Well, it has been more than half a year but the memories are still fresh in my mind. So i shall continue the documentation of our family vacation in Gold Coast last June/July.
Initially we had planned to go to MovieWorld on Wednesday instead of Friday. When we purchased the 3 Worlds tickets online, I saw that the ticket holders can join the Carnivale in MovieWorld for free after 6pm. However, the last date of the Carnivale was 30 June, which was the first day that we arrived. Hence we decide to give it a miss and go for MovieWorld on Wednesday.
Thanks to wifi, I was checking through my email and realised that the Carnivale has been extended due to popular demand and we are still entitled to join as long as we register online but the slots were pretty limited and we managed to book for Friday.
So finally! The kids were awake early as usual. I often wonder why the kids seems to be able to wake up earlier during vacations and weekends but tends to sleep in during school days. Anyway, we fed the kids with milk before we gotten ready for another day of fun and excitement.
 |
| Hello MovieWorld |
 |
| Me & my munchkin |
Janelle was delighted as she saw all the character mascots within the theme parks though she has not been exposed to Warner Bros characters before. Jayven, on the other hand, needed some time to warm up to the mascots as they were everywhere within the park. We started the day by going around to take photos with the characters as they greeted the guests when the doors open.
 |
| See how happy Janelle was and how cautious Jayven was |
 |
| A group photo with Tweety and Daffy |
 |
| Hello Sylvester! You can see the happy girl and the reluctant boy LOL |
 |
| Group photo with Sylvester |
 |
| My hubs was excited when he saw Batman appearing |
 |
| Oh! and not missing the sexy Catwoman |
 |
| Apparently, my boy is not keen in sexy women yet LOL |
One thing to note when visiting a theme park is the showtimes for different performances. The first show for the day was the Hollywood stunt show, which left all of us impressed. This is a show not to be missed as they left us ooh-ing and ahh-ing many times during that 15 - 20 minutes. I guess that is as close as we can get to viewing the stunts live as compared to watching it on the big screen.
 |
| Waiting for the show to start |
 |
| The scene for the stunt show |
 |
| The impressive car stunts |
 |
| OOHHHHHHH |
 |
| One stunt after another |
 |
| End of the stunt show. Bravo for the stuntmen |
After the show, we continue to move around the park and met more characters and watched street performances such as Batman and Scooby Doo.
There was never a moment of dullness in the park.
 |
| Janelle interacting with Batman. Jayven was holding onto me tightly at this point as he was afraid of him |
 |
| The Batman asked for her name and she gladly replied |
 |
| Say cheese |
Next, we saw a big crowd at the central area and spotted the Looney Tunes characters. However, this was a ticketed photo taking area, meaning that we have to pay AUD20 for photo opportunity with the Looney Tunes gang and receive a photo printout.
 |
| Well, we are on a vacation so why not? Joining in the queue for photo taking |
 |
| SMILE! with Looney Tunes |
 |
| Going on the merry-go-round ride in Looney Tunes land |
 |
| One of Janelle's favourite ride. She went on similar ride at SeaWorld too. Jayven was very sad as he was denied entry due to his height once again. |
 |
| See my happy girl! |
 |
| The kids also went on junior bumper car ride. We wanted the sister to bring the brother along by her side but the staff do not allow 2 persons in one car so he has to ride on his own. Initially we were worried that he would not be able to reach the pedal and join in the game. To our surprise. he managed to step on the pedal and had fun bumping about |
 |
| The girl who was anxious to get onto the purple car when she was at the queue |
 |
| My happy babies |
We went on a few rides and played carnival games before the parade starts at 4pm. Crowd started to form at around 3.15pm. The kids were tired and hungry by then hence we found a good spot to rest and fed the kids while waiting for the parade.
 |
| The long-awaited parade show |
 |
| Tweety, Sylvester and Daffy |
 |
| Hello Tweety! |
 |
| Scooby Doo and his gang |
 |
| The WB superheroes |
 |
| Catwoman |
 |
| Batman |
 |
| Hi Scooby! |
The kids enjoyed the parade and we brought them for a few more rides before we had to leave the park at 5.30pm. All the theme parks really closes early in Gold Coast.
 |
| A jump shot from the happy girl |
We left the park as it closed for the day at 5.30pm.
But we were filled with anticipation as there was part 2 to the adventure in MovieWorld. We are waiting for the doors to open at 6pm for Carnivale!
 |
| Welcome to MovieWorld Carnivale |
 |
| Photo time! while waiting for doors to open. |
 |
| Nope. That masquerade mask is not a door gift. We bought it at AUD25. Afterall, what's a carnival if we are missing the props? |
When the doors open, the place was filled with carnival mood with the music playing out loud. My girl even started dancing while my boy was snoozing away. But we still had to wait for approx. half an hour before the carnivale officially started with an opening parade.
WELCOME TO MOVIEWORLD CARNIVALE!
 |
| Opening show @ Carnivale |
The opening show really liven up the atmosphere for the carnival. Everyone was ready to party, we can expect different acts at different areas, performers along the street, acrobats with fire stunts, silk aerialists, characters saying hi to the party goers and yummylicious food to fill our tummies. It was indeed a fun-filled carnival!
 |
| Enjoying marshmallow candy |
 |
| The sad girl who woke up to her balloon sculpture missing the light (as she saw others with lights and they happened to run out of the lights upon our turn) |
Some of the rides are still in operation for the carnival but we did not go for the rides again. The kids were busy with photo taking with the characters, watching street performances, watching magic show and queuing up for the balloon sculptures.
As it tends to get chilly at night, my MIL was feeling really cold and we went to a cafe for hot beverage before the night parade.
 |
| Another street performance. I wonder why they do not feel cold. |
 |
| Taking photos with performers |
2.5 hours into the carnival, the night parade started at 8.30pm. Everyone lined the streets to watch the carnival parade. It is indeed an eye-opener as we could hardly see such acts or parades in SIngapore even though the event is an carnival-themed. Moreover, the weather is perfect as it was cold and we do not feel stuffy or hot watching the parade. Even the kids loved the parade. The performers started throwing coloured bead necklaces along the parade and everyone was trying to catch them.
Luckily we managed to get 2 so the kids will have one each.
 |
| Catch the characters in their carnival attire! |
The parade ended in 20 minutes and it is time to say goodbye to the place. We had a great day (and evening) at MovieWorld. Everyone enjoyed themselves and it was a good experience at the Carnivale. I am so glad that I saw that email and managed to book slots for the complimentary entry to Carnivale. Perfect time, perfect place!
 |
| The boy with the confetti at the after-parade party |
 |
| Romance is in the air. So glad to be there with my hubs and family |
 |
| The boy playing with the confetti |
 |
| They love the parade ending |
 |
| The night view of the theme park |
Everyone was exhausted by the time we reached our apartment. After tucking the kids to bed, I messaged my friend for the meeting place and time as we will be meeting them the next day!
The kids enjoyed the parade and we brought them for a few more rides before we had to leave the park at 5.30pm. All the theme parks really closes early in Gold Coast.
