MickeyD

hey all, the forums have been a little quiet of late so I thought I'd get a new topic going that I hope will be of interest to most of you and raise some good discussion Being a park lover, one can't help but get excited for the countless major developments currently in the works around the theme park worlds - largely thanks to Disney and Universal. Arguably the biggest project for 2010 is set to officially open a hop, skip and a jump away in Singapore. With it's compact layout and massive attraction compliment, coupled with a unique resorts precinct and other world class attractions, it's an entire vacation destination and almost like an inspiration from Walt Disney World and more specifically a hybrid of the Universal Studios resort parks in Florida. Not as funny as it sounds when you consider Universal was Singapore government's 2nd choice after their failed attempt at drawing the mouse to the East about a decade back. Perhaps Universal makes for a better fit anyway? Instead of Singapore and countless other potential destinations of course Disney decided to set up camp in Hongkas. And after a very shaky start, the mouse was finally convinced by the people that rides and the Disney wow factor are far more appealing than souvenir shopping and a photo taken with Goofy By the time the heavily anticipated Mystic Manor and Grizzly coaster open at Hong Kong Disney, Universal sentosa will already have it's Transformers ride and perhaps be turning to their next venture. Meanwhile, construction of Shanghai Disneyland will be in full swing when a short distance away the world's 1st Paramount studios theme park will throw open it's doors in Korea. If this were not enough Universal hit back with their own plans for a third movie based resort in Asia. It just gets sillier; About 18 months back Warner Bros execs decided that anything they can do.. and TA-DA!! - plans for a 4 billion buck WB's theme park were hatched Seriously I'm not complaining but just how many Movie Theme Parks does one small country need?? Apparently three.. Now finally to my point. With all of this development in Asia how do you think our Parks will respond? No doubt we will see a significant decline in International visitors to MW & DW in the years to come - why would someone from Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong or China want to visit our Parks when their own are the best there is? Will our parks have to market themselves differently in such a changing climate? I think so.. SW is perhaps an exception because of it's uniqueness and themes. DW too in many ways because it has always had a strong presence in the domestic and local markets. Its a formula that's long been a favourite to the average aussie, perhaps because that's all most of us know? I believe we are already seeing a shift at MW and the demographic it's now targeting today. Like DW the big focus is now on attracting locals instead. VIP passes, Batwing & HWSD - not anything that drives international visitors here. What shits me with all this is that for years in Australia we had no park truly with a 'world class disneyesque' flavour to it. I believe that all changed finally when MW came along. Unfortunately those glory days are behind us now that competing on the 'world stage' is no longer a crucial factor in it's survival. As the rest of the World continues to build multi billion dollar extravaganzas nearby, our expectations will lessen as the quality of our Parks decline by degrees -as dictated by the new target demographic. Fine for our international visitors - they don't come here for the Theme Parks anyway! Shit for some of us who would have to otherwise fly at least 8 hours for a decent experience that others would take for granted

sounds good but surely the time for it kicking off must be a mistake? It's still light then?? It would have to be at least 6pm to make it work - by which time park guests would be long gone if there is no other reason to keep em there? I'm keen to find out more but if it's going to be an outdoor show presented from 5.. seriously what's the point in that? and what's the go with emotional soundtracks featuring.... who??? spongebob? i'm ready i'm ready i'm ready lol

thanks for the update there. I'm sorry to hear a new family attraction is planned to open in April. Sure if it was for December then it could be billed as something major but just under 2 months surely cannot allow sufficient time to build anything major? I think a major new family attraction is really what the park needs. Here's hoping that's not all that DW will be planning to add for 2010

So if Log ride makes the #2 spot in the popularity stakes then what is the average DW patron expecting from their experience of the place? Last time I went on the log ride, the scariest part of it was the REAL spiders that could potentially drop on me as I floated on through the caves, tunnels and rusty sheds.

^well if that's the case then MW IS a far superior Park - how can you compare the log ride with Wild West hm?

sure it all comes down to cost but i wish they would offer the same resolution to keeping the mine ride operational

looks awesome! Jurassic Park ride looks to have dual down shoots? I wonder if that's because of the way it's designed to work with the vertical lift hill and something to do with capacity? Overall the Park has some very innovative concepts and i can't wait to check it out later ion the year once all of the bumps are ironed out

and what sort of place has an internet cafe have in a theme park I ask? Why WBMW of course!!! Fail.

correctamundo Gav - The 'dumbing' down of the WWF finale had nothing to do with fire safety and everything to do with budget and suitable re-allocation of funds. The 'sparker' units were a prototype design exclusive to Wild West at the time and they rarely ever worked properly! From memory, there was a total of 5 sparkers on the final assent and drop room. If on the 1 in 50 chance they were all working at the start of the day, you could bet at least 2 of them would fault out by the end of it! A total nightmare for the tech services department and not in the slightest bit suprising that they dissapeared alltogether in the long run. I certainly share the sentiment and dissapointment of others regarding the cheapening of the presentation of older attractions in all of our Parks. I dunno about you guys but when I vist a Theme Park, I like my experience to be great right through my day -not just for certain aspects and most notably, only the newer and headline attractions? It's a shame we don't value the principles of Universal & Disney but once again, I guess it all comes down to suitable and realistic allocation of funds

^LW was originally intended to be a 'stunt driving' theme & there were far grander plans for adding FX to the loading area (was meant to be completely in doors) and the ride itself supposedly going to have indoor sections as well as plumes of fire etc shooting from the ground.. Once again budget constraints realised a far more aussie park friendly reality. The same can really be said for all other MW attractions. For example, the Wild West falls original design was nothing short of AMAZING and more akin to Disney's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad & even Scooby Doo lost the originally intented Çastle walls and corridors that were meant to surround the track in the laser room, that said both rides still turned out great but not nearly as wow as they were originally intended to be. So for whatever MW adds next, expect something great but not wow all over. If it's to be a thrill ride then by all means it will no doubt be an awesome ride experience but expect it will fall short on expectations of themeing and SPFX. For that kind of thing they may be better to go for something less costly (a shoot em up dark ride anyone?) to deliver more on the visual wow! factor. People have suggested LW getting torn down this year. Can't say I believe that - The ride cost close to 15 million bucks back in 1995 and that really is not a long time to get a decent return on that kind of investment. I still think new, shock absorbing trains for Lethal are the way to go. Take the bumps out and you've got yourself a dam good ride. If MW adds anything this year I'd say that's all it will be - breathing new life into Lethal with some comfy new trains and a box of xmas lights for main street

haha i thought that was actually quite funny, but yeah, no! Maybe they'll just rip out the track, seal in the caves and turn it into a great big rock climbing wall!

I can't help but believe a BRAND NEW Mine Ride is DW's best option for a next major new attraction. Popularity wise, it's proven track record is surely a testiment to bringing back the idea for a new generation to enjoy. Why they cannot see this is beyond me

^ a month seems like quite an extensive down time for the log ride given the lack of routine work undertaken there over the years.. I'd be interested to see how it looks when the work is done - in fact it would seem the whole park is getting some much needed TLC at one point or another this year.. Great to see Dreamworld!

regarding the new SeaWorld addition, I think one of these Mack "Twist & Splash" tea cup style rides would be fun: http://www.parkworld-online.com/news/fulls...nteractive.html Mack makes tea cups interactive Published: 04 January, 2010 Mack Rides has introduced Twist ‘n’ Splash, an interactive, water-based version of its classic tea cup ride. The perfect attraction for parks of all sizes, including waterparks, this spinning ride features multiple new patented features including boats that are able to float free on the water and rotate on their own axes. The water gun system, meanwhile, is the same as used on Mack's other interactive water attractions. The full-sized ride measures 22-metres (82ft) in diameter. Twelve 4 or 6-seater boats carry up to 1,440 passengers per hour. A “mini” (14-metre diameter) version is also available, offering a theoretical hourly capacity of 960. The ride can be built on a steel floor and offers low maintenance and operational costs. The first unit is scheduled to appear at the Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, England, in 2011, but Mack may introduce one before that at Europa-Park in 2010. - Interesting! The more I think about it, could this be SW's new ride too? also check it out on youtube:

Disney Parks have a system that involves infrared counters at the entry and exit to each attraction (pretty sure they all have em). This allows them to be able to not only count the numbers of people each ride hits in any given day but also assists all aspects of the rides Operation. The information is recorded back of house and provides an acurate wait time projection to patrons. I wrote a proposal years ago after spending quite a bit of time studying their processes.. A great idea but for our Parks it all comes down to dollars. MW used to hand out 'time wait cards' every hour to a random guest as they would enter a queue to measure the average wait for times throughout the day and would schedule their staffing accordingly. I am sure a similar, far more budget friendly approach than Disney's is still in place there today

funny i took some peeps on scooby for the 1st time a little while back (it was the 2nd ride for the day and yes about a 40 minute wait) - Superman was the 1st ride and Scooby scared them more than Superman did! I guess the element of suprise got them but the ride was in such fine shape on the day, maybe that had something to do with it as well?

It all sounds like an exciting list of additions coming to the parks for 2010 but I can't help but feel disappointed if a xmas lights display and show are all that's in store for WBMW this year. If a major new attraction is greenlit for DW, surely MW will follow suit? Afterall it will have been 5 years since superman opened come this boxing day. As per usual I am keen to see a refresh of the Batman Adventure and the Looney Tunes River Ride but unless they are MAJOR changes that are heavily billed and advertised, I don't expect they would have much of an impact at the turnstiles. The main reason no doubt why they haven't addressed these two areas as yet. I am sure the significant increase in attendance at WBMW of late offers a need to expand and not just replace. Especially with such an obvious void of attractions at the back/western area of the Park. I am hoping they are just playing their cards close (as per usual) and waiting to see how things pann out with DW's plans before releasing details on something truly exciting

not sure if anyone else has noticed this but it seems to take the average jo a while to cotton on to what's on offer in the Parks. For years the general attitude amongst the locals was MW was crap and there wasn't enough to do there. I guess finally the tables are turning? Likewise DW has enjoyed great attendances for years without any new (worthy) additions. It's just an assumption thing the general consensus has I suppose. Other reasons as well; Traditionally the days of the 27th - the 30th of December have brought MW it's highest attendance figures for the year. Add to this fact that the weather has been terrible pretty much since xmas with yesterday being about the best of the bad bunch. People were no doubt holding off. As for SW, I guess it's that same public perception rule that many people have. I bet you'll find that alot of people out there aren't even aware the park has a new coaster - and a dam good one at that too! er no i am not referring to the sea viper;) I always thought WVTP's marketing department lets their park's down not delivering a very clear message to the public (wetnwild adds aside). On the other hand DW's advertising is always very vibrant and showcases a bewildering range of features in such a short time, really capturing the market.

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! I'm so glad they are building 4 of these Beasts, the sight and idea of this surely will guarantee success before the ground is even broken. I mean the mere idea of a vertically looping water slide is just crazy!!! I had completely forgotten about these and last I heard was that the design was still in the testing stage. Granted that was a while ago, just glad to hear it's all come full circle! I'm hopeing (after such a slack 2009) this is going to set the stage for an aggressively competitive 2010 for all Gold Coast Theme Parks bringing a variety of exciting new attractions

Lasseter was a very good ride but it lacked repeatability in that many of the scenes played over and over like a broken record.. Some scenes were infrared beam trip activated like with the Tune ride and Bermuda today but not all of them.. Some of you old enough out there might remember the scene with the guy stuck up on the rig yelling "Get me down! Get me down!"and the figure down below tugging a rope responding "Ï'm trying! I'm trying" - this scene played over close to half a dozen times EVERY time the boat went past - I can almost recite Lasseters Lost Mine ride word for word having a season pass back in the day. As I said, it was a very good ride. Great theming and the animations were excellant - in most cases far superior than what is offered by Aussie Parks today

hmm.. I don't wanna sound hasty because I know it's still in test mode, is it just me or does the ride seem slow? -In particular the "Human" side which, granted is intended to be the more family friendly side but it just seems to struggle to the finish line.

^hmm you could be right but I seem to recall the name of the WaterPark where the Hyperdome is today was called "Wild Waters". There was a Crocodile Character featured as the Mascot to the Park placed a top a section of slide outside the entrance to the Park by the Highway. The Park featured a bunch of standard Green Coloured slides (about 10 of em) ranging in speed and built from the top of a Hill. That Hill was completely flattened when the Park was replaced by the shopping centre. I remember as a kid looking out for the "Giant Tap" illusion featured at the top of the hill whenever we would go by.

Just got back from MW and I have to say that for Australia, there was simply no better place to spend this Hallo's Eve!! The place was PACKED! -and I do mean packed.. Not knowing official figures I would have to hazard a guess it was nudging around the 8000 mark but always hard to tell when you don't have the crowd swallowing shows running full swing. No matter which way you look at it, this evening was a MASSIVE success - can't speak for other nights having not been before but everyone was having such an awesome time out there tonight. The word of mouth advertising will surely spin off an even bigger run next year, and, like most other people at this years event Iwill be howling for an even bigger and better time next time around! Top show Movie World!! Even as a past employee I couldn't help but feel proud of the result. I am sure many others out there would agree:)

OK! OK! OK! So maybe the time has come to finally rip the lid on this mystery?!?! I'll give you two words: SOFT DRINK

^no offence but from what I've seen so far the new show looks SHIIIIIIIIIIT!!! Sorry Seaworld but surely your guests are not THAT STUPID to realise it when something stinks THAT BAD!!!