DaptoFunlandGuy

I wonder if this is just end of agreement with billabong and they're clearing out the stock before rebranding with a new supplier...

I'm quite sure most people don't see this as a race to the bottom. both parks learned that lesson. Dreamworld is actively working on raising their pass pricepoint to $150 too. Village had compounded price rises for multiple years, taking the pricing to a level some considered too high for their offering - especially since their offering has degraded significantly over the same time period. If they were selling enough passes at the $250 headline, they wouldn't have gone on sale. A $180 price point is both competitive, while maintaining the 'premium' pricepoint above Dreamworld which is quickly catching up. As i've said for years, people need to vote with their wallets - and the very fact that the company is reducing their prices and appears to be making those reductions permanent demonstrates that those votes have been counted.

Dropping it from the advertising but keeping it in the T&Cs is a great way to get an ACCC complaint for deceptive practices... so i'm sure they intended to remove it from the T&Cs too. Doubling down on the price reduction and removing the 'limited time' call to action seems right - i've no doubt they increased sales with these recent sales - and if they are gearing up to go on the market, they will want to have a nice looking ticket sales history.

Jesus what an outdated view of modern dark rides

i mean... I can't say I went on MDMC very often - and i've zoomed in (and also cross-referenced with google overhead imagery too) and I cant see the switch track. I also can't see the windshields. can someone help me out?

Nice pickup. thanks for the photos. It just occurred to me that when they do pull MDMC down and\or start redevelopment, that this zone is inside the railway track, with zero alternate access points, so this will, yet again, shut down the dreamworld express.

it's taking on water. it didn't "sink" and they're actively pumping the water out the vessel has already been sold, for around $550,000 though the buyer is unknown so this event doesn't change anything that wasn't already in train it was already safe to say it wasn't happening because physics.

I'm conflicted on this one. I guess it depends on whether you take the criteria explicitly or with flexibility. SkyVoyager Has an enclosed structure The interior is dark\dimly lit The ride system uses a passenger carrying vehicle that is guided by an 'other' method that follows a seemingly random path The ride depends mainly on scenery to produce the ride experience The ride has a complex musical score, playing an important part in the ride experience. Arguably it fits the criteria given by DAFE - however DAFE's own website has a catalogue of dark rides across America, and what is telling is that neither Soarin' models nor any of the Brogent flying theatres appear to be on it, so while i'm leaning towards SkyVoyager technically fitting their criteria, they certainly don't consider it that way.

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I know it was sarcasm (nice to see you're reading my posts again by the way) but you couldn't have found a ride that is further from fitting the criteria. The closest this comes is "has a roof" and that wasn't even one of the criteria. A darkride requires an enclosed structure. NO In general, the interior is dark or dimly lit. NO The ride system uses a passenger-carrying vehicle that is guided by a track, waterway, or other method that follows a seemingly random path. NO The darkride depends mainly on scenery to produce the ride experience. Scenery can include simple pop up or boxed "gags" or "tricks", stationary or animated figures, paintings, complex animatronic scenes, and special effects. NO Sound effects also play an important role in most darkrides. These may range from simple horns and buzzers triggered by the passing ride vehicle, to isolated sound bites for each gag, or to a complex musical score complete with narration. NO You don't sound pedantic at all (trust me we know what a pedant is here). MM would most likely fall under 'transport rides'. Jesus christ you're trying so hard to be an asshole that you've gone past obtuse and straight to Reflex. Except they aren't enclosed, don't have an interior to be dimly lit, aren't guided around a seemingly random path, don't rely on scenery or sounds as being integral for the experience. The whole point of this discussion was you suggesting DW didn't need to build a darkride because they already did that recently. JR is categorically not a dark ride by any stretch, and DW could really do with a dark ride in the lineup.

it begs the question. Does indoor rollercoaster = dark ride? Does JR qualify as a dark ride? Does Scooby Doo? or Space Mountain qualify as a dark ride? I don't wish to derail this thread further, so I've started a new discussion here

Spinning off from this comment it made me wonder what we would all agree is considered a dark ride. Does Jungle Rush qualify as a dark ride? I don't feel like it does, though it has an indoor themed portion. But if JR doesn't qualify - does Scooby? or Space Mountain? I think the answer is a matter of degree, so I don't think there's one hard and fast rule - but instead based on a series of factors. I had a little google and found Darkride Attraction and funhouse enthusiasts who seem like they'd be a relatively good authority on the subject. They themselves highlight that there are a number of considerations per the following: So using this criteria - and only in my opinion... Jungle Rush - Not a dark ride The majority of the ride is not inside the building The ride system does not seemingly follow a random path as the track is very clearly visible The ride does not depend mainly on scenery. Though the rollercoaster is very heavily and well themed, the rollercoaster is the ride experience, not the theming. Sounds do play a role in the ride experience, but again - the rollercoaster is the experience, not the audio track. Scooby Doo - Dark Ride The entirety of the ride is inside the building, the interior is dark or dimly lit The ride system somewhat hides or attempts to hide the track from view, even though it is still a rollercoaster track. The ride experience is still a rollercoaster, but relies heavily on scenery (especially in the ghost train and finale sections) for the experience Sound effects and music underscore the entire experience Space Mountain - Dark Ride The entirety of the ride is inside the building, the interior is dark or dimly lit The ride system somewhat hides or attempts to hide the track from view, even though it is still a rollercoaster track. The ride experience is still a rollercoaster, but relies heavily on scenery (though much of the experience is lighting and projections) for the experience Sound effects and music underscore the entire experience What do you think? Do you agree? Or do you consider JR to be a dark ride (and if so, why?). What other rides are contentious contenders for the 'dark ride' title ?

I think they need something that continues the rivertown theme, interacts in some way with the river, and has a large capacity.

Yeah I think you're right. A friend of mine got it and sent it to me - I never received it despite not having held VRTP for a while (and getting all their 'usual' promos). I see you've already shared the link, sorry for late reply.

The trouble with Sky Voyager is that it loads on two levels, so you have to split the ride group into two in pre-load, and that is the best time to do the safety video. I think Tokyo's version of Soarin does it best - a short pre-show that has nothing to do with safety in one room, then mustering everyone to their boarding groups for the safety briefing in a different room. With each room taking a few minutes, plus the travel time between rooms, it eats the ride time well, so you don't feel like you're queueing for that period. Doing it for Sky Voyager would require additional queue staff to group earlier in the line, and it would see the bulk of waiting guests pushed into the outside overflow queue to utilise the inner rooms as pre-shows. I'd love to see them change it up but ultimately I don't have a problem with the way it is currently set up - It's a nice place to go for some respite from the heat and spend a few minutes in the air conditioning. I have queued in the 'departure board' room a few times (outside the luggage room), but no way i'd wait in the overflow, no matter how much I wanted to ride it. So I guess for most people who aren't dead-set against anything the park does, it's fine how it is.

The fire sale continues. An email has just gone out from Village offering a 72 hour flash sale on Premium annual passes for just $149 - that's another $50 off the multi-buy sale they only dropped at the start of the week - taking the total discount to $80 per pass, still including the normal night events, still including the 'premium perks' until 30 June*, and now also including a free annual photo pass. (*I put an asterisk because the way they're going, they're absolutely going to need to include these perks on an ongoing basis if they want to achieve a renewal conversion)

Nobody remembers Adventure World All you have to do is have stats that your claim was accurate at the time you prepared your campaign. The fine print on the campaign will just be "according to X specific review site, January 12 2026". They only have to be able to demonstrate it as being true at one point in recent time. They've marketed this claim several times previously based on their positive google reviews, it's not like its a new claim out of left field. Bloody cheeky putting it on a double decker bus that primarily services the theme parks, knowing full well it's going to rock up to Entertainment Drive on the daily... ;)

Yep I got the same email - and the in park discounts and other perks they were offering still apply. Something is clearly very wrong with their pass sales and they're trying whatever they can to improve sales - first by adding the limited time discounts, then extending them, and now discounting bulk purchases. Finally they've realised they can't keep jacking up the price without increasing their offering.

Ignore his bait and continued strawman tactics. Nobody is arguing that parks that have steam shouldn't do everything they can do keep them around - but those who don't, shouldn't be expected to establish it at such considerable expense.

That's what the star is supposed to do, but it doesn't...

Folks, before you buy into the fantasy, remember - this guy wants the park to open a waterpark in winter.

I also find that clicking the dot next to the unread content post list, instead of taking me to the oldest reply I haven't read, it takes me to the last reply, so if it's been a hot minute since I visited, I have to scroll back quite a ways to find where I last read. The forums put a nice divider to show me where that is, but if it can do that, why can't it take me to that first post so I can read in order?

Even Aussie World can offer 12 months of F&B and Retail discounts.

For parks that have existing steam trains, the equipment and expertise and importantly staff to run them - sure, as they are a quaint nod to the past and not something one can experience elsewhere. For parks that do not have it, establishing it in this modern time when the equipment, and the knowledge to operate them is slowly dying, it is not nonsense, just reality. If DW were operating a steam engine, and had all associated people and equipment in operation, but that loco was due for retirement, picking this engine up in the firesale would make perfect sense. But re-establishing a new engine after the park has retired it's steam capability in both equipment and staffing is simply ridiculous. And pointing to Vintage Cars as proof they can do it with trains is not comparing apples with apples. lawn mower engines and rolling chassis can be maintained by many mechanically minded blokes in their backyard and is an entirely different kettle of fish to a pressurised boiler. The landscaping is simply not a factor either as they already employ gardeners.

Hopefully they've seen benefits in extending the offer and will make it part of their regular pass offering into the future. When the mob down the road is offering passholder discounts at $99 ($89), surely they can afford to offer their loyal passholders something.