JulieLovis

Although it would have been great to have a new ride, I'm glad they've made the decision to keep this very popular and classic style of ride. It adds a great atmosphere to that area of the park and I can't think of another ride that would offer quite the same energy. So on this basis I think they've made a good decision to restore a classic ride, rather than replace it with something different. Let's hope something new is on its way to the flying saucer area soon. The earlier suggestion of a classic chair swing ride for the Tango Train site is now my hope for the flying saucer area. It would be great up that high to swing out over the people underneath on ground level.

I'm hoping for a classic style ride rather than something ultra modern. What I'd really love in the Tango Train space is one of those old school flying chair rides like they had at the park in the 1980's when I was a kid. Not one of those tacky clothesline looking jobs, one of those nicely detailed big ones. I don't think a scream machine type ride would be very well suited to that particular spot (although I do think these type of rides would be good in a refurbished Maloneys Corner area!) For me the park is all about that classic retro feel, particularly the area between the entry and Coney Island, and that seems to be what they're building on, so here's hoping for another classic ride that's a fitting replacement for the classic Tango Train!

Thanks for the updates Ranger Dude and Yoshi. Certainly interesting as when I was there the weekend before last, the site had 20 or so large square shaped holes dug, with some metal cages also on site nearby which looked like they were designed to go into the holes for concrete. It looked as though they were doing something!!! I should have taken a photo. Interesting to see what they have in store for this spot come school holidays.

I was at the park today and can confirm that the Tango Train is now officially closed. The area is fenced off and the beginnings of the removal is already underway. No word yet what it's being replaced with, but I'm fairly sure the staff at the park know as I asked one today and she said "we can't tell you.. yet". When I pressed her further she said "our lips are sealed!!!"

I visited today and can confirm that Mystery Manor is still there and still as good as last visit. It was jam packed today!

I visited LPS today and noticed this underway at the old Big Dipper station. Entrance for the Tumble Bug was via some stairs that are in the staff only area, which has been kind of sectioned off for the public to use. A large area on the platform beside the Tumble Bug was also fenced off. Probably just building works, but wouldn't it be nice if.....

After vowing never to return after my experience as a season pass holder for the first two seasons, I got suckered in by a crazy cheap offer of 'buy a day pass and get the whole season free'. After my first visit this week, I now remember why I vowed never to go back. Somehow, they seem to have managed to get EVEN WORSE THAN LAST SEASON. I honestly do not understand how the biggest theme park company in Australia has managed to top the ridiculousness of late last season. To call it bad management is an understatement! The place is chronically understaffed and a complete shambles. It took us close to an hour to get in as the line was barely moving due to a lack of staff at the entry. Once we get to the entry, they don't even scan our passes as it's not working. Once inside, basically all the shops were closed, and the 1/4 of the food outlet they had open had a 1 hour + queue. The poor people that were working there were like punching bags to the angry masses. I mean, seriously. Each slide tower was being staffed by one or two operators who dordled between the slides, letting one raft go per tower (not per slide) about every 1 minute. Do the maths on that and it's about 240 people per hour. No wonder the queues ran all the way down the stairs with a 1 hour + queue per ride. When I quizzed someone who looked important (probably a supervisor but who knows), and asked why the slides were being rotated, I got told "we don't have enough staff and this is all management are allowing". Where are management? Can they see this? How is any of this even remotely acceptable for $79 a day!!!!!? There were loads of people who were seriously pissed off, and I don't blame them. It's like the place is running on autopilot, nobody actually looking at what is going on and the effect it is having on the people who come and visit the place. I didn't even bother going back to put my pass details in because I'm not going back. I refuse to custom a place with such a blatant disregard for its customers. It is seriously shocking. I feel sorry for the poor staff members. For many of them it is obviously their first job, and its not their fault that the management is so bad, but they cop all the wrath while the execs at Village sit in their offices and count the money coming in (or lack thereof, as you couldn't buy anything because everything was either closed, or barely open. You couldn't even get an admission ticket without queueing for over an hour for it!!!!) We will be sticking with our Luna Park annual passes and an annual summer visit to Jambaroo. I might not get a whole season for the price of a (inflated) day, but at least these parks care about their customers and the experience they have when they visit.

I went along on the Friday night. The atmosphere was really cool as they had all the regular lighting off and everything was lit with theatrical lighting, including all the rides and buildings. They also had a heap of those industrial strength smoke machines, scare actors hiding around the place. The highlights for me: - The lighting in the park looked amazing (I will post some photos when back on my desktop). They had Coney Island basically in the dark with all these moving lights in the roof truss, it was very cool. - they went for an abandoned fun park theme so most of the parks regular theming was easily transformed through the use of the above lighting, smoke and loud ominous carnival music. - As usual the street performances were of a very high standard. One of the performers we saw hammered a nail up her nose- intense! - They had about 7-8 little houses around the park that had actors inside. As you went to each house the story unfolded and led you around to the other houses. At each house the kids got a treat. This was included free for kids (entry was $50- not free as usual. The place was heaving). My nieces loved the mutant tentacle house! - Nieces also loved the potion bar, which basically served slurpy mock tails with candy in it in a light up, smoking cup. Very cool. - Loved the rebranded rides with all staff dressed in theme and playing the part. The hair raiser queue was transformed so you had to run through a maze of zombies to the 'escape pod' at the end to get out. - Mirror maze in the dark is very effective. They let us out half way through as the girls were seriously freaking out. Overall a great night! Pics to come

I have also heard that they've done a good job with Mystery Manor and it is quite well done. The pics of it on the LPS Facebook page look good, they seem to have done quite a good job with the facade and the theming. I am heading to LPS either tomorrow, Thursday or Friday with my nieces depending on weather so will post an update once I've seen it. Has anyone else seen it yet?

Here's something from their Facebook page. Apparently this is going in the Maloney's Corner area, or that's what they told me at the park when I asked!

I'm not sure how many people visit LPS often. I live in Brisbane but travel often for work, and have spent most of this year in Sydney. My nieces who live in Sydney and I have been passholders for LPS for the last 3 years. It seems very apparent that there is something wrong with the Tango Train. Basically all this year it has either been not running, or running limited hours. When I quizzed the operators as to why this was, they mentioned they were carrying out continuous maintenance, but I'm not sure... going by what I've seen I think it is on its last legs. I think we will see the Tango Train go fairly soon and also don't forget there is no ride yet in the former area where the Flying Saucer ride used to be. Who knows maybe they have that area marked for something new? I would love to see a coaster where the old Big Dipper used to be, but it is quite a small space there I don't know what would fit. I also think they need to revamp the entire area at the back of Coney Island. It's OK during the school holidays when they have the travelling rides but otherwise it feels a bit empty. Apparently this is where the new haunted house is going to be. I don't know how many of you visit LPS often, but I am always impressed by the staff at LPS, they are always so enthusiastic especially compared to the parks near home. Everything seems very well drilled and clean and tidy, it certainly doesn't seem like they're going out of business or anything, so based on my observations they are obviously doing well. There doesn't appear to ever be any blatant cost cutting going on like you see elsewhere as every time I visit everything (except the Tango Train) is always open, all the games, there is always plenty of staff and entertainers out doing their thing. That's not the type of thing you see at a park going down the gurgler.

The long and the short of it is... they DON'T CARE. Which is surprising. You go to any other non-Village, non Ardent park in Australia... Aussie World, AW, LPS for example, all of which may not have the equipment to match the Gold Coast parks, but what you will find in these parks is a great level of care from the staff and management about the experience and service their customers are receiving in the park. Living in Sydney, I frequently visit LPS as my nieces and I have annual passes. Even when the park is quiet during the week... there are no ride rotations, no roller shutters down, the park is immaculately clean ALWAYS, and the staff actually WANT to be there and actually seem to ENJOY their jobs. Although I have only visited AW and Aussie World a couple of times, I noticed similar there. The big guys need to take a leaf out of the other park's books...........

Was just googling for an update on the Hair Raiser predicament and came across this site that the residents have created. Not sure it's supposed to be publicly accessible, but it is! Very interesting reading and very ironic name. You can even read some of the resident objections to the DEvelopments Application. save-our-fun-park.org What a bunch of tossers! They're even complaining about the new lighting suite!!!

Wow that is very impressive for a small park. Despite the age of many of the rides (and that they desperately need some new ones), I have thought recently that LPS is a very well run park. It is always very clean, and in my opinion the staff members are the best of any park in Australia. The big parks on the Gold Coast could certainly take a leaf out of LPS book when it comes to staff friendliness and interaction.

Oh no! Just when it looks as though Luna Park is on the right track with new rides and various positive improvements... Enter the residents. I hope this doesn't stunt future improvements and new rides that the park will benefit greatly from. They have been doing such a great job recently, this is very disappointing! Also I was at the Opera House last Tuesday night and noticed the Hair Raiser now has a multi coloured and very cool dancing light package!!!

I took my neices to Wet n Wild today. I was surprised to find that somehow it's become even more disorganized and chaotic than last season. The entry is a shambles, people seemingly just walking in without passes, a massive line for day passes, people arguing out the front amongst themselves and with the staff, complete chaos in the queues, no signage, queues for food that don't move, rubbish everywhere, people smoking, people complaining about EVERYTHING (some warranted, some not!), then topped off with a nice big fight / brawl right in front of the girls in the afternoon - blood all over the place... Not good! At this point I decided it was time for us to up and leave. I really wanted this park to be wonderful, but I must confess based on my 2 and only visits.... It's horrible!!! Not sure I can do it again! Take me to Wet n Wild on the Gold Coast any day! Is it just me? Please tell me this is not the norm...

Potentially a 15.2% drop in attendance could result in a substantial loss-making season for them. Also any future development is going to need financing, and no institution is going to finance a loss making operation. So this potentially leaves them in a pickle... and perhaps explains their price increase and reduction in hours. Cut costs to return a profit and therefor keep the door open for finance and future expansion, or run a loss and go nowhere. This may also explain Dax Eddy's comments- unless attendance picks up they have no option to expand. I think it will be an important season for jamberoo. I hope everyone supports them as I would hate to see it go the way of wonderland

Do you really think they'd be brave enough to put a ride of that scale so close to those apartments!? As far as I'm aware there has been no further developments on the former Flying Saucer location and no further suggestion of any other new developments at LPS.. Unless someone has any news otherwise?? Does anyone know if LPS has had a similar downturn to Jamberoo with the opening of wet and wild?

It will be interesting to see how they price the season passes this year after running the Gold Coast VIP pass on TV in Sydney recently. Will they increase the price based on the success of and expecting a repeat of last year, or reduce the price expecting a drop off and to retain numbers? What are everyone's thoughts?

The price increase is reasonable and somewhat expected however this combined with a drop of 100 operating days from an 8 month season is sounding alarm bells to me.. The only explanation for such a significant reduction in hours is rampant cost cutting, in stark contrast to their last few years of expansion. Such a dramatic shift here is alarming. I wonder why they have not pursued the LPS model of opening 2 midweek days to capture school groups and midweek visitors?

I was at LPS tonight on what was a very wet and extremely quiet evening in the park. I went down to check out Vivid and they have a very good attraction there where you can select colours on a giant touch screen and the design you create actually comes up on the bridge. The atmosphere in the park is truly spectacular at night, especially with the bridge lit up and even when it's quiet. A couple of observations about the park: 1. It is looking very well kept at the moment, a lot of refreshed paint, all lights working (except Tango Train,more on that later), and immaculately presented and clean throughout. The best I have ever seen the park looking. LPS have done some great work in this regard recently. 2. Hair Raiser is sporting some new signage and it appears there are some new shade sails going in here at the moment. It's looking good, like a real permanent park ride. Hooray! 3. Perhaps most excitingly, there is fencing around where the Flying Saucer was with panels attached that say "Something new is Coming Soon. Magic is Happening" etc, although from the Ferris Wheel I could not see that any work has started. The Flying Saucer is completely gone- there is no sign of it any more. The staff I asked said they haven't been told yet when or what is happening here, only that something new is coming. 4. Tango Train is looking worse each time I visit. It looks like they are letting it go, despite various cosmetic improvements around it, the actual ride itself has seen nothing (that I can see anyway). At least it is back to running full loads and full cycles forwards and backwards. Maybe they're holding off to perform some "magic" here too when they replace Flying Saucer. So, more exciting installments on the way for LPS and hopefully more improvements throughout the park too.

Ok now I'm on the same page. I didn't realise Green Lantern at Magic Mountain and Zacspin were the same thing! I rode Green Lantern at magic Mountain also at the end of 2012, and I agree with AlexB, it's definitely a 1 ride wonder. There's probably a very good reason why there's only 4 of them. I would imagine Movie World would have at least gone to check the Magic Mountain one out before building their version of GL and if LPS are in the market for a new "big dipper" then I would imagine they would do the same. With this in mind and knowing what it's like... I doubt we'll see a zacspin in Aus. Some of the more coaster cultured members than me; what is your preferred choice for a new LPS coaster?????

When i asked The operator told me that there will be lighting it just hasn't been installed yet. Same with the temporary queue, that was still to be completed also, as of my last visit in feb.

Staff now saying they have been told it has been "retired" and is not coming back. I really don't want to see the reef diver there. I want something new!

Although MW has some great rides, Without a doubt the best in Australia, I agree that the "magic" is almost gone. It's like they're hanging onto the 'Movie World' name to ensure the bus loads of tourists, even though there are very little movie related attractions.