Garet

Honestly, we had planned on skipping Shanghai with trying to manage those crowds and other unpleasant reports with a baby until the paid option came up and perked our interest. Paris wasn't even mentioned for when we go back to see my parents in the U.K. until we heard they may have a paid option now. Florida is a once in a lifetime trip for us and even then it would probably be off resort, cheap places just to sleep and rent a car vacation. If there was an option for us as day guests to get some paid fast passes ahead of time, we'd definitely put that in the budget and it would make us more interested in going. Currently, our main park to vacation is Hong Kong due to the low crowds and every show, character and parade being able to just walk up and see, we find it nice to have a Disney where we don't need to arrive ahead of opening or make any sort of plan and can just stroll around for our 2 year old but we definitely want to get back to Tokyo when he is a bit older. The fast pass plus being potentially gone already for a few of the newest rides if we are just day trippers makes us worry since we can only fly on 2 of the busiest weeks since Korean schools run all year but to remove that worry would be worth the cost.

^Yep, it was. I don't remember the theming too clearly but I remember being quite impressed with the ride overall. I think because it was a ride I hadn't heard a single thing about compared to the others before I went and had no idea a tagada was even inside.

There is one at Happy Valley: https://rcdb.com/6712.htm and another under construction. The layout from that is what's in the mock-up on the previous page.

I couldn't see Everland on there for T Express. Rolling X Train will never (and really shouldn't) crack anyone's top ten but I think T Express is quite a popular wooden coaster for the ones who've ridden it. I haven't ridden that many wooden ones since I've stuck to mostly UK parks and Asian parks but it's definitely in my top 3.

This is not supposed to come across as backseat anything but I'm genuinely curious why they went with this I.P? I mean is the wicker man that well known? It's been mentioned here a lot about how Thirteen is wrongly marketed but it feels the same here. Are there die-hard Wicker Man fans out there that will hop a plane for this? The park built on local legends with Hex and, even if it wasn't too well received, built into their own Nemesis lore with the short-lived Sub Terra ride. The only thing I can think of is for this "world's first" with the fire and wood, but being in the section of the park called the Haunted Woods, couldn't they have built their own little story like the previous rides, have a similar structure around a flaming tree, with a more family-ish orientated horror theme and skipped on the costs of paying for an I.P. that has a 15 rating for a family ride?

I actually enjoy that ride way more than most but I'm always surprised how it is still the same all these years later. I always thought that across all the parks you could take one out and add in a new popular at the time movie or go Star Tours/Tokyo's Dory ride and have random segments. I guess the scenes having to be done from scratch to incorporate Donald and the cost is the thing stopping it? Considering so many kids these days tend to only know the CG films in the international Disneys over the 90 movies that are in the movie now. 3D lantern section for Tangled over Lion King, a Moana ocean bit instead of Mermaid. A Frozen Let it Go segment would be the easiest marketable upgrade ever.

^Was it in the same awkward place as the first time? Sitting across the busy road on it's own near Volcanic Impact and The Beast?

Man G-Force can't catch a break at this park. This is the second time it's only got a season or two before going back to the Fabbri plant right?

Yea, it's always weird that Asian parks are open regardless to the point where even when you've paid full price for entry (almost $60) if you pick a bad day to counter the low crowds your hit by half the rides "having maintenance" that weren't on the posted lists, mostly closed restaurants, empty parade routes and skeleton crews running the area so one ride in each is 10-12 and the other 1-7 and even with that meaning half the park can be down you'll barely see people or a line.

New updates from the official site announcement, they're using a Sheikra video here for publicity. Link And facebook Link

Congratulations guys, although I did have this same thought wondering if a bigger button will follow in 20-30 years time

Although I remain skeptical after all the announcements I've seen in Korea that never happened, this one came to my attention by some social media shares by someone who is protesting the government claiming the land in the are and apparently offering only 40% of the value in preparation for building up the area near where the park will go so it seems they are expecting the area to be developed. I would still recommend taking this with a pinch of salt, for now, I've seen very similar images (the rides in the background may look familiar) thrown around for Universal/MGM/Disney articles that have gone nowhere. Link

I agree with you. If a park really really really wanted to have a coaster built with the old design, they probably could. But that decision would need to be made before the layout was even drawn up. The new trains might be wider, ligher or heavier, more or less aerodynamic - than the old style. The new dive coaster at Happy Valley Chengdu runs the old style, and it hasn't opened yet. But based on my own experiences in working on new theme parks, ESPECIALLY those in markets like China where completed park designs can be stalled, I'd bet that that coaster was probably designed and finalized years ago and is only now getting built. Unless B&M pulls a fast one on us and puts the old style on Grona Lund's new inverted coaster, I stand by my prediction of the new vest style being on every B&M coaster save for the hyper coasters from now on (though without the vest for the family inverted coasters). It'll be interesting to see if the Griffon Clone in Korea has the new restraints since it's a new coaster of an older design but also an installation that was pushed back.

Can't really blame them, it's funny looking at how many comments posted on FB tend to be people who feel the park have let down "the roller coaster community" like the park somehow owes what is probably a very small group who make a small contribution to the park. Especially since most of those people tend to go in with season passes, don't really spend in the park on q passes or merchandise. and then eat outside on the seafront.

From the parks facebook page The POV on the site being the TPR video of Sheikra made me think it was a Sheikra clone but it looks like the second drop will lead into a second immelmann so perhaps a Griffin clone instead?

^I think they only do it during the Cool Japan events, although granted that event runs for a seriously long time, at this point half the year with a short eventless time between this and Horror Nights.

Do the Chinese clones of Sheikra even have the water scoop part? Not sure the one going up in Korea will either considering it's at a 365-day park which is open on a lot of days when the temp is below freezing.

^^ Not sure if you went today but Everland have confirmed that T Express will close January 2nd after the New Years Day public holiday rush but all the rides are listed to re-open in February not March: http://www.everland.com/web/everland/now/news/1217362_10436.html Everland also announced the permanent closure of the hologram theater and the helicycles: http://www.everland.com/web/everland/now/news/1217364_10436.html Little bit ironic that the helicycles got a permanent closure announcement considering a couple years ago it was only opened on the busiest days for crowds and the last 2 years or so just sat rusting away with a permanent spot on the closed for the day sign while still being listed on the park maps.

[fbvideonew] [/fbvideonew] Looks like MCBR and second drop are in there looking at the Krake POV

In the yearly tradition of adding VR to Space Fantasy for the cool Japan event, it seems they've gone for final Fantasy this year: http://www.usj.co.jp/universal-cool-japan2018/ff/ Looks like Sailor Moon will take over the 4D cinema for this years movie as well.

Krake opened today, and Draken update is in the background. [fbvideonew] [/fbvideonew]

Didn't see it mentioned but the mine train has been given the VR treatment: https://www.oceanpark.com.hk/en/park-experience/attractions/mine-train I'll personally take the view over VR on that ride any day.

I have no reason to doubt that rehab but I’m also not 100% sure it’s final. I’ve never known it to run until then end of March. I honestly don’t know about q passes. I’ve been days that were packed that should have been dead and vis versa. I will say don’t bother with a Panda world pass. I’ve always just walked in it never gets a line.

^It does usually have a winter rehab but it was running today. According to the app, it was running today 10:30-6:30. It does normally go down for a winter rehab for a while which would be coming up soon but they normally advertise a little ahead of time on the site news and I see nothing so far. It is weather dependent on wind and cold but it's been up during most of this cold snap. It also helps your dates are when a lot of schools are off on vacation so the rehab is likely to begin sometime mid-January after the new year rush at this point. If the Korean site updates, i'll post here for you. Also if you go before the 1st you can go 50% off if you go to the group ticket office, I know you aren't a resident but they are normally quite kind on foreign visitors and the discounts tend to turn out translated differently from the Korean, we always ask just in case when we've had guests from home and gone in. They put my wife through when she was with me even when she said she was a Korean: http://www.everland.com/web/everland/now/news/1217280_10436.html Alternatively, if your main concern is T Express and you don't care about a discount, by booking online you can get a free q pass for it or pump for the pricier 4 pass deal and skip the safari lines as well: http://everland.eticket.placem.co.kr/everland/product/input.html

^I appreciate you posting one of the old Tokyo Disney ones on facebook the other day, even though it wouldn't get you as much attention. Was fun to watch again.