RossL
-
Posts
129 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by RossL
-
-
3 hours ago, Theme Park said:
Shame what is happening to Legoland Japan.
http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/268490/legoland-japan-reduces-operating-days/
I visited on a Friday a couple of weeks ago. Every ride was walk on basically. The attraction line up isn't that good either but kind of what you expect for Legoland. The miniland is great and kind of the only reason I went. Although there were already some non-working parts in that. I will also say the staff were happy and friendly, they'd wave at everyone walking past.
It is overpriced at ¥6900 yen (about $80+AUD). Discounted by ¥1000 yen if you buy 7 days in advance. What is also over-priced for Japan is the food and drink inside the park-bottle of coke was ¥220 from a vending machine. Usual is ¥160 and that includes inside the airport. Disneyland at ¥200 is the highest I can recall (although it has been 2 years since I went). I also felt merchandise was overpriced too. So it isn't just the gate price, it is pretty much everything that will be seen as overpriced by Japanese people.
Maker's Pier just outside the gate provides plenty of other food options though if you're so inclined to check it out and a standard amusement center.
I guess my problem is, if you're an teenager or adult you should go to Nagashima Spaland and for kids go to Japan Monkey Park. I imagine Legoland is also a big negative for Japan Monkey Park and whether it can survive, although they clearly built some new pools recently.
Legoland is easier to access than the other two parks though. The other problem is, it is the second best attraction at the station you access it from. SCMaglev and Railway Park is better and it only costs ¥1000-driving a train is way more fun than any attraction at Legoland.
-
Backwards should totally be included in a fastpass. Saves disappointment and pain all around. Get one ride in an entire fastpass deal, like $50. I'd pay that for a guaranteed backwards ride (allocated timeslot) and a few rides forward with minimal waiting. That's what people who are on holiday do, I've done it on Universal Studios visits.
You can have a backwards queue too, sell half the capacity on fastpasses though.
Will I buy a fastpass without the hypercoaster being included? No way. This is easily their best chance to make fastpass sales and also provide a massive benefit that is actually worth paying for.
They're going to make way more money out of bundling it than putting in place a small upcharge. And induce more fastpass sales because of it. More people using fastpass means more reason to buy a fastpass as well.
-
Quote
(z) “Territory” means the Theme Park and all areas within a two hundred fifty (250) mile radius around the Theme Park.
This license only covers the area surrounding the park in Florida. Nowhere else in the world.
-
1 hour ago, themagician said:
They do know what they are doing, they have experts in the field and may have some grand plan for the marketing, I just wish they'd do something, even if it is just putting those signs back up, maybe on the construction fencing in the carpark.
Hahahaha. Marketing people claim to be experts all the time. More often than not they're just making it all up!
-
Just now, Brad2912 said:
Well that was hard...
Ummm, I think we're talking about different things. I think the question was about the unlimited dining which you could go to Ricks Cafe several times for, as opposed to just once. Maybe I've misunderstood.
-
16 hours ago, WCE87 said:
Does anyone know if Movieworld still do the unlimited dining option for Rick's Café?
I can't find it. Also looks like the Hunger Buster offer is also no longer available for their other food places.
-
Looks great on the train going over the bridge. You see "Welcome to North Sydney".
-
Good example of how to load and locker is probably eejanaika at FujiQ with separate pens and lockers (just a key with an elastic band to put on your wrist while you ride). I mean you can expect to wait 90+ minutes to ride it but they keep churning through riders quickly as almost any Japanese operated ride does...
-
I think the theatre/vikings revenge is prime to be replaced for something else. A 3D simulator of some sort with a good show length is my vote. Pretty easy to theme to the sea in some way...not pirates, not spongebob or some other ip...something unique to SeaWorld.
-
3 hours ago, AlexB said:
I haven't been to Tokyo, but I want to. The last time I went to HK, the original plan had been Japan, but at the time, prices were against us. Japan was going to cost almost double what HK cost for similar experiences. Whilst I acknowledge that Tokyo offers two parks, and Osaka offers Universal as well, price was the big motivator. Flight wise, the cost was almost double*, accommodation was about 50% more for similar quality, and if we did Japan, we would want to do it all, which meant Osaka, Hiroshima, Nagashima and FujiQ - which of course starts to add up.
Other than cost, in terms of why I specifically say HK over Tokyo though, is because I know a bit more about @Theme Park Girl's plans for the trip than what she has said here, and I won't presume to reveal that - i'll leave that to her, other than to say its meant to be a 'quick dip' into the overseas theme park experience rather than a full blown coaster-to-coaster megatrip, and one that doesn't cost the earth.
*(I only fly Qantas on international routes from Australia. I realise other airlines offer cheaper tickets, but I like what Qantas includes in their price. To get similar inclusions on Jetstar for instance, it would have cost more than Qantas! So budget airlines are only better on price if you travel with budget inclusions. That's not something I like to do)
Totally understand and respect that. Just in certain cases Tokyo Dinseyland may be a very similar price overall I suspect, like a Jetstar 2 for 1 sale or $1 return. Then again if you get ridiculous mistake fares to LA then CA Disneyland stacks up pretty well as well.
Adding FujiQ and Nagashima and Osaka and Hiroshima certainly stacks a fair bit more on.
The AUD is also much worse against the Japanese Yen than it was last year and the year before, so that kind of sucks at the moment.
-
@AlexB Why is it not Tokyo Disneyland over HK Dinseyland? Not sure why Aussies want to go to HK Disneyland first.
I haven't been to HK myself but reports are way more negative on it than Tokyo Disneyland I generally find. I guess the positive thing is the queues are shorter and the crowds are less insane.If you get the right Jetstar sale, Gold Coast to Tokyo is cheap and I'd imagine everything else would end up about the same in terms of costs. And DisneySea is an amazing park.
-
Looking at the US pricing, I think $20 will be during the morning hours and getting more up to like $50 for an hour at night. Possibly more expensive, not sure that Australia is going to be cheaper than the US on this.
If they're going to have a hotel, they need entertainment options, particularly at night. This is part of that solution and I think a bit more exciting than just building a cinema or bowling alley. Realistically MovieWorld and DreamWorld are in the middle of nowhere with nothing around them, not that tourist friendly outside of just the parks themselves. They need to build in other things to do. I get the impression other shopping and restaurants will be built along with the hotel. (Think Universal CityWalk or a Downtown Disney but not on that scale.)
Still not sure I'd want to stay in the area though. You can stay on the beach at Surfers pretty cheaply and get to the parks very easily, which provides endlessly more to do of an evening. Some of these problems will be solved if they get better public transport at night.
-
But is it a separate charge or a charge on buying an apple itself? (GST is just much easier if it applies to everything IMO.)
No more expensive than cash really. You have to count it, mistakes can be made with cash. Their merchant fees should be less than 1% or are about to be. It would be more justified to charge me for how long I take to order-it will stop the people standing at the counter for two minutes trying to make up their mind. Plus it isn't charged when you say you're going to use debit and then accidentally hit credit, so the system is just a waste of time. Same applies to any other business really.
-
15 minutes ago, AlexB said:
This is perfect, and I must admit, on face value, it seems you might be right. It is a little perplexing though. My first thought is that rounding issues may be at play here, considering the GST on $20.37 would be $1.851818, and the GST on $20.35 would be $1.8500.
But that still doesn't explain how they get to $20.37 in the first place. It still seems to indicate at the bottom of the receipt that GST included in the order is only $1.82
I've had a look at the ruling for GST applicability on Credit Card surcharges (GSTR 2014/2) and can't seem to see anything in there that would suggest why it's happened.
Your two cents may come about depending on which way you work it too.
The GST on $20 is $1.82, but $1.82 x 11 = $20.02 - this is because of rounding.
This doesn't explain it though, as the extra 2 cents on your receipt seems to be part of GST on the surcharge rather than on the base price, but I guess it depends on how their system is set up. Something does seem wrong, but i'm not 100% confident as to where the problem lies. It'd be interesting if someone else has a similar example on a different receipt...
Although as you say it's only 2 cents, but it'd be something i'd be asking about in case it were a wider problem. I should think though that bigger purchases might not have the same issue as there is less issues with rounding.
Hopefully village identifies and fixes the problem before someone complains to the ATO though.
The above is my own personal opinion and does not constitute financial or tax agent advice. I have received no remuneration for this opinion and it is only my own personal view based on the facts available.
I do not purport to represent myself as an official representative of my employer, agent or otherwise in making the above personal comments.GST applies on merchant charges, and is included in normal prices. So it is legitimate for it to be included in the service charge as far as I'm concerned (better if it did not exist in the first place). The $1.82 comes from the $20 and this is correct for without GST it is $18.18 plus the $1.82 to make it $20. No problems there.
The problem then comes from their service charge, that then allows multiple errors in the receipt. GST on service charge of $0.32 is $0.03. So a total of $0.35 as service charge which is 1.75%, instead they're $0.37 which is 1.85% (false advertising?). The only way I get 5c is by applying a 15% GST on $0.32.
The next problem is the GST Amount $1.82 at the bottom. I think this is just calculated off the subtotal. But it is not the total GST they've claimed to charge me. It is the $1.82 on $20 plus their $0.05 that comes from nowhere.
To me it should be:
Subtotal $20.00
Service Charge $0.35Total $20.35
GST Amount $1.85
But the problem with this is when they sell items that do not include GST calculating the GST on their silly surcharge is more difficult-hence the separate GST on service charge because if you buy some food subject to GST and others not then. Now I am paying GST on food that is GST free because I've used a credit card??
So the whole mess is because they have a silly service charge that does not calculate correctly. The easiest way for them to fix their mess is not to have a service charge.
I wonder if others have receipts showing a similar problem? GST on S/charge is the line where the problem is introduced.
-
1 hour ago, AlexB said:
Welcome to the forums @RossL - as you're new, I just want to mention (not in any armchair moderation perspective, but just a friendly member-to-member chat) that bold statements, especially where you're claiming the park is doing something illegal, generally need to be supported with a little more (any) evidence.
Can you explain to me how you believe they aren't accounting correctly for GST? Have you reported this fraud to the ATO?
Do you have copies of receipts you can show us?
The reason I ask is that:
- GST has been around for 16 years now, and we've known about it for longer than that
- Point of Sale systems are generally programmed and set, so it's hard for them to screw around with that sort of thing (unless of course they've just moved to a new system)
- If a very large company like this is not obeying the law, there could be very serious consequences, so they usually have people who check things like this, and i'd be very surprised if this had somehow been missed.
- Not everything you purchase attracts GST (although most things in-park do) so there may be certain things on your receipt that don't attract GST and this is why the GST doesn't equal 1/11 of the total bill - look for things like asterix's or other symbols against each item or price and then look for an explanation and the bottom where that symbol is displayed with comments such as "@denotes GST applicable item".
I look forward to seeing further evidence of this... (in my own personal capacity and in no way related to anything else I do.)
Thanks Alex! Sure, happy to attach evidence. (Sorry it is a little faded now.)
Purchase $20 plus $0.32 Service Charge plus $0.05 for GST on Service Charge. That is not a typo, $0.05 not $0.03 as it should be. So total of $20.37 including the service charge. If the charge is 1.75% as they state it should be $20.35.
Then the receipt says GST on Total is $1.82! This is so wrong. On $20.37 total, GST is $1.85. I think they've probably registered it as $1.87 though. With their ridiculous charge it should be $1.85 GST and a $20.35 total-I know I'm arguing over 2c. But the way they've done it is weird and wrong.
I haven't reported it anywhere. If I've got this wrong do let me know.
-
On 4/23/2016 at 3:56 PM, jcgoldcoast said:
^ I'd get the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka rather than drive. You can also make a stop at Nagoya on the way and visit Nagashima Spa Land to get your Steel Dragon 2000 credit!
I definitely recommend this!
Lots of rides, a couple of great ones with Steel Dragon 2000 and White Cyclone. Relatively uncrowded in my one experience on a weekday. Lots of school kids came from like 11am-3pm and made queue times for the those two rides and the wild mouse go over an hour.
Also, there's a Legoland is opening in Nagoya next year-apparently April 1.
-
F&B pass looks great-I went looking for this just yesterday (I knew they previously did it for Rick's), although I probably won't sign up to it-not a permanent GC resident!
PhotoPass-it is a shame they separate out ride and character photos. I don't value ride photos highly at all though, so yeah.
Having visited a few times in the last couple of months, I have a few other comments about Movie World too. Some bad, some good.
-Their credit card surcharge is ridiculous! And they don't account for GST correctly at least on some receipts. And if you say debit and then accidentally charge to credit they miss the surcharge anyway. So just get rid of the surcharge, in fact I have not spent money at the parks over the ridiculousness of the surcharge.
-Do they advertise character photo times? Maybe I've missed it somewhere, if not they should advise the times. I think they under-rate it and the $20 sessions are silly-although I would pay for a character experience lunch/show, although maybe there is not the demand for it. Overall though I believe they offer some good character photo opportunities, just they undervalue it. Not sure how much they rotate characters either-might be better for attracting regular visitors if they did.
-The parade is no Disneyland Parade although I think it is a bit more interactive and fun than a Disneyland one too though. And it not being so crowded is great!
-To be honest, the place never feels crowded to me but this is coming from doing Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea and FujiQ twice each in the last year-those places have queues! You can walk straight on after 4pm at MovieWorld to any ride in my experience. And I've been on Saturday and Sundays only this year.
-Hollywood Stunt Driver is better than when I saw it a year ago. It has some storyline but still a bit pointless-have seen it three times this year. Probably wouldn't watch it again anytime soon.
-Overall good for what exists but a 4 hour visit every 6 months would probably do me. The rides are fine, just I've done them all multiple times now and want to do some new stuff overseas! WWF is great when you get a good splash!
Japan rollercoasters
in Theme Park Discussion
Posted
VR Zone in Shinjuku might also be of interest: https://vrzone-pic.com/en/
Yet to go myself, hopefully soon though.
Agree with most things in this thread except about Joypolis. I went a couple of years ago, I didn't like it-hour waits for everything and wasn't that good. Didn't actually do the coaster in there though but no intention of going back. There's better things to do in Odaiba IMO, including the future of science museum. Haven't been to the Legoland Discovery Center there though.
On Tobu Zoo, easily the worst zoo I have been to in Japan. Zoorasia is the nicest zoo in Japan that I have been to, but it is out of the way in Kanagawa. Although I think Tobu Zoo is out of the way too with it being at least an hour from central Tokyo by train-I don't think it'd be on a list of things to do in the first 3 weeks of travelling in Tokyo really.