themagician

They’ve had to go with the classic VRTP move and put an A frame out because people were entering through the shop and not the actual entry Inside they’ve also put a barrier up so people don’t take the wrong turn when walking through

If you are wondering where the propellor on the ship of Storm Coaster has gone, its now here COTD is still closed, but it’s because the walkways are being redone

Exterior of the disco room is getting work done. It seems like they’ve slightly moved the wall out. Possibly to allow for projection mapping to be installed

and so the changes begin The change has also been made to the JR at SW

I definitely appreciate all the efforts and work the park and staff put into this event, but when you know how amazing it has been in the past, it is a bit hard to not be disappointed. Yes I enjoyed my night there and got a couple scares, but I wouldn’t want to go back for a second time. While in previous years (2014 and 2015) I definitely would have. The event was much cheaper and bigger back then, and now we have less for a greater price.

Key points from the report have been highlighted: FY2018 was an important and necessary transition and reset year for Village Roadshow Theme Parks (“VRTP”) with a new ticketing strategy implemented in December 2017, shifting VRTP from a discounted volume based business to a higher yielding value based operation. VRTP delivered an FY2018 EBITDA result of $38.3 million, compared to $55.9 million in the prior year. With the removal of the discount resellers from the market effective 30 June 2018, overall ticket sales revenue is expected to continue to increase. There is a strong indication that the Gold Coast Theme Parks have returned to a positive trajectory, as evidenced by the best month of July on record in terms of ticket sales, followed by strong trading in August. This recovery is expected to gain further momentum in the year ending 30 June 2019 (“FY2019”) assisted by Topgolf, which launched successfully in June 2018, a new creative marketing campaign and the addition of lower cost new attractions to enhance guest appeal. A number of projects were completed during the current year, enhancing the guest experience. These included the birth and arrival of the new Polar Bear Cub Mishka, the new splash zone, Castaway Bay – The Reef, a new seal show and new Nickelodeon product, Paw Patrol. In September 2017 the Southern Hemisphere’s largest HyperCoaster opened at Warner Bros. Movie World. The DC Rivals HyperCoaster is the LONGEST, FASTEST and HIGHEST in the Southern Hemisphere and has been a strong drawcard to driving ticket sales. Sea World Resort had a strong year and performed well above the prior year, with its conference centre continuing to outperform expectations. VRTP’s special events performed strongly in FY2018 with Carnivale at Sea World outperforming expectations with its new Light Laser Show, and Fright Nights and White Christmas at Warner Bros. Movie World delivering record results. Supporting the Gold Coast parks was the ongoing strong performance by Paradise Country, which delivered a result in line with the prior year and Village Roadshow Studios, which continued its successful run with the completion of Aquaman, its usage during the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and the commencement of filming of Dora the Explorer. A new TV marketing campaign featuring Sally Pearson launched in June 2018, aimed at engaging the core Gold Coast market and showcasing the enhanced customer value to VRTP guests and annual pass holders as part of VRTP’s customer-led focus. Full report here: http://villageroadshow.com.au/-/media/VRL-Corporate-Media-Library/Documents/Annual Reports/2018/Annual Report 2018 Printable.pdf

And they say they aren’t cost cutting

So now we have two Superman Stores, very pointless decision

The show is remaining, but until November 30 it will only be showing 3 times a day (12, 2:30 and 3:30)

I’ve heard it’s undergoing under a refurb and becoming Next Generation. They’ve repainted the outside. But that’s about it.

Has anyone stayed at the Disney Nature Village resort. I know it’s the furthest from the parks, but what are your opinions on it, is it easy to get to and from the parks?

Well I’ll add PM to the list too And if we’ve got time Crush’s Coaster Thanks to everyone who’s provided comments, if anyone has anymore tips or experience, would be great to hear them

Thanks @Glubbo for that overal day trip report. Is the Phantom Manor like Haunted Mansion or something completely different?

Thanks everyone, especially @Santa07 for that detailed insight. There are definitely a couple of the smaller attractions I want to check out, like Peter Pand Flight. I googled Crush’s Coaster, and couldn’t find too much on it. I’m not watching any POVs as I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so what is the actual ride, other than a coaster? And is the backlot tour, worth it or better to not worry and focus on the rides I’ve mentioned?

Awesome, thanks @AlexB for your insight into how it works and the best way to handle it

This December I will be heading overseas on another adventure, and this time making a stop in Paris and visiting my first Disney park, Disneyland Paris. My girlfriend and I will be staying in The Disney Village Nature Resort for two nights, but will only be visiting the parks for one of them. We have early access into the parks and will be visiting both the Disneyland Park and the Walt Disney Studio Park. We will be visiting the park on a Friday, and I have looked at the crowd level forecast, and they are supposed to be light crowds. At this stage our plan is to visit Walt Disney Studio Park during the early access time and hoping to ride Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Rollercoaster and Ratatouille at the minimum. After that, we will head to the Disneyland Park, and obviously want to ride some of the classic attractions like Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, etc. My question is, what advice do people have that have visited these parks before? Are there rides we should go for first, what things do people recommend to do, and is my plan possible (We only have time to visit for one day). And are there any food outlets in the Disney Village people recommend for breakfast? And how does the Fast Pass' work, I know you don't pay extra, and you use your entry ticket, but what is the process and best way to use it?

Usually all of December before Christmas is quiet, and Boxing Day can even have reasonable crowds, but after that until mid January is always crazy. So I highly recommend going to the parks before Christmas. I think hiring a cabana while isn’t the cheapest option, would probably be a good decision for you, if you aren’t big on thrills.

WWF scheduled maintenance has been removed now

I definitely wouldn't bother trying to do Airbnb when you haven't done it before, especially when in another country. And the process to register and then organise to get access to the home/apartment can be annoying. I would recommend to just book with a main stream hotel. There are some quite cheap ones which aren't too out of the way. But obviously staying within the city is expensive, so explore further out a little.

I’m with @Minions! on this one. I think they are keeping it there, but while Trolls is there it won’t be used. Once that goes, it may reopen during holiday periods.

Tonight’s review (May be some spoilers) Now this year hasn’t definitely improved in some areas, but then dissatpointed in others. Beginning: Unlike previous years, there is no beggining show. Actors are let out, and they run around and then escape to their positions. This was a real disappointment because I’ve found previous characters like the gate keeper really add to the opening of the event. And unlike previous years, where they’ve just dropped the rope and you run, this time, they slowly move the rope until you get to the maze area. Which made things actually more difficult. This may be because the actors need to get into position, but there is a delay there because they drop the rope, just as the characters run out onto Main Street. So really it’s just bad timing. Precincts: I really thought they did a good job with having all new precincts. Main Streets was definitely the best, with the awesome lighting effects really adding to it all, and some great and unique characters. The live entertainment at the fountain was also good, and they did actually play songs that most people would know. There were also some characters around here. The Bloodwood precinct just wasn’t big enough and a bad position. It should’ve been towards the back of the park, and should’ve been spread out. Around DD there were also clowns, which had some of the best and most entertaining scare actors. But for the Safe Zones, there was too many of them. Around the rides I think is fine to have them, but in areas which would’ve been perfect for scares (AA courtyard and walkways to mazes), they really should have some there. Back when the the mazes were in the Sound Studios, and they had the Zombie alley alongside AA, it always had the best scares. Mazes: House of Kain: This is the first maze we did, so was one of the first to go through. And within 20 minutes the queue area was overflowing. This was definitely a really good maze, and I hope MW do more non IP in the future. Really interesting sets, characters and effects, especially the room that began to close in on you. But I felt like it was too dark. They had a lot of lightning effects, but you couldn’t appreciate the sets or actually see some of the scare actors, you could hear them, but it wasn’t as scary as it could’ve been in some parts. 7/10 Leatherface: We had an hour wait for this one, and the queue was overflowing. As said, it is similar to the way Halloween is, being based around the one character with multiple scenes from the franchise. There were some really good scenes, such as when entering the caravan and how tight it was walking through it. But definitely some missed opportunities with the scares. There were a number of Forrest scenes, but no scares, and moments when you though there was going to be a scare, there wasn’t. But the water and air effects were great. 6/10 Jigsaw: This was only a 20 minute wait and was the maze I got the most jump scares out of. It might have been because of my positioning in the group, but there were some really good ones I didn’t see coming, despite doing the maze last hear. It’s a shame that some hallways were just splatted pain empty corridors, as I find those to have some of the best scares when done right. 7/10 Halloween: This queue was basically empty all night, because of its entrance being at the back of the park. Only had a 5 minute wait here, and the groups being sent through were half the size than all the other mazes, so there were definitely some good scares. Especially when scare actors work together and jump out at once. But it still felt undercooked and had missed opportunities, much like Leatherface did. 6/10 Overall the event was good, but still didn’t fully reach my expectations. They are on the right track with the mazes and precincts, but the event as a whole wasn’t as good unfortunately. I definitly thought it had improved on the last couple years, but still isn’t right there to what it was not too long ago. It just feels like they are investing money right for the event, to take it even further. Maybe it needs more mazes, scare actors, shows. I don’t know, but just needs more I feel. But not more in the way they did in 2016. Overall I definitely had an enjoyable night was some great scares, just didn’t quite reach the mark. FN 2018: 7/10

I just checked nearmap, update a couple months ago, and I can’t see any changes

@red dragin that is when they are super off-peak

Usually the first night does have issues as they figure things out for this years event, I’m sure it will improve

Take 2