Zanstabar

First things first, I wouldn't go around wearing this as a badge of honour. I would really suggest that from now on you stop parading around about your adventure in Eureka Mountain. I just don't want to see the same storm that went down happen again. You're lucky enough that Ardent has gone easy on you, and I think that this should be the end of the line for the backstage shenanigan. As for the video, I found it quite interesting. As someone who has never ridden Eureka Mountain in any way, shape or form, I found it quite cool to see exactly what I had missed out on. Would I be wrong in saying that the ride would've been inspired by the Matterhorn Bobsleds? Those alcoves with the miner and the skeleton remind me of such caverns where the Yeti is located on the Disney classic.

Just a quick little question regarding the Cyclone, what are the chances that Dreamworld would invest into refurbishing the ride? I know that they had stated last year that two rides would get a refurb, I wonder if they would continue that into the years to come with their other major attractions.

​Couldn't agree more. I am a huge adrenaline junkie, and I still love JL for what it is. If i've just gone for lunch or if it's really stinking hot, I'll just go ride JL. It's not a bad ride, it's just not an "E-Ticket" IMHO. Does this mean I don't like it? Hell no! It's always a fun ride when you can spot out some of the DC references scattered throughout or maybe just even beat your own high-score. A lot of my friends (who aren't enthusiasts, I might add) love JL because it's fun and thrilling, but it's not extreme. ​I hope that something does change. With the current rate that DW is going at, I'll be really bummed out if MW just suddenly starts to slip back even further. Competition is always a good thing, especially in the theme park sector. I'm sure if DW didn't exist, then this behaviour from MW would be considered normal, or maybe even worse. I just look to their future with bright-eyes and hope that someone is reviewing the way that the park is being run and picks up on what is making them fall behind.

I haven't really noticed any bar Scooby-Doo. I assume that Jet Rescue and MDMC would be in this category as well, due to the style of restraints.

​I had a smaller version of this happen to me. My first trip to Disneyland was when I was 8 years old and I was so excited, because it meant I could meet all my favourite characters. When I got there, of course I did all the rides. Matterhorn, Space Mountain, none of them were a problem, except for the Haunted Mansion. I found the whole concept of a ghost train to be horrifying. I was so terrified of the unknown that I also had a breakdown before riding. Once I hopped in that Doom Buggie and sat, curled up in my Dad's arms, I was so pleasantly surprised. I wasn't scared, but in a sense of awe. "How did they make an endless hallway?", "How can there be ghosts? Ghosts aren't real!", "How'd they get a head in a jar?". The whole ride surprised me to no end. Compare that to now. The Haunted Mansion is one of my favourite rides of all time, and it has influenced almost everything about me. I loved being scared, I love the supernatural, I love haunted mazes. Not only that, but I'm not studying Industrial Design with aspirations to make effects such as those in the Haunted Mansion. Long story short, don't knock Disney till you try it. Reserve judgment until you've conquered that beast.

In all of my trips to Disney, I've always made sure that I have a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World or Disneyland. This is like my bible. It gives touring plans, as well as details about each ride, such as queue times, age group ratings and tips and tricks for each attraction. I would really recommend it just to know a little more about each ride. It can make decisions on the fly so much easier. They also provide all the information online at Touring Plans. Ride descriptions, touring plans, it's all there. If you subscribe to their service, you can also get a personalized plan. I haven't used this service before, however, I will definitely be using it on my next trip. As for must do's, this is my picks for a mix between classics and thrills: Magic Kingdom Haunted MansionPirates of the CarribeanJungle CruiseSpace MountainSplash MountainBig Thunder MountainEPCOT Test TrackSoarin'Mission: SpaceSpaceship EarthHollywood Studios Twilight Zone Tower of TerrorStar ToursRock 'n' RollercoasterToy Story ManiaGreat Movie RideAnimal Kingdom Expedition EverestDinosaurKillaminjaro SafarisKali River RapidsDepending on what parks you decide to do, those are my picks. Hope you enjoy your time!

I only know one other person who likes theme parks as much as me. I guess I'm lucky now...

​​Maybe so, but I don't want to go ahead and say that "Dreamworld is fixing everything. I have such high hopes!" only for everything to fall apart. It's happened before, and I wouldn't like for it to happen again.

​​Very subtle, if I do say so myself

Somehow Dreamworld will find a way to ruin it.

Disney is almost like a botanical garden of sorts. You can just wander the grounds and view all that they have to offer and it's still a magical experience.

​Put it this way, I'm not wanting to be a credit whore, I just want to experience some of the best theme parks and coasters that I can't get here in Australia. Not to mention, if I'm nearby a famous landmark, of course I'm going to go check it out! ​​I've done both Disney resorts before, but as we all know, things change in an instant. I haven't seen any of the new additions to DCA or stepped foot in the Florida Resort since 2008. ​Right now my goal is to try and map out where I can go and how much it will cost. This trip may be west coast, east coast, or even just all over. I'm also not too keen on just going for the "credits", but rather the experiences. For example, I couldn't give a rats if a park just half an hour down the road has a wacky worm, what I'm there for is to go on my first B&M Invert, or my first RMC.

I've been to the Smokey Mountains before and it's definitely one of my favourite parts of the U.S. In fact, I really think most of the southern states can be really beautiful. I've only heard great things about Dollywood so it's definitely going on the list.

I'm planing on going on a trip sometime in the near future, and right now I'm trying to gauge where I'll be going and the travel costs. I'm definitely going to be doing either Disneyland or Walt Disney World, as well as Magic Mountain and Cedar Point. What are some other must dos? I've never really gone on a coaster pilgrimage, so I'm really new to this. Any thoughts as to where I should go?

I may be wrong here, so correct me if so, but I believe that the track used by Vekoma / Arrow Dynamics is welded together rather than bolted, which give the ride rough transitions between track sections. I can't find the resource right now, but I do remember hearing that statement online, then later going to check out Arkham Asylum and seeing the massive welds. A train may help, but it would more likely do something like Arkham where it just stops the impact rather than the roughness itself. ​Blue skying right now, I would love to see them replace most of the ride system. The trains aren't the best, the lift-chain has bi-polar speeds, the theming is a hot mess, and the train can't even park itself under a minute. Some paint, a new queue building and theming, new equipment and new trains would be wonderful... But here comes the bitter realism... This is Dreamworld. Remember the TOT2 conversion? We got a new train and a new tunnel. The rest was just some laminated text books and tv screens. If we did get a Cyclone refurb, we wouldn't get most of those things. A new train and maybe some new equipment, but the new station and theming would be far-fetched. If anything, they'll try and justify what they do have and pass it off as theming. Do I think the Cyclone is going to leave us? No. Do I think it needs a hefty rehab? Yes. Do I think Dreamworld will make this the best they can do? Probably not.

It's so nice to see the GP not bitch about Sea World...

Anyone know who is in charge of the music playlist at Dreamworld? Most of it's fine, but the other day the Giant Drop was busting out some really bad late 90's/early 2000's europop.

What a cruel and heartless woman. Her so called "reporting" is definitely in worse shape than most of the injured from this accident. Being put with an interview like that, I think everyone at Merlin needs a round of applause. They handled the interview professionally and in a calm manor. It would be pretty easy for the CEO to just raise his voice as much as hers and turn this into an episode of Jerry Springer: Theme Park Edition, but thankfully he didn't, and now they don't have a bigger problem on their hands. Also, how the bloody hell do you get removing the trains and having the ride torn down confused?!? Is she that tapped out?! Surely journalists have to at least do some credible background reading before they get into an interview!

Geez, is she the British Nancy Grace? How rude. That's is definitely not someone that I would not like represent a company.

​Yeah. It's either gonna be 100% Film or 100% Cartoon. No way they could do both on the same ride properly.

Couldn't agree more Pazzap, but just me nitpicking... ​I would probably compare this more-so to Ellen Degeneres and Oprah Winfrey. Both have very, very similar jobs that cater to the same market, however they are two very different people on all levels. I understand Merlin's reasoning behind shutting down all Gerstlauer coaster, but as we can all vouch, this isn't a problem to do with the manufacturer, but rather some of the staff. If parks over the world shut down their El Loco's after Green Lantern, I would be understanding. That accident wasn't human error, but rather a problem with the ride itself. This mess on the other hand...

​​Classic may be too strong of a word, but I would definitely say it comes close. I probably could've worded my original text a bit better, but that was the wording that accurately portrayed my message. ​I used those two as examples as they are FREQUENTLY seen in Scooby-Doo merchandising and memorabilia. While I agree that they haven't appeared in the series as often or that they are original ideas, they are definitely seen in merchandise associated with Scooby-Doo. These are what I would call the classic villains. The characters, while not exactly the most original or have the most appearances in the show, are considered iconic in relation to the franchise. Take a look at the Haunted Mansion as an example of this. The hatbox ghost was only in the mansion on I believe the first day of operations, before being removed. Even after one appearance and a 46 year disappearance, he is still associated and seen in most imagery and art based around the Haunted Mansion. End of the day, if the park decided that the live-action film is not being widely recognized (and maybe the ride is in need of a lengthy rehab...), then I would love to see these iconic villains take the place of the monsters that are in there now. I feel like they could really capture the essence of this classic franchise and make it really feel like you're on one of Mystery Inc.'s crazy adventures. I get your side of the argument AlexB. I don't want you to be thinking "Ugh, this bloody internet wanker won't let down, just keeps drilling his point". I understand exactly where you are coming from in that most of these characters aren't in a lot of episodes, and aren't original concepts. But hey, you can only fully realize an idea when you are fighting for it!

​That's exactly my point. JP is a classic because it has set a new standard in the industry that is still loved and referenced by many, even today. The Scooby Doo film doesn't exactly have people quoting lines from the film within a general conversation does it? ​​I understand what you're saying about that. The monsters currently are pretty generic, and changing them out for a generic Dracula type isn't exactly classic Scooby (bad planning on my part), but the series has had some classic villains. Think of Captain Cutlers ghost or the Black Knight. While not exactly original, they are iconic to the series. What I would like to see are more of those classic characters from the series.

Ok, I think we get the message you are trying to both convey. How about we get back on topic instead of bitching about the past?

So let me get this straight, Scrappy-Doo caused Dr. Frank-N-Furter to pull out of a family movie based around a cartoon from the 60's? Great. Thanks Scrappy. Anyway, Cardellini and Lillard did a really good job in the film (I should know, I watched it on repeat when I was younger). The reason I'm not to keen on the park using the live action film too much is that it's not really a classic. It's not a film like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or even Jurassic Park for that matter. Right now, I think it's fine, but in a couple of years it will definitely be dated. Not to start our argument back up AlexB, but I'm not suggesting that the park guts the ride then rebuilds from the ashes. Most of the ride fits the franchise like a glove (such as the castle setting and even the cars for that matter). If I was changing the ride, it would mainly just be swapping out the villain animatronics mannequins for some classic Scooby villains. Things like the Grim Reaper to Captain Cutler's ghost, or the monster from the film that drops from the ceiling into a vampire.