to get the same effect as a heavily banked corner on a conventional coaster. The trains are well themed, looking like something straight out of the movie, EXCEPT for the stock-standard family car shock absorbers fitted to the sides of it. A good effort from a relatively unknown manufacturer SetPoint (http://www.setpointinc.com/) who to date, have only 4 coasters to their name, 2 of which are in Universal Parks, and both within a Jurassic themed land (http://www.rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&co=6920). (i'd like to see the Roller-Soaker built at WnW or SW...). Canopy flyer is a great experience, with unique motions built into it that i've yet to experience in any other coaster (I think the shock absorbers mean the transitions, while quick, and much smoother than fixed rails). My only complaint is that the track is not long enough, and it is over far too quickly. The loading system is similar to Lethal Weapon, with a raising floor, but it is completed far more quickly as only 8 seats (two trains) need to be checked at a time, and they have 4 attendants to do the checking. After canopy flyer, its on to Dino-Soarin' A relatively simple "dumbo" style attraction, the stand out features of this attraction include a "Reggae" version of the popular Jurassic theme music, and an efficient load system, where a grouper will check how many passengers per car, and hand out entry keys to each group while the last cycle is running. Short and sweet, enough said on Dino-Soarin. The Lost World also has a climbing wall (upcharge) which features inlaid amber blocks, complete with mosquitos inside. Well landscaped, but didn't try it. Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure This is another that gets it's own heading. In my opinion, this is one of the top 2 attractions in the park. (Of course, Battlestar is still SBNO, so i can't have an opinion on that yet). A River rapids ride that is a little different to our own. Unlike at dreamworld, this rapids ride uses a new raft style, where each raft is divided into 3 sections, and each section seats 3 riders. The sections are joined independently of each other to the central hub, and then one big tube surrounds it. This allows the rafts more flexibility when loading onto conveyors etc. This ride starts well before you board the raft. The queue house is divided into 4 separate rooms, all themed around the jurassic park visitors centre. Numerous objects and little touches make the queue house an acceptable place to spend up to 3 hours waiting. Thankfully, this attraction has both a single rider queue (which we used - and boarded within 5 minutes) and a Universal Express queue. The first room in the queue house is more of an overflow area, and is reasonably exposed to the sun, although it is relatively protected from the rain. The second room is a much cooler, dimly lit tropical bungalow style. As you move forward to the next room, it becomes a lot brighter, cleaner, and sterile, as if it were vetrinary treatment rooms. Some skeletons and other animal related paraphernalia is spread around (although I must admit I did not spend a lot of time in these rooms due to the very fast single rider queue). The last room also houses the loading area. Rafts are received at the end of the chute, and lifted out of the water onto a slip-proof conveyor surface. Guests simply walk out across the conveyor as it moves, and board the rafts from dry land. The load system is incredibly efficient - 1 op groups the next group, while the other op disembarks the last group and directs them to the exit. Both ops then attend the loading raft to ensure all are seated and restraints are properly secured. 1 op then leaves to meet the next raft to ensure they do not attempt to exit before it is safe to do so while the other op briefs riders on exactly what they must do. This op then gives a go signal to another op at the end of the conveyor, so that op knows it is safe to release the raft when it reaches the end of the conveyor. 3 other operators man a control booth on the other side of the conveyor. It is well themed and outfitted with numerous kit-racks of wet suits, wet weather clothes etc, all done up in JP livery. <SPOILER ALERT> (The spoiler code doesn't seem to be working on the board today, so stop reading now if you don't want to know.) Once you slide down the end of the conveyor, you begin with gentle flowing water as you round a few bends. An audio system in the trees tells you that John Hammond welcomes you to Jurassic Park (queue dramatic movie theme music, and the giant JP doors from the movie swinging aside to reveal the rest of the rapids in front. Throughout the ride, the audio system keeps you updated as you tour through various dinosaur paddocks, including a newborn brachiosaurus. As you slide by, the audio changes to indicate a dam has broken, and sector C has gone underwater. This has shorted out the electric fences and the dinosaurs (including the raptors) are now loose. Queue giant sign telling you that you are now entering sector C. We see overturned rapids rafts just like the one we're in. Overturned petrol jeeps, and lookout towers (the heads of the lookout towers - as the rest is now supposedly underwater) As we progress further on through the chute, we hear the roar of the T-rex. Rounding a corner, we see more trashed JP vehicles, and we can hear the earth tremors of the T-Rex as he appears to follow us from behind thick bushes. Ahead, we can see the water entering a large underground tunnel - the inlet for the JP hydroelectric plant. Things get VERY dark, VERY quick. Our only source of light are a few randomly placed red flashing beacons, and the gurgle of the water, as everything gets REALLY quiet. BANG! there's a hole in the wall, and all of a sudden bright light from an electrical short circuit shows the T-Rex roaring and trying to get through the hole in the wall, but it's too big for him to fit, and we float on by to safety. A few more corners around, and we approach a dimly lit room, where water is split in two directions and flowing both ways. We hesitate for a minute before shunting one way or the other, and slowly, gently, float into a dark DARK room. A door slides shut, and we begin lifting out of the water, raising up towards the top of the building, all of a sudden (again) the T-rex appears, and this time he is directly above us. Roaring loudly, we come to within a metre of the snapping snarling jaws (convenient place to put the ride camera as everyone is looking up!) before the gates open behind us, and we slide down a VERY steep drop into the splashdown pool. The raft floats gently out of the runout pond and returns back to the loading station. I've looked up other peoples reviews of this ride, and one theme that seems to be consistent - and I will wholeheartedly agree - YOU - WILL - GET - WET. SATURATED. TO THE BONE. NO EXCEPTIONS. The lockers are there for a reason - use them. Don't take electronics on the ride. Don't take cameras on the ride. Don't take anything that you cannot afford to get wet. Ponchos, raincoats and umbrellas are permitted, but useless - ride it when it is hot, and use the soaking to cool you down. As per above - wait until after the daily rain shower has cleared.

Whichever side you are on, that is a very good point. Personally good on Dreamworld, but at the end of the day, any park, can say no to any group, for any reason, so long as it doesn't break discrimination laws. So - tough shit Nioa.

To answer Richard's question properly, they have a set of scales at the bottom of the queue. The display on the scale faces away from the queueline, and you are standing in front of it, so it is unlikely that anyone except yourself and the operator would know your weight - and after seeing 500 people an hour on that scale, i don't think the op will remember you later if you're overweight. I did hear the scales beep when i got on, and the op told me i was fine before the numbers stopped moving. Not sure if its just because they knew there was no way I was outside the limits, or if the beep tells them i'm fine. Either way, the scales are not a big drama, unless your ass is so big, it can't fit between the fenceposts to get on the scales (the scales have their own little alcove off the side of the path.)

Sorry Jordan, but that is definitely LOL worthy.

Putting things together logically - he has an issue removing his rash shirt, but you think he'll post pics of himself online to prove an injury. Aidan, sorry but the way i read your initial post, you made it sound precisely like DjRappa said. For those that have yet to ride AquaLoop, I rode it this weekend. Twice. Didn't feel anything except a constant slippery surface. There are few attractions that can well and truly give you a good adrenalin thrill - but this is one of them. My only feedback for potential riders is - if you're not wearing boardshorts of some description (girls included), expect to spend a minute or two in the splashdown pool picking a wedgie. We saw several girls come down in bikini \ one piece who were unable to stand up for a little while after splashdown for that very reason. My only critique with the ride is it's staff logistics. There were three staff in the queue line on ground level, and 12 guests queueing. The staff were involved in a discussion, and rather than end their discussion, one of them turned around, and called out "just wait right there for me guys", and kept us waiting while they finished their conversation. Meanwhile, the 5 staff at the top of the tower and standing around doing nothing, because they're waiting on riders. At another point, the three staff at the queue were split - with one person weighing at the head of the queue, and two others standing at the entrance to the queue talking. I'd have thought the two at the front could stop those with rash shirts and jewelry from even entering the queue, rather than let them bank up at the scales while the scales marshall identifies these things while you're standing on the scale. The signage also says something like large or loose jewelry, but they made everyone remove absolutely anything that was around their neck - thin silver chains (let's face it - it isn't going to choke them if it hangs up, it will just break) to the guys that wear a metal design on a leather thong. One guy was wearing a metal pendant on a leather thong - he was told to remove it, and when he told the attendant that it was not removeable, that he could not ride. I can appreciate the limitations placed by the manufacturer, but some of this is a little overkill. As for the number of staff at the top of the tower, I'm just concerned about what capacity impacts will happen when the ride is no longer new - will they leave one attendant at the top of the tower to load and launch all FOUR?