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Movie World Trip Report (feat. Seaworld)

Mort

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Mort Explorer

Mort

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Frat off I wanna talk about the two hours I spent at Sea World.

So the Mrs and I arrived at around 12:00 and went and got some lunch. I got the chicken burger from the front of the park and the Mrs got a salad roll. The burger wasn't too bad. The chips however were average.

We then went I to the Penguin encounter. Yup. There are penguins in there. The enclosure was very dirty.

Then went for a walk down to the food court area. I saw where Storm Coaster is so I decided to go on it and give it a go. This is when I realised how difficult it is to navigate around the back half of the park. Took me a while to figure out how to find the start of storm coaster. Walking down and to the skylift (note on this, if disneyland gets rid of a ride you should probably do the same within 5 years. Just saying) then doubling back and the shipping container where the line starts is not very obvious.

So on to Storm Coaster, the theming was pretty good. However I don't know what the premise of the ride was. Was I there to save other people as the Coast guard or was I trying to escape the Storm. No idea. Also have no idea what the building I was in was supposed to be. The ride experience was good, just fast enough and a nice false drop before you skip over and go to the real splash. Drop. Got very wet. So in closing a nice ride but not better than Bermuda. They were loading on average 7 people every 60 seconds so only a 400 person per hour capacity. Ride wait time was about 20 mins

Then road jet rescue which I think is the best ride in the park looked at some animals and left. It was an hour and a half wait for the dolphins and au couldn't be bothered.

Now on to Movie World.

So prior to me visiting Disneyland this was my favourite park in the world so I was interested to see how I now see it.

Arrived at 0930 and went straight to wait for Superman and got on the first car. Not all the effects were working in the dark ride section. The lockers weren't moving for example. Also that blue and red gobo light that swings accross with the superman flying sound before the launch is stupid. You can barely see it and it's way too small. Speed felt really good and the ride was smooth. As always mist wasn't working.

Then went to AA and walked on to the front car. Now it amazes me how slow of a load this ride is. And it seems like it doesn't need to be. They only had two staff on but even still could be done much more efficiently. Love riding this in the front and it is so much better with the new harnesses. Ride is still rough but at least my wars aren't all cut up. Didn't find the harness got too tight on the inversions. Ride audio. Wasn't running.

Then went and rode JL. Walk on again. This is an ok little blaster ride. The animatronics are ok. Disneyland 1960's quality but still pretty good for Australians. The 3D on the final scene was inverted. Looked ridiculous. Don't know how you can make this mistake. I kicked the Mrs butt :P

Next was GL only a 15 min wait. Ride experiences good but again no audio. No audio was running the queue either.

By now it was 1055 so we went to go down to Scooby Doo but was we were walking passed HSD2 the show was just starting so we walked and sat down just as the first bike was coming out. No stupid waiting for us! The show was good but no where near as good as the original. Watching bikes do tricks is ok but I much preferred the close driving of the old show and the gags such as the car splitting in half. The bit where he Comes out on fire is dumb. There is no reason he should be on fire at all. I feel like the old show was longer as well. We were out at 1115.

Now we went on Scooby. The queue are looked in good condition! The fountains were all lit up and running however the lightning wasn't flashing in the hallway. The lighting on the ride seemed different to the last time I rode. Was a lot darker with lights coming on last minute for the "scary parts". Looked really good! However my memory might just be off. The coaster section was as it always was. Only one laser running and not a lot of fog. Again only a 15 minute wait.

Then had lunch. I had the new double cheese burger and the Mrs had the Pulled Pork Burger both from the Gotham City replacement at Wild West Roadhouse (since when is the normal menu at that place Seasonal?). The burger was nice Macas quality but if I want a really good burger I'll go to Hard Rock Cafe. Chips were really nice.

Saw a couple of street shows, the gatsby/Bonnie and Clyde dance thing was dumb. The Batman bank robbery was ok however I feel sorry for the kids who were waiting in line to have their photo with batman when he runs off to do the scene then doesn't come back for photos. I would cry. Streets of Gotham wasn't using the tumbler which was very very lame. Batman is nothin without the bat mobile (I miss the old batman show from when I was a kid and he used to glide in from the roof of the buildings on Main Street...or did I imagine this?)

So after watching these shows I went back on AA again. Ridiculous wait for being only 2 car loads from going on.

Then went on Wild West only a 5 min wait. Ride was good. Some effects weren't working in Dodge. The top mirror projection has not been working for like...10 years. Drop was good and didn't get too wet so that was a big plus.

We were then gonna go get a churro but wait time for Scooby was only 10 mins so we rode again. Then grabbed a churro and went to Superman for another ride. Was in line for 5 minutes before it broke down. There was still another hour before the parade and I could t be bother waiting so we went home.

Some comments on the shops. If they are not using the Harry Potter shop as Harry Potter any more they need to repurpose it. No one want to buy the crap they are selling. I like the village bean addition to the old shrek store.

All in all, there seems to be a lot of wasted space in the park. The show stage, the Chinese theatre, LTRR.

It's also a little sad that they rely on the park being baying for you to get a full days entertainment.

In closing really enjoyed the day however don't have that urge to go to Movie World any more that used to have. It has been replaced by Disney obsession. Sorry Village Roadshow

Ps I have done this review on my phone. So there will be mistakes!

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themagician Experienced

themagician

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Saw a couple of street shows, the gatsby/Bonnie and Clyde dance thing was dumb. The Batman bank robbery was ok however I feel sorry for the kids who were waiting in line to have their photo with batman when he runs off to do the scene then doesn't come back for photos. I would cry. Streets of Gotham wasn't using the tumbler which was very very lame. Batman is nothin without the bat mobile (I miss the old batman show from when I was a kid and he used to glide in from the roof of the buildings on Main Street...or did I imagine this?)

You aren't imagining that, but I do believe it used to be in the Main Street Parade. I could also be wrong, but thats what I thought. I think they got rid of it once they put the roof over main street.

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Brad2912 Experienced

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It's not a faster way to get accross the park, it's not really that high that it gives you a good view and there's not a lot to look at from it and I'm sure it's a maintenance pain in the but (I've only seen it running once)

I'd argue that it is faster if you dont include the line up to get on it. But i dont think most people go on it for that reason anyway. Most go on it to save them doing the walk, it is scenic (not sure what you want to see up there other than the broadwater and the park itself - which you can see just fine) and its fun for the kids.

As for theming for Storm, you're looking a little too much into it. Who cares if you are saving someone or escaping the storm, what does that add to the ride experience? Do you get confused when you go on Superman Escape, where superman is apparently pushing you out of a subway, only to then push you back into the roof of said subway and out the other side?? The theme is the tone for the ride, it doesnt need to be over-analysed and pulled apart.

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Mort Explorer

Mort

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In my opinion the best part of a ride is the narrative. If you think about the best attractions around the world (I agree with Disney Legend Marty Szklar that there is a different between a ride an attraction) they have definitive narratives. Take the Haunted Mansion for example which even has fan fiction

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Brad2912 Experienced

Brad2912

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Everyone loves Disneyland, but we're talking about Australia here. Yes there are improvements in theming that can be made here, but realistically LTRR/WWF/Storm is really as good as its gonna get here anytime soon. Expect Disney levels of theming and narrative at Australian parks is just going to lead to let down...

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Gazza Veteran

Gazza

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It's not a faster way to get accross the park, it's not really that high that it gives you a good view and there's not a lot to look at from it and I'm sure it's a maintenance pain in the but (I've only seen it running once)

I've gotten plenty of good pics from the Skyway...It's a nice ride.

http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/2,3,2833-Feeding_Time.html

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Jobe Experienced

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I've gotten plenty of good pics from the Skyway...It's a nice ride.

http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/2,3,2833-Feeding_Time.html

Absolutely Gazza!! You can get some great pics of the park from the Skwways vantage point, especially halfway when it momentarily stops. Its a great family attraction that is popular for all ages. As for it being overly maintenance intensive, I imagine it wouldnt be moreso than the hundreds of other similar cable cars dotting the landscape around the world. It isnt going anywhere soon!! I am sure there would have been unique reasons as to why Disney removed their own ride example that are not relevant to Seaworld at this point in time.

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Richard

Richard

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That sign out front is a premise, not a narrative. Storm has no storyline in any meaningful sense.

That's not to say it needs one to be a successful themed ride. See Big Thunder Mountain or Grizzly River Run (and dozens of others) for examples of Disney rides with superb theming -- and even a backstory -- but no actual ride narrative.

Conversely, the idea that Storm is as good as it possibly gets in Australia doesn't ring true to me. The ride's immediate predecessor Bermuda Triangle had an immersive and completely cohesive theme and storyline start to finish in its heyday. The ride even had a major plot twist worthy of any early-90s campy sci-fi blockbuster.

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xrc81 Rookie

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Yeah I don't think storm is as good as it gets. I think superman escape is far better.

Agree.. Storm (although the end result is to look a wreck) looks slapped together.. Superman, a coaster with a brief story, great theming (lockers / water / car.), between SM and SD they would have to be the 'best'.

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