Leaderboard

Oh come on - he's been on the boards long enough to have read it. Just ignore the little shit.

I thought i'd have a read of this one, and the whole way through, i'm waiting for the negatives. The downsides. The problems. We all know Movie World has these, and even with a fastpass, I expected to hear some negatives. I started to think that everything was just way to rosy just to be an opinion piece... of course at the end - the little disclaimer that the writer visited the park as a guest of movie world - so its a promo piece, not a legitimate opinion. I'm not knocking a little bit of promotion to their target audience - and its far cheaper than TV advertising... but I don't think it's fair for them to write a completely rosy picture and not address that there are a few negatives. Reading this has given me another thought as to why the entrances are different - In JL - kids go first as the carriage has a high side, and if the door were to fly open, the adult is less likely to fall out of the gap, and more likely to hold on. With Wild West - because you're stepping over the side and down into the log, there's a risk little Johnny might slip on his way in - smash his face open and shut down the ride - at least temporarily - those logs are wet! Plus - with the parent still on the dock, they are substantially higher than the child - who - if they slip, might overbalance the parent and result in them falling too. By having the adult go first, they are more likely to have a stable balance, hold on if needed, and less likely to smash their face as they have a better developed 'fall' instinct too. Once inside the log, they're lower than the child, and they can reach up to lift the child down and get them properly seated. I'm sure there could be other reasons, but i'm fairly certain this would be it. Ok so I still haven't seen the video, but i'm assuming based on comments that we're talking about a family, who visited from New Zealand, went to the park with a differently abled family member, and were disappointed when they found out. Ok - I've just seen the video as posted by Iwerks (Thanks @iwerks!) and I have to say this video makes me VERY angry... at the people who posted it. For starters - the video says they pre-purchased their tickets online. ONLINE. Now - many places the world over are set up to cater for persons with different abilities. Disney does it wonderfully - however, there are still adjustments to be made - Take Haunted Mansion for example. A wheelchair bound guest cannot disembark at the exit, instead riding their doom buggy through the maintenance section of the omnimover system (hidden by a curtain) and getting off at the start of the ride to re-ride back through the stretching rooms to ground level. What i'm saying though - is that wheelchair access sometimes provides a few hurdles. There may be different entrance points, or ramps located in odd places, so checking in advance to find out what kind of issues or restrictions there might be helps you pre-plan your day. I just went to the dreamworld website. clicked on 'park info' and amongst several options was one for 'guests with disabilities' - sounds like a no brainer. https://www.dreamworld.com.au/park-info/guests-with-disabilities On this page, they explain in detail about what you should do if you have a guest with a disability. Alicia DOES HAVE a disability. Although she has gross motor control, her cerebral palsy does impact on her ability to hold on. I have no idea what's going on at Rainbow's End - but I cannot imagine allowing someone onto a Disk'O without the ability to grab the handles - one could potentially break their spine due to the lateral forces. As for Rainbow's end - and using Alicia's ability to ride there as a reason why she should be allowed to ride here is crazy. That's like an american coming to australia, and having a blood alcohol content of 0.08 while driving because thats what they do back home? There is no reason or excuse for them not to have known what was required before coming as it is clearly posted on the website (the way back machine confirms it's been there prior to their visit too). If they'd read this, they'd also have realised that they could purchase a cheaper admission ticket at the gate for Alicia, due to the restrictions. Next up is the claim that the ticket booth staff didn't say anything about them needing a rider pass. Well... i'll have to throw back to the website here again, as it says once you have a rider pass, it's valid for 6 months, so you don't have to go there every time (and I must say this is better than VRTP who issue a wristband with punch holes that only works the day you're there). Would it have been nice for the ticket staff to enquire whether they had a pass already? Definitely, and this might point to some training needed for the ticket staff - especially at the wide-access gate... but given they were with locals (who I presume were passholders) they might have assumed the locals knew what they were doing. Would it have hurt for them to ask the gate attendant themselves? or did they just expect it to be presented on a platter? By the sounds of things, the ride attendant at shockwave was following the rules, incredibly apologetic and directed the guests appropriately to the place they needed to be. The staff at the first aid centre also sound like they were quite friendly. The staff could have had a quiet word with Alicia's carer if she wished to avoid embarassment to explain that there were rides she would not be able to go on, rather than just give them the pass and let them find out for themselves, and for this I fault Dreamworld, but again - arguing that she's done that particular ride in another country doesn't mean the park should bend their rules. No mention is made of whether she rode Corkscrew at RE, so not sure how she sits with 'being able to ride everything' and i'm almost certain she wouldn't be able to - but that is just opinion, not fact. I'm dubious about the quoted wait time - especially since it was phrased "about half an hour" despite the video stating that the gopro was on record the whole time, so it would have been possible to state down to the second how long that process took. Like we all know - waiting in queues feels like longer unless you have something to do. However - I'm assuming the staff member responsible for rider assessment is probably employed there as a first aid nurse or similar, and for all we know they were attending to an injury at the other side of the park. Medical needs should always take priority over disabilities - but blow me down if the park didn't offer them a queue jump for their trouble, which despite saying valid only once - they admit they used many times, gaining an unfair advantage over other park guests - most of which would have been kids by the sounds of the rides she was allowed to do. And while i'm mentioning the gopro - how dare they not only record staff without their knowledge or permission, but then post it online! Of course, they've now edited the video to remove those parts, but to do so in the first place is unacceptable. And finally, i'm disgusted at the use of the word "discrimination" as they were never discriminated against, except for their health and safety - which is lawful in Australia under the Disability Discrimination Act. This video represents in entirety a smear against Dreamworld. A blow for which they try to lessen at the end by redirecting their issue at the manufacturers of the rides and parks worldwide. Of course, the fact that she has ridden the RE version of Shockwave makes it seem like the manufacturer claim isn't quite true, but then the rider assessment can be subjective for the person making the assessment each day, and you could potentially get two different results based on who did the assessment. Unfortunately, the park has final say in matters such as this, and whilst its very sad Alicia wasn't able to ride certain things, the video portrays the park as uncaring. They claim they should have been told before arriving at the gate (they were - https://www.dreamworld.com.au/park-info/guests-with-disabilities) - everything after that, whilst certain elements could have been done better by dreamworld - was entirely their own fault. I'm prepared to get flamed on some of the opinions i've expressed here. I'm certainly happy to read a reasonable response and have a civilised debate - and i'll happily admit if i've got something wrong too. Unreasonable, petty or insulting responses will receive the same in reply.

GL's audio makes it three times as good, at least for me. HWSW's not so much, but GL's really goes with the ride and makes it a whole lot more immersive. They should really make sure it's working 100% of the time, because it makes the ride a lot better.

Visit the Parkz Shop After a lot of great feedback from members, I'm really pleased to say that everything has come together nicely to offer our first range of products. Everything is in stock (and looks great) and I urge everyone to have a look. To answer a few inevitable queries... Is it secure? Our checkout process is secured by SSL (https://) and payments are processed by leading online payment company Stripe. We don't store any credit card information. Who am I buying from? Parkz is operated by Timber & Steel Pty Ltd. All payments will appear on your credit card statement as such. How are orders shipped? Australia Post Regular and Express. When will orders be shipped? We'll aim to get all Express Post orders shipped within one business day and Regular Post orders within one week. Wherever applicable we'll provide tracking information and if there's any delays at our end we'll try and let you know ASAP. What if an order goes missing, is incorrect, broken etc.? Contact us and we'll sort it out. When will you have my size? We have limited numbers of shirt sizes to begin with, but we'll try and keep up with it and order in new quantities as needed. How do digital subscriptions work? If you join the Parkz Crew your account will automatically be upgraded for the duration of your membership. At its conclusion you will be sent a reminder to renew; if you choose not to renew then your account will revert to its previous level. We don't automatically renew memberships. Help! Something went wrong! The ecommerce facility is a new feature to Parkz so if you encounter any issues please let us know and we'll look into it. The Parkz Shop: http://www.parkz.com.au/forums/store/category/2-parkz-store/

I picked up a couple of articles breaking this morning with announcements from SeaWorld Parks US that they would discontinue their orca breeding program, and cease 'entertainment' style shows, in favour of more 'conservation & education' shows. Unfortunately I caught the articles on mobile so I can't share them (if anyone picks them up on PC please feel free to share the links). Also - regarding @Wyncenuros' post above - the blue world proposal is not going ahead. One of the stipulations made by the approving body required them to end their breeding program to receive approval. This in itself is ridiculous - the blue world proposal would have cost $100 million. The cost (like with most construction) would probably have cost more than that when finished. For the park to build a $100 million dollar facility, for animals that will no longer breed, means the facility would be useless within the lifespan of their current animals. Onto the other statements - SeaWorld announced that the 'shows' would change within 3 years. I am saddened to hear this as my Son will never get to see these beautiful animals the way that I have seen them. The 'conservation' suggestion is an interesting one, and one I hope SeaWorld can do well in order to keep the crowds coming. If Sea World GC's Dolphin show is what they mean when they refer to a 'conservation' style presentation, i'm all for it - natural swimming behaviours without 'beaching' tricks would still be just fine for me. As for ending the breeding program - I've commented on this previously. The animals are a social pod animal. I'm disappointed that this signals the end of Orca at SeaWorld eventually, but agree it is the right thing to do - the problem here is that the pod will eventually die out, and the last surviving animals will lead a very lonely existence. This however is probably still many years off given the life expectancy of Orca. Regardless - anything SeaWorld does short of releasing these animals into the wild will meet criticism by animal rights groups - although some are quietly celebrating this victory. Now, instead of constructing the biggest simulated natural habitat ever, the remaining Orca are destined to live out their lives in the so-called "cruel concrete pools". The other day, a post went viral on facebook sharing a person's own views on Blackfish, debunking the myths and presenting some really good arguments. I can't find it now but that also would be worth a post. I hope that I am able to one day take my son to see an Orca up close before they are all lost, and whilst my comments here today have been riddled with the disappointment I have - I know that this is ultimately the right thing to do. I just hope the animals still held by SeaWorld do not suffer as their pod dwindles, and I look forward to seeing how SeaWorld reinvents itself without the Orcas as their mainstay. Here's hoping the dolphin show gets a facelift!

WTF... Dreamworld has done nothing wrong. It's clearly listed on their website about what disabled guests need to do. Australian safety laws are a lot stricter than what they'd be like at a small park in NZ, how could you seriously think that they'd be the same? Dreamworld was perfectly kind and acted like anyone should, they did absolutely nothing wrong. And they seem really impatient... they waited 10 minutes in a line and complained about that being long... they seriously need to learn what patience is. If she wanted to break her spine and not only have issues with her motor control but have no motor control at all, then all she had to do was ride something like the motocoaster in a main car. And that probably would've led to a lawsuit against Dreamworld, so Dreamworld is just doing what they need to do to keep both her and the park safe. Discriminating is not the right word. Dreamworld was helping her, not discriminating her. They did what was safe for both her and the park. They completely misused the word discriminating. And what's more, she liked motocoaster. That shows that something's definitely wrong. (Just needed something to lighten the mood here, I hope I haven't been too dark)

No, not batman vs superman. Super BatMan. That's been confirmed by a 100% reliable source.

Haha there's a shocking twist

I am surprised that MW have never addressed this issue. The Queensland Discrimination Act ask not to Indirect discrimination a particular group. Indirect discrimination occurs when there is a practice or condition in place for all people which negatively impacts on a particular group. For Example - When the Brisbane Convention Centre was built the shit hit the fan and it changed laws forever. A whole group of people were sued by a group because if you had to use the lift to get access upstairs, you had to travel a further distance than if you were an able person and could use the stairs located out the front. As a results The National Building Code now calls out Australian Standards relating to the Discrimination Act.

There seems to be two issues here... 1. The complete lack of authenticity/transparency on Dreamworld's behalf. From the footage, it seems like they approached the problem with some trepidation knowing that the news would not be good. 2. The ride manufacturers, as we all know, are internationally based and these standards should affect all installations across the world. Obviously, this is not the case, however those in the video lack respect for park/state/federal safety regulations and policies which are put in place to protect their safety. Of course I am empathetic to their case and would be disheartened to receive this news and have this experience, however it is the strict adherence to such rules that allow our parks to remain virtually accident-free. It's a very touchy subject, but unfortunately in this case I think Dreamworld were right not in their handling of the issue, but in their dedication to safety.

Had my first ride on Hot Wheels yesterday. Massive improvement on Cyclone, appeared faster, definitely smoother, audio a good addition and brake run into the station much better