DBJ

Thanks for the info. Love theme park architecture. Looks like their park is quite ambitious. Great to see how they define family ride vs. kiddie ride. Really looks like they did strike a balance between high thrills vs. more all ages attractions quite well. They only thing I think they are missing is a 4D film attraction (like Shrek 4D etc.) that is pretty common in most theme parks. Is ice skating massively popular in Italy? I think it's the first time I've seen a park promote ice skating on this scale as part of the initial entertainment options.

On a positive note, I think that the move to Texas can be a good thing, as Thomas can use his expertise to help out all the parks in the chain. Also, glad to see them promoting a long time employee of SFMM to the new position, instead of going completely outside. I'm never really sure how much freedom each park President is given over the direction of their particular park. It was Shapiro who was the big believer in altering the demo towards family, and his park Presidents/GM's more or less tried to deliver on that vision with the limited resources given to them by the board. One thing that can be done is for someone to take pics of Universal's Citywalk's Johnny Rockets, and then compare that to what passes for Johnny Rockets at SFMM. Or even with the Panda Express locations. Out of the three theme parks that share the common eateries (Knotss, SFMM, Universal) - it is SFMM installs that are the most junky looking. Erasing this negative impression created by these sub-standard venues should be a top priority for 2011. Get the board to free up some cash so SFMM can at least provide a better environment for the guests. Jay did wonders with what little they provided.

After reading the description, it sounds like CF is making the right choice. Mondial's Wind Seeker can operate in higher winds with good capacity, and that will be very important at Cedar Point and Knott's. Hopefully Knott's doesn't name it Windjammer!

Vegas, to me was and still is a surprise on some level. They have a huge tourist base, a year round season. The only thing there now is Circus Circus, and scattered attractions around the area. MGM made a go of it on small scale a few years back. I suppose with So Cal having Disney, Cedar Fair, Seaworld, Legoland, Universal, SF - none of the major companies would build there because it would eat into their CA properties customer base. I think Disney even rejected building a DVC there.

I think that's exactly where the concept does go wrong. TSMM should be the center of the "land" and the other carnival-esque rides should be the added bonus. Paris and Hong Kong clearly did not include TSMM because of budget. Reminds me a lot of Bugs Land at DCA. Visually well executed, but the actual rides aren't really high on the entertainment scale. Kind of a patch until the big budget ride shows up. Ideally, in the future, wherever there is a TSMM, Toy Story Land should be incorporated into the area and vice versa. As it appears at DLP, it is a vibrant and colorful install. The pics are quite nice too! Thanks for the video.

I would start little kids out on trains first. Train rides like Thomas Town, Casey Jr., Disney Railroad, or those tiny train rides at carnivals or in malls. The idea is get them used to the feeling of a rolling motion. The next step up as height limits allow would be something like Goliath Jr. at SFMM. Short track length and height, so kid can see parent 100% of the time. Coasters on the scale of Goliath Jr. would be the starter coaster. It would introduce the child to the feeling of a drop, roller coasting, and then brakes.

I'm looking forward to seeing new ride videos from Australia of TOT. Should be late September? Will be a nice preview of what to expect. And also get some ride reviews too of what the backwards launch is like.

Prediction: The retrofit of Superman is the big coaster plan for 2011, similar to how X2 was the big project in it's debut year. Also, because of the 50th, would not be surprised to see Dance Coaster with a new theme other than Mr. Six. Would also not be surprised to see something from American Adventures showing up at SFMM. Would not be suprised to see Riddler's Revenge being themed into Green Lantern, as tie-in to the movie. Side note: Glad to see SF finally using the term "magic" somewhere in the park. evn if it's on of their ride closure signs. For one of the SF parks that has an actual theme in it's name, they haven't done much with the concept of "magic" despite the rise in popularity of fantasy in pop culture over the last decade.

I appreciated the concept, but felt that the execution was lacking at the time. Having see HISTA at WDW, was dissapointed that it showed up at DL, and not something new. RR could have been great. The focus on putting another thrill ride was exciting, then I waited 3 hours to ride it. Wasn't as thrilling as I had hoped. Hopeful with the advances in tech, that a proper RR can be built there. Disney has kept that SBNO eyesore since 2001. Time to take it down at the very least. Although I suppose with Buzz Lightyear now in the RR "q", where would people line-up for any new attraction in that space? 1998 was also the year they closed the Subs, which at the time was a huge dead space in the middle of the land that lasted a very, very long time. Innovations was and will forever be a waste of space at DL. Talk about selling part of the park just to advertisers! Hope one day there can be a real attraction in the building once again. Also, losing Mission to Mars was a suprise. While not the greatest attraction, I thought more could have been done with it instead of opening another eatery.

The Slate article is odd. Although you can really tell the author has a double standard when it comes to Disney vs. Universal. Disney, for example, would not hire 100 actors to peform as streetmosphere. They are not that free with the budget. Disney does not create individual character experiences. With their attendance levels, it simply is not possible. To expect Universal to do it is then questionable. 99% of the "magic" of Disney is the themed structures, yet somehow, that's not enough for Universal. Of all the themed lands of Disney, typically it's 1 E-ticket surrounded by shops. Again, that's not enough for Universal. Often, the attractions in a themed land of Disney have only the slightest connection to each other. HP at least attempted to tie together 2 existing rides to FJ, unlike say Monsters Laugh Floor, next to Space MT. Really, when you look at the attractions in a land done in the Disney style, it's usually the exterior architecture that is the only unifying element. I think the author has a completely unrealistic view of what is achievable in theme park design when it's based on literature. Nothing can live up to an individual's imagination. Sure, if one loses sight of the needs of capacity, limited space, time and money the imagination can run wild. It's a bit insulting to Universal to suggest Disney would have done better with the license I seriously doubt Disney would have achieved a massively improved result given their recent track record. It's likely they would have pulled something like "Little Mermard", which is 1 new ride, heavy focus on retail, in a billion dollar expansion (3x the amount Universal spent) that really isn't breaking any new ground tech wise. Or maybe something like Everest in the mid range - which again is 1 ride surrounded by retail. Or, at the extreme high end, something like Carsland, which is 1 E-ticket, 2 flats, retail.

Wow, that's great news! It's about time Socal got an indoor waterpark, and from one of the best companies out there.

Cool video! My impression of Carsland is that it is very much like Test Track. It's not a high speed thrill ride for the entire length of the circuit. Instead of vehicle testing, it's a series of scenes before the actual race. It will be interesting to see how much of Carsland is high speed "racing" vs. Test Track. Hope that Q is super long. They could probably show the entire Cars movie in the line. This will easily be one of the longest lines in all of DL/DCA for quite some time. I haven't heard of any E-tickets on this level approved for the parks past 2012.

Usually the morbidly obese that attend theme parks know that there is a likely chance of them not fitting into certain rides. So I doubt that Universal will be turning away that many "revelers" as the article is suggesting.

Nice work on the layouts. I would also guess that the "parking" lot coaster install is the most likely scenario as well. Definately will make a great addition to the park.

It's not really about whether or not if Mr. Six Splash Island is a quality attraction or not, it's about the impact of what it does for the park for capita spending and park attendance. Every kids addition they have added to SFMM in recent memory has not improved the bottom line. It's insanity to keep repeating this pattern. Step 1.) Build a modest kids attraction on the cheap side. Step 2.) Don't advertise it. Step 3.) Wonder why the kids demo didn't dramatically increase. Step 4.) Attendance stagnants, if not falls. Step 5.) Back to Step 1, hope for a different result next time. Going the cheap route with the kids attractions isn't working for the park. I agree that Masterblasters and Rockets clearly would cost more money than Splash Island. Consider though that if SFMM did go with one of the watercoasters they would would have the only one in the region. That is a huge selling point that would have made HH stand out in a crowded marketplace. The primary waterpark competition is Raging Waters and guess what, they have "Splash Island Adventure". Also a kids area, but larger. So SF basically installed a lesser version of what has previously existed in the marketplace, with a slightly different name. Kind of like the Mr. Six Dance coaster is it not? To me, I don't think it was a wise choice to go this route, and only hope the new management can move future attractions for kids in a better direction. To end on a positive note about the park, the food choices continue to improve with TCBY, and Studio 6F was a good decision.

What's odd about SFMM now is that they have made two odd choices back to back. First, the Dance coaster which cost some money to transport and do basic ground prep. So for the summer season, a barren lot. Second, Mr. Six Splash Island - um, why? Not needed, and keeps the attraction almost the same. So bland they don't even advertise it. Why not a Proslide Rocket so they could have a water coaster like Deluge? Out of everything out there that's available to expand HH, they chose "Splash Island". It really looks like their focus on "family" attractions has not worked out at SFMM. Or should I clarify, their chocies of what makes for attendence boosting family attractions has left a lot to be desired. I don't think I've even seen ads for the new shows they have at SFMM. If I didn't check the website today, I doubt I would have even known they were running. Any reviews of Slambang yet or the Daredevils show?

The price isn't bad, considering they match the competition. That's pretty lazy of "The Consumerist" to not even check out the website of the park they are writing an article on just for basic fact checking. I would be wary of attenting in year one just too not run into lines like those in the pic! Great for IOA though, and I hope this is a promising sign of what is to come at the Universal parks for years to come.

Great video! And, wow, the food provided looked really amazing. I think when the time comes to see it I will definately be making either the picnic or dinner reservations to get a good spot and minimize the wait. I agree with the above, I would not wait 1.5 hours for any show, although I've certainly seen the DL squatters for the shows.

I don't think it's necessary to know the intricate details of a themed land to enjoy the physical beauty of the area and to enjoy the attractions. The entire concept of a themed attraction / land is to take the consumer to a different place that will entertain them. To present an alternate reality to the everyday. In that, it appears Universal did an amazing job The only downside I see to the land is that some of the stores are very tight for customers, the error about the Dueling Dragons re-theme, and there will likley be crowd control issues for a bit.

For what it's worth, Warner is planning on doing set tours at their Leavesden Studios.

Mine is guest comfort should be the priority. A line where you don't boil in the sun. Some kind of entertainment in the q - whether or not that is theme, or monitors, or live performance. A single rider, fast pass, Q bot, etc., line that remains separate from the main line all the way until boarding. Dual loading stations where applicable. Restraints that are comfortable.

Thanks for the photos and review. THe addition looks great! Do the wands have any interactivity outside of the shop?

The speakers around the tunnel is a great solution, and should be done. While the onboard audio is nice, I don't think it is a priority for the appeal of the ride. I would rather have them take the on board audio budget and replace the tarps on the exterior q with a wooden pergola. And dare I dream overhead fans? The ride is generally photogenic, and this is true elsewhere in the park, except for those awful tarps. 100% hopeful that Colossus will once again be a great ride if it is refurbed. And the KFC double down is good, just be sure to plan to excersize after consumption.

I'm interested to know when they will shut down the lines for CA Screamin', Toy Story, etc. If the park closes at 11, and they don't want CA Screamin running during the shows at 9 and 10 - does that mean they are closing one of their top attractions 2 hours early every single night? It reads like the party is designed to compensate for lack of access to the Pier attractions after, as guests wait out for their turn to see the WOC. That wouldn't work for me personally. Interesting to see how this all turns out from the crowd control perspective.

I think that is actually common. At this point, I doubt I could spend an entire day at SFMM. So when I go, I do the short burts, about 4 - 5 hours tops. Depending on what is being built, sometimes I skip a year. I do the same thing with Knott's (Haunt is the exception), Universal, DL, and DCA. I rotate which parks I have passes too. It is very easy to burn out on doing the same experiences over and over again for years on end. Especially in coaster centric parks that lack any other form of entertainment. Highly recommend skipping a local park and hitting up a park maybe a little further away. One of the ways to avoid local park burnout, is to bring guests and be the ultimate tour guide. One of the best times I had at Disney was being a tour guide to my nephews who had never seen it before.