aaronm

Good point, we should all just keep pretending VRL is a charity, they deserve money for nothing. Not to mention the board is also currently in the process of screwing over its shareholders by flogging the company off at bargain basement prices.

Fright Nights cancelled, half the rides shut, entertainment cut back.. Ignoring that the border is shut to Victoria indefinitely, I'm definitely wondering why I continue paying for a membership...

That final roll always took me by surprise on Blue Fire, such a great finale!

For me the lighting fixtures look ok, but the fairy lights seem somewhat tacky, especially when they're only used for a handful of nights each year. That big white canvas would be great for nighttime projections though...

It seems unlikely that the Florida parks won't follow suit and close for at least a few weeks. They'll be harder hit because it's a vacation crowd whereas Disneyland is predominantly locals. I've seen a few emails from Six Flags, Cedar Fair etc this week assuring that their parks will open as planned and they're taking extra precautions but that could well change in the current environment. All Broadway shows have just cancelled for the next month, so it's hard to see theme parks opening on schedule. As for the Gold Coast parks, some kind of short-term closure is probably likely even if it's just a cautionary measure.

Nice to see that old screen gone, while it served a purpose it was definitely getting a bit old and did nothing for the aesthetics of the street. Would be great if they were able to integrate the screens into the facades somehow - WB World Abu Dhabi does this particularly well with screens as "billboards" coming to life when needed.

Just wait until after the April school holidays, when Rivals, Superman, WWF and probably Arkham are all out of action for at least a month. I guess Green Lantern will be the headline coaster! That said, I appreciate the park being so open about its maintenance plans so I can plan around this sort of thing, just feel bad for the guests who don't think to check before they visit.

Gerstlauer infinity/dive coaster wouldn’t be out of place, or even a large mine train if the park wanted something more family-focused.

Leaving India’s Nitro as the world’s only roller coaster themed to Hot Wheels! 😆

Will ticket prices be reduced to factor in the reduction in attractions? 😁😂🤪

OK, wasn't clear from the pictures and I was just making a joke, no need to start throwing insults... 🙄

Interesting choice to use two sets of temporary barrier to fence off... the park fence?

If these synergies are as incredible as you're suggesting it's a shock that they don't seem to translate into noticeable financial results for the company. But my point was more in response to the suggestion that there would no longer be a single annual pass for all three parks - it seems far more likely that any eventual split of the group would be down the film/theme park lines, rather than selling off individual parks.

I'm not sure the parks business would be split up. The most logical separation would be to sell off WnW Sydney, which has already been done. The GC parks are definitely worth more as a group, and are arguably a more reliable operation than the volatile film production/distribution companies - IMO that's the most likely split in the event a private equity firm decides to divvy up the group.

Valid point, though I think Macquarie/Ardent is definitely the "worst case scenario" example. It can go the other way as well - SeaWorld/Busch did pretty well under Blackstone ownership. It's great that we finally have people who understand theme parks running VRTP but the chain still isn't as profitable as it should be which doesn't bode well for the future of the parks under the current management team. They can only blame disappointing results on the Dreamworld accident for so long...

Curious what you're basing this view on? PEP pumped a stack of money into Hoyts right after they bought the business. Most of these private equity firms are looking to grow the value of their acquisitions and sell them off for a profit, which generally involves serious capital expenditure. Any interim operating profits are a bonus. I suspect that the parks are probably more likely to see major additions under private equity than they have as semi-public companies.

Depending on how the track is holding up, would it be out of the question for Vekoma to come in and replace the trains, ride controls, motors etc? They are still building new SLCs (albeit with more comfortable trains these days) and it would certainly cost less than replacing the ride.

Slides are generally cheaper than coasters, and WNW is definitely (over)due for some new additions - though given the scale of additions at MW and SW perhaps they want something bigger (think Holiday World’s Mammoth). Any investment might be delayed depending on what happens with the VRL takeover bid, guess we will see...

Indeed, my experience is that POVs are about as helpful as ride logos in determining the quality of a coaster. Can’t wait to ride our Blue Fire almost-clone!

Blue Fire is great, not quite as good as Maverick but still an excellent ride. Not sure where the hate is coming from for this one!

A number of rides seem to have lengthy maintenance windows this year. I guess it helps keep costs down in the off season... 😉

Might want to get your sarcasm filter checked chief 😉

Cut off the roof, problem solved

Don't worry, Timberliners are definitely a more pleasant ride than Maurer's terrible trains.

I mean, not exactly surprising, it's November and nothing has gone vertical so pretty unrealistic to expect it'll be open for the summer holidays. April 2020 it is!