CoasterFEV

Absolutely agree with this - many of the key leaders of the industry have a significant number of historical connections. In fact, as mentioned above, the former Schwarzkopf factory still exists very close (like, almost just down the block) from the Gerstlauer headquarters.

I believe the coaster at Australia's Magic Mountain still holds the record of "furthest a bus load of theme park nerds will drive just to ride a Zyklon" !

Sorry Joey - but in most all cases, water dummies do not come free with a ride purchase. Of course, all ride manufacturers are more than happy to supply them, but they can add an unnecessary cost to to the purchase of the ride. Not to mention that if a park gets water dummies for ALL of their new ride systems, there becomes the eventual issue of storage (or disposal) of all of those water dummies after commissioning. It is much more economical for a park to get a single set of water dummies and re-use them for multiple attractions where and when needed. The only downside to this is if a significant number of rides are testing and commissioning at the same time - but that is actually pretty rare, even for new parks.

Not entirely great. The two days we were there a few weeks ago they had two of the three courses closed. Heard from the team that typically one or two of the three courses are closed daily for upkeep and "other" reasons @Looty: Completely agree on your opinions of Tron. It is a beautiful building and fantastic preshow experience - the attraction is sure to be a big hit in Orlando. I also felt the ride experience once you get inside the show building after the launch was a letdown. I swear that Robb's videos made the ride look more amazing then it actually was. I consider my experience after all the "build up" online was total "anticipointment" Pirates is, of course, absolutely incredible. The total experience and ride system blew me away each and every time we rode the attraction. ("boats aren't supposed to do this!!!!!") And don't forget the Pirates stunt show next door. Even though it was all in Mandarin - it is a blast! - the cast is totally into the performance and the audience loved every minute of it. Hilarious fun! The Pirates show was completely refreshing after watching the horrible Tarzan performance nearby (note to readers - this is NOT the same show that was at DAK in Orlando). Learned later that Tarzan is contracted out to a local third party company - I think it's where Chinese acrobats go to die I agree - great park. Immaculately clean. Was impressed with the overall guest behavior (on the two recent days I visited - I swear the guest behavior I observed was better than at the Orlando parks!). Food & Beverage in the park was horrendous - ended up eating most of our meals in Disney Town. And, yes, the BEST Buzz Lightyear anywhere - SO much fun! SO much better then the rest! I swear we rode it and re-rode it to exhaustion!

Ferrari World is never very busy during the weekend of the F1 race. While spectators do get in free with their race pass - most visitors coming to Abu Dhabi for the race are there for the race and race-related events, they are not particularly interested in an amusement park. Locals not going to the race stay away from Yas Island that weekend of the race due to the potential traffic congestion. If you were at Ferrari World the following weekend (UAE National Day) - you would have seen some pretty significant queues. A little positivity and fact-checking goes a long ways!

Wow! SO much incorrect information - really wish you talked to a few more people and got your facts straight before jumping to conclusions! Not paying debts (including not paying staff) is a serious crime in the UAE and rumors like this (and that is nothing more then a rumor) should never be posted on public forums Over at IMG, I give them some credit for their quick-response in installing those smaller "coin-operated" rides (which are free to use and have been there for almost a year now) and the mini-train. All done based on guest requests for in-park transportation and more things for their youngest guests to do. The park listened and delivered what guests wanted. Kudos to IMG! While there are a decent number of vacancies still at Riverland - how has the Cheesecake Factory closed since it hasn't even had it's grand opening yet? The restaurant is still, technically, under construction as they are still finishing the work inside the restaurant before they open to resort guests. The top attractions in the region definitely get hour-long waits. This is especially true during the holiday periods (Eid, National Day, etc) and periods that neighboring countries have extended time off. Even now, the "star" attractions at many of the parks are seeing 45-minute+ waits on Fridays and Saturdays.

My head hurts just reading that post. Holy crap! Speaking of record breakers, I think we have a new winner for "longest run-on sentence"

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Reminds me of most of the coasters we rode with TPR in China!

The thickness of the spine... Don't be too sure of yourself! The thickness of the spine on a Mack Rides section of track also may equate to something as simple as a longer distance between support columns.

Hotels only for tourists. I believe there are some spots to buy it if you have a license provided from the government for home use, but that's a Dubai Dave question. The "only at hotels" rule is a good general statement, but the UAE has, in order to promote tourism, allowed alcohol service at a number of other locations that are not connected to a hotel. For example, most all sporting events and other performances (concerts, festivals, etc) sell alcohol. Even all of the shows at the Dubai Opera House and the Dubai World Trade Center offer alcohol service. Many parks in the region also serve adult beverages. Ferrari World has (I believe since opening) served it in one of their restaurants. Dubai Parks & Resorts has a number of licensed restaurants in it's Riverland area - as well as 2 licensed restaurants in Bollywood. Even some of the water parks (such as Iceland and Dreamland Aqua Park) serve alcohol. There are a pretty good number of liquor and beer stores throughout the Emirates - these are fairly hidden from view and most tourists won't spot them. But, as mentioned, most of these stores require a government-issued license for an individual to make a purchase. There are some stores outside of Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi, though, that do not.

The relocation of Wild Wadi has been rumored for awhile. If you take a close look at that specific resort area of Dubai - including the Madinat Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and the new Jumeirah Al Naseem - it's obvious that the land the park sits on is far more valuable than the water park itself. Especially knowing that a significant number (way way more than half) the park's attendance are free admissions.

Motiongate Dubai is beginning the technical rehearsal period today for their brand new How to Train Your Dragon area. The entire new "world" is absolutely breathtaking - photos just don't do it justice! I'm sure DubaiDave will be posting lots of photos soon. In the meantime, will give everyone a few photos of the beautiful trains from the new headliner attraction, Dragon Gliders - an inverted powered coaster from Mack Rides

For Motiongate - keep an eye on their website. They just announced some AMAZING "Summertime" deals that should be in effect when you are visiting - just need to purchase them through the park's webstore. http://www.motiongatedubai.com

Sorry - but the privilege of shooting a POV is being "reserved" until our friends at Theme Park Review visit us in March!

The buses are, actually, just temporary. There is a very cool fleet of air conditioned trams already in testing at the resort to bring guests from the main (general) car park to the parks. There are multiple stops on the tram route - depending on what is most convenient to the park you are visiting. The VIP parking area (and Valet) are directly adjacent to Riverland - so no transport needed for this separate car park.