downunder

I did the SCAD tower, just about crapped myself lol. Tivoli is so beautiful and cool that it's in the middle of the city, so no commute.

What about the 23rd, is that ok for crowds as well? I'll be in Brisbane and could come down both days though I've been put off Sea World by the reports I've seen here.

They are pretty much all actual props used in the movies, with a few exceptions.

Yeah they have an impressive Star Wars collection, I'll post some photos here if you want a preview.

FYI Icons of Darkness is only $20 and they take you on a tour that takes about a half an hour, hopefully it's open when you're there. It's some Hollywood director's private collection that he put on public display.

I concur on Knott's, it's fun and near Disney, and Magic Mountain if you love coasters (might work well if you are staying in the Universal area) - you probably haven't allocated time, but if you have time to spare I recommend. I did a park trip after Christmas in 2017 in the LA area, and the parks were packed, but I see you've given yourself plenty of time to do them. In Hollywood, a local mate took to this exhibition on Hollywood Blvd just down from the Chinese theatre called Icons of Darkness in September, if you love actual props from movies (incl full sized Dino animatronics from Jurassic Park), your mind will be blown. Also, Runyon Canyon accessible from the Hollywood strip is a cool hike to get some great views of LA, and a lot of stars walk their dogs there too lol.

I think I'll give it a 2 or 3 months before contemplating a visit lol.

^I hear you, but they're really putting all their eggs in one basket, and they don't have an asset to sell like Main Event in the future to keep afloat. Sometimes simple theming works really well. I always loved the way Top Thrill Dragster made every launch seem like an event with the announcements, Christmas lights, revving engine and the screeching tyre sounds, and the bleachers at the side.

I was probably more trying to reflect the thinking of a reasonable number of voters rather than my own opinion. On those polls, personally I'll always rate a punisher lower than a passive coaster. Arkham did offer an okay ride experience, the new restraints made it much better and you didn't get cauliflower ears from the jerky transitions. I haven't ridden Gold Coaster in so long, not even the hot wheels incarnation. Didn't bother when I was there in Oct. Jungle Love Coaster should be fun, but oh my gosh $35 million is a lot for a family coaster. Personally, I would have got multiple really solid less expensive drawcard attractions for the money, but we'll see how it goes.

^I would characterise MDMC as mediocre rather than straight out bad. But maybe boredom is even worse than the pounding you get from Vekoma, or a Volare or Gouderix (glad I had a fast pass, was a 3 hour line on a scorching day). I keep seeing Jungle coaster and think Jungle Love by Morris Day and the Time, an 80's funk led revival for Dreamworld lol.

Probably the most important measure in the Gold Coast theme park market is: how iconic will this ride be? All these new coasters, damn it's going to attract a lot of foreign undesirables, I mean coaster enthusiasts lol.

It looks like it will be a really great family ride in the Jet Rescue range of thrill level. Seeing mentioned above that Taipan hasn't been pulling them in, what went wrong? Is the DW brand still so tarnished people are staying away? I know I went on the last Saturday of NSW school holidays and DW was very quiet, and ST was mostly 15 mins (they were loading super slow).

Just checking, it was opening December 2 this year right lol. I might have to go to Carnevale to get some night views on the precinct.

Why do they remove coasters: to spite overseas credit whores who haven't been to Australia yet lol.

If your parents jumped on the Orphan Rocker now, you'd definitely be an orphan. VRTP have been way too frothy on the hyperbole, but the theming does look fantastic.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/language-and-cognition/article/abs/iconicity-toolbox-empirical-approaches-to-measuring-iconicity/36E46F0E20D7EE7020730B9CE91E0D60

Lol if you go to Mt Olympus at Wisconsin Dells, you can ride a bunch of them. All very iconic.

iconic adjective 1. relating to or of the nature of an icon. "he became an iconic figure for directors around the world" 2. (of a classical Greek statue) depicting a victorious athlete in a conventional style. Might have scraped through really stretching semantics, but even then, "world's most" suggests a level of delusion that probably requires treatment.

@New display nameI have noticed that, and perhaps it might be a competitive tipping point, time will tell.

I am kicking myself for not getting the non-local Annual Pass while it was $250 (a bit cheaper through NRMA). The price hikes certainly are ambitious, I guess if revenue increases they achieved their objective, even if at the expense of goodwill among some customers. I imagine the potential to increase admission and pass prices based on an increased product value proposition form part of the business case when evaluating whether to go ahead with a major new attraction.

@Ogre Thanks for the photos. I like the one where the workman is standing next to the statue, it gives a sense of how huge it is. Lol kind of looks like Iron Man at a fancy dress party, and no wonder he looks angry with that Sea World logo on his cod piece - probably not a look to draw the ladies (disclaimer: I am joking).

Can't comment on overweight experience with rides, but congratulations on pulling air on the slides. I managed that on Saturday and I was shocked, never done that before. And how good was Coney Island? I hope you have better experiences with Big Dip[per in the future.

Some photos:

Sorry to double post. Halloscream was excellent, the street performers knocked it out of the park. The sets in the 3 mazes were pretty good, but the scare actors were amazing. Coney Island has been plussed to being a large walk through. Starting with a Shining themed walk through the mirror maze with the Grady twins. Pennywise is hanging around the barrel. You are directed to the slides where the Girl from the Ring is waiting for you at the exit. Then a cyclone fence maze before turkey trot where Freddy and Jason are waiting. Then Scream ghostfaces are after that. RIP tour was ok, but not worth the money. The canapes were great and plentiful, also champagne. You get a bag with a drink bottle and vouchers for games, face painting and a green screen photo. Then an unobstructed spot to watch the opening ceremony. Later a tour where you get a look above the mazes in the big top. No fast track, though they did take us to the front for one maze. Though it wasn't really necessary as the lines were short all night, unlike previous years where the lines have been big. Big dipper's red train is in pieces, so one train ops for the night. Jaggs Journeys was there, so video should be out soon.