iwerks

Why should a wrap cost as much as a burger? Can't you make them up at the start of the day? I sure hope that $8 bottle of water is a big one. Many places have machine dispensed bottles of water that are a lot cheaper than that. And there are those water fountains that also have the bottle refilling taps. Just out of interest, is water or soda water an option at the post mix stations? I do think it's cool when parks and resorts have those refillable souvenir mugs. I also think that many people see a day out in the parks as a novelty and thus would be more than happy to have some fast food. Sometimes, it could be that they're just after high energy food, having the need to replenish their stocks after an energy sapping morning running around the parks. I definitely think food and eating options play an important aspect in how we judge a successful park. If there isn't a great range of food or places to go, or if a park loses a dine-in option, you tend to not like the park as much.

My 'go to' meal at Adventure World is Mark's famous Caesar Salad. I think a lot of parents can't believe how healthy some of the options are. The prices are very reasonable compared to the east coast parks, but even better after the 25% member discount.

Disney didn't always own the rights to those blockbuster films. There was a time when Disney was down on its luck making no budget Kurt Russell films and investing very little in Disneyland. Weirdly enough, they were charging next to nothing to get in, too.

^ Spot on. Yeah, I definitely think you need a new attraction to get people coming back, and they don't need to spend as much as a new Hypercoaster. Just an attraction of good quality for DW's target market. I'd love to see a dark ride.

You mean chose the name? Judging from the picture of that game at the start of the thread, DC Rivals is already a thing. Looks good - great POV. Can't wait to ride it. Was the announcement implying that no other coaster had forward and backward facing seats on the same train?

Merci. Thanks @Coaster Hipster, I don't know why every park doesn't have a Gerstlauer family coaster. They offer enough thrills for most people and don't break the bank. I hope a park in Australia picks up one soon.

Had a pleasant afternoon at The Maze. They were testing the water for Outback Splash. It seems that there are no plans for the water park extension for this summer. The park is looking very green and pretty at the moment. Also caught the 'meet the joey' session. Scoopon has $12 tickets at the moment.

Some places only have their parades on a weekend. Bad idea about the tigers. Sita's probably the only one you could trust, anyway. Two tigers near all that noise and distractions could be a disaster.

Sounds like a perfect match for Mark, if it is Adventure Park. Found this interesting little history on the place. The ethos certainly matches: 'We wanted to transition to become more than a water park, we wanted to become a theme park.' http://www.victorianchamber.com.au/sites/default/files/page/documents/vtc14-extraordinaryentrepreneurs.pdf

^Or Parque Warner Madrid - they're always copying Movie World.

Yes, Australia hasn't be too successful with its attempts at artificial ski slopes. http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/waroona-council-approves-construction-of-was-first-artificial-ski-slope-20151125-gl7g9i.html

I thought the fibreglass work was pretty smooth ride wise. The bottom of that trap door was pretty rough, but I guess that's so you get a good grip. The wait for that drop was pretty agonising as the door itself feels to give a little before you drop. Looking at the preview footage you can see that they were working on that area until the last couple of days, and despite what channel 7 says the A in ARC stands for area, not aquarium.

Some shots from today's celebrations at Cockburn ARC.

Wow, totally got that when I first saw the hibiscus (I took the photos of them on my last visit, before today - the flowers are looking great). It appears Inferno is in pieces at the moment (at the back of the park), and there's a power sub-substation at the rear of the grand prix racetrack (near the Cirque Extreme site).

Wow, had a great time at Cockburn ARC this afternoon. It seems a strange time to be visiting waterslides on the coldest day in May in 5 years, but since it's indoors and heated, it didn't really matter. Cockburn ARC is the new home to the Freo Dockers and this was their discover weekend, a $7 fee covered entry to the slides and pools for a limited amount of time. I had tickets for the 1-2.15pm session. Arriving about twenty minutes early there was already a line to get in. Just a few minutes to 1pm they opened the doors and everyone started to go in. There were plenty of entertainers to keep the crowds happy. The centre staff were great, although there are a few kinks to work out. They held the queue at the bottom of the stairs, but as you quickly found out, this was just for the popular tube slide (The Tumbler). Very few people were lining up for the drop slide, The Rocket, so naturally I ended up going on it twice. The plunge was exhilarating, and the ride was quickly over. The Pipeline is an 'extreme speed' slide that is more like your regular mat slides. It's a pretty good length and has some cool light effects. Didn't get a chance to go on the Tumbler, but I look forward to that next time. The food also seems to be pretty reasonable there too. Can't wait to go back, plus it's only about five minutes away from Adventure World. https://www.facebook.com/7NewsPerth/videos/10154691316049072/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE https://www.facebook.com/Buggybuddys/videos/vb.218558634845242/1503465423021217/?type=2&theater https://www.facebook.com/Buggybuddys/videos/vb.218558634845242/1503465283021231/?type=2&theater https://www.facebook.com/Buggybuddys/videos/vb.218558634845242/1503465243021235/?type=2&theater

Go Disney - lightsabre churros.

No reason why you can't plan to have three new rides over the next six years. You can map out the land and slowly expand over time. Just think DW would want to play it safe and not get any rides that people would see as risky or dangerous. Why would you be in a hurry to get a new water ride? Same too with big coasters threading Buzz Saw.

DW's latest advertising efforts cc Disney's perfectly. I think you'll find that DW has plenty of large buildings or structures or they could build a new one. Not arguing about flats, although I'm not a fan of spin and spews.

I think MW proved that you can get a decent dark ride for the price of a coaster. Let's not forget that there are plenty of third party companies that do Soarin' type rides. I think DW should go down this route - if it wants to become like Disney it should give Sally Corp a call and make it happen. Plenty of people who visit DW aren't coaster fans anyway.

There were some large wooden pallets being dropped off in Dragon's Kingdom, today. Not enough for anything substantial, but it could be more cabanas; water playground stuff, like the rumoured kids' tornado; theming for the new ride or materials for the restaurant refurb. I still think the ride will be at the other end of the park. The dirt track behind where the circus was looks pretty well used.

Thanks, @Gazza. Yeah, really enjoy Abyss' dive loop. This looks great.

What's the difference between an inclined dive loop and a regular one?

I really disliked those horribly flimsy plastic things VRTP used to have - they're like a crap library card from the 80s. At least, AW has some kick ass cards - especially the premium one. One thing I've noticed that some places are starting to do is recycle the old card, so that we don't waste so much plastic. If the card's durable enough, I can't see why not.

Adventure World was charging $62 for adult entry this past season with a season pass at approx $165 and platinum pass for $250, which is what I ended up getting. I'm not sure if the platinum pass was really worth it. It did get you 25% off food and bev and merch, free entry into Fright Nights, 50% off tickets for up to eight people and $50 off a cabana and two free fast passes for different days (as well as a hat and calendar). There were black out days for the fast passes and cabana and they couldn't be purchased online (like the pass, itself), which made it more difficult to use than it had to be. I'm tempted to get it again, but not 100% sold. Having said that, yeah, I think the GC parks day entry is about right. Usually you can find some discounts to not pay full walk up to the door entry price (like the RAC deals), but the season passes should go back to the prices they were ten years ago. Hopefully, the GC parks would also do a proper platinum level, so that they can raise more revenue and give those people who want to pay more and get the perks, the chance. I think one interesting thing that hasn't been mentioned is the seniors' price. Both AW and USS charge about $30-$35 for senior entry and I've noticed a few more older people enjoying themselves at AW during work days. It seems like this could be a cheap and fun way to spend retirement. Another thing that bugs me about the GC parks is processing of entry for day or season passes. Why's it such a mess?

It has been open on Fright Nights and during busy periods in January. Sounds like you should get a season pass so you can go more often.