jhunt2

I couldn't see the images for some reason, but I think conflating Sea World's ability to demolish an entire monorail system with the NSW Government's is inherently flawed to begin with. And last I checked, the Sydney monorail still isn't completely removed 11 years later, so my point stands. Removing the whole thing is a stage-by-stage process, and the two outcomes I see happening are either it sits there being an eyesore, or SW finds enough funding to justify renovating it. I'm hoping for the latter.

See, here's my worry. With such an extensive layout literally circumnavigating the entire park, it's not a cheap demolition operation to get rid of the monorail. It'd be a technically complex process involving working around ride maintenance schedules and slowly tearing it apart section by section. To employ workers to do that, SW are going to have to invest quite a sum. Which means they won't do it until they're 1) in a financially secure enough position to invest that money, and 2) absolutely certain that it's the right decision, and that money wouldn't be better invested in renovating or replacing it. That means, in my mind, it's safe as long as the benefit of reopening it outweighs that rather tedious process of removing it. But what worries me is the third option, which Aussie parks are incredibly prone to: investing in neither, leaving it there and not talking about it. And that's what I think is looking most likely unfortunately. I hope it reopens, the benefit to the park is tremendous, but if it doesn't, I worry it's just going to sit around being an eyesore for years to come.

I didn't say anyone had. I said I can't see any reason why it wouldn't. I'm really not appreciating your choice to be argumentative with the point that you think I'm making instead of discussing my contributions on how they could add a new station or how it's sad to see it in its current state. Anyway, something that interests me about these photos is that there's still a bottle of sunscreen left there by the drivers, as well as what appears to be paperwork. The control panel is locked down but things seem to have been left with the expectation of operating again in the not-too-distant future. Which kinda makes me sad actually, they parked the monorail, expecting it to be down for just a little while during Atlantis construction, probably not knowing it would be years before anyone got back in that drivers' seat

Valid point when it comes to why it isn't in operation now, but I said I don't understand why they wouldn't bring it back, not why they haven't. I completely understand the reasons behind the current closure. Whether bringing it back entails a complete replacement, or new trains on the same track, or a different form of transport ride, or just a minor renovation, I can't see any reason that demolishing a full circuit of monorail track would be more financially viable in the medium-term than spending a bit of money on getting it operating again. It's obviously not a drawcard attraction in itself, but it does make the entire resort function much more effectively.

I really don't understand why they wouldn't bring it back. It links the resort and the rest of the park nicely, it's a good ride to get a scenic view of the park. They could maybe add another station around New Atlantis and that would bring the whole thing together as a brilliant transport ride. It's sad to see it in this state but the fact that it's still there gives me hope that they've got plans.

So, these popped up on RCDB at the start of the month All designed by a guy named Grant Telfer, who apparently also designed the human-powered coaster at Green Valley Farm. RCDB suggests there's one still operating in Keith SA, and one SBNO in Murray Bridge. Anyone know anything more about these?

August 2022 to January 2024 is still not 2+ years.

How is Summer 2024 two years away? That could either mean Jan-Feb 2024, which is six months away, or Dec 2024, which is 18 months.

I've heard this a lot with Mack PowerSplash being put forward too, but I really don't agree. I've been on a PowerSplash and while I wouldn't describe it as intense, it's definitely a thrill ride. They're big, fast, and intimidating to look at for younger riders. What Dreamworld lost with TRRR and RHLR is two great family water rides. Those were the two really brilliant rides that every family went on together, from the adults down to the kids. I don't think they have a ride like that currently, and I'd even say Jungle Rush might be a bit too much on the family-thrill end for families with smaller kids to do together. The closest I'd say they have currently to a "whole family ride" is Sky Voyager, but even that doesn't quite fit the bill. For me, yes, they need a new water ride, but it needs to refill that family ride gap. There are so many better thrill coasters they could build than a PowerSplash or Intamin Shuttle Water Coaster, they don't need the water ride excuse for that if they want a new big coaster. They need a flume or a shoot-the-chute, preferably well-themed, to be the new ride that every family flocks to together on a hot summer's day.

I went back in January - bad timing because of a number of coaster closures, but here are the parks I went to. - Lotte World: probably the park I'd recommend the most. This place is jaw-dropping. As Ogre already mentioned, it's Disney-esque in its level of detail and theming. Features Atlantis Adventure, which is a great coaster and really well-themed; French Revolution, possibly the best-themed Vekoma MK-1200 in the world; and don't sleep on Comet Express, one of the world's only Intamin Twist and Turns and actually a fun little coaster. This place had me dazzled all day, it's breathtaking in its scale and brilliance. It's very accessible from the Seoul Metro. - Everland: the obvious drawcard here is T Express, but this park is quite large and very beautiful with a good selection of rides. Also, don't miss the zoo and gardens, which are changed to a different theme every season. But of course, T Express is one of the most sought-after credits in the world, so it's worth the trip for that alone. About a 30-40 minute bus ride from Seoul. - Gyeongju World: a bit of a trek from anywhere you're likely to be visiting for any other reason, but it features a B&M Invert and a Dive Coaster. A pretty good-looking park as well, although I found it was by far the worst in Korea for its operations and upkeep. Gyeongju has a high-speed rail station, but it's another half hour or so by bus from the station to the park. Still, Phaethon and Draken would be worth the trip from Busan. - Lotte World Adventure Busan: a brand spanking new park by Lotte, opened in 2022. It features a Blue Fire clone and a PowerSplash. The park looks fantastic and definitely has the potential to live up to its sister park in Seoul, but it's a little sparse for the time being, which is forgivable since it only just opened. I'm sure it will expand gradually. Busan is a great city, and the park is a train ride from the city, so worth a stopover if you're there. - Seoul Land: the coasters here are awful (a couple of head-banging loopers, an abomination of a Wild Mouse that is baffling in its very existence, a Zamperla twin helix and a wacky worm), but the park itself is really very beautiful and has a large collection of rides and attractions. Entry is cheap and it's accessible from Seoul Metro, plus the location around it is absolutely picturesque, so it's worth a visit if you're looking for things to do. I also went to Grand Children's Park for the Vekoma SFC credit, but I would not recommend that for anything more than the credit. It's poorly maintained and runs rough.

RCDB is wrong on this. Hopkins & Pearce made 3 units - the one at LPS, and then two currently operating at parks in East Java in Indonesia. Aussie World's model was imported from the US, which is where Hopkins & Pearce first saw the Wild Mouse operating and bought the blueprints to build their own. So essentially, identical model, built by different manufacturers. All three of the Hopkins & Pearce clones still exist, although it's hard to know much about their current operating status with them being in Indonesia.

Sounds like a similar thing then, they basically work so well because each rider is actually boarding one at a time, and therefore attendants can just address issues to their face instead of hoping they listened to a general announcement. Obviously you're still going to have riders who struggle to board due to size, stature, mobility, nervousness, etc etc. It happens a lot. Did you happen to witness what the procedure is in this case? From an operator's perspective, that would be my only worry with a constantly moving load station and loading one by one - that my efficiency for the entire train gets derailed the moment someone needs a little extra help through no fault of their own. At least when you're loading all 7 seats on Dipper, if someone needs a bit of extra attention, you can let the other 6 riders sit themselves down while your attendants assist, and in theory you don't lose as much time.

From an efficiency standpoint, Dipper's pre-recorded spiels are actually not very effective. I say this having worked on BD for almost a year now. The entry spiel in particular is rather long-winded and wastes its time on the world-first claims before getting to any important information. Guests are often seated before the actually important stuff starts. Also, both the entry and exit spiels miss several of the most important aspects such as glasses not being permitted, asking guests not to do their own lapbars, direction of exit, and the whole "crossing your arms" thing. All of those have been causes of frustrating delays in my experiences at Dipper, and the pre-recorded spiels don't even mention them. It's probably the product of the spiels being recorded before the ride was complete or open to the public, meaning those issues weren't foreseen. The saving graces that make Dipper so efficient in my experience are the low capacity, meaning the attendants can basically address those issues face-to-face since they have so few riders to worry about per train, and the microphone. Some operators do their own spiels and don't ever use the pre-recorded ones, and even many of the operators who do use the recorded ones will still have to resort to either using the microphone or asking their attendants to address a particular guest issue. Ultimately, the pre-recorded spiels do very little for Dipper's actual efficiency and are often all but ignored by most riders. Especially with such a short ride time meaning the spiels are on repeat almost every 90 seconds, they basically become background noise to anyone who is within earshot of the station for more than 3 cycles. I'm personally a microphone spiel kind of guy, but I'd give more credit for efficiency to the attendants who proactively tackle the issue head-on. You can say "put your phone in the locker" a million times to someone over a speaker, but guests will be having their own conversations and generally not paying attention. Or just being idiots in some cases. Nothing quite works as effectively as a staff member telling them what to do to their face, which unfortunately is just not realistic on any ride with a capacity higher than the abnormally (and ironically) small Dipper.

^^ Can we stop being inflammatory over nothing now? I'd like to go back to talking pleasantly about well-known enthusiasts touring Australia thanks. Speaking of, they went to see Orphan Rocker yesterday. I didn't know it was that well-known outside of Australia, but it seems they were keen to check out Scenic World and the remains of OR.

Okay. 🤷‍♂️

You missed the point again. He's not saying anyone with a credit count under 500 doesn't know what they like. He's saying because theirs is so high and they're so well-travelled, they've ridden coasters from every major manufacturer, in probably every major model, experiencing pretty much every common element and a variation on pretty much any layout. That means that it is far more likely that a coaster would stand out for them because of the theming, which is probably completely unique to that ride, than the layout, which is more likely to be similar to something they've ridden before. That doesn't mean that Coaster Studios or any other well-travelled enthusiast won't occasionally find a coaster that surprises them with the ride experience, and it also doesn't mean that an enthusiast with only 50 credits won't know what to expect from a coaster. He's just saying that he expects they were more impressed by Levi's lighting package and theming, which is far more unique than the coaster itself. It's not that deep, he's not insulting you for not having 500 credits.

Proud to say that was my credit number 1! And I don't think I'll ever get another one like it 🤣

He never said you did. He said after 500 coasters, they probably have a reasonable idea what to expect from most layouts and elements, and the presentation of the ride through things like theming and storyline probably varies more and surprises them more pleasantly than the actual ride experience. Unless they're riding a model that's super rare or new and they've never been on before, it's likely they'll always have done something comparable with any ride they go on.

They were big fans of Levi's lighting package and theming! They said that it blew them away. Their main praise for Levi itself was that it was a better ride start to finish, while they felt that DCR had dead spots. I thought they were referring to the Stengel dive, but apparently they didn't find the helix to be that great either. But they loved DCR all the same and said it had better moments, they just found Levi to be a better complete package. Also chatted a little about LPS. Apparently they came to the park knowing about the coasters, but not a lot about the other historical attractions and aspects of the park. They were very surprised and impressed by Coney Island and were having the time of their lives in there when we met.

Say what you will about CS's upload schedule and format during the trip, I was lucky enough to meet them both at LPS, and they were both lovely to chat to. I bumped into Sarah first and she went out of her way to bring Taylor over to say hi. They told me some of their thoughts on DCR and Levi, and I definitely will be tuning in once their reactions come out, because they had some interesting opinions - seems they both preferred Levi! I definitely like that TPW uploaded promptly enough for viewers to be able to follow along with the trip in almost real-time, and I'd love to see CS do that in the future. The Patreon is relatively new to their channel, so it's possible they might still be fine-tuning exactly how it's going to work for them, and future trips might be better in response to that feedback. But as people, can confirm they were super nice and friendly!

Yes... and hence, more people walked through the SE/AA entrance plaza to reach that ride than there will be once it becomes the SE/SR entrance plaza. It's not going to create more foot traffic just because its throughput is slower. People still only have to walk to the entrance of the queue regardless of how long they wait in said queue. Pretty much sums up your complaints about the aesthetics so far. We don't know the colour scheme, queue design, theme, station design, general precinct upgrades or anything about this project other than what the ride is and a generally educated guess at which way it will be oriented, and yet you're complaining that it's going to look bad. I'm not the one speculating on whether it will look bad/good. Come opening date I may agree with you. I'm simply saying you're awfully riled up about aesthetics when we don't even have the foggiest idea what changes are about to be made to the area. I disagree with you on the skyline factor purely because I don't think an Intamin Surfrider has the surface area at height to interfere with a larger-scale coaster. That's it. The rest, I'm simply saying, is to be decided and you certainly shouldn't be so upset about it yet.

Since your skyline point is based on complete speculation, I'm not going to engage with it too much further. You're outraged over SR cluttering SE's skyline when you yourself admit that it would only look cluttered if the colour scheme doesn't fit with SE. We haven't even got rumours in terms of theme or colours yet, so let's wait and see? I also really don't think it's going to clutter much at all. I don't know how much you ever visited WnW, but SR isn't really a striking part of the skyline. It only has two spikes that reach its rather minimal apex, meaning it covers very little "surface area" of the overall skyline and would still be dominated by SE's top hat from the Main Street side at least. As for this point about foot traffic, how is this adding more foot traffic to the area? The entrance to AA was through this area for years, and that's now gone. SR will draw nowhere near the ridership of AA, so I'd expect there will still be less foot traffic through this area than pre-2019. Aside from the smokers' area, there's no other reason to walk around there unless you're riding one of those two rides. That's not going to be an issue whatsoever as far as I can see, and I'd expect the area to only open up further once Oz opens.

I don't get everyone's big deal with it being considered a coaster. It's literally a multi-launch shuttle coaster with spinning seats. It's just as much of a coaster as an Intamin Impulse or a Vekoma Big Air. Anyway, without digging that stupid pointless semantic argument up again, I really disagree with your argument about aesthetics. SE's most significant aesthetic impact from the outside is the top hat from Main Street. This isn't going to disrupt that at all. The only thing I can possibly think you must mean is that the view of the train going around the helix will be disrupted from the path outside the entrance, but really, you're only going to get closer vantage points when the queue and ride area for SR opens, as well as added interaction beyond a flat patch of white gravel. I can't see how it would ruin the aesthetics from an on-ride perspective either. It's not like SE had a closed-off precinct and seeing other rides will ruin the immersion of the story. You've always had a clear view of Main Street, Batwing and big white sheds during the ride. If anything, this will only make the helix more interesting with potential interactions with ride structure and buildings. I doubt anything will get close enough to be considered a head-chopper, but surely you can't be arguing that the white gravel patch is better?

I've already explained from an operator's perspective why the RFID tags and other technologies are valuable protections for us. I've already said that we know it doesn't make the ride safer, that's not the purpose of it. Just like it's not the purpose of a CCTV camera or an operator logbook. Those are in place for when something happens, not to prevent that something from happening. And now you're coming up with these theories with absolutely no basis and contributing them to the discussion as probable fact. Honestly, that's peak 7 News Gold Coast behaviour.

It's not. That's exactly what I'm saying. It's the same thing, just a newer technology. Arguably the RFID is a technological upgrade on CCTV because it provides solid data that can't be obscured by things like poor camera quality, bad angles or blind spots. It's just a clearer and less ambiguous form of confirmation from the operator. From the park's perspective, it's a safer and more reliable way to cover their backsides. You keep repeating this point, ignoring what everyone else is saying in response. It's not always about measures that reduce the actual risk, it's about taking redundancy measures to prepare for the eventuality of any sort of incident. Australia's negligence laws are very unforgiving to the amusement industry when it comes to incidents at the moment, so rigorous reporting and measures to ensure that they can verifiably prove that they did everything in their power to prevent an incident is a park's best protection. It's also just about continually reducing risk to an acceptable minimum. Obviously, there's always risk in any activity, particularly amusement rides, but a great way of putting it that I've heard before is that parks and operators have to treat safety checks before every ride cycle like everything that can go wrong is going to go wrong on that cycle. Seatbelts? RFID? Sure, they don't reduce risk really. But they force operators to come into physical contact with the restraint, making sure that they conduct a physical check on every restraint for every cycle, because it only takes one missed restraint for disaster to strike, and there's no coming back from that. You didn't check that one restraint? You're done, and so is the park. You also keep saying that visual checks are adequate, but as an operator, I can tell you that you couldn't be more wrong. When we check restraints, we are not just checking if it's down and locked. We are checking for damage to the restraint or seat, checking for the appropriate amount of tension when we push and pull on it, checking that riders are seated in the correct position and abiding by safety regulations, and ultimately checking for anything out of the ordinary with the restraint system. That restraint is what keeps riders safe. It is literally the most important part of an operator's job to be completely sure that it is secured correctly before starting a ride. We are trained to know how these rides should look, sound, feel and even smell when operating normally. We become very familiar with the rides, so when conducting those checks, we're not only visually inspecting the ride and restraints, but also listening for unusual sounds coming from the restraint when it moves, feeling that it is secure and doesn't have an unsafe amount of movement or "give", and generally conducting an up-close inspection of every rider to ensure that we can confirm they are safe to the best of our ability. I'm really hoping you mean a physical check, as in pulling and pushing on the restraint, because I have never been to a park anywhere in the world that my restraint wasn't physically checked by an operator before dispatch. And I've been to some sketchy parks. If I'm ever dispatched on a roller coaster with only a visual check of my restraint, that's the moment I'll start praying. I get it, you're very efficiency-minded, and the RFID and operators doing seatbelts definitely slows things down, there's no denying that. I think what you're forgetting in DW's case is that they are very recently recovering from an incident that was just about as bad as it can possibly get in terms of negligence in the operation of their rides. If they're erring towards covering their own backsides, it's probably for the very valid reason that they cannot afford another incident where they're to blame at all, so they're taking every possible measure to ensure they can prove absolutely everything was in order if something ever happened on ST. If they're sacrificing a bit of efficiency in order to never repeat those mistakes, I'd say that's a pretty smart idea from their safety team.