MickeyD

well we were expecting a july announcement, maybe they were sitting back to let DW have their moment before coming forward with their plans which i'm sure most will find pretty impressive in comparison. think of what's coming out at the movies too. Maybe they are planning to use the hype of an upcoming film release?

Ugly business practice has become rife in share driven companies empowering the big decisions to their Bean counters. As a result such companies are failing to properly empathise with their consumers or it's employees. In these scenarios the Board of Directors enjoy low costs, high profits whilst the Share holders cash in on the success of their investments. As Directors and Share holders demand increased profits then continuous cut backs will have to be made. Sadly this has to affect the quality of the Product delivered as well as the employee's involved in delivering it. In the long run this is a short term business model that will see business grow fast and inevitably fall even faster In my opinion, Westfield is the best example of this kind of share driven model and certainly not an example worth following for any company seeking a strong and successful future. Village, Flight Centre Limited, Stella Resort Group & Ardent Leisure- all companies that must maintain a strong customer focus. 1-ply toilet paper, over priced food, blatant advertising, touting, cheap furnishings, poor service or mediocre Theme Park rides are hardly the kinds of things that attract business, growth and a promising future. How they could possibly think that people don't notice this astounds me

Righto... the crazy thread? Interesting

Cheers for that! Once they have the site leveled & prepared it should all move pretty fast. A December opening should allow for a decent job given the ride will be basically one great big Meccano set and slapped up rather quickly Oh and Moderators, any chance of changing the title of this thread to something a little more appropriate? ie "New ride for Movie World"? cheers Mikey

$17 million bought all of this?? Wowie they sure had a strict budget didn't they? I seem to recall WWF alone costing this much? Anyway this was surely a pretty good clue that they were only ever getting the cheaper version (XT150) - mind you it will still add magnificently to DW's skyline and no doubt be a huge hit for the Park regardless

Settle down peeps!! Lets just be grateful and excited that a brand new full circuit coaster is coming to one of our Parks this year! Speaking of which can anyone provide an update on it's construction? Are we seeing footings being poored yet or are they still just leveling out the site?

^Do you recall S&S having some financial woes a few years back? I think it was around the same time that MW were installing their Space shot? Maybe this had something to do with freezing new projects at the time? As much as I'd love DW to build a full blown out and back coaster, both the construction footprint and remaining budget suggest otherwise.. I've searched around for the XT450 pricetag and only found something mentioning cost of the one in Madrid. They said 10million so likely meaning 10million euro - WAY out of DW's price range. The basic skyloop on the other hand comes in on budget. The MW el loco project could wind up being a souped up version of the current model and like others have said it would deliver a far more satisfying ride experience. You can't compare this ride to a Mack. This is absolutely a thrill ride. Oh and Bmull19 you probably have a valid point about bias coming from ex employees of VTP's. I myself are one of those ex employees but i can tell you that it's an educated bias. Working MW behind the scenes you get to work with some wizz-bang technology, systems and innovation that shit all over what any other Aussie Park has. This is because WB's insisted that MW got the US theme park treatment and lavished with fancy theme park computer systems originally created by Disney. There is so much the average paying visitor doesn't see that they may very well have a vastly different opinion of the place if they did. I reckon this is a pretty fair argument why MW is better than DW but hey, everyone is entitled to their opinion

haha yes it would seem the gloves are coming off between the World's as the battle toward the end of the year begins! As this will be the 1st major ride at MW since the birth of the VIP pass, it will be interesting to see if there will be any major difference to the way it's built for it's new, perhaps less fussy audience? A great capacity will certainly keep re-riders happy and the wait times relatively low - Quite unlike the rumored Looper going in down the road which will unfortunately add little to DW's capacity.. When you look at what's been done at MW lately, it's all been done well.. The Parades, the Fright nights and now the Christmas events - All as good as you could hope for and anything but cheap or unprofessional. This is all the proof I need to believe that they will keep building rides with the same passion. When they make the announcement, keep an eye out for a mention of budget/cost. VTP's usually like to boast about the expense they have gone to and it should also give some indication of what to expect come ride time in December! I hear so many people going on and on about how great DW is - After just 1 visit, I found it's all they talk about on the Outsiders. That and MW is OK but there aren't enough rides. Give me quality over quantity any day I say! I'd rather enjoy EVERY attraction in a Park over just riding everything in a Park for the sake of it! I have no idea what other new rides/remodels could be in the pipeline for this year but I'm starting to think the Looney Tunes show building will remain dark for some time yet? Therefore it only makes sense to me that whilst they are focusing on the front area then maybe they will take a stab at the futures of Lethal Weapon & the Batman Adventure?

Since it's pretty much óut there' now I just have to share my excitement and my thoughts.. A few months ago I was chatting to a friend of mine (no longer works at MW) who told me a bit about what was going on. I got the impression this person was referring to a Zacspin from the way it was described but now I can easily see now how the 2 could be confused. Well I'm glad it's not a Zacspin! Get excited people because this thing is gunna be huge!!! - bigger than the few el locos out there and once complete, I hear it could even top out as one of the Park's tallest structures! It will also have a decent capacity with 2 rows, 4 seats across per car which will theoretically double it's hourly capacity from 720 to 1440 riders! It's not so much the speed of the ride, rather it's incredible gravity defying manouvres that will make it such a unique and brilliant compliment to the Park's line up. In action, it reminds me of what it would be like to ride one of those radio controlled kites that can be seen flying high above a Park nearby Clark Quay, Singapore. Any of you guys ever seen these things in action? Like flying Lanterns or little UFO's.. awesome! I guess for VTP's this information has leaked out at the right time and inline with an 'official press announcement' due out any day now. MW's Marketing department are going to have an absolute ball this year no doubt! Given it's location, I think the Theme chosen for the ride is fairly obvious but perhaps best to leave that speculation until the official word is given As has come to be expected with MW, I wonder if it will feature any indoor sections for the main bullpen (queue) or even perhaps for part of the ride itself? Even if this is to be the only new thing for 2011 (and I'm quietly confident it won't be) this news will surely have DW shaking boots and perhaps err 're-evaluate' some recent Capital decisions! I Applaud MW/VTP for making the right decision. They have once again proved their spot as Market Leaders by bringing an innovative, one of a kind, new roller coaster and a knock out success guaranteed for both the Park and Punters alike WAY TO GO MOVIEWORLD!!!!

or maybe an XT450 model was over budget so they had to settle for the basic model instead, had some cash left over so why not chuck in a Discó for good measure, minus any themeing but of course!

^cheers for clarifying mate! Sorry what I meant to say was that regardless of whether they get the SkyloopXT150 (hehe sounds like a new type of mobile phone!) or if they (however doubtfully) chose to lash out and get a customized XT450, the Public reaction would probably be the same either way. I was looking through the Maurer Sohne site today and noticed that whilst they offer standard templates, customized extensions to the standard loop can be tailored to fit the Park's needs in terms of available space and more importantly, budget. Just a few dips and turns after the initial loop would not only fatten out the ride time but also provide an improved hourly capacity and greater guest satisfaction It's a shame but it seems to me that the decision to install the Disc'O won out over spending the extra money on customizing a circuit for the loop. Now it appears DW will wind up with 1 meh ride & 1 good ride. I'd much rather trade that in for 1 great roller coaster. Wouldn't you?

I actually don't mind what they have gone with. Shockwave will be an ideal starting block for those working up to a ride on the Claw and it adds more kinetic movement to an already busy area. Over in Gold Rush country the upcoming Skyloop XT450 will certainly turn heads on the highway whether it winds up getting a custom extension or not. Both additions will add to what is becoming a bewildering array of Flat rides for DW which regardless of a pretty underwhelming budget, this seems to be just what the punters want

Thanks for the update and great post-card style pics:) There is definitely an art to navigating Disneyland Park and some of the best people to watch and follow are the local AP holders who know the place as good as there own back yard! Heck I'd be one of these guys too if I lived in their neighborhood! Single rider queues are great aren't they? It'd be nice if Space & TOT had them as well but then I guess lining up every now and then does make the whole experience seem that bit more worthwhile You didn't mention riding Space, Big Thunder or Splash Mountain? I hope you didn't miss these! The Matterhorn bobsleds might have been cutting edge back in the 50's but as the oldest of the Disney 'Mountains', today it is anything but the best. Next year the Matterhorn is going to get some much needed T.L.C to finally bring it into the 21st century. With a plan to have it down for half of next year, I hope they do this major upgrade justice because it has so much potential Oh and I really hope you rode Pirates and the Haunted Mansion - 2 of Disney's most beloved dark rides! My advice to anyone planning a trip to Disneyland California for the 1st time: - Wear good comfy shoes! - Arrive early! - Grab as many fastpasses as you can muster! - Give EVERYTHING a go so that you don't miss out on what could be your favorite thing! - Avoid buying lunch at lunch time! - Do all Etickets 1st thing before everyone else gets their hands on em! - The Fantasmic & World of color are Disney showmanship at their best! Don't miss them - Disney Parades are the best Parades - Ride Haunted Mansion, Pirates & Mermaid when lines everywhere else get too much! - Take your time to enjoy Disneyland's incredible beauty, richness and depth Time and time again, people visit the Mouse House for the 1st time & are left wondering what all the fuss is about? A shame really since they have no idea what they are missing and if they did I am sure their opinion would be wildly different. Whilst there is always room for improvement, the original Disneyland is 10/10 for me

funny, Star Tours 2 seems to be Lucas' unofficial apology to the fans for the last 3 movies I'm glad to hear they have worked on the motion, the cabin shuddered quite a bit when I rode it last year just before it closed.. The picture quality looks incredibly sharp and I LOVE the new state of the art 3D glasses. I bet they cost a pretty penny! I wonder how many times they can be recycled before they perish? The standard 3D glasses used in Park's all over the world are crap, expensive and arms snap off them all too easily. These new fan-dangle Disney ones look like they were designed by Oakley! oh and not sure if this is an exaggeration but judging by the Queues wrapped all the way down Main street, it is reported wait times are in excess of 5 hours!! That's an hour's wait per minute on the ride!!! It would have to be SERIOUSLY good

Wow, 20 years rolls by fast and for me it seemed like only yesterday when "Hollywood On The Gold Coast" officially threw open it's doors. I was so inspired myself at the time that barely a year had gone by before joining the cast. A time I still cherish today as providing me with some of the fondest memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. Happy Birthday Movie World. After 20 fabulous years, you still continue to amaze & raise the expectations of the average Aussie Theme Park lover.

I received a My Fun update tonight regarding the return of the VIP pass for 2011/12 fin year and the only thing that was hinted at was that this was going to be a Big year for the Parks.. I hope this isn't just all hype because all indications are this may very well be the case.. Plans for the Tune ride building aside, if a coaster is indeed going in to the front of MW, my money is a Zacspin. Like others have said, it covers a small footprint, is visually striking, within price range and completely unique to what we currently have in OZ.

and that is such an awesome idea too.. I just wish that VTP management could see the importance and value of the Looney Tunes franchise and continue with a toony themed ride/attraction for that building, I just can't see that happening though

I gathered that having seen it almost flood around that area in the past.. so whatever is being constructed I guess will be built over the top then? Personally I would of gone for the Western area to balance up the crowd flow a bit but if it is indeed a new coaster, this is awesome news

Just wondering if anyone can tell me, have they completely filled in the creek to the left of the gate or are they building over the top of it? The water from the lake has to run somewhere and when I was working at the Park the level would sometimes get pretty high after heavy rain

yup! just because the Batride may be a little dead in it's current incarnation doesn't mean there aint life in the ol'girl yet. For example, take a look at what's happening over at Disney with Star Tours right now? Before I am shot down with comparisons people, keep in mind our own great MW Simulator Attraction was originally spurred on by the success of attractions like Star Tours and Back to the Future... In it's day our original (Penguin/Catwoman) themed version was surprisingly often compared (by guests and staff) and favoured over it's fancy U.S. big brother's. Perhaps a nifty twist like 3d and/or multiple programming could give this attraction the long standing life the Bat franchise deserves? Time will tell I guess

..or maybe they'll just whack a Zacspin in that spot

"Ben10 The ride" lol.. hmmm seriously.. maybe?

^I think that if any Park can get away with leaving out details like ceiling, exposed lighting, fx, exit signs etc then a Movie based Theme park like Universal certainly can. I guess arguably it adds to the whole 'Hollywood Magic' thing - just the same way as the facades around the place can. I guess Alex, enthusiasts like you, me and so many others do tend to notice the details and can be perceived as 'nitpicking'. I wonder how much impact such details have on the average Jo who would only notice them perhaps subliminally? Anyone who has been would agree there are a lot of smiling faces wondering around, Cast members included so they are certainly doing something right Thanks to those that read my report! Transformers and Madagascar will add the much needed dark ride element and comfortably make the place a 2 day visit

Hi everyone, I arrived back from Singapore after a week's Holiday in the wee hours of this morning and would like to share my experience of Universal Studios with you.. WARNING PEOPLE!! This is a bit of an essay and I appreciate those of you willing to take the time to read through my tips. I hope it helps with your trip planning;) Being a Theme Park nut, we visited the Park twice (one day really is plenty). For anyone planning a trip any time soon don't prepay your tickets - turn up to the gate and if you have one, pay with a Mastercard (debit or credit) and you will receive a 20% discount off the admission price as well as discounts on Park dining and a $10 voucher for souvenir shopping. This worked out to be about $50SGD or $40AUD pp per visit. A visit to the Night Safari was $50SGD so if you can compare it to things like that USS is arguably Singapore's best value attraction! A perfect way to start the day is to get the cable car across. It's $24SGD oneway or $26SGD return, so naturally we got the return ticket. A cab from the city Hotel to Mt Faber cable car station cost around $10 each way. On our 2nd visit we caught the MRT subway from Clark Quay to Harbour front station for about $3 one way and then a return monorail ticket from there across to Sentosa. Even though they are on different sides of the city, I cannot see the point doing the Singapore flyer (giant wheel) or the observation deck atop Marina Bay Sands. Hands done the Cable Car wins on all accounts. Like you would expect with most Theme Parks, USS is quieter in the morning and progressively gets busier as the day goes on. Also like other Asian Parks, USS offer peak and off peak rates. So go mid week and plan to arrive early to make the most of your visit! Alex I completely agree with your opinion on the size/layout of the place. It really is a beautiful Park and the planners have gone all out to make USS a visual delight. There is so much detail in the buildings/facades and the atmospheric music, landscaping and sight-gags galore make the place an absolute pleasure to explore every nook and cranny. For instance, there is a great little back alley leading out to a San Francisco waterfront that features numerous sound effects of chatter, diners up stairs, kicthens etc - such little touches that really gave the place an "A" for theming, arguably on par with a Disney Park. Many tourists form the East love a good photo opportunity and USS was clearly geared to keep snap happy folks clicking away madly! The layout and overall face value impression of the place is spectacular and this is probably it's best asset. I believe one of their greatest challenges though is to maintain it's beauty over time. Singapore's weather is unforgivably humid and tropical. In just a year and half operating you can already see the Park is showing signs of rust and wear (however minor.) Having spent a decade working in the Theme Parks myself I have a pretty good understanding of how crowd flow impacts wait times etc. For that matter, any true Theme Park enthusiast can take advantage of people's 'sheep like' mentality and play it to your advantage. On the days I visited I would hazard a guess the Park peaked at around 5000-7000 visitors. Bare in mind I would bet that figure would almost double on weekends. The Waterworld Stuntshow arena is HUGE - I'd say at least double that of MW's stunt show with a capacity of about 4000. Midweek there are 3 shows a day and the venue was about half to two thirds full for the busiest show. You can imagine what affect this has on wait time at other attractions. During Waterworld, Mummy & Battle star are walk ons with the longest wait simply being the time it takes to walk through the seemingly endless maze of queues! Keep this in mind when you plan to visit! The 12.30pm show seemed to be the busiest one and you just about had an empty Park to enjoy to yourselves if you chose not to see it at this time! It is STINKING HOT inside the Waterworld arena so go sit down the front in the wet/soak zones to cool off. Better to be soaked in water than soaked in sweat In the hour or so before Waterworld, stay Far Far away from that area! Only at this time will you wait 30 minutes+ for the Shrek 4D or nearby kiddy coaster (an exact copy btw of MW's Road runner only with better theming and strangely at least 6 people working on it.. CRAZY!) Again the themeing of Far Far away is breathtaking and the Castle is one of the Park's biggest 'weenies'. For some reason people stop by this area on their way to the Stunt show and so should be avoided at this time. Other times your wait for Shrek will be just based on the cycle of the main show inside. The Jurassic Park area gets stupidly busy after the Stunt show with queues to the rapids ride suddenly exceeding 60 minutes and even nearby canopy flyer also with at least a 30 minute wait. From there, the crowds will flow around the lagoon spiking wait times for Mummy to 30+ minutes before heading on to the Battlestar coasters. Essentially people work their way around USS in a clockwise manner so plan to go counter clockwise and if it's not too busy you should have 0-10 minute waits all day long! And now onto the rides themselves.. LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! This is the sleeper hit of the Park and one that I suspect many would bypass because they either don't know it's there or just don't know how good it actually is! DJRAPPA you would be impressed by this show. The audio in both the main and pre-show areas is top notch. The whole show is 10-15 minutes long and is basically the park's big SPFX presentation ala "Ëarthquake" or the old "Backdraft". It seems to take all of the big wow moments from such experiences combining them together in a show that features immersive elements that make you feel part of the experience. It's a real shame that MW will never have a show like this and I say that because this kind of attraction really needs to be built for opening day. It is a complimentary attraction rather than a feature one but if you can appreciate being thrilled without being turned upside down then you won't wanna miss this! MADAGASCAR A CRATE ADVENTURE All I am going to say how painfully disappointed I was to learn this opens tomorrow and when I was there on Friday (my birthday) they were only allowing AP holders previews later that day WARNER BROS MOVIE WORLD PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE GUEST REACTION TO THIS RIDE AFTER IT OPENS!! It will essentially be a modern day version of LTRR and I can tell you this is going to be a smash hit with Park visitors. People were lining up at the entrance just to be told by an attendant that it was closed! It's the intrigue of what's inside that makes boat/dark rides like this so exciting for people. If it is successful, hopefully MW will see the value in keeping the dark ride boat experience SHREK 4D Same show as MW's with maybe a few more theatre lighting effects and better themeing inside - only just though. One thing you do notice about USS is pretty much everything looks better on the outside where the lions share of the budget went. WATERWORLD STUNT SHOW Very reminiscent of Police Academy and essentially the same as the Hollywood show. Far too hot in the venue and maybe some of those giant ceiling fans that are popping up around the place would help? I found it hard to enjoy the show because of the heat JURASSIC PARK RIVER RAPIDS The fast part of this ride provides one of the most fun rapid ride experiences out there but overall, to me it was a real let down. The Animatronics have 'Sally' corp written all over them and the skins on the Dinosoars are showing their age. No offence to MW but they could have produced a ride as good as this on their cheaper budgets. Not sure why they did this.. Maybe because it is a rapids ride so you whip by so quickly that they'd think you wouldn't notice? So much more could have been done in the dark sections and the T-REX could have been bigger, meaner, closer and maybe stuff like feeling the heat of his breath? Something to bring the action closer, it just missed the mark for me. Oh and be sure to brace yourself when you go down the shoot at the end. There is no smooth run out so the boats slam into the water and it can hurt! I hope it gets shut down and seriously worked on after Transformers opens. Best time to ride is 1st thing and you can go round and round. You will get soaked! Don't get me wrong. It is good, just not great. MUMMY Great ride. I have never been on the ones in the US so hard to compare it. Again I feel they spent too much $$ on the exterior themeing and cheapened on the internal effects. Like Scooby, the walls look great and in part look up and you'll see it's just a black ceiling with show lighting etc. Disney go all out to create the 360 degree of immersion and this is what sets them apart. If USS had done on the inside what they did on the out it would be up there with Disneysea. Without being too critical this is arguably the Park's best attraction and we went on LOADS of times! The biggest pain in the arse is having to walk all the way around each time (you have to get off each time). The elemental surprises such as fire and mist, turn tables, LIM launch and space mountain style dark section make this one of the best theme park rides out there. One tip - hold onto the safety bar throughout - if the car is heavily loaded it will initiate high pressure breaking before the last drop and that can hurt! BATTLESTAR HUMAN VS CYLON Can anyone answer why the only smooth Vekoma Coasters out there are the ones that are built for Disney?!? lol nah seriously compared to Lethal weapon, this is a huge improvement:) Themeing in the queues is good but really no better than the likes of Superman Escape. The launch is fun but could do without braking a little at the top of the rise. The clothoid loop on the Cylon side has a great reverse G feeling as you go into and come out of the loop but the cobra roll is a little jarring from the front row. Both trains lose quite a bit of speed after the first big drops but soon pick up the pace. Overall both rides are a lot of fun with the Human side being surprisingly more thrilling than I expected. Mind you the Human side is also quite rough and the cars shudder (in true vekoma style) through every sudden turn. You can see why one of the seats (allegedly) once came off during testing!! There are definite design faults with both coasters and I guess maybe because it was some what of a prototype, practice makes perfect eventually;). My advice, do the Red side 1st and blue 2nd. Go whenever waterworld is on. Both Mummy & Battlestar have lockers for you to empty all your belongings. Great because they are free for the 1st 30 minutes! TRANSFORMERS You can tell the entrance to the ride will be by the 2 green double doors under the 'Sci-Fi City' canopy. The show building behind it does not look very large, certainly not as big as Hollywood's so I wonder what sort of version Singapore will get? There are no signs advertising that it is 'coming soon'. My bet is Hollywood's version will be the more lavish one. PLACES TO EAT Fine dining out in Singapore is crazy expensive but junk/takeaway food is cheap! Universal Singapore's food prices are very good for Theme Parks and I was impressed by the quality. Friars in far far away offer some great chicken wrap combos and if you're a pizza fan like me then you can't go past Loui's in the New York area. Between 2 of us we devoured a Tandori pizza which was HUGE. Way too much food for 2 people but it was Belissimo and so massive that it did me well and truly for the rest of the day Phew.. well if you made it this far thanks for reading and if you're planning a trip, I hope I've offered some good tips about your visit to the Park. If I sounded too critical I guess it's just because there is always room for improvement right? Honestly the place is spectacular, staff were very friendly, the food and variety was great with a compliment of attractions that sum it up as one of the top Theme Parks around. Go check it out! Maybe just wait till Transformers opens first:) -Mikey

The oversized outdoor queue and theatre area has been a clumsy waste of space for years.. Now come to think of it, I recall whispers a while back of planning a new flat ride to take that areas place.. A Disc'O perhaps? haha nah surely there are other options out there;)