BNErider

The sign still says "technical rehearsal" -- which I take for a soft opening. There's not even a sign for the ride when you enter the little area near the DC Comics store. If it's 'properly' open, huge fail.

This ride hasn't officially launched yet, right? So it makes sense that they don't 'promote' the ride until it has been launched to the public.

I rode this the other day and thought that while the themeing was fantastic, it had a few issues issues that unfortunately took away from the overall experience. While I have ridden Transformers in SIN and Men in Black and Buzz Lightyear, I understand this ride was never built to the same caliber as these rides. Here were my running thoughts: - The entrance looks really good. The first room looks great, although the walls are starting to chip in places already. - The second room (main queue switchback) room looks quite average. Not a huge fan of the Lego blocks. The projection of Batman is no where near loud enough though. - The overall ride themeing was great, but the static props were a little strange. Not used to seeing that on a ride of this scale. But still, I didn't let that take away from the overall experience. - I found that shooting the targets was a little hit and miss. Some targets made the gun vibrate and some didn't (perhaps the screen targets aren't meant to), as well as some hits didn't turn the targets 'off'. - The 3D screen targets were WAY too fast. - The projector over the doors between rooms looks weird. You can see the edge of the projection. I'd rather see pitch black. - The sync issues really need to be sorted out (which I assume is being worked on). The fog machines also need to be resynced. - I hate it when I see the screens turn on/off in front of me. - The sound needs to be worked on. It's not loud enough.

This ride sounds SOOOO AWESOME. I can't wait. I am going to try and get down there on Friday and see what's happening. Let's hope they soft open it just before school holidays start!

This area looks fantastic! Seriously, FANTASTIC! If it looks half as good as it does on screen, I'll be happy! Seems that Dreamworld/works had their heads screwed on right for this one! No more of this crappy "it only looks good from this angle" themeing! Yes, it's not Disney or Universal standard, but I do get a huge Disney vibe when I scroll through the photos. It's more tacky than say, Animal Kingdom/Disneyland/TMK, but the atmosphere really does give off that vibe (to me, anyway). Far better than what Movie World is throwing at them... Photoshopped facades, simple repaint and a few billboards tacked on the side of the ride stage. Oh, and a train that may or may not help improve the ride's awful design.

I must admit I am very pleased with how well this ride looks. Even the front fences are in theme. The ride might be a smaller thrill ride, but at least it is a complete package. Well done, Dreamworld. Let's hope this ride pulls in the crowds and is a lead in for bigger and better thrill rides.

I just hope there's some decent theming with a proper storyline!

Does anyone know if there's a pre-show or some actual theming? Or is it just a fancy shed?

Do guests access the studios via the gate near SE/LW? Is it a long walk? And are there just fences either side of the roadway?

By launching these cheap annual pass promotions, guests can return as many times as they want for no extra charge. They could literally visit everyday for 12 months and not spend a cent extra, yet are purchasing these annual passes for less than what two day passes cost. I think these results show that these passes are not a viable long-term business practice, as an increase in guests without an increase in spending shrinks profit margins, which may bring on cost cutting (which we have seen in the years gone by), eroding the value of a full day's ticket even further. But can the parks revert back now? I mean, who'd pay $60-70 for a day pass, when they could purchase an annual pass for just $30 more. I do think the parks are slowly trying to increase the cost of their annual passes, but I would like to see the cost of a daily ticket lowered to push guests back to purchasing one-day passes. Of course, they'd still need to be cheap enough to entice locals to visit more than once. A yearly pass for $150 still presents great value in my opinion. Of course, these changes can't happen overnight.

Managed to ride one of their coasters in Orlando (Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit). Didn't like it. It was pretty rough for a newish coaster and felt that it didn't really achieve anything (in terms of airtime, g forces etc.), but it had a few 'WTF' moments (which work well for advertisement campaigns). Keep in mind, however, that I rode this after 2 TPR trips and a week in LA, so I was comparing it to A LOT of coasters. We will obviously have to wait and see what model this ends up being, but I can't see it being anything amazing on a world scale. I can see Superman remaining as my Aussie #1 coaster. But hey, it's finally a new ride for the park, so that's good.

I heard that they weren't selling enough tickets to warrant them showing feature films anymore. It's not a big loss, and certainly the average guest won't even notice the change.

They're not scary. A mega isn't really "big". They're quite a slowish ride IMO, and a step down from The Claw, Wipeout and other true thrill rides. It'd be on a par with the Angry Beavers Spooty Spin ride. A good (filler) attraction but I would hope for some theming/plantation, not just a random concrete slab and a fence. And Brad, have you actually been on a "mega" disk'o? :/

I hate Eurofighters. I've ridden Mystery Mine and still am not a fan. They're awkward and uncomfortable. I really hope Dreamworld does not build one.

I can understand that the theme park industry is fast-paced and things will change quickly in reaction to competition, revenue/attendance and a lot of additional factors. However, I would think that a large project (like a roller coaster, for example) would be finalised by now? What lead time would you say a large project normally has?

I would highly doubt that... Then again, I've never been on the business end of one of these deals. However, I'd imagine you'd finalise something like a roller coaster 6+ months out. Remember, these parks have 10+ year plans, and while those DO change, I'd imagine they'd have a fairly good idea about what's happening 6-24 months out.

How long does a roller coaster take to manufacture and ship? I'd imagine they would have needed the plans finalised well and truly before January.

I'm really impressed with Dreamworld at the moment. A LOT of work is being done on the buildings within the park, and while I don't think we'll see anything huge built this year, I'm sure the additions will win over the locals and tourists. The enthusiasts, however, will still be asking for a B&M.

I did two TPR trips last year and LOVED it. The ERT and backstage tours were super cool, but there were a few times where I decided to skip them and spend some extra time at the hotel (two back to back tours nearly killed me...). Besides the theme parks and backstage/ERT perks, you get to meet so many amazing people. I have made so many life-long friends that I cannot wait to meet again. To be honest, I'm going back to America next month and will be spending the entire time travelling around and meeting up with those that I met on the tour. If you have the time and money to do a TPR trip, I do recommend it! I would have done the Australian trip if I had the time.

Will the top of the AVPX show building be hidden?

I was referring to their 'airtime' coasters (Mega/Hypers), not inverted, floorless, looping coasters. B&M are my favourite coaster manufacturer, but some of their coasters lack some kick in the airtime department... thanks partly to the trims. Of course, there will be coasters that defy this and are great with or without the trims.

I do agree with that. They are always trimmed to death... I know a lot of coasters are trimmed, but with B&Ms, you REALLY notice it when they're trimmed. I've been on a few 'average' B&Ms (Raging Bull is a great example of this) that would be x10 better if they weren't trimmed. Intimidator was trimmed, but didn't overly affect the airtime/pacing. The Hulk, one of the rougher B&Ms that I've been on, is still one of my favourites. It has a GREAT layout. Something like this would be good (but would never get it on a $7mil budget!). Tell you the truth, I have no idea what to expect. A decent attraction/ride could be made out of $7 mill, but it wouldn't be a roller coaster/huge thrill ride. If the park was really creative they could pull it off... but maybe aim a little lower, and not waste all of their money on the ride and just smack a few signs up for theming.

I've heard it's quite average in terms of B&Ms. If we're wishing, I wouldn't mind the Intimidator at Carowinds, Apollo's Chariot or Griffon (both from BGW).

Both sides have been reversed, and I'd imagine that any computer upgrades have been completed on both sides.

Something like Prowler, Renegade and Evel Knievel would be nice.