DBJ
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Posts posted by DBJ
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I'm blown away by the effort they took into making the area come alive with the DC universe theme. A huge step up for SFMM. Hope the trend continues as they work their way across the park over the next few years. REally, really appreiate the effort for guest comfort while in line. Although I am glad i did not do July 1 in the heat and with some of the operational bugs. It's quite a comment on the park's recent history that people / journos are amazed at the theming efforts of both RRE and now DCU (to be fair - Terminator was a huge step up). Hope they trend continues as they look at way to plus the other existing attractions.
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What would be interesting is to see Sabrina show up in a "Designed to Sell" or "Bang For Your Buck" episode and give her opinion on the sale potential of house with a yard that has been Disneyfied. Imo, the phrase "taste specific" would pop up quite a bit in the review of the backyard.
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Probably mentioned before, but for the mysterious ride, how about "Samurai Summit Plummet"
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I also hope this is true! That is a great aerial shot with the survey markers. The thing that pops to mind considering the location is where the line for the ride would go? The new coaster would easily be the most popular ride in the park, so a q would need to be quite large. Imo, they could use the vacant Dinosaur attraction as part of a line/station. Or, remove/relocate Plunge to Soak City, and use the water basin as part of a splashdown for the new coaster. All in all, great news/rumor that they are looking at creating something on this scale for the park.
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Love the idea of them using the old Eagles nest area for a new attraction. Hope they can use the refurb the building for at least a shaded line, if they are to use the summit for a ride. A Starflyer or drop tower up there would certainly give a great view. 2012 is going to be extremely competitive season. Transformers opens up, Carsland opens up, Manta in San Diego, Knott's is kind of mystery at this point. From a marketing standpoint, I would think SFMM has to question what kind of attraction(s) they can place that would make them stand out.
A drop tower, while fun, also currently exists at Knotts. Plus, with Superman now giving a similar experience (and one quick view!) to a drop tower at 400 ft., would a drop tower really be a selling point for the park? Unless they can shatter a record, like using the summit as the base to get a drop tower (or star flyer) up over 400 feet, I wouldn't see it as a huge selling point for the 2012 season. Maybe using the summit to hit 500 feet? Would not be that hard to build a campaign around that image.
Or, they embrace the coaster destiny to stand out in 2012. Put in two new ones, to hit that figure of 20. Could be as simple as a Disko coaster, like say next to Deja Vu. Another family coaster along the lines of RRE - lower cost but effectively themed. Or a themed dark ride coaster like what is found in some of the other SF pakrs. The first park to hit 20 coasters would be a historic milestone. I suppose that depends on how much of a audience RRE brings in.
True to form, in the ads for SFMM, I don't recall seeing the family ride even advertised. Superman yes, GL, yes (using the CG), RRE, no. If it's there, it's blink and you miss it. Oddly enough, don't even think the new "DC Universe" rebranding will even be mentioned in the marketing for 2011. I hope they keep pursuing that concept though up through Riddler's area, the makeover really is making the former Gotham area look quite nice.
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Thanks for the info. Wonder if 80 is the psychological barrier for potential park guest? I was looking at going back to DL with some out of town guests in late June/July. Definately will be looking at avail deals, maybe become a passholder there.
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Good to see SF put the effort into RRE and get that height limit down to 36. I am very glad to see them put the coaster here, and actually theme it to match. I think if it was by Deja Vu, I can't think of a kid friendly theme that would work in that area. Maybe SF has a master plan to actually move SFMM towards having themed areas that make logical sense for once? Bugs Bunny & pals really should be taking over Log Jammer,
I think for the next family attraction, move away from flats which also usually just divide families, and pursue a 4-D movie venue, a clone of Scooby Doo ghostblasters, etc. Family attractions where all ages can experience together and still be entertained really are missing in the park.
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Great news about the chocolate factory! That's a huge improvement, and unexpected at that.
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I am quite impressed with the location of Green Lantern, and the keeping of the facades. Pretty much a perfect spot for a coaster GL's size. I would expect future attraction construction possibly requiring the removal of an existing structure, like the monorail stations. Or if the rumor of Tidal Wave's removal comes true sooner than later. Knott's I have to give credit to as well, they are doing the best they can with their available space.
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For me, it goes to the question of the first impression of a park guest. SF clearly needs to keep people coming in, and that means growing the customer base. I can't imagine a scenario where a first time visitor to one of the parks would have a positive first impression of the park based on high parking fees. Attaching a premium price to a sub-standard experience is not a solution for business success. That's what SF management has to figure out. For every guest they are able to get to pay the higher fees, are they losing repeat business?
Or a clever way to push the extreme pass over the regular pass.
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The POV video is absolutely incredible! That looks like insane fun.
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I am looking foward to how Disney handles the challenge of adapting the Marvel characters into attractions. Outside of the amazing achievement of Spider-man, Universal did very little with the Marvel Universe creatively. Not much done with the X-men characters (a teacup ride?), Fantastic Four (drop tower), Avengers, and so on. I do think that the Marvel characters would be an odd fit in the Magic Kingdom, but could work in some fashion at DHS, Epcot, or Animal Kingdom.
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Sounds like there will be some tough negotations with Universal theme parks coming up.
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The only recent misfire at DCA is that eyesore underneath Screamin. A lush park it is not. Probably best if they just seal that area off from the public forever until a new ride or retail location is ready to go in that spot. Although with the stunning Carsland, I expect most people will not even notice it.
DL does have a 'new' E-tcket. Star Tours 2. I actually kind of wish they would refresh all the films in the parks - Soarin, Bugs, Muppets. I agree though it would be nice to see a completely new ride experience built there in the near future.
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I am intrigued by the concept art and the general description of the park. I would expect, or really even hope, that they take the lessons learned from Hong Kong and are able to tailor get closer in general to what would appealing to the market. Of the rides revealed, a dumbo spinner and a carousel, leaves much to be desired. The nature walk has to be misdirection. I can't imagine people paying top dollar to walk around an artificial lake. However, maybe because they don't want their competition in China to completely clone any form of unique ride being developed by Disney and have it opened years before the DL opens their doors. So I am giving Disney the benefit of the doubt, and expect the park to be quite nice when it opens.
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The indoor coaster, I agree, does sound like a great idea for the park. Very good to see that they are looking at how to manage the crowds. As a non-local, even reading about standing in hour plus lines just to shop shoulder to shoulder, and seeing the pics of the huge lines just to enter the area makes me not want to book a trip to IOA until the crowds are handled better.
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Star Trek has never been properly adapted into a theme park (and honestly could be a land unto itself), so maybe this is a good sign. Although, some of the other choices for the themes are a tad questionable. Titanic? War of the Worlds? Tomb Raider? Italian Job? Not real sure how much of a emotional connection the audience will have to those particular choices. They probably need to look at what Universal did, and reach out to other studios to bring in relevant ip's to the park.
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Disneyland, after June 3rd. Star Tours 2, Little Mermaid, and the new parade all up and running. I would look for AP blockout days for DL though, much better chance of crowd management on those days.
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Seems like a really bad location for an amusement park given the proximity to the airport. I could see an mini-park like a Nick Universe (Mall of America) working somewhere on the strip.' To me, the Adventure Dome left a lot to be desired.
Anyone remember the indoor ski resort and waterpark that was announced for 2012 called Las Vegas Wet?
An actual theme park might work for the region if it was built somewhere between Primm and Las Vegas if the could figure out how to handle the heat for the guests, featured a huge casino, and hotel. To exclude a casino from any Vegas area construction seems like a really bad idea.
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I was trapped on Pirates during a breakdown for an extended period. Right next to the banjo player. We couldn't exit the boat, and we waited it out. It never eve occured me to sue because I had to wait. Filing a lawsuit over losing a little bit of time? That should be tossed out. The injury to the child is another matter. I doubt we will ever know the outcome though.
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Wow! It's so stunning. Great pics. The zip line looks like a blast. Great to read that the crowds are spread out. Can't wait to see the rest!
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I definately miss the Circus Wheel. I was sad to see that go. Had many great rides on it right up until it's last season.
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Well, to me, it was lack of originality when the park opened that left me underwhelmed.
As far as the emotional connections go, Disneyland went with trying to bring both their own versions of fairy tales to life (Snow White, etc.) and universal themes like the old west, pirates, etc. DCA, for whatever reason, went the opposite direction. The idea of story telling through themed ride experiences and attractions got dumped in the trash. And we were left with some fairly generic attractions surrounded by a mall.
That being said, I think they are doing a very good job at correcting all those issues as the park moves forward.
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Very nice. Looks like I'll have to detour over there during Comic-Con this year. The Octotron looks really interesting to ride, glad to see there is on on this coast no that far away. The surfing shot was fantastic, looks highly intimidating though! Definately would be worth a shot to try it out.
The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Posted
I am confident that Ouimet will be able to guide Knott's and the other CF parks into a great new direction. His Disney/Disneyland track record is quite impressive.
The lack of charm imo comes down to how the coaster installations have been worked into the park. Under prior management, the Knott's coasters just kind of wiped out the charm, and replaced it with nothing. Silver Bullet I think is the most glaring example. The color scheme, q and the station have literally nothing to do with the old west. Yet it is called Silver Bullet. And the impact it had on the outdoor theater? Surely there must have been a better way to intergrate a coaster like SB into the area.
I remember Knott's from back in the day and for the most part, the park's attraction roster has made it a much better park. The loss of character, charm, and theme in parts of the park are unfortunate. However, I have to give Knott's / CF credit for restoring the peak-in's, and the intergration of some of the park's eateries (Panda, Rockets) into their locations.
So I am hoping Ouimet guides CF into the practice of improving on pre-existing charm, and not just turning the parks into a series of basic steel sheds/stations and concrete. My hopes are high.