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VRTP needs to fundamentally rethink their message and marketing Village Roadshow Theme Parks need a significant shakeup of their marketing strategies if they want to climb out of this slump sooner rather than later. Click here to continue reading

Have just removed a bunch of posts as I think it's been said enough times to keep things in topic. Last night I split a bunch of posts off this thread, however that wasn't enough of a hint to keep discussions on topic so today I'm less forgiving and they're just gone. Its not hard to start a new thread if you want to take the convo off direction. This isn't TPR.

Speaking of comparisons, and I can guarantee someone is going to take this the wrong way and have a go at me for it, but, does anyone else look at the Mack and Intamin track and while the coaster is going to be incredibly awesome in its own way, their style of track just doesn't present the same "wow" factor the box style of B&M track does?

Well they have done for the last two coasters, GL and Storm, so there is a chance:

Another Skeet theory is this is only set up for the announcement photos or advertising. This might not even be the toppers they will have when the coaster goes up. Picture this, the bosses of MW standing here talking about the new coaster coming.

Well, they have one thing in common with Ardent, they both like to bulldoze Meisho Double Loop Coasters.

I didn't know the rules were so strict as to what can and can't be posted. It's a coaster of similar length and height built for a similar reason. Of course the actual ride is going to be more similar to Mack's other hyper but there's only one of them in the world to compare to. I put it up a length comparison, as that's what we were talking about, not a layout comparison. Just trying to showcase the actual scale of this thing being built. Goliath has a ride time of over 2 minutes if you include the lift hill. The Mack will likely traverse its layout faster but it just gives you more of an idea of how massive this thing is.

Their websites truly are terrible and seldom updated, the Movie World Map on it's on site hasn't even been updated to show off Doomsday or the Supervillains area...

A couple of other view of the track from Tuesday...also I noticed the track near the station as well so tried to get some more view and noticed what I can only assume to be some sort of mounting bracket (maybe services) on the side of the track...thoughts? Also does anyone recall if we were able to get a picture of the number of the track leading to the "loop" end of the installed section...trying to put the pieces together now that I have pictures of most of the track numbers onsite Tuesday... Thanks

I agree - I really enjoy ParkChat because it's not super-serious and just a good fun show, although they do say things I don't necessarily agree with and make mistakes from time to time (some of them are incredibly cringy). Don't find that too much of a problem though because it doesn't detract from the show's fun nature. Also

Source?

I don’t understand people uploading a video of a B&M coaster and say it is comparable to a Mack coaster. Why can't people just say it's 98 metres longer than Mack Rides other Hyper Coaster. Talking about one ride and putting up a video of another is something the Gold Coast Bulletin does.

As @Skeeta has said, each piece is said by Mack to be 10m of track length (Page 28 "Final Assembly") Then 137 pieces would make it up to 1370m of track, so this coaster will be 4493 feet long. Just some perspective for you, Flash is 4,176.5 feet long, so we are getting a longer coaster here. A good coaster to compare to is the shortest B&M hyper Goliath at SFoG which is 4,480ft long. You could say I'm pretty hyped for this hyper.

Think you might like the piece in the distance of this pic, it shows 106 (sort of), but also what looks like either 108 or 109?\

They are using the same white crane in the car park that was used last week during the instalment of the first element. The smaller more mobile crane previous purposed for this job is installing the track near the brake run. I’m taking a guess here that it would be easier for the smaller crane to get to the back of the coaster. The total track length is 1370m and my prediction was we will see “at least” 137 pieces of track because I believe Mack Rides track segments don't exceed 10m for shipping reasons. (This does not include the track to the maintenance bay).

Okay, so I just got back from my annual trip to the GC and I have to say, despite all the negative press and downturn in attendance, this was the best visit yet. So I've decided I'm going to do a write up on every park the family and I visited, things that stood out and things that could be improved. So lets start.... Warner Bros. Movie World This was the first park we visited and also the only one where we went back for a second visit. Things we liked: Fast Photo - this is a great option for those wanting ride photos. In years past, we were very selective about which photos we wanted simply because of the asking price (close to $20 for your 6 X 8 photo). With the fast photo option, we could go on all the rides and simply just save the photos to our VIP pass to access later and print out. Admittedly, I did purchase this option for only $39 instead of the regular $99 when MW offered it last year so my opinion of it might be a bit skewed, but I guess even at the higher price, its still a good option, especially when you can print the photos off at your local Harvey Norman store for a $1 each. Atmosphere - being the busiest of the parks, there was a buzz in the park. It just felt busy and happy and the kids loved it. Licensed characters - most people know the characters, Batman, Superman, the Looney Tunes Gang, Scooby and Shaggy. The kids knew who they were too and were happy to pose for photos. DW had licensed characters too but they're not as big a name as MW's offerings. Things that could be improved: Paid photo opportunities - there were sessions where you could get a photo package with the Justice League or the Looney Tunes gang but it was limited. We lined up for a chance to get the package but just as we got to the front, they said it was sold out. Times and locations for photo opportunities - on the first day we visited, photo opportunities were rare, but on the second day, there was at least double the chances compared to the first day. They should have a listing like they do at DW where times and locations for photos are listed. Makes planning much easier. Food options - Rick's Cafe needs a major shakeup of its offerings. Overpriced for what it offers. Gotham Burgers, with its family package was tolerable as far as theme park pricing goes, but the chips tasted like ass, and the chicken tenders in the kids meals were overcooked. Scooby Doo coaster - 40 minute wait for this ride - I only had to wait 10 minutes for SE and I rode that twice in the same time I would've waited for SD! But the kids wanted to ride it so we waited. The gutted out backdrop really does this ride no favours - there's no atmosphere, no cohesiveness, it just feels like a rollercoaster in pitch black darkness. I'm aware that its due to be fixed up but the ride simply wasn't worth waiting 40 mins for. Lets hope the fix restores this ride to its former glory or better yet, improves it. Overall thoughts - a great day had by us all but you just get the feeling that MW knows its the best at the moment with their offering and are just cruising at the moment. Dreamworld This was the second park we visited but for me, the biggest surprise. Things we liked: Staff interaction - Every staff member we spoke to had a genuine, warm feeling in their interaction with us. They asked us how our day was, where we were from and even made suggestions on how to save on merchandise without being overbearing. Then there was one point late in the day when the family and I were on the DW express doing a lap and then a DW staff member boarded at the next stop and sat behind us. He began talking to us and another family, asking us how our day was, what our favourite things in the park were and anything we could suggest to improve the park. The other family then asked him about the park and how it was doing since the accident last year and he said the park realised that there was a negative perception of theme parks in general at the moment and that they were trying to rebuild the public's trust and the only way they could do that was to talk to them directly. Food offering - The Billabong Buffet was great value for money with kids eating free and soft drinks included as well. For less than the price of the Family Deal at MW, the whole family was well fed, and even had dessert thrown in as well! And the range and quality of food far exceeded that of Rick's Cafe at MW. Photo opportunities - all the photo ops and times are listed on the park map making it easy to plan our day for photos. The Photo Pass USB band which costs $50 for unlimited photos (both ride and character) is fantastic value too. Tiger Island - the whole family loved this and the walk-through shop was great. The show itself was entertaining but it could do with some improvements...... The Lego Store: This one is a no-brainer for me as I am a massive Lego fan along with my kids, and we spent close to an hour here alone - me shopping for myself, and the kids playing with the various items around the store. This store is a godsend for DW - the amount of customers exiting the park through the store, all stopping to browse and for photos, the exclusive sets, I was like a kid in a candy store. If not for the wife, I would have maxed out my credit card shopping here!! The queues - we didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes for any ride which meant the kids were able to get multiple turns on their favourite rides Things that could be improved: Tiger Island - there isn't enough seating!! Hopefully this will be resolved in stage 2 of its development but it desperately needs more seating! Gold Rush Country - Buzzsaw was closed the entire day we were there, add to that the Log Flume being out of commission and TRR's closure, there's no incentive to visit that whole side of the park. And the view from Giant Drop makes the area look so depressing. Hot Wheels Sidewinder - my god, this thing is rough!! My daughter kept complaining afterwards her neck was sore and my head was throbbing after riding this. Overall thoughts - I felt that this park was the most family-orientated of all the parks we visited. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to help, serve and/or greet us. My wife commented that she thought DW was the best of the parks we visited, but the tragedy from last year was however, still in her thoughts. If the experience we had is anything to go by, this park deserves to be doing much better than it currently is. It also needs a major, family-friendly ride of some sort to fill out the park. The Gold Rush Country area needs a major overhaul - Buzzsaw was closed when we visited so there was no real incentive to venture on that side of the park at any time throughout the day. The family man in me loved this park but the thrill seeker in me preferred MW. Seaworld The 3rd park we visited but the weakest of the ride-based theme parks. Things we liked: The covered food/retail area - the whole area looks great with the covered seating and the monorail passing through. Fast Photo - same as with MW, our Fast Photo pass allowed us to save all our ride photos. The multi-park nature of the pass made it better value for money than buying individual photos. Things that need improving: Lack of things to do - Vikings Revenge is out of commission, Spongebob 3D was closed and the lines for Storm and Jet Rescue were long enough to make us think about lining up again Not enough character photo opportunities - the kids really wanted to meet Spongebob and his cast but we didn't see him at anytime - Dora made a visit but aside from that, we didn't see any other characters. Shows are becoming stale - The Dora Show, Affinity, Fish Detectives and Jet Stunt show are essentially unchanged from the last 2 years we've visited. For a park which seems to be using its shows as it drawcards for the time being, the shows are need to be refreshed. Overall thoughts: this park really needs to be next on VR's list of improvements. The whole park at the moment, seems to be a work-in-progress. Even the park maps seem to be an afterthought, merely a printed A4 sheet that you could print out on your home printer, and in low res too no less! There wasn't enough to keep the kids entertained, let alone the adults. There's nothing new to draw us back and even the things we loved in previous years were now closed. The park isn't terrible as such, but there's just not enough to fill a full day for the family as in previous years we've been. Paradise Country The last of the theme parks we visited but felt like a value-added attraction rather than a stand alone park. Things we liked: Animal feeding - the kids loved the interaction with the animals and the free feeding was a bonus. The kangaroos roaming around brought a smile to kid's faces and the variety of animals available for the kids to feed and pet was great. Live Shows: the live shows were great and entertaining and gave us some insights into farm life. Things that could be improved: Lack of Paradise Country themed merchandise - a lot of the stuff available for sale was generic - the stuffed toys were similar to what you could find at the tourist shops in Surfers, the trinkets were all just basic stuff you can find at your typical retail outlets. The only thing I could see that was marked with Paradise Country were some of the T-shirts and even they were just a koala or kangaroo on a shirt with the Paradise Country logo. I was looking for a key chain with the Paradise Country logo on it and all they had was a photo keychain with a photo of either a kangaroo or koala with the PC logo printed over the picture. Even AOS has their own keychains with a metal logo!! Overall thoughts: I'm not going to judge this park too heavily because the way I see it, its a little value-added extra which you get on the VIP passes which you would otherwise never have got. I don't see why anyone would visit this park before going to the other parks but as a freebie with the VIP passes, its certainly worth a visit if you can spare the time. Final thoughts: While there is all this talk about how theme parks are going through a rough patch at the moment, I certainly didn't feel it and I'm still optimistic at what's coming. Obviously the new coaster at MW will be a big draw card, but if DW can keep doing what they're currently doing and add another major ride in the future, the future looks bright. Even SW, with their new attraction for 2019 has a silver lining but they'll need to add either another ride or refresh their show offerings. Paradise Country will, for the foreseeable future be the value-added extra for those looking to purchase/renew their season passes. If I had to pick my favourite of the parks, MW would just edge out DW but not by much. SW sits in 3rd and PC in fourth. Now I just need to wait another 12 long months before I return......

I wasn't able to spot the actual numbers of the last pieces but I've kept track from the pieces I do know the numbers of. Currently installed track starts at #49, ends at #61. Photo: @Brad2912 Photo: @Theme Park Girl Any chance we could see a few of those piece number photos? I think I may have found something interesting happening with pieces 105 & 106, adjacent pieces may reveal more information.

^ And in adding to this, just looking it up, I'm guessing 'Rio Bravo Mining' on the ride is a nod to the 1959 movie called Rio Bravo starring John Wayne??

Ah, well there you go. Sounds like it will be a much welcomed change both inside and out then, especially if the previous decision was causing conflict between shareholders. Onward and upwards, as they say? And @themagician thank you, really appreciate the copy and paste 👍 Can't hurt to have the full article content on here, saves everyone having to go and dig it up ☺️

What if... they never announce it...

@AlexB OK so they're wrong, let's not call people fucking muppets yeah?

The building with west burgers in it is quite large and most of it is not related to the burger place. Also I've been watching it during the Easter holidays and haven't seen it open once. Waste of space. If they want an occasional extra food outlet they could just use one or two of the stalls from Carnivale during busy periods. The space could be much better used.

I'm stunned that you think I'm a movie expert just because I enjoy visiting theme parks! Apparently I'm not "allowed" to add you to my ignored users list. Shame about that, but I'll just ignore you the old fashioned way! In future rather than waste your time hurling pointless insults at me, I suggest you likewise ignore my posts too!

Feel I'm getting dumber with every post read.

Fix the population drop the rest doesn't matter lol Yeah that's how it was just after it reopened, rather shocked to hear that nothing has changed in all that time. Does no one at Movie World care?

It would be cool if they alternated between the Movieworld Fence topper, and logos from the IP that are present in the park - e.g. Green Lantern logo, Movieworld Logo, Batman logo, Movieoworld Logo, Scooby Doo logo, and so on.

I agree with @pushbutton, and surprised you found DWs buffet better. I've done both of them, and definitely think MWs is way better, in the quality of food and layout. Also, with Tiger Island, stage 2 doesn't include additional seating, it's just adding the new exhibit space to the left, and the new photo area. The stadium definitely does fill up, but the can't really add more now. They do have all the tables and chairs at the top, but you can't see from them. For MW, you can go to Guest services and ask for the character appearances on the day, and the same with SW. Just a tip for future, so the kids don't miss out.

The ride is due open at Warner Bros. Movie World in September.....and due to be announced in December.

^ Exactly!!! 👏 I know it's an unpopular theory, but I'm actually becoming even more open (and excited!) to this concept now. And let's not forget that whilst the coaster is in DC corner, it's also located right next to the movie studios as well 😆😆😆

In the interests of everyone's sanity, let's try and keep these guidelines in mind when sharing photos from parks. 1. Don't ask for photos Rest assured if someone is in a position to get photos of something interesting, they will. 2. Don't ask what to take photos of By the same token, don't ask in advance if anyone wants photos of something in particular. If you see something cool, snap a photo and share it. 3. Don't tell us you're going to be taking photos We don't need to be told hours or days in advance of your impending visit. No one cares. Share the photos you do get, but you don't need to announce it in advance. 4. Check it's new before posting Try and keep up to date on the discussion and minimise duplicates.

Mate - I know you're new here, so i'm going to be really really nice. You're a fucking muppet. @Levithian has already said they CANNOT USE THE STUDIOS FOR FRIGHT NIGHTS. This is WHY they built the sheds out near west. Muppet. Muppet. Muppet. Below is the west burgers building. You aren't worth my time with measurements and such, so i've included intencity for scale - as you can see, almost the entire building (if you exclude the skill games area at the top) will fit within the dodgem cars arena. Hardly 'quite large'. Seriously - just shut the fuck up.