iwerks

Really enjoyed riding the Kraken. Congrats Mark, great choice of ride. I like how you've done the theming. They've blocked off the view at the top of the hill, so you don't really see everything until you get to the ride and queue line. When you're about to climb aboard, it really looks like the Kraken will take you all the way down to Bibra Lake. The queue area is good, with shade sails shaped like a ship's sail. However, there is a part exposed to the sun, which might need additional cover. Loved the fact that the ride station is a sailing ship and that they measure the minimum height of riders with an oar. Good to hear the backstory as well as general atmosphere over the soundtrack of the ride, too. The ride, itself, was great and I thought even better backwards. It gets pretty dark after the 360 degree turn. The plummet into the funnel was awesome and there's the smallest of airtime. The pool at the end of the ride was freezing, but I'm sure that won't be a problem for long. The ride ops were asking for single riders and pairs when it started to get busy. It was interesting to note that other attractions, such as Abyss and the Grand Prix Raceway were relatively quiet in comparison to the Kraken. I rode the Kraken twice, before going on the racers, the speed slides, the Pirate Battle bumper boats (where I had the longest wait of the day) and then Abyss twice. And that was all before lunch. Congrats, once again, Mark. Can't wait to see what attractions are coming in the future.

Abyss now has a backstory. Nice.

Congrats on the Kraken, great ride. Got to the park around 9.35 and the car park gates were already open. Went and rented a locker before heading up the hill. The ride started operating around 10. Waited 10 minutes the first time, around 15 minutes the second. The ride is very different going forwards compared to going backwards. More to follow...

Can't wait either. It will be interesting to see how it handles the crowds.

I'll go Saturday. I don't get back into the country until Friday.

Yeah, it was crazy busy and fun. I'm glad I finally caught some of the classics like Jaws and Terminator 2: 3D. Getting to experience Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was just a bonus. It's a pretty amazing ride, although I'm not a huge fan of the 3-D. The glasses were okay and were always on the verge of falling off. The robotic arm/flying chair was a pretty amazing sensation. I'm looking forward to the quietness of Adventure World after that.

Thanks Tim - I'm hoping to catch it on the weekend. I was stuck at USJ today riding Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

More shots of the construction of the new coaster. USJ was extremely busy with their Halloween celebrations. Still managed to ride Harry Potter in 3D, Jaws and see the Terminator 2 show.

Yeah, I was watching the Hollywood Dreams coaster doing the rounds of the park - that looks insane.

I'm in Japan at the moment and think I've spotted the lift hill for the new Jurassic coaster. I'm visiting the park on Monday.

It will be interesting to see the missing bits to the puzzle. I was a little underwhelmed by the animal wildlife experience on my last visit. Hopefully, we'll see some improvements here in the future.

I just got back from TDL and there's something to be said about HK's pretty little park. It's certainly less crowded.

Yeah, not that one. It could be that the big one was being taken apart and serviced. It certainly makes little sense to me. He would have been to the Showgrounds numerous times over the winter and at some stage it was not there.

Yeah, I don't know what was wrong with the Avenger, but every now and then it released that toxic plume. Superbowl seemed to be doing okay.

Yeah, I have mates who own Super Donuts and one of them claimed that the big ferris wheel was gone for a while there (I don't think he meant that kiddie ferris wheel stuck in the middle of nowhere). It makes no sense and I don't quite believe it. Yeah, TD, you might be right about the price of the kiddie rides, but a lot of the decent rides (like Python Loop) were $12. That Avenger ride was spewing out noxious fumes like you wouldn't believe. And FYI I did not try the dippin' dots. Thanks Downunder - got lucky on that one.

Here are my pictures from the Perth Royal Show. A lot of rides are now $12 to get on or 2 for $20. The kiddie rides start from about $8. I heard a rumour that they had moved the big ferris wheel over east sometime during the winter, yet it's now back in WA. The Python Loop looks to have had a bit of a paint job. It's riding okay. There was plenty of smog in the air over Perth, although the Avenger ride certainly wasn't helping.

Yeah, it is what it is. I don't mind a park that's a mixture of rides and shows. I did get the feeling that a lot of mainland Chinese visit the parks in HK and that business is going to suffer in the future.

Adventure World is looking nice, including the front of the new walled car park. The paddle boats definitely look to be a part of history as the station has pretty much been removed. Abyss was running smoothly, today, although the guardians are looking a little weathered. There are plenty of shade sails up around the place. Many of the paths have been re-coated, so as to not burn the feet. The new water slide is not currently being tested. Freefall looks really run down and it doesn't seem like it'll be working anytime soon. The cheesy bacon fries were a popular addition to the menu. Having the discount with the season pass really helps on keeping the prices down. And yeah.. I've got a new wide-angled lens.

I went to HK Disneyland just after it opened and literally did everything in one day. It has improved since then. There is space for a second park across the walkway. It would certainly help make the resort a destination worth staying at. Often the Chinese language queues are worse. I found the boat captains' English a little inconsistent.

Cool trip report. No Jungle Cruise or Stitch Encounter? Buzz Lightyear is great. It'd be interesting to see what happens when they start developing the second park.

According to the map, Tidal Wave is the racers and they've appropriately named the speed slides 'Wahoo'. Freefall is still on the map.. for the time being.

A friend of mine visited Adventure World, today, and took lots of photos. It looks like the paddle boats around the old castle lake have disappeared. Apparently, the pirate's hair at Buccaneer Bay moves in the wind. A number of the slides up the hill have new names and the operators have snazzy new uniforms (with tentacles, no less). The new water slide's name is covered up and there are no references to it anywhere. The top of the hill was closed, with the chair lift not operating and the Freefall still in pieces. There's a new park map too. The place was pretty packed with families (already using the new cabanas), kids at Physic's Day and executives making important phone calls. I'm planning on making a visit on the weekend.

It might also be the mix of retail and theme park that makes it work. How much land they have and proximity to the population would also be factors.

Perth Zoo does too.

Enjoy the coasters at Ocean Park. Don't forget to get a seat at the dolphin show really early (30-45 mins) as it gets full long before show time.