Steel Taipan - Reviews

[Slick]

3 hours ago, ejpdtd said:

Yo just a big FYI! 
Despite Dreamworld sending AP’s emails saying the ride would operate up until the grand opening, they have decided to not open the ride today. Bit pissed off tbh, came all the way down expecting to ride and the damn greeter just says too bad come back tomorrow and deal with the mass crowds. 

I feel this - as mentioned in the other thread I slithered down to ride the snake but was told it wasn’t open. What’s been problematic is that they’ve been doing dozens of empty cycles in the mean time which has prompted a pretty endless wave of guests asking if it’ll open. 
 

Given how little it’s been open, from an optics standpoint I think it might’ve been the right call to not mention any AP holder openings at all and just let word through the grapevine be the indicator for whatever hour or two it’ll run for. 

[Rivals]

from my knowledge, yesterday it was open from around 11:25 - closing with the exception of a little breakdown around 1:30, but that didn’t last too long. 

i think Saturday was 10:30 - closing with Sunday being around 2:00 - closing. except for today it has pretty much been running nearly the same amount Rivals ran during its soft opening periods, possibly a little bit less

[New display name]

I wouldn’t divulge it was going to open & I wouldn't make it an annually pass holder event.  I believe Rivals had a A-frame sign up at the front of the ride explaining what was going on.

[Rivals]

16 minutes ago, New display name said:

I wouldn’t divulge it was going to open & I wouldn't make it an annually pass holder event.  I believe Rivals had a A-frame sign up at the front of the ride explaining what was going on.

however at the end of the email they said “Please be patient with our team as this venomous experience is sure to be a popular one, and may not be available for the entire duration of each day. ” 

by reading that you can tell it may not be open all day and may not be open at all during some of the days. if you wanted to make sure you could get a ride on it and you live further away, it is a smarter idea to come on a day where you know it will be open, meaning you won’t be left disappointed. 

[New display name]

It says "may not be available for the entire duration of each day"   Never says it won't open for a full day.  The email reads if you turn up, sometime that day ST will be open.

 

With DW cutting the preview short, I wouldn't be rushing to DW tomorrow thinking it will be open.

 

 

 

[MWgirl247365]

3 hours ago, New display name said:

It says "may not be available for the entire duration of each day"   Never says it won't open for a full day.  The email reads if you turn up, sometime that day ST will be open.

 

With DW cutting the preview short, I wouldn't be rushing to DW tomorrow thinking it will be open.

 

 

 

It’s gonna open tomorrow for sure 👍

[rappa]

Seem to have misunderstood what a soft opening is. 
 

If the ride (and seemingly staff training) isn’t 100% bedded in then you don’t advertise it at all. A soft opening is/should just be that you’re at the park and it happens to open up for a while. Zero expectations. 
 

It seems to be this clash of priorities between operational needs and trying to do some kind of fan suck up effort. 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Disagree.

In my opinion, If passholders went to the soft open expecting zero issues or stoppages they need to reassess their expectations.

In my opinion, If they didn't offer this opportunity to passholders, a lot of folk wouldn't be in the park when they needed those test audiences - then you end up having your stress test in front of all the cameras instead of a few days prior.

 

[rappa]

Hey I’m just taking the method used by the two biggest and most successful theme park operators in the world 🤷‍♂️ 

 

Problem Aussie parks want to throw around buzz words from the big boy counterparts without any clue what they involve. 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

On 15/12/2021 at 9:43 PM, rappa said:

Hey I’m just taking the method used by the two biggest and most successful theme park operators in the world 🤷‍♂️ 

 

Problem Aussie parks want to throw around buzz words from the big boy counterparts without any clue what they involve. 

I hope you're not referring to Universal - who soft opened an entire theme park for 14 months. Can you imagine if they didn't advertise that?

I also hope you're not referring to Disney - who ran 'passholder previews' in Galaxy's Edge and - *shock horror* allowed Smugglers Run to break down. Oh - and they also advertised it to their passholders too.

We have no information as to why Taipan was down at any particular time during the 'soft open' for 'passholders' (you might say a passholder preview, eh?) so I think its a bit arrogant to suggest they were any less prepared than they should have been, or to invoke the big players (who also do soft opens to iron out the kinks and get their crew in shape for grand opening) to try to make your argument without at least some details as to what went wrong...

If you DO know what happened to Taipan, and it WAS a case of the park pushing it open before they should have then please DO share it with the rest of us. 🤷‍♂️

[themagician]

But based off them having several preview nights, days of staff riding and the hundreds upon hundreds of hours they were testing it, I don’t think they in anyway ‘pushed’ it to open before they should have. I think it was just the usual ‘first few days/weeks of technical issues’ that almost every new ride has had before 

[themagician]

What have the queue wait times been like over the last few days?

[Park Addict 93]

6 hours ago, themagician said:

What have the queue wait times been like over the last few days?

Yesterday was quiet, no longer than 10mins with both trains running and initially 4 staff checking each train.

[Rivals]

9 hours ago, themagician said:

What have the queue wait times been like over the last few days?

none of the parks have been too busy these holidays tbh, maybe it has something to do with the unvaccinated not being allowed? 

[New display name]

Parks are always quite leading up to Christmas.

[Whombex]

27 minutes ago, New display name said:

Parks are always quite leading up to Christmas.

Quite quiet, indeed.

[themagician]

3 hours ago, Rivals said:

none of the parks have been too busy these holidays tbh, maybe it has something to do with the unvaccinated not being allowed? 

That only started yesterday and the parks are always quiet pre Christmas, it’s from the 27th for a couple weeks where they get very busy 

[Rivals]

18 minutes ago, themagician said:

That only started yesterday and the parks are always quiet pre Christmas, it’s from the 27th for a couple weeks where they get very busy 

okay thanks i thought now was the busy period lmao😭😭

[joz]

The peak is very easy to predict, it's the start of the first week after boxing day. The busiest days this year will be the 27th, 28th and 29th.

Edited December 18, 2021 by joz

[Dean Barnett]

10 hours ago, Rivals said:

none of the parks have been too busy these holidays tbh, maybe it has something to do with the unvaccinated not being allowed? 

There's way more vaccinated people than non..

[Rivals]

24 minutes ago, Dean Barnett said:

There's way more vaccinated people than non..

read the comments above and you’ll read i forgot it’s not the busy period😍

[Spotty]

Finally got to ride Steel Taipan today, walk on all day with 1 train operations (spinner). The ride really packs a punch, although I did notice a jolt when going into the backwards spike over the swtich track.

I didn't try the spinning seat, but I rode in row 1, 8 and 3. Personally I found the back of the train to be more intense than the front and it's my prefered seat. I can't decide if I prefer DC Rivals or Steel Taipan more, as they are both very different in what they offer. I think I would -just- give the edge to Taipan due to the variety of elements the ride offers.

I will admit, getting airtime in an inversion was certainly a strange feeling though. That barrel roll at the end is certainly a holy crap moment when your legs are slammed into the harness with quite a bit of force. It's truly a ride that Dreamworld needed, and I can't wait to ride again.

[themagician]

Both trains are operating this morning. Not every train has been running with full capacity (due to crowd levels), but they are consistently dispatching.

[veovis]

I finally got too ride and went on it twice today and loved it. Once in the back and once in the front. After I went on the gold coaster with my nephew who was too short to ride ST and holy molly it was so rough compared to the steel taipan.

[xRazzBerryx]

Well after 4 more rides yesterday on ST, I’m ready to give a full review. 
 

Starting with the train. A well presented snake theme on the train, unfortunate that the eyes don’t light up, but still looks great. Mack seats are definitely up there with the most comfy seats out there. 
 

The first launch is quick & short.. quite a relaxing sensation after the train rolls off the LSM’s and you get a brief accent up the horseshoe. Rolling back, you’re then really just waiting for the LSM’s to catch for a 2nd time. Boom, you get shot up the reverse spike, which is a great sense of positive G’s. I too was one to wonder if the “triple launch gimmick” was really worth it, but after experiencing it.. a GREAT decision to add this element. 
 

If I could have 1 change to this layout that was possible, I would change the horseshoe into an outerbanked airtime hill (if it could be done). The horseshoe is okay, but nothing outstanding.. just a slow turn around section really. 
 

Next up the loop. You get a tiny bit of hang time at the top, a bit of positive G’s on the way up & down, but the best part is exiting the loop into that snappy turn that goes up into the MCBR. 
 

The drop off the MCBR is definitely better in the back, but the next 2 corkscrews were equally as good for me in either the back or the front. It’s a really sharp whip at the top of the corkscrew that throws you out of your seat for a quick second. 
 

But.. boy oh boy! We’ve left the best til last. The final barrel roll leaves you with a holy F*** moment. From viewing this element off ride, it really doesn’t seem like it would pack as much punch as it does. It’s something that is very hard to describe in words, so you must experience it to know what it is truely like. Definitely the best element on a roller coaster in Australia for me. 
 

So.. does it top Rivals? IMO just not quite. It’s the uniqueness of Rivals custom layout, with one of the best drops in the world that gives it an edge for me. But coming in a close 2nd, Steel Taipan. It is the ride Dreamworld has needed for a LONG time & is definitely a great addition.