Sea World ski stars sunk by pirates

[MickeyD]

Lasseter was a very good ride but it lacked repeatability in that many of the scenes played over and over like a broken record.. Some scenes were infrared beam trip activated like with the Tune ride and Bermuda today but not all of them.. Some of you old enough out there might remember the scene with the guy stuck up on the rig yelling "Get me down! Get me down!"and the figure down below tugging a rope responding "Ï'm trying! I'm trying" - this scene played over close to half a dozen times EVERY time the boat went past - I can almost recite Lasseters Lost Mine ride word for word having a season pass back in the day. As I said, it was a very good ride. Great theming and the animations were excellant - in most cases far superior than what is offered by Aussie Parks today

Edited November 26, 2009 by MickeyD

[Reanimated35]

so the pirates unleashed show is on 12:30 and 4:30 daily. anyone know when it opened and why there is no ads?

[themeparkgc]

The show opened on Boxing Day (correct me if I am wrong). I'm thinking they may not be advertising it because it may still be below a satisfactory standard. They may have opened the show for the holidays just to soak the crowds and it may require more work later. The show has a page on Sea World's website but it is not on Sea World's home page alongside the Sea Viper.

[joz]

The show opened about a month ago to what can, at best, be described as pretty poor reviews. I think they would have to be crazy to give the show any sort of prominence in the advertising. It really cannot be expressed just how bad this show is. It's doesn't fit the venue at all, there are several points in the show which make no sense at all, and the story is just stupid. It's all a bad excuse to watch people doing some unimpressive tricks on a trampoline and jump into the water from the ship. Luckliy, I get the feeling that this one won't be around too long. I just hope that when it does go away someone at the board meeting pushes for a ski show. At least if the story of a ski show doesn't engage, there's still the spectical of seeing a guy doing a backflip while flying thirty meters through the air that makes the show watchable. There's nothing in Pirates Unleashed that can save it, and by the end of the show I was wishing someone had kept the pirates on their leashes. Funnily enough the one highlight of the show took place on a jetski, and is a recyled joke from ski shows past.

[TimMc333]

There is one plus side to the show.... Yesterday afternoon they were training for the show. Jumping off the ship, swinging off the ship etc etc... It was extremely entertaining watching some of the failed attempts to do multiple flips off the high structure! More than once we saw huge belly-flops. Looked pretty painful too! But very entertaining!

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I caught the show yesterday. I can appreciate those with long term parkz experience saying that it doesn't top the ski show - it doesn't. However it is a more engaging storyline for those one-time visitors to the park. I recall years ago the ski show included them taking a boat over the ramp on the island etc etc - and as I recall it had a better storyline than more recent ski shows. The pirate captain played her part well, but the british captain character is too ridiculous for words. The audience participation is strained at best, taking a child out of the crowd, asking their name, and where they're from, only to ask them where the ship is that takes up half of the damn view from the seats, and sending him back down. The love interest for the goofy pirate isn't much better. The tramp stunts are ok, the topple stunts from the masts are well done, and reminiscent of the wonderland pirate show. The acting is terrible overall. On Wonderland for a moment, even though it was in the 80's and therefore probably in need of a lick of paint - but the stunt show run out of lakeside was so much better. Real pirates - very little comedy about - with swordplay and swashbuckling action - since they have the ship, and the lake, and stunt people who can do the falls properly, they should revamp this story into a more realistic tale, rather than slapstick.

[whitsy]

It was a time for renewal for sea world in the past two or so years, so thus updating a few things which one of those things was for the main show. It was time for the ski show to finish up as it's just been done to death and you could only do so much to improve it and such but while i haven't seen this pirate show by the sounds of it the pirates are the flamboyant kind But still not going to judge keep it in mind that things do need changing more so for sea world as there is only so much you could do there.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Holy Crap - who the hell are you and what happened to Whitsy? It has been done to death, but jet skis and ski boats aren't exactly pirate transportation (unless you happen to be pursuing a cruise liner). I'm sure anyone on here could come up with a decent, serious yet not so threatening (so it's family oriented) storyline. Follow the rules of the old-westerns - you need the visitors to cheer for the good guys, and boo the bad guys - honestly, the general concensus, or so it seemed - was that the crowd rooted for the pirates, rather than the british who were supposedly the good guys - distinct lines - nobody should like the pirates, and everyone should cheer for the other team (whatever form or nationality they are). It's a pity the ship doesn't move. how hard would it be to install a mark twain \ columbia style rail in the lake?. Park it up near the bridge, and have it sail down to the stage at their cue. If this were possible, then my story would be something like this: The good guys are our island colonies, and the show opens as we're greeted by the governor of the colony, on parade with a few soldiers. They're touring the docks and making ready for some special occasion. The pirates come forth (on the underwater rail) and lay siege to the seaside town. The colonies recruit a few "natives" from the audience, together they row (with the help of a small inboard) out to the ship. One boat stops on the near side, the other (with the "natives") stops on the far side where there is a proper set of stairs for the natives to climb and reduce risk of injury. An ensuing sword fight begins, while the natives job is to man the cannons at the pirates who have stolen the small boats and are making their way to land to pillage the colony - which was left unguarded by the colonial boarding party. The good guys overcome the pirates, with dashing swordplay driving them from the peaks of the mast-heads to the waiting sharks below. The natives succeed in blowing the bad guys out of the water with the on-board cannons. Still plenty of room for comedic value within the script, but keeping a relatively serious note overall. You can have your dopey sidekick who would act the clown, but at the same time he would be the one shepherding the guests to their roles, so the "real" stuntsmen would be able to do their thing without worrying about the guests safety. I'm sure theres going to be a few responses regarding guest safety and being able to put them in the thick of it like that - but realistically - police academy was able to do it, other shows overseas can, and I know wonderland did because I was pulled from the crowd once before i worked there. We take guests on boats in shark bay etc, so there really isn't anything we haven't done before. There would be pyro on the "rowboats" - but you just don't arm the pyro on the boat that carries the guests until they have disembarked onto the ship. Each guest who takes part in the show would receive a special AND UNIQUE momento of their part in the show also. Thoughts? Suggestions? Improvements? Critiques?

[Gazza]

the pirates are the flamboyant kind

everyone should cheer for the other team

Sorry, I'll go back to being mature now.

[rappa]

Funny the wonderland show is mentioned because the same company is responsible for both... wow they are really diverse in their creative aren't they

[Reanimated35]

Saw the show for the first time today...... wish i hadn't. Set in a long time ago - when pirates have jet skis and speed boats - apparantly pirates resolved their differences with dance battles instead of swords. How pathetic. The only impressive thing in the show was the jumps from the high masts. The end of the show seemed rushed too. Out of nowhere the announcer suddenly says 'you were friends before - work together" and then it's all happy as farking roses. I wasn't a fan of the 60s themed ski show, but the skiing was impressive - BRING IT BACK!

[Randy23]

Hey Saw the show today i have got one word CRAP! all they do is jump on tramps and jumps of the boats, jet skis NO GOOD i rememebr in the application if you wanted audition you had to have pirate jokes ect. I didnt see any of it! not impress! also they should put smokes machines in the cannon to think they it was shot out, all they had was the sounds i was like O my gosh !! rate 2/10 Also i went to see the seal show but that was cancelled due to tech promblems, the computer blowed up in the mornig so they did a RARE training sessions i think it was boring cuz all they did was talk about them and shows us some tricks.

Edited March 11, 2010 by Randy23

[Reanimated35]

didnt see any of it! not impress! also they should put smokes machines in the cannon to think they it was shot out, all they had was the sounds i was like O my gosh !! rate 2/10

I'm pretty sure they normally do as they made an announcement when i saw it that due to the weather (read: low attendance cost cutting) that they will not be using pyrotechnics during that particular display

[Randy23]

well they should just get rid of the whole thing!!

[MaxxTheMonster]

Saw the Pirate show for the first and most definately last time on Monday. Apart from the bad jokes, the continuous jumping up and down on the trampolines and poorly choreographed dance routines, lack of effects (canon smoke) and storyline that can only be described as a grade 2 play quality, it was nice to see the Endeavour being used for something other than change rooms again. It was extremely difficult to get into the show for me (considering I had a pirate themed wedding) due to the absolute lack of historical accuracy (not including the use of trampolines and dance). Considering SeaWorld started out as a ski show why would they get rid of the thing that started the whole park?

[jakeman398]

ok, I saw the show in december and it was fine... sure they could have done with a better storyline but the effects were great and the high dives, amazing. I don't know why everyone hates it. It replaced the ski show that was awesome, but it''s there get over it

[rappa]

Everyone takes it because it abolished a Sea World (not to mention Gold Coast) institution, that as mentioned is what founded the park. It's a mediocre show at best, and crap at worst. It's straight out of the 80s and not even in a good way. Even forgetting all that, most believe it was more a political than creative move to replace the ski show in the first place. Stunt Driver replaced a much loved and awesome show, any had many people criticize it (myself included). But I will be the first to admit it has improved a lot and is still an entertaining show. This thing is rubbish though.

[jakeman398]

fair enough, didn't mean to snap, but i do hate village theme parks at the moment, everything is of low quality, but they should end those stupid passes ( I've got one) get some money in ,fix stuff up (mainly shows) and actually ask people who attend the parks what they would like to happen....

[Original]

The problem that's now been created with the passes locals are so use to paying such low prices for so long, when the passes end are they prepared to go back and pay full price for just one park for one day?

[MaxxTheMonster]

I bought a QLD VIP pass at MovieWorld simply because it was the same price to buy 2 single day passes (me and wife) as purchasing 2 VIP passes online and if we have one day in the next 2 months where we decide to go to any of the WV parks then it is basically a free trip. Yes the prices have gone up steeply, however if you attend the park a few times a year (or every week as I used to) the passes are still excellent value for money. I haven't bought a single pass entry to WV parks in the last 12 years (29 now) and don't think I even will again. It gives you something to do on an otherwise boring day.

[joz]

^ I think you may have missed Originals point a bit.. No one's suggesting the VIP tickets aren't a bargain, but rather that the cheap deals are doing more harm than good in the mid/long term. The argument is two fold: 1. The cheap tickets are in a sense "training" the public to expect dirt cheap tickets. How are they going to get people to pay a premium again? 2. The parks are now busier, but everyone pretty much got in "for free", and so the budget to run the park can't grow and is indeed being cut. A good example of this that people on this site are talking about is that when Movieworld is busy there are still only 2 HWSD shows a day. It's also why blatant money grabbing is going on all around the park to such an unbridled extent; because they have to make money somewhere, even if that means pissing off a bunch of customers to do it. With the quality of the parks being diminished they're brand is being greatly harmed. My answer to point 1 is that they can get more out of the gate (duh) and keep high attendance, but the ticketing needs a big shake up. I think VRTP's would be wise to bring in a *4 Park Annual Pass and abolish the one park passes altogether. Price it around the $150 mark for locals and $250 everyone else, since people from out of town wouldn't have bought one anyway, and it creates the perception of taking good care of the locals, a reputation you really can't buy. They also for the love of god need to add a 10% off F&B perk to it. Isn't the whole idea of giving away the gate to get those people to spend money in the park??? Why not give some real incentive to spend rather the rather pathetic things they've come up with (I mean spend $50 on nothing and we'll give you 10% off everything else? Seriously?) and promote the pass like they have been with the VIP passes and they'll do well. As for the out of town folk, VRTPs should really take a look at how Disney do it in Orlando. I'd love to see them partner up with some local hotels and do something very similar to "Magic your way". Actually, I'll go a step further and say they should steal the whole bloody system. To the point where you can include AOS, and Meals at local restaurants as add-ons to your theme park tickets, with VRTPs getting a cut of course. I'd say that if they employed what I said above then most of the effects of 2 would be pretty much negated, since they'd be making more money per head on admissions from the get go, and they'd be constantly selling them, and they wouldn't get to this ridiculous position they're in now of having no one buying one of the best value tickets they've ever had and having to make them even cheaper again. I don't think the current short term fix to everything is the way to go. Rather then having a solid long term plan on how to grow the business, they are just being reactionary and pillaging their hard earned brand to have a good looking shareholder update this year. Guess what guys, the new business year is only 3 months away. Get a real strategy in place! * Paradise Country should be included in a local annual pass, because it needs a boost, and they've had trouble in the past getting the most out of the park. I really think including it in passes in this way is it's best bet and I'm certain they could make some good easy money by selling those awesome lunches they do and having PC feature in their advertising. Heck they'd probably only go once a year and buy a photo too. Imagine how much extra money they could make by having PC act more as a forth gate and increasing the F&B and Retail per-caps by 200,000 guests. I'm sure even with the higher price tag Marketing could get allot of mileage out of an extra park included with the ticket and in-park F&B discounts.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I'm with you on that Joz. I'm inclined to think a slightly higher pass fee - say $200 for locals, and $300 for everyone else - with PC included as the fourth gate. The reason being is their current "fully featured" annual pass is $300, for 3 parks. Market it as $200, for 4 parks and you've got your hook - with the discounts included. It's double the price you would have paid this financial year, but the savings are in the f&b \ retail discounts, and a frequent visitor with a 10% discount could make their extra $100 back in the year. For the out of towners, the $300 is the same thing they would have paid anyway (not being eligible for the VIP \ Q150), and now they get the extra entry with PC. Only thing i'd change is the PC name - Paradise Country sounds like a rejected Dreamworld theme land. I've never been, and probably never would, but if it were included in my pass, i'd probably take a trip up there at least once.

[Original]

If they give 10% discount on F&B can they include drinks into part of the meal and offer people the choice again of small medium and large not just large, I don't bother with a drink anymore because I don't always want something so big so I just give it a pass, their missing extra revenue by giving people less choice and they still make a ton of money from medium drinks because they cost nothing to begin with.

[Richard]

I think these dirt cheap annual passes can even stay as a promotional product, but executed sensibly with the holiday periods locked out. When people buy them online, put it in bold, red writing that this is the case. When they show up in person to activate it, remind them this is the case and offer them to opt out (at no charge) or upgrade. When they show up on the wrong day, say sorry and again offer them to upgrade or even let them in for the day for $10 or after 2pm or something. The discounts and other premium perks have to be there in a full-price annual pass. I'd bring them into line with Dreamworld and make it 15% with upgrades/drinks etc. included as well. Just on the topic of drinks, and this goes back to the recent Bermuda Triangle discussion, but at what point did our parks decide that they knew better than not just every theme park in the world, but every single fastfood chain in the world by not including drinks in a combo? I mean do they actually think those folks at McDonalds are hacks that don't know the best way to make a buck?

[rappa]

Cracks me up... I liken Maccas to Disney... clearly they are the best at what they do and no one else even comes close. So is it ego or stupidity that makes other companies think their way is better?