Gazza

What are those webpage attachments at the bottom?

Yeah, definitely still go, they'll be doing their best to keep as much as possible open...they are mainly doing cosmetic stuff and getting rid of unpopular rides. Stuff like TOT, CA Screamin, Grizzly River Run, Soarin' over CA, Toy Story Mainia etc will still be open. The reason they are doing this is because the park has consistently not met attendance targets, and has had criticism from day one for not being 'Disney' enough. I mean, what sort of Disney park has off the shelf stuff like a Space shot and a Mack Wild Mouse? The main entrance area of the park is being made to be like a San Francisco street, yeah its essentially the same approach as Main St USA, but people love it so whatever works... The park as a whole looks at many aspects of California, not just wilderness adventure stuff, so it should fit in well.

So, I'm guessing one of the stunts that will be filmed and played back will be a jump in front of a perspective alley. I'm still fascinated by what that big airtime hill ramp will be used for though.

This was answered earlier, it is because it doesn't have the capacity to be a free attraction. I worked it out to be at best, 40 pph. As for why gate prices went up, I don't know...Inflation?

Yeah guys, don't worry, this is indeed legit, and I'm sure in the near future something people will be very interested in.

A couple of things, but there is a ramp running across the arena at the back that looks like a big airtime hill, and there is also a smaller jump ramp at the front. The back facades are still only painted in matte colours, so I wonder if they will go through and make it look a bit more worn. Remember the last time WVTP had a big year, Superman got delayed until December and they only managed to get half the extreme H20 zone open in time for the school holidays....5 days before the end. Opens summer 2008....they've got 3 months still

Perhaps the answer could be for wiggle bay to have even smaller slides, like these ones at Typhoon Lagoon. These sort don't need any extra plumbing or anything...they just get attached to the bottom of the pool, and at least with these a parent can stand right beside it and grab their child at any time. The orange slide at Buccaneer Bay at WnW allows tandem riding.

I've thought about the B&M for LW thing, but back in 1995, Vekoma would have been much more established as a company, and in 1995 (the year LW opened) Vekoma built more SLCs than the number of Inverts B&M that had opened to date. For a laugh, check out the 2nd last page of this PDF from the MW education section: http://movieworld.myfun.com.au/upload/Docu...20Trail%201.pdf I guess at the time LW would have seemed like a good purchase. Of course, these days we know better....

Care of Des Roe from TPP:

Just throwing this out there, but I think Hollywood Stuntdriver will open on the 26th. Reason being is that they have begun advertising a $55 locals offer for a two day pass for WnW, plus either MW or SW. The ballbreaker is that it expires on the 24th, so I'm guessing they are trying to get people through the gates in the lead up, instead of them holding off visits. If it were opening on the 15th as originally mentioned (Though no longer present on the official site) I doubt there would be a need for this sort of deep discounting.

On that last point, and going back to the Dive Machine, one thing that sticks out about Sheikra is that it is clearly designed for a park with very high attendance (4.4 Mil) so I think one of the easiest ways to reduce costs is just to design it for lower capacity. Trains are very expensive both to buy and maintain, and if they hold 30 people anyway (Current version) then why would you need more than two? Its funny how a ride like Superman has very fast queues when run properly, yet still operates well below the 1000pph mark. I think there are other way you can 'design out' some of the expenses. Say If it were 50m tall versus 60m tall would it matter that much? It would still look massive, 50 is a nice clean number, its still the tallest full circuit one here. (Personally, I think Batwing should remain the tallest thing on MW's skyline anyway) The other thing I have noticed is that these dive machines have decent sections of track high in the air doing not a lot (Eg MCBRs, the slow U turn at the top of the lift) Imagine how much they spent on this bit of the ride, with its stairs etc. While it acts as a MCBR, it also is necessary to slow trains down to negotiate the drop. If I were designing a lower capacity requirement version, I'd shorten that bit of track, slope it slightly, and just have zero maintenance magnetic trims. Dunno, guess I'm rambling. If they can get the return on investment I think there are a lot of possibilities for MW.

They really were having a sale on those roofs weren't they? It certainly is looking nice now. I think once they get some plants in between the rocks, that will really set it off. Any hint on the beginnings of that blow hole cave they mentioned on the official site though?

Yeah, but with Scooby, even if it didn't have theming it would still be a viable attraction, as evidenced by the sheer number of standard Mack mouse coasters out there with little to no theming. So if they were to go and do an above ground Oblivion, what ideas would you implement to make it less dull? Also, if you were interested, this is what Oblivion looks like above ground http://www.rcdb.com/ig1417.htm?picture=18 ....It really is just a drop and a turn.

Hmmmm, dunno, I'd have my doubts over a drop only ride, especially without the tunnel. You couldn't help but feel a bit short changed if thats what we wound up with...It needs a bit more to it IMO, and the fact it is a B&M cant save a dull layout.

^I think DjRappa has hit the nail on the head with pretty much everything he has said. To be fair, I don't think the average member would expect any Australian park to be building record breakers, or even stuff of the scale of some of the larger coasters out there (Eg Hypers, Multiloopers with 7 inversions etc) I think the issue is really just the choice of attraction/tie in, and as you said not the thrill ride people have been waiting so long for. I don't think anyone would expect this sort of attraction to work without upcharge, but thats the thing, its still yet another upcharge, and I guess there is a feeling of negativity to a park filled with these. They did link to this though I don't really blame them for not paraphrasing that article I agree, In its present form that arcade is such a blank canvas. Can the circus facade, and build a proper western style wooden facade. Do up the interior, and use the roof grid to attach theming (like in the wild west queue) It's so grey and depressing in there.

Well, if its got photos by me in the Database...... http://www.parkz.com.au/parks/US/Tampa/Bus...47-SheiKra.html But yeah, it was awesome. The two drops are the best drops you'll get on any coaster anywhere. The top of the drop is tight, so it throws you out of your seat, but then you get stuck that way as you go down the vertical part (because you are weightless) and it is not until the bottom till the forces push you back down. The Immelmann is cool because its so high, so it slows down a bit at the top, and since the trains are so wide it is really unusual twisting around up there, hanging off the edge. The water splash is a fun little feature since it makes a bit of a soak zone around the ride. It was a cold day when I was there, but I imagine it would be popular in summer. One of the best parts is efficiency. They were doing quad train operation, and each train holds 24 people, so you can imagine how fast the line was moving. 13.5 Mil USD to 20 Mil USD?...I don't think inflation has been 67% over the past 3 years. The exchange rate is a factor I'm not really sure of. It's tanked a bit at the moment, but it's going to have to correct itself eventually. I'd wonder if a ride this big would just be fabricated here anyway. I think with these sorts of projects there are so many variables. The main one I have noticed is that European ones tend to cost more than installations in the US. I mean, back in the day Oblivion cost significantly more than SheiKra, the layout was shorter, but a huge portion of the cost went on the tunnel. The only way you can really be sure is to get a quote from the manufacturer.

Ok, so in terms of location it will be to the right of Cyclones entrance: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32255642@N07/3044724084/

Ride knowledge fail. *100mph = 161km/h

Minor update, but that metal framing around the ramp has been clad with fibro, and the construction fences have been moved right up to the street (so the open bit next to the Dirty Harry Bar, plus the toilets are inaccessible) In short, it means it is impossible to see what is happening with the show now, so I guess all will be revealed on opening day.

You didn't get the news? http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/

The ride before the lift seemed fine...few extra red lights here and there, but everything was working.

Indeed. I sussed it out today and it appears many of the issues have been adressed. There is smoke/haze/whatever on all through the room (I thought it smelled like acrylic art paint) and there were lasers on all levels. I'm not sure if they are the same ones, because they were these ones that were doing beams in the 6 colours of the visible spectrum. After the turntable that vortex laser is working, and it does this thing where it makes a cone around the car, and then the side of the cone opens up when you go around the bend after the turntable. There is a new bit of theming too. That giant spider from Halloween is hanging by the track. It is located by the turn after the big foward facing drop. As for the final room, well there is a light on Scooby, and his lips are moving again, but no sound was coming out, so it just made it look like Scooby was quivering. Guess it's a bit of a blooper, and hopefully they will notice that sound bite is missing (Or DjRappa will pass it on). There still is inadequate smoke in that room though, because the red laser doesn't really hide the drop. But yeah, good to see the ride back to its old self.

Well, they have deleted AlexB's comment, and have disabled further commenting. I would hope that they don't continue to block debate and censor comments. People aren't out to 'get' Dreamworld, and don't just have problems with the park for no reason, or hate everything they do. Stuff like the Claw and Whitewater World received overwhelmingly positive reviews when they opened, they are really good attractions, so it's clear people will give credit where credit is due. And I think that is the key. As theme park enthusiasts, we don't have vested interests. Irrespective of what is built where, if it is good it will receive positive feedback, and if it is bad it will receive negative feedback. I don't think there is any point glossing your opinion over, and if people are saying it in an intelligent way and not being abusive then so be it. So if people are being critical, maybe it is for a reason, we only say it because we care about theme parks and want them to be at their best. This blog, and the fact a member of theme park management is actively posting is a very rare occurence, you don't normally have this sort of dialogue. The average enthusiast's contact with a park would be limited to things like emails to guest relations. Rob and Ally, if you are reading this, please don't go filtering any negative comments, that's not the point of the internet. It would be a bit sad if the blog was limited to stuff like "OMG this ride is sik". And don't be discouraged. Instead, perhaps use it as a means of responding to long running questions/issues. I think there have been some quite good points raised by people that are worthy of response. Edit: Comments are available again.

The main point I was making was that they are spending this money and will inevitably have to advertise it as the latest thing, but it seems kind of pointless if at best 14% of visitors would even be able to use it.

I once rode a pair of roller coasters...both the same type, and one was red, and the other was blue, and they were the best coasters I had ever ridden. But I'm digressing a bit.....The full quote was: I think that is a huge oversimplification. Don't DW management realise that they have barely scratched the surface in terms of what types of coasters there are out there? There is a bit more to it than the colour it is painted. I mean, do you guys have a.... Floorless Coaster? Flying Coaster? Launched Looper? Hyper Coaster? Vertical Drop Coaster? Beyond Vertical Coaster Stand Up Coaster? Bobsled Coaster? Zacspin? Modern Wooden Coaster? Spinning Coaster? Water Coaster? And thats still only naming some of the variants out there, and within these variants the style of the ride can vary widley....I mean would you believe that this and this both belong to the same category of coaster? This coaster and this one have virtually the same track layout, but the thematic treatment makes them light years apart. I mean, there are a number of theme parks out there, with more coasters than Dreamworld. Right at the top of the scale is Cedar Point with 17 coasters, and I don't think anybody would say this is to their detriment. Would Dreamworld become boring if it had a couple of coasters from the list above? Isn't it somewhat disappointing that overseas parks (And even parks 5km down the road) have seen great modern coasters built, but Dreamworld still has an arrow double inversion as it's flagship big looper. But as has been mentioned, there is already those two racing cars over by MDMC, and these sorts of things make regular appearances at motor shows, and in Melbourne there is virtual racing attraction called drag tag. And I think that right there is the sore point for a lot of people. It seems these smaller, extra cost, 'experience' based attractions are being built at the expense of the large scale rides people really like. There is a perception that these sorts of things are tacky (Eg V8 Supercars in a beach themed area), and don't provide the sort of theme park experience we are after. At the end of the day a proper ride is just so much better and so much more fun. The other dissapointment is that the majority of guests cant experience these things anyway. From what I have read the experience will last for 6 minutes, and there are 4 cars going. So at best 40 people per hour can drive (or 80 per hour if you count passengers) Over the course of the parks 7 hour operating day that is a total of 280 people driving. By comparison, a medium sized coaster could carry this volume of people in the space of about 20 minutes. Is it really going to work to fill the park with these smaller things, instead of bigger rides everyone can have a chance to do? If DW gets roughly 4000 people per day, that means only about 14% of visitors would even get a chance to have a go (Driving or Passenger) I mean, your last thrill ride was built 4 years ago and your last 'extreme' coaster was built 7 years ago...That is a long time between drinks. Dreamworld has done quite well with its Animal exhibits, and smaller family rides (Eg Nick Central, Wiggles World) but in recent times the park has fallen flat with large scale rides and roller coasters. I mean, when I go to a theme park, I don't go to practice how to surf or whatever, I go to ride on rides! That is the factor that sets theme parks apart from other places, and makes them what they are. The thing with rides is that you dont have to be 'good at it', you just sit down, lower the harness, and laugh and scream for the next few minutes. (Also, this is just a side question that many people have wondered about, and I guess you would be best positioned to answer this, but why was Flowrider built in Dreamworld, and not in Whitewater World? (where people have their swimmers on already) But couldn't you "increase the diversity" by just building more types of rides? But what subset of the greater population are interested in in the V8s? Ok so kids to adults, males and females can be interested in them, but are the majority of kids/adults/males/females interested in V8s? It seems MDMC and V8 supercars would both have a heavy bias towards male Revheads/Bogans...Are two motorsport related attractions built in succession really helping to "increase the diversity". Things like Nick Central work well because most kids watch cartoons, so that part of the park has wide appeal, plus kids seem more likely to get sucked into brands. But there is some stuff (like BB) where people could be quite turned off. I think this is the other sore point. It seems that branding is being used as a substitute for substance. DWs current strategy from what I can gather is to get people through the gate with a brand tie in, when in reality it should be by building a damn good rides. Secondly, the integration seems tacky at times. with MDMC for example all they have done is slap Mick Doohans name on the ride. If you compare to something like Superman Escape, they have actually used the character of Superman to build a story up, and use it as a means of giving meaning to the ride (That superman is pushing you to safety at high speed) But yeah, thats enough out of me. Just remember, there is a bit more variance to coasters than them being pink and blue.