21 hours ago, joz said:

I've only ever been to LPS off peak. How busy does it get and what does that look like? 

How busy honestly depends on the weather. Being a smaller park however it can feel busy but rides can be either a short wait or walk on. 

The peak for this park ain't as bad as other parks (GC based). Usually what makes them busier, is the staffing arrangements. Running too low attendance (figures, this running lower staff numbers) when the park gets busier and it can't be changed accordingly. 

The rides that usually have the biggest lineups in peak are,

•Wildmouse 30+ minutes

•Volarè 20+ minutes

•Sledgehammer 30+minutes (this ride has two queue lines much like pandemonium)

The only other slight issue that affects high capacity rides at the park is the fact you need to scan a wristband at the turnstiled to gain entry into each attraction. So, even tho would get told to put the band on your right hand many don't (scanners are located on the RHS of the guests at rides).

I'm assuming over the winter the numbers might pick up a little. The beauty is the Park is small. Having rides that everyone can ride also means everyone is somewhat spread more than we used to be when visiting before the upgrades.  

Cheers for that. Glad that they get what I assume would be pretty decent attendance numbers then. Again, I only ever end up there off peak during the week so it's hard to have any idea of what it's really like.

1 hour ago, joz said:

Cheers for that. Glad that they get what I assume would be pretty decent attendance numbers then. Again, I only ever end up there off peak during the week so it's hard to have any idea of what it's really like.

The park's (estimated) capacity is somewhere around 3,000. It usually gets that busy for the Halloween event. 

All good, happy to help when and where I can. 

21 hours ago, StingRay said:

Usually what makes them busier, is the staffing arrangements. Running too low attendance (figures, this running lower staff numbers) when the park gets busier and it can't be changed accordingly. 

I heard they closed the park yesterday without warning or announcement 3 hours after opening. A large group of school kids on a visit basically got turfed out.

Not sure if it was weather or just a quiet day so they decided to pull the pin, but what's the bet their casual staff have a 3 hour minimum shift?

On 7/3/2022 at 8:17 AM, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

Oh it's crazy! In really busy trade the police have been called and it's even made the papers!

It was the best of times, it was the worst  of times, that was covid times.

NYE bringing in 21, from memory. 

Didn’t know where else to post this, but I thought y’all should know Sledgehammer’s 360 mode (extreme) is apparently back in operation!

I had a chance to ride the RMC Raptor 'Jersey Devil' at Six Flags Great Adventure last month and it was nice to be able to compare Big Dipper to this model. 

I think that Big Dipper is a lot of fun, and it's what Luna Park needed to get back on the map, but TL;DR the RMC Raptor is a much better overall package. Jersey Devil's chain lift hill and layout makes it feel more like a full coaster experience compared to Big Dipper which has a tendency to feel more like a coaster tease. I love the launch on Big Dipper, but by the time you realise what's going on the ride is already over. This is a problem I have with a lot of accelerated coasters where they have a tendency to feel more like a glorified flat ride than an actual roller coaster (I'm looking at you, Kingda Ka).

The most underrated element is the Raptor's constantly moving load which allows it to absolutely eat guests, and increases the throughput dramatically compared to Big Dipper's traditional load platform. I'd imagine this would be a major selling point for smaller operators who want to make the most of their coaster.

On the Raptor's you straddle the rail compared to Big Dipper where you sit on top. This straddling forces your legs apart just far enough to be uncomfortable. I spent a good amount of the lift hill squirming to make it feel 'right' and I found it harder to brace for the more aggressive elements in the layout. Though with that said, Jersey Devil is a much smoother overall experience. You tend to glide through the elements more naturally compared to Big Dipper which whips you around to an almost uncomfortable level. I haven't ridden Dipper since earlier in the year, but even close to opening it had a really bad rattle that seemed to be random based on the overall weight of the train. 

I by no means think Big Dipper is a bad coaster, but the Raptor's just seem to get a lot more right in my eyes. 

 

Luna Park Sydney has appointed a new CEO , replacing retiring co- CEO's Warwick Doughty and Peter Hearne. At 37 years of age, John Hughes is the youngest CEO in the park's history and has come to this position after managing FOX studios in Sydney. As long as he respects the important history and uniqueness that is Luna Park and he strives to preserve its legacy as effective as Warwick Doughty and the previous team, then I am all good. Hopefully the place is in safe hands.

https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/studio-boss-who-brought-thor-to-sydney-will-run-luna-park-20220727-p5b52w.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1o9HD9U40Q5x1gF3CBzG2S0AHd02l1IyeEtbL1_giPacbmUdfZCddg7dk#Echobox=1659224458

15 hours ago, Dean Barnett said:

Bugger. I was hoping to get down this weekend and get some photographs of Big Dipper.

Hopefully it comes back up soon. 🤞

That's unfortunate about the Big Dipper being closed. I was looking forward to heading into the city this weekend and taking my son on it. 

I hope it's something that's easily rectified and fixable. 

20 hours ago, Jobe said:

Luna Park Sydney has appointed a new CEO , replacing retiring co- CEO's Warwick Doughty and Peter Hearne. At 37 years of age, John Hughes is the youngest CEO in the park's history and has come to this position after managing FOX studios in Sydney. As long as he respects the important history and uniqueness that is Luna Park and he strives to preserve its legacy as effective as Warwick Doughty and the previous team, then I am all good. Hopefully the place is in safe hands.

https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/studio-boss-who-brought-thor-to-sydney-will-run-luna-park-20220727-p5b52w.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1o9HD9U40Q5x1gF3CBzG2S0AHd02l1IyeEtbL1_giPacbmUdfZCddg7dk#Echobox=1659224458

He made some positive comments about attempting to bring some of the magic back, so that is a promising start

5 hours ago, GoGoBoy said:

He made some positive comments about attempting to bring some of the magic back, so that is a promising start

Heres hoping he goes into the small details too. The whole Coney Island intro working, bringing back the old arcade games, and restoring the 1920s style coin drops behind Turkey Trot.

 

Went to the park yesterday with the family and a friend. The park was busy. 

However, Annual Pass holders still need to book online and proceed to guest services on arrival. This is a messy process and I just wish the park went back to its old system of allowing you to scan your AP at the turnstile to each attraction instead. 

 

Managed to get a ride on Sledgehammer doing the 360 cycles. It's a good cycle but man, those seats are u comfy if you are over 5’8 and of average build. The claw at Dreamworld is much more comfortable. The ride has two queues much like it did before it wasn't doing 360 cycles. I waited 30 minutes as a sign stated in the queue. They alternate between the two cycles much like Dreamworld does with Pandamonium.

Interestingly enough I saw two little changes for the Big Dipper. The on-ride photo has finally moved from the first launch and has moved towards the “spaghetti junction” section of the ride. Now you get Coney island in the background instead. It also looks like they might be putting up either some signs or a Screen in the queue line (bottom entry stairs).

Also, on an odd note. One of those expensive mansions in Lavender bay had a rather minor fire occur. The fire was put out quickly. 

 

New ride camera location for Big Dipper

New signs perhaps?

Sledgehammer’s queues. Given Big Dipper and Boomerangs queue lines have permanent fencing now it won't be long until we see the same here. 

What's that smell? 

 

Do you have a pic of the permanent queues?

I don't have a photo of Big Dippers. I have this photo of Boomerang tho.