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Wet‘n’Wild Sydney
Australia’s newest waterpark opened to the general public on 12 December. Built by Village Roadshow at a cost of Aus $120 million (US$107m), Wet ’n’ Wild Sydney features more than 40 slides, rides and attractions. Featured are two larges slide installations by WhiteWater including an eight innertube complex with four Master Blasters, a giant AquaTube, Constrictor, Boomerango and Rattler, plus a 12 body slide complex comprising an eight-lane Whizzard mat racer (H2Go Racers) intertwined with four duelling AquaLoops (360Rush).
As well as the slides, the park also includes additional pay-as-you-ride attractions such as 75m-tall (10m taller than the Sydney Opera House!) Skycoaster swing and The Surf Deck, where stand-up and bodyboard riders can experience a wave similar to a giant ocean barrel, but in the safest possible environment.
The attraction was supplied by LatiTube and conceived by inventor Steve Kriticos. “While we do have our wave pool, which is fantastic, The Surf Deck ramps up the thrills for wave riders and adds another dimension to our beach environment,” notes the Wet ’n’ Wild Sydney general manager Chris Warhurst. Specialist sound and lighting will provide the waterpark with an exciting ‘after dark’ appeal, when it stays open on selected nights until 11pm, complete with a pulsing music and a light show designed by Bruce Ramos, who has worked on some of U2’s spectacular arena shows. On entry, all Wet ‘n’ Wild guests will be given am RFID-equipped MyBand wristband, acting as both a ticket into the park and a cashless payment system for food, beverage, merchandise and other adds-ons such as The Surf Deck and various photo products by Magic Memories. Single day admission is Aus $69.99
More Legoland Hotels
Asia’s first Lego-themed hotel has opened, ahead of schedule, at Legoland Malaysia in Nusajaya, Johor. Offering 249 colourful bedrooms, its arrival marks the transformation of the park and its recently opened waterpark into a resort property. Following the template successfully established last year by Merlin Entertainments at Legoland Windsor near London, the hotel boasts Lego bricks and themed features throughout its guest rooms, play areas and restaurants. A display featuring 12,528 Lego mini figures welcomes families as they check-in. Elsewhere it’s packed full of child-friendly features, including quirky ‘disco’ elevators, exploding toy boxes, treasure trails and a 32ft-high (10m) pirate shipwreck and Lego river. There’s also a dedicated play area with more than 1,000 Lego bricks. Food, drink and a respite if offered at the Bricks Family Restaurant, Skyline Bar and Patio. The opening of the hotel is viewed as significant for the highly developing Iskandar region of southern Malaysia (close to the border with Singapore) as Legoland has been a key tourism driver ever since the park opened to public in October 2012.
Meanwhile in the USA, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held on 21 November for what will be North America’s second Legoland Hotel at Legoland Florida in Winter Haven. Built directly to the left of the park’s entrance and just steps away from Lake Eloise, it will feature 152 themed rooms and is scheduled to open in 2015. The country’s first Lego-themed hotel opened at Legoland California earlier this year. “The opening of a
Legoland Hotel will transition Legoland Florida from a single-day visit theme park to a multi-day resort destination,” notes general manager Adrian Jones.
Legoland Hotel Malaysia
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(US$62.70), or $54.99 for pensioners or guests under 1.1m. An all day fast pass is available for $50. Lockers starts at $10. Parking is $8-10 per car, depending on whether guests pay in the park or when they leave, or free to gold season pass holders. More pictures of Wet ‘n’ Wild Sydney will follow soon in Park World.
wetnwildsydney.com.au Lo-Q rebrands as accesso
Virtual queuing, ticketing and e-commerce provider Lo-Q is now trading as accesso, the firm it acquired a year ago. The name change reflects the company’s varied range of products and expertise, which is now even broader following the acquisition this December of Siriusware. A leading North American provider of ticketing and point-of-sale (POS) software and hardware, Siriusware expands accesso’s presence within the theme park and attractions industry, but also gives it a presence within the cultural attractions ,ski and snow sports markets. The cost of the acquisition was reportedly £8 million ($13.1 million), cash and shares.
Mack launches
Drop ‘n’ Splash Mack Rides has unveiled Drop ’N’ Splash, a new water ride concept best described as a shuttle Shoot-the-Chutes. Imagine a free-floating boat rocking in the waves while being securely attached to a guide rail. It features both forward and backward drops, and a spinning boat version is even available. The experience is fully adjustable from family-friendly to white- knuckle thrill ride.
The attraction can be operated in all seasons and unlike most water rides does not require a water-circulation pumping system.
JANUARY 2014
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