DaptoFunlandGuy

A link, or screenshot, or quote would be really good with these sorts of announcements...

If you've never done Disneyland, you're going to want to allow more time. Even frequent visitors can return to the park time after time and spend a full day.

I can understand someone who has been loads of times doing DL and DCA in one day by park hopping and doing their favourite stuff, but to do all three is insanity. might as well roll your cash and smoke it - you'll burn it just as quickly.

If you've never done it, LA is a must. Stay anywhere near Anaheim, and you'll be fine, with loads of options on how to get to the parks. Knott's is only 5 minutes up the road, Universal is accessible by coach tour, hire car etc (and there are plenty of options) as is Magic Mountain. I wouldn't use distance between parks as the reason for avoiding LA - Disneyland is something you must do at least once. Sea World is a bit more of a hop - last time we went we stayed overnight in SanDiego and spent some time looking at other things whilst we were there, but you can do it in one (very long) day. We were out of Sea World around lunch time having seen all that we'd come to see, so it may not be that long of a day depending...

You should find him and tell him what a great job he did Rappa...

Yes Rappa, you're right - it does - however if we look a little further... Google's going rate on the USD at 12pm today means USD$76.99 = AUD$108.02 Oddly enough - VRTP's $9/month = AUD$108 - so we're talking an identical price. (Although I recognise if you pay upfront it is $9 cheaper). With VRTP - Yes, you get 3 parks, with a total of 9 coasters, although many would argue that for MW at least, you can't spend a full day there, and SW is similar if you don't do every show. With SFMM & HH - you get 2 parks, with a total of 19 coasters. Guarantee you're spending a full day there (which operates hours longer than VRTP do), perhaps even 2 days depending on the season and still not fitting everything in, even if you skip every 'non-ride' experience... The argument put forth was that he doubted you could get annual passes for the low prices we enjoy here - the facts above prove you can.

^that's where the naughty children go...

Housing prices are affected by a lot more than just inflation, however I did google the calculations, and that was what i got. I cannot find the link for it now (it was top result this morning) but you are correct, and in checking with RBA.gov (far more reliable than google) it is somewhere around $215m, but yes, as you say - the point still stands on the price difference. #Fail. Six Flags Magic Mountain AND Hurricane Harbor - on sale now for $76.99eaKnotts Berry Farm - $81 - in 6 easy paymentsUniversal studios Hollywood - $119...and I disagree with you re: Gold Coast being the best place to live. My Opinion.

Theres only 3921 roller coasters in the world, according to RCDB - so literally ONE THIRD of all current roller coasters have 'coaster' in the name.

Such as: Scooby Doo Spooky CoasterMick Doohan's Moto CoasterGreen Lantern CoasterRoad Runner Roller CoasterStorm CoasterRock N RollercoasterGadget's GoCoasterCoastersaurusAccording to RCDB, 1298 Rollercoasters in the world have 'Coaster' in the name. http://rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&nc=coaster Something else looks dumb now...

Those parks started as something a lot less than they are today... On opening, Movie World had no coasters. Sea World got by with one coaster for years. Dreamworld had two, one of which still stands. They've grown from a time where it was a lot cheaper to put something together. Movie World, on opening, cost $120 million. In todays dollars, thats only roughly $160 million. Add on the costs of their biggest expansions - such as WWF at 18 million, and you still don't hit 300 million all told... so $2.5 billion is unlikely. More likely the park will start small, obtain market share, and then expand if necessary - but if nobody competes, expansion will not be necessary and it will stay small. You compare the Gold Coast to Adelaide. On the world stage, Gold Coast IS Adelaide.

Ricks or Dirty Harry? (i hadn't heard of any expansions near Rick's was all) If you meant Dirty Harry - considering the kitchen in DHB is currently a hole in the wall (ie: very very small) expansions to the offering will need a bigger kitchen, so my bet is it'll be a diner kitchen type space, with service windows facing off it.

Oh come on Ashley they look nothing alike! The flag is even facing the wrong way! Dreamworld Aint Disney i'm tellin you!!!

You're a thief.2006-2015 achieves the epicness of an atomic bump. 2011 is still in the same decade.Not quite ol chap - but keep trying.

Yes.

Well I can't see VRTP or Ardent selling their flagship investments just because of a little competition. I'll believe it when i see it.

all about location! (Besides - DHB always was a food outlet - so they aren't opening another one - they're kinda just expanding the one they have into a better offering) Part of me loves whats happening here - the other part of me laments the loss of the facade that was "dirty harry bar".

That still looks reasonably thrilling...

I don't see it as being bad: New park opens - people flock to itold parks see drop in visitation, drop in revenueold parks make decision to compete - build new amazing ridepeople flock to old parks againold parks drop the ball and don't compete - old parks close down.Also: Cluster of many parks in one spot = worth visiting the area for a couple of days... take LA - Knotts, Disney, Universal, and further - SFMM and SeaWorld. A person on a park trip to LA will normally hit up all of them, won't they? BUT - how many people trek miles just to visit ONE park (shut up Gazza! ) Not many people will detour very far for the sake of visiting a standalone park - unless it is absolutely worth the trip. A new park building on the GC doesn't need to have the WOW factor to stand on it's own - it only has to be of similar quality and content as the others to be worthy of a visit. Even competing brands can team up - on my last LA trip, we got a SoCal pass which gave us admission to Universal, Disney and Sea World on the one ticket. Healthy competition is always good... and if VRTP can branch into asian markets, surely Asian park developers can branch out here.

*yawn*

Hard Rock Park - announced early 2007, opened April 2008. Wonderland was built in about a year too. This concept is still a few years off construction definitely - but you're saying it would take years to construct post approval? i don't think so.

That is true - along with the CEO's statement that he wanted all the hoyts cinemas refitted with far more luxurious seating that would reduceseating capacity but increase luxury in every cinema... regardless of cost - suggests there may be some viability to it....

Believe it when i see it. it's not the first theme park proposed to be built by the chinese. Given trade restrictions and foreign investment restrictions, I just see it as the carrot they dangle when they want to do less attractive investments - you let me buy these four cattle ranches, and i'll build you a theme park.... kinda deal. my thoughts anyway.

Fixed

^When it looks like that, it's hard to suggest that that is 'healthy' for the ecosystem it supports - if you do, then what you're actually saying is that the park ran for around 30 years with the paddlewheeler, and this must obviously habe been very damaging to the ecosystem (which would explain (I) why they scrapped it and (II) why disney did the same thing #ohwait) Or, stop trying to explain away your shortcomings by saying 'it's better that way' and install some agitators to stir, or aerate the water.