TR - SeaWorld

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

So begins the first of my reports on our Gold Coast Experience: We were staying just of Tedder ave, so we caught a cab to Sea World on our first full day in QLD (14th). We arrived at the gates at about 10:15 and we found the front gates to be moving quite reasonably, and before long we were on our way with our newly acquired 3 park superpass (such a great idea). We strolled along the pathway (such a choke point) up past the seal show and made our way towards our first stop - Corkscrew. As mentioned previously, one of our guests suffers severe motion sickness, and for a laugh on our way up to corkscrew, we jumped on the carousel in Cartoon Beach. After cleaning our hands from the dirt and grime on the poles, we continued our way to corkscrew, stopping at the soon to be replaced seal exhibit. We then headed over to corkscrew, and decided to hop the pirate ship first, to allow our not-so-brave rider a chance to "build up" to corkscrew. No queue line, we jumped on and it wasn't long before our companion was turning green... so ends his ride experiences for today. Next onto corkscrew. a minimal queueline saw 3 of us board corkscrew only two cycles after joining the queue. Corkscrew was running 2 operators, so the wait wasn't long, while our fourth volunteered to videotape the ride from the ground. Today was my first chance to test out my new lens extension for my portable recorder. this was the first of the two videos I have on corkscrew, and is taken from the rear car. Next we headed off to Bermuda, where a reasonably lengthy queue line was moved through rapidly by a team of about 5 or 6 operators, and we were in pre-show within 10 minutes of joining the queue. We have more handycam video of Bermuda, with night-vision for the spots you can't see. (handycam shots may take a while to get online - i dont have a capture card). The theming seems to be getting a little dilapidated inside bermuda, and one does get bored of the same audio recording. perhaps a little redubbing or a slightly different variation of the story could lighten it up some? Straight after, we headed for viking's revenge, where a slightly longer queue line saw us on within 20 minutes thanks to 4 wonderfully nice ops. Sea World's cast cannot be faulted and an entirely enjoyable day was had by all. After Viking's, we grabbed some lunch, and then followed the "suggested itinerary", catching the seals, the dolphins, strolling by shark bay, polar bear shores, catching a cruise on the monorail, back on the skyway, and catching the final ski stunt show of the day. another old favourite, which is starting to become a little tired, and could use a little change in story line to freshen it up a little. So how did Sea World fare? Quality of Rides, Shows and Attractions: 7/10 Quantity of Rides, Shows and Attractions: 8/10 Cast Service: 9/10 Capacity and Staffing Levels: 10/10 Overall: 8.5/10 Comments: Cast throughout the park were wonderful in all our dealings, quite friendly. we made efforts to address them all by their first names where we could and they were very surprised and happy when we did so. next time you're in a place they wear name badges... try it... you'll be amazed. Capacity was perfect for our visit, with the right balance of staff everywhere we looked. sea world's only downfalling is that the theming they have done in the past (read: bermuda mostly) have not been kept up to standard and this cost them some... Its now 2am, ive spent 9.5 hours travelling since i left my hotel, and im off to bed. this is my first TR so i hope you found it interesting (make a comment, ill read it before i post the rest) look out for TR's on Movie World, Wet N Wild and DreamWorld tomorrow afternoon evening. Cheers, Alex.

[Ian]

Did you see me at Seaworld?

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

no rabid i can't say that i did... then again i have no idea what you look like, so... maybe i did?

[Ian]

sorry dumb me Im a photographer and my name badge would have said Ian

[GoGoBoy]

I have to say I've worked in a few casual jobs and I hate it when a customer uses my first name by looking at my name badge - especially when it is not necessary. I find it almost condesending and so do most of my co-workers. It's like "I know your name and I'm going to use it - but you don't know mine". The other thing is that half the time the name badge the staff member is wearing isn't even theirs because they'll often lose their real one. I'm sure it's different in your case Alex because you seem like a nice friendly person which makes a big difference. Sea World staff are just generally very courteous and well trained (they have been ever since I can remember) so using their name probably doesn't make much of a difference. Being nice to them does. Just my opinion

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

well i have to say, more than 90% of the staff i addressed by their name were happy and pleased. some even spoke about it, happy that somebody actually used their name and how nice it was to hear. Ian i can't say i saw you. the only photographer i saw was Des. i had to teach him how to use a disposable waterproof camera to take our photo at shark bay, and his finger came out across the lens...

[joz]

I prefer to be called by name, though I know some people don't like it. One women I know gets offended by it (though she gets offended by anything) so yeah, just depends on the person.

[mandajk13]

I went to SeaWorld with Alex and have to say it was one of the best days of my whole trip to QLD. I won't go into too much detail because I did pretty much exactly the same stuff Alex did. I loved the animal shows - especially the dolphins. I loved the Corkscrew aswell - I was hesitant at first but was pushed to go on it and I'm glad that I did. Considering it was my first trip to SeaWorld, I personally didn't think the ski show was dated - I enjoyed it and it was a nice way to end the afternoon. I did think (like Alex)that the Bermuda theming was a little boring and in need of a change - I think only toddlers would fall for the pre-ride video they show you! BF and I enjoyed the monorail and skyway (no motion sickness on either!) and it was a nice way to see the whole park. The staff were very friendly throughout the park - there seemed to be enough staff to adequately run the rides (compared to DW where they were obviously running on skeleton staff the day we visited). The waiting times for the rides were reasonable and moved quickly which was good. Overall, this park came in equal first with Movieworld in my opinion - The rides were good, the animal shows were breathtaking and the atmosphere was pleasant and friendly. Next time I go to SeaWorld I'm definately booking in to swim with the dolphins :-)

[GoGoBoy]

The thing that confuses me is that no one seems impressed with Bermuda. I remember going on it and being very impressed. Has it really deteriorated that much? The robotic aliens, the disappeaing u.f.o, the big cave-in at the end with the flooding and everything collapsing and then the final splashdown with the flames and smoke. Does this not happen anymore?

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

well... the disappearing UFO, a nice trick you can see demonstrated at Ripleys in surfers - it still happens, but the problem is a lot of the strobes on the UFO keep firing when they're not supposed to. its a problem with stroboscopes when they get old. now the mirror effect relies on the UFO remaining dark, but if the strobes keep firing, the UFO doesn't disappear. as far as everything collapsing, if it weren't for the safety rails that hold the pillars in place being completely visible, or the fact that they drop and then stop, apparently suspended in mid-air which is totally unrealistic... apart from that, while the theming was good when it was built, years of use have seen it get dusty and old, with theatre spotlights clearly visible, and that same alien has been standing next to the rocket, pulling the same pc board and wiring apart from the rocket for ten years.... swinging backward and forward.... dont you think these cables are looking a bit rough by now? now expand that look across the entire ride... the captured people inside the glass cases... suspended in time, but apparently not the dust thats in the cases... it just keeps on growing... the lack of "cover up" over the maintenance switchtrack... it all combines to a spectacularly themed ride which just hasn't been kept up like it should have. one thing that australian parks as a whole haven't learnt from their american big brothers is that when you build a ride that is based around a theme, whether it is pre-show, or the ride itself, the ride needs UPKEEP. even the haunted mansion in disney land is tended to regularly, as is small world, and splash mountain. they rip half the ride apart to refurbish and refit the theming... and thats just what it means REFURBISH, not just MAINTENANCE... this poor example of ride theming upkeep is just one of the many ive seen in australia... such as these following examples... Space Probe Pre Show - and this includes the doors that used to open above the cars as you lifted up. management decided against them to increase capacity and reduce ride time. Bermuda Triangle as discussed above Thunder River Rapids Ride - the whole underground theming is very corny and old... needs a facelift Rocky Hollow Log Ride - what little attempt at theming the underground section seems to have become a depository for plastic bottles and rubbish Giant Drop - its pre show theming has been ripped apart by vandals Tower of Terror - the "cavern" queue line area has seen too many people go under the barrier, tread on the walls and floor and have it collapse into a gaping, polystyrene hole. Australian Parks AS A WHOLE need to be taught a few things about theming... the disney way.

[joz]

Bermuda has aged quite a bit in the past few years. Its still an enjoyable ride, but anyone whose been on it previously will notice the difference, and first timers wouldn't be nearly as impressed with the ride. When were you last up this way Goboi?

[Bussy]

I didn't really want to post this here but seeing as the quote I am using is from here, what the hell.

Space Probe Pre Show - and this includes the doors that used to open above the cars as you lifted up. management decided against them to increase capacity and reduce ride time.

That is partially correct but the major reason was due to safety concerns. The doors could not be relied on to open at the right time but more importantly not to close too early. Think about what a mess it would be is a cabin weighing close to a tonne hit a large metal object at around 100 Km/h. It wouldn't be a pretty site. A leg here, a arm there, not good. "The Bus is now leaving for Eldo Mess, South Australia"

[scott]

Thanks for the description,Bus.

[GoGoBoy]

Last time I was at Sea World... hmm ages ago. I stayed at Sea World Nara Resort with a friend only about 2 or 3 years back but we didn't actually go to Sea World. So the last time would have been well before Polar Bear Shores, maybe just after Dolphin Cove was built. I do remember thinking that Bermuda just didn't wow me as much as it once had but I didn't know whether that was because it had deteriorated or because I was over it. Nothing annoys me more than the way our parks pay millions of dollars for these attractions then just let them go. If something stops working they take a relaxed attitude and just leave it. The only exception to this if it's something that is important to keep the ride running itself. If a piece of theming breaks down then forget it. In most cases it ain't coming back. I think our parks definitely need to start being a little stricter on this issue and implement guidlines which state that each piece of theming must be repaired or replaced as soon as it starts to become a problem. And replaced to its original standard. There is no denying that poor upkeep detracts from the entire ride experience

[Gazza]

I rember thinking bermuda was really cool, but that was back when i was last at SW, when I was in year 6. I even have an onride photo, I guess I was easier to impress back then, but i did think the spaceship thing was really cool, also the final drop where the fire is was quite cool, it did feel really hot. The first time I rode I got a bit of a fright from the colapsing roof at the start, but i turned around and saw it just move back up into position, quite funny at the time. Does anyone else think the part where you go through the fog smells like a dairy factory?