Cromcoaster Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I'm in Australia but a trip here would be at the absolute bottom of the list & I'd suggest others do the same. Come here sometime when you can take in the scenery and animals outside of a schedule, not to mention all the amazing cities... the combination of sightseeing, shopping and parks in Asia particularly Japan is far superior. I've hit places all over the world [freelance travel journalist] and on a TPR trip would deem any of the non-Australia options. While I'm sure a TPR Australian trip would be epic, I just don't see a greater value than doing somewhere like Japan or the North Eastern US trip. Look how long/expensive the flights are for most of you, you'd get more value going somewhere else and coming here when there's more time in the schedule than 10-11 days. You really need 3-4 weeks minimum and even that is only scraping the surface. While your vacation days are limited, granted, if Australia was the only trip of interest/the one highest up on your list, WAIT and save them up... you will want the most time and flexibility possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Bambino Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Man I hope Australia is a goer, would love to finally see TPR down under. Definately wanna do Japan and Korea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noxegon Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 ^Everyone knows that Australia doesn't have the biggest, fastest, best, or even that many roller coasters Perhaps not, but there are some real gems. Scooby Doo at Warner Bros has to be the worlds best Wild Mouse, and Superman next to it isn't half bad either. The wooden wild mouse at Aussie World is awesome. Its not a coaster, but the ridiculously big Giant Drop at Dreamworld is almost a rite of passage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noxegon Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Australia-Not interested since I don't like long flights (5+ hours). Hmm, you live in California, so doesn't that particular comment apply pretty much equally to all the trips offered for 2011? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunder001 Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Hey all, I have been away for far too long....damn work! Australia is the top of the list for me, with the Road to Cedar Point second. With that much notice, we might even make it! It's true about our coasters not being that long, but what they lack in length, they make up for in speed and thrills. And even though we are a bit of a trip across the pond, it is one you will never regret. With 10 parks/attractions on the Gold Coast within 10miles of each other, once here, you will not have to go far for a bit of fun. For the animal lovers, Dreamworld has free roaming Kangaroo's, Kola's to hug and hold and a crocodile you won't want to hug at all...and for the brave there is allways the swimming with the sharks at Seaworld. Now all of that is just the Gold Coast area, so I have only just scrapped the top of the barrel with what fun you all could have by paying us a visit. Will keep the beer cold until you all get here. Cheers, Thunder001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcdude Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Australia-Not interested since I don't like long flights (5+ hours). Hmm, you live in California, so doesn't that particular comment apply pretty much equally to all the trips offered for 2011? When flying to the East Coast, a flight is often broken up into shorter connecting flights. It's not 5 hours total, but 5 hours without a break that I don't like. Basically, anything longer than a flight from California to Hawaii is too long for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Although I probably wouldn't be going on a TPR Australian trip I might as well give some feedback. (Hopefully a bash gets thrown at one of our parks...we just don't have the critical mass of local enthusiasts to run any sort of event of our own) Whitewater world is probably worth putting on the itinerary....It's got one of those proslide Hydromagnetics plus a bunch of other cool stuff, plus it just wouldn't be a trip to Australia without spending a good amount of time in your swimmers. I don't mean to sound harsh, but I'm surprised Adventure World is on the itinerary. I know there are probably people out there who want to get the Zamperla Kiddy credit and see the park, but it is a bit like running something similar to a west coast trip, but then randomly flying over to Orlando, and then only visiting one park of the standard of Cypress Gardens (If that) and doing not much else....Make it an mini addon perhaps? However I can imagine the Australian trip being good for those who like 'Culture' credits...Places like Luna Park don't take long so there is plenty of time to enjoy Sydney/Melbourne (Ps, whilst in Melbourne, head out to Funfieldsand ride the Wiegand toboggan) My only other word of warning is that Mid Feburary is when major rides often go down for Maintenance (The school year begins at the end of January, so the parks are empty and parks shut stuff accordingly. You've probably thought about dates for stuff already, but a safe option could be to push it back to Easter. Everything will be open, you'll be able to hit the Sydney Royal Easter Show. It might be busy (But this is in relative terms...DjRappa, Joz, Noxegon and I visited WBMW on the busiest day in it's history, and the longest queue was 1 hour, and superman was only 20 minutes or so. That said, best of Japan (Why is FujiQ on there ) has definitley caught my eye It's something I could potentially do in that year anyway (Japan is the next country on my 'hit list')...I'd be pretty keen to do the Tokyo Disney addon. Probably enough out of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noxegon Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 You've probably thought about dates for stuff already, but a safe option could be to push it back to Easter. Everything will be open Be careful... I missed four credits on my first visit, just prior to Easter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeoplemoverMatt Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I was also slightly amused/curious that Fuji-Q made the "Best of Japan" list but Tokyo Disney is an add-on. It probably has more to do with costs than anything, but it's still kinda funny to see that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas2 Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I hope the Japan trip will make it so I can meet you guys up. Unfortunately I don't have the funds left to do the entire trip because it's so expensive here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share Posted February 4, 2010 I was also slightly amused/curious that Fuji-Q made the "Best of Japan" list but Tokyo Disney is an add-on. It probably has more to do with costs than anything, but it's still kinda funny to see that. Realistically, you can't do a Japan theme park trip WITHOUT going to Fuji-Q, no matter how much that place sucks. Of all the "roller coaster parks" it is still the biggest. The Tokyo Disney add-on is absoultely due to cost. The way TPR would like to do Tokyo Disney is a full 4-day event staying on property. This adds at least $500 - $800 to the cost of the trip. What we learned about Disney is that some people love it and wouldn't think twice about spending that money, other people aren't into it, and if they could save that money and NOT do Disney they would have a better chance of doing the Japan trip with us. Really you can look at the Japan trip as a "with Disney" or "without Disney" option. We did the same thing for our Europe trip and Disneyland Paris in 2008. We actually had quite a few people who opted not to do Disney because of the additional costs. --Robb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skycoastin Steve Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 ^Add me to the list of people who wouldn't even think about paying extra to go to Disney. Not my cup o' tea......at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dammie16@vt.edu Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I would be an almost 95% guarantee on the Australia trip as long as you started it on a weekend. I would need 7 days off work that way instead of 8 or 9. I may have more Vaca. next year anyway idk, but regardless im saving for this trip because it seems completely doable for me. Edit: I wanted to also add that having a trip outside of the summer months helps greatly because June-Aug is high production time for work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therooboy Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Japan for me & definitely with added Tokyo Disney goodness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledgy Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Hope I will go on the Japan Trip (including the Tokio Disney Option) with you, but australia will be an interesting option. My second choice was the Road to Cedar Point Trip, cause it will be more possible to put aside money. I guessed you will go on a trip to spain next year, but I don´t want to wait after your last Trip Reports! So I will go on a Trip to Spain this year just for me and a friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 In regards to credits being closed in Australia... You're always going to miss something when you visit 'year round' parks, we'll do our best to minimize the major credits being down. And this trip will be similar to our Asia Trips where we do include some culture as well. If we're going to fly a bazillion hours we might as well do some other random fun things, not just parks! Thanks for all of the feedback, I'm going through these surveys as fast as I can to get all the information up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alilstronger Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I chose the Cedar Point one first with the north east one second because I can not afford to travel over seas for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillgeek Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 ^^You sure have alot of info to go through!! Take your time Elissa don't rush too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyyyper Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 In regards to credits being closed in Australia... You're always going to miss something when you visit 'year round' parks, we'll do our best to minimize the major credits being down. And this trip will be similar to our Asia Trips where we do include some culture as well. If we're going to fly a bazillion hours we might as well do some other random fun things, not just parks! Thanks for all of the feedback, I'm going through these surveys as fast as I can to get all the information up! If there is anything to do in Australia besides rollercoasters, it would be the Harbour Brige climb in Sydney. Did it in 2004, and was totally awesome. http://www.bridgeclimb.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reon Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Brief thoughts: Japan: Awesome, though expensive. I've always wanted to go to Japan for multiple reasons, and epic TPR trips is among them Australia: With all that Jizz Man has told me, I'm pretty hyped about this fine continent. Unfortunately it interfears with school, but if I save up a bunch of money and do the other thing I wanted to aswell (the Trinidadian steel drum event Panorama in late Jan/Early Feb), then dropping for a semester wont be TOO bad... Spain: A cheaper international trip for me. Kind of cool, but nothing too spectacular leaps out at me. US trips: CP trip=YES. As a member of Ohio, that means I can atleast tag along for KI/CP if worse comes to worse. As for the Northeast trip, Knoebels is pretty much my favorite park that I've ever been to, and I need to get back to Hershey. That alone keeps me interested although I may be doing a NE trip this July so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share Posted February 4, 2010 I'm in Australia but a trip here would be at the absolute bottom of the list & I'd suggest others do the same. Come here sometime when you can take in the scenery and animals outside of a schedule, not to mention all the amazing cities... the combination of sightseeing, shopping and parks in Asia particularly Japan is far superior. I've hit places all over the world [freelance travel journalist] and on a TPR trip would deem any of the non-Australia options. While I'm sure a TPR Australian trip would be epic, I just don't see a greater value than doing somewhere like Japan or the North Eastern US trip. Look how long/expensive the flights are for most of you, you'd get more value going somewhere else and coming here when there's more time in the schedule than 10-11 days. You really need 3-4 weeks minimum and even that is only scraping the surface. While your vacation days are limited, granted, if Australia was the only trip of interest/the one highest up on your list, WAIT and save them up... you will want the most time and flexibility possible. I'm not exactly sure what the point of your post is. If you're bashing a TPR trips, trust me, we have been doing this for many years and we know how to plan a trip to a foreign country. We will be doing plenty of sightseeing and other activities to give people a "feel" of Australia. If you're bashing people wanting to travel for theme parks and roller coasters, well, many people on TPR have been traveling like this for many years. I've often said that sometimes you need a reason to travel as for many people just visiting a location on it's own just isn't enough of a draw. There are people out there who just don't give two s**ts about "shopping and sightseeing" (really, I could care less about it) but still want to travel to far away destinations to do something they enjoy. And clearly you must not know very much about this website or our past travel itineraries because we have already offered trips to all over the United States, all over Europe, England, Japan (from northern Japan to the very south), China, S. Korea, Scandinavia, etc. Australia seems like the next logical location to visit. So please, while I understand where you are coming from, please respect that people have different reasons for wanting to travel and they may differ from your own. And at the end of the day, we are promoting travel to foreign countries and supporting that economy. How is that a bad thing? --Robb "Looking forward to bringing TPR members to Australia for the first time!" Alvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I'm in Australia but a trip here would be at the absolute bottom of the list & I'd suggest others do the same. Come here sometime when you can take in the scenery and animals outside of a schedule, not to mention all the amazing cities... the combination of sightseeing, shopping and parks in Asia particularly Japan is far superior. I've hit places all over the world [freelance travel journalist] and on a TPR trip would deem any of the non-Australia options. While I'm sure a TPR Australian trip would be epic, I just don't see a greater value than doing somewhere like Japan or the North Eastern US trip. Look how long/expensive the flights are for most of you, you'd get more value going somewhere else and coming here when there's more time in the schedule than 10-11 days. You really need 3-4 weeks minimum and even that is only scraping the surface. While your vacation days are limited, granted, if Australia was the only trip of interest/the one highest up on your list, WAIT and save them up... you will want the most time and flexibility possible. Different people see value in different things. A great deal of the TPR Australia trip participants will have already done Asian parks; in many cases more than once. For those who want to see more of Australia, they can just add more time and do it on their own. I added three weeks of general sightseeing before the TPR Scandi trip last year. And, of course a longer trip is better, but you need to understand some realities about those employed in the US: 1) We get a LOT less vacation time than people in Australia do. My wife only gets two weeks of vacation per year. And that's for a government job! 2) Many employers don't allow "carrying over" of unused vacation days into the following calendar year. I think it's better to have a 2-week trip to Australia than none at all. I'm sure that longer is better, especially with the jet lag, but it's not always possible. When it comes down to it, you can make the same argument about almost any major vacation destination. You can't even come close to doing everything that Orlando, London, Paris, Rome, etc. has in 1-2 weeks. And, yet, millions of people visit these places annually, some for just a day or two, and generally have a great time doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technfxrick Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Myself and My Fiance, did Australia on our own in March last year, we didn't hit all the parks that the trip is going to but we did go to Seaworld, Movie World, Dreamworld, and Luna Park Sydney. We found that one coaster was down at each of the gold cast parks (The SLC at Movie world so that wasn't a loss, the Vekoma Suspended Kiddie at Dreamworld, and the Arrow Corkscrew at Seaworld). We found that all 3 parks were a half day at best, but they are only open 9-5 so in the end it wasn't that big of a deal. Our Trip was part coasters (4 days) part site seeing (4 days) and part diving the great barrier reef (6 days). we also did the bridge climb in sydney which i STRONGLY recommend for an add on (though it is pricey, about $250 per person if i remember correctly). All in all we spent about 5k for the 2 of us, and that didn't include any flights, as i travel alot for work and we used all frequent flyer miles. so this trip is really a great deal, its not the one we would pick as we did most of the parks in 09 (i'm going for Japan but we also have to pay for a wedding that year so i'm not sure how doable that will be). but i think Australia had some great unique rollercoasters. (and just hope the SLC is down again so you have an excuse not to ride it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKI Jizzman Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 When I booked my flight back in highschool, I used Student Travel Organization and got a really good flight (With American Airlines and Quantas!) for pretty cheap. I'm sure there's a bunch of other travel organizations that you can join and get cheap flights with. Australia is such an experience...anyone who puts it down must be out of their mind! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dammie16@vt.edu Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I'm in Australia but a trip here would be at the absolute bottom of the list & I'd suggest others do the same. Come here sometime when you can take in the scenery and animals outside of a schedule, not to mention all the amazing cities... the combination of sightseeing, shopping and parks in Asia particularly Japan is far superior. I've hit places all over the world [freelance travel journalist] and on a TPR trip would deem any of the non-Australia options. While I'm sure a TPR Australian trip would be epic, I just don't see a greater value than doing somewhere like Japan or the North Eastern US trip. Look how long/expensive the flights are for most of you, you'd get more value going somewhere else and coming here when there's more time in the schedule than 10-11 days. You really need 3-4 weeks minimum and even that is only scraping the surface. While your vacation days are limited, granted, if Australia was the only trip of interest/the one highest up on your list, WAIT and save them up... you will want the most time and flexibility possible. I know this has been pretty well hit on by Robb and others but the question you shouldve asked yourself before this post is. Would you skip visiting the US until you could have the 3-4 years you'd need to do everything, and thats just scraping the surface? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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