JulieLovis

I was at LPS on Saturday. It appears as though Flying Saucer is not coming back. Most of the ride appears to be gone now, leaving the space empty. Also signage, and all references to it in the park have been removed. A staff member said they had not been officially informed what is going on with it, however it is widely understood that the ride will not be returning. Hopefully they have plans afoot for a new ride in this location soon!

I agree with GoGoBoy & Joz… the 3pm to 8pm days are just plain weird and are more in line with what you'd expect from a small, family run arcade not a "world class" water park. And I agree the "you asked, we listened" line is very piss poor indeed. It seems like another knee jerk reaction. You would think that opening 3-8 is not going to attract any new business except for the season pass holders due to reasons outlined above. I doubt they would discount the gate admission - this would be a crazy move considering the park's demand… but who knows… knowing the track record, I wouldn't put it past them….!

Unfortunately the park is copping a lot of flak from the media in Sydney. There was another article in the Sydney Herald today under the banner 'Fed up 'n' riled with Wet'n'Wild'. http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/wetnwilds-many-problems-have-councillors-fed-up-20140101-30643.html Their FB site is also copping a beating from all angles. It also appears as though they are willing to offer refunds to season pass holders even when they're not specifically requesting one. It appears that any complaint regarding the inability to get in due to capacity is responded to with a generic "email this address to get a refund" reply, which is a bit strange?! Why would you sell that many season passes only to actively invite people to request a refund when they complain about the park being full? Surely if you sell 155,000+ passes you anticipate there will be days when you reach capacity? And all this after they have given out free ones to everyone who was willing to purchase 3? When I visited the park I enjoyed it but I must say it was a complete shambles…. what is going on!?

I've ridden it and as previously stated it is very good! I have been to LPS twice since it opened and have sat looking most directions (every seat has a slightly different but equally spectacular view). The drop is surprisingly intense and takes my breath away every time. Regarding Flying Saucer, it is definitely off the map, it's entry signage is gone and there is no reference to it anywhere in the park (although it is still sitting there completely intact - you can see from ferris wheel). When I was there the other day they were also only loading every second car on Tango train and yesterday it was closed entirely. It is looking a bit tired. Hopefully they have something in mind to re-do those two rides as tango train def. needs it and it is a great location in the park. Although i'd like to see a coaster in that spot, I do like the classic style tango train ride and it would be nice to see them do a decent proper refurbishment of it & do a coaster somewhere near the old Big dipper location. Surely the fact the tango train is out of action during the school holidays implies it has had some sort of unexpected breakdown? Hopefully not for too long!!!

Hair Raiser is open. I think today was the first day as they were giving out badges and merchandise to all the riders as we were getting off saying "I was the first to ride Hair Raiser". It is a very intense drop, it's a very good ride. By far the best at LPS. It will be a real hit & the view is incredible! I went on Freak Out too, it's a great ride as well but it's only a traveller and there for a limited time. Get there and give Hair Raiser a go if you're in Sydney, you will be very pleasantly surprised with LPS's new addition!

Post on LPS Facebook page… a "bunch of extra rides opening Boxing Day" including "Freak Out" (googled it, a KMG ride, haven't seen this before), not sure what other rides are included in this "bunch"… Does anyone know if the Hair Raiser is open yet??? I'm assuming it isn't as there has been no 'announcement' and it hasn't been added to their website yet, other than on the 'Coming Soon' page.

I was there today. There is no denying it is a great park, however they have most certainly rushed it to get it open for this season, which is somewhat understandable from their perspective. Operationally it is a disaster at the moment… systems going down, quite clearly not enough staff and you seriously wonder how they are going to cope with the rush they are sure to get after Christmas. There were some extremely irate people there today and I would NOT want to be working at the front gate or in customer relations… Also there is a very strange vibe and lack of atmosphere in the park which I suppose will improve once the plants grow and all signage etc. is properly finished. I won't go back now until next season once they've had a chance to properly finish it off. If you don't have a season pass I would stay clear until after the school holidays!

There is a great photo on the Hair Raiser Facebook page taken from the top of the tower- I can't work out how to copy it to post here... Or, right click the date of the post and open in a new tab, then copypasta the URL.

I would like to see the Flying Saucer replaced with a proper new ride and not some second hand trailer ride. In 2013 we've seen 3 new additions to LPS (albeit 2 direct replacements - Carousel and Udrive, plus the new Hair Raiser), all of which have been brand new and proper "Park" rides, which is very positive. So it is all looking positive for a decent Flying Saucer replacement. Something aerial would be good, similar to the Flying Saucer. Regarding the holiday rides, what are we expecting to see to complement the new Hair Raiser? Something good hopefully seeing the Flying Saucer is out.

Jobe, I actually enquired about the Flying Saucer when I was there last as it was down on 2 consecutive visits. I went into the Information office and one of the managers came in and we talked for a while. What he said was that the ride was taken down for annual servicing and there were some important parts that needed to be replaced. Apparently the designer of the ride no longer makes this ride any more and they don't make the parts, which means that LPS would have to have the parts custom made which he said would be very expensive, and even then, given the age of the ride, there could be other parts that may need to be replaced in future that would need to be custom made. So…. the exciting part…. what he did say is that they are in the process of making a decision as to whether it would be a better business decision to replace the Flying Saucer with something brand new. He also said something along the lines of " they would not want that location to remain vacant for very long but new rides take time to procure, build etc "… so I don't know, if it's been taken off the website, maybe LPS have more plans afoot!!? Back to this ride though, I think it looks great and a really nice compact addition for that spot. Can you imagine how good the view is going to be from the top? I can't wait to ride it. Does anyone know when exactly its going to open?

This is a very exciting addition for LPS, in fact it's the most exciting addition since the Big Dipper in 1995! I think most of us would agree that a well executed ride of this kind will result in additional ticket sales for LPS. This could mean the beginning of some changes at LPS with regards to the line up of rides, as they see the positive impact of adding exciting new attractions. Those who visit LPS regularly like I do will know that it is a successful and rather well run park, despite the old rides, they are maintained in reasonable condition and the experience of visiting is always positive, with the park always clean, well maintained and the operators and service staff are very good (in fact better than the gold coast parks in my opinion). So, LPS are obviously no fools when it comes to operating an amusement park and so you would imagine that this could be a trigger for them to more aggressively pursue their fun park business model. Regarding the name for the new ride, I hope they go for a name that's fun and suited to LPS and not some sort of generic name like "Mega Drop" or "Free Fall".

That looks GREAT!

I hope it's a drop tower, I think that would be the best option for Luna Park and in that spot. Has anyone been down there recently? It would be good to see some photos of how it's progressing & whether it is obvious what kind of ride it is going to be. Given construction has been underway for a few weeks and it is due to open in time for summer, we should expect it soon, right?

I think a drop would take better advantage of the view.

I don't think they need a record breaking tower ride, just something tall enough for a thrill, say the height of the Ferris wheel. How tall is that?

I would love for it to be a free fall tower ride or aerial ride to take advantage of the view. Also it would be good for them to add something that doesn't spin because almost everything else in the park is a spinner. Over all I think a free fall tower would be great in that spot, or maybe I'm dreaming???!

Any thoughts on what it could / should be?

It is the whole area between the Ice Creamery and the Crystal Palace and it comes out about half way into the main walkway, although most of the holes are beside the front of the Icecreamery. The impression I got from the staff is that it is going to be a great addition, they just wouldn't say exactly what it's going to be!

I was at LPS tonight with my nieces. There is a large area in the centre of the park near the Big Top that is walled off with signage all over it saying that something new is coming. When you look through the cracks you can see several large holes and about 5 or 6 construction machines (sorry don't know what they're called!). Some of the staff members told us that there is a major new ride opening there at the end of this year, but they wouldn't tell us what!. Couldn't get any pics as I didn't have my phone on me...

It is disappointing, just another off the shelf trailer ride parked amongst some other rusty, faded trailer rides. And also strange that they've gone for this option, which they can't even advertise as "new" because as alex_1 says it has been there 4 or 5 times already.

What do you think would be the best addition - & within LPS budget? Do you ever think we'll see another (compact) roller coaster at LPS? If so, where could they fit it??

I didn't want to spoil the surprise, so I'll let you tell everyone

I was there today and one of the staff members told me the sign is generic

WNW is not owned by LPS, and so therefore I would say that LPS will be negatively impacted as families choose to visit WNW for their summer school holiday theme park visit instead of LPS. I would say the management of LPS would have this in mind, and they would not be willing to take the risk that it *might* not impact them. That said I agree with Jobe, I think this could be the time we see a change in approach for LPS

Great video, thanks Jobe. I remember that Luna Park from when I was a kid... I was at Luna Park on the weekend again with my sister's girls and agree that there is plenty of room for a couple of new rides. The amazing thing about LPS is that despite all of it's old rides it still has a great vibe and is always very busy. On Sunday it was absolutely packed out. The staff & upkeep of LPS has really improved in recent years and I think that's what has kept it so popular, even though it is old it doesn't feel run down, as the surrounds are decorated with the old time artworks and the people who work there are always chirpy & happy. One of the ride operators did tell me they are about to add a permanent new kids ride before the next school holidays and apparently the Hollywood Horror maze is coming to the park for holidays and Halloween along with what sounds like a Movieworld style halloween party... Let's hope its a sign of things to come for LPS