For this week's challenge, you will need to create your own water ride for your park. Your ride can be any type of water based ride, such as a log flume, a river raft ride, and boat rides (similar to Jaws). You need to specify what type of attraction your proposal is, where it is placed in your park, and the theme of your ride. Any other specifications you find important can be included as well. These include, but are not limited to: ride length, number of passengers per vehicle, number of drops (if applicable), and any other technical aspects.
All entries should be submitted by July 27th, 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
Animal Kingdom misses a lot. It's missing an exciting e-ticket ride, sea animals and mythical animals. Ocean Encounter is all of that and more. First and want to take you to the setting.
Setting:
We are in a little Greek village that is build upon a small hill and is surrounded by water. The white structures with bright blue accents glister in the sun. Old boats are in the small harbor and the island houses a restaurant, souvenir shops and a small travel bureau that organizes tours. There is a small market and Greek music fills the air. The Greek live with and from the sea. They dive for sponges and fish. But they are also afraid of the sea and it's many mysteries.
The ride system:
While this is partly walkthrough (pre show), ride and education center the ride system is a combination of a boat ride/coaster system enhanced with LIM to propel the boat when needed.
Preshow:
We enter the chaotic office of Papadopolus Travel where we are greeted by no one! The place is deserted and we snake into the back office where there is a hole in the wall. When we enter we find ourselves in a cave. It's a nicely themed room with natural paths going to the other side of the room around a corner. Here is another cave but in the posit end we see a mysteries temple build into the cave wall. The temple is a holding room where 30 guests meet up with a travel guide from Papadopolus Travel. He/she welcomes you and starts to talk enthusiastically about the wall that gave in when they wanted to hang a calendar on the wall and how they found these caves ending up going into a temple. We also get to hear trough a walky-talky that mister Papadopolus himself is already further into the temple and encourages us to continue after him. Temple doors open and leads us further into the structure where cave an temple melted in one. Mythical sea creatures are depicted on the walls and into statues. We see scenes of villagers fighting the creatures. After a short walk we get into cave that is partially filled with water. Boats are docking and we are ready to enter the ride.
The ride:
After a very small drop we are in a new cave and it's very dark. The only light is that of the moon shining into a small crack in the caves sealing and lets the water shimmer on the cave walls. We hear the drips of water that drips from the sealing as we flow to a hole in the cave wall. It doesn't take long of the boat begins to rock and tentacles are coming out of the water all around the boat. Not far from us the head of a Kraken slowly emerge from the deep.
A light starts to shimmer and gets stronger and the hole in the wall becomes a water vortex. We hear mister Papadopolus ensuring us it's safe to enter the vortex to get away from the Kraken. We glide through the vortex. The next scene is simulated outside. We see the part of a temple of a rocky coast. In the temple stands a man in old Greek clothes. "I'm the guard of the Temple and forbid you to continue or evil will meet you and pulls you to your doom!" He tells us. "Don't continue, you fools!" he screams but we see it's a digital projection and we see there are distortions. What is happening here? We float to a temple entrance in the wall that opens as we approach and when we enter we get shot up. On the top we see a projection on a waterfall of the same guy yelling at us not to continue. The next room is quite large and contains coaster tracks for the boat. There are places where the boat meets the water for a nice splash effect. Trough the ride we see glimpses of a huge Hydra, a multi headed monster snapping at us. The coaster isn't going fast but has a lot of simulated speed effects due to lights, the hydra and water curtains. We escape trough the top of the cave and we are slowed down to regular boating speed and we are in a small circular room with a heavy Nautilus vibe (metal, brown and art nuveau). A screen slips on and a woman welcomes us friendly. "Hello and welcome to Atlantica." The doors slide open and we are in the top of a huge building. It's a 10 story atrium. In the middle there is a huge cylindrical aquarium and while we float to the top at the aquarium we are able to see a huge research facility. Our boat enters the top of the aquarium and descends down. Here we exit the facility and are able to view many aquariums and educational stations.
We exit trough a circular aquarium and a cave into the village.
The Star Wars Saga begins with Episode 1, and Lucasfilm Studios are paying homage to that movie with their Gungan City Submarine Tour. Guests will get chance to dive under the waves of Naboo as they venture down beneath the depths to the Gungan City with their pilot, Jar Jar Binks. Who better to guide you on your journey?
RIDE QUEUE
The queue area is outside the loading platform, the area is themed to look like Theed, the Capital city of Naboo with a picturesque garden area set just by the ride where patrons can sit and enjoy a break from the hustle of walking around the theme park. Get a Caf or fizzyglug from the street vendors nearby.
The queue area itself is fairly simplistic at first, an up and down area with fences leading guests to the Gungan city Submarine platform. Cast members will be dressed as members of the Naboo guards and when guests enter the station, they will be handed a pass card (this will be used to claim the photo later) that will grant them admission to the submarine.
The docking station itself is like a jetty with large 36 seater Gungan subs waiting for you to board. They are large water going vehicles that are painted aquamarine and pale blue.
Cast members will hand out ‘Goggles’ that will filter all available light and allow guests a better view of the marine life that they may encounter during their voyage.
RIDE VEHICLE
The vehicle, like a lot of things in the Star Wars universe is more than it seems. The vehicle itself will travel across the lake to the other side via a hidden track just below the surface (think Jaws or similar) and guests will be concealed inside the vehicle.
Once seated, guests will see that the windows on the inside are dark, according to the guide books, this is toughened glass that gets lighter the deeper the vehicle goes to minimize the impact of light from the submersible, in reality, once the guests are underway the purpose of these windows will be clear. The windows are not fully 360 degrees but they run round the 2 sides and the back of the cabin. The front of the cabin is sealed off with a screen that will retract, like the screen does on the old Star Tours ride. (It may do it on the new one but, I ashamed to admit, I have yet to ride it).
Once guests are in, the ride vehicle will start to move away, at this point, the screen at the front will lower to reveal the main viewport, seated below the eye line of the guests, is the pilot, he will move his head but guests cannot see him clearly. The screens come to life as the vehicle ‘dives down’ and the whole cabin tilts forward to mimic this action.
So The ride vehicle is actually a moving simulator that will give guests the experience of diving below the waves. The windows are 3D screen projectors that will play a 360 film as the ride goes along. An all new totally immersive experience for guests to enjoy.
RIDE
So the submarine is away from the jetty, it has started its dive, the screens are showing diving below the waves and guests will think they are looking through viewports at the marine life thanks to their ‘goggles’ that are in truth 3D glasses. As they dive, a small area of the screen at the front shows an insert of the cockpit, turns out your pilot is Jar Jar Binks. He welcomes you onboard and assures you that he will get you to the Gungan city with no problems.
”Mesa Jar Jar binks, I be welcoming you aboard this trip to Gungan City! Youssa gonna be very safe in mys hands, Mesa thank you for taking times to visit humble home! Now, youssa be sitting and watching as we dives”
With that the insert disappears. By now, the sub has reached its depth and the lights from the front of the sub are showing huge underwater volcanoes, spewing bubbles out the peak, unusual fish will float past occasionally shooting off to the darkness. Jar Jar however is not the greatest pilot and will often make sudden turns with guests getting a rough ride.
When he gets to close to the bubbles from one of the volcanoes, guests will be thrown about as if the hit turbulence in an aircraft. The occasional gasp of “Oops,” or “mesa sorry” will be heard as the ride eases off. Suddenly the submarine will stop.
”Um, so mesa thinks we lost. Gungan city not this way, nope. If anyone's know where to go….
Jar Jar is cut off as a large fish appears from behind, it takes a fancy to the vehicle and starts to close in, Jar Jar starts to move away but the fish has eyes on its lunch.
After a chase through some underwater canyons, the Fish grabs hold of the rear of the sub, in the rear window, teeth can be seen trying to eat the sub, moisture appears to start building on the inside of the windows, suggesting that the fish has caused a leak somewhere.
Jar Jar begs you all to hold on, suddenly out of the blue, a much bigger fish attacks your assailant, who releases the sub and Jar Jar lets out a cry of joy and navigates out of the canyon and ahead is Gungan City, with the submarines handling obviously damages thanks to the fish.
”See, mesa told you, Gungan City. Boss Nass be very happys with mesa for not crashing again…. Oops, Mesa mean crashing.”
The sub will circle the city and Gungans can be seen swimming around the sub as Jar Jar yells at them to shoo as it is time to return to the surface. The return to the surface is much smoother, the occasional jolt as Jar Jar pilots to the top. As the surface is breached, Jar Jar thanks you for coming and guests will be able to debark on the opposite side to the one they boarded.
DISEMBARK
As guests leave they will be on the opposite side of the lake, from here they can visit the Gungan Goods shop, filled with prequel trilogy merchandise mainly but not exclusively.
From here guests can walk round the edge of the lake back to the main Star Wars land or visit the Boss Nass photo booth. The boarding card guests were give will allow them to have a photo taken with Boss Nass, an animatronic similar to that of Donkey outside the Shrek show in Universal Studios, the card can then be saved as a souvenir or used to download the photo online for a small fee.
I'm sure you all know how the photo pass systems work, but this card has a different design to the other ones issued in the park and offers a 10% saving on all other photo’s on this card.
So, Gungan City Submarine Tours offers a brand new way to explore the Star Wars universe. Using a ground breaking, technological advance for this ride.
The vehicles are custom built for this attraction: a floating simulator with a 360 degree 3D movie to tell a story. At the request of guests, seats can be adjusted to not move but the simulator itself will so warnings for those who get seasick will be posted at the entrance to the ride.
Two Subs will leave every minute on a staggered start each with a 36 person capacity, per hour a capacity of 4320. This ride is subject to weather conditions however and will not operate in heavy winds or torrential rain.
The ‘lake’ that is used for the ride is at its deepest 4 feet deep but where the vehicles run along their track, the Submarine sits atop the track in just 8 inches of water.
Subs will travel along 2 tracks on the way out and then a single track for the return journey back to the loading station where they will then split off again for guests to board. The ride time is 3 minutes 18 seconds but the time it takes for the submarine to return is just 90 seconds. A total of 6 submarine/simulators are able to run at any one time with another 4 being held back in reserve in case of breakdowns.
The Aquae Sulius project promised so much… Using the life giving spring famed by the romans at what we now know as Bath, the Aquae Sulius Project sort to use the geothermic potential of the spring to offer cheap power, and fuel to Britain.
That is, until something went wrong, and the water stopped. If the cause is not determined, and the water begin to flow soon, it could mean brownouts, blackouts, or worse.
Doctor Lordstrum, leader of the Aquae Sulius Project has begun arranging for groups of "volunteer" researchers to head to the source of the Aquae Sulius spring, close enough to explain what is going on.
Aquae Sulius is a River Rapids ride with a difference. Aquae sulius breaks from common theming of this ride type, and instead follows a raging underground river. Artificial mist, darkness, and lighting effects are used to add to the thrill factor of the ride.
The darkness does mean that "Man overboard" situations will require additional care. Thermal imaging cameras, pressure sensors in the rafts to detect changes in passenger load, and river base attached nets attached to inflatable bouys in place to limit how far one can be washed downstreamm. there are also velcro safety belts which are checked before the guests ride begins.
Ride experience
Queue
The Aquae Sulius project is housed in 1970's retro-futuristic building, the queue lines playing an apparent "corporate video" explaining the construction of, and electrical potential of the Aquae Sulius project. The queue snakes through a reception area, and then to the door of a lab, containing the pre show.
Guests file into the lab 16 at a time.
Preshow
The lab contains audio-animatronic lab crew. The head, Doctor Lordstrum turns to the guests
Ah good, the research assistants are here. Doubtless you are already familiar with the Aquae Sulius project, using the springs famed by the Romans to power the world of tomorrow… or whatever gumpf has been put into the advertising brochures
Well, the well has gone dry. Something has changed the flow of water under us, diverting it away from our equipment… unless we find out what, or how, this place is dead in the water, and we're going to run out of juice.
(Wall opens off to the side revealing 2 ring rafts seating 8 each, one of the lab assistants phone rings, he answers)
We have two pods here. We're going to send you down into the underground river below us. You need to find whatevers blocking it, and fix it.
(the guests begin to board, after the last person has boarded, the raft begins to lower
Lab assistant: "Professor, that was the prime minister, he's demanded that we stop wasting lives by sending people down the river"
Professor: "too late now"
The raft then drops onto the raging river below
Ride Experience
The raft has some lighting that flickers in and out for dramatic effect, and an on board speaker system. The river is less than smooth, giving a rapids feel through most of the course.
Professor: "You'll need to follow the river some ways to the blockage, and we'll be monitoring you from the lab, so don't worry. "
The two rafts are close enough that in most places
The course takes advantage of the limited visibility with twists and unexpected turns, after half a dozen of these turns in both directions, the ride goes through the first drop, and into the first open area. The rafts lighting gives away the open area, but there is otherwise no major light source… there is the sound however of a large group of bats, and at some points air compressors are hidden in stalactites to give the impression of bats flying close.
Professor: "Fascinating if the bats could get in here, there must be another way out"
The river begins to pick up again, and a shorter drop through a small opening puts the craft back into the rapids again, which continue to make a twisty path in the rocky tunnels
after another half a dozen blind turns, the river opens up into another larger area on one side (the left), where a small rocky area sepeates the raft and river course from a large chasm, there are a number of portable lighting systems in this room
Professor: "Thats strange, we've been in this area before, except there is supposed to be a waterfall down into the chasm… it looks like its being blocked by that rock there… perhaps we can use the cutters on the pod to remove it, if we can get close enough"
As the pod enters the mouth of a small tunnel, the rapids again get rough, and twist and turn over half a dozen turns, until in a new area with glowing fungus, there appear to be two exits.
Professor: "Quick, you must take action, the river here splits in two, you must take the left/right path"
The two rafts diverge at this point, with the recording heard on the pod indicating the course that is taken by the other pod. The paths, common until this port diverge. The lights on the raft go out, and only flicker back into life after the raft enters the "wrong" path. The experience for each pod, no matter which route is followed, is almost identical, with turns simply being reversed (this is in order not to "Ruin" the ride resolution.
Professor: "What happened? You seemed to lose power then… Oh no, no, this is terrible, you're on the course that leads into the chasm…"
The raft slides down another drop, into the roughest rapids so far in the ride, twisting around another 10 turns, until it reaches a large chamber, light spills down from an opening in the roof… The opening in the roof currently filled with a large water jet which lowers down as the raft continues through the pool.
The jet ceases… and the raft comes to a stop over it… and in front of what appears to be the rock from the chasm room.
"Well, at least you found the blockage…. But I cant see any way of getting you out. If we blast that rock, you'll go down into the chasm… but theres no way to pull you out in any case"
The raft lifts a little as the jet (hiding a telescoping pole elevator) fires up, taking the jet a foot away from the river "Quick, blast the rock… maybe the geyser will get you out of here.
Some laser-like sounds come from the pod as do a few lighting effects, and the rock moves away. The Geyser pushes the raft up onto the surface, and lowers them gently into a gentle stream near the original building
"That was a lucky escape. Looks like you're near the supply building, your pod should come to a rest by there. Thanks again for your efforts… Removing that rock has allowed the water to flow back into the generator, and Aquae Sulius is powering the nation again. Thank you again for your efforts".
The Raft pulls up at a dock near the "Equipment shed" which houses photo and souvineers.
Cultura Avventura - Is a thrilling, soaking water ride which also takes guests through scenes of the daily lives of the people of Ancient Rome, and into to the myths and legends which surround them. The ride's outdoor section is themed to an Ancient Roman aqueduct.
The attraction is located in Uncharted Adventures' "Ancient Civilizations: Rome". The attraction is a log flume, and each log can sit five people, all in a single row. The attraction's technical features are nothing to behold, as it is very traditional. Three drops are featured throughout the ride, including the climatic drop which is higher than the other two.
The ride's entrance is located near the very front of the land, in a small mountain. The mountain is dotted with beautiful trees and foliage. The entrance to the ride is at the base of the mountain, which will lead guests through the dark and damp queue. The queue winds through dark and moist tunnels, and climbs up a set of old, dark stairs. Guests will also pass by many ancient mechanisms throughout the center of the mountain, such as the intake machine, or an ancient form of a water purifier. Guests will reach the top of the stairs which will take them to the load area. Another dark room, but quite larger and one that is composed of glistening rocky walls and ceilings. Guests will board their vehicle and begin to move forward, into the sunlight.
Main Ride
The log breaks away from the inside of the mountain, and is now traveling on top of the Roman aqueduct, and above the city of Rome. Guests are apart of the water which helps to keep the city alive, but are also receiving great views of the themed land below them. This part of the ride is sort of like a PeopleMover, but quieter and with more attractive settings. This also provides some kinetic energy to the land, especially from the viewpoint of the guests not on the ride. The guests continue to ride the aqueduct above the streets of Rome, before approaching a large, Roman structure.
Note - The aqueducts do not typically travel above the streets of the city themselves, but due to the size restraints, and to give guests a neat view of the streets below them, it was added over the streets of Rome. The aqueduct is also a much more scaled down version of a real Roman aqueduct, as a true sized version would be massive and thematically overbearing. And I am aware that the true aqueduct has the water covered, but I did not want guests riding in a dark tunnel for five minutes.
Once the guests enter the Ancient Rome themed building, they are engulfed in darkness and plunge twenty feet into the first dark ride scene. This signifies the end of the exterior aqueduct portion of the ride, and the beginning of the dark ride portion of the ride.
The first scene shows an ancient Roman household, with an animatronic family of four in the living quarters. They are dressed in Ancient Roman attire and are continuing on with their daily routines. The mother is hand washing their clothes, while looking boldly upon the children, who are sitting in perfect positions on the floor. The father figure stands above them all sternly, while simultaneously writing upon a piece of parchment paper in Latin. The voice of the narrator comes on to describe the scene.
"... The Paterfamilias is the father figure in the household. He has absolute rule over the children, the wife and the entire house. He even has the right to sell the children into slavery for disobeying him. Imagine sneaking a cookie, then being sold into slavery as a permanent punishment. Yikes! The Materfamilias are the motherly figures. She is expected to act with absolutely modesty, grace and formality ...
The log then slowly floats on to the next scene, which shows the agricultural aspect of Ancient Rome. A setting of a field of dusk is shown, and many advanced animatronics are shown working in the fields, and appear to be very tired and worn, as shown with their facial expressions and with their attire. The crops are tall and bountiful, and the tools look effective, but still almost primitive.
"... Agriculture was a necessity with Roman society. It was practically idealized as a way of life. The staple crop of Roman society was Spelt, a form of wheat, which you can see these farmers tending to now. Spelt was a very important crop, and one that was beneficial to Roman society in more ways than one ..."
The next scene shows the Ludus, a form of private Roman schooling for young boys. The scene takes place at dawn, in the middle of a courtyard surrounded by pillars. The instructor has a board which shows many arithmetic equations. The entire class of young boys and girls look on sternly, as they sit on mats on the ground. One boy in the back row has dozed off on the back of the girl in front of him.
"... If the parents could afford it, the Ludus was a great gateway into secondary schools. Here, the children, beginning at age seven, learned basic reading, writing and arithmetic. Once they reached age eleven, the children moved on to secondary school, where the classes got more advanced and more rigorous, but was more focused on literature ..."
The next scene shows two animatronic Gladiators fighting in the heat of the day. The use of advanced curved screens around the Gladiators gives the appearance of a very full and rowdy colosseum. The Gladiators continue to block and attack each other's weaponry while the narrator begins his spiel.
"... While barbaric, Gladiator battles were staples in Roman society, and considered world class entertainment. Battles were not always fought to the death, for that was up to the referee to decide. As you may know, animals were sometimes pit against the Gladiators in the ring. These sometimes made for a spectacular and dramatic death in the arena, and probably drove the crowds nuts. Why go see a beautiful play when you can see someone be mauled by a tiger? That's the Ancient Romans for you! ..."
The boat slowly floats by this scene into a pitch black, long room. The long room is soon illuminated with swirling and dancing flashes of multicolored light which shimmer all along the walls and along the water.
"... But Ancient Rome holds many more secrets than the lives of their daily citizens. It holds myths and legends ..."
The whole ceiling is soon engulfed in flames, and the boat careens over another twenty foot drop. The boat splashes down into a large dark room, with realistic skies and choppy seas (similar to the boat scene in Pirates of the Caribbean, minus the boat). Projections of a stormy sky are shown all above riders and lightning flashes in all directions.
A massive trident raises out of the surface of the water. A loud boom is heard and lightning (electricity effects) strike the highest point of the trident. A large wind gust rushes through the room, and the trident then sinks back under the water, leaving the scene as the way it was before, stormy and foreboding.
"... Neptune is one of the most powerful gods of Ancient Roman mythology, the god of the sea ..."
The log progresses out of the sea and up a lift hill, where things take an even darker turn. The lift hill has jagged and rocky arches arching over it, and is very dark. A low mist flows down the lift hill, giving off a very ominous feeling. Ghostly and transparent animatronic arms reach from under the lift hill and attempt to cling onto the log. If guests look up, they can see transparent images of floating souls in what seems to be an never ending river. This is accomplished with the Pepper's Ghost effect.
"... This is the River of Acheron, a place of pain for the souls of those who did bad to be purged, cleansed and healed. The River of Acheron was both significant with Roman and Greek Mythology ..."
The boat crests the lift hill, leaving the River of Acheron behind, and revealing the setting of what appears to be the sky. Fog and mist effects are used to simulate clouds all around riders, as well the clever use of projections against the curved walls to help create clouds all around riders and to give the clouds which are created with fog and mist a more realistic appearance. The skies are blue all around riders and the sun is shining.
"... The god of the skies is Jupiter, the Roman equivalent to Zeus. He is also, like Zeus, the god of thunder ..."
A booming voice says a few words in Latin, the skies immediately change. The entire sky goes dark and the cloud projections and fog effects begin to swirl rapidly and intensely. Thunder booms in the distance. Another final word is said in Latin, and the projection of a massive lightning bolt strikes all across the sky. The second the lightning bolt is shown, the log begins to drop down the final, fifty three foot drop, which takes place in complete darkness.
The log hits the water, and splashes the riders. The riders are in the interior of common Roman building, and are obviously back in the city of the Rome.
"... Roman life is characterized more than by what occurs on a daily occurrence. There is more to it, more that makes the society as strong as it is and what helps to shape it into being legendary, but yet mysterious ..."
Guests disembark from their log, and pass through a tall and grand hallway which takes them to the ride's gift shop, which eventually exits back into the streets of Ancient Rome. The logs themselves travel empty under the land and the climb back up backstage, through the mountain and into the initial loading area.
Exposition Summit: A Literary Park
Land: When I Was A Child
This attraction is based on the book & is a family boat ride.
Outside of the attraction is a large sign placard that resembles an open book. The right side list the author, Maurice Sendak & additional info. The left side contains a summary.
QUEUE:
Guest enter a simplistic, generic neighborhood & see a large house. The house appears normal from the outside. Upon entering, guest will see a large living room.
The line travels "through" the living room & other rooms in the house. There are countless household items that are "accessible" to the guest.
This interactive portion of the queue allows & prompts all guest to touch, bang, toss, etc. various items in this house.......thereby becoming & being mischievous. From rearranging furniture to making a mess in the "kitchen" area, playing with any & everything is encouraged in this area.
As guest travel from room to room, creating mischief, a performer appears ("Mother") and being dismayed by the reckless activities, calls the guest "wild things". Savvy guest (or anyone familiar with the book) can shout back "Ill eat you up".
At this point, all riders will be sent to "bed" with no dinner and the line leads to the bedroom. A select number of guest are admitted to the room at a time (as it will become the loading dock)
The bedroom is large & spacious, & appears to be a normal room. However, within a few moments, this normal room begins to change into a forest. This is achieved through special effects.
The temperature will change.
The carpet will change color to forest green (This is done through a temperature change using heat sensitive pigments...like the hyper color rugs)
The scenes in the windows digitally change to showcase a a forest.
Tall trees begin to "grow" ( this effect is similar to the elevator room in haunted mansion)
The bedpost retract & plants emerge.
Finally, the far wall "retracts" & exposes the water (i.e. ocean) as they proceed to the loading deck.
THE VEHICLES:
The ride vehicles are modeled after sailboats, however seating capacity is 12.
Each boat contains an audio system, which will read an audio book version of the story at certain intervals throughout the ride. The entire story will be read, however there may be long spaces between, as the scenes will match up with whats being read. The exception is the beginning, where guest will hear the tale of Max as the sail out.
Attendants inform riders to "listen closely to the story", as that will help them should they run into anything wild.
THE RIDE:
The will be a few minor dips & drops and the ride will takes place outside as well as traveling into structures.
Scene 1:
This scene begins at night, as guest see a large moon & the boast sails peacefully away from the "room" deeper into the forest.
Scene 2:
The boat now travels outside & things get a bit rockier, as we are now in a larger "ocean". The audio will play the section of the book detailing Max's journey.
Scene 3:
This portion of the ride takes the boat into a large, impressive, IMAX dome like structure, where guest will experience multiple sights & sounds. The special effects here include a changing sky (day to night & vice versa) seasonal temperature changes & a small ocean storm that includes thunder & lightning, rain & choppy waters.
Scene 4:
Guest arrive to the place where the wild things are. As they are approaching the island, there is a mid level splash down (the scale would be about the size of the first drop at DLR's Pirates). After the splash down, a large "wild thing" emerges from the water. This "wild thing" is the sea serpent / dragon from the book. Smoke is blown from his nostrils & he towers above the boat, roaring.
He rocks the boat, causing the guest to tip back & forth. Riders will get splashed lightly here & can expect to get wet, but certainly not drenched.
This wild (sea) thing eventually becomes calm, & the boat moves toward the actual island.
Scene 5:
The boat sails right up to the island "shore" & stops. Here, guest meet the all the familiar wild things. This will be a mix of large animatronics & costumed characters. The costumed wild things approach the boat, arms raised, roaring.
Guest (who'll hear the actual audio & follow the actions in the book ) can raise their own arms & "stare without blinking" directly at the wild things, who will gradually become hushed & mild.
The audio plays the next part of the book (which is the rumble). The wild things begins to frolic and dance wildly. The costumed wild things will also try & mimic any "dancing" guest in the boat.
The boat moves to the next room, which is an expansive jungle. This portion of the ride is a bustling, party environment.
While the boat sails directly in the middle of this party jungle, there is activity & romping on both sides of the guest. In the middle of the room, the boat will slow & rotate a complete 360, giving guest a full view of this wild party.
Overhead, the centerpiece of this segment is a large series of vines hanging overhead. There, the wild things will "swing" on the jungle vines high above the boat.
At this point, the romp "stops" (again following along with the book) & everything becomes quiet & subdued. Guest will then smell a strong scent of food (Piped in) & begin the journey home.
As the boat sails away, the wild things follow along the side of the boat (on the side shore) waving goodbye.
The boat travels outside & through a shorter ocean before returning to the loading dock.
Guest exit to the left, which is a replica of the original bedroom. Everything is exactly the same, except now there is food in the room.
The ride exits into a wild thing gift shop, where toys, books, artwork, etc. are sold. There are also complete wolf costumes (modeled after the one Max wore in the book).
If any child is wearing a Max wolf costume prior to boarding, they (along with the party) can "skip" the line (if they choose) & can go directly to the boarding area (basically using the Skip A Chapter fast pass without having one).
They will also receive a free book with any costume purchase.
Mike Kinshella- "Escape to Skullcano Island" is a wonderfully detailed water thrill ride with an exciting story. It is not especially innovative in technology, but it uses just about every known a.a. and pyrotechnic trick in the book to make this a truly thrilling experience. Very reminiscent of "Journey to the Center of the Earth" with the sudden appearance of dinosaurs, I still found it to be great fun to read and would love to ride it. I found the ride through the ruined pyramid with the evil monkeys inside especially entertaining. I was a bit confused about the mechanics behind the mosquitoes in Scene 5- unless it takes place inside, where you can control the lighting, it would be difficult to hide the mechanics controlling them. Overall, through, you did an excellent job in this proposals- it was well-conceived, well-written and fit perfectly into your park.
Chad H.- "Aquae Sulius". This was a very interesting concept, a traditional rapids ride with a unique finale. I doubt that the name would catch on with the general public- it would probably devolve into something like "the silly water ride", but that would not take away from the fun of the experience. The story is a bit contrived, but most riders would just go along with "the flow" and have a great time. I think the finale, the geyser lifting the raft up to the surface, was a very original idea, one that I am not familiar with on any water ride.
One thing that disappointed me was that you seemed to ignore the historic part of Bath, the ruins that are so famous around the world. I would have rather had the queue area weave through a recreation of the ruins, then entering the retrofuturistic building you showed (great choice of pics, btw), thus tying together the historic Roman past of Bath and the present/future use of the Springs.
One thing- proofread your work. Under the "Ride Experience" part there is a part of a sentence that hangs with no finish. As far as you have progressed in this competition, don't get sloppy. It could be the deciding factor against competitors as tough as you are up against.
Overall, this is a very good proposal, strong in theme and original in conclusion.
Bryce McGibeny- "Cultura Avventura" is a very appropriate water attraction for your park, well-chosen to provide visual excitement to the land and well-conceived to both educate and entertain its riders. Although the name would probably never catch on, this attraction would be a fun experience for your guests. No, it is not a technologically innovative attraction, but it would push technology to the limit in its many demands for detailed animatronics and visual effects. I liked the movement from real visual sightseeing (the "fly-over" of ancient Rome reminded me of the London fly-over in Peter Pan) to the a.a. depiction of daily life to the demonstration of the mythology of Roman culture and religion. Your choice of using an aqueduct as the ride channel was an excellent one, incorporating a historically appropriate structure into a modern attraction. This was a well-conceived proposal, well-presented (with a few grammatical errors that an independent proof-reader should have caught before posting) and would be a great addition to your park.
Jay R.- "Where the Wild Things Are" is a great addition to your park, an exciting yet family-friendly attraction that all can enjoy. As in many of your attractions so far, knowledge of the story is not required to enjoy it, and this attraction would possible (probably) encourage riders not familiar with the story to read the book. The queue area was an interesting concept, but might lead to some unpleasantness between guests (I can see two kids fighting over moving something, or someone getting hurt) and would probably have a high level of wear-and-tear. The change of the loading area from a bedroom to the sailboat launch would be fantastic to witness. I thought the ride through the book was fascinating to read and would be an amazing experience for all riders.
This attraction was true to the original story, was very well-presented in your proposal, and would be a highlight of your park.
Mike Kinshella: Another Doc Savage ride, another great entry. The ride was exciting and full of effects, but never allowed this to hinder the storytelling. Some of the effects were hard to picture mentally, while others really interested me. There was everything from Animatronics and pyrotechnics, to the smell of each creature's breath and the vibrations from the roars. The ride itself was really well done, mixing a fun and exciting story with some good ride technologies.
Chad H: I think your idea of an underground rapids ride was a great one, and it was even better that you went out of your way to include the safety inclusions. The story itself was probably one of your weaker ones, with the scientific/historical aspect you aimed for before nearly lost, besides the basic theme of the story. The ride itself was an enjoyable experience, and would certainly be quite atmospheric. The ending was also unique, and I enjoyed it a good bit. I think if you had included a bit of a bigger scientific aspect, your ride would be better than it is, but it was a great ride nonetheless.
Bryce McGibeny: Your ride this week was really well put-together and had that mix of education and excitement I was looking for. You were right in saying that the technology was nothing superb, but I think that would help guests enjoy the ride's scenes even more. The scenes of life in Rome was an interesting way to put it, and it had the education element that didn't bog down the whole ride. Everything from family life to school to religion was shown, and was really well detailed. Overall, your ride was well done, even if the technology is nothing extremely innovative.
Jay R: I really liked your Where the Wild Things Are ride this week. The simple idea of retelling the classic story will appeal both to fans of the book, as well as newcomers who haven't read a single word of the book. The ride managed to be thrilling and serene at the same time, which was really well done. The queue both interested and bothered me, however. The idea of encouraging guests to throw things around and mess up the queue seems like it would lead to congestion and maybe some minor injuries. The bedroom scene would be absolutely breathtaking if done right. however, and really transitioned the story.
Mike Kinshella: In a world with so many subpar themed water rapids rides, you’ve created one with a rich story and hair-raising twists. The ride reminded me of a culmination of Adventureland in rapid form, including everything from animals, lost civilizations, and pirates. The volcano themed ending served as an excellent storyline within your attraction. I loved the idea of going on a water rapids ride, and suddenly you’re surrounded by lava. This could have easily worked as a premise for your whole attraction. I have no doubt the riders would be thrilled, scared, and certainly wet.
Chad H: Rather than continuing with the British theme, I feel like you keep on delving in a science direction for your theme park. The ride itself was good, with endless thrills and constant turns. However, it seemed void of much theming besides the story to go with the tide. The ending was a nice twist that helped to make your ride a little bit more memorable.
Bryce McGibeny: The ride started with a nice theme, one that fits great within your theme park. While educational, it did not overbear the visitors and some of your other rides have done. The introduction of the myths and legends projected the ride into high gear, being a fantastic addition to the ride. The ride become very well rounded, incorporating history with the mythology, that would appeal to a broader audience.
Jay R: While a majority of the rides were based on thrills and getting wet, I liked that you took a more family emphasized approach to this week’s challenge. “Where the Wild Things Are” works great as a setting for this water ride. You’ve managed to display the beautiful scenery surround the rapid ride, which worked as an interesting balance. The only faulty part of this proposal seemed to be the queue where I can picture madness ensuing among families and children.
1. Mike Kinshella
2. Jay R
3. Bryce McGibeny
The bottom two will be comprised of Chad H and Alan Hiscutt.
