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I agree and have expressed the same here before, but would add that not all dark rides are created equal and, in the case of the major Gold Coast parks, a fairly high standard for theming and immersion would need to be met. Something on the level of a Disney/Universal attraction would be infeasible given investment costs, but I certainly see the Scooby Doo ride at Abu Dhabi or Van Helsing at Movie Park Germany as a realistic standard. Beyond that, Dreamworld needs a water ride. Anything approaching the level of Phantasialand's log flume would be outstanding, but even a Mack PowerSplash would fill that niche. Movie World needs a thrill coaster heavy on positives and inversions. I'd go with either of a Vekoma Blitz/STC, RMC Single-Rail or Mack Big Dipper. They also need a replacement or supplement to Stunt Driver, and more "experiences" akin to the studio tour/SFX show. Besides the dark ride as suggested, I actually feel Sea World's current offering is pretty strong and covers most bases, especially now the Atlantis precinct is up and running. Would the Vikings site be large enough for a dark ride? If not, a couple more flats/supporting attractions would do me just fine.

I rode it last weekend (three times) and, while there was a definite rattle, it had nothing on the violent shaking Arkham got towards the end of its life. The crowds have been pretty heavy this season and the heat can't have helped either. It may be due up for maintenance but they could be holding off until after peak season.

Would you be sold on it more if they shoved a "world-class" in there somewhere?

Except that it doesn't. We definitively know the ride type, its appearance and height, the location and approximate size of the area, and its surroundings. I don't need a crystal ball to make further conclusions, even in spite of what we don't yet know at this stage. I guess we agree to disagree and leave it at that? I'll be looking down on you from above as I crest over the SE top hat. 😏

I think the Wizard of Oz precinct is fine, albeit boring, for the final name. If they land on something better, great, but "Wiz Kids" is all kinds of awful. The GP aren't going to care either way, because it will always be the "Wizard of Oz land" in colloquial speak, same as the "Joker coaster" for DC Rivals.

According to who? What is definitionally a "new" credit is a point of contention among enthusiasts. I would say that neither Project Zero nor Surfrider 2.0 would constitute "new" credits, but others may disagree. I'd say the same about Nemesis at Alton Towers (which I've been on). If I ever get to go on after its re-tracking, is it a new credit? I still don't think so. An RMC/GCI conversion is a different animal, because you have a completely different track type, modified layout and new trains.

That's a mischaracterisation and a half. But if we're all aboard the speculative train, how is your argument any different? Colour scheme would be one mitigating factor, but not the only one. How about having a cattle farm queue line in the middle of SE? You think that's enhancive to aesthetics? The difference is that AA had an enclosed queue building and higher throughput per hour. Do you really think plonking it out in the middle of SE is giving it a cohesive theme? See, two can play that game. Probably neither, but I don't profess to be an engineering expert. Why is it infeasible to knock out the wall between the cafe and the toilet block and extend the path? Then you've got an area cordoned off just for the ride. I'm sure you agree the "carpark coaster" meme is trite and lazy; DC Rivals technically has the problem, but if it's a good ride, who even cares? At least you've got space on that strip of land to theme a queue properly, and you're moving traffic away from SE. See above. Called out on whose behalf? Yours? We don't have to agree, but I never claimed I had the authority to judge a clear-cut better choice, nor do I have to. On a tight footprint, any spot would be a compromise. Honestly, if the ride was fated to the scrapyard, would that be so upsetting? It's more than fifteen years old. But if they're going to exhume every last bit of life out of it, at least do it in a way that makes sense.

I find it curious that this was what you took the most umbrage with. If you don't like being called an elitist, don't act like one. Your standing as a moderator is a moot point; isn't it telling that you're the one who brought it up, not me? There's always ambiguity in what constitutes a "filler" ride i.e. is Sledgehammer the "filler" for Big Dipper at LPS? Anyway, the point was that if you're relocating a ride to a park with a small footprint, there's better options where you can give the ride its own space with a cohesive theme. Why not out the front, on the other side of GL, like I suggested? It gives the ride great visibility from the entrance, but is still sectioned off for it to have its own themed queue and station. Placed as it will be, Surfrider would be disruptive. It apexes around the 90-ft mark, and if it's given a paint job that doesn't match SE's scheme, it will look cluttered. It would be better situated further back, where the smoking area currently is. There was some back-and-forth earlier about that, but really it's not hard to siphon off another corner nearby, plant a couple of ashtrays and call it a day. It's not a zero-sum game. As I said before, shoehorning a small flat ride into the middle of a coaster is clunky. It may help in some capacity to ease the pressure on Superman's queue, but it's still not a big people-eater. You're adding more foot traffic to the area, and until the Oz precinct opens, that could be an issue. Given there's multiple options for where it could go, I just don't see at all how this is the best one.

Please. You're entitled to disagree, but at least bring substance without the snark masquerading as faux-elitism. Notice how I specifically said aesthetic with respect to Superman, not theming? I never claimed the area itself had a strong "theme". I'm referring to the aesthetic, or the visual impact, of the ride itself. Hell, the empty space could be used to incorporate some extra tunnels/head-choppers that could enhance SE's ride experience. Do you have some insider scoop about the Family Boomerangs' name and theming we're not aware of? Spread out? The entire footprint of the park is a five-minute stroll. With WWF situated further at the back of the park and still pulling 45-minute plus queues during peak seasons, I doubt location is Doomsday's only problem. The relocation spots I mentioned were not an exhaustive list. There's room to move Surfrider to any of mulitple areas around the park, without disrupting or detracting from the Superman area.

Surely I can't be the only one irked by the idea that VR would just take an old, existing flat ride (it's not a coaster, RCDB), nonchalantly shoehorn it into a tight space, and completely disrupt the aesthetic of the Superman area? It's going to look clunky, clash with the area and take away from that iconic skyline. It reminds me of the awful and cluttered RollerCoaster Tycoon parks I used to make when I was a kid twenty years ago. Why couldn't they incorporate this into, say, the Wizard of Oz area? Theme it to the cyclone that sweeps Dorothy up and into Oz, or plonk it at the front of the park on the opposite side of Green Lantern, or behind the Showcase building (finally completing the loop the back of the park always needed)... There's a myriad of smarter, more logistical areas you could locate the ride to give it its own space, identity and theming. If it's being ham-fisted into the Superman area (and all indicators are pointing to it), I'm sorry, but that's just lazy and half-arsed.

The ten metre tower height definitely puts this on the upper cusp of a "children's" ride, no?

I meant for Theme Park Worldwide and Coaster Studios. Look forward to each voicing their disenchantment in vlogs as they didn't check maintenance schedules in advance! I do think it's criminally underrated for what it is, but there are other coasters out there that start with a short dark ride/pre-show before a launch into the layout proper. I think Dreamworld may have cloned one of them. 🤔

None of them will be able to experience Superman as it'll be in maintenance through February and March. That's a shame because it's a unique experience far superior to Rita, and more unique (though less intense) than Xcelerator. 🙁 I feel like Coaster Studios forgoing both Aussie World and Gumbuya World is a real shame as they're missing out on two great parks with good credits available. It'll be rough, sure, but manageable if they're doing an evening flight. Flight times is one thing, but time zone differences will be the real killer. Hope at least some of them can sleep on planes!

I'm almost certain that's an error on the web team's behalf.

Great POV! Hope to see one in horizontal with brake/station re-entry. Not the best demonstration of pacing or air time. Seems to be one of those "it looks slower in the POV than it does in real life" situations. I can tell you that Wicker Man hauls ass and the video does not do it justice. 🙃 That giant dome in the middle will serve as a water feature, yeah?

Huh? Isn't ST on the River Rapids plot? (As I say, it's been a long time.)

Excited for the future of the park, albeit somewhat surprised to see no news on a RHLR replacement. I'm still hedging my bets on a Mack PowerSplash within the next five years (the OG model, not a PowerLoop). With BuzzSaw and ToT gone, I also thnk they're at least one thrill coaster shy of a competitive lineup. It's clear they're putting the focus on the family experience with the announcement, which makes perfect sense, given the newest addition was a major coaster. Hot take (probably not a hot take because Motocoaster is ass): tear down Motocoaster and put a quality ride there – a Vekoma Blitz, an RMC single-rail... hell, I'd take a Sky Rocket (Ice Breaker looks kinda cool). Someone remind me because I haven't been to DW in a long time; what became of the Eureka Mountain and Blue Lagoon area? Is that still real estate for future attractions or no? Also: would anyone care to be a dear and share the GCB article?

I, for one, look forward to sipping on a mojito whilst kicking back in a chair on said slab.

Me too. Never hit an "Unsubscribe" button so fast in my life!

I don't see equivalence with the Scooby-Doo screens at all. Station theming looks pleasing and the graphics of the screens are good. Agree the statue is a peculiarity; remove the logo and respray the hands/face aqua to be uniform with the rest of the body, and it's already improved 50%. Given the regular daytime testing, we could expect an official POV any day now, right? Better, a late-November soft launch?

Depends also if you count the masterpiece that is the Next Generation refresh of Scooby-Doo.

Over the years since the announcement, there's been a general thread of pessimism that VRTP would shortchange the initial vision for the project. I think it's fair to say we're all glad to have been proven wrong. I'm not only stoked to see the final result very soon, but have high hopes for the Oz precinct and beyond.

Yes, quite possibly. The angle and positioning looks odd to me though.

Looking fantastic! ... Am I the only one bothered that the hedge wall is just slightly shorter than the top of the logo? It's going to grow a bit taller, right? It's also not parallel with either the archway or the top of the wall.