Garet

Flying Theater remains closed through October as well.

We passed the park, the crowds didn't look too bad considering how many tourists were on the island this week and most places we visited car parks were overflowing, I saw blogs mentioning lines of around an hour when they went and apparently there is an x pass, whether you can buy or it's part of staying at the hotel we aren't sure. We debated going but with only around 8 rides and really only 2 of those I would be interested in, it didn't seem fair to my wife and son. The park looks really nice but with such a small line-up it seems more of a beautifully themed resort add-on to get people into the hotel than a gated park. Maybe when the second gate themed to Lionsgate movies opens next door we will re-visit since it's only a 50-minute flight to the island.

As a native English teacher here in Korea and also married to a native, I feel your pain on a few points where I've seen the same/similar. This interior of the park and the castle with the tower framing it looks so much like someone went to Lotte World and said build me one of those.

Everland does something similar with T Express. They also turn one of the safari bus rides into a zombie attraction at night where the buses drive through zombie filled areas after the animals have been moved out. Always thought that could have been a thing if Rhino Rally had been still around.

Gyro VR will be opening tomorrow: http://www.everland.com/service/front/frontFavorite.do?method=favorAtrView&facilId=3043&zoneCode=CT00202&siteCode=CT00101&themeCode=CT00401

Hugh Hefner has died aged 91: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41423845

I probably wouldn't even let my son ride with another adult in a single rider line until he's in his teens. I remember seeing some young moms and dad's on a Korean rapids ride with a baby strapped to their chest. Apparently, they took the no minimum height restriction with an adult way too seriously and decided that made it ok.... it's not a very intense rapids but still seems like a really stupid unnecessary risk to ride together, especially at night when it's not warm. Even stupider throwing in the line was 10 minutes and there was no reason not to split the group.

Right. But this happens IN THE STATION. My whole point is that I cannot think of another park or have witnessed any other park that forces you to put all your stuff into a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo BEFORE YOU GET IN LINE. There are many parks that make you empty your pockets right before you get on a ride. But I have yet to experience at any other park except for Universal that makes you empty your pockets and go through a metal detector BEFORE YOU GET IN LINE. Yea, that was my point. That if even a park like Fuji Q with a super strict loose items policy can let me keep my phone in line, I don't know why USO can't.

I always find it funny how much Chip, Dale and Stitch seems to have won over so many fans to be big sellers on so much merchandise in Asia... poor Goofy. A couple of times I've picked up group set packs of something and the 4 pack is: Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Stitch taking the 4th slot. Not an issue for me since Chip, Dale and Stitch are some of my favorite characters that I always try and get a photo with at the parks but I know some friends who got fed up of the overabundance of Stitch. Same people who don't mind all the Chip and Dale though. I can see their point, I really enjoyed the first movie but there was a lot of sequels and tv shows. I still remember the crowd giving the biggest cheer of the night during Fantasmic when he popped out of the hat and his girlfriend zoomed past on a jet-ski. Heck, a lot of my younger Korean students don't know where he's from since the movies aren't re-run very often and have no idea who Lilo is. They just know of Stitch the character from the abundance of stationery, indoor shoes (I have a pair for work as well for the kindergarten classes) toys and stuffed animals etc.

I know a park with ridiculous operations and the strictest loose articles policy known to man.... Fuji Q. I mean I once got unlocked to put a small tissue in the locker I didn't even realize was there myself and had to put a watch in the locker to be replaced by an even larger band..... and even they still let you keep your phone to keep you occupied in a queue line.

I also tend to watch them later. In a weird way, they feel like a behind the scenes/director's commentary version of TPR. Most of the POV's focus on quality or are mainly things like twisty or loop de loop but in these, it feels more like I'm hearing what you and others think/opinions more.

^

I always find it funny that out of all the parks USJ is the one that seems to retire them last with BTTF just closing and Jaws potentially disappearing sometime after Nintendo Land, it's like an encore where you get a couple of extra years to get another nostalgic ride... Are we sure they won't take Dueling Dragons?

I mean T Express was open at the same time as Eagle's Fortress and I think there was talk about getting new trains at some point to try and save the ride so I think if they'd had the option, they'd have kept it going. That's completely different from Universal where it could be kept going maintenance wise and expand in other places. It was not fun having never ridden it and having to see it SBNO for years. Also if we are going to use Eagle's Fortress as an example, removing a very popular ride hasn't exactly worked out there either. The site was pegged for an on-site hotel, and now the whole area is being turned into a garden based on some overhead shots. Considering they just did this with Global Village, it's leaving that area a little bare. The parks never going to be doing too poorly considering the population size nearby and minimal competition but the park hasn't exactly been thriving. Attendance hasn't really changed much in the last 4 years and their big investment was in pandas (I don't have the article on hand but the whole project cost was around the price for quite a big coaster) and despite a huge media push, huge waiting areas originally painted and one of the few rides to offer queue pass, outside of holidays, it has been pretty much walk-in every day since day one.

The flying theater will remain closed throughout September as well.

Hot on the heels of the last 5 VR attractions/upcharges comes Gyro VR: [fbvideonew] [/fbvideonew]

On the non-park side of things for you guys, they've opened a Kidzania and one of those monster sports places with the crazy climbing walls in Korea recently.

Tomorrow will be the last day for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Honestly, I enjoy the ride but I won't miss it too much. I hear Shanghai's version is better and what with it at all the other parks it's not like it'll be missing from the region. Hopefully, all the Hong Kong exclusives replacing it and in the future will give the park a boost after the attendance dropped. As much as I love the park for its quiet lines, it can be scarily quiet on times we've been and were shocked to find walk-ons on days we thought would be busier.

I don't suppose you have a video of this do you? Both times I've been at sea paradise the whale shark just followed a bucket of food so guests could get a good look at it and that was it but I might have just been unlucky.

I couldn't find the article on the main site by searching so I screenshotted my phone, the park will open September 30th. This coincides with an almost unheard of 10 day national holiday period. Coincidentally I am also visiting that island for the first time since I came to Korea that week. Not sure if I will visit the park though. I'm not a first kind of guy and with it being opening and that big national holiday I think the island will be packed, it's already the worlds busiest air route and that is the busiest week so might be better to hold off and enjoy the park a few years later than be packed now. Maybe I'll see towards the end of my holiday what the crowds are like. The attractions list is mostly kids rides for $40 right now. I believe most adult rides will come with Lionsgate Park (which may be a separate gate from this kids area with the mack spinner) The site lists Lionsgate park as opening in 2019 with rides/attractions for these films: + The Hunger Games + Now You See Me + Divergent + Saw + The Cabin in the Woods + Robin Hood + The Twilight Saga

Yea, I mean Balder & El Toro doesn't seem to be having any problems and T Express that runs 10-11 months on average a year minus a month of maintenance and too cold to run days seems to be holding up almost as good as when I first rode it 6 years ago and that thing goes through an insane amount of cycles a year with 2-3 trains for 9-10 hours a day and an almost always busy queue and hauling crew.

I forgot to mention one of the reasons I brought this up is when I was looking into doing a Japan trip I found out USJ has a "1.5" ticket for this month, although I hope they expand it. If it's one when I have a break I would probably buy it. Go in from 3PM and then fast pass for the next full day. I normally wouldn't even think of entering USJ at all without fast-pass but figured if I do go for it, I could do some of the quieter single rider lines that evening. I would love to see more parks with that kind of pass. I feel like there wouldn't be too much downside, it could boost numbers in the parks for quieter times and potentially make people who would otherwise leave and go home stay overnight nearby and bring more money into the area.

I much prefer USJ's style. Here's Harry Potter land while we still keep Jaws. Now we've got a great area bringing in new crowds with low height restrictions, let's go to another franchise and put in a great B&M now for the older visitors then back to family again with yet another popular franchise (I'm not a fan of Minions and my avatar would suggest I should be upset but I'm not, it's a smart move on USJ's part and honestly how many visitors were really showing up for BttF) and now they're moving onto Nintendo Land before they potentially return to a Harry Potter expansion. I just find it better and more balanced than USO's throwing everything at all being family screen rides with medium heights or everything Harry Potter.

Didn't Maverick have one? Although from what I remember it's almost at the end of the main line when you hit the stairs so not sure how much time you would save.

I'm curious if after doing it this trip, which one you preferred in the end, the evening/ next morning days or full day style? I'm normally an opening to closing guy, especially in parks where I can buy q-bots/fast pass but in my trips to some of the Asian waterparks/Tokyo Disney parks and other Japanese parks, I do end up sitting around in the afternoons when it's packed waiting for fastpass times to come up or crowds to empty out/hit the evening shows.