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I figured we needed a new thread for my trip. It's been big enough in the other one, and this is a long long review. Busch Gardens, Walt Disney World, SeaWorld Orlando, Islands of Adventure. It's been a few days since my last update, and in those few days I've ridden all of the remaining coasters of the trip and been to every park in Orlando. We went to Busch Gardens on Sunday. They have the single most stupid shuttle system from Orlando (Tampa Bay is an hour+ away) - I'd hire a car if doing it again. We went for Rhino Rally, given its reputation for being a big queue ride. It's essentially a safari ride for the majority, which would be a lot better if the driver took the ride seriously. As great as the whole "give animals and landmarks stupid names" thing goes, I'd really prefer a more realic experience. The rapids section is overhyped and boring, which made me really disappointed that the driver took it as such a joke. Kumba was next. It's truly an amazing ride, but superb up the front. Its first drop is great, but nothing different from just about every B&M sitdown/standup/floorless. I couldn't care less about every inversion but the zero-g-roll, which is truly the best inversion ever created. Thanks to Busch's renowned high-capacity and low (relative to Orlando) attendance, the ride is a walkon for any seat but the front pretty much all day. We next went around and did the river rapids ride. They're all very different over here. They make it no surprise to get soaked, unlike at home. You will come off this thing dripping wet. We did a bunch of other things, including R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse, which stars whoever the guy who played Doc Brown in the Back to the Futures, with a cool Weird Al cameo at the end, which was all I really wanted to see. I thought it was as good as Pirates, which it replaced at the Anheuser-Busch parks here (perhaps our Sea World didn't think it was worth the asking price?). Montu is a great ride. Better than Batman, and too different to compare to Dueling Dragons, which is all I can say. All the diving underground is cool, and again I simply love the zero-g-rolls. Gwazi is nothing special. This is the first wooden coaster that is on par with most opinions of it. It's fairly boring, and about equivalent in roughness to Psyclone, which ain't good. At least it has the nice PTC trains that I love (NOTHING like those PTCs that Bush Beast runs, by the way). The two sides a fairly comparable, and they made no effort whatsoever to actually duel the trains. They were so bloody slow at load/unload, that probably 75% of the ride time was spent stacked in the brake run waiting. Python proves that our Corkscrew is a rarity among old Arrows. It's rough and pretty painful, even with the softer OTSR (between Corkscrew's hard ones at Cyclone's super-soft ones). Scorpion is just an old Schwarzkopf, which would be rough if it had OTSR, but isn't bad with just the lapbars. The helices are Goliath-like in force, which I like. We didn't ride the log flume, which was about as ugly as those at SFMM. Their shoot the chutes, named Tidal Wave really lives up to its name. It soaks those on the rode, and absolutely drenches everyone on the bridge. They have a glass pane at the end for those that want to see it but not experience it, which is hit by a wall of water that is strong enough to actually move the glass, which was thick enough to not budge at all when I threw my weight into it to test its strength. We managed to do Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Epcot in one day, and Disney-MGM in a much slower-paced second day. We've still got three days plus up to four days at the non-theme parks at Walt Disney World, so we take take time and redo what we want, and see everything we missed. Magic Kingdom is like Disneyland with double the capacity. Space Mountain was first, and it was truly above and beyond all my expectations. It's hard to imagine if you haven't ridden either the Disneyland or MK versions, but for such a relatively simple (yet quite intense) coaster, it really did freak me out (and I don't just mean the "Cool! Airtime!" sort of freaked out). We then went over to Frontierland and did BTM with Splash Mountain FastPass tickets in hand, plus I figured out how to scam the system (I won't be revealing in a hurry), so as to get more FastPass tickets. Big Thunder Mountain is gentle yet great fun, and goes all-out in the lift hill department. Splash Mountain makes the story so much less ambiguous, but on the same note, it also makes figuring out the story no longer half the fun. I didn't think it was quite as good as Disneyland's - they are both very different, not just in the size of the logs. Animal Kingdom is a boring park if you're after your regular theme park. It has Primeval Whirl, which is certainly below Disney standards, and Kali River Rapids, which you can really see is what Grizzly at DCA was based and expanded upon. It's got fantastic theming, and some cool elements. The real masterpiece here is definitely the safari. It's as authentic as the real thing (I'd imagine ), and compared to Busch and San Diego Zoo, the animals are a lot nicer looking - it's as if they paint them, or reject the less-than-perfect ones or something, because they're all so textbook perfect. We got approached by some giraffe, which was quite a magical experience. I finally did "It's Tough to Be a Bug" at this park, which I don't think was nearly as good as Shrek 4D or the best of them all, Muppetvision 3D, but it was fun. Epcot is the true gem of WDW. We got into the 35 minute single-riders queue for Test Track, which was quite a great feature, and very efficient. This ride is just so amazing that it's almost hard to describe. It's basically what the name suggests - a testing track for cars. It takes you through a range of tests, including braking, rough surfaces, extreme temperatures and high-speed plus a whole bunch more. It was truly the best ride I've ever ever been on - no joke. That was until we did Mission Space next. Mission Space is best described as a simulator, built onto arms of a centrifuge, similar to La Revolucion at Knotts. Unlike most simulators, where you are given the visual illusion of various feelings, this, you actually feel the high G-forces of the launch, the weightlessness of space, and all the rest. Combine this with the fact that you're pressing buttons to control parts of the journey, and "steering" the ship with a force-feedback joystick, this is truly the best ride I've ever ridden. It's so great, and you just know that nobody other than Disney will ever pull off this sort of ride. The next day we went to Disney-MGM Studios. It's like Movie World, only bigger and with some decent non-ride attractions, which Movie World loves to remove. We did Tower of Terror first, second and third, because Rock n' Roller Coaster was down for most of the day. Because they're now randomly running four different programs, you really don't know what to expect. If you like the "initial drop" feeling, you'll love this thanks to the repeated drops and even S&S style upward launch and drop. We did many of the great non-ride attractions. Millionaire-Play It! is great, equal to DCA's of course. I couldn't beat my record of number eight in the audience (out of 500, it's really not that bad), but Simon got to number one for a bit before getting the remaining few questions wrong. A kid got on, which means he was the fastest and most-correct in the audience, who used two lifelines on the first two questions, and got wrong with "What does Harry Potter ride", with a 50/50 between mop and broom, which got some good chuckles. There's a great museum dedicated to Walt Disney, which I personally loved. When Rock n' Roller Coaster opened, we waited about 30 minutes for this, but it's worth it. The launch is great, and amazingly it's a smooth coaster - probably the smoothest I've ever experienced, which proves that the Vekoma badge isn't the problem - it's the parks who don't maintain them. Kind of silly though - it's just a few inversions and whatnot in the dark, to a seemingly random Aerosmith soundtrack. To get to Walt Disney World from International Drive (the touristy hotel area of Orlando), you have to catch two buses, with a transfer at SeaWorld. We figured it was too cold (it's turned freezing over the past few days) for WDW, so we just wandered over to SeaWorld and spent half a day there. We wandered around for a while, but eventually ended up at Kraken, which truly is the best floorless coaster in the world. The zero-g-roll is the most perfect one ever, and you know how much I love them! It's actually noticeable smoother than most other B&Ms, which makes this thing silky. Combined with the silence of the ride (it uses sand and dampeners and whatnot to make it quiet for the nearby animals), so it's quite a different ride. We watched Journey to Atlantis for a few minutes, seeing as we weren't decked out for a wet ride in this weather. We're saving it for another, better day. There's a pretty awful simulator there called Wild Arctic. You basically board, go for a terribly synchronised helicopter ride, before getting off in the Arctic to see some actual animals. There's some beluga whales, seals and polar bears (which aren't as cool as those at our Sea World). We decided to get out of there after lunch, and ended up at IOA for the afternoon. It's amazing to see how empty this place was after some seriously packed days. Hulk was a 5 minute wait according to the sign, which always translates to walkon. This ride is sweet, but to me, the element that makes this ride wouldn't even be considered an element by most. After the second loop, there's a downward s-bend. It's all of about two seconds, but to me, it's just the coolest thing ever. We then got over to Spider-Man again, because it was only a 20 minute wait, which was also pretty close to a walkon. This is the coolest ride Universal have in their arsenal, and it's just so cleverly done that it's worth riding just to figure out how different effects work. Dueling Dragons was calling us. Absolutely horrible one-train operation meant it was a 30+ minute wait. We rode Ice first, and decided to wait an extra 30 minutes for the front. There is no other seat but the front on this inverted - more so than normal ones. We then rode Fire, just going for a middle seat. I can't really compare the two until I ride them both in the front, which I'll do when we go back and crowds die down some more. We dared to ride Jurassic Park, which amazingly isn't nearly as good as Universal Studios Hollywood's version. About all I preferred was the fact that it had better looking surrounding rainforests. We're just going to go back to parks and ride what we've missed at all the parks, and get some video and photo footage.

Heard some more info on the new ride and it is all sounding good. I don't want to post it yet as I am waiting for conformation from a few ppl about certain things. Let's say this as a RUMOR only, but there might be a good reason that some reps from Disney were visiting WBMW over the last couple of months. Sounds like a deal may have been reached. Still only a rumor at this stage.

Well I'm sure many will have read what's been posted at AAF and if not soon will. It would appear all has been revealed with what we're getting for MW. However let me point out one fatal flaw with the RUMOUR...that particular ride is designed and built by Disney in house. Any use of it would require either Disney being the manufacturer or WBMW simply 'pirating' the design... A)Disney won't come and build a ride in a Warner park and if they did there is no way we could afford it... B)Should they decide to STEAL the ride they will get hit with such a lawsuit they might as well close the doors tomorrow... So either the park is a thief or we can all keep on guesing :-)

As per my offer yesterday, here are the results of the ride observations I took. The Giant Drop, Tower of Terror, Wipeout and Cyclone were observed for 3 full cycles to determine an average result. I am not familiar with how Richard crunches his numbers for park comparisons (ie: Cedar point etc) so I'll just get on with it. I have also included some of my own suggestions. GIANT DROP The cycle time was measured from dispatch to the return of the catch car. These times can vary depending on encoder and motor settings, which is why there is a difference of west and east times. Drop WEST: 3 min 33 seconds Drop EAST: 3 min 06 seconds These times would return a total of 35 cycles per hour. This has been rounded down to allow for those cycles times which may be slower due to, for example, when larger riders are not able to secure safety belts, or where riders change their minds. Number of staff today: 3 How to increase capacity: 1.Design improvements to motors. The winch motors on Giant Drop have struggled to keep up with the duty cycle asked of them since the ride opened. Oddly enough, the time it takes to load a group, check their harnesses, and ensure that all belongings are away is roughly the same time it takes for the catch car to engage the gondola again. 2.Always have both lifts staffed. TOWER OF TERROR Time intervals were measured from dispatch to dispatch. As many of you would know, the cycle time from launch to park is in the mid 30’s. (seconds) It is well known to operators that average launch intervals are approximately 2 minutes on TOT, assuming that all guests have their belongings sorted out, are seated, and operators check the lap bars quickly. At 2 minute intervals, this provides 30 cycles per hour. It is not unheard of to be below 2 minutes, but that is the exception to the norm. TOT is theoretically launch capable every 45 seconds – that is the interval at which the ride system will allow launch – but this is not attainable when loading and unloading phases are introduced into the equation. Number of staff today: 3 How to increase capacity: 1.With 3 staff, no further reduction in time is possible. I have said it for years – the biggest obstacle to faster launch cycles on TOT is guest belongings. An alternative to the current storage of these items would go a long way to reducing the launch interval below 2 minutes. 2.Always staff the TOT with 3 staff. WIPEOUT Historically the Wipeout has used 2 different ride programs. (Program 4 or 6, which are a good mixture of twists, turns and inversions. They are two of the longer programs in terms of ride duration.) From ride start to park, the “ride running” cycle is 2 minutes 45 seconds. The entire cycle, including load and unload took 6 minutes 20 seconds. Number of staff today: 4 How to increase capacity: 1.Run an alternative program with a shorter duration. I don’t really see this as a feasible option though. 2.Queue line amendments. Doing this, one must be aware of the need to keep waiting guests a suitable distance from moving (and loud) machinery. By amendments, I also refer to an alternative positioning of staff. Guests could then wait within the tunnel for a short period, but then vandalism becomes an issue. Realistically, with a change in the positioning of staff, the Wipeout could run as well with 3 staff as it does with 4. CYCLONE While attending a staff meeting, I once used the term ‘dysfunctional’ to describe the Cyclone queue. This comment was made in the context of asking if operators would have any input into the queue design of the new ride, so that we could learn from past mistakes. Ride run time: 1 minute 48 seconds (to braking) Ride run time to stop in station: 2 minutes 24 seconds. Ride cycle time (includes load and unload): 4 minutes 04 seconds. Number of staff today: 2 How to increase capacity: 1.2 trains, but as I have mentioned in previous posts, this is a fantasy, and isn’t really a tangible alternative at present, if ever. 2.Have a minimum of 2 staff. This reduces the lag time between unloading a ride, and loading the subsequent cycle. This is a really sensitive issue with the operators of the Cyclone, as it is an obvious and indeed simple solution. To have the same impact without additional staff would require specific work to the layout of the Cyclone queue. And I should add that operators had absolutely no say in how the damn queue was to be set up. It now should be obvious to all reading, by reviewing staff numbers on the rides mentioned above, DW has indeed taken steps to increase guest flow through rides during this holiday period. Now I have 6 points which I would like to make: 1.Richard, my eyes are indeed open, as my comments here ought to show, and I thank you for your apology for suggesting otherwise. At no stage have I made remarks which indicate a narrow-mindedness on my behalf. I simply put the challenge to you to make some suggestions of your own, instead of making cheap, unsubstantiated comments. I have dedicated myself to working professionally in this industry for over a decade, and have strived to promote a positive culture with my colleagues over that time. 2.If Warner parks have found a balance between all aspects of business, then I applaud them. I am sure that DW management also believe that they have achieved the same, despite the opinions of some. Competition is a healthy thing, where you can find it. But evidently all is not as rosy at Warner as some would suggest, given the recent industrial action. Nonetheless DW’s industrial moment is possibly on the horizon also. 3.I quote Richard here: “… 15 minute dispatches on Cyclone aren’t cool.” I whole-heartedly agree! Your suggestion that this ride only cycles 4 times per hour is ludicrous. In making this statement you severely tarnished your own credibility. When the ride has only 1 operator, the average cycle time is half of what you suggest. I don’t believe that this is acceptable either, but I have no need to resort to exaggeration – I’d rather stick to the truth. 4.I quote Richard: “You’re not paying to have a good time at the bank.” The purpose of my bank and supermarket examples was to illustrate a dilemma faced by all service providers. That dilemma is to find a balance between cost and service delivery. What you are paying for is irrelevant. (a good time at a theme park, quick secure service at a bank, or speedy efficient supermarket check-outs) What IS relevant is that appropriate steps are taken to up the delivery as circumstances require it. 34 additional ride staff were employed to cater for the increases in demand for these holidays. That number is closer to 80 for December/January trading periods. 5.Thanks for pointing out that “capacity is probably one of the most important aspects to theme park operation.” Personally I would replace “probably” with “undoubtedly”. And it does come at a cost. I’m not sure I know staff in any workplace who work for free. Maybe cheaply, as in this industry, but certainly not for free. I am unable to see that changes to queue arrangements can be made without cost either. And finally, 6. Making comparisons between Disney parks and Australian parks is unbalanced. Sure, let’s all strive to have the capacity at which Disney operates, but is that a tangible goal considering the size of our market here in Australia. It’s old fashioned economics, which I studied while earning my Business degree many years ago. I understand that the population of the USA is 153 times greater than Australia. (19,913,144 AUS versus 293,027,571 USA) In the grand scheme of things, Dreamworld employees strive to deliver good service to guests. I know that there are some staff that could do better, but their numbers are meagre when compared to those who strive to meet the high expectations our guests rightfully have. As the former CEO once said to me: “Stop dumping **** on Dreamworld for just one minute.” Richard, perhaps you should heed the same advice

You're kidding yourself if you think there's not a problem, or that it's a problem that can't be easily fixed. How narrow-minded do you need to be to actually put up arguments to defend Dreamworld? It goes to show the culture they must be promoting at Dreamworld if your attitude is to vehemently defend the place rather than opening your eyes. I appreciate passion for your employer etc., but that doesn't mean to turn a blind eye to a noted problem. Tell me why Sea World and Movie World down the road, two otherwise more or less identical parks, have pretty well got it right? With few or no exceptions their rides run far more efficiently, AND I hate to break it to you, but their staff are also on the whole friendlier. You're not paying to have a good time when you go to the bank. It is bad when that does happen, but the thing is it's not the norm. On the other hand you can go to Dreamworld almost any day of the year and you get the same thing almost regardless. In case you're unsure, 15 minute dispatches on Cyclone aren't cool. Hate to break it to you, but capacity is probably one of the most important aspects to theme park operation. Why are you suggesting that it must come at the cost of something? Disney parks are undeniably the best capacity parks in the world, meanwhile their staff are known as some of the friendliest out there, and you'll be hard pressed to find a better experience than that of a Disney park. Closer to home we have the Warner Village parks, where these exact same things apply.

Impulses are LIM and yes, the directional changes are done by switching the polarity. PLC is programmable logic control. Simply put, it's a computer system. I'd say the system Cyclone currently has is not designed to be able to handle two trains, even though the layout is designed to do so. As for what I'd do if I ran Dreamworld... Firstly, get something done about capacity/efficiency problems. You couldn't say what needs to be done without knowing what's going on in the first place. There's not a single area or department of Dreamworld that couldn't benefit from huge improvements in this area, and it would be very simple to solve. Next I'd move about bringing back show content into the park. There are two venues (Gum Tree Gully and the Captain Sturt show area) that are currently not being used. With that will also come an upgrade to the Imax facilities, and better films, more frequent film changes and include it more into the marketing. Street entertainment could be greatly improved. I don't think the occasional Goldie/Wizzy/Kenny cuts it right now. Next step would be to fix up the many attractions that have fallen into states of disrepair. Tower of Terror, Giant Drop and even Cyclone are just apalling in parts, and they're the newest thrill rides. Older rides could also benefit from similar things, but most rides outside of these three I see as pretty decent. Next up for me would be a remodelling of the entrance and Main Street. This would be a huge project, but I'd get rid of the Disney ripoff out of personal preference (and the fact that at the end of the day, it's ugly), and replace it with something new. Make Main Street more of a boulevarde. Replace the bitumen with a tiled pathing and some nice thick green trees, grass and garden beds. We've got a wide open area with a black ground - not too inviting on warmer days. Dreamworld seems to be heading more or less down the right track with thrill rides, so I don't see any reason to suggest what crazy coasters I'd build.

Well, it wont be a kids ride, since that wont rock our world, and it wont be an adventure ride since that wont really rock unless its a disney standard one, so im guessing its a thrill ride, in which MW is lacking. Is it a B&M? I hope it is. Or maybe a hyper, that would rock. I dont think it will be a flat because they are cool, but not that cool. Come on Rabid, give us a better clue, maybe one better than what Obstructure was giving us. Ah well, Ill wait, Maybe MW has been saving money by putting in cheaper attractions like OME. If they could spend $15 million on a wild mouse, Its pretty certain they could spend double that on a multi looper.

Well i'm not sure how much the glass would like getting the force of the Tower Of Terror being placed against them as the speed to shatter them, unless it was plexiglass, but then you can't see as much on launch. I think keep it they way it is, and just mod the hell out of it. I'd have to say that when it comes to upgrading and making things look pretty, I may have a lot more experience, especially when my dad was an architect and I am going out tomorrow to do some more modding to my already beast computer. It's what I do. And plus, who would vandalise a security camera? The person who was operating them would instantly see the person's face and can apprehend them on the way up. And i'm definitely sure there were numerous amount of reasons why Dreamworld placed the TOT head and entrance where it is. While it was done as a rush rush thing because of Nick Central etc., it doesn't mean the whole thing was a stupid idea. I was also thinking that with the entrance of the TOT via Tiger Island (the little white bridge part), that could be widened signifgantly by moving the disable ramp to the TI cafe either behind the cafe or the other end where it would fit and would be in a more appropriate position in regards to crowd control. Whoa! New idea! The entrance could be redone. From the exit of the shop, place the entrance next to that. At that point the queue line heds straight down into a flight of stairs into an underground walkway filled with that death fealling and at the end stop up groups of people and have a plasma screen similar to what Tomb Raider's did and tell what's happening in regards to the story line. You know, u could already use the current one, and have an animation of the TOT skull giving the exact same message that is already given in queue.... "this tunnel conatains toxic wated and is contaminated". From there, the people are then given the word by the skull on the plasma screen to move into the next room which is actually another flight of stares leading into the TOT skull entrance, from there, you would enter into the normal queue line and adapt more themeing into what already is there. Look, my head is throbbing at the moment, so, if you would like to wait until next saturday I will give a full detailed guide to my ideas. I think that if i can express moreso on what i'm trying to tell you guys you'd get my picture perfectly. Trust me, something like this can definitely be pulled of well. Disney Well.

I think Walt Disney World is bigger than Disney land.

Okay I won't go on a huge thing about what I'd do for the park now as I'm pretty tired... Just wanted to say a couple things. What I think the park needs more than anything is some prettying up, get the fountains beautiful, the gardens and all that top notch. Really get Main Street back perfect, bit of a Disney thing... You guys seem to want to rip out any of the old stuff and get new thrill rides in... It was a damn shame they ruined Model T with TOT and I'd hate to see more ruined. Keep Imax how it is, maybe just a new film. Keep Model T. Get Rivertown booming again I say, something for the parents and I certainly have font memories as a kid. Get Cap Sturt back to its former glory with the show and all. Do something with the old theatre...just the same damn show would be great enough. Perhaps another attraction, I'm not sure what but in this style (not thrill) in the area would go a long way to 'round' off the park IMO. I really don't know why attraction to put in but am open to sugestion. I really don't like the enclosing of TOT idea... for me half the ride is wipping along past the park and with a tunnel you'd loose that. And I'd say no way to a clear tunnel because we all know DW would never keep it clean.

The only problem that might come into problem is the time you wait at the top of the tower. The most likely reason why you wait so much at the top (particularly that bloody west engine... ahem anyway) could possibly be due to the height and that the engines have to compensate because of it. Cyclone- well this is where alot of effects could make this ride brilliant. Disney quality. 1)a motor for the cyclone preventer that you circle around so it will rotate and as that will happen, some low level fog could come out where those bits of material are (also CO2) so it gently rolls down the tube as it spins. That would give a very stunning affect with the fins as Co2 is very dense. 2) Get rid of those 2 big damn pipes damnit! 3)remove those monitors and replace it with with some kind of.... disco floor string... err... well you know how they have a set of cubes on the dance floor and they all change clolour? have a string of them around where that bench is andd have them set to one colour so it gives that circulating pattern.... ummm..... i guess i'll do up a pattern later on then so guys know what i mean huh? 4)replace the roof with some shaded pexiglass so you can see out but keeps the queline dim for my next plan. 5)to cover the bottom floor (which is now repainted to a very stale grey) they could have some smoke machines and then have some rotating spotlights (just alot of 2inch lights) so they move randomly through the fog to give that "finding" and "danger" feel. Apart from that area there isn't too much to fix really, actually...... you know how they have those police lights the cirulate? Dreamworld...... GET LIGHTS TO PUT IN YOURS! a rotating disc is pointless if there's nothing for it to reflect! WipeOut- really not tooo much needed, actually, one of the only rides that worked out. Just needs a cleanout because some of those glass windows under the wave have hundreds of spiders! Anything else? for now there isn't, but i better be off, i've got more posting and pestering ride-ops to do. Happy reading!

Eh, its better then Cliff Hanger in any case. Can't say it takes my fancy, but I can't remember any ride name that we've liked. So far we've mocked every new ride name since Scooby Doo. Seriously, the only name we seem to like is Wipeout. ToT is a name inspired (or taken directly from) Disney's ride, Giant Drop is just unimaginative, Cyclone isn't appropriate for a steel looper, Reef Diver is stupid, Angry Beaver's Spooty Spin doesn't mean anything, Eureka Mountain Mine Ride is too long, Thunder River Rapids Ride implies there is a Lightning River out there somewhere, Rugrats Runaway Reptar is a random collection of words, Model T Lane is actually a road Skylink is misleading since it doesn't really link us to the sky, Captain Sturt Paddlewheeler is named after a guy who should be called Stuart, Tiger Island is clearly not an Island, and Angry Beaver's Spooty Spin still doesn't mean anything. End Rant. Claw? Well, its a pretty crap name, but I can't imagine this one will be that hard to get used too.

I say work at fixing what you've already got before going on to start fresh elsewhere. Our parks aren't bad, but I think there are many ways all our parks could be vastly improved to get attendance and overall profits up. Secondly, Australia is perhaps one of the smallest theme park industries in the world. Asia is the largest. At the end of the day I've got nothing against what they do here - they run a pretty clean ship, but do they really think they have the expertise to operate in a very large and competitive market. I'm leaning towards the "no" on that one. Interestingly they said they'll be doing the design. Sea World is OK, Wet'n'Wild isn't bad, but being fair, mostly done by the previous owners - what has been added I would say isn't exactly great for crowd management. Then we get to Movie World which is nothing other than terrible. I'd like to see what they come up with for a forth time. My guess is they'll go for something that actually gets guests physically stuck in the park, RCT style. Finally, Village Roadshow can invest "up to" $40 million, which is "either" 25 or 50% of the total cost of the park. On the cheap would be exaggerating. There's a huge Disney park opening in Honk Kong in a few years time, Tokyo's parks are currently constructing some absolutely huge rides and Village is going to build something that sounds sound like about half what our parks are, at the best. A huge number of our guests are on tour from over there. There would also be inevitable reductions in international attendance. Good work with the one cent. If they go ahead with it, that'll be the only positive number they'll see for a while.

I liked Euro Disney their 3 coasters were pretty cool (especially Space Mountain) I think it's well worth the trip. When I got to France this year I'm going to Parc Asterix instead.

There's plenty of land usable back there, certainly enough for something the size of the Revue. It did used to be in this area, but it was Road Runner if I remember correctly that took its spot. I guess they were faced with the choice between a completely unused plot of land that would require significant ground work, or just plonking it wherever they can on some flat land somewhere. Predictably so, they take the cheap option, even if it ruins the integrity of a section of the park. I'm pretty sure it's an all-plywood construction, and the tent roof hardly screams out permanent so I would say that perhaps it could rather easily be removed if need be. Talk about a useless show though. I've seen it once, and it just has no forseeable purpose. It is performed once a day, has a capacity of something like 40 people, and isn't that good. The old show used to be in the dining area for the Looney Tunes eatery and just had normal table and chairs, no stadium or anything. That provided nice entertainment over lunch or a snack, and that's all it was worthy of. There's one thing that park's can't afford to be in the long run, and that's cheap. Disney have tried that in recent years, and it's been anything but successful. Same thing here, and quick-fix here and there might do the trick now, but it certainly doesn't lead to good numbers in the future. I'd rather Movie World hold off from creating attractions such as Looney Tunes Musical Revue, Star Parade, Bat Attack, The Official Matrix Exhibit (love that name, so much better than Matrix Revealed ) etc., until they have a suitable budget to work with and create something that won't be cancelled a few short years down the track.

If you go every year, yet haven't done Disneyland Paris in a number of years, as tempting as skiing would be, I'd say take a year off from that to do Disney. There's also a brand new park right next door - Walt Disney Studios, which despite being not nearly as large as Disneyland, is home to some great rides. Think of Warner Bros. Movie World here, only to Disney standards, so in other words better. You'd be able to spend between three and five days at the Disneyland Paris Resort no worries, especially with a family you'd always have something to see and do. There's always next year for the skiing, but with how Disneyland Paris' financials are currently going, I'd personally do it sooner rather than later (I personally think it'll never close, but you never know). If your family needs convincing (don't know why they would - it is Disneyland afterall!), you can order a brochure via their website (make sure you visit the International section, not UK).

I went to Euro Disney a few years back! Its was pretty good. Except on the bustrip back to our Hotel, I had this constant ringing of "happy kids" songs in my head!! Its a good park. The first and most important stop of all is Space Mountain!! You dont wanna get caught up in a que over there, you can only listen to space music for so long(its kinda freaky)!!!! Then you run across the park as fast as you can to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Persil Backwards!!! I was lucky enough to expierence the ride before it went backwards! And the honor of riding it backwards in their next season. The next stop would have to be Frontierland and go on Big Thunder Mountain! This ride is awesome!! Its starts off with a blast out of the station and into complete darkness as you race underneith the lake and the first spec of light you see is on the mountain but steered into and out of tunnels and steep banking turns! That would have to be one of my top five! Next up head to Phantom Manor, is like a Giant Haunted house. As you come out of the ride you have to go into the graveyard. Heaps of people miss that bit. Walk up to the giant tomb and stand next to it and have a listen inside! It freaked me out cause I was standing on the footing of the grave when I almost fell off!! Well if you have done those you have basically done the best in the park. Other good ones are, Its A Small Word, Pirates Of The Carribean, and the Alice In Wonderland Maze! And if operating go on the Train that goes throughout the park, worth the view. Also try your best to get to Park Asterix!! Great park and awesome roller coasters! Hope Thats Helps Screammachine

I've kept to parks I've been to. I don't think it'd be any surprise to say that if it were of all parks, all ten would probably be Disney. Epcot Magic Kingdom Animal Kingdom Disney's California Adventure Disneyland Disney-MGM Studios Islands of Adventure SeaWorld of Orlando Universal Studios Orlando I've kept it to nine, because of the remaining parks I've been to (around 10 or 20 or so) I can't honestly put any of them above the others to make this list. For instance, a park might have great rides, but if they operate at abysmal capacities then I don't see how I could put that on a list that more or less praises parks. stdragon, funny you should mention Busch Gardens. At the Tampa Bay park I left with much the same opinion. Excellent rides, pretty good theming, delicious food, excellent operations and a great park because having every ride as a walkon is a welcome change from the Orlando parks. The problem is the attitude of the staff, which brought it down to "average".

^sfmm wont make my list (1) Tokyo Disney Sea (2) Disneyland (Tokyo, Anaheim and Orlando) (3) Cedar Point (4) Knotts Berry Farm (5) Island Of Adventures (6) Busch Gardens Tampa (7) DCA (8) Movie World "Spain" (9) Six Flags New Jersey (10)Six Flags New England

1 - Disney World 2 - Paramount KING Island 3 - Alton Towers 4 - Cedar Point 5 - Six Flags Texas 6 - Six Flags Magic Mountain I can only name six. But that's only because i have never been outside of Australia, and am listing from what i have heard.

Well that not me, but Ill Try: 1 - Disney World 2 - The Rest of Disneys Parks 3 - Alton Towers 4 - Islands of Adventure 5 - Cedar Point 6 - Busch Gardens 7 - SF Magic Mountain 8 - Blackpool Pleasure Beach 9 - Europa Park 10 - Tivoli Gardens I have probably forgotten some good parks but thats all I could think of.

Waterfall element? You'll have to refresh me on that one. It's a good ride - if wetness is your thing, then this is the ride for you. You won't leave this thing without being head to toe wet - and usually you're there before the thing's half over. No way that it's better than Grizzly River Run, or Kali River Rapids at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Grizzly River Run is definitely the best I've ridden, out of a total of nine - with not one but two full fledged drops during the ride, one of which spinning, nothing comes close, and its theming personally does it for me a lot more than IOA's painted concrete. I'd compare Popeye in terms of the ride (leaving theming alone) to SeaWorld San Diego's - Popeye's just a heap longer and a heap wetter.

13 coasters? I think you're missing a few. Even if you're not going to count the toboggans as coasters (which wouldn't be correct), we've certainly got a few more than 13 currently operating. As for my favourite theming, nothing in Australia has ever really taken my fancy. I don't mind Dreamworld, but they're really doing their best to ruin a lot of the nicer areas of the park. Warner Bros. Movie World is OK for the "Hollywood" style of theming, but it's well and truly far from the best in this class (see Universal Studios Hollywood, Orlando, Disney's California Adventure and Disney-MGM Studios for the ultimate in Hollywood theming), and the way it's also been bastardised, with no real thought put into the overall aesthetics of the park, doesn't impress me. Sea World's scenic, not really what I'd call themed. I love the park, but I'd hardly consider it themed. My favourite to date would probably be Disney's California Adventure's Golden State area, surrounding Grizzly River Run. Disney's Animal Kingdom was also up there for me. That park doesn't do it for a lot of people because it's not exactly jam-packed with attractions, but it has amazing grounds and the African and Asian areas of the park are great (forget DinoLand USA).

Reading your article about park efficency at Dreamworld.my opinion it comes down to How many staff you can employ and the attitude of staff. After visiting CedarPoint apart from Maybe Disney no other Park would compare.On all their Coasters they would have a about six operators plus the driver.Even more on their Popular Coasters and they all wanted to be their.Encouraging riders.They had 3 trains going on most rides even the less popular rides. Dreamworld has the most Potential of all Australian parks to Develop in a Great park but only if it wants To.Employ More Enthusiastic staff.

I love the framed Disney prints. I'll be sure to buy one once my funds are a little more sorted out