MickeyD

Just wondering if anyone can tell me, have they completely filled in the creek to the left of the gate or are they building over the top of it? The water from the lake has to run somewhere and when I was working at the Park the level would sometimes get pretty high after heavy rain

yup! just because the Batride may be a little dead in it's current incarnation doesn't mean there aint life in the ol'girl yet. For example, take a look at what's happening over at Disney with Star Tours right now? Before I am shot down with comparisons people, keep in mind our own great MW Simulator Attraction was originally spurred on by the success of attractions like Star Tours and Back to the Future... In it's day our original (Penguin/Catwoman) themed version was surprisingly often compared (by guests and staff) and favoured over it's fancy U.S. big brother's. Perhaps a nifty twist like 3d and/or multiple programming could give this attraction the long standing life the Bat franchise deserves? Time will tell I guess

..or maybe they'll just whack a Zacspin in that spot

"Ben10 The ride" lol.. hmmm seriously.. maybe?

^I think that if any Park can get away with leaving out details like ceiling, exposed lighting, fx, exit signs etc then a Movie based Theme park like Universal certainly can. I guess arguably it adds to the whole 'Hollywood Magic' thing - just the same way as the facades around the place can. I guess Alex, enthusiasts like you, me and so many others do tend to notice the details and can be perceived as 'nitpicking'. I wonder how much impact such details have on the average Jo who would only notice them perhaps subliminally? Anyone who has been would agree there are a lot of smiling faces wondering around, Cast members included so they are certainly doing something right Thanks to those that read my report! Transformers and Madagascar will add the much needed dark ride element and comfortably make the place a 2 day visit

Hi everyone, I arrived back from Singapore after a week's Holiday in the wee hours of this morning and would like to share my experience of Universal Studios with you.. WARNING PEOPLE!! This is a bit of an essay and I appreciate those of you willing to take the time to read through my tips. I hope it helps with your trip planning;) Being a Theme Park nut, we visited the Park twice (one day really is plenty). For anyone planning a trip any time soon don't prepay your tickets - turn up to the gate and if you have one, pay with a Mastercard (debit or credit) and you will receive a 20% discount off the admission price as well as discounts on Park dining and a $10 voucher for souvenir shopping. This worked out to be about $50SGD or $40AUD pp per visit. A visit to the Night Safari was $50SGD so if you can compare it to things like that USS is arguably Singapore's best value attraction! A perfect way to start the day is to get the cable car across. It's $24SGD oneway or $26SGD return, so naturally we got the return ticket. A cab from the city Hotel to Mt Faber cable car station cost around $10 each way. On our 2nd visit we caught the MRT subway from Clark Quay to Harbour front station for about $3 one way and then a return monorail ticket from there across to Sentosa. Even though they are on different sides of the city, I cannot see the point doing the Singapore flyer (giant wheel) or the observation deck atop Marina Bay Sands. Hands done the Cable Car wins on all accounts. Like you would expect with most Theme Parks, USS is quieter in the morning and progressively gets busier as the day goes on. Also like other Asian Parks, USS offer peak and off peak rates. So go mid week and plan to arrive early to make the most of your visit! Alex I completely agree with your opinion on the size/layout of the place. It really is a beautiful Park and the planners have gone all out to make USS a visual delight. There is so much detail in the buildings/facades and the atmospheric music, landscaping and sight-gags galore make the place an absolute pleasure to explore every nook and cranny. For instance, there is a great little back alley leading out to a San Francisco waterfront that features numerous sound effects of chatter, diners up stairs, kicthens etc - such little touches that really gave the place an "A" for theming, arguably on par with a Disney Park. Many tourists form the East love a good photo opportunity and USS was clearly geared to keep snap happy folks clicking away madly! The layout and overall face value impression of the place is spectacular and this is probably it's best asset. I believe one of their greatest challenges though is to maintain it's beauty over time. Singapore's weather is unforgivably humid and tropical. In just a year and half operating you can already see the Park is showing signs of rust and wear (however minor.) Having spent a decade working in the Theme Parks myself I have a pretty good understanding of how crowd flow impacts wait times etc. For that matter, any true Theme Park enthusiast can take advantage of people's 'sheep like' mentality and play it to your advantage. On the days I visited I would hazard a guess the Park peaked at around 5000-7000 visitors. Bare in mind I would bet that figure would almost double on weekends. The Waterworld Stuntshow arena is HUGE - I'd say at least double that of MW's stunt show with a capacity of about 4000. Midweek there are 3 shows a day and the venue was about half to two thirds full for the busiest show. You can imagine what affect this has on wait time at other attractions. During Waterworld, Mummy & Battle star are walk ons with the longest wait simply being the time it takes to walk through the seemingly endless maze of queues! Keep this in mind when you plan to visit! The 12.30pm show seemed to be the busiest one and you just about had an empty Park to enjoy to yourselves if you chose not to see it at this time! It is STINKING HOT inside the Waterworld arena so go sit down the front in the wet/soak zones to cool off. Better to be soaked in water than soaked in sweat In the hour or so before Waterworld, stay Far Far away from that area! Only at this time will you wait 30 minutes+ for the Shrek 4D or nearby kiddy coaster (an exact copy btw of MW's Road runner only with better theming and strangely at least 6 people working on it.. CRAZY!) Again the themeing of Far Far away is breathtaking and the Castle is one of the Park's biggest 'weenies'. For some reason people stop by this area on their way to the Stunt show and so should be avoided at this time. Other times your wait for Shrek will be just based on the cycle of the main show inside. The Jurassic Park area gets stupidly busy after the Stunt show with queues to the rapids ride suddenly exceeding 60 minutes and even nearby canopy flyer also with at least a 30 minute wait. From there, the crowds will flow around the lagoon spiking wait times for Mummy to 30+ minutes before heading on to the Battlestar coasters. Essentially people work their way around USS in a clockwise manner so plan to go counter clockwise and if it's not too busy you should have 0-10 minute waits all day long! And now onto the rides themselves.. LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! This is the sleeper hit of the Park and one that I suspect many would bypass because they either don't know it's there or just don't know how good it actually is! DJRAPPA you would be impressed by this show. The audio in both the main and pre-show areas is top notch. The whole show is 10-15 minutes long and is basically the park's big SPFX presentation ala "Ëarthquake" or the old "Backdraft". It seems to take all of the big wow moments from such experiences combining them together in a show that features immersive elements that make you feel part of the experience. It's a real shame that MW will never have a show like this and I say that because this kind of attraction really needs to be built for opening day. It is a complimentary attraction rather than a feature one but if you can appreciate being thrilled without being turned upside down then you won't wanna miss this! MADAGASCAR A CRATE ADVENTURE All I am going to say how painfully disappointed I was to learn this opens tomorrow and when I was there on Friday (my birthday) they were only allowing AP holders previews later that day WARNER BROS MOVIE WORLD PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE GUEST REACTION TO THIS RIDE AFTER IT OPENS!! It will essentially be a modern day version of LTRR and I can tell you this is going to be a smash hit with Park visitors. People were lining up at the entrance just to be told by an attendant that it was closed! It's the intrigue of what's inside that makes boat/dark rides like this so exciting for people. If it is successful, hopefully MW will see the value in keeping the dark ride boat experience SHREK 4D Same show as MW's with maybe a few more theatre lighting effects and better themeing inside - only just though. One thing you do notice about USS is pretty much everything looks better on the outside where the lions share of the budget went. WATERWORLD STUNT SHOW Very reminiscent of Police Academy and essentially the same as the Hollywood show. Far too hot in the venue and maybe some of those giant ceiling fans that are popping up around the place would help? I found it hard to enjoy the show because of the heat JURASSIC PARK RIVER RAPIDS The fast part of this ride provides one of the most fun rapid ride experiences out there but overall, to me it was a real let down. The Animatronics have 'Sally' corp written all over them and the skins on the Dinosoars are showing their age. No offence to MW but they could have produced a ride as good as this on their cheaper budgets. Not sure why they did this.. Maybe because it is a rapids ride so you whip by so quickly that they'd think you wouldn't notice? So much more could have been done in the dark sections and the T-REX could have been bigger, meaner, closer and maybe stuff like feeling the heat of his breath? Something to bring the action closer, it just missed the mark for me. Oh and be sure to brace yourself when you go down the shoot at the end. There is no smooth run out so the boats slam into the water and it can hurt! I hope it gets shut down and seriously worked on after Transformers opens. Best time to ride is 1st thing and you can go round and round. You will get soaked! Don't get me wrong. It is good, just not great. MUMMY Great ride. I have never been on the ones in the US so hard to compare it. Again I feel they spent too much $$ on the exterior themeing and cheapened on the internal effects. Like Scooby, the walls look great and in part look up and you'll see it's just a black ceiling with show lighting etc. Disney go all out to create the 360 degree of immersion and this is what sets them apart. If USS had done on the inside what they did on the out it would be up there with Disneysea. Without being too critical this is arguably the Park's best attraction and we went on LOADS of times! The biggest pain in the arse is having to walk all the way around each time (you have to get off each time). The elemental surprises such as fire and mist, turn tables, LIM launch and space mountain style dark section make this one of the best theme park rides out there. One tip - hold onto the safety bar throughout - if the car is heavily loaded it will initiate high pressure breaking before the last drop and that can hurt! BATTLESTAR HUMAN VS CYLON Can anyone answer why the only smooth Vekoma Coasters out there are the ones that are built for Disney?!? lol nah seriously compared to Lethal weapon, this is a huge improvement:) Themeing in the queues is good but really no better than the likes of Superman Escape. The launch is fun but could do without braking a little at the top of the rise. The clothoid loop on the Cylon side has a great reverse G feeling as you go into and come out of the loop but the cobra roll is a little jarring from the front row. Both trains lose quite a bit of speed after the first big drops but soon pick up the pace. Overall both rides are a lot of fun with the Human side being surprisingly more thrilling than I expected. Mind you the Human side is also quite rough and the cars shudder (in true vekoma style) through every sudden turn. You can see why one of the seats (allegedly) once came off during testing!! There are definite design faults with both coasters and I guess maybe because it was some what of a prototype, practice makes perfect eventually;). My advice, do the Red side 1st and blue 2nd. Go whenever waterworld is on. Both Mummy & Battlestar have lockers for you to empty all your belongings. Great because they are free for the 1st 30 minutes! TRANSFORMERS You can tell the entrance to the ride will be by the 2 green double doors under the 'Sci-Fi City' canopy. The show building behind it does not look very large, certainly not as big as Hollywood's so I wonder what sort of version Singapore will get? There are no signs advertising that it is 'coming soon'. My bet is Hollywood's version will be the more lavish one. PLACES TO EAT Fine dining out in Singapore is crazy expensive but junk/takeaway food is cheap! Universal Singapore's food prices are very good for Theme Parks and I was impressed by the quality. Friars in far far away offer some great chicken wrap combos and if you're a pizza fan like me then you can't go past Loui's in the New York area. Between 2 of us we devoured a Tandori pizza which was HUGE. Way too much food for 2 people but it was Belissimo and so massive that it did me well and truly for the rest of the day Phew.. well if you made it this far thanks for reading and if you're planning a trip, I hope I've offered some good tips about your visit to the Park. If I sounded too critical I guess it's just because there is always room for improvement right? Honestly the place is spectacular, staff were very friendly, the food and variety was great with a compliment of attractions that sum it up as one of the top Theme Parks around. Go check it out! Maybe just wait till Transformers opens first:) -Mikey

The oversized outdoor queue and theatre area has been a clumsy waste of space for years.. Now come to think of it, I recall whispers a while back of planning a new flat ride to take that areas place.. A Disc'O perhaps? haha nah surely there are other options out there;)

If LW still hasn't received new trains by the end of this year I'd give it a 90% chance of a whole new look (including new trains) for 2012.. An educated guess of course but I'm sure most people out there would agree it can't last much longer as it currently stands. TOT is after all around the same age and look how well DW did out of breathing some life back into that old girl?

^ sounds like a lot of fun and I hope you get a lot out of the experience. I lived in Orlando for a bit years ago myself and found it a little isolating after a while but in your case, having some fellow Aussie & Kiwi pals there is surely going to make life easier? Looking forward to hearing how it all goes:)

I believe nothing really has happened with the site so far and wouldn't be at all surprised if management have yet to decide what exactly to do with it next. Pure speculation but my guess is they have narrowed their options down to 3 choices. In the past Guest Services have conducted surveys with visitors gaining opinion on what they would like to see next, as yet nothing like this has happened

I will be there on May 10! I planned this date ages ago in hope that both Madagascar and Battlestar would finally be open. I really hope Madagascar gets up and running in time, either way I can't wait the place looks great!

I couldn't agree more. Despite what people say there is still room to add in new attractions and perhaps with just a bit of relocation of facilities here and there, plenty more room can be made for the future too. It's not the reason and Menzies even said it to me himself years ago that they are very wary of the downfalls of over-capitalization. MW has always been a very expensive Park to run so perhaps a couple more flat rides here and there could be a nice compliment to the more spectacle attractions? LTRR was a classic and all it needed was refreshing and updating. Perhaps add in a few new show scenes and elemental surprises along the way? This is the kind of 20th Birthday gift the Park should get rather than some fly by night Theme like Ben10

I hope DW do stick to the solid Gold Rush theme this time around. I'm sick of seeing the usual mash-in every time they add something new (ie Giant wave vs big ugly Claw vs flouro Main street vs Nick Cartoons vs motor bikes etc etc). Meh, I guess one could argue that "Dreamworld" is themed as a "Dream" and as such makes no sense.. ergo..

^Really? I have never ridden one but from the footage I have seen of Mystery mine it looks pretty awesome to me? I would personally rather see one of these than a Zacspin. Way too short IMO. My hunch was that DW was indeed getting one of those now if they aren't, (having such a small foot print and all) maybe MW should pick one up and squeeze it in behind Superman.

The Grundy's Ghost Train was my favourite as a kid and scared the absolute shit out of me every time I rode! I used to love riding alone and right from the start with the sudden flash and scream to the mad scientist pulling the gizzards out of his patient.. Arguably Australia's best ever ghost train, shame DW never picked it up. . thanx for the memories

is that the ól tree across the river trick' on that thar boat? WAIT JUST A COT'N PICKIN MINUTE!! This here log is the very same one that was made to stop rider's from jumpin out of the boat when they thought the whole thing was over.. OK it's safe to jump out now, the boat's goin nowhere

Both Batman & Lethal Weapon were launched and promoted prior to ground breaking through pretty widespread mediums like then high rating TV shows such as Hey Hey and it was part of the Studio Tour script that we would talk about the aforementioned attractions as well as the Wild West ride.. Some time prior to Lethal, Wild West and the Looney Tunes Village kids rides ground breaking, artwork was shared with guests (to gain opinion) that interestingly featured a Superman suspended rollercoaster (later becoming Lethal), Looney tunes kids area and a Neverending story rapids ride like the one originally opened with MW Germany (later evolving into Wild West). Being quiet about plans is relatively new at least beyond 2000 anyway

That'd be nice. I can picture the song "Hooray for Hollywood" arranged as "Hooray for Movieworld" and leading the Parade with Bugs sporting a tux with tails, a swinging cane, surrounded by Paparazzi & followed by an entourage of floats, Dancers, Glitter bombs and light.. the whole shi-bang!

With so much focus and speculation on what DW are cooking up for their 30th, here's a new topic on what MW may have in store for their 20th year. I have absolutely no doubt we will see a major attraction/ride open by year's end and with all odds tipping the location to occupy the LTRR site, a family friendly ride/attraction would surely be a logical contender.... but what sort of ride?? We have grown accustomed to MW delivering high quality attractions that historically have well exceeded the bench mark of Australian Theme Park capital expenditure. Looking back over the past 20 years we have been treated to cutting edge technology, themeing and thrills that have set an International standard for other Aussie Parks to follow. If history has anything to go by surely we can look forward to more of the same? My only greatest fear is that in recent years - and since MW's last major new ride, a shift in the target demographic (vip pass holders) has perhaps altered course toward more upcharge and less wow factor that the place has become so well known for. I know many members of this site are MW and VTP cast members and I appreciate that you have confidentiality agreements etc. Being an ex MW veteran myself, I can safely say this never used to be the case. Back in the day we would openly and proudly discuss the blue sky plans with guests, often showing artwork of proposed attractions to gain opinion for surveys etc. I can somewhat understand the principals behind the need to change. Sadly our world today has become so much more political and complicated So until something more official is announced, (god knows when!!), people like myself will carry on speculating.. As history has shown MW can and does produce great things. If a 7 million dollar ride down the road is getting people excited, I am sure there are bigger and better things to come Over to you, what would you like to see MW building next?

more than anything I will be happy to see a coaster built for DW that delivers thrills from start to finish and not one that is over and done with in 5 seconds flat. Some of you would remember the discrace that was the Thunderbolt? Rough as guts and after the 1st 2 loops, boring as bat shit, not to mention painful to ride. They seem to have repeated the same mistake with the lacklustre layout of the MC, at least without the bumps. This time around I hope they get the formula right. I don't care so much what the make or model, whether it be steel or wood. What is important to me is that it's fast paced, smooth, comfortable, with steep drops, tight corners, airtime, g's and neg g's. A ride that builds momentum as it careens. Not one that fizzles and limps over the finish line

I doubt it's going to be a woodie.. I seem too recall from my old Theme park days, the trees used for wooden coasters are not generally grown here in Australia, so the parts would have to be shipped all the way from North America or Europe. The shipping costs required for one could be 5, maybe 10 times that of a steel one. Not to mention that with steel coasters erected here in Australia, often have a lot of key parts (like supports) that are built here in Australia. That was the case for Lethal, some of it (trains, track) were imprted and other larger parts built here. I have wanted to see a Windseeker at one of our Aussie Parks for some time but the last thing DW needs is another low capacity ride. I would like to see one of these fitted into MW. With such a small footprint, it could go just about anywhere but perhaps over where Boot Hill currently sits would be a perfect 'Weenie' to drag guests to that often deserted end of the Park

Here's an interesting thought! I just read this on Screamscape (2/16/11) Vekoma’s official blog mentions that they have successfully installed and opened their first I-RIDE attraction system at EDA Park in Taiwan. The ride system appears to be intended to give a similar experience to Disney’s Soarin’ ride system, though with a different set of hardware. The new ride film is even called Flying of Taiwan. What may be more exciting is the fact that that Vekoma also mentions that an announcement will be coming soon about two more installations of the I-RIDE Flight Simulator systems. For some time the rumour mill has suggested that the River Ride's replacement would perhaps not 'fit' the Theme of the area but would nonetheless be an exciting addition to the Park. A family attraction, like Soarin would be pretty sweet and perhaps not surprisingly, this idea has been tossed around by MW Park management for years. Could it be back on the table? Someone tell me I'm wrong!

Great news DW!! I'm guessing the Coaster will be the big thing and perhaps the 2nd ride will be something smaller, like another spinner or a family flat ride that has less than a few million dollar price tag

^another reason why the Looney Tune characters really should play a role in the Park's next new ride.. hmm we shall see On topic, sorry you can't just fill in that Lake. I can tell you for a fact; Way back before land broke on what we know today as the WBMW site, the lake (as it is today) once was a swamp plane that spanded from the Studios, all the way over where the current Theme Park stands to the south perimeter. Today, it is a purpose built diverted system that over time, has developed into it's own little eco system. If this Lake became an area of the Park it would somehow need to fuse with it's landscape.. Far too costly in my opinion, thank fuck for that too

Thanks for your update Damo. I knew it was coming but that's still some sad news to me and i'm sure for so many others out there too. Ironic that the Park's 20th birthday chimes with the removal of it's last original major attraction. Now, onward and upward I guess as we anxiously await the announcement of a replacement. I don't expect the site will remain dormant for too long, perhaps once Easter is done and dusted we wil start to see some big movement? No doubt word will escape soon as to what the future holds for the Park's big thing for 2011.. I know I will be doing my best to see what I can dig up;)