Great pics themeparknut, thank you. From the looks of things the first drop trim doesn't extend as far down as other El Loco's, so the drop should still be relatively speedy.

Yeah, interesting about the scaffolding, it looks like they are actually doing something serious in the station. What though? I do think the fencing in this pic looks a little 'low security'...Easy to jump, unless they plan on putting a gate on the existing bronze coloured fencing that gets locked at night.

Edited December 15, 201114 yr by Gazza

Currently at Gold Coast and have been to MW twice. Was told by various staff that Green Lantern would be opening on Boxing day. Too late for me unfortunately.

Great Pics themeparknut2011. I'm not convinced that the fencing they have constructed is the right way to go. When you walk through the front gates at MW you are completely removed from the outside world and only come back down to reality when you leave and go home. My feeling is that when I walk out to Green Lantern, I'll be walking out to another ride in the carpark. It will be like going to the local show when it comes to town. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait until I go on the ride, but I hope they do more to 'include' it into the park.

I agree about the fencing being a bit low security. I guess we will see for sure once all the construction fences are down. With regard to the feeling about being out in the car park Hendo, I think the key is going to be the entrance path. That is the one thing we haven't seen much of yet. People tend not to care if the exit is a bit dodgy because you aren't there very long. I think most of us just want to ride it already!

So, how many people thought they'd go down today, and got spited?

Looking at what I saw when there on Wednesday it is safe to say the station roof isn't going to be plain white. There does however seem to be no signs of the station building being enclosed or work of that nature happening. The fencing around the ride may seem insecure but it is classy looking and compliments the ride unlike the pool fencing that can be found around Wild West Falls.

So, how many people thought they'd go down today, and got spited?

Not a lot. We were struggling to keep our booth for admissions open throughout the whole day - it was so quiet. The lines for admissions rarely ever got larger than 2 or 3 families (even at like 10am). Edit: And the turnstiles didn't have long lines either. It was weird for the holiday period.

Edited December 15, 201114 yr by Bmull19

Sometimes I think parks are actually quieter for a short period when a new attractions opens. It is this perverse logic where everyone thinks it is going to be crazy busy because a new ride has just opened, so nobody goes

I'd put it down to everyone being too busy. ..."Our" ticket booths?

By 'our booth' I meant the one I was working in with others.

Just went past Movie World, they were testing looked like staff or friends on board were doing several cycles looked great going round with cars working as if was busy day

I didn't see anyone on it today?? Maybe I missed it. All I saw was heaps of testing with no one on it.

Rumour going around that it might open for White Christmas tonight? Maybe not for long with all this rain around. I would have thought it was still a week away, but it's possible we might hear an announcement shortly!! Anyone going to White Christmas tonight or tomorrow night??

Me Tonight

So they're trying to open it today but the 'official' opening day is boxing day - how bizarre.

Soft openings are not bizzare.

I find it bizarre how early it is compared to the actual 'official' opening.

A week and two days? I think that amount of time is pretty much perfect... At a minimum it means a full roster cycle of staff would run the ride dealing with real guests, so when the 26th rolls around, guests coming that day specifically and onwards will recieve better service. Not like DW, where BS wasntveven handed over, and didn't open on time.

Edited December 16, 201114 yr by Gazza

Going to WC on Sunday night so hoping it'll be up and running then

Yes. Maybe that's how it usually is, but I still think it's weird to let people ride that much earlier before it's officially open. Like, why not just make that the opening?

Because soft openings allow the park to get an idea of what it will be like to operate the ride with actual guests and give them a heads up on things that will need to be improved/changed. It is more of a troubleshooting thing to prepare them for the big day. You can test loading and unloading all you want with staff but people as a whole are unpredictable and there are a whole heap of things that can happen they may not be prepared for.

BMull, it’s a standard practice worldwide. It’s no different to rehearsing a play, or a film studio playing a movie to test audiences before the full theatrical release. In fact, parks should factor in a soft opening regardless, it’s just good management to do so. The bungled openings of Shockwave and Buzzsaw should be a lesson as to why it’s bad not to leave a buffer period between practical completion and opening day. With an official opening date, it’s crucial that it actually is ready, and you need to be sure of hitting that target. People may plan holidays etc, so you don’t want to ruin those. Issues of false advertising can arise if it’s not ready. And of course as Pin said, you want staff efficiently loading guests, and any technical glitches to be identified and ironed out before the masses arrive. On the other hand, opening a ride early is often a pleasant surprise for those guests on the day who weren’t expecting it, and they can have signage stating “This ride is in technical rehearsal and may close at any time”, as a sort of get out of jail free card. It reduces the risk for the park. Opening a bit over a week early is nothing anyway, when you consider some attractions at Disney and Universal have had soft opening periods of a month or two. BMull, it’s a standard practice worldwide. It’s no different to rehearsing a play, or a film studio playing a movie to test audiences before the full theatrical release. In fact, parks should factor in a soft opening regardless, it’s just good management to do so. The bungled openings of Shockwave and Buzzsaw should be a lesson as to why it’s bad not to leave a buffer period between practical completion and opening day. With an official opening date, it’s crucial that it actually is ready, and you need to be sure of hitting that target. People may plan holidays etc, so you don’t want to ruin those. Issues of false advertising can arise if it’s not ready. And of course as Pin said, you want staff efficiently loading guests, and any technical glitches to be identified and ironed out before the masses arrive. On the other hand, opening a ride early is often a pleasant surprise for those guests on the day who weren’t expecting it, and they can have signage stating “This ride is in technical rehearsal and may close at any time”, as a sort of get out of jail free card. It reduces the risk for the park. Opening a bit over a week early is nothing anyway, when you consider some attractions at Disney and Universal have had soft opening periods of a month or two.

The Outsider's have reported that Green Lantern has soft opened this afternoon and they have ridden it! Hopefully one of the forum members will snag a ride on it tonight (maybe Lscia8?) and report back what it was like!!

I find it bizarre how early it is compared to the actual 'official' opening.

Take a look at Universal Studios Singapore - they had a soft opening for more than 20 months. As Gazza has said, one and a bit weeks is nothing.

Edited December 16, 201114 yr by themeparkgc