Ride Closures.

[MamaaCorydoras]

Hello All!I plan on spending 7 days in Surfers Paradise with my boyfriend for my graduation in February 2014, YAY!I was wondering if anyone knew how far in advanced do theme parks announce ride closures?Id be so bummbed if certain major rides were closed during this preiod, and Id like to knew in advanced to see if we could work around them.At the moment I found that online they have closures announced until December 2013. Anyone have any idea??Thanks all!!

[colliric_855]

It's usually about 6 to 8 months in advance. Most Rides are on during Summer. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Ask Seaworld about roughly when "Storm" opens and book it in after that.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Considering she said she's going in February, and Storm is planned for September-December, i'd say thats a safe bet.Only thing I'd mention is that as february is just outside peak season, be prepared for some rides to go down unexpectedly. If a problem arises (one that isn't a vital safety issue) they may 'limp' the ride through peak season, and take it down once all the kids have gone back to school. Best advice I can give is to get a 'multi-day' type ticket, so if something is closed on one day, you can come back in a few days to give it another shot.If something is closed - be sure to stop by guest relations while you're there, and ask them whether they expect it to reopen (and when) if it was only down for a day or two, you could aim to return at the end of the week. Most parks will try and fix things before their busier days, so if its down on Monday and it isn't a big issue, it's usually going to be back up by the weekend to help cope with the crowds.The websites are your best bet, and the parks always try to keep them as up to date as possible - just keep checking it whilst you're on the coast - especially in the morning before you trek out there just in case something has changed... be prepared to switch which park you're going to in the morning - in case you need to.

[rappa]

You're probably pretty safe. Village rarely takes whole rides down in feb. More they will start train rebuilds for the multi train coasters so capacity might go down but the rides 'should' all be open. The schedule will be online well in advance of that though.

[mba2012]

The parks normally close rides in the latter weeks of February. So if your coming in the earlier weeks that would be better. Also, just to mention, I find tuesdays seems to be the quietest day during the week, so look at going then. But again, most days in the week would be best.

[Hendo]

Superman is usually closed in February. In 2012 it was closed from 07 February to 20 February. I know this as I actually wrote it down and a piece of paper on my computer and still have it. Over the years I've noticed that Superman is usually closed for 2 weeks in February, but from memory which weeks they are is usually different. It's the reason why we holiday there in March . We don't care about any other ride that is closed, as long as we get to ride Superman.

[westical]

Movie World 2013 SUPERMAN Escape will be closed from Mon 4th Feb until Sun 17th Feb 2013 inclusive. BATWING Spaceshot will be closed from Mon 18th Feb until Mon 4th Mar 2013 inclusive. 2012 Superman Escape will be closed for maintenance from 1 Feb 2012 until 19 Feb 2012. BATWING Spaceshot will be closed Monday 20th February 2012 until Saturday 17th March for scheduled maintenance.

Edited May 13, 2013 by westical

[MamaaCorydoras]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I wasnt expecting so much feedback, I appreciate that

I wanted to be really sure that I didnt miss out on the major rides, since my partner has never been before, and this isnt something we get to do often, Its a bummer to hear about Superman possibly being closed, since I was planning to arrive on the 7th. Im contemplating how long I should wait. Im booking everything through a travel agent, and I would HAVE to change the dates if I found out the Superman or Green Lantern or other major rides in Wet'n'Wild or Sea World were closed, but I know Ill be charged extra to change dates. Anyone have any idea what I should do? Should I wait to see when the scheduled maintenance is made? Do you think If I rang the parks up now, anyone would know? I know its a pain in the butt question...

Thanks again to everyone for the help, I was so unsure. Im glad to know I should be safe for February. Ill have to keep tabs on the attraction maintenance. But its a good point, that they would try to keep rides open during peak season, and I was told that in the first couple of week of February is off season since kids go back to school.

[westical]

If you ask on Facebook they'll likely direct you to the maintenance page, but you might have more luck calling.

Edited May 14, 2013 by westical

[Gazza]

Im contemplating how long I should wait. Im booking everything through a travel agent, and I would HAVE to change the dates if I found out the Superman or Green Lantern or other major rides in Wet'n'Wild or Sea World were closed

Are you sure you need to use a travel agent at all though? a trip to the GC is very simple to organise (Heck I sorted and booked one when I was 16)

...Shouldn't it be a case of:

Bam, flights.

Bam, lastminute.com/wotif.com hotel room.

....And a car if need be.

And that's it...shouldn't take more than an hour of your time, and you'd probably spend that length of time driving to a travel agent, booking, then driving home.

Just book a flexible airfare to account for potential maintenance, and don't stress too much about the accommodation ....It is outside of school holidays after all, and unless there is somewhere specific you wanted to stay there shouldn't be too many issues and you should be able to get a good deal.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Yep - i'd nix the travel agent thing as well.

Surf around wotif and similar sites to find some accommodation you're happy with (most surfer's accomm has something worked out to get you to the parks, even if it is the surfside buses), check them out on trip advisor, and you're set.

Use webjet or similar to find the cheapest flight suitable to your circumstances, then go to the airline's site direct to book.

Get a flexible fare if you want to be able to change, but remember that hotels charge sometimes to change dates as well - and they may not have the deal you originally found at the later earlier time.

In all honesty, I wouldn't start looking or booking until at least september. it's not like it's an overseas trip where you need to plan visas and passports etc. Heck - I just got back from the USA, and I didn't start planning that trip until the end of January!

[colliric_855]

Jetstar has a price matching deal, I think it's still their policy. Basically you will get 10% off the price of another airline if you inform Jetstar that the other airline has a similar flight that's cheaper. You may not use it, but it is handy to know if you're really cash strapped. You'll save quite a bit using it(especially off Jetstars' Standard prices). Handy for everyone to know I guess. It means Jetstar always ends up being the cheapest, but this is obviously a "published in small print" deal so they can still sell full-priced fares for most customers. So go to Webjet, find the cheapest flight, then find the nearest Jetstar flight. Then book through Jetstar and get the same cheap "other airline" price + a further 10% discount on top! Although the deal doesn't include any baggage deal that might come with the other airline, it usually still ends up being cheaper even with checked baggage added. ....if you're willing to put up with average service(My last flight was delayed by 3 to 4 hours!). Details: http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/what-we-offer/our-guarantees/price-beat-guarantee P.S. Don't worry about that June 2013 cutoff date, the deal is reviewed and extended every six months so it will be there for you in Feb 2014.

Edited May 15, 2013 by colliric_855

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

colliric_855, on 15 May 2013 - 10:02 AM, said: P.S. Don't worry about that June 2013 cutoff date, the deal is reviewed and extended every six months so it will be there for you in Feb 2014.

It is no wonder that people get so upset with you for the statements you make. Unless you are an influential member of the Jetstar board (which I know you aren't) you cannot possibly be able to state that this deal WILL be there in Feb 2014. Has the airline proven in the past that this price guarantee is renewed at it's expiry? Yes they have - but that doesn't mean it will continue. What if the new brokerage between Qantas and Emirates means they need to change that offer? You just don't know. You make statements - like the one above (and others such as 'Eurofighter!') which are only your assumptions or presumptions. You then get extremely defensive when you get called on it, and argue the point as if it was a certainty. In some cases, you make some really good assumptions that turn out to be right. In others, you lay claim to the knowledge of the gods that makes you the butt of many future jokes (Mack Restorations anyone?). When are you going to learn that all you need to do is to phrase yourself a little differently, and you'll irritate people far less than what you do currently - and perhaps might earn a little respect. For example, a better way of phrasing the above could have been: "I wouldn't worry too much about the June 2013 cutoff date. They've had these in the past and so far they've extended the offer every six months. They might change it, but it's still very possible that it will still be there for you next february" just cover or qualify your statements a little better - thats all most people on here want from you.

[MamaaCorydoras]

I think you're right, Im not sure Ill stick with the travel agent, but I thought Id enquire pricing and things like that so we could start to budget and save up and I had no idea how much Id have to spend either, and also because Im a little paranoid that I might forget something. Ill hold out a little longer, hopefully everything falls into place. The flights shouldnt be hard, my mums an air hostess so she'll be able to help me out. I guess Im worried that Ill pay for something online and it'll fall through as a scam or something... Wow I sound insane... Thanks for the advice.

[Spotty]

No need for a travel agent at all, if you do want any help / information about gold coast hotel's i'd be more than happy to assist. Just on the JetStar price match, it's *FAIRLY* safe to say it will still be around but obviously can change. But you just need to make sure if your going to price match that it's within 1 hour either side of the cheaper flight otherwise it's not eligible for the price match. If your looking for a nice hotel that's not too expensive and close to everything i'd personally recommend either QT Gold Coast or The Outrigger. Make sure if you do end up staying at QT that you sign up for the free Rydges Priority Guest rewards program, it gets you lots of perks (Late Checkout), 20% off food and beverage etc.

[colliric_855]

Dear AlexB, Obviously I was making the statement with reference to the fact it has occurred in the past for a llllllooonggg time and is therefore 90%-100% likely to continue. Also concerning the other thing, it is a Eurofighter and I expect an apology when that is formally confirmed. They just uploaded a pic of the first "of 48" creates departing from a secret location in Europe being sent out by a German shipping company. Yes it was a guess, but it was a good one.

Edited May 15, 2013 by colliric_855

[Hendo]

Wet n Wild usually have all their slides open during February and March other than the spa pools. They usually only run one side of a slide that has 2 of them like the Sidewinders, but you shouldn't have any trouble using the whole park.

It's a hard call to make when to go if you can't/don't want to go during peak season. On a positive note, when you go during February or March, you will will go on a lot more rides and slides than during peak time, it's just that the variety will be less.

An example of how good it is during off peak, year my family and I (2 kids) went in the last 2 weeks in March. My daughters teacher set her a project to keep a record of every ride we went on. So if all 4 of us went on Scooby Doo together for example, that would be 4 rides. Bearing in mind that the whole family are ride junkies, and we spent 12 out of our 14 days at the 5 parks at the goldy, we actually did over 700 rides in total. My kids did Road Runner Roller Coaster 20 times in one day, 7 of which they didn't even have to get out of their seats. They just kept going and going. During that time Leathal weapon was closed and was being changed to Arkem, Batman Ride was closed being changed to Justice League , and Batman spaceshot was closed for maintenance.

So even if you go and some of the big rides are closed, you will still be able to have an awesome time. good luck.

[Jobe]

It is no wonder that people get so upset with you for the statements you make. Unless you are an influential member of the Jetstar board (which I know you aren't) you cannot possibly be able to state that this deal WILL be there in Feb 2014. Has the airline proven in the past that this price guarantee is renewed at it's expiry? Yes they have - but that doesn't mean it will continue. What if the new brokerage between Qantas and Emirates means they need to change that offer? You just don't know. You make statements - like the one above (and others such as 'Eurofighter!') which are only your assumptions or presumptions. You then get extremely defensive when you get called on it, and argue the point as if it was a certainty. In some cases, you make some really good assumptions that turn out to be right. In others, you lay claim to the knowledge of the gods that makes you the butt of many future jokes (Mack Restorations anyone?). When are you going to learn that all you need to do is to phrase yourself a little differently, and you'll irritate people far less than what you do currently - and perhaps might earn a little respect. For example, a better way of phrasing the above could have been: "I wouldn't worry too much about the June 2013 cutoff date. They've had these in the past and so far they've extended the offer every six months. They might change it, but it's still very possible that it will still be there for you next february" just cover or qualify your statements a little better - thats all most people on here want from you.

Absolutely spot on AlexB. I think you have just echoed what 99% of people on this board think. Thankyou and brilliant stuff-especially the last comment.

Dear AlexB, Obviously I was making the statement with reference to the fact it has occurred in the past for a llllllooonggg time and is therefore 90%-100% likely to continue. Also concerning the other thing, it is a Eurofighter and I expect an apology when that is formally confirmed. They just uploaded a pic of the first "of 48" creates departing from a secret location in Europe being sent out by a German shipping company. Yes it was a guess, but it was a good one.

I am sorry??? Maybe you could correct me if I am wrong but I am fairly certain that the manufacturer of the new coaster has NOT been confirmed. This appears to be more of your musings and wild fantasies that you seem to want to pass off to everyone as reality. However, I could not help but laugh at the irony of this little scenario if the manufacturer of said ride actually turned out to be MACK.......oh my god would I chuckle!!!

Sorry for diverting the thread somewhat but AlexB's comments had to be applauded!

Enjoy your trip to the Gold Coast MamaaCorydoras!! Hope you have a great time!!

[colliric_855]

Nope, the ride's construction pictures gives it away as an expensive low to the ground coaster. It fits the profile of a Eurofighter, in particular with the POV vid of the similar coaster in the thread. Also it has been "seriously" claimed by other people over on Facebook, so im not the only one who noticed. It could also be either a Motocoaster(we already have 2!) or a spinner but it LOOKS like they're preparing the ground for a Eurofighter. The rumoured manufacturer is naturally Gerstlaurer(once again not me who said that).

Edited May 15, 2013 by colliric_855

[Jobe]

No. You have fueled the fire of the Eurofighter rumour. It could also be a Gerstlauer Bob sled coaster. As I have said NOTHING has been confirmed as being absolute yet.

[colliric_855]

No. You have fueled the fire of the Eurofighter rumour. It could also be a Gerstlauer Bob sled coaster. As I have said NOTHING has been confirmed as being absolute yet.

Ok I accept that, however when it does turn out to be true I expect you to apologize.

[Jobe]

Ok I accept that, however when it does turn out to be true I expect you to apologize.

I don't have anything to apologise over. IF it turns out to be a Eurofighter, it was a lucky guess on your part. All well and good. All I am pointing out is that you cannot SAY that it has been confirmed as one at this stage- you have NO hard evidence in backing up your claim ( yet again)

Please re-read AlexB's comments regarding the way you phrase your posts.I am not sure you have completely understood nor digested fully the contents. It is excellent advice, and one if I was you, I would take. It would really help your standing on this board.

[Reanimated35]

Oh ffs are we really back to this shit again?

[colliric_855]

nope. I suspect it was a sideshow.

[Jobe]

Oh ffs are we really back to this shit again?

Unfortunately the leopard never changes his spots. And you said he was behaving??? Pfft!!!