The New Atlantis - Reviews & Reactions

[Brendo88]

21 hours ago, Tricoart said:

[[SPOILERS AHEAD]]
Just got off my first walkthrough/ride of multiple today, so I’m far from an expert on the topic, but I’ll try my best to cover the bases.

Theming

The whole theming of the area is great, for current-day Village. There’s still some pretty open areas, and as the concept art shows, it could use some more trees to make it feel less empty. Garden of Cyphers is a nice place to sit down, but I’d imagine it gets loud, due to…

Leviathan

The queue for Leviathan is split up into 3 distinct sections: Queue (the blue shade structure inside of the helix), a sort of Holding Zone, and the walk to/station. There is no single-rider queue, and a mention for a disabled entry, but it isn’t the main queue or the exit. 
 

Starting with the Queue, it’s pretty and is mostly enclosed in the helix. I’m sure this will be fine once it’s been open for a while, but it’s certainly caused a lot of overspill now. As for its theming, it’s surrounded by faux rock & plants on all sides, with the ride itself being just above said walls. It’s certainly good looking, but I can’t help but think it’s a bit too short (and, just quietly, the ride isn’t quiet, and people were already getting irritated at the near-constant ride noise from being surrounded by the coaster).

The Holding Zone is pretty self-explanatory, after being advanced from the queue, you’re put into a little hallway and wait to be allowed into the station. If you’ve been to Fright Nights, it’s basically just the wait between the queue and entering the maze. If you haven’t, it’s a mixture of Scooby Doo’s post-warehouse queue, and the second boarding row in Steel Taipan’s station. Not much to say about it’s theming (it’s just a hallway), but I noticed there are names on the bolts on Levi’s supports, which is cool.

Last queue section, the walk to/station. Seeing as this is completely indoors, it’s definitely got the best theming of the 3. You enter through the sliding door, and are surrounded by faux rock and cool blue lighting, as you advance up the staircase to the station. The station is where it shines, smoke-filled with faux rock blended into the advertised screens, where Leviathan swims around and tells you off from time to time. This is, by a decent amount, the best theming I’ve seen in Australia. (Sorry for blur in the photos, it was completely indoors and I had to keep moving)

Now, the ride itself. As you dispatch, more smoke billows out in front of you. Small dip, lift hill, Leviathan says ‘Ride With Me’, then you’re in the layout. Being a wooden coaster, the layout is (as expected) far less forceful than the likes of Superman, DCR, or ST. Thus, it’s more fun and rerideable than insane and physically tolling. Also, being a wooden coaster, it’s not the smoothest thing ever, but it’s luckily far from uncomfortable. I didn’t notice any big potholes, nor did I feel scrambled after riding like you would on Cyclone. It’s a great, rerideable, fun, family-thrill ride, from the drop to the brakes. I’m not skinny by any means, but I’m not the heaviest person either, and it was a bit of a squeeze to fit, so if you’re overweight you might have some trouble getting your restraint locked (and there’s no test seat, so you’ll have to queue before you know). In case you’re interested, here’s its vertical and lateral force graph.

Once done, Leviathan tells you you’re worthy and you exit through a similarly-themed staircase to the one you entered through. Then you’re spit out into a maze of tight painted work walls, walk through the ride photo booth, past the main queue area, and are spat out the way you came.

Vortex

Vortex hasn’t changed since it originally opened, so if you went on it then, you know the experience. If not, it’s just a decent flat, a worse Wipeout with rather generic ‘ocean’ theming (though it fits in more now that the whole area is open, ofc). Also, they may have dulled its squeaking? Idk, but I haven’t heard any.

Trident

As discussed elsewhere, Trident wasn’t open due to high winds, but the ride experience is pretty predictable if you’ve been on a swingchair before. The theming is a step above Vortex, with a colosseum-style ride platform, some nice murals/detailing work, and Big Man. All in all, the details are good (but the trident at the top should’ve been larger).

Great Post!

Can I ask what app that is you're measuring the forces with on your apple watch?

[xRazzBerryx]

ONE 👏🏼 TRAIN 👏🏼 OPS 👏🏼

Unfortunately it’s seems like there was an issue with 1 of the trains this morning. The opening was delayed around an hour or so. From what it looks like they bit the bullet & instead of making guests wait for them to fix the 2nd train, they pulled it off & got the line going. As expected, line is moving slow with the 1 train. 

[rappa]

Be curious to know if it IS actually running slower with 1 train given the stacking on the brake run with 2. 

[themagician]

Visited the park this morning to ride Leviathan and check out the whole precinct now complete. 

LEVIATHAN

Arrived at the park for opening at 9:30 and headed straight for Leviathan. They had set up a temporary extended queue area to the left of the rides entrance. We queued here until 10, when the ride was supposed to start operations. However they did move us into the main queue area in the centre of the attraction. I was surprised that this was the only permanent queue area. Considering this is the parks headline attraction, the queue footprint isn’t that big. However, the outdoor section of the queue is impressive. The rockwork, planting and story setup that happens is very good. The shade structure while isn’t anything special, it’s definitely needed as this morning it helped protect from the heat and then the rain. But the true magic happens once you pass through the sliding door.

The internal walk through area is the best themed ‘queue’ in the country. The use of planting, theming, lighting and audio was fantastic and VRTP should be highly commended for how great this part is. It’s a shame you don’t queue in this part, but the way they are operating the attraction it currently works as it has more of an impact than if you were standing in there for an hour. It also removes the chance that people will ruin it like we’ve seen in Scooby at MW. And then the station experience… WOW. While it was slow loading because of the need to wait for the show to begin. Once it does, the story being setup and the way the Leviathan moves between screens and ‘interacts’ with you is awesome. And the way lighting and smoke is used adds to this whole experience. The storage compartments were simple but effective (and should work well during 2 train operations).

The trains design is great and they are very comfortable. The restrains were similar to those of BuzzSaw, without the seatbelts (thankfully). And as someone who is 185cm, good leg room too. The audio played as you climb the lift hill and just before the first drop is also a nice touch and probably more reliable than the onboard audio we’ve seen with Green Lantern. 

The coaster itself is more thrilling than I expected. I managed to ride in the back row, and the amount of airtime and near miss moments were great. This was my first wooden coaster, so I didn’t ever understand the appeal. And while it was tougher than a steel coaster, the way this coaster manoeuvres through itself was a great experience and one you don’t really get on steel coaster.

After exiting the station, the theming in the stairs down continues, which is awesome. But then as soon as you exit through the door, unfortunately it becomes disappointing. The blue walls were a shame as it would’ve been great to continue the rock/greenery through here. Even if it was a simplified version. Maybe it’s so they can remove these walls during maintenance because it is very tight moving through the coasters structures. However, it is great being able to walk under this very immersive and technical structure. 

Overall, this is an immersive attraction. The level of theming though the majority of the ride is fantastic. And the story and experience created in the station alone blew me away. The park are still learning how to operate the ride efficiently and these high wind speeds haven’t helped that. Hopefully they can get the loading/unloading and technical issues sorted before Christmas so they are ready to go in time for the peak period. 

This coaster is definitely in the top 5 for the Gold Coast. The coaster itself isn’t the top, but the queue and station experience alone is the best we’ve seen on the coast in a long time and might even be the best ever. It’s definitely worth checking out (once these winds clam down) and I definitely look forward to riding it again.

TRIDENT

The precinct has a whole has come together nicely. While Vortex is still a missed opportunity, they have done a great job with Trident. The theming and design is overall simple, but they have executed it really well. There is some great detail in the queue area, with a minimal colour scheme that is very effective. 

OVERALL PRECINCT

The precinct as a whole has come together well. The gigantic statues are very impressive and their scale can’t be appreciated until you see them in person. It’s great they continued the themed floor colour/pattern throughout the area. The waterfalls around Leviathans entrance are a nice touch I wasn’t expecting. And it’s nice they’ve continued the language of the arches introduced at the entrance to the area throughout the precinct. I do wish there was more large scale planting, but at the same time, the grasses areas they’ve created allows for people to sit and watch the attractions around them. And The Garden of Cyphers is another great vantage point of Leviathan. And while the connection between Atlantis and Nickelodeon looked tight during construction, in reality it wasn’t as bad as I thought. 
 

SUMMARY

As a whole, The New Atlantis is a fantastic addition to Sea World. But it was also a necessity. For too many years, the park was heavily lacking in rides and this precinct has finally got their ride count back to a more expected number. A couple more rides are definitely needed, but they’ve got the room for that in the future. They’ve still got the large site that Sea Viper was on, the Vikings station and potentially the castle site too. While it wasn’t a great start with Vortex and some very lengthy delays, Leviathan proves that Australia can produce a fantastic attraction that has extensive theming and a story. It’s truly an experience to ride Leviathan, something that I haven’t had at an Australian theme park in a long time. And while it’s not perfect and not at the Disney level (mostly because of their efforts with the exit), it definitely gets me excited for what VRTP will do with the Wizard of Oz at Movie World, but also sets the bar high for Dreamworld to ensure that they produce something great with Rivertown. Congratulations to VRTP on what you’ve done with The New Atlantis and congratulations to you for making it to the end of this lengthy read. 
 

PHOTO DUMP

[red dragin]

There's been comments on the exit walls by several reviews. 

Looking at the photos, they seem a little temporary? Like they don't match the floor (gaps etc) and the support frame is visible next to the photo viewing area.

Almost like they were chucked in because they couldn't finish everything for opening, so focussed on the entry themeing and will (hopefully) come back and fix the exit as they can. 

What do those that have attended think of that theory? 

[xRazzBerryx]

I got my first ride in today, unfortunately it was only one ride as it went down. I can’t form an opinion on just 1 ride as I feel this coaster needs multiple rides, especially to understand the layout. But one stand out moment from memory was the double down & the sense of speed you get from this element. 
 

THEMING
I will however review the theming. It is amazing. They’ve done what we’ve all been asking for.. ROCKWORK! And doesn’t it look good indeed. It goes from 7/10 theming (main queue area) until you enter the sliding door, which then goes up to a 9.5/10.
 

The walk up to the station is the wow before the WOW factor. The lighting effects, accompanied by a fantastic deep sea sounding score sets the mood. You then hear leviathan speaking to you, “Who dares enter the realm of the mighty leviathan!”  
 

The station is filled with smoke as you enter. Leviathan swims around the station waiting for you to board. When you are about to dispatch, there is another short spiel from Levi & then you are off! 
 

The only negative I can see about the theming is the main queue area. The part to me that doesn’t make sense is you are waiting here, you can see full daylight & the coaster, however the same deep sea score is playing. For me, it ruins the immersive feeling. I would have had this area all enclosed with blue water effects projected on the walls to simulate you are underwater, about to enter leviathans lair. Obviously they have chosen to have this area open, with a shade structure that doesn’t block the view of the coaster. The view of the coaster from this section is great, don’t get me wrong, but the immersion is a bit off here for me.
 

Will be back in a few weeks to get a couple more rides & hopefully get on Trident 🔱 
 

 

[themagician]

1 hour ago, red dragin said:

What do those that have attended think of that theory? 

4 hours ago, themagician said:

Maybe it’s so they can remove these walls during maintenance because it is very tight moving through the coasters structures.

 

[Whombex]

As I haven't had a VRTP pass for a while, regarding the Dolphin lagoon between the tavern, Vortex and Leviathan.

Were the Dolphins relocated to Affinity with the others during construction? Are there any there now? This area was just a nursery in the past? 

[themagician]

There are dolphins in the nursery pools and have been almost the entire time of the construction process 

2 hours ago, New display name said:

People pulling at the plastic plants.

It didn’t take long

[New display name]

26 minutes ago, themagician said:

There are dolphins in the nursery pools and have been almost the entire time of the construction process 

It didn’t take long

It's why we can't have good things. 

[Park Addict 93]

I was at the park yesterday, managed to get one ride backwards and one forwards. Was on the train with restraints checked and about to dispatch before it encountered issues and closed for the rest of the day trade, wasn’t due to wind.

Did see Trident was running last night, but I’m still honestly not expecting it to be open today

I’m extremely impressed with the theming/show elements of Leviathan, have to agree with others that forwards is a better ride experience than backwards.

[Rivals]

It must’ve been a glitch as it is now back on the maintenance website, Leviathan isn’t so im going to guess it will be opening today. 

[Vidgamer]

I am in line for Leviathan now. It is still testing and hasn’t started taking people yet. 
 

edit: it has now tested about 10 times and stalled at the top of the lift hill once. There is one or two people on the trains now (look like tradies). Lots of people in line (and have been since opening) very annoyed they are running carriages with one or two people. 
 

One of the trains in particular looks like it is struggling to get up the lift hill, the tradies may be there to see if they can feel if there is an error. 
 

Edit2: crowd was getting very restless. Seaworld staff have just communicated that the ride has been handed over to the ride operators and is 15/20 mins away from opening.

Jet Rescue hasn’t opened yet and Patrick’s Jellyfish Frenzy is shut too, really average effort. 

Edited December 4, 2022 by Vidgamer

[Inverted]

Queue rails lasted 2 days.

 

[themagician]

31 minutes ago, Inverted said:

Queue rails lasted 2 days.

 

That’s probably happened because people are sitting and swinging on them because they’re waiting in the same spot for several hours 

[Stevie]

They could have always done a cheeky open it a few days early for people in the park and don't make a big deal out of it. Then they aren't saying that it's open until the official date, there's no expectations and it would hopefully provide a bit more of a real world stress test than staff and contractor runs would

[Inverted]

Well we arrived at 9.30 and went straight to Levi.  Closed for 2 hours waiting in a queue outside (the inside queue was already full) and got a ride at 12pm. 

Ride I'd give 9/10 myself and family loved it.  Fast, zippy and the theming was 👌

The opening weekend for Atlantis was a let down imo.  As 3 of your "new rides" at one point we're all closed.    Not a good look and people's comments were not great in the area. 

No idea why trident 🔱 wasn't open.  I understand Fridays opening delayed due to wind but what was today's excuse.   They were cycling it often but no riders.   I must say the triple seats on it will be great for us being a family of 3. However not so much if you're a couple and have a third wheel dumped with you. Haha 

At one stage today. Leviathan, trident, vortex, storm, jet rescue we're all closed.   Which was no good to see.

Another thing they could have is a gift shop or food area in the precinct.  I purchased a leviathan bendable plushy for my son as he faced his fear and rode it. But it's at the exit of the park.  I bet if it was at the ride area and a staff member wore it around their shoulders/neck like I was wearing it they would sell heaps more.  (Photo of plush below) Disney did it with avatar creatures I believe.

Another cool thing I saw in gift shop was this wooden carriage model.   I would have grabbed it but thought twice at $50.  So the family plushy was enough for $30

Would have bought a shirt too but the design i likes was only in kids sizes.  Staff said they had adult ones but couldn't find them.

If they can smooth out the operations and fix the downtime issues it will be a favorite of mine, up there with Rivals (I like wood coasters) and a sure hit with everyone. 

 

 

 

 

 

[pin142]

4 hours ago, Inverted said:

No idea why trident 🔱 wasn't open.  I understand Fridays opening delayed due to wind but what was today's excuse.   They were cycling it often but no riders. 

Cycling with no riders of a new ride typically means one thing. Not ready for operations with people.

[Rivals]

3 minutes ago, pin142 said:

Cycling with no riders of a new ride typically means one thing. Not ready for operations with people.

I will say it didn’t make sense to have it be listed as closed for wind but then have the ride testing all day, even in high winds.

[Gazza]

 

Here is the full cypher if anyone wants to start decoding the messages in the area.

 

This one says "worthy"

 

 

This says spirit

 

 

Vowt?x

N?R ATLANTIS

So basically it seems like the R and W got switched at some point and the letter E changed totally.

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Gazza

[jjuttp]

Having watched the full Jaggs breakdown/walkthrough video, my main thought is that the shortcomings scream so loud.


The exit walls. They look tacky and the path looks so thin even Miranda Kerr would have trouble fitting down there. If possible, i would have kept the mockrock flowing and made the photo area into like a grotto.

Garden of Cyphers. Again, use mockrock or just barricade the area off. The area looks poorly done and could be better utilised.

Merch. Why are the 2 coolest things on sale plush or pocket sized? You hype up the idea of a trident by using atlantis, then give us no way of owning one of the few you inconsistantly designed.

Inconsistancy. Queue/exit, trident in Russell Crowes hand/trident outside Trident. Pick one and carry the idea.

Trees. I get that things need to grow in, but there doesnt seem to be many if any high growing plants for shade meaning youre always in the weather.

Vortex. i've said it before and ill say it again, remove that tacky gate even if it is the only thing from the concept art thats come across exactly as intended.

Nitpicking. The security camera above the photo op, either move it higher or paint it to match the wall. Also, the area doesn't seem to borrow from Atlantis' more well known concepts that could have been intergrated really well like the hot and cold streams.

[Guest 239]

I drove up from Sydney on Friday morning to experience Leviathan. Here are my thoughts:

Queue:

I really enjoyed the queue experience for this attraction. The entrance façade is excellent and does a great job in funneling your attention towards the ride. Once inside you're pushed through a series of rockwork hallways until you get into the central atrium which is where you will spend a majority of your time. The rockwork and design here is great, and being within the ride envelope helps to build your excitement before you get into the indoor section. 

If you have sensory processing issues the outdoor portion of the queue may be a bit difficult as the coaster is very loud. Also the theming relies a lot on plastic greenery which is within easy reach of the guests. It was not uncommon to see these scattered around the ground and there were a few areas that have already started falling off. I don't believe these will age well, especially in the harsh Gold Coast sun. 

Once you've made it through the central atrium you'll be grouped to enter the interior queue. This is the final stretch and you will fly through this section to loading. The interior theming is very well done with faux cave rockwork, vibrant lighting, and an atmospheric soundscape. Before you know it you're in the loading area where you will be allocated a seat to board. The loading area is a simulated cave with a vast amount of screens around you where the Leviathan swims around and taunts you. This is very well done and is unlike anything else in Australia, but it's hard to process as whilst you're being taunted you're also managing your group, getting your belongings together, getting instructions from the operators, and taking in the scenery. 

Ride Experience:

Once ready, you board a surprisingly comfy seat, however, it was not uncommon for guests to have issues with these due to their size. This is unfortunate because there is little to suggest this will be a problem. If you are of a larger size I would recommend using the test seat out the front to avoid disappointment.

You dispatch in sync with the audio and visuals. The Leviathan will continue to taunt you up the lift hill which adds to the intensity which I enjoyed. You get some excellent views from the spit as you climb the lift hill until you turn the corner into the first drop which is absolutely excellent.

This coaster flies! It's incredibly fun and soars through it's many twists and turns. I didn't notice much airtime but others in our group did so that's probably just a me thing. The second half of the coaster starts to get a little underwhelming but this a problem that many wooden roller coasters have. 

Once you hit the final brake run, you're done! Again, a very solid experience and incredibly fun wooden coaster but nothing mind blowing. Also expect to sit on the brake run for quite a bit which in the morning means a lot of harsh sun blasting on your head. This wasn't an issue in the afternoon. 

Exit:

The interior exit is excellently themed and matches the rest of the interior queue, but once you're outside it just becomes mostly basic sheer blue walls. You get some great glimpses of the coaster, but it does admittedly feel like you're walking through backstage. There is a small section to view your photos within the exit, but in the three times we experienced the attraction, not once did this sync properly with our train and it always showed other riders which was unfortunate. 

Overall

Leviathan is a great addition to Sea World with some interesting quirks. There were some decisions on guest management in the queue that I don't agree with but otherwise it's one of Australia's best presented attractions and really puts Sea World in a great place with other strong coasters like Storm. Sea World is a dark ride away from being Australia's best 'themed' park in my opinion.

Opening Day, New Atlantis

I'll be honest - I expected a little bit more for the opening. It felt like just another regular day at Sea World. It's a missed opportunity for Village to reward their most loyal and dedicated customers. 

The actual New Atlantis area is nice, but nothing groundbreaking. It desperately needs more greenery that isn't plastic and trees or structures to provide shade. Though this could be deliberate with Dockside so close because then the kids can go ride the coaster whilst the parents hang out and have a beer in the shade. 

Trident wasn't ready and apparently wont be for a little while so I can't comment on it. 

Sea World & Dockside Precinct

Despite the addition of New Atlantis - Sea World as a whole is in a bad way at the moment. It is awful to navigate, many of the attractions frequently go offline for extended periods of time, the SBNO attractions are becoming a major eyesore, and a vast majority of the park requires a desperate coat of paint and sun bleached signage to be replaced.

I was also unfortunate enough to be at the opening of the downstairs Dockside Precinct around lunch time. Their systems were simply not ready with EFTPOS not processing on some terminals and their purchasing software having problems that prevented certain orders from going through. I've worked in IT, these things happen and I'm patient, but despite this I have never had a worse customer service experience within a theme park in my entire life. This was not the front line workers fault, but what appeared to be a stressed manager who thought it was best to treat both his staff and the customers like absolute burdens. I don't appreciate being sighed at, being given the side eye, or you getting frustrated and angry with your new staff because your system is having problems. I expect this kind of treatment from a fast food take away like Maccas, but not a theme park where your guests are paying to be there and you're offering your food at a huge premium.

This park is going to be the focus for many new and returning guests over the upcoming holidays and despite Leviathan being excellent, I will be surprised if many are impressed with Sea World as a whole. This is extremely unfortunate considering how much of a connection I have to this park. 

[Daedra]

14 minutes ago, Guest 239 said:

what appeared to be a stressed manager who thought it was best to treat both his staff and the customers like absolute burdens

This guy single handedly spoiled what was pretty much an excellent day. I was beginning to believe that VRTP may have turned a leaf with customer service. Front gate staff were very welcoming. The ops at Leviathan were on their A game that day. Even seen Bikash help out a staff member after a gust of wind blew away napkins.  That all came crashing down the moment that guy decided to abuse a staff member right in front of me. Then rolled his eyes once the efpos machine decided to spontaneously cancel the transaction. 

 

So close yet so far

Edited December 5, 2022 by Daedra
Phone decided it wanted to post mid paragraph.

[Rivals]

I will say the staff for Leviathan were very kind and nice, you know you have good staff when they can keep such a good and happy attitude in a stressful situation. The only complaint staff wise i had was with the staff member outside of Trident yesterday, he seemed just angry and like he didn’t want to be there, understandable but at least pretend like you want to be there. 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

23 hours ago, Inverted said:

Queue rails lasted 2 days.

 

Didn't last one day - that was like that at 10:30 on friday.