DaptoFunlandGuy

Absolutely. I predict closer to open \ initial reviews will try to hold this ride to the standard of Soarin'... and while I think that will be a little unfair - simply because of budget, i'd like to see them make some effort, and hopefully they've got some money left in the budget to 'non essential' things like theming. As we know, it’s not identical to Soarin’ – but hopefully it is quality enough to stand on it’s own – it’d be a real boost for the park because it’s a legitimate blockbuster, but doesn’t touch on any raw nerves that might be stung by it being a thrill or water ride.. Even though there’s still mechanical elements, you don’t see GCB articles about dangerous cinema seats… I do hope though that Dreamworld does put a little thought into presentation. Whilst the main street facade of the cinema is a classic part of their heritage - I do hope that they tastefully reinvent the facade, and suitably theme the queueline and surrounds. Again - i don't want to suggest holding them to Disney's standard - but the area surrounding Soarin' in DCA is well themed in Aeronautical what-nots, and i'd like to see them do more than just some crappy quickshades with tyres thrown around... given "flight" will be a logical themed connection, i'd like to see them explore what they can do... If they haven't yet settled on an idea, here's mine: Of course, that as a concept is pretty much cookie cutter - so you can start it off with any number of other rides in place of tailspin (although tailspin would be the most fitting) - for example: Flying off the top of the hill on HydroCoaster Shooting out of the TOT tunnel, up the tower, and flying off the end into the sky *i do acknowledge that there may be a certain taboo about portraying a currently operating ride as malfunctioning in such a way that riders could be flung into the sky, so while it'd be an awesome way to do it it's probably something to be avoided - the rest of the story would work well though... The film could also interact with various Dreamworld rides in it's inevitable segment of flight over the park - including: flying through the middle of buzzsaw as the train rolls overhead flying through the HWSW loop flying through the green room funnel film segue through waves of our beaches - getting dumped by a flurry of whitewater and coming out the other side at flowrider \ cave of waves Alright, alright, this was meant to be a short agreement with @Roachie's post above, but it became something longer. Do we need a new thread for construction \ speculation of the ride? should this be moved? I'll leave it to the mods.

$50 says that's an angle put out in the various FB pages by the end of the day as fact \ news, without credit to Parkz...

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA @xRazzBerryx that was awesome!!!

(*outside of Pushbutton's posts) I think if you made it 18+, you'd be left with less of a group, and more of about 4-5 drunkards that DGAF... But i'm very happy to put up my hand and be one of those drunkards! Have you read anything by Pushbutton?

Each to their own I guess - but even if it were an early dinner and drinks before heading back to the hotel to crash i could see working (i usually shower and change before i leave the park) - this place is going to do drinks and food, and you don't need to play golf to enjoy it!

Publicly - yes. truthfully, no... it's just the actual colour name isn't as marketable or easily imagined as 'fuchsia' As for this paragraph: I don't mean to be picky, but the use of 'he' in the middle there is a bit odd - there's no previous reference to the 'he' being referred to.. but i'm sure just overlooked in drafting. A solid article and amazing to look back at so much that happened last year - thanks for the great recap, Parkz team! ETA: See Movieworld? Parkz can use an ACTUAL shot of DCR in their media - why do you guys continue to use the dodgy CGI non inverting loop botch job? that you were using prior to completion of the ride??? /rant

well of course i know the sun doesn't make too much of a difference - the sun hits QLD and NSW at very similar times, yet queensland regularly finds itself 1 hour and 10 years behind...

Thanks Skeet. You should check out this site here and this google Ngram for some more fascinating reading. but fuck that - they're two hours behind us - and that'd mean the sun would set at like 8pm, and it'd be like Daylight Savings - and we can't have that in Queensland... so - apricots.

different, and proximity are probably the entire answer to this question. i know many people refer to this as 'just a driving range' - but so is Aqua Golf - and yet despite the simplicity it is insanely popular because it has a point of difference, and you can do it whilst getting suitably sloshed... which is generally frowned upon at a driving range. I think if Dreamworld had announced an AMF centre in their carpark nobody would have batted an eye, but these Kingpin complexes do sound like if they were to propose building it in their carpark, it'd probably garner similar interest - suitably licensed of course And that also blends the line with proximity - yes, the fact its practically on the park's doorstep is exciting if only for that very reason. it is an 'add-on' in a theme park world that ritualistically ends it's day at 5pm before the sun goes down. Both park management corporations have thrown 'precinct' around in the past, but so long as the day ends before the nightly news broadcast, it doesn't really fit the bill. Being close extends the day. Being in Robina for example it wouldn't be as popular because it's well isolated from other major night-life activities, and Oxenford is similar, but being the audience that is literally on their doorstep every day at 5pm, means the anchorage will prove profitable - stick some staff out at the exit turnstile of movie world and wet n wild at 5pm handing out vouchers for a free bucket, or a free drink with every bucket of balls, or Buy One Get One (not necessarily free, but cheaper) promotions will funnel a lot of your departing guests to your 'night' venue to milk them some more. I tell you - coming out of wet n wild i hate it - its hot, by that time you're usually dry, the car is hot, the air conditioning struggles, you can feel the sunburn on your face as you drive home with the sun still up... coming out of wet n wild and heading over to top golf sounds like a perfect finish to the day... naturally, the venue is air conditioned, cold drinks available, grab some dinner instead of cooking in a hot house, best of all the venue faces east, so the setting sun is blocked by the building, so no 'burn' feeling on an already sunburned skin as you play. So I get why some people are puzzled as to why enthusiasts are so ZOMG AMAZEBALLS over this - but i count myself as an enthusiast, and I am genuinely excited by this addition to the 'precinct' and will genuinely plan to visit where circumstances allow, every time i'm at the parks. Would I go if it were a standlone product on a block of land nearby, but not directly next door? yeah about as much as that game over place that i've always thought i should visit but never have (and i've read @Noxegon's report of his quick stop there, which has made me want to go even more, but probably still won't for a number of years yet)... but thats just why the positioning and placement of the product is such genius, and hopefully something VRTP actually makes use of - and not the same way they sell AOS or HWSD experiences - but literally just... ...kind of marketing.

As in - the end of this year? as in a year after opening? so this MAXIMUM IMPACT attraction didn't even have Merch? Fuck me - thats something even DREAMWORLD can do. would somebody see if they can find that dropped ball? i think it's somewhere near bibra lake...

Look! Flamingoes!

Sorry. Most of my subtle-language detectors are rendered unusable by one tablet or another at the moment. And I don't drink coffee.

gee those people living on the other side of the motorway are going to be pissed. First Green Lantern, then Rivals, now TopGolf is going to be projecting 'light pollution' into their bedrooms at night! whatever will they do?

If you'd been reading carefully enough between the lines, you'd have picked up on my sarcasm - as the bar is not only not the only cause - its not even a cause... its a preventative measure. see my cheek? see how its puffed out so much? thats my tongue in there... LOOK CLOSER NEXT TIME!

No sympathy for a guy who has visited 70 countries, and in particular, has been to enough airports that it's worth his while to count them... obviously your financial circumstances are a little different to others... I've been to 3 countries, and if i'm lucky i'll have done 6-8 before i die.

lol. "Open Storage" is an interesting way of putting it! @Noxegon - i do want to renew my appeal to Megan to write her own TR. I do enjoy reading the alternative perspectives you guys bring. You're very ride and ride experience \ operations focus, whilst she picks up more of the 'culture' and 'ambience' ... reading both your writings tends to form a complete picture...!

But there's no "neck-height" bar - how can it cause whiplash?

so - once?

Quality of food and dedication to service isn't really what this discussion is about. A person can give an opinion based on what they know. As I noted in the original post, it is a much fairer opinion if one has visited, but all are entitled to have one, are they not? I note however that only 6 out of 30 have gone with theme park, whilst the overwhelming majority have gone with Amusement or Action park. It's interesting too, because the former CEO of the park, who made such a maximum impact (SWIDT?) considers it a crossed theme \ water park, and yet only 1 person has identified it as a 'water' park despite the large number of water based slides and attractions. I did predict a lot of fanboy heat on this topic... LOL> You couldn't even recognise that a photo in an airport promotional billboard wasn't yours. I'm sorry if the bell ringing comment offended you. It wasn't meant to be derogatory - you certainly should be proud of the work that you do - and you very well know that I am aware of how much of a perfectionist you are - but you do sometimes lay claim to things that are a little bit of a stretch, and can also be chalked up as a happy coincidence. Ironically, I included the website as a source to pad out my research - fluff it up a little. All i've used from the website is the park map, and the WORDS to see the language they use (as I did with Chessington and Thorpe park. Sat images aren't my only source of information, and as I said i've seen the photos from iwerks, tim, et al also. the good thing about Adventure World is that there isn't much in the way to obscure satellite view. As you so rightly point out - Dreamworld does have a lot of greenery \ tree \ forest towards the back end. It certainly covers parts of the park, but in no way does it offer sufficient coverage to deserve 'tree world' - again you're stretching it here. I'm not sure the relevance of mentioning wonderland except because you think it'll get a reaction so i'll move on. When you're considering where to visit next, do you just ask RCDB to pick a random park, and go wherever it brings up first? (Or the Parkz randomiser?) No. You talk to people, read things, view photos, websites, reviews - and you make a judgment - "does all this stuff make me want to visit it?" - you form an opinion based on what you see before you visit. If that opinion isn't favourable enough, then you never will visit... unless of course you're in the area (note the number of votes for that particular option above too). AW was raved about a few years ago when Abyss was put in, and rightly so. You yourself specifically raved about it, and made quite the call about Abyss' status \ ranking for coasters in Australia. Judging by all accounts though, it hasn't aged well, and whilst at launch, it was something that got me very close to visiting, the current stories of it's upkeep - especially at a park that has several months downtime each year - make me want to visit and ride about as much as Richard does Dreamworld right now. But this thread isn't all about my opinion, and i'm entitled to mine, as everyone else is entitled to theirs. the poll results speak for themselves however, so i'll just leave it at that.

You left out @iwerks You do love ringing your own bell though... Tim, iwerks and others et al have provided many photos since yours. I'm also relying on the park map and website, and aerial imagery as recently as last month. I don't think i've looked at your photos in about the same length of time as since you took them. But, with such a plethora of photos - who needs to visit to be an accurate judge, when all the photos are so AMAZEBALLS?!?@!$? Which is the whole purpose of the thread - to find out what people want to call it.

Thanks Mark. I appreciate the continued civil discussions - not the usual around here as i'm sure you well know... Since Disneyland almost defined the term, i think you'd have to go back to it to judge. Obviously few operators in the world can reach that standard, but it's aspiring to it that makes it fit - Dreamworld never reached that standard, but there was a time where it was so close it hurt. If we're going to say that "if every ride has a theme, whether or not it fits with the ride next to it, then that makes it a theme park" then i'd like for you to visit the Sydney Royal Easter Show, one of the finest theme parks that New South Wales has to offer. Back to the Disneyland bit - i think it's the 'collection of similar themed attractions in an area' (also known as a themed land) that really epitomises a "theme park" Maybe I should make a comparison you're intimately familiar with... Chessington considers itself a theme park... and whilst i've never been - their website says " Our theme park includes 10 themed lands AND over 40 rides and attractions. " Thorpe Park meanwhile doesn't market itself as a theme park in so many words - at least not on their website - but they've got "old town", "the jungle" and "angry birds land". "Amity", "Lost City" etc... Meanwhile, you're right. Adventure World has "water mountain" - i'll give you that... except that's not where the tallest, longest fastest tornado slide is - thats over on another "mountain"... with some other water slides that aren't at 'Water Mountain'. Wet N Wild has 'White Water Mountain' too - but we're not calling it a theme park. And I mentioned the Dragon's Kingdom bit before. The whole Yarli thing is cute, but most parks - even those lacking theme in every other area - usually has something for the kiddies because simple moving machinery in bright colours doesn't generally grab the kid's attention. Yes, there's pockets of 'themed attempts' - but none of this is cohesive. I'm looking at the park map right now, and there are water attractions in the top right, upper middle, centre, lower centre, lower left and lower right sections of the map. Kids and Animals take up the remaining left side. Some of it is non existent. Some of it is half hearted. and some of it is done REALLY well, and is a credit to you and your time there (I'd never heard of the place before Abyss). For me, it all comes back to that one word - cohesion. AW was working on it, but it isnt there yet, and - like you said before - there was SUPPOSED to be themed links to Abyss and Goliath etc that are obviously not there. You see it - you strive for it, but clearly in your absence, it got nixxed, showing that they're confused, and probably dont care. Slap a story on it, design a cool skull, and people will just go "whoa, cool".

There is however a distinct portal between WWW and DW. Likewise Wonderland's Beach had a distinct portal, and the beach operated seasonally too. I do understand what Santa is saying about 'coherence' - and it's kind of what i talked about above with movieworld - how the western area is all 'wood, rusty metal, cobblestone (stencilcrete) paving - it all fits. With Rampage for example, the ride is surrounded by pool fence (which is necessary to maintain safety) but immediately outside the ride envelope, its mown grass - picnic worthy even. Here's some pics. In the first image, i've outlined Abyss, Goliath and Rampage. the weird 'H' shape is a distance measure, between the end of Abyss and the start of Rampage. From memory, I'm pretty sure that measures around 30 metres or less. You'll note that each ride has a distinct boundary, so within about 30 metres, theres no cohesion between three different themes...

Thanks for the interesting viewpoint Mark - great to get your insight. The thing for me - is looking at 'The Abyss Area' as you say - which incorporates Goliath and Rampage - sure, these things are well themed in their own right - but how do these things relate to each other? Guardians of an Abyss, the story of Goliath, the chained Minotaur of Rampage? How do they tie together? is there an interesting storyline that links them all (now removed apparently)? Well, surely the footpaths are all similarly themed across all three of them? No? are the bins even the same? They are? But they are throughout the park? ok no... is the landscaping crossed over between the three? no? Sorry i'm being a little obtuse - my point though is that those three rides are spectacularly well themed on their own, but nothing of them crosses their own fence boundary (in goliaths case, the path has been extended beyond the ride precinct, but doesn't cross into the other two rides) I think as Tbone said before, with a 'theme' park you can be standing in one part of the park, and everything about that area will be cohesive to continue the illusion - for example when movie world built doomsday, the rear of the facades they erected were themed differently, so that they would blend with the western area.... whilst not all of MW is labelled as such, you have your distinct areas - main street is classic hollywood, timeless... WB kids is all more whimsically themed, whilst when you're in the west, the paths are different, everything possible is aged wood and rusted iron etc. I do recall you being quite proud of that achievement, and it is indeed nothing to sneeze at - the only issue I take with it is the credentials of those bestowing it - its unusual for people to give positive reviews - most people post a review when they've had a bad experience, so it's interesting, but i'd be more interested in industry based judging where standards are consistent, and judged the same way, than the subjective viewpoint of those guests who might have visited AW and never been to the east coast to compare. Before starting this thread I talked to several people who I would class as 'AW Fanboys' and despite logical argument, these people wouldn't even allow for the possibility that there could be an alternative view of the park. If this is the standard of reviewers on Trip Advisor, then i'm going to need you to pass the salt... Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to shit on the park. I love what has been done with the place, although i'm cynical about whether that standard will continue. My personal opinion is that it doesn't quite YET fit the 'theme' park label... and i'm not certain that 'hybrid' park is going to work - are there any other examples out there of a 'hybrid' park like this? Anyway - i'm not against the park succeeding, I just think that (mostly privately but sometimes publicly) the question of what this park is trying to be comes up quite often, and i'd like to get a broader consensus on what everyone else thinks - thats all.

You're right! Every second attraction - and since the last attraction was a dry ride... The rest of that discussion is for another thread... oh look, another thread! 5th SEASON. not year. that ride hasn't done 5 years service like a gold coast ride has. Hell - Superman has been going for 13 years and you wouldn't catch most people calling it rough... As far as I'm concerned, for a park that shuts down for such a big chunk of the year, maintenance ought to be top notch, as there's plenty of time to deal with refurb and upkeep. :- cue AW fanboy onslaught.

See poll above. You can vote for more than one thing, but try not to vote for everything. This is a discussion i've had elsewhere recently, (and also one I avoided discussing in another topic here ) and i'm curious to get the views of the Australian enthusiast public at large. I thought about getting PCL to do a poll, but after the funfields fiasco, i figured Parkz was more likely to give an educated answer (Ash, i'm kidding - have a chuckle, mate! .) So, whilst i'm sure that others far more knowledgeable on the parks will be happy to fill in the blanks - what are your thoughts on this park? For me, I find it hard to call it a 'theme park' (no, my name isn't Pushbutton) - and if i'm being fair, in their current states, its a bit of a stretch to apply that label to most parks in Australia. Whilst many of AW's attractions have quite a nice theme applied to them, from one attraction to the next, there isn't really an overarching 'theme' that binds groups of attractions together as such (the kid's dragon world thing is the exception, as is usually the case in most parks) - and if someone tries to tell me the park's theme is "dreams adventures" i'll lose my shit. So for me theme park is ruled out. It's tricky to say its an amusement park as amusement parks are, for the most part, dry - and AW does have a heavy majority of water attractions. So is it a water park? well - it has a roller coaster... so does WnW (albeit of a very different standard) and several flat rides and such (so does Jamberoo). Anyway - I don't have all the answers. Hell, I don't even have all the questions - i'm just keen to see what others think about the park. You don't have to have visited it to have formed an opinion (although obviously its a much fairer opinion if you have) - but i'm keen to see what the consensus is out there. For me - looking at the lineup of attractions and the organic way it has grown, I consider it to be similar to Jamberoo. A nice day out for locals, something worth visiting if you're in the area for travellers, a park that has aspirational goals, and one day might step up into the 'big leagues' with the 'big gold coast four' but for now, i'll borrow Jamberoo's turn of phrase, and i'll say it's an "Action Park" Discuss...