jhunt2

Hey guys! Just a bit of a more off-the-beaten-path trip report here from a roller coaster side quest! Long story short, my birthday fell in the middle of a holiday to Ho Chi Minh City, so I managed to convince my partner to cram a trip to the resort island of Phu Quoc into a day - don't recommend trying it by the way, but it was manageable in off-peak crowds. There are two major parks on Phu Quoc, but a whole lot else to see as well! This place is really otherworldly! Sun World Hon Thom Nature Park The first of the two parks is actually not located on Phu Quoc island, but on Hon Thom island, just south of the main island. You access the park via a cable car - a very big one. In fact, the longest in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. This thing is huge, with spectacular views, but from here you can see exactly what makes Phu Quoc so strange - the resorts are huge new developments from large Vietnamese companies, sparked by increasing tourist interest in the island. The companies behind the resorts seem to have gone with the strategy of building big and building fast, so you'll buy your tickets from a villager in a small hut in what feels like a rural Vietnamese town, and then drive up a cobblestone street with beautiful European-inspired buildings either side, to the entrance of the cable car, which has a very impressive Roman ruins facade. It's absolutely bizarre. From the cable car itself, you'll see the majesty and beauty of the resorts and the surrounding islands, but also the huge and dense low-income parts of Phu Quoc, which still haven't really seen much benefit from the increased tourism. I'd be interested to hear what their thoughts are on the investments, and whether it's an invasion of their home or a potential for them to make money from tourists. We didn't know what to make of it honestly. The cable car itself ended up being maybe the highlight of Sun World, not because the park isn't great, but because the cable car is just so spectacular. It takes 15 minutes to get to the park on Hon Thom island, and there isn't a dull moment. Don't be daunted by the huge lineup when you arrive - it moves pretty quickly, and it's a bit of a bottleneck since every visitor to the park has to enter via the cable car. We had a rather large queue to enter, but basically no lines for the rest of the day. Sun World itself is a park that seems to be well on its way to being the full package, but it's clearly still in the construction phase. Currently, there's a very decent-sized water park, brilliant dining options, a beach, an observation tower which is very popular, and their GCI wooden coaster, Roaring Timbers. They also appear to be adding a drop tower, but it isn't open just yet, although it looks mostly constructed and even appears on the park map, so you might be lucky if you're planning a visit soon. Roaring Timbers, for starters, is immaculately themed and presented. Sea World could learn an awful lot from the way the entrance, lockers, theming and queue have been done. The queue building and entrance are stunning to look at, there are free lockers with facial recognition, the operations are great and the queue moves quickly. The ride itself is also a big thumbs up. It's smooth, there are some nice moments of airtime and it has fantastic speed from the beginning. It's not particularly intense at all but a lot of fun. My only critique is that it could maybe have used the terrain a little better. It's built on the side of a hill, and gets close to the ground at times, but doesn't ever really use that to its advantage. Still a great coaster. Dining options are also great here. There's a buffet option, some higher-end restaurants that serve beautiful meals and locally-brewed beers, pizza, and your typical theme park foods, as well as little drinks stalls. And with Vietnamese prices, it's super cheap and easy to eat well while you're here. We didn't try out any of the slides, but there are some good quality waterslides and attractions to try out, including a lazy river, a BRO-style racing slide, Tornado, a pair of Wedgie-style drop slides, and a whole bunch of others. It's quite a decent-sized water park. The only things to be aware of - there's not a lot of shade, and the UV will be high, so pack lots of protection. And tropical rain can hit fast, so be prepared to make a duck for a restaurant or the gift shop. It doesn't last long usually. The cable car closes for a short period around lunchtime, but reopens some time around 1:00-1:30pm. The line to get back on for the return trip to Phu Quoc is a lot shorter, and we left right after lunch. VinWonders Phu Quoc OK, so the first thing to say here is don't be fooled by the size of the island. I fell into this trap slightly, which was a rookie error and my own fault. I guess I'd been planning the logistics of cramming flights into one day so much that I overlooked the actual transport on the island. I looked at the island and thought, "Hey, sure, they're at opposite ends, but it can't be more than 30 minutes, right?" Wrong. Phu Quoc is well over 50km from end to end, and it took us about an hour by taxi. Not a huge loss, but be prepared that they're not exactly close together if you're travelling to both parks. When you factor in that the speed limit is never over 60, and Vietnamese traffic is insane, it can be quite a journey. Luckily, our taxi driver was an absolute legend and got us there 15 minutes ahead of the Google Maps estimate, with tickets in hand - even if he did give us a good fright with a few very wacky shortcuts! VinWonders is... well, it's just spectacular. This clearly Disney-inspired park looks absolutely immaculate. (Forgive the lack of photos, I really got caught up in the moment on this one). You'll spot it from the main road and just be blown away yet again. A towering Ferris wheel, castle at the centre, and massive entrance complex with Tudor facades all around and another castle-like building at the entrance gates... it's just a sight to behold. The inside is no different. 5 stars for theming, they really went all out. The park, again, clearly Disney-inspired, is split into different themed areas, including an adventure-themed area, a fantasy-themed area, Western-themed area, as well as a water park and an absolutely gigantic aquarium inside a building shaped like a giant sea turtle with a waterfall coming out of its mouth. Sounds made up, I know, but it's there, it's huge, and it's awesome. The main attraction for thrill seekers will be Wrath of Zeus, a Vekoma Firestorm in the adventure-themed area. This coaster is intense. The theming looks nice too. The launch is absolutely rapid, there's some insane airtime and great inversions, but also some absolutely breathtaking positives. I greyed out at the bottom of the drop off the top hat into the first inversion. It's F O R C E F U L. The ride seems to show its hand a little too early - you've got a great launch, fifty-metre top hat, intense drop into a corkscrew and then an amazing vertical loop, but after that it doesn't do much, and there's only one more inversion. You get a good head chopper into a tunnel and a couple of twisted airtime hills that would be soooo much better without the vest restraints, but it just feels like it's twisting around and wasting a bit of time in the latter half really. Also, operations were terrible. Let me emphasise how terrible. Each cycle consists of: - Operator and attendant checking every seat and restraint while they're empty - Only after the seats have been checked, an audio recording is played of every safety instruction, in both Vietnamese and English. - Only after the recording finishes, the gates are open and guests board, often forgetting to follow the instructions they just heard in painstaking detail and two different languages - Operator and attendant check all of the lap bars - Operator gives even more instructions - Train dispatches - Only after guests exit at the end, the process starts again That whole process can take 10-15 minutes at a time. It's brutal to wait in line for. RCDB says there are five other coasters at VinWonders, but I'm pretty sure one of them has closed during the construction of this new park. We couldn't find the Vekoma Junior coaster anywhere. As for the roller coasters that did still exist: - Ipanema Skate Ride is an Intamin Surfrider. Pretty fun, and features lap bars instead of over-the-shoulder restraints, which makes it a lot more fun than Wet'n'Wild's version. You get some good forces with a free upper body. - Spartan Race is a Vekoma Family Boomerang. It's clearly repurposed from the old park that was on this land, because the train doesn't fit the Greek theming - it's a dolphin for some reason. Fun little coaster, very similar to LPS's Boomerang, but it only has one booster lift and relies on gravity to turn the train around. That leaves the backwards leg being slower and a little disappointing. - Eagle Warrior was a pleasant surprise. My partner loved this one. It's a Vekoma SFC, but indoors in a dark ride themed to an Egyptian tomb. There are incredible lighting effects, great use of leg-choppers and trenches. The ride just really knows how to visually disorient you and make itself so much more thrilling. It also has lap bars, and the first drop is great in the back. It was definitely the surprise favourite of the trip. - Eagle Wingspan (that's the name on RCDB, but it has a bunch of different names in the park) is one of those single-seat suspended coasters. Unfortunately it was closed. I was really looking forward to this one, I've been curious what those coasters ride like. There's also a huuuuuuuge collection of flats, like the towering Ferris wheel, a small drop tower, Zamperla Disk-O Coaster, a Tango Train, and a bunch more. The water park has a great selection including one drop slide that rivals Wrath of Zeus for height. There's a very impressive-looking flume ride too, but it was also closed. Food and shopping options on the Main Street are really really impressive, there appears to be a water and lights show in front of the castle at night, and there is just so much to do. We would recommend dining at the restaurant inside the aquarium, where the food is immaculate and you eat in a cozy atmosphere in front of a huge aquarium wall. So impressive. VinWonders definitely made me wish we had visited on a longer trip, and I'll be keeping a close eye on both resorts, because both were breathtaking and surprising. Anyway, that's my rant. I can't recommend Phu Quoc enough really. Not sure what the prices are like at the resorts themselves, but it might be worth staying in Phu Quoc City, which has a distinctly Vietnamese feel and lots of little shops that are clearly keen to capitalise on the tourist traffic, so you can still experience that Vietnamese feel if you visit there as well. Don't miss the natural beauty of the island and the village life. Vietnam is just too beautiful to be missed. But keep an eye on these parks - they're quite impressive already and definitely feel like they're going to grow further. It looks like Phu Quoc is also starting to attract some international flight routes, so fingers crossed it'll become more affordable for Aussies to visit directly some time soon. Flights from mainland Vietnam are quick and cheap, I'd recommend Vietnam Airlines (it was way more comfortable than the budget option VietJet), and book your taxis with the Grab App, because the taxi drivers are waiting like seagulls outside the arrivals gate to snap you up and overcharge you. Grab is easy to use and means your fare is set in advance.

Unfortunately I'd say Gold Striker is most likely to be scrapped and the trains used for other Cedar Fair GCIs.

Very big difference in scale between these two projects. Unless you're being incredibly optimistic about how much effort VRTP are going to put into the "themed precinct" aspect of Atlantis.

Yeah looks like it's just not updated yet. I can confirm it is operating again as I've been at the park. Wild Mouse was also back in operation last night.

UPDATE: Big Dipper has reopened as of tonight

Can confirm it's closed, and has been for most of this week. Unclear whether it was scheduled, but I'd expect not given that it's already gone through Intamin's inspection. Anything scheduled that needed to be done would probably have been done at that time while the ride was down for those inspections. At the end of the day, it's an Intamin prototype. Teething issues were inevitable. Wild Mouse and Volare have also been quite extensively down recently.

Just had a look on SafeWork Australia and it's not required. The only sort of requirement specified is that at least part of the restraint's locking mechanism must be inaccessible to the rider to prevent them from tampering with it or undoing it accidentally or in a panic. Qld may be different, but by federal requirements anyway, it's not a necessity as far as I can see.

I'm wondering if we will see any improvements to the river or anything over the 'other side' for quite some time. With the exception of the Corroboree/animals/vintage cars section, nothing is really functional over there at the moment, and it's a long trek back there for really no reason at all, especially while the train is not operating. If I were in charge at DW, I think the priority would be rebuilding DW's reputation, not as the biggest theme park in Australia, but the best. High quality attractions like ST and SV will help, but it might even be healthy for DW to put the river on the back-burner for a while, and focus on running a slightly smaller park and running it well. It's a cliche, but quality over quantity any day. We're going to have a completely different DW emerge from this era in its existence, and I'd rather it be a smaller park but a better one than for them to stretch their resources just trying to fill unused space. That being said, if they aren't going to do anything on the river for a while, they could at least try their best to get the water circulating so that it's not visibly a filthy swamp.

Yep, back up and running, although don't be shocked and outraged if there are a few more stoppages if you visit in the coming days. It seems to be having a few little teething issues here and there. The good news is it's not completely down any more!

I mean, we'd all love a thrill ride for a thrill ride, but when was the last time MW added a new major family-friendly ride? Junior Driving School was 2014. That's a long time between drinks. Lately it's seemed like all of MW's big new investments have been thrill rides - and they weren't replacements for retiring rides, they were just straight up additions to the lineup. MW really doesn't have anything for the market of "too old to enjoy the carousel, too young to go on Scooby-Doo or WWF". A couple of family-friendly coasters could do the park a world of good. I just hope they bother making the precinct well-themed. EDIT: They don't have *much* for that market. No hate to Road Runner or JL intended.

Yes. Operators when I rode it said there was some sort of sensor issue, but take that with a grain of salt as they followed that up by saying they weren't really sure and were just being instructed to run it on half cycles. My best guess is that it's something that requires the manufacturer to get involved, either for parts or for reassessment, and that there's delays on that due to the ongoing complexities of COVID. No idea how long it'll be, but the park certainly seem to be suggesting it's a temporary measure due to issues with the ride. That's the only thing that makes sense to me. The other rumours I've heard swirling about SH breaking height and noise restrictions at 360 degrees seems unlikely given how much thought was put into meeting those requirements in the designing of Luna Land.

I agree, the tower has arguably become more iconic than the rides themselves. You can see it for miles, and it has a huge presence in the park and the skyline. I think it's inevitable that the cost of upkeep for GD will eventually become too much to justify, but I'd hope Dreamworld would see the benefit in a new tower-based ride to take its place, even if it means a rebuild of the tower. That being said, the recent gondola refurbishment suggests we're speculating on something that won't happen for at least a few years yet.

I hate to contribute when arguments are getting heated, and I want to be clear and say I think this is a matter of semantics and it really doesn't matter. But if we widen the lens to a global level, I'd say you'd have a hard time putting Steel Taipan in the same category of "multi-launch coaster" as Taron or Icon. Yes, it launches 3 times, but it's essentially the same launch just drawn out into three passes. It is still a roller coaster with a layout initiated by one launch at the beginning, not multiple throughout the layout. It doesn't really have multiple "separate launches" in the sense that Taron does, or in the sense that LPS seems to be attempting to imply with their record claim. But at the end of the day, it really comes down to the semantics of "multiple launches" versus "multiple passes", and when you draw that distinction, they're technically not wrong. It is taller and faster than any other coaster in Australia with multiple launch tracks. Whether you think multiple passes counts as multiple launches seems like it's an issue that will split people's opinion right down the middle. Personally, I have a hard time classifying SurfRider as a "multi-launch" coaster.

Eventually probably, it'll become like the Luna Park Ghost Train fire, more of a low moment in the park's history than a constant reason to attack their reputation. But for now, let's face it, DW were negligent and it resulted in the worst imaginable tragedy. Any park in a similar situation would face similar brutal media attacks while the tragedy is still fresh in recent memory, just like any celebrity is likely to live with reports on their crimes and misdemeanours even after they've grown and changed. You also can't really blame the general public for being cynical about the park being safer to visit, especially those who aren't really informed on what has changed over the last 5 years. It's DW's responsibility to mend their reputation, and hopefully in 10 years it will be looked back on as a transitional moment that led to them being a much safer and better-managed park.

But Dreamworld is not even in the same ball park as Disney. Disney's various parks are all about the IPs. The reason you go to Disneyland is for the immersion with the characters and worlds that Disney as a brand represents. You wouldn't go to Disneyland if you wanted to ride a world-class thrill coaster, you'd go to Six Flags. As you may notice, the focus of Disney Parks (at least under good Disney management) is therefore on experiences rather than just rides, theming, and high-quality experiences that immerse guests with high attention to detail. On their surface, Disney rides are sometimes pretty unexciting machines, but their quality comes from their world-class immersion and detail. Dreamworld, even when it was inspired by Disney somewhat, has never been that. Even where they have used IPs such as DreamWorks, they have never been focused on such in-depth theming, but rather on having a variety of rides and experiences for the whole family, even where they are just that - rides or shows for the sake of having rides and shows. You'd never see anything like Tower of Terror at Disneyland, it would be considered one of their weakest attractions. But at Dreamworld, it was one of the strongest. Disneyland would also never install something like The Claw or Steel Taipan, where the theme is more of a vague aesthetic with some sort of implied theme, but at Dreamworld, they fit right in and are quite popular. The closest you could say Dreamworld have to a cohesive "theme" is the Australiana vibe which has long since died, since the removal of Gold Rush and arguably even earlier. And even then, that was more of an aesthetic than a theme in the Disney sense. Rides like RHLR and TRR, while some of the most "themed" rides in the park, all had implied stories and vague aesthetics designed to just be appealing to the eye, not to necessarily immerse guests. I think it's pretty clear Dreamworld have never been remotely similar to Disneyland, and post-2016 they seem to be headed in a new direction that deviates even further from that. Comparing Dreamworld to Disneyland, and RHLR to Mickey Mouse (?) is comparing apples and oranges.

Got my first rides on Boomerang and Sledgehammer yesterday. Boomerang was decent enough, a family-friendly ride that still packs some thrills for all ages. The backwards element is quite fun, and the first turn out of the station does pull a few forces. Sledgehammer was the major disappointment. I know they're not running 360 cycles at the moment and I'll take that, I can always come back when it's running properly again, but those restraints are just not nice at all. I'm a tall guy, but not abnormally tall (6'1"), and I'm cornstalk thin. But attendants had to come around and staple me to get the restraint low enough, and it KILLED my shoulders. It's something about the seat angle with not enough room under the shoulder restraints. I'm actually glad it didn't do a 360 cycle because that would have HURT. The bottom of the gap in the shoulder restraint is also not wide enough to accommodate a human head, so you have to sit back in the seat when the automatic restraints raise and lower or you'll end up with a nice concussion as a souvenir. I won't comment on the ride experience because I know I only got half the deal and it'll run longer cycles once these teething issues are worked out, but overall I did not feel compelled to go back. We went for second rides on Hair Raiser and Boomerang instead. Also, general note, I see what you all mean about the temporary fencing and general unfinished feel of Luna Land. That and the fact that Little Nipper was closed for the whole day (not sure on the reason why so no comment). I guess they'll find their groove with the place after a while. Good additions in terms of the rides themselves though!

It does seem like a lot, but keep in mind that it's only on one of the trains, meaning low capacity throughput per hour, and the technology probably requires extra maintenance from the crew in charge of maintaining the trains. It was always going to be pricier than DCR backwards. That being said, DCR's price has fluctuated frequently and then not operated at all at times, so it's hard to get a measure on what guests think is a reasonable price for that experience. Either way, Tailwhip (I keep almost calling it Tailspin) should rightfully be the more expensive of the two. It's more expensive to maintain and, in my opinion without having ridden it yet, an all-around more intense and unique experience.

I've had a mix of both every time since the first time I rode it. I think it's the same audio, just sometimes the launch jumps the gun before the "Superman fast" bit.

Surely even in the unlikely event that there's some serious issue with the ride, LPS wouldn't just give up running 360 cycles in response. The ride has been operating a matter of weeks. If it's something serious, they'll be chasing it up with the manufacturer and running full cycles again as soon as possible. To limit the capability of the ride permanently when you could probably get repairs or rebuilds for free on warranty would be ridiculous.

So at the peak of summer on a 35+ degree day with high humidity, you don't see the appeal of having a water ride to give you a cool, refreshing splash along with a little thrill in between rides on the northern side of the park like Steel Taipan or Giant Drop, and would rather walk the whole way across Dreamworld, change your clothes (or at least dry yourself off again later) and line up for a waterslide?

LPM would be stretched for space to install BuzzSaw, especially since it's a park model. Don't be fooled by its compact nature as a coaster, it does take up a decent footprint by LPM's standards, and a lot of their rides are transportable models so that they can reshuffle around the park when something new is installed and needs space. This would be a huge investment in terms of space and logistics, they'd probably have to axe a few attractions to fit it, and BuzzSaw isn't worth that. Aussie World, mayyyyybe, but their current new investments are still ongoing (somehow...) and it might be a bit out of the blue. I don't know if the hassle of reshuffling their new attraction plans would be worth the finished product. Adventure Park has nothing of this scale whatsoever. That's not to suggest they can't afford or don't want it, but it would be a surprise to see them take it, and it would be very out of place at the park. That said, expansion into the thrill ride market is something I'd love to see for APG, so I'd be happy to be wrong. Never been to any of the others, so no comment, but Adventure World seems most likely of the rest, and I still don't think it's probable. It doesn't seem worth the cost of international shipping to Rainbow's End, and the other two are also not quite at that scale in the thrill ride market yet. For parks investing in their first "big scary ride", I'd prefer to see them invest in a new ride that would not only be something new for the Australian market, but would be supported by the manufacturer and hopefully a much more sensible long-term investment. My bet is BuzzSaw is headed somewhere in Asia. A lot of Chinese parks out there expanding very rapidly, and South-East Asia seems to be a good market for it as well.

Those clouds really give those photos a dream-like quality. It's beautiful.

I like the touch of Big Dipper and Little Nipper. That's cute.

I agree there's no reason that WnWS shouldn't have been able to succeed where it is. I've never been, but Google Maps says it's a 30-minute drive from the CBD. Most visitors to the Gold Coast stay around Surfers Paradise/Southport/Broadbeach. From there, it can easily take 30 minutes to get to Dreamworld depending on where you are. That never detracted from its attendance at its peak. If people want to go to a park, they will go. Like I said, I haven't been to WnWS, so I can't comment like most people can on its operations, but it seems like a bit of a cheap cop-out to blame it on its location and a poor market. Wonderland was right across the road for quite a significant amount of time, and even if Sydneysiders didn't have the stomach for theme parks, it's one of the most visited cities in Australia and should pick up a decent number of tourists. Definitely stinks of poor management and marketing, not a park that was doomed to fail because of aspects out of their control.

I'm always conflicted by SBF. Something about their models feels very coin-operated-mall-ride-ish. Their spinning coasters feel like what you would get if you ordered a spinning coaster on Wish. That being said, some of their thrill models on their website look decent, so I'll withhold judgment until I ride Trident for myself.