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They are wrong, Blue Fire is superb.

No, thats absolutely correct. Usually their viewpoint is "this is what they've shown us is likely based on their previous track record" Which is what i said. I remember a time when the park would remove the christmas lights from main street so that the theme of main street wasn't cluttered by strings of permanent lights. Or the cobweb gatherers that are the main roof icicles. They've really shown a contempt for their guests and the quality of the park has gone downhill. And everyone knows i'm a VR fanboy and not the biggest fan of DW (and i'm a bit critical of some things DW have done recently, but they're headed in the right direction), while Village on the other hand don't seem to be doing much to turn around their reputation about actually plussing the guest experience... and that is my PERCEPTION as a guest, and it isn't wrong just because i'm an "enthusiast". I mean hey, don't get me wrong - its great that they've finally recognised a problem with their next generation attraction, and have brought someone in competent enough to actually make some worthy changes... the ride is still a pile of shit right now, it's just not steaming anymore, and i'm sure most people here would agree with me that right now, they'd prefer the ride (including the queue house) returned to its original themed state (with whatever changes are required for fire safety) rather than the abomination they have now. The disco room is probably the best part right now. But for anyone who wants to dispute the current status quo for village, we only have to look at the fact that we're having this discussion in a thread about fucking BINS being added to west after someone posted photos of the mess in the queue line. Nothing seems to get attention unless it is complained about publicly - and when thats the status quo, thats what happens.

It wouldn't be Parkz if we didn't have people lording insider information over others, only contributing it when they think their authority might be challenged, would it?

Someone once said to me that theme parks should be about the little details, and it’s those parks that do fuss over the details that make it worth its weight in gold. For a ride like Scooby which had so much detail when it opened, but it was built with the philosophy that they will put detail in that not every guest will notice, not because they have to, but because it’s the right thing to do in order to deliver an outstanding experience. The attitude seems to have changed though, and it’s all about what they don’t have to do in order to get by. That is a 100% attitude shift and is what we have seen over the last 15 years at the village parks. Now clearly I’m an outsider in the village world, So my views are clearly that as a guest. On the queue line issue of not being fully used, let’s accept that it is at a QFES recommendation. That said though, isn’t it the parks job to find a solution to ensure the standard of product is exceeded whilst meeting the QFES recommendations? Shutting half the queue because QFES said so is akin to putting cages and removing caves on a log ride because Shit and Perry decided so.

@AlexB Man sometime you just sound like such a wanker... and sometimes is maybe being generous... I am/was one of the hugest critics of what happened with Scooby. It was a travesty that it sat open for so long as a dark warehouse, and yes the 'next gen' stuff is a joke. My point was they SPENT the money, they didn't just leave it like Dreamworld did, and are spending again because management have seen it's not up to scratch. You complaints are really quite small nit pics, two lighting issues, hardly make something a complete pile of shit. I'm not passionate about something I'm involved in, I didn't build the theming for Scooby, I'm simply saying if you cry wolf and say that something that is pretty much good is a complete pile of shit, how would anyone listen to you when you have a genuine critique. As for Wild West... dunno where you get this idea that every single staff member in the park is some kind of dumb asshat but did you perhaps think that photo was taken on one of the biggest, hottest days of the year at the park, and normally no bin is required there, but after all that mess was dumped they added one. I know no more than you do, but I don't jump to a conclusion that everyone is a lazy dumb ass. We have no proof that mess existed a day before that photo was taken, so how do we know the park didn't see it the same time we did? How do we know it wasn't cleaned up 5mins after that photo was taken? I strongly suggest you just stop visiting any Australian parks altogether because it's clear they do nothing bad aggravate you and hold you in contempt anyway.

Hang on... Rivals and Superman closed at the same time? I feel bad for guest services staff already.

But there has been times in the past where a ride has had scheduled maintenance in the future but the ride just closes permanently beforehand

Isn't this a case where the middle way might be the answer? SDSCNG has received some attention since the relaunch which has been great to see. The Disco Room looks better than I have ever seen and small adjustments have been made to the first few scenes. Yet, there are still issues with the experience. Waiting in the hot sun isn't very pleasant, especially when you enter to realise that half the space is partially unused. The queue and station atmosphere are shadows of their former selves. The ride is improving and evolving, which is great to see, but there is still more to go. Call me the King of Kumbaya, but I think we should call it how it is and acknowledge that it's great to see change and what can still be improved. This is a cycle that will never end; There will always be a way to push it further. Should we all take a bite of the feedback sandwich?

How does anyone here think the park can actually start to change? Numerous comments but I'll address @T-bone directly because it's an easy one to pick out... "15 years of changing attitude at Village" So scooby is 17 years old. That means that for 2 years it was good and ever since no one has cared about the details... Let's say that's true, I have no interest in debating that, we all know the park had some shit years of management. So how then do they go about a change of attitude? SURELY no one here expects to walk into Movie World tomorrow and see the entire park transformed to the most amazing thing they have in their head overnight? They clearly need to attack each item one at a time. But if they start doing that and they still get this kind of attitude that they are shit and don't care about their guests how can they win? I say they DO care about guests and they DO care about the little things. We've already started to see little detail and changes come back in to the park: -Better crowd control and access at White Christmas -The small task of moving the bins for the parade to allow better viewing -Starting the parade at western town so more people can see the thing -Pacing on the parade floats to keep things happening and not just for a select few -Removal of the awful tables in Main Street plaza -Adding new lighting to scooby disco room to start to improve on the previous mistakes in the next gen makeover -A range of different lighting shows in scooby disco room so that guests get to experience a variation on repeat rides -Actually setting the lighting to the sound track in the disco room so that its a real show *the last two points are exactly the small detail that's being asked for -Keeping the park open to 6:30pm in the Summer for holiday crowds -Individual uniform for Showcase staff and not just the recycled Roxy one *again another small detail And all that above list is only things I've SEEN as a GUEST in December and January. And as for the outdoor queue, that queue has always been in affect during busy summer crowds, people have always queued outside, so is it the end of the world? Are we angry at Tape or are we angry at queuing outside because if it's the latter then that is stupid. All of this applies to Dreamworld as well. If that management is to start making changes how can they do that if not by degrees at a time? What is the point of them even starting if they are just going to also be told they hate all guests and don't care?

You agreed the projection spaces were shit. You then said everything was back as it was. I pointed out things that weren't back as they were. combined, those things plus the projections, if I haven't covered 100% of what's in the ghost train section, it's pretty damn close to it. The queue house is still 'empty warehouse' - the firepots where the queue enters the narrow hallway are broken, the fountain isn't fountaining, nor is it fogging\misting\steaming. hell, one of the lights that light the gargoyles is currently floating upside down. The station lighting is constant, but i'll buy that one as fire safety, but there's no lightning cracks and accompanying sound effects, and the windows on the opposite side of the station no longer flicker with lightning either. there is tremendous sound bleed from the effects in the ghost train section coming into the station which never used to happen, presumably because the station used to have much louder ambient noise like wind and lightning that are now missing. You can call it nitpicks, and in isolation, each one of them is. But small hills make mountains, and yes - from the outdoor queue tape right up to the reverse drop at the top of the elevator, its still a pile of shit. I agreed it wasn't a steaming one didn't i? Disco room is looking much better. i'd have loved the original green lasers bouncing off the mirrors, but i get that the original laser design isn't easily replicated, and what's there is looking much better than what it was 12 months ago. the 'final drop' room is nice (I miss the fakeout laser drop, but what can you do) and the Tiki screen in the brake run approaching the exit station and associated paraphernalia is good too - so yes, from the reverse drop to unload looks great, and load to elevator looks shit. ...so it's half a pile of shit? can we meet in the middle? I'm certainly not crying wolf. This is genuine critique. fine, it might be insignificant in your eye, but perhaps that sort of attitude is why MW's standards have slipped? because nobody cares about the small stuff and they think guests shouldn't care either? I'm not trying to be argumentative or antagonistic - i genuinely care, and I remember a time when the park cared about things like taking down the christmas lights. preserving the illusions that a 'movie world' was supposed to create.

the laughing masked figure, who spins as you round the 180 degree turn is in total darkness. one can hear his laughter, but unless you know to look for the figure, you won't even see it. It used to have a spotlight on it that would light up when the effect was triggered. the figure that rolls forward and raises it's arms as you approach, as if trying to grab you triggered late on the last two rides i was on, and wasn't lit. By the time it started moving, our car was turning the corner and moving away. the swinging blades are now so well lit, you can see the drop, so the scary near miss is lost. last two times i rode, the camera didn't fire either, so that blinding part right at that nearmiss to scare you further is lost - plus the scene ahead is more visible because your night vision hasn't been impacted by the flash. the rest of the ghost train segment is the digital bucket of shit, and as you say, i hope they fix it up too - but I disagree with your statement that 'other than that, the ride is pretty much the same'. There's also the matter of the queue house, which is a sad hollow shell of it's former, well themed self, although I applaud the projection change to the actual film, which actually creates a pre-show to the new ride concept. Riding the elevator in the rear car sucks. you can't see the front screens at all, and the sides are too close to really appreciate. Nice concept, dreadful execution. As for your dreamworld comparison (and please remember, I am quite openly DW negative), DW identified safety issues with log ride, and stripped it back to bare bones, and then reopened. The precise same thing happened to scooby. The difference is Dreamworld didn't then trumpet the return of some theming, and some pathetic lazy windows 95 projection mapping as the second coming of jesus. At least Dreamworld reopened their log ride instead of fencing it off and pretending it didn't exist SBNO. You get so passionate about things you're involved with. But here's the thing - i'm a guest, like any other guest at the park. my opinion is just as valid as any other guest at the park, and i'm not the only one with this opinion. You can't tell me an opinion is wrong. You're welcome to disagree with it, but as I mentioned, i'm sure theres a large number of people out there that would rather the park just returned scooby to the way it was. No, you're right. the cleaner saw the lack of bins in the queue of a ride that's been open for more than 2 decades, and that's what triggered the immediate installation of bins that they just happened to have lying around, but didn't see fit to install in the first place.

Second prize is a 10 year pass.

If there’s gonna be a nice themed outlet could we perhaps not have the ghastly generic coke fridge?

Devils advocate, but this happens all the time at the parks. Remember when Village Bean at MW used to be a Shrek shop?

4 rides on Scooby this afternoon and I can say, having seen what seemed to be unique/different lighting sequences on each ride, that the disco room itself hasn’t been better than it is now

Movie world have their yearly Maintenance up now for all rides

Yeah because if someone is cutting, the cast should see it? if they can't put up an actual barrier of seatbelt strap between two poles, then the least they can do is have a cast member to manage the queue \ greet the guests. if they aren't going to shell out for another minimum wage student to manage the queue, then yes, tape isn't acceptable and they should use a fucking tensa barrier.

Well one you decided to put a dollar figure on something you know NOTHING about, and no you're wrong, any sort of work in parks these days costs a fortune. But then you decided it's ok for them to have tape because you assume they have cast members there... so I'm done with this 'discussion' now, it really has gotten comical.

Probably, but its still a damn sight better than "we can't use that anymore" A renovation to the Gremlins corridor on the western side, to make the emergency exit doors into an actual entrance, and a stack of arcade machines you've already got on site, plus some electrical overhead racks is sub $30k. As I mentioned, There's short term uses, and long term plans. with the right plan, budget forecasting and concepts, it could be really well done, and 100k spent a year or two down the track on a modest but engaging attraction would be worth it IMO. I'll agree some were a little comical - but since for example they already do green screen photography in two different locations - i figured it was a good fit, and building a mini kiddie land in there to enable them to revamp WB kids - its a concept previously suggested for the other half of LTRR sound stage, so can't be that far fetched. How many cast members are managing it when it's in use?

Ladies and Gentleman, from the Gold Standard of theme parks who care about the tinniest detail of guests... happens EVERY DAY

And this is probably a big part of my feelings on this - sure, QFES says evacuating a queue that big with all its chains and barriers is a death trap. Ok. sad, but ok. Shutter it. Sad, but ok. But - instead of your staff saying "we can't use that side anymore" or pretending it doesn't exist when it's neon pink and visible from the highway *cough* - why not the age-old theme park adage of "this area has been closed to make way for an exciting new attraction!" (it worked for Vikings Revenge). They don't even need a big concept art, or have the idea of what its going to be - just acknowledge that you've closed it, and you aren't pretending it isn't there. Here's some ideas (and to be clear, i'm not saying the park should do any or all of them, i'm just coming up with ideas to promote discussion). Start by making the dividing wall permanent. Make it fit in with the existing "themeing" (or what's left) and fix up the rest - the fountain, the firepots. Bring back the castle themed walls. or don't. but do something. there's plenty of theme pieces left over from the movie currently rotting outside calypso you could put up against the walls with a nice spotlight and a fact card about the prop, where in the movie it was used - maybe even a still frame from the film showing the prop in the background of a shot with one of the main characters. Make it WB Showcase - Scooby Doo edition. Put up signage about the other side of the room (if you don't make the dividing wall floor to ceiling). Guests will remember the room used to be bigger and wonder why. acknowledge it and explain its 'making way for an exciting new attraction' - make sure your staff running the entrance know this story too so they can give a similar story instead of 'i don't know, we just can't use it' - then... (and here's the real kicker...) COME UP WITH A USE FOR THAT SPACE. Have a brainstorming session with the boffins and decision makers in the company to come up with short term uses and long term plans.... Open the wall facing Villains Unleashed and turn it into a merch store. Put a green screen photo centre in there. Move the intencity arcade machines over there so you can use the intencity showbuilding for mazes permanently without pissing people off. install a new (or a couple) flat rides that fit within the building envelope move some kiddie rides in there, and buy a couple cheap ones from zamperla with suitable themes for the kids, enabling you to have an offering at the park while you COMPLETELY GUT AND REFIT WB KIDS WORLD. (All of these ideas would involve an appropriate redesign, and potentially additional exits or fire escapes, and would involve the necessary consultation with fire safety advisors to ensure compliance with state fire safety codes and regulations) I know this all needs money. some ideas don't need a lot, while others involve a larger expansion, but anything has to be better than "we can't use that side anymore for fire safety reasons".

I have talked to many friends who are outside of the enthusiast community and still call rivals "the joker coaster" They asked me what was happening with Scooby not long ago because it's been all over the place the last few years. One of their biggest concerns was that they had to queue outside because half of the inside is blocked off with no clear reasoning. They asked a staff member and were simply told "we can't use that side anymore" and that's all. Even though the ride has received some of it's themeing back after being a shell for so long, I still get asked if it's closing because it's so inconsistent and nowhere near what it used to be. So it's definitely not just "entitled enthusiasts wearing rose glasses" who are noticing these things. I don't think these people could be any more part of the general public if they tried.

You get a new coaster

Id argue that the rose coloured glasses version of Scooby is one that hasn't existed for at least 10 years, I'm not making excuses for that. But what I'm saying is what is there is better than it has been in 10 years, and from what I've seen it's still being improved. But if as soon as the park makes one improvement all they get back is "yeah but its not improved ENOUGH so stuff you, its still crap" there isn't much incentive for them to keep going is there. It's kind of like the person who stops buying live export meat or caged eggs but still get's screamed at by an extremest Vegan that they are still a murderer, they are kinda "well stuff you then, I care nothing for your cause". I'm not saying the park is perfect Disney, I'm saying in the last 6 months I've seen remarkable improvement so they should be encouraged not put down for this.

Was main queue line, final turn before you head thru the room that used to have a preshow video

My 2 cents is that the recent changes/additions to the disco room turn it back into a "must ride". Can other areas be improved, certainly but the ride is the best it has been for a while, the disco room is better than it was prior to the removal of all the theming.

Hmm is it though? The 3 projected parts are proper shit, there is no disputing that, and hopefully they get fixed up too but otherwise the ride is pretty much the same as it was originally, sans big laser show. So if you’re saying the disco room is now ok, is the ride overall a total pile of shit? After all despite some mistakes they spent millions to rebuilt all the theming back to how it was albeit safer. Where as DW simply demolished log ride theming, and now look to close it all together. Which one is really showing ‘contempt for guests’? And I’m not sure how the park seeing a problem (who cares if it’s on Parkz or reported by a cleaner who found that mess at the end of the day) with rubbish and adding more bins can be turned into a BAD thing?

I'm not allowed to say that according to @Slick but you will be OK. 🤣

There is plumbing within the new building that could easily be connected to.

The barriers and tape are for a few busy days. there has always been an outdoor queue. Enthusiasts don’t know what they don’t know. But that doesn’t mean their viewpoint should be “the park are lazy assholes”. As for debates about fire exit safety. Let’s just assume that QFES know what they’re doing more than some enthusiasts, regardless of how long their list of knowledge credentials is.

"If within the first year" hahaha. Way to back the house!

Hoping if/when the Log Ride returns it's 1) got rid of the crazy "Flintstones" look, in all the time they had it closed, over the last few years and if they're really committed to a high quality product offering - go get some new log boats, with a purpose built COMFORTABLE lap restrain or similar and 2) Get some Quality THEMING happening...bring back the caves etc..... 🤫

So waiting for MDMC this afternoon, it’s running 2 trains which was super efficient when we rode it in the AM, but now every second 2nd cycle is going out empty. When I ask why this is occurring I was told “it’s too quiet for 2 trains we only run 2 if the line is down the ramp, it doesn’t make it any slower doing it this way when it’s quiet”. hmmm... strange as I could have sworn all harnesses need to still be cross-checked, side gates opened, another cross check before dispatch. All of this taking at least 1-2 mins which could have been spend loading the next group on the train they just cleared for dispatch. so we now have 7 ride ops working and pushing out, at the most, 16 riders every 5-6mins... Even stranger, Mr Yong appears up the exit ramp and suddenly....2 train operation Immediately begins again before he’s even had a chance to speak to anyone...

Doesn’t exist anymore.

New show at Movie World!! IMG_0462.MP4

Boost Juice should move into the sky Voyager store now.