DaptoFunlandGuy

Thanks, that helps explain a lot. It's kinda hard to understand someone just saying "it's shit" without understanding why, especially when there are other examples out there that nobody has critiqued as harshly. I can understand your position better now, thanks. It hadn't occurred to me that climbing kids would be a reason for the install but now it's been said it's the only real reason I can see for them going down this route. Glass would have been nicer, but a lot more expensive. Look, understanding the specifics of the complaint, as well as seeing examples of how it might have been improved upon and I can understand the position. Like most other things in-park, we as a community are far more likely to have an opinion on how it could\should be done. The thing is, some folk will be content to sit back and point out things they don't like, and (preferably) suggest how they would have done it differently. Other folk will go so far down the rabbit hole they end up working for companies that do this sort of thing for a living and actually make those suggestions \ changes in the design phase. Sometimes, this results in an improved product delivery because the enthusiasts became the designers. (We have a number of people on the forums who have taken that route, though I won't identify them as it's not my place to do so). Sometimes though, the park may not wish to spend the extra on plussing the design - so sometimes we end up with more basic installs, for whatever reason. We're still allowed to discuss it though - that's the whole purpose of this place. Honestly looking at before and after photos (and with no industry insights whatsoever) I feel like the facade could have been kept, if that's what they wanted to do. They probably should have kept it too. Preserving it in front of whatever new bits they needed would have cost a lot more than what was built though, and therein lies the rub. I agree it doesn't look so out of place anymore, and I think the white walls will make a great canvas for the light package at night. It is something i'd like them to fix up, but not anything i want them to prioritise over the other parts of the park people have mentioned. Cosmetic changes are things they should look at when everything else has been done, and they've still got money left over. Reskinning the building isn't going to change the ride experience. Perhaps when the ride has had a good run and they decide to change it up with a new unique film, they could incorporate facade changes to match the new film, but just changing it as a matter of course, I don't see the point.

I don't care. Answer the question.

well shit, unwelcome back. Seems like pool fencing is pretty standard around water features these days. I'm quite sure that what they were thinking was - we need to ensure that wheelchair access is provided to this install. I think it looks fine. what would you have done differently?

What are you talking about? That's not a solution that's literally what I already said? I'm firmly of the opinion that this account is an AI bot that mashes words together. Bad bot.

Being fair, for a subscriber who is signed in on their device, they may not even register that the article is going to be paywalled when they share the link. That said, these forums are a good source for historic info, which is why it is preferred to upload images to the site rather than hotlink to other sites - because when other sites inevitably break those links, the images are no longer accessible \ viewable in the discussion. By the same token, it would be good practice to share at least the text of the article (suitably quoted and referenced of course) when sharing an article link, regardless of whether it is paywalled or not, because then at least the content is accessible even if the original source takes the article down or breaks the links.

I'll wait until it's not on pay per view.

The title describes the thing. Dreamworld has launched a new online Merch store. Shop from five different outlets in the park including the Main Street Emporium, Tiger Island Bazaar, Fairytale Treasures, and the Lego certified Store (though the lego store redirects to a different site, the remaining in-park outlets are all hosted on the same site). Dreamworld Merch Shop

ETR covered this in the video. They're unlikely to make any changes this operating season, so current season passes aren't likely to change. Even if they do, I can't see them burning current passholders by not offering them some sort of upgrade \ conversion \ freebie.

The only people I know who purchased the key are significantly younger than me, and I am younger than a 'boomer' (who by the way are people currently in their 60s). The key appears to be an absolute failure. It has slow uptake, and its clear the benefits have been pretty much forgotten about. I reckon they make more money from their TikTok subscribers given the effort they've put into that. This could have been a really cool VIP membership program for the park's greatest fans and instead - yep - nerfed.

Trawling back looking for something else and came across this - and i'm wondering @joz whether now we have Atlantis open and Flume removed - is there another chapter to add on how the park is going?

This view is also lacking any buildings whatsoever for plant room, operator booth, or queue line. It's also not the entry view, and is looking from the claw side of the attraction, given the globe is left, sky voyager straight ahead, and the candy and ice cream shop further down. However it also show's Kenny's \ the food court buildings, so perspective is a little off, which is to be expected, because... IT'S AN ARTISTS IMPRESSION AND CLEARLY NOT CONSTRUCTION PLANS - which we've all been able to view for months now, so again, this shouldn't have come as a surprise.

From what i've heard Betelgeuse as a character is only returning for the Hooray event, probably cashing in on \ promoting the new film. I do hope they get a gravelly older guy to play the character. Keaton was in his late thirties when the first film was made, and he's in his 70's now. A young adult just wouldn't play the same, IMO. I also hope they stay true to the character and let him go with innuendo \ not be too PC. Not sure they could, but if they were going to reopen show-stage as a stage venue, something akin to Rockin Graveyard Review would be a winner.

I used to work for a company that held the in-house contract for the Big Top. Christmas Parties for sure were popular, but they aren't enough to sustain the venue. There are so many other spaces out there and competition has always been fierce. Naturally this always meant there was pressure on to reduce prices to remain competitive, or throw in other inclusions like rides \ attractions. Now LPS has redeveloped Maloney's Corner into Luna Land, along with BD3, they are running out of space they can use for opportunities like this. Judging by the social media post, it doesn't sound like clients had contracts in place, and venue availability isn't a guarantee. A few corporate christmas parties isn't anything to cry over (and if the venue reopens for those sorts of events, those 'annoyed clients' would be straight back on board, asking for discounts and ride inclusions once again. A simple template. it wouldn't be too hard to drop in some client logos, or dressy backgrounds. It doesn't have to be as fully immersive as the show itself. I never liked Big Top. If it didn't exist, then sure - but it's here, and as a facility it doesn't really lend itself to nostalgia. If it weren't being used for this attraction, it'd be an empty shell of a venue used for special events only - which isn't really as efficient a use of the space as an attraction that is open and making money every day of the week. As you say - its being done by the best in the business... Now you're catching on.

You sound really confident about that, but I wouldn't be so sure. Its a strong park, and can stand on it's own. If the group tried to close it down they'd get crucified, and selling it would be a HUGE mistake. As for land values - The area surrounding it is a lot of residential property. It's not a potential hub of industry at the junction of two major arterial highways. It's nowhere near Wonderland as a comparison. As far as attendances, Knott's ranks near the top of the group. Of the 11 Cedar Fair parks in this analysis, Knott's is beaten only by Cedar Point itself. Revenue wise, its about the same, or larger than Cedar Point too. No. While much is uncertain as a result of this merger - one thing is for sure - Knott's isn't going anywhere.

We stayed at Knott's for part of our April trip this year, and did drive from there to Valencia for the day - We are certainly not the average tourists when it comes to parks though.

My initial reply to this would have suggested there wouldn't be much difference given the distances and the locals for each park have little crossover, but the more I worked through it the more interesting it became. If knott's were to close, I feel like the majority of their tourism attendance would move to another Disney day, or just spend time around the Anaheim resort precinct. Locals on the other hand visit Knott's because they don't like the bustle (and robbery) of the D bubble. If MM were to close however - the solution is less obvious. The park's bread and butter are youths\young adults who are *relatively* local to the area, and seeking thrills, not experiences. The nearest big park is Universal, but it's a very different experience and not really what an Adrenaline junkie is looking for. I'd wager Universal would pick up some of the market simply due to geography, but those who have the ability to travel... Would they go all the way to Knotts for an Adrenaline fix?

lol. Yeah. *wink* $230 *wink* "value" *wink*

Village seem to have quietly dropped a cheaper locals One Pass recently. The One Pass Lite - priced at $179 - is $40 cheaper than the normal Locals One Pass (and $120 cheaper than the full priced One Pass). The lite version of the pass has: No White Christmas No Carnivale No Spooky Nights BLACKOUT DATES - From Boxing day to January 15th. For me, we rarely do the night events, even though they've been included in our passes for some time. We will go if friends are going, but mainly because we've got them for free. The current 'value' of the night events shown on the locals passes (ie $89 for WC, $69 for Carnivale and Spooky Nights) is not a price i'd pay separately. But considering we rarely use the night passes when we do have them this is an easy way for us to save over $100 on the next renewal (assuming we renew). We tend to avoid the Christmas holiday period entirely. The parks are stupid at that time of year so the blackout dates don't impact us at all. Overall, its a bit of a coin flip for us. If we went to just one night event it would pay off to buy the higher priced pass. If there were a bigger price gap - even marginally more, it might tip the scales for me - but at the very least its nice that they're finally offering locals a product that just gets them into the park regularly without bundling it with night events and resort stays. ETA: as long as they stick by the blackout dates this time. Back in the VIP days, they offered VIP with blackout, and VIP gold without blackout, and the first day of the blackout dates they had a bunch of families try to enter with VIP passes and caused a stink when they weren't allowed in - so the company folded and quietly deleted the blackout dates. Here's hoping the new investment firm have more of a spine.

Thanks for putting all that together so I don't have to read the big detail. if it's more like cedar taking over SF, i'm quietly positive about the move. it could see standards at SF improve. A SF taking over Cedar scenario is more unthinkable. Hopefully we don't get a Paramount Parks situation out of this, and the merge strengthens them as a company with more power to compete with the top two for market share. There is no scenario where the big players like CP, SFMM or Knott's are in danger. Some of the other more regional parks with lower patronage and ROI may see some changes out of this though, which is sad, but ultimately it's a business and they have to do what is profitable less they sink the entire ship.

from the entrance, the view is the photo opportunity. the view of the ride can be had from the lower end of main street. this was always the plan and shouldn't be anything new to anyone.

RIP

technically... we have an OLD font....

A day is still early access.

All absolutely good points. They may also want to do something with it but aren't able to allocate the funds to it yet. If they have a good summer, or their mid-year review shows a better than expected result, they may be able to allocate additional funds to a retheme. This may be why gold coaster was such a short notice period - they may not have known it was able to fit in the budget until the last minute. I agree this ride needs change (not removal) but with so much going on across the entire park - Tiger Island redevelopment, Rivertown, extensions to Ocean Parade, the Flyer in Main Street, the ongoing works in 'Dreamland' and the recent work on GD and the Train, if you add that to the retheme of Gold Coaster, install of Taipan, the removal of log ride, TOT, Wipeout and Buzzsaw, there is very little of the pre-TRRR park (outside of the wildlife area) that remains untouched. It's clear they're working their way down the list, so i'm happy to be patient.

Nearmap shows a train parked and uncovered in the transfer \ storage track in October 2022 and July 2023. It also shows a train parked there in October and November of 2020, but with covers on.