Adam C

I’m not sure I can add much to what’s already been said. From our last trip (Mum, Dad & 3 teens) I’d suggest the following:- Arrive at every park about 20-30 mins before opening. Especially the Magic Kingdom. We booked our FPs for Space Mountain. 7 Dwarfs & Buzz Lightyear from early afternoon onwards. The thinking behinds this is that we did the west side of the park straight from the rope drop. Big Thunder mtn, splash mtn, jungle cruise, POTC, haunted mansion and Peter Pan all before the main crowds arrived. When the crowds built, we switched to less busy attractions like the hall of presidents and mickeys Philharmagic. Then the FPs kick in when you can’t move for people. Then consider going back to the hotel for a rest and come back about 5pm when the prams and mobility scooters are leaving. At EPCOT, arrive early and plan your FPs while hitting the other big ticket rides first up. Try club cool and do the Beverley challenge. At World showcase, go to every theatre show as it acts as a rest between each land. Frozen ever after isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but you’ll need a FP if you want to ride it. By mid afternoon, either go back to the hotel or consider taking a boat ride from EPCOT to Hollywood studios and back. The round trip Is about an hour (20 mins each way) and you’ll get to see a few of the hotels. If you are going to a water park, my personal favourite is Typhoon Lagoon. It has quite a few double donuts which is always good for honeymooners. Happy travels. ps, have a look at this. -

This financial report from 1 year ago suggests that PQRs debt is putting lenders off. Maybe that’s why the offer is low. I’m guessing the new owners will also inherit the debts. https://simplywall.st/stocks/es/consumer-services/bme-pqr/parques-reunidos-servicios-centrales-shares/news/how-financially-strong-is-parques-reunidos-servicios-centrales-sa-bmepqr/

Firstly, I’m not an expert on Theme Park merchandise but I have in the past wondered about a Park’s ethos when it comes to merchandise. Is merchandise an extension of a park’s income? Does it have to make a profit or can it break even? Can merchandise form part of the marketing department? ie, can subsidised t-shirts, mugs, pens, etc be part of an advertising budget as they’re plugging the park in the local community. And then be written off against the tax bill. Ultimately, is merchandise sold to make more money or to promote the business? A couple of years ago, I went to WDW and came home with 2 t-shirts. Whenever I wear them around Perth, I’m always asked about the place. There’s a good number of people who enjoy theme parks /rides and I wonder if public exposure puts ideas in the back of people’s heads? Finally, I do agree that there is a lack of polo shirts at theme parks but being a novice on the matter, maybe they just don’t sell very well.

I’ve not been to any of the Asian parks but have been to DL & Universal in the US and Paris. At the age of 4, my kids absolutely loved Disneyland Paris. Also, they also loved Legoland in Windsor which was always voted best theme park for 4-11 year olds. I’m not sure what other attractions are around Legoland Malaysia but I’m sure some online research might help you decide.

Top Snooping iwerks. I’m guessing there’s nothing yet at the top of the hill. Could this be the start of Mi4?

Living in Perth I’d go for Adventureworld. Assuming the bush land to the south if the park was available I’d go for either Space Mountain from Disneyland Paris or the Wickerman from Alton Towers. I do have a thing for wooden roller coasters. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iPorV9iFu3c https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ARXDI3KIWS8

I do wonder what the next couple of big ticket attractions might be. There seems to be a general view that Mi4 will be a water attraction. As for Mi5, I’d be keen on something a bit less white knuckle. Maybe a wooden Rollercoaster or an air conditioned indoor coaster.

I'd add that the night temperatures in Feb are much warmer and allow visitors to use the water slides all night. Personally, I really enjoy riding both dry and wet rides after dusk. It's definitely a different experience.

My 2 sons loved KSC but my wife and daughter didn’t. Remember to take a load of coins as some of the toll booths are unmanned.

Hi Joz, I agree that the special effects are superb. But the physical features of the ride are average. If it were me, I'd probably book it as a fast pass but wouldn't queue for an hour for it.

We stayed next to the Fun Spot on US192. It's free to walk around. I wasn't impressed with the rides but the souvenir shops were arguably the cheapest in Orlando. My kids bought presents for their friends there.

Sorry Alex, I pushed the submit button before checking it. My mistake.

I’m more not sure wat your preferences are (white knuckle etc) but these ar the rides that have the ingest lines. MK - 7 Dwarfes Mine Train, Space Mouain, Splash Mountain. Do BTM, POTC, Jungle Boats & Haunted Mansion as soon as the rope drops. MK is always nuts for being full. After lunch, do all the shows like Philharmagic & Hall of Presidents. It gets quieter after 5pm when the prams and mobility scooters start leaving. Try a Presidential sweet at the sleepy hollow cafe. EPCOT - The biggest lines are Test Track, Soarin & Frozen ever after. From memory, you can’t fastpass TT & Soarin together. Frozen ever after is an average log flume. So consider fast passing Spaceship Earth and do the Beverly challenge at Club Cool. DHS - The big 3 are Tower of Terror, Rock’n Rollercoaster & Star Tours. Until Galaxy’s edge opens, do those. Fantastic is arguably the best Night show in WDW. Get a take out dinner and get a good seat about 45 - 60 mins before the start. AK - Flight of passage, Exp Everest & Dinosaur are the main thrill rides. However, Kali River rapids & the Safari also has big lines. We enjoyed the Yak & Yeti restaurant. If you’re just an adult group, I’d say Typhoon Lagonn has a bit more going on than Blizzard Beach. Volcano Bay looks good but I’ve read that the lines have been horrendous. Good Luck

If the 2 yearly update still applies, we have 10 months before Mi4 opens. Does anyone have any further info/ideas on what might be coming?

An interesting article about Legoland in the UK. Is it a case of you get what you pay for? https://uk.news.yahoo.com/legoland-renamed-deep-fried-crap-105000819.html

Firstly, I’d love to see either Universal or Disney come to Australia but sadly, I think it’s a non starter. I was reading recently that the Disney Parks make all of their profit from Florida, Anaheim & Tokyo. Paris and HK barely break even and Shanghai is a bit quiet about how their doing. Now when Eurodisney opened in 1992, the French Government not only gave them the land outside Paris for free, but also threw millions of Francs at them to get the gig. At the time, Paris was at the centre of Europe (Europe stopped at the Berlin Wall), it was within 4 hours drive X million guests, 30 mins from CDG airport and right on the Freeway. Also, the French extended the RER A rail line to go to the front door of the theme park. Yet DLP continually struggles. Nearly one third of the visitors come from the UK and only 38% from France. Now coming back to Universal or Disney coming to Aus, I’m guessing there would have to be a lot of political/govt goodwill to even get the thing off the ground. Free land, a new access road/freeway, a ton a start up grants, etc. Then would the thing even break even? Let’s say the NSW govt were really keen on the idea and just for argument is offered Universal free land near the new West Sydney airport with a new freeway and railway connecting the park to central Sydney. I’m guessing just that bit would go into a couple of billion dollars. Then the initial outlay of building a resort that people will actually want to visit. Again another couple of billion ( I don’t have a specific breakdown but Space mountain at DLP cost $au 200 million on its own). So the directors of Aussie banks plc would need convincing that Disney Paris and HK wouldn’t happen in Australia. Finally, we’re a long way from the rest of the world. While a number of Aussies may support such a project, there’s a lot a competition for foreign tourist to visit clone parks that are closer to where they live. The only starter I can see is if Ardent sell Dreamworld off on the cheap and federal money gets pumped in to create Universal Gold Coast. But sadly, I just think the numbers don’t add up.

I went September last year. Most of the advice given here is good. Here’s my tips. Use this website as your DLP bible. http://www.dlpguide.com/ Breakfast - Go to Maccas outside the park. It’s nice and quick. Just from my experience, the Monday we visited had no fast passes across either park due to the visitor numbers being very low. Also, DLP is visually stunning and very cold,in December. Take loads of photos. First Park - Walt Disney Studios. Start with Crush coaster (get Ratatouille fast pass if possible.) Then aim for Tower of Terror then Rocknrollercoaster. Attractions like the Tram tour and Art of animation may add to the movie themed experience, but if your looking to fit both parks in one day, I’d aim to do the main 4 by lunchtime and move to Disneyland park around 1pm. Disneyland Park. We went straight for lunch at Victoria’s Home Style Resturant on central plaza. A counter service roast beef/turkey sandwich eatery at the budget end. On the rides, we first went to Frontierland and BTM followed by Phantom Manor. Both really well themed and you’ll keep lunch down. Then on to Adventureland and Temple of Peril and POTC. POTC is right next to Pen Pan. Look at getting PP fast pass before going on POTC. Fantasyland has a younger appeal. Peter Pan is the main draw but if you can’t get a fast pass, consider if a 90 second ride is worth a 90 minute queue. Do visit the dragons lair under the castle. It’s possibly the best animatronic display in any Disney Park. It’s a small world is one of those “I did it once” rides. I’ve not done it since 1992. Finally, Discoveryland. Star Tours and Space Mountain are a must. Again, try to work the fast pass to your advantage. Shopping - I always have a theory of doing your souvenir shopping and the end of the day. However, while Main Street is open until park closing, some shops around the lands may close early. (DLP is a business) So if you fancy that BTM T.shirt or mug at Thunder Mesa mercantile, buy it before they close. At 6pm we eat at Plaza Gardens restaurant. A bit more expensive but it was an eat all you can buffet with lots of choice. Also, lots of Disney characters offering photos meaning you don’t have to queue during the day. After Dark - personally, I always found the outdoor rides the best after dark. BTM, temple of peril and even Mad Hatters tea cups. Have a great trip.

Hi Shane, ive not been to LA so can’t really comment too much other than everyone I know who’s been has stayed in Anaheim. I’ve done Orlando 5 times, the last time from Perth on Virgin/Delta during Sept/Oct school holidays. Virgin were great but Delta was a flying bus. I’m told nearly all of the US domestic carriers are the same. As for Orlando, last time we stayed off site but literally on the southern entrance of WDW. 5 mins to Epcot, DHS & AK. 10 mins to MK. The main benefit of this was we could have a mid afternoon rest/swim and go back later. This was a massive plus for the MK as it’s impossible to navigate from 1-5pm. I’m not sure what you’re budget or hotel expectations are, but we paid $83 a night and had free breakfast, free wifi and a free shuttle bus to WDW. The savings compared to staying at WDW meant we had a ton more spending money. (The wife and kids went nuts in the outlet malls). Now from the POV of a six year old girl, most parks are quite suitable. I’d probably skip Islands of Adventure and Kennedy Space Centre. Also, if you’re looking to possibly save on park tickets, just to Disney and maybe SeaWorld. There’s nothing wrong with Universal but it’s probably a bit more suited to an older visitor. EPCOT is another park suited to older visitors but kids can ride everything. As for avoiding the queues, try to hit every park 20 minutes before opening. The crowds don’t arrive for about an hour after opening so you can get a good three or four of the big attractions quite line free. When it gets busy, consider two plans. Firstly consider what 3 fast passes you’re going to book and when. At the MK, we booked our fast passes for early afternoon as everything had a massive line on it. Secondly, when early afternoon comes, consider going back to the hotel for a rest/swim and return around 5pm when the prams and wheelchairs start to leave. Alternatively, leave the big attractions alone and go for the theatre shows. At MK, things like the hall of presidents, Philharmagic and the Main Street cinema. The 25 minute rests will re charge you. As for water parks, I’ve not done Volcano Bay but thinking about your daughter, I’d probably lean towards Blizzard Beach. Aquatica and Typhoon Lagoon are both great but B.B. seems to have more going on for those under 5 ft. Again, if you’re on a budget, you may be able to buy a WDW combined parks and water park ticket and do B.B. & TL. We bought a 12 day combo ticket and used the water parks as rest days camping out by the wave pools. If you decide to stay onsite, consider carefully if you really want the WDW dining plan. It’s now $US 69 pp per day and many people on the WDW forum are questioning if it’s no longer value for money. Anyway, I could go on forever. If you want to know any more, leave a comment and I’ll try to answer if I can.

This is bordering insane. https://uk.yahoo.com/news/designers-water-slide-decapitated-boy-163954649.html

Hi djrappa, if I may, I’ll explain exactly what I meant by my ‘stupid’ comment. The Smiler incident resulted in two young ladies having limbs amputated. I was at Alton Towers at the end of last September. The park was relatively quiet (school day) but the Smiler was a walk on. When I got on and off, there was nobody in the queue. After 2 years, people don’t have confidence in it. Now my understanding is that Alton Towers attendances haven’t recovered to pre incident levels. So when I say the the Wicker Man is safer option, a flat family roller coaster with awesome theming is probably going to bring the punters back as opposed to another WTF 14 loop eurofighter. Personally, I like wooden coasters and if AdventureWorld in Perth installed one, I’d be on it every weekend. Onwards & Upwards!

I’m not sure how realistic this video is but I guess we’ll find out next week. Is it me, or is $28m for 600m of coaster a bit much? Could that money have been spent more wisely? Is this a very safe option after the Smiler incident?

It’s always made sense to keep the shops and eateries open after official closing time. Disney have always done it. Imagine if Main Street was closed as you were walking out. As for maintenance, I’d love to see the chairlift replaced with something faster and with a larger capacity; especially if Mi4 starts next to the Kraken. I’m not an expert on Australian taxation but do depreciation rules apply to something like the current chairlift. Could any write off help fund a new cable car?

There has been previous mention of a lazy river on previous posts. Personally I’d like to see either a donut slide or a water coaster (if budget allows) starting next to the Kraken entrance and ending by the go karts. That could be Australia’s longest water slide.

AW Groupon is back @ $45. Expires 29th April. https://www.groupon.com.au/deals/adventure-world-5-717081662?keyw=groupon adventure world&crea=248701659491&netw=g&adpos=1t1&utm_campaign=AU_DT_SEA_GGL_TXT_RBR_SR_CBP_CH1_NBR_k*groupon adventure world_m*p_c*248701659491_d*AU-RTC-Brand-Root-Perth_g*rtc-brand-adventure-world-5-717081662-PHRASE_s*1407_t*kwd-311161963575&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&loc_physical_ms=9070720&loc_interest_ms=9070534&template=ETA_Root2

It appears the Great Escape has risen from the ashes.