BNErider

In here now and I retract any doubt. This looks incredible.

Yeah, Rivertown looks much nicer. Perhaps the queue makes up for it?

Exciting weekend, but I can't help but think Movie World is going to get some flack when the coasters inevitably go tech this weekend.

@DaptoFunlandGuy - I think you misread or I am using the terminology wrong. Let me rephrase... Do you guys think the dark ride portion of this ride good or bad, or is it too early too tell?

Do we feel the 'dark ride' portion of JR is a hit or a miss? That's probably the only thing so far that seems a bit meh. But like most of us, I am yet to actually see what is in there.

I don't think this has been shared. Not sure if it breaks any laws but an interesting look nonetheless.

Looks like I got my wish regarding landscaping. The only thing so far I don't love is the restaurant. Feels a bit RSL like but I am happy to give them the benefit of the doubt until all theming in. Are there any effects in the tunnel? And is the queue air conditioned?

The issue Movie World has to deal with is the awful surrounds. Gone of the days of showstages, people want immersion. I don't think they can overcome the massive buildings shadowing the forecourt of the new land. Happy to be corrected, of course. And where the roller coasters are, they seem to have done little to block the outside from creeping in. They don't seem to understand sightlights. However, if this is our biggest complaint then great! Also the inside of Jungle Rush gives me Mummy vibes. Will they have a rope to pull?

It is amazing to have true competition back between the parks. However, in my non-expert opinion of someone who hasn't step foot in either new land, Dreamworld takes the prize for the best themed land.

I'm no horticultural expert, but I hope we see some greenery that is not the same low maintenance, boring plants we see planted at any new commercial development. I want it to feel like I'm in the jungle.

To be honest, I thought most chains had a similar ruling up until Japan. As I said, unless there is a breakfast or perk provided per person, I thought it was basically an allowance for a spouse. Which I still think for the most case, as I haven't had this issue in any country other than Japan. Same reason I book hotels with a AAA discount. Because, technically, local motoring agencies are affiliated with the AAA. I'm sure if I did that in Japan, they'd check my AAA membership. I didn't book under a AAA rate, but when I have through Singapore, HK, US, Germany, Netherlands, Italy (you get the gist) and other countries, I wasn't ever asked. No, the other person staying with me was not hiding but rather standing right next to me. Hence why Japan hotels asked, we answered and they charged accordingly. FWIW, I was given an extension on dates with a ticketing "misunderstanding" in Universal Orlando without issue. It happens, we miss stuff. Guest relations usually help if you ask nicely. All I was pointing out was: a big take away from my trip was that in Japan, as friendly as they all are, every T&C will be followed. No matter the circumstance. That's fine, hence why I amended my bookings and enjoyed the holiday. No sleep lost.

I'm not sure how my tip of "make sure you specify how many in your room" has caused so much debate, lol. It doesn't change the fact in Japan, it is the first and only time I've ever been stopped and charged more for a second person. I'm fairly well traveled so I have quite large sample base to go off. It wasn't a bitch, and again, merely an observation. Also, not sure if a on site hotel perk, but some express passes were available the morning of second visit. We were almost going to, hesitated again at the cost, and decided to not proceed. In the end, we achieved everything we needed to in the 1.5 days, albeit minus one Halloween attraction.

Sorry, my post was absolutely not a bitch by any means. I LOVED Japan. It was my opinion which obviously some disagree with, which is OK. I have traveled pretty extensively and have never had to book more than 1 person. I first started doing it when Hilton group offered it as a perk for their members. But it appears culture was the issue for my trip, not hotel chain. Across all hotel chains it mattered, whereas in my previous experiences I've never had an issue. https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/threads/hilton-honors®-2nd-guest-formerly-spouse-stays-free-how-to-use.34657/page-4 I was well versed in Universal's express offerings which is why I didn't feel it was good value for money. The ticket bookings open up 2 months out - another tip I'd suggest. Universal was just over packed. Their operations were not amazing. They were similar to Movie World in the way of lose articles, and even had iPads to show queuers the "rules" prior to boarding. ThIs slowed down ops. They still run VR on one of their ride which had resulted in stoppages. This park was BUSY! I'm talking struggling to walk through certain parts of the park busy. Even within Tokyo, each train trip was a good 30-40 minutes Google Maps time, which makes it more time consuming when visiting various parts of the city. Not a bitch, just observation. Swapping tourist venues is not as quick as a few stops on the metro like Singapore or even NYC.

Just got back from Japan Sunday. Here's some advice. Disneyland and Disneysea do mid-week. We did a Tuesday a week apart. I made the mistake of staying way too far away on the first visit, and got to Disneysea too late to get Fantasy Springs entry. Oh well. Disneyland the week after rained all day, so lines were fantastic! The park was empty after around 7/8pm except for Main Street. Universal - that park is a mess. The Express Pass can only do select rides; you opt for 'packages'. We found single rider OK. Still struggled to get on everything with the 1.5 day pass. Unfortunately we missed the fact it needed to be consequent visits, so had to spring for a second day pass. We got Nintendo entry at around 11am still. This was on a weekend too, mind you. But if you can get up early and/or stay on site, try to get it as early as possible. You need to scan in to get the app entry, not just be on site. Disney/Universal park hours reportedly open an hour earlier than posted times. We didn't get there early enough. Staying til close helps also, as people tend to leave after the main show/parade but Universal in Halloween is still a mess. The locals LOVE shows/parades/anything they can take photos of. Use this to your advantage and go hit the rides first/last up. Staying at a resort also allows you to get pass outs (or can you make other excuses? Who knows). Nagashima Spa Land ops are a joke. Go on a quiet day and still will struggle to fit everything in. Steel Dragon is amazing in the last row. We paid the $15 (or was it $10?) to get express pass one time. In Tokyo, it felt like everything was 40-50 minutes travel from one another. No matter how close it appears on a map. We changed our hotels halfway through the trip to stay on site, ended up making life A LOT easier. I don't really have any specific advise but feel to PM if you have any questions. I found Japan really easy going and quite tourist friendly, SO LONG as you have something like Google Maps to assist with transport. Make sure you go get a Pasmo or Suca card (QC) ASAP when you land - otherwise every train line basically has its own company and ticketing systems. The Go Card-like cards allow you to top up and you can use these throughout Tokyo, Osaka, Nara (and I assume elsewhere). Google where to purchase. You just buy your Shinkansen (bullet train) as needed. Don't fear unreserved seating, we did this as we decided to do an open jaw booking (Osaka to Nagoya then on to Tokyo the next day). Hmm what else. Make sure you book the hotels as 1 or 2 people per room (or whatever arrangement you have). I ALWAYS book my hotel as 1 person except when it has something like breakfast or executive lounge included. But in Japan it was a problem EVERYWHERE. We just caught on and amended bookings. The Japanese are mega rule followers. Every part of the T&C is upheld. Late checkout, theme park ticketing (lol read above) - this is a good and bad thing, but it caught us out a few times. In the US and Europe it tends to be a bit more of a conversation and sometimes you get lucky. Cash is good for topping up the QC cards above. Other than that, we only needed cash for the express pass and food machines at Spa Land. Try researching flight prices at flights.google.com. JAL has the best leg room and seat width. I'd say Singapore is next (we did this, via Singapore). Have fun, I've caught the bug and want to go back already!

Just chiming in to say that this is truly a joke. I don't think I'll attend this year's event. This is the first year since the event's inception that I have missed attending, except for when I was overseas one year. I am sure many are in the same boat. I agree with others in saying I hope this bites Village and they learn that MOST people attend these events for the MAZES predominantly.