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DaptoFunlandGuy

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Everything posted by DaptoFunlandGuy

  1. DCR's boxes don't rotate when they're only running one train. And they almost never run 2. Exiting people to the wrong side just to collect loose items delays the advancement of the train into the load station. it would only serve to cripple cycle times even further. Trains can't launch until the unload station is clear and this would massively inflate the amount of time the train would spend in Unload. SE is coming up on its 20 year anniversary, and they have changed the TVs in the queue recently. I feel as though they haven't forgotten about the ride, and given its proximity to Oz, the queue systems of 2005 are a little antiquated. SE was built in a time when most people didn't live on their phones - Smart phones were virtually non existent or stupidly expensive. It wouldn't be until 2007 that the first iphone was released... The park has been sprucing up a lot of things of late (no doubt BGH wants to go to market once Oz is at the top of the Hype lift hill), maybe SE does have something in the wings to improve and modernise this?
  2. Check out the full application details here I've skimmed some of the documents really quickly this morning and a couple takeaways: The main DA Form 1 references them as Ardent leisure, not Coast (though documents are from last year so depending on when the change occurred, that's probably in line with the submissions) Looking at the plans, there are 3 current lots - in a nutshell, it looks like they just want to re-draw the boundaries of each lot. They have land available on the north side of Oakey Creek which isn't entirely practical for them to expand the theme park on. The new boundaries would create 3 new lots, basically defining the carpark (and the former BB studios) as Lot 1, the theme parks as lot 2 (including the Oakey Creek easement all the way to foxwell road), and turning the land that is on the north side of Oakey creek, adjacent to the old Big Brother site into Lot 3. The application includes a MCU (material change of use). I haven't read through it all but I am assuming the MCU relates to the town centre transition precinct as it wouldn't be theme park \ tourism use, whereas I believe the current lots are. It also enables the road connectivity planned out for the Coomera Activity Centre to flow seamlessly into the connector roads.
  3. How about a GP motorbike coaster in Rivertown, or a bunch of motorsport \ car themed attractions in 'Ocean Parade' ? The building facade may fit the ride, but it doesn't fit the surrounds, the land, or the park Not everything a park spends its money on should drive more guest visitation on billboards. Sometimes, it's just to enhance the park, and make it a more pleasant experience for the guests who have already paid to get in. I can assure you its way more than just a couple of thoosies. The main reason Emporium got a repaint was not because it was due (ie, not run down), or because of a "licencing thing". It got a repaint because it was ghastly, and did not match the theme of the area. It has been restored to more traditional 'main street' colour scheme so that it compliments the surrounding areas... sound familiar?
  4. The expression goes - any publicity is good publicity - but not unfortunately in the enthusiast world. (I would just point out to the Village fanboys out there - look! people are talking poorly about something Dreamworld did, take note for the next time you all claim its a village pile-on!)
  5. I don't think either is 'better'. it depends on what it does, what market it is targeted at, etc. There's no option for this, so I can't place a vote. Storm sucks, ST is pretty decent. DCR is good. Each ride has to be considered on its merits and there is no 'one' formula that is 'better' than the other.
  6. I never have my phone on me in the ST queue, but if I choose to buy a spinning seat, having my wallet accessible in my smartwatch has always worked. Plus loose items aren't prohibited like superman and guests routinely carry their wallets and phones onto the station for DCR and ST. In the case of SE, if you're selling fast track, the greeter can always sell it at the gate prior to sending you to a locker, and just hand you a lanyard, token, wristband or other proof of purchase to use the FT queue if that's your concern.
  7. Just for anyone that wasn't aware, Dreamworld usually has this facility on Steel Taipan. (The reception for the device is terrible however, and takes ages to process.)
  8. You can compare a camry and a lamborghini, but its still a stupid comparison... and then I saw who compared it.
  9. great response. 5/5. good man. 0/Sarcasm. We often agree on things quite a bit. it's just a ratings grab.
  10. as opposed to some post saying how 'oh its Dreamworld, clearly this is an awful idea and they are going to make it look terrible. Just to be clear, i've only made comments about the sign as I hadn't seen the nighttime photos. I liked it (the sign), I said it would look great during the night events, but noted they aren't as often as we ALL would like (as we'd all love extended trade all year, when lighting packages really do show off their best side). We have seen examples at MW of a lack of maintenance once a product isn't new. That's not village bashing, its par for the gold coast theme parks course. I've called out the same issues with maintenance at Dreamworld when I've seen them too. (Theres still at least one LED on the Dreamworld Flyer that is misfiring - looks like a dead red channel) I'm just expressing concern that if it breaks it won't be returned to the same standard and there is a precedent of that to point to in support of that argument. I summarised by saying that I *hope* it is maintained well. I finished by commenting that the chase sequence wasn't to my personal taste, and i'd have liked if they'd done it differently which is entirely opinion. This is a parents facility. not a sensory refuge. Baby changing areas, breastfeeding cubicles, nappy bins and microwaves. Putting Marvin right next to it (when it's operating) doesn't make it a refuge either - theres no escape from the sound. The two things don't have to be mutually exclusive. they're providing recognition while marketing their new investment. Should a park only focus on making the best guest experience, but fail because they didn't market the park to anyone?
  11. We are planning a trip this year and the one thing we have learned is that you need to plan and research a LOT. I'm hearing you about it not being a park trip, so while it'll be hard for most folk here to not fall back to 'do this park too!' i'll try and balance things out a bit... First, a couple of things to echo - if you do Disney, DisneySea should be the priority. You should still spend 2 days there minimum, but if you only have one, spend it at Sea. We have 3 weeks, and we've already put down 2 days in each park. But don't not go just because people have said you need more time there. A little time is enough to show you if those people were right, and whether you want to go back again later for a better experience. Be prepared to be flexible. A lot of things sell out early (including express passes) and in Disney's case - vacation package guests, and then hotel guests, get first dibs on pretty much everything. A lot can be sold out so have alternative options if something isn't available. Know the dates things are made available - As an example, Universal passes are dropped around 2 months out. Disney usually drops hotels & vacation packages 3 months out, but in our case they dropped the packages early due to the opening of fantasy springs. This sort of thing drops at a set time of day, and some of the websites drop from too much traffic \ place you in a queue. (We waited in the queue for 11 hours to secure a Fantasy Springs package, but that's not the average experience). Even experiences like Shibuya Sky, some of the Team Lab experiences drop tickets a certain time out, and there is a rush to get all the best spots early. You might still find tickets closer to the day, but they may not be at an ideal time and you'll find yourself compromising things if you haven't planned. ESPECIALLY because you're planning to go in Sakura season - you should get a good idea of your itinerary NOW and so that you're ready to book accommodations as soon as they're available for your dates (usually 12 months out). You'll also want to be researching all of the attractions you want to do, though with two years before you go there are going to be plenty of changes in that time, so again, be flexible) Transport. iPhones these days can add an IC card like Suica for general public transport. If you're doing a lot of back and forth between cities, consider whether the JR pass will work, but note that it had a huge price increase last year and you really have to do a lot of long distance shinkansen to make it worthwhile. We're hitting Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone and then back to Tokyo, so for us it works - but if you're just hitting the golden triangle, (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto) it generally isn't worth it. Many of our stops don't include parks, so may be closer to the itinerary you're looking for. Youtube is your best friend. The amount of things we've found, learned and researched by watching youtube is mind blowing. There is so much to learn, and we're still making tweaks to our itinerary based on updated info from the latest videos. We've watched a lot of different channels, but the ones that ended up in our subs were: For the bigger parks, TDR Explorer is really informative. For getting around (especially as a family), Kensho Quest has been really good For just seeing what a place \ attraction looks like without much waffle, channels like ITSUKA JAPAN provide walkthroughs Americans documenting their travels (which is great as you learn lessons from them as a result) check out Ordinary Adventures or Tales from our Pocket Hints and tips about everything japan from a local guy starting his own tour guide \ travel company - HARBLIFE Hints and tips about everything japan from a local - TOKYO KENCHAN Hints and tips about everything japan from an american guy who does travel videos everywhere - YELLOW PRODUCTIONS Good japanese advice from a westerner (UK) living and working in japan (but mixed in with silly video collaborations made with friends - Abroad in Japan (he's also written several books under the same name)
  12. That's going to be great at the 3-4 night events the ride will be open for per year. I do wonder how visible its going to be during daytime operations. I do also wonder what will happen with some of the LEDs inevitably break and whether they'll just switch it off and call it a day, or install static white LEDs as replacements, though I do want them to maintain it in its 'premiere' state of course. Am I the only one annoyed that the chase sequence follows the outline of the shape, rather than tracing out each letter in turn?
  13. That's a lot of land space for first aid, i doubt they need all of it. Though I guess its still up in the air what they do with showstage so who knows?
  14. In all honesty, I don't know why parks target openings to occur bang on peak periods. There are inevitably teething issues and the ride's reputation is made or broken in that first peak rush. Open it in the off season, give your operators time to bed down the processes without a 3 hour queue of angry families behind them, and iron out the kinks. Advertise the hell out of it and get soundbytes and reviews from real actual guests, rather than stupid rhetoric from the C Suite for your marketing - anyone planning a last minute trip for the next holidays might see that and decide to go as a result.
  15. ^and they didn't actually answer the original question.
  16. Not to mention the re-skinned Disney Afternoon (US) which was branded Disney Adventures on Channel 7, weekday afternoons
  17. That's the problem with a selective quote. sometimes things get taken out of context, right? It's clear in the longer quote that the title relates to a rollercoaster specifically. Well, it's better than stupid green leaves.
  18. Yeah to me it's a bit of a lame name. They stick the word 'adventure' on so many things these days it's just lost any meaning.
  19. Honestly it's probably better that you don't - nobody understood you the first two times either. It sounds more like a 'you' problem. At any rate, the group consensus is that a ride is needed, not an animal exhibit, so the discussion is moot. (And I still want Otters)
  20. Why do Japan, Abu Dhabi and Sydney need Gold Coast to get involved? Why can't they just play amongst themselves without involving a third (fourth) party? Toba Aquarium already tried a breeding program with Serena over 16 years without success. Dugong reproduction is extremely slow. Dugong don't achieve reproductive maturity until they're around 14 or so, and females only calf in the wild every 3-5 years or so, provided all conditions are optimal. Malqout in Abu Dhabi was a month old when rescued in 2019, so likely won't reach reproductive maturity for at least another 5 years. You're asking a facility, that doesn't have any of the species, to ask 3 other facilities that do, to stress the animal by transporting it (in some cases across continents) for what - to stick a male and a female in a purpose built facility, and sit around and pour money into it, possibly for years, while the 2-3 facilities that have loaned theirs sit around with a vacant exhibit for... how long? Toba tried for 16 years. There are numerous papers on Dugong, including husbandry, some of these even funded by Sea World. Why not ship Pig to Toba - arguably they have facilities? Why not bring Serena to Sydney? They had capacity for 2 Dugong as they used to have Wuru there with Pig too... Unless you're some sort of marine biologist with decades of observations in the Dugong, i'm not quite sure why you think that the experts in these world class marine life facilities are getting it so wrong?
  21. That much is pretty clear, though i'm not sure its anyone else's fault. Put simply you've already hit it on the head - dugongs are only going to come into captivity if they are rescued. Sea World's priority is rehabilitation and release. And then, and only then, will they remain in captivity if they cannot be released. It is highly unlikely the park is going to invest in a prime habitat, on prime real estate, with particular set up, filtration and care systems, on the off chance one is hurt, able to be rescued, able to survive, but not able to be released back into the wild. Speaking of Wild, I think the situation with Gorillas and Hippos is a little different, as the animals already existed in captivity, and needed to be transferred by their current homing facility. Sure, Sea World could acquire a Dugong from another existing facility, but this would only occur if the other facility required to rehome, which is also unlikely if they have already established habitat and facilities. I'm struggling to find a good metaphor here. If they had a Dugong in permanent care in 'back of house' facilities, and you were advocating for them to build a 'showcase habitat' for them to house the animal permanently in a guest accessible area, i'd be all for it, but since they don't have one, it kinda feels like a bit of a pointless argument... Because....
  22. I think any animal rights groups are going to kick up a stink regardless of the animal introduced to the park, but I think the rarity and the difficulties associated with Dugong take it out of the list of possibilities immediately. I'm ok with an ASC Otter. The animals are insanely popular in every place i've ever seen them, they're endearing, and they enjoy human interactions. They're practically domestic animals in some countries, so likely one of the least controversial options too. I like the idea of over near the outdoor penguins... certainly a good 'fit'.
  23. Some parks i've been in overseas have had small aviaries or enclosures with animals in those small 'transit' spaces. If we are adding an animal attraction though, bring on the Otter!
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