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If Dreamworld continues with the current status quo on the little things, then something big is pointless, because the status quo is they don't give a shit. Of course rubbish and toilets aren't the current issues, they were just simplistic examples. The actual "little things" at the park are a little more subtle, yet still very noticeable. Its the little things like having your rides open for the same amount of time that your park is open. Its like operating a ride that has 40 seats with 20 empty seats because if you load it any more, you'll break it, and if you load it any less, its too expensive to run. its like having a brand new ride working, staff trained, everything ready to open, and not opening it, and not telling anybody why. its like cutting off the walkway to half of your park, making everyone walk the alternative, much longer way around, and then not operating your lone transport ride to help move people around the park a bit easier. Its like having multiple alternative locomotives you could run to keep a train operating, but opting instead to shutter it, because the alternatives are more expensive its like identifying a risk of injury to riders and bolting on a homemade contraption rather than talking to the industry to use the same device far and wide about how they managed it. its like resetting a pump for the third time, by a technician who wasn't supposed to reset it, to keep a ride running that policy says shouldn't run if it needs resetting more than twice in a day. its like not bothering to upgrade your rides to modern safety standards like having properly functioning e-stops. its like having numerous incidents where people could have been killed, and not making any changes, until someone IS killed. The current status quo in small things means they have no business building big things. Its bigger than garbages and toilets - but I guess even Dreamworld can't fuck up trash and shit.

News Flash! I have just been informed by the Park that they will double the size of the Water Park this winter ready for next Summer re-opening of the Water Park. Trading has been very strong this summer. GW is a work in progress, the guys know it but they are making great strides. At the rate they are going they will eclipse the others in time.

Honestly it’s no wonder the park is dead, they haven’t done anything since TRR to bring the guests back. Sure a lot of have returned to support the park, but that support wears thin when it’s clear Ardent don’t give a rats. It is incredibly sad to see the park as it is right now, and Ardent only have themselves to blame. Here’s what they need to do in my mind to help pull themselves out of this hole they have dug for themselves (ardent you are free to use any of these ideas Royalty Free). Open Skyvoyager pronto, and explain why the delay has occurred, get out there and really sell the experience. Tell the public what your plans are for the old Goldrush sure, be upfront about what’s going on in the park right now, and be as graphic as possible. Spend a bit of money and get an artist to draw up some plans. Commit to building a kick arse Rollercoaster, something Dreamworld has been lacking since Superman Escape came to town. People love and miss the old Dreamworld, so bring back the little and cheap but important experiences like the steam train, barbershop quartet, but hey how about you go full hog here and do a little Dreamworld history museum, they would have enough stuff in their archives to show some stuff off in a small room, or heck a big room like the old brock museum. Last but not least, they should be doing everything they can to keep attractions open. The train closure is a stupid one, because the attraction is closed for the first 5 months of the year due to the tractor being a pos, the park should be doing everything they can to keep it running, get the Baldwin back in steam, or worst case use the simplex diesel. The train is an important attraction for the park, yet also an easy one to run and problem solve, if they can’t keep it running then there is no hope. For the park to survive any further, they need to stop playing the “feel sorry for us” game and actually give people a reason to visit. People aren’t visiting because the Dreamworld today isn’t any better than what Dreamworld was like in 2016, infact with all the ride closures it is a much worse park right now than just before TRR.

I'd love to see executive-level management sweat the small details again like their predecessors did. Back in the day, both Longhurst & Menzies would roam their respective parks looking for the little inconveniences that inevitably added up if left unresolved - in Longhurst's case he'd sit in the IMAX Theatre and watched throughput when the film finished, he'd jump on the train and listen in on the narration whilst checking how clean the trains were and would be so fastidious about how well kept the gardens were that people would come to Dreamworld just to see the flower-beds. In Menzies' case, it's somewhat well known that he would go to the parks with his wife on Christmas just so he could see the parks without anyone hassling him. Basically it's all about fine-tuning every possible moment of the customer experience. Until you've sat in every seat at Green Bean, you won't know how many table-sets are in the glaring hot sun or which tables are too close to the speakers. Until you've lined up as a guest for Tower of Terror, you won't realise how hot, sweaty and smelly the queue line stairs are. Until you've walked up to the Aquaman Exhibit as a punter, you won't realise how the entrance is very un-inviting etc. etc. etc. etc. It's such a simple thing to do and yet no one does it often enough.

I don't know - ask Bikash?

Dreamworld! This kind of thinking would've be good 3 years ago.

https://www.weightwatchers.com/au/ For this forum sounds like you all need it or else we'll turn into TPR.

Well said Slick. It's like when Disney used to bend down on his knees and get the designers to do the same. pointing out the view of the shop window thro the eyes of a 6 year old. When you get all the details right, people don't consciously notice, it just feels good on a subconscious level. If parks are supposed to provide fantasy and escapism from the real world, you can't have conduit pipe sticking out of the flower bed or dirty toilets/scraped paintwork.

We need better communication between the parks and the public. For example, DW needs to give us some indication as to when we can expect SV (because “the coming weeks” just ain’t cutting it). Similarly, MW have been tight lipped about a lot of their recent projects, a bit more open communication would be great instead of keeping everything secret. We didn’t hear any confirmation of DC rivals until just a few months away from opening (while most parks would announce something that big a year or even two years ahead of time). Similarly the Aquaman exhibit was a big secret until only a few weeks before opening.

From The Daily Mail (Video which was part of the article can be found by clicking here) : I'm pretty sure the people who filmed the e-stop were ironically breaking safety rules (Quote from Tower Of Terror II's official webpage😞

@AlexBand that's why I want you to change your name to Zuul.

Hi Michael, thanks for your question and interest in our new ride, currently under construction. We're excited to announce that we will soon announce when we will make the announcement about a date for us to announce when we will announce the new ride. Keep an eye on our social media channels in the coming weeks!

Such a fucking horror story. that happened to me a few years ago and i didn't get a damn meal voucher. I guess I should sue. this interests me. I don't want to suggest that legitimate mental illness doesn't need support - they should get every possible support we can give to help people get healthy again - but its interesting that a husband and wife, who are now separated, have only now decided its time to sue the park. And they're not suing for support. They're suing for money.

You can never go past the smaller details. Sure, DW needs to do something bigger than they are doing, but if that comes at the expense of the smaller details it still won't be enough. What point is it building a big audacious coaster (for example) if there's rubbish blowing down main street? if the toilets are broken? If it's literally the only operating ride at the park at opening? If in 6 months time the maintenance and care of the attraction causes it to fall into disrepair and is shutdown for months at a time? From little things, big things grow. The small things matter.

DW need to work on the smaller details to bring back the magic the park once had VRTP needs to work on its staff, the majority are either rude or don’t care. I understand it isn’t always the most exciting job or best working conditions, but theme parks are designed for happiness, memories, entertainment and fun, and when you have a poor interaction with a staff member, it really brings the experience down

It is a ghost town. What's interesting to me is how much they're trying with in park entertainment and the like. My view of rides closing early has actually significantly softened after my recent visit. There just isn't anyone there. The problem DW has isn't that the rides are closing early, the problem is no one is there to go on the rides. I'm also of the view that DW desperately needs a new kick ass coaster, both to draw in crowds and to allow 1 or 2 of the old rides to be retired gracefully. I also totally understand why there isn't one in the pipeline. Post accident the idea of adding a new scary ride just seemed unthinkable, and a new family ride 100% seemed the only way to go. Thing is with the long lead in times for a coaster they actually should have signed the contract the first Christmas after the accident. Unfortunately that's something that you can only really see with hindsight. SV when it opens will help the in park experience, and it might do something to help attendance a little, but I think bringing a new coaster to market now rather than a (by all accounts) quite good simulator would do more to change the story of the park. When SV was announced, many people had the idea for Aviation Land on what was Gold Rush. I think Aviation Land with a relocated Tail Spin, Rethemed Buzzsaw, SV, & anchored by a new coaster would do very well. In ocean parade replace Wipeout TailSpin and Trolls with a modern Shoot The Chute ride. DW as is isnt getting people through the door, you need to do something drastic to change the narrative.

Having spoken many times with Longhurst and asking him point blank why he sold it (and subsequently writing about it) I can tell you that's not it. But you are correct in that focussing on one thing shouldn't come at the expense at the other - in Dreamworld's case, without a large roller-coaster it's a little bit like re-arranging the deck chairs while the Titanic sinks.

The whole Longhurst has rays of sunshine coming out of his bum doesn’t do it for me. The truth is Longhurst got bored and didn't want to do it anymore. I do agree that little things do matter but I also believe big things matter too. If DW is overly focused on the little things the big things will never get done. Balance is the key.

I see they are still incorrectly reporting that the family from the new lawsuit were in the raft that caused the incident in 2016... Also, how in sweet fuck were they "fobbed off" if they received food vouchers and a full refund (assuming that was their day ticket?)

I think DW is past “smaller details” being able to bring back people. DW need big, audacious “you can’t help but pay attention” changes and additions to bring people back. agree on staffing at MW, it’s terrible, they need to invest in training, or recruit the right people to start with. I had someone tell me at Gotham Burgers the other day that my premium membership is no good for the monthly pass discounts - these only apply to one pass holders, despite the memberships being the highest level pass, and the website clearly stating “‘memberships and one pass”. Despite this, and showing them the website wording, they still refuse to discount. Needless to say I wasn’t impressed

Pineapple Soft Serve. Do it, do it now!

Me when Sky Voyager was announced: Me when Sky Voyager opens:

If Dreamworld added some shit to GD gondola themselves I can imagine that post accident when they reaudited their rides they decided to remove anything that wasn't put there by the manufacturer.

Weekend update: Went to LPS again to check on the Volare, thinking not much progress had been made. But, low and behold...

@Gold Coast Amusement Force My sincere apologies. My comment was misguided and rude. Tbh I actually had you confused with someone else which is entirely my fault for not paying enough attention, and you didn’t deserve my comment or reaction. I’ve retracted & deleted my comment, it remains in your quote box which is fine, I own the error and will be more careful & considerate moving forward.

The idea of an impressive show has only died for those who look at the money. The problem with both Ardent and Village is you have bean counters calling the shots, and there is no one creative directing the show. Just because HSD is 10 times cheaper to run than a proper stunt show like PASS doesn't mean that should be the reasoning that they go the cheap route. At Dreamworld, yes running a Steam Train is more expensive than running the diesel that replaced it (and no we won't go into that one finance wise), but someone who was thinking about the park and guest experience wouldn't have let it happen, not just because of the history behind the trains, but the guest experience and value they added to said experience. This is the problem with the Australian industry at the moment, TRR is just a scape goat that Ardent and Village are using.

What’s your secret mate? Can you tell us all how you’re living in the future like that? Last time I checked it’s still summer...

No I don't think so, but then again I know nothingwhatsoever about how businesses recuit staff, having only about 10 years experience in recruiting staff myself. I'm also a bit simple.