Richard

Just going out on a limb here, but perhaps the reason for the focus on Dreamworld's flaws and none of the other parks would be because this is the Dreamworld forum. Feel free to share your distaste for Movie World's staff in the Warner Bros. Movie World forum.

I'd really urge you to mail a letter rather than emailing. Also, don't send off a letter because you read some bad review on a website or someone else mentioned that they didn't have fun or anything. This isn't some bandwagon that everyone has to jump on. It really doesn't do Roller-Coaster.com.au any good if 20 teen self-proclaimed experts from here decide to send off two-minute emails complaining about things.

I commend Dreamworld for the frequency of new attractions. I always have and as they continue to add rides, I always will. I would also commend them, on the whole for the rides they choose and the way they are executed. I wish other Australian parks could follow Dreamworld's lead in this aspect of theme park development. I think everyone has a right to express their opinions about park experiences, and this site is certainly the place. The fact that in this case, all of the Gold Coast parks were visited during the same peak holiday period and were reported on based on their strengths and weaknesses on this visit alone makes this a pretty solid argument. Alex, I'm curious to know what park you were most looking forward to on this trip. Would I be off if I said Dreamworld? All of the Gold Coast parks have their problems. Walt Disney World has its problems. If you, Obstructure, or anyone else, don't want to discuss this without saying in every other paragraph that people must be biased to have these opinions about Dreamworld, then don't bother posting. I mean, seriously, how many people here have posted similar sorts of things about the park? I respect your affiliation and consequent patriotism for Dreamworld, but really, not everyone who posts something bad about Dreamworld needs to be insulted or accused of anything. If anyone does have a bad day or think something could be improved, get out a pen and paper or open Word and get writing. Find out the park's address from their respective websites. The Dreamworld CEO is named Stephen Gregg, WVTP's is John Menzies (or Chief Operating Officer is Steve Peet). Address it to them and write it as you would any business letter leaving your own contact details. Let us know how it goes.

It's a place where ghouls are immortalised in paint. The queue is always long, even when the weather's grim. The Ghost Train is Luna Park's most popular ride. The technology is fairly basic. Cars trundle. Doors clatter. Darkness beckons. Nostalgia reigns supreme. Technology, according to the managing director Jason Todd, is "not a factor" at the park. They use it when they have to - to keep the old rides safe.But when it comes to thrills, Todd believes in style, not hi-tech content. "Our guests want a thrill, they want to be exhilarated," he says. "But anything that makes you feel like you're strapped to the bottom of your dad's car and stops and starts unexpectedly will give you that." Luna Park's pride and joy - the Scenic Railway - is the world's longest continuously running roller-coaster for a reason. There are plenty of stops, starts, ups, downs and white knuckles. "We've tried to recreate the historical element of the park by rebuilding the station on the railway," Todd says. "When Luna Park was first built in 1912 there were lots of elements taken from exotic locations around the world - Greek temples, Egyptian temples. Over the past 20 to 30 years a lot of them have disappeared and we're trying to bring historical references back to the park." The station revamp goes public this week. The aim, in inimitable Luna Park style, is to celebrate nostalgia and fun fair kitsch. Todd admits, however, that the debate over old versus new technology comes up every time he buys a new ride. While Luna Park has gone for the slippers-and-hot-chocolate approach to thrill-rides, other parks worldwide are buying - literally - into high technology. Awarded the Best New Technology prize at the amusement park industry's international trade fair last year, the Robocoaster is the technological antithesis of Luna Park's Scenic Railway. Its British inventor, Gino De-Gol, spent 20 years designing robots for car manufacturers before he decided to turn his hand to entertainment. "I got fed up with making cars," he says. "My friends called it a mid-life crisis. I called it a moment of vision." De-Gol's vision was to build the first robot in the world that could carry passengers. "The idea was to stick a seat on the end of an industrial robot," he says. "It turned out to be much more difficult than that." De-Gol teamed up with a German robot manufacturer to turn his idea into a theme park ride. Today there are 25 Robocoasters worldwide - 20 of them in Legoland parks in Denmark and Germany. The technology, according to De- Gol, is fairly simple, in robotic terms. "A roller-coaster goes up, down, right, left and back and forward. In a simulator you get the perception of movement by looking at a screen. The Robocoaster takes the simulator and puts it on a ride itself - it's like a gondola on the end of a giant arm." Like any robot, he says, the ride can be programmed to adapt its "behaviour". "Teenagers are never satisfied until they've had a near-death experience. But you also get the bag holders who say ‘You'll never get me on that thing'. This ride can be extreme - it can pull twice the force of gravity, like a jet fighter experience - or it can be gentle like a cable car ride." Flexibility and public fascination - the workings of the robot are open for everyone to see - make his invention a winner, says De-Gol. But theme parks in Australia are not so sure. "The roller-coaster wars over the past few years have ended in a sobering review," says Stephen Gregg, the CEO of Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. "Some parks have pushed themselves to the limit in terms of financial viability. But you don't have to spend $40 million every two years. There are only so many ways you can go round on a roller-coaster - you need a mix of rides." A fully installed Robocoaster - on tracks and capable of carrying thousands of people every hour - costs $US10 million ($A14.3 million). At that price, Gregg says, it is "not on our radar at this time". Instead he's gone for The Claw, at a cost of $6 million - a bargain in international theme park terms. Launched this month, it's a ride that draws on old as well as new technology. "It's based on a pendulum which is as old as Galileo. But computers control tonnes of steel which have to move at a certain point. It is simple, but the safety is hi-tech." Like his counterparts at Luna Park, Gregg feels that thrill-seekers are looking for the right mix of rides rather than advanced technology. "Some of our most popular rides use old technology," Gregg says. "We've had the Wipeout since 1993 and it's still one of our most popular. "The idea is you get washed around in a big wave. It spins 360 degrees and hangs upside down. People like it because they don't get sick but they still get the adrenalin rush." Back at Melbourne's Luna Park, Todd is circumspect about Robocoaster for different reasons. "It doesn't fit the context of what Luna Park is trying to achieve. If you're outdoors and you want to go on a roller-coaster why not ride one? "There's nothing like feeling the wind in your face and tears, because you're blinded by the wind. Simulated rides are simulated rides. We've got a beautiful old roller-coaster that's completely unique. Why simulate that?"

I found this interesting article which talks a bit about Dreamworld and Luna Park in Melbourne. It's nothing too groundbreaking, but it does tell you that neither of these parks are getting a Robocoaster. I must say I didn't agree with much of the article. One point I found a little narrow-minded was the mention of the "roller coaster wars" that happened at the turn of the century (that's 1990s-early 2000s), especially from an Australian perspective. The fact that the only new coasters built during this time in Australia were Road Runner Rollercoaster (family coaster), Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster (another family coaster) and I'll even be generous and add Runaway Reptar Roller Coaster (family coaster) to this list, even if it really came after this "war" finished. The article can be read here http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/...5532173084.html.

I know some people have said they preferred the original site design. What I've done is made it so that the old site design can also be used. All the content is identical. Simply use http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/old/. If you get a link for the original site design you can add the "old/" to reflect the old site, i.e. "http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/article.php?aid=27" would become "http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/old/artic...icle.php?aid=27".

My opinion on Cyclone would be that when it opened it was a good ride. Fairly solid as an attraction, but not great. It was genuinely smooth - no headbanging - but it has deteriorated a lot over the past few years, to the point now where it's a rough ride. The actual reason there's only six cars on the train would be because the ride was designed for a six-car train. Luna Park could have been under a tight budget, and this is a sure way to knock off a considerable amount (designing track and supports for a lighter train would make for a much lighter structure). Explain another way Dreamworld can get Cyclone up to a capacity in the area of 1000pph without adding a second train and I'll be surprised. That's what adding a second train and using it efficiently would do to the ride, and I've always thought that it is completely justifiable. During the weeks or months it'd take to make the changes necessary, take the opportunity to redo the station and queue system. You'll always be stuck with a big walk, but reducing the attendant's job would help greatly. On that same token, it'd be very easy to get a second train. There's a reason S&S purchased Arrow, and I can tell you that the 4D and other such designs were probably the least of it. More likely would be the very profitable spare parts and upgrade/replacement business Arrow had going, which would include new trains and the like.

Sea World has added solid animal exhibits for the past eight years. The closest to adding a new major ride was 10 years ago with the retheming of what is now Bermuda Triangle. Strangely enough, attendance keeps increasing. Attendance this year is up 10% on last year with Shark Bay and Planet SOS. It works, so why would Sea World go a different way? They're trying to sell Three Park passes more than anything else because it locks you in their properties for at least four days, in which time you buying souvenirs and food. Three completely unique parks sell a lot better than three variations on a theme, so to speak.

The on-ride footage was taken during the media preview of the ride. Dreamworld gave the oportunity for such footage only during the event and it was done so with the camera tightly taped to my hand.

Photo update from yesterday can be seen here: http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/gallery.php?gid=118 On-ride video footage can be seen here: http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/videos.php?vid=16 There's still more to come! I've not yet seen updated park material yet - that thought hadn't even crossed my mind. If by next time I visit the park no one else has posted it or Dreamworld's online version isn't updated, I'll be sure to get it.

As most of you probably know by now, I had the opportunity to ride The Claw today at the media launch, including riding on the first "official" cycle of the ride (along with Ian and Dan from Ozcoaster). I'll leave the actual ride experience for a forthcoming formal review, but I will say that it is an amazing experience - enough to knock Tower of Terror from hour queues back to a complete walk-on when they opened The Claw for a soft opening in the afternoon. The actual event, for anyone who is interested was great. It wasn't the biggest preview event I've been to at a theme park, but I think it was the most enthusiastic and all-round fun one I've been to. The area surrounding the ride is amazing. Looking at it from up on Giant Drop, it really does stick out as vibrant, colourful addition to Dreamworld. I hope that they can extend the bright new paths into the existing part of Ocean Parade with a nice theming budget in the future, because it really does make the theme very complete. The edge of Main Street which was part of the construction site has also been given a bright facelift, and I'd love to see the rest follow suit. I simply love that while Wipeout used to be probably one of the key focal points in the entire park, it's now The Claw where people gather around to watch. I just think the visuals of the Wipeout, as great as they are, are no match for The Claw. I spoke for some time with Bob Tan, General Manager Engineering & Maintenance. We talked about everything from which university and engineering faculty was better (which we'd both agree QUT) to the more "theme parky" things. He mentioned quite a few things I know a lot of people here would be interested in. Firstly, Dreamworld had initially looked at the whole range of Gryo Swing/Frisbee style rides - including Chance's Revolution and the Huss Giant Frisbee and the Intamin version was the ideal choice for them. Intamin offer two versions of this attraction (not three as their site may suggest), and Dreamworld went with the smaller of the two. The larger, at only 20m (structural height) is only around 4m taller than Dreamworld's and takes only 8 extra people for a total of 40 per cycle. It is also significantly more expensive, and it was decided that the extra cost is not made up in the marginally increased capacity and size. Dreamworld has no affiliation with Intamin. They simply purchase what they believe is of the best quality, best value and will give the highest return of investment. As I said on the time, the fact that they have now three reasonably recent attractions from Intamin is more of a testament to the quality of Intamin's product than a working relationship or anything like that. Onto other things, I'll add that it seems Dreamworld have launched a new uniform recently. I should admit that I was never the biggest fan of the black and aqua they had before, but it's now a refreshing royal blue and bright yellow. With this uniform I'm delighted to add that I've become quite impressed with how operations are going at Dreamworld. I still think there's room for improvement (I couldn't say that even my "beloved" Disney parks are 100% perfect for capacity either), and I hope it's not just the holiday period, but very few times today were rides operating slower than they should be. Of course, stay tuned for some great new photographs and more video footage of the ride.

Article here: http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/article.php?aid=26 Database entry here: http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/ride.php?rid=94

The ride is in a fully operational state and it has taken passengers (look closely in the video from September 3 - there is an mechanic/engineer/construction worker riding it solo), however there would be many reasons as to why it cannot yet take "public" passengers. There'd be insurance issues, which would relate to certification of the ride, which probably require a set number of test runs being performed and maybe even a few simulations of "emergencies". I'm sure The Claw has to complete a set number of successful test runs before being certified. As joz suggested, there's a lot of going over with a fine-toothed comb to be done. Bolts will probably be checked and rechecked, restraints will be locked and unlocked and tested again and again. Spinning and swinging will be going all week leading up to the opening. If there is a problem, it's much better to get it worked out and fixed before the ride opens to the public.

The first video most definitely works. I was watching it just moments ago. I've been meaning to fix the title problem for a while but haven't gotten around to it. It should be good now. The Kingswood was cut in half and stuck back together around the support. It was a real car.

Feel free to create a new thread to discuss your Movie World recreation. It doesn't all need to be in here. If you save them as GIFs rather than BMP then the file sizes should be more appropriate.

Take a look at this. It shows the floor tilting from up nice and close. It's a Quicktime (.mov) video.

There's currently no sign at the top. The entrance sign was nearly ready to be installed by the end of yesterday. Someone mentioned minigolf earlier and I can confirm this. There's a small putting golf green built at the Wipeout end of the area. It will be a "skill game", similar to the many others scattered around the park. I see no problems with this - whatever brings us a few dollars closer to the next coaster I say. Video footage from yesterday can now be seen here. It features a few words from Dreamworld CEO Stephen Gregg and around a minute of footage of the ride in action from a variety of different angles.

I was given the opportunity on Friday to attend a preview of The Claw. Though the ride as yet is not able to take passengers, we were given a wonderful opportunity to see the attraction in "full swing" and see the surroundings take shape. The Theming There has been a lot of discussion about the theming of this attraction. How will they fit it in with Ocean Parade? What do claws have to do with the ocean? What is with that mural? The ride was interestingly left purposely ambiguous in its theme. The ideas were discussed - is The Claw medieval, is it science fiction, or is a whole host of things? The result that they came back with was to leave it up to riders, creating a further sense of mystery, and also creating the ride. The Claw has landed itself at Dreamworld, as the ads are suggesting, and torn up the place. A clever touch is a Kingswood with one of the supports (decked out with a claw facade) stuck straight through the middle - one of the many things about the ride I like to call a "Dreamworld touch". The surroundings are still landscaped to Ocean Parade. On close inspection the mural is of a beach, not a jungle as has been suggested. One thing I will add is the footpaths look fantastic. They are painted in wonderful contrasting colours of yellows, greys and browns and it all looks very modern. The gardens will look nice and are filled with many "beachy" plants and trees. The control booths have been further themed, with roofs matching those in Ocean Parade. The Ride The ride is amazing to watch up-close. Stay tuned for video footage of the ride up close. I'm even more pleased with the ride selection having spoken to Dreamworld representatives about it. The thinking is that with rides like Cyclone, Tower of Terror, Giant Drop and Wipeout eliminating much of Dreamworld's market, simply because of their daunting appearance, this ride will slot in somewhere below these. Obviously it is still a thrill ride, and I'm sure those 120º swings will get more than a few people thinking twice about it, but I certainly think it will open itself up to a much larger portion of Dreamworld's attendance than most of their existing rides (the two water rides are the only others I can think of in this market). Photographs Of course, a construction update from Friday can be seen here.

The floor tilts downward, similar in concept to that on Lethal Weapon. You can see in the final picture on this gallery page the floor in the lowered positon and how it allows room for riders' feet.

Great stuff. You've made me jealous - I've been in the market for a digital SLR since late last year (even came very close to buying one while in Orlando) but can never manage to save enough money to buy. Now that Canon's just recently announced their latest model I'm going to have to splurge before too long. It's interesting to see the theming on The Claw coming together. It's a lot more than I ever would have expected (whether that's a good thing or not I'm not yet sure).

And I bet those seals will really pick up speed down that speed slide. It'll put the old show Wet'n'Wild did to shame. :cool:

Stay tuned this Friday (10/09) for the next construction update, which will include further footage, as well as photographs of the ride in motion - from the construction site. Next Friday (17/09) there'll be a review of the ride, as well as further photographs etc. of the "finished product".

Try the link now.

Just going back a few posts, the reason California Screamin' doesn't affect hotel guests is because it's at the other end of the resort from the closest hotel (Grand Californian). Nets are ugly. If there's one Australian park that seems to take its pride in appearance, it's Sea World. Who knows, maybe if they're thinking that big steel columns everywhere in the park will look good, they'll also be OK with nets everywhere. Find me a coaster which has been built largely over existing sections of a park. I mean over rides, attractions, shops, amenities, paths and everything. If you get that far, try and find the same thing at a park which doesn't close for six months of the year, when most of this work would be done. Of course coasters can be built over paths - you don't need to go further than Corkscrew to see that - but it's not often that you see a tangled mess of track being put up over. The following attractions will be closed today for construction of an all new thrill ride: Bermuda Triangle, Viking's Revenge, Planet SOS, Skyway Chairlift. Don't forget to check out Reef Discovery, still Australia's favourite lifeless educational reef experience!

Where there's a will there's a way. Somehow I don't think with John Menzies calling the shots at Warner Vilage, and particularly Seaworld, given it's his "pet", there's much of a will for this mega coaster. Unfortunately a lot of people are thinking too much in terms of RCT. There are so many things to think of other than slotting supports here and there to squeeze it around other attractions, and the very least of these is loose objects being thrown off.