DaptoFunlandGuy

You're being bloody optimistic.

The last carriage had a flip-over ramp that came out of the carriage to bridge the gap to the station. It had several manually operated gates and latches. You could fit several wheelchairs or strollers in the centre area, and it had elevated spots over the bogeys with seats and more space for strollers. So, yes, wheelchairs could be accommodated - but only a couple of them, and essentially shoved down the back end as an afterthought rather than being able to enjoy the same ride everyone else got. It was far more manual labour for the conductor too, and although small strollers could fit on the end of the normal carriages, many larger baby carriages and prams wouldn't, and would be the main passenger aboard the caboose.

Can tell you there's been no adjustment to Rivals. Taipan IS DEFINITELY more forgiving. I'm right on the limit for Rivals and always ask to be stapled to be sure. Taipan never needs any extra effort. Exactly. I think though that the RFID system in Taipan has something to do with it - clearly the mechanics behind the actual harness are different and that is why there is more flexibility on ST.

Leviathan's opening will be postponed, due to being due for its 10 year teardown.

This is probably the biggest point to make. A boiler can explode, catastrophically in fact, if mis-handled. Likewise, you'll go boom if you're cavalier with a bic lighter and a petrol bowser. The main issue is whether something is done right. But a steam boiler vs. a start\stop diesel is inherently safer, and I don't blame them taking the safe route.

The carriages - the roofline of the carriage is what people are hitting. The main cause for this is because the station platform was raised significantly to give the carriage a roll-on, roll-off path. But the carriages aren't designed for standing passengers, so the roof is lower for that reason. If one was to be stepping up onto the carriage, it wouldn't be an issue, but because its at noggin level, clang.

Tripling down is new though...

As I mentioned recently, I rode the train a few weeks ago while it was operating with just the driver. The driver was at the rear of the train, and the PA announcements were cycling periodically. I'm not sure whether the 'mind your head' announcement was retroactively added, or whether it just wasn't heard prior to people smacking their melon into the roof. The station roof is a lot lower, because the platform has been raised. While I applaud them for making this attraction entirely Wheelchair accessible, I feel as though they've gone a step too far - raising the floor to accommodate a roll-on carriage has had the flip side of reducing the headroom for normal passengers. Has this created an unintended consequence? I know we're all laughing about being adults and able to not hit our heads on our cars and things, but we've talked for decades here about theme parks - specifically about guests checking their brain at the gate. A modern park attraction with such a high-risk hazard to the average population should never have existed. They need to look into some sort of rubber bumper or other padded edge to these carriages.

He didn't decide anything. They said "later this year" after specifically sprouting "September 3" for months. This slight change to the language implies September 3 isn't the current target - so one presumes it would be later. You can't get much later in the year (and opening for holidays is always the goal) so it seems quite sensible and reasonable for a normal person to conclude a Christmas opening. ...Further, not mentioning Trident in any media statements or commentary, when it was forecast to open at the same time or soon after, and the lack of progress on the site also, it's entirely reasonable to assume that the omission was intentional. He did however go on to allow for the possibility that it just wasn't the headliner and was omitted for that reason too.

In 2011, it was confirmed WB were the rights owners of the 1939 MGM Film. The Disney\MGM partnership a while back has confused folks thinking that Disney owns it too, so it's easy just to leave it as 'its complicated'. If you missed it, I did a little snip of the complicated copyright applying to various Land Of Oz products: The short answer is - if you intend on using the specific images - Ruby Slippers, Green Wicked Witch, Flying Monkeys etc, many of these images and elements are copyrighted by the film, and therefore owned by WB. You could skirt this restriction in the same way that Disney did a decade ago with 'Oz' but as the park is marketing as 'first wizard of oz land et al' it is very implied that they're going very much for the 1939 style, so we must conclude that they've licenced through WB. The publicity shots with Dorothy wearing 'ruby' slippers, and the specific imagery of Scarecrow, Lion and TInman that all fairly represent the on-screen characters - it's certainly used under licence. I remember Mark Shaw mentioned a while back how much a ride cost vs. how much the total project cost was, but I can't for the life of me remember. For some reason I keep thinking it was about 50% of the costs - but I know someone here will remember that and correct me...?

Zig Zag Railway. Travelling from Sydney in an old Model T Ford to lithgow and it was absolutely freezing. Many of my family worked in the NSWGR over the years so we've always just 'been around' trains. Zig Zag I think is the most memorable just because it was so. fricking. cold. Yeah as mentioned i'm hopeful once GD is out of refurb, they'll add to that area a bit more. I personally think that all the ABC Kids buildings that face the railway need something to hide all those back of house areas. The backs of those buildings have been largely ignored for 2 decades because Tower hid them from view. Now that they're visible again, they look dreadful, rotting, and things like refrigeration units on the roof are just unsightly.

I've always known that house as the Spielberg house. It was a studio bungalow, used for many things over the years but including editing suites and similar. I'm sure the Spielberg name attached itself after it was used, but I don't have any source for this. I noticed over the holidays the entire house had been demolished and a new one was being constructed in the same location. My guess is the existing structure was end-of-life or was otherwise in need of an upgrade, and the studio sprang for a replacement facility. I'm pretty sure it's Building 26 on the studio site plan which is listed as the home of ProxiVR although I've no idea whether that site plan is current or not.

I must admit, it's been pretty hard. Try proof reading your own ramblings. "I think all 5 mazes will be new" - your thought "as IP licences would've expired" - reason number one for your thought "and set designs would need replacing / refreshing" - reason number two for your thought. You had the option, you chose to double down. I'm not keen on dragging threads down into bullshit, but I also won't stand for someone re-inventing reality when they realise they goofed.

You literally said "all 5 mazes will be new as IP licences would’ve expired". You said nothing about "if they haven't been maintained". Are you mental? The thread is still on the same damn page - try scrolling!

Why do you think they've kept intencity shuttered for the past 3 years? The maze is still sitting there.

it's sad to admit this is just part of the vernacular now. I do hope somewhere along the line MGM \ Turner \ WB insist on certain quality standards, similar to what we saw with Dreamworld and Dreamworks.

Last week I had another opportunity to get on Taipan a few times and planned on staying for moonlight markets after close. I was watching the queue and although the general queue was pretty low, there was quite a few people with Tailwhip wristbands. I found it odd that they closed the general queue at precisely 5pm, despite having several tailwhip cycles to run (I'm pretty sure they have to redo all restraints on a train before dispatch) and because they had both trains on track, they were literally dispatching the non-spin train entirely empty every second cycle so that they could bring the tailwhip seats back into the station for the next group of two. Several cycles ran empty, or with only the tailwhip seats occupied, and this just felt a bit flat - there was a small group of riders stood around the area watching these two trains cycle repeatedly for solidly 10-15 minutes until all the tailwhips were done. I know park management read the boards, so this is more directed at them than for general discussion (but hey - add your 2c, i'm not fussed) - but I wanted to throw it out there that either Dreamworld needs to: Ensure they don't oversell Tailwhip in the final hour, or: When it reaches 5pm, Spiel to the queueline that the ride will continue to operate until the tailwhip queue has been cleared, and they make no guarantee anyone joining the general queue after 5pm will get a ride. Heck - give a 'queue marker' to the last person to enter before five, and just post a sign. I just feel like the guest experience could be plussed here with very little additional effort to give a few last rides to people on trains that are going to be dispatched anyway...

I think the Taxis increase was appropriate. When you consider they have no ability to be 'co-piloted' by an adult for younger drivers (whereas Junior Driving School can) and if you've ever watched the painfully slow progress riders make when a smaller kid is in the lead car who can't drive \ steer \ reach the pedals properly - and has to be assisted all the way around by the ride op - it's a disaster. While the height increase has disappointed some kids who rode the previous year, that will quickly resolve itself in short order, but it was necessary for the efficiency of the attraction. Speedy's does still have a place, even beside JDS - though for how long I'm not sure. As for Road Runner vs the new coasters, agree that these will offer more for that "mid-level family" demo that has been lacking, so I don't think RRRC will become irrelevant - just less so than now.

increased to $10 a ride after the first year.

clearly it has to be some sort of rocket. or a space modulator. but probably a rocket. Marvin's theme is space - so either a dumbo\dronkeys flyers style ride themed to rocket ships, or a kiddie 'swinging ship' or similar shaped like a rocket.

The intimidation factor is huge... but as someone with a 6 year old who only just reached the (increased) Roadrunner height requirement earlier this year - THIS is a big problem: These new rides will be able to accommodate smaller kids well before they are tall enough to ride Road Runner. The intimidation factor might play, but I can tell you, plenty of kids can't wait to be tall enough to ride all the big rides, and many are keen to ride as soon as they're tall enough to go. Road runner will still have an audience, but it is going to get smaller. And we all know what happens to rides when ridership levels decrease.

The Mack Wilde Maus series (according to RCDB) has been operating since the mid-90s. Scoob went in in 2002, and is entirely indoors and so isn't subjected to the usual weathering either. I think Scoob has a while left, but agree it would be the perfect pivot to do a dark ride either tied to WOO, or maybe they can even do a chocolate factory vibe since its a WB property also?

INB4 woodie beside wild west, something something mad max, something matrix, something something river ride, dark ride, use the whole LTRR show building, get rid of HWSD and replace with better show, use showstage for an actual show again. miss anything?

Agree. Every time the PLC stops the ride, LIVES ARE IN DANGER WITH PEOPLE DANGLING IN THE AIR FOR MINUTES AT A TIME!

I refuse to acknowledge their pathetic use of the 'P' word and will continue to refer to it as WOO Land.