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This is the issue here. Everyone wants a hyper coaster, including me, but I also want to spend $30~million on park improvements. One of the things I've said before is that if I got my way with everything, the parks would be bankrupt by the end of the week. Obviously you can't have both, there is only so much money to spend. They've not been afraid to invest in the parks, and for the most part they spend it on pretty decent stuff. But you can't deny what's been going on inside the parks either, and that's what I'm getting at. From the outside it looks like shit went down at Dreamworld, and insurance went way up, and before anyone could do anything someone from finance has just said 'we're not paying to insure it, whatever it is get rid of it' despite that leaving both parks looking well below their best right when they need the parks to be looking good (both from a traditional peak season POV but also just for public perception). Or it could be that the themeing was actually dangerous and Viking's was run past the point where it was safe to run it. Neither of those possibilities cast VRTP in a good light. It's funny you should mention Pirate Ship; I've heard through the grapevine that the park did lament closing Pirate Ship, and looked into getting a replacement, but they then discovered it would be too tall and they couldn't get permission. Given they built Storm after that story was told I tend to think it was bogus or just one of those things where someone tells a story to justify a crappy decision. On a similar note Skyway was actually on the chopping block for a long time before it closed, like they knew they were getting rid of it a couple years before it went, and I remember someone buttered up the staff saying 'Once Storm opens Skyway with have to close because of how close it is'. That story came from an entertainment manager so who knows where they got that story from, but it's a weird story for someone to go ahead and make up. Of course Skyway and Storm went on to co-exist for a year or so before Skyway closed, so that story was also some made up to soften an unpopular decision. Heck I'm surprised no one has made the excuse that the reason Mammoth Plunge is still there is because if they took it down they wouldn't be able to build that tall there again (in the past the tower did stand without slides for a year or 2 so it's not that) I got side tracked but the point of these stories is to say I'm skeptical when I get given some story about why something has to close, when the reality is components just reached the end of their life and it wasn't deemed worth it to replace, and I think there's a bit of that going on now. 'Oh we started to re-do the themeing then we realized it wasn't going to be done but we opened it anyway so guests don't miss out'. 'Yeah we closed the Flume ride but there's a new attraction coming in 3 years and that's why we closed it'. 'WnWS has seen it's attendance drop because of events at Dreamworld rather than the reputation for poor customer service and the lack od new attractions'. You can see why I'm skeptical about it right? Like I say, I'm not knocking them for the investments they've made in the theme park division, clearly it's to be commended but I reserve the right to notice and bemoan the fact that despite all the money going in, the parks seem to be going backwards right now. That's not really something that's up for debate, the parks are going backwards right now. Finally, as for our parks v American parks, yeah it's not going to happen that we get something on that scale for a long time. Low population combined with higher operating costs makes for a bad time for parks like that out here. I think sometimes though it is easy to lose sight of how good some of the stuff here is. Like Superman is a crazy good ride. WWF is also all kinds of awesome, likewise Giant Drop is that class with the really big boys. If Giant Drop wasn't here you'd see people saying 'could you imagine if we had a ride like that here?' and they'd be shot down in flames for being unrealistic. Yet there it is, having it's awesomeness largely taken for granted. There is really good stuff here, that's probably why I care as much as I do.

just taken, I got a better pic inside the store from my camera which I upload later, these were taken on my phone

Given that capex figure includes top golf and doesn't account for the fact that Village have more parks than Ardent, that figure is pretty meaningless and out of context. Anyway I should clarify what my point was; What I mean is they're spending so much money on a new things right now (new coaster, Top Golf etc.) that there's no money in the pot for other stuff as it comes up which it does all the time when you're in the theme park business (new Viking's boats, higher insurance premiums for Viking's/Scooby). My point wasn't that they don't invest in the theme park division, it's that at the moment they seem to be unable to spend the money needed to keep the parks running properly. If the insurance premiums have gone up why isn't there money to pay them? If the boats need replacement, why not buy more and get you through till you're ready to replace the ride properly? Why did Mammoth Plunge close last year and why is it still there? Are you really going to close a ride when you know there isn't the budget to replace it for 3 years and the park is already thread bare? Sea World is my favorite park, so yes it is going to influence my judgment of Village when they keep making the place worse. What of it? lol The irony is the resort looks great. When MW hotel I hope that they make a Hotels division and the people currently in charge of SWR run both, there's clearly some passion and drive there. There is clearly passion in the company for MW too, but it's like Dreamworld, it's making the most of scraps. WnW is also pretty stale right now but I feel like there's at least some drive to at least keep it where it is. That's not to say DW's shit doesn't stink either. Dreamworld's owners have been funneling money out of Dreamworld and into Main Event for a long time now. You won't often hear me say nice things about Ardent. I wouldn't be surprised if on the day of the Dreamworld incident no one at Ardent head office actually knew they owned the park until the media told them. But management at a park level have really made what they have available to them count recently, and unlike Village Dreamworld hasn't had stable management, so it's not entirely the fault of the current management that the park has a lot of run down areas which need sprucing up. But to the current regime's credit the park was looking great, and they were one big new ride away from something spectacular. I'm not as negative as today's posts from me would have you believe, but I think there are a lot of VRTP apologists on these boards right now, and I feel like someone has to be a counter point to all the 'Everything village do is amazing!' posts because while some of the stuff they do is genuinely great, some of it is at best pretty piss poor. (or should that be poor piss? #wherehavethebubblesgone?)

as promised..inside the shop I really hope that this store is a huge success for Dreamworld and I hope that there will be large amount of people for the launch on Saturday

I'm thinking they should open the little bar they have there and make it a nice little quiet chill out area for those so inclined. Could probably do a really small snack menu there which is just items stollen off the buffet?? Im all for more sit down eating areas and it's nice when you have some hidden gems in the park. The whole area looks great.

With regard to using Rick's courtyard, i'd like to see it used as an *gasp* actual marketplace that it is themed after - think a souk, or similar. I'm sure there's enough vendors out there at places like carrara markets that would relish the opportunity to be involved. Obviously there needs to be a level of quality, but imagine going in there for unique items to personalise and buy to take back home and remember your holiday? I'm thinking things like those 'name' brooches made out of wire, with beads and such. I'm thinking perhaps a 'drink vendor' (even if it's served out of the existing bar) that serves UNIQUE drinks to the theme. Imagine turkish coffee? or even just ice blended tropical drinks and fruit smoothies or something. If mainstreet can host an 'airbrushed hat' stall (ugh) surely we could see the courtyard utilised a little better 'in theme'....

" The concrete needs to cure before support columns can be attached, hence such a large gap between when they're poured and when we'll see the roller coaster take shape. " If this was true imaging how long a building would take to go up.

Rarely do I doubt a statement made by @joz - especially one said with such conviction that he uses the word 'reliably' - but I do have to question - if they'd planned all along to close Vikings at the time that they did, why then was work completed to fit new anti-rollbacks on the lift prior to the shuttering? I feel as though @Jamberoo Fan has *shudder* made a valid point that while they may have intended to close it sooner rather than later, that the timing of the closure was not planned far in advance, but perhaps as a result of revelations discovered during maintenance, or otherwise because of the dreamworld incident. I've always been a Village supporter. Never had a lot of time for Dreamworld and that was primarily because of what has been discussed in the past - Dreamworld management turnover, and a hesitation to spend money on the park in favour of propping main event - which led to disrepair. But the current Village situation - sure we've got some great new things coming, and they have also spent money on polishing up older attractions (Arkham, WWF, now Scooby) I do feel as though they've shot for the moon with the hyper, and have left nothing in the bank for general maintenance and operations. We've seen them drop money on non-ride improvements - but for the most part those improvements are things that will make money - like Sea World's plaza as a night venue - where is the love though? Where is the second train operation on JR and SE during peak time? Why didn't \ haven't they invested in a new Arkham train? Why do we still have 20 minutes of donuts as our signature stunt show? Why haven't we seen Sea World get some attention it deserves? MW will have two new rides - coaster and a flat - installed within 12 months of each other, yet Sea World has lost a coaster, a transport, two flumes, a water park, (in recent times anyway) and all we've seen come back is a coaster. 3 years for flume replacement is disgusting - and if they 'reliably' planned to close vikings when they did, then the new attraction should have been around the corner, not circling around the block 6 times.

In typical me fashion, I'll be judging based on the ride alone, not taking into account capacity and reliability and all that meaningless bollocks. For me, Wipeout is out of the question. Off ride, it looks pretty crazy and disorientating, but honestly on ride, it kinda just shakes you backwards and forwards and side to side a lot, isn't really forceful at all, doesn't go upside down enough, and lacks any fun moments of airtime. I haven't ridden Doomsday, but I can pretty safely say it wiuldn't be my favourite out of this list. The only question for me about Doomsday is whether I'd place it above or below Wipeout, I really can't say without riding it. The Claw is the one I'd much rather ride at Dreamworld. It's forceful at the bottom, with incredible airtime at the top. It's such a graceful ride and nothing quite beats the moments when you're right at the top of the swing and verging on being upside down while weightless. It's truly the best flat ride on the Gold Coast. Now, onto SurfRider. This ride is properly intense. The faster spinning feels out of control, the short turnaround at the base is forceful, and the airtime is brilliant. The moments when you're reaching the top sideways and get weightlessness as you rotate around at the very maximum facing upwards are the best. I think this is a tremendously underappreciated ride, and I strongly recommend for anyone who hasn't ridden it because of queues or any reason to ride it next time, you've really been missing out. So SurfRider gets my vote, mainly because it has the force and the airtime of The Claw, but the faster spinning makes it less graceful and more intense for me. It's a properly brilliant ride, plus, it counts as a credit, even more reason to give it a ride.

Bat Breads!!!! <3 <3 <3

When we visited Sea World a couple of months ago we arrived at 9:45am and left a bit before 2pm. I don't feel like I particularly missed anything. The middle of the park is like a maze, the jet ski show a yawn, Affinity not noticeably different to Imagine, the dining options in the plaza are uninspiring, and like the other parks the refill stations for soft drink are under-sized and too few.

I think this is primarily it, and it's the thing that everyone seems to be in agreement on despite this debate going around in circles. The problem faced by Sea World is some of its infrastructure is pushing 40 years now. No doubts that huge amounts of money are sunk each year into things that guests never see. Plenty more into things that guests see but don't get anything tangible from. No question it's a huge and thankless undertaking, because no one really cares about a replacement footbridge or a new kitchen. Parts of Sea World that have been replaced, rejuvenated or well maintained are looking sharp. Other parts less-so, and right now there's a few too many conspicuous reminders of old attractions, dead ends and just tired or unused portions of the park. That's not saying anything of the convoluted mess of paths, tunnels and bridges that that entire middle section of the park has become. The most promising aspect of the closure of Viking's Revenge is fixing this finally. A friend who's not a theme park type summed up Sea World perfectly on a recent visit: "Everywhere you go it looks like you're in a backstage area looking out into the park."

Thanks RossL, that is what I was chasing the info about. Where you paid a one off amount and could eat there for 3 weeks. I should have worded it better then your sarcasm wouldn't have been warranted, but thanks anyway.

hopefully not long till we this bad boy back in action ?? photos just taken

Noted and fixed!

Great update guys. Those signs at the turnstiles saying what rides are closed have been there for quite a while now, thinking probably even a couple of years. And WOW never noticed those footers in the footprint of GL, and that angled footer, don't think I've ever seen that before. And good to see they are getting the fence all completed, so they can remove those construction fences.

anyone think tim looks like a younger bill Murray?

@MaxxTheMonster "However... The ride itself is hardly themed... " That what you said. Your themed envelope stops at the fence around the ride. I'm saying you have missed the point of the whole area if you think the theming of DD stops at the ride safety fence. Some people might even agree with me but based on theming only, this ride would be close too, if not in the top 10 best themed for a spin & spew ride in the world. If you add the ride to the mix I wouldn’t say it sucks, I just think MW could had made better choices. What I would like to see is an extreme mode cycle to go along with the current mode that MW could alternate between.

I think this is taking the point a little too analytical. By that nature - i could argue that Wild West Falls isn't very well themed, as the ride itself is simply a bare concrete channel, with rubber conveyor belts, and some 'wooden' themed boats. EVERYTHING ELSE that makes that ride is just part of the themed area. Space Mountain, without the lights, wouldn't be very spacey. Sure - there is an area around doomsday that isn't 'the ride itself' but separate experiences - but come on, how much do you expect to be 'part of the ride itself' when its a stock flat ride? For me, i think they've done a fantastic job of theming 'the ride itself' as much as they can - every inch of that ride is tied into the overall look. Every other flat ride in our parks pretty well meets the same definitions - you can't count wipeout's surfboards, the giant wave, the pool underneath it, the sand around it - all you can count is a bit of fibreglass waves above your head...

The post above from @joz is so much win.

It's good that Superman got repainted. It's sad it got to the point where it was 'desperately needed' (seriously this isn't Dreamworld, management hasn't changed half a dozen times in the last few years). I'd venture that Super 8's replacement was pretty badly needed, that's a lot of money to spend for the hell of it, and I'm glad they saw the value in rebuilding the ride exactly as it was (though rankings above the lane rather than timed results work better for me and does it still record false starts? Oh well who cares it's still awesome they did that). I'm not sure I can rate replacing the mechanics at WWF as a good decision, it's an 'exactly what you'd expect' decision. Replacing old equipment is just part of running a theme park. The themeing upgrade was welcomed, though last I saw once the ride reopened they kinda left the stuff that was broken. Like the ride's open now, that's all we're doing. The plaza at Sea World is good, would probably be lower on my priority list than a new ride, and if you were serious about improving the park you'd have moved midway games. Also I'm reliably informed that the lights in the roof can be gelled for special events. They're not LEDs, it doesn't just take the press of a button, some dude has to get up there with a boom lift to change them. Super! Superman came to the parks which is good. How about characters from Storks? The Lego Movie? What about some extra villains rather than just joker and Harly Quinn? Everything else is about revenue, VR, well themed Doomsday, and new f&b outlets. Don't get me wrong of course, all of those are good things, and everyone's best mate is clearly a driving force behind a lot of it. But it's all based on 'what will we get a return on' not 'what will make the parks better' and I think unless they can change that culture they're going to continue to struggle.

All the ciders to were flat. I know I complain a lot about stuff that would cost 10s of millions to fix, but if someone can fix the beer at Dockside once and for all (it's been all over the place for years) that'd be super. We'll give it a massive shout out when it's done. Also while we're talking about booze at Sea World, license top terrace and castaway bay too please? A tiki bar at castaway bay and castaway bay attractions open till 7 or 8 would be awesome for resort guests ?

I've said it to myself before and I will say it again. Village is in a holding pattern and they have been caught off-guard. I would have thought with all they bad reviews village got last Christmas period they would have rectified the problems. Which brings me to the holding pattern. SW doesn’t know which way to move because they are waiting on the casino. MW cabin approval was slow. MW is waiting on a slow-moving car park approval before they move on the hotel. MW big thing was Doomsday and it was fenced off. Carnival was rushed and underdone. Gosh, thinking about it the list could go on and on. It’s a wonder anybody turned up. I forgot the flat beer. Who the hell thinks it’s ok to sell flat beer.

It's actually been a bad year everywhere. Dreamworld you can't blame them for everything being closed (or it's entirely their fault depending on how you look at it), but all the Village parks were under done. WnW had a new attraction miss opening day, and Super 8 was closed for the busiest part of the holidays. Movie World had it's new ride closed as well as Scooby looking like crap, as well as no extra incentive to visit during holidays (decent extended hours or entertainment offerings). Sea World closed Viking's Revenge and left it sitting there, with along with the remains of the water park and lack of decent ride options the park is in a horrible state. I'm worried about how little money Village are putting into the parks at the moment. They're spending big dollars on other things and it's noticeable how little capital they have left for in the parks stuff. At Movie World I don't blame them for Intamin ride not working, but Scooby looking like shit is on them. The lack of any new entertainment option is on them. The lacklustre parade is on them. The lack of extended trading is on them. Yes there have been some good things, almost all of them also at Movie World; Rick's Courtyard looks great, there's new Vynal on intencity, they put a bit of effort into upgrading some facilities, so credit where it's due, but they just seem to be firing on one cylinder at the moment Dreamworld were the only park park who seemed like they were trying this year. Sadly for then it was a bit like trying to fight blindfolded with your legs tied together with a hand tied behind your back. Full marks for trying but with the bulk of the rides closed and a public image that needs to be built from scratch it was always going to be a big ask. I really hope that Village and Dreamworld can get it together for next year, when the parks are going well the Gold Coast is going well. This is my hometown and I love the theme parks. I'm harsh on the parks not because i don't like them, but because I really want them to succeed, and it sucks watching them stumble like they have been.

Not just the Gold Coast, they've blamed the Dreamworld incident for a decline In Sydney too. I'm sure the reputation for poor value, unpredictable operating hours, being understaffed, consistent poor customer service, unfriendly policies and not opening a new attraction since the park opened has nothing to do with it.

So it's all Dreamworld's fault, and has nothing to do with the apparent contempt they are showing for the consumer by lacking rides and experiences worthy of a trip, and poor operations of the rides that are open resulting in long wait times? I mean, sure - the media has absolutely hammered them on every little failure, and sure, they opened scooby doo without thematic elements to minimise wait times, but they've had numerous rides down, closed others, and not running multiple ride vehicles on rides where it is capable. As pointed out in the article - interstate visitors numbers remain solid - likely because they were booked in advance... but when locals see whats happening, they stop going. I very much doubt the locals - those that i've seen comment on channel 7 facebook posts saying things like "leave our theme parks alone" are avoiding the park just because they think the parks may be unsafe... they're avoiding the parks (IMO) because nothing is there to bring them back!

Ive been in Queensland for the past 9 days and i've forgotton what a blinker looks like.

I'd like to see an extra question in the poll Does Jamberoo need to create a poll every time he creates a new topic? [x] No [x] No

Ummm, I think we're talking about different things. I think the question was about the unlimited dining which you could go to Ricks Cafe several times for, as opposed to just once. Maybe I've misunderstood.

I can't find it. Also looks like the Hunger Buster offer is also no longer available for their other food places.

I seriously don't understand why people in such a niche community as this think they can say things that are clearly rubbish, and upon being called out for their rubbish, instead of owning up or simply shutting up, they continue to defend themselves with yet even more rubbish. No one's buying it, and even if they did you gain nothing out of it because in the end you are still spewing rubbish. We seriously don't need your shit here.

Say what?! Village has historically and continues to spend the vast bulk of its capital expenditure on the Gold Coast theme parks. Since FY09 Village have spent over $300m of capital expenditure on their Gold Coast parks. In the same time period Ardent / Main Event have only spent $72m. i.e. VRL have spent 4.1x as much! In FY16 Village spent $59.2m out of a company total of $98.9m of capex on the Gold Coast parks (the remaining capex was only that high because they rolled out a couple of new cinema sites). In FY16 Ardent spent $9.6m out of a company total of $158.7m (!) on DW/WWW. The vast majority of expenditure went to Main Event. Ardent / Main Event have spent tonnes of opex on the guest experience in DW/WWW this Summer because the year is already a total and utter write-off from an earnings perspective in DW/WWW due to the late October tragedy. Following the sale of their Gym business and Marinas they have a comfortable enough financial position (almost no debt) that they can afford to subsidise the parks to help them recover from the tragedy more quickly (probably in order to sell it for a better price and become a pure exposure to the Main Event business in the US). The evidence shows however that it is Village and not Ardent / Main Event that has historically cared about its theme park business and invested to keep it sustainable. Ardent / Main Event has used DW/WWW as a cash cow to first fund its foray into Gyms and then more recently fund a headlong rush into rolling out the Main Event business in the US. I know you are a big fan of Seaworld and obviously disappointed at its current low ride count but I put it to you that this is colouring your judgment. You aren't privy to why Vikings Revenge was closed (I suspect massively elevated insurance costs on a self-built ride) or why they didn't finish the refurbishment of Scooby-Doo (I suspect an excess of caution post the DW disaster has generated more work than originally expected).

That capex figure doesnt include Top Golf. That spend will be across the FY17 and FY18 years. Even adjusting for the fact that Village is the bigger operator it has demonstrably spent more money on every metric: capex / $ of revenue capex / admission capex / depreciation. I happen to agree that SW is getting the short end of the stick particularly for ride enthusiasts. I think though part of that reflects the fact that the park is but one of a portfolio of offerings that are most commonly sold together and I suspect they have been getting better returns on incremental investment on new rides at MW. I also think they have made some poor decisions in the past that have come back to haunt them. E.g. Getting rid of a perfectly good pirate ship! My frustration is how enthusiasts that are supposed to be supportive of parks seem to jump at the opportunity to blame Village for every woe that befalls them. This despite the fact that they are clearly the more committed company to the industry and that the parks havent been a great investment for them for some time now with earnings peaking in FY10. i.e. 7 years ago! By the way increased insurance premiums are an opex item not capex. It hits the earnings statement as soon as it is spent. Moreover I doubt the increase would have been a one off. More likely than not the ongoing increased cost made the ride completely financially unviable to continue to operate. When you have incidents like this premiums can go up A LOT. Like multiple times what was previously being paid. I dont think it is a coincidence that the log ride at DW (also a self built ride) is not on the new park map.