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DaptoFunlandGuy

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Everything posted by DaptoFunlandGuy

  1. DaptoFunlandGuy
    It's chicken and egg though. Do the groups book when you can't offer them a fixed price meal inclusion, or do you hire and train the staff, develop the menu and stock the fridge, and then sit around and wait for the groups to book? You'd have to have solid intent from tour companies to warrant the expense, and you'd want ongoing regular bookings to sustain it to be worth the risk. Billabong's last incarnation servicing tour groups had eventuated organically from a time when sit down restaurants were common, and patronised. You could just as easily substitute the fixed price restaurant package with a fixed price voucher to be redeemed at nominated food outlets within the park. Heck you could do pre-orders and have it bulk catered in advance. No, billabong should be lift in peace.
  2. DaptoFunlandGuy
    The building against the motorway would appear to be the coomera motor inn.
  3. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Honestly the world has moved on from stuffy sit-down buffet style restaurants. There's a reason Sizzler is gone, and why there's only about 4 Dine-in pizza huts in the country left. Rick's Cafe only opens in peak times to take the pressure off the counter service joints too. Opening Billabong now would be like opening a brand new restaurant from scratch, and you'd be better off utilising that space for something else. Maybe a dark-ride expansion of Rivertown down the track after the initial land-hype wears off?
  4. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Well holy shit @TBoywhat a matchup you've got there! As of this morning we are FIFTY SIX VOTES IN and the results are 50/50. You have completely divided this community so far with this one - it's gonna be tight for sure!
  5. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Neither did Movie World. What happens to that park if you pull all the coasters out? My impression from the announcement was that K&B land would have ABC and Wiggles 'in it', not that ABC land would be separate to K&B. Like maybe Kenny and Belinda just like The Wiggles? stretching the truth a little there Joz.
  6. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Ive seen their impressions of Pandamonium, and lamented the outcomes of that on these forums previously... its not ideal, for sure - but a cosmetic overlay to remove indicia that they're contractually obligated to remove being done at minimal cost still fits in the vein of not blowing the budget on the respray job when the engine still needs rebuilding.
  7. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Oh, but it was - I asked it even before Baconjack's question. But even Baconjack's question asked for a Family IP, and while Bluey sure is popular, it doesn't really rise much above the pre-schooler age-group in appeal. It's a discussion forum no? Like - feel free not to contribute if you feel your opinion should be paid for - but you weighed in on your own. Putting a price on a rebuttal is a bit of a cop out. Wait what? MW literally uses IP in everything that they do. Even the generic RIO BRAVO got a brand slapped on the side of it prior to opening. They've got historic ties with studios and distribution houses world wide, and while they may not necessarily be current, they've got a lot of history in that regard. Prior to Nickelodeon, much of Dreamworld's attractions were generic, or own-themed. I don't see why they suddenly have to have an IP to compete (and to be honest, I don't think they ever could compete on IP given what the property down the road has access to), so why bother? Why is an IP so essential to a kid?
  8. DaptoFunlandGuy
    That's great and all for the little kids, if you want to replace Wiggles and ABC, but what about the older kids that Dreamworks appealed to? Yeah i'll pay that. (And everyone else will too because they could never afford it) but something along those lines would be fairly simple to theme, and would be inoffensive enough that it would appeal to all ages, or at the least, not be unappealing. Maybe Roblox as an independent with a similar age group appeal would be ok. Despite this, it doesn't avoid the issue that licences are always going to cost money, and it's potentially better they put their funds towards new experiences, rather than paying licencing fees to retheme old ones.
  9. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Firstly, this really belongs in the other thread. I've no doubt this will all get shifted at some point (sorry mods) But i'm here now. Your car broke down. You take it to the mechanic, and he says 'yeah, she's pretty bad. To get you back on the road, you're going to need to rebuild your engine. Also, your paintjob is fucked and needs a respray. ...but you can't afford both.... so what do you do? Respray it, but have it sit parked on the side of the road because it can't run without an engine... or do you get the engine done, and paint it yourself? I'd like them to have a nice IP to make their kids area cool and interesting for kids - but kids don't care about the character if they can get spun around at slow speeds and scream and laugh to their hearts content. But I don't want them spending money they can't afford to spend, in lieu of the big ticket items that will actually contribute to the park's recovery. Now - and listen very carefully.... TWICE you've been asked what IP they should bring in (three if you count Baconjack's latest reply in the other thread) - what exactly do you suggest they should have themed their kids area to, if not their own internal characters?
  10. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Rethemes aren't likely to generate the same return on investment as new attractions. I'm sure Arkham Asylum didn't really return much beyond Lethal Weapon - the thrill ride was a thrill ride regardless of what sticker was on the front. If you have X money, and you can spend it on a new ride, or you can spend it on purchasing permission to put different stickers on your existing rides.... i know what i'm choosing to do (and I know what's going to bring more people to my park) Did Six Flags really suffer when they dropped Terminator in favour of the generic Apocalypse? I'm interested to know what other IP besides Dreamworks, and Nickelodeon that you think they should have gone with? (bearing in mind that the market mix between little kids and bigger kids means ABC Kids and Wiggles isn't going to wash for the older demographic, but you need something that includes both of those)
  11. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Yeah I don't think Doomsday mentioned it's store during the initial announcements \ plans released. I think Merch is a given, and while I don't think we'll see a full counter service location with it's own kitchen, i think a bakery or something similar where products can be pre-prepared and then just final touches put on prior to service would be just peachy. I do think that the arkham queuehouse has a lot of space inside of it for them to fit in some amazing 'emerald city stores'. there's a difference between multibillion dollar attractions that our parks could simply never afford, versus producing a photogenic $7 pastry and a $12 loaded milkshake. Heck - if Betty's Burgers can do it, there's no excuse not to offer that sort of thing in today's IG world. Well grab hold of your ears so you can listen - A 10 year old IP (actually most of the properties are older than that) is not bringing anyone new to the park. Retaining it, at some unknown but likely stupidly high expense, at a time where the park is in flux, and needs it's money for reinvestment in things that will actively draw more guests to the park, it's a no brainer to drop the licence. On the other hand, a brand-new-land coming to a park that isn't struggling through a recovery, whose whole premise is 'movies' should be actively trying to theme this new land around a central idea - which they are doing - with a product that continues to be relevant, while economising by using IP that is out, or nearly out of copyright and therefore is likely to cost far less than sticking the latest superhero on it.
  12. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Imma stop you right there though - The original novel was written 123 years ago. L Frank Baum wrote 14 full length books, and the universe didn't end there - with dozens of other, canon-recognised sequels, with books still being written and released in the 2020's. A quick check of Wiki shows 40 canonical books in total, with the most recent one published in 2017. It shows theatre adaptations spanning 1902 to 2018 (and Wicked is still touring). TV and Film adaptations continue to be made to this day. The universe is very much alive, and it doesn't need only the original story \ judy garland film to keep it alive (although that is the most recognisable). I think the biggest, smartest move in choosing oz, is that it is familiar, an easy story to relay to kids to get them invested in the universe, and all of the original Baum stories are out of copyright meaning licencing the universe isn't a problem (unless you want to use indicia that are still covered). The items that are subject to licence are WB properties though, so their existing agreements probably permit their use.
  13. DaptoFunlandGuy
    I had planned to reply to a whole bunch of posts above, with rebuttals to each, but this is all that needs to be said. You can't fix 10+ years of poor management and bad decisions overnight. You also can't point to board members who have sat for the past 6 years when many of those board members have relied on CEOs and similar to inform them of the best direction to go in. Ride removals - may not be the decision we'd all like, but the neglect of the management prior to TRRR made it the only option. Loss of IP - if you've got a choice between renewing a 10 year old licence, or building an entirely new land \ attraction group - what's going to give you the boost? New Dreamworks might have given a 20% bump, but 10 year old renewed dreamworks won't. If you've got a limited pile of money, you'd put it towards something new, rather than keep old things going without getting additional value out of it - see also: tower of terror. The simple fact is the current set up is likely to turn the park around, and as their forward planning starts to bear fruit, momentum will build. They've effectively started from scratch due to the poor planning of their predecessors with nothing in the cupboard to start from, so to point to early progress and say "Dreamworld = Bad" is misguided and shortsighted.
  14. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Just to close this particular query - Judging by @Slick's timeline of 10 years after Longhurst, I would presume that would date well prior to 2009 - which is the first available image of Dreamworld that Nearmap has. Can confirm nothing that looks like a corkscrew element is BOH in that image. Staying on old theme park pics though - I noticed that this enclosure (I presume by the double fenceline that it is for Tigers) has recently been cleared and re-landscaped. Was this like a 'rehearsal set' for them to train the tigers prior to going 'on stage' ? Any idea why they're suddenly redoing it? (there appears to be a new rock retaining wall on the lower left side that wasn't there in any of the previous shots) November 2009 April 2022 November 2022
  15. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Yeah this is pretty stereotypical for a woodie and is the reason why those who haven't ridden one don't understand what a woodie can give that a steel coaster can't. Glad you got to ride it - I was hopeful i'd be right about them opening it late. See I think it depends on your criteria. I think everyone is going to judge things slightly differently and there is a dimension where leviathan will rank number 1. I still consistently rank Space Mountain as my number 1 in the world, despite it not being the tallest, fastest, longest or most iconic. Right now my 7 year old thinks Leviathan is the absolute shit (though, that's going to last a little more than a month before we take him to LA)... Everything is subjective I guess.
  16. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Our parks have been so transparent about everything that's happening so it's really their own fault. /s
  17. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Remember the era, though. A dreamworld pre-thunderbolt would have been needing a coaster, and heck - corkscrew was iconic for sea world. the imagery of a corkscrew spiralling over the midway prior to the double loop chiropractor's best friend, it would have worked, THEN. just not now.
  18. DaptoFunlandGuy
    I mean, that sounds like a you problem. My wife suffers really badly from 'spew-forces' - she hated the zacspin, for example, but absolutely loved Tatsu. That pretzel loop is definitely forceful, for sure, but for us the experience was just *chefs kiss* I get the load issues, but given our parks have additional restraints beyond overseas - seatbelts, RFIDs, gimp masks on shockwave... sitting down and having your feet in some stirrups doesn't sound too difficult.
  19. DaptoFunlandGuy
    I still dream of a Flyer. I was watching POVs recently and Tatsu came up - and I could FEEL the G forces from the Pretzel loop. Dare to dream though...
  20. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Yeah I think Taipan is the counterpart to Rivals, and building a hyper would be a waste on Dreamworld's part when there are so many other opportunities - why build the same thing the other guy has when you can build something different?
  21. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Don't lose heart yet. Many days it's been down but not on the official closures list it does come up before the end of the day.
  22. DaptoFunlandGuy
    I respect your opinion as being different to my own, but you haven't added anything new, and i've already responded to that.
  23. DaptoFunlandGuy
    It is, and I said that... but I'm not going to keep going around in circles. You think they've been completely transparent, and I (and others) don't. Happy to leave it at that.
  24. DaptoFunlandGuy
    This is entirely plausible, believable, and acceptable. Also entirely plausible, believable and acceptable. In my view, that's not being fair to the park, but everyone has their own views. For me, being transparent would be... actually being transparent. I will agree with you on one thing though... and that is that we DON'T have any right to know what's wrong. The flip side of that is clickbaity media hit pieces, and everyone speculating from the benign to wildly fanciful as to the reason. #Vacuum You can't point to the park's current level of "transparency" and then suggest the speculation isn't fair to the park. People are going to fill in the blanks if the park leaves blanks. A sudden closure usually implies "something went wrong" and puffery isn't transparency, and speculation ensues. The last several pages of discussion here have largely been the following: wild speculation of possibilities people casting doubt on those possibilities people suggesting if the park was open about whats happening and why, the wild speculation wouldn't occur someone suggesting the park is being transparent, and we should be grateful they even bothered to update the website at all instead of leaving a date they know they're not going to meet and letting everyone book travel to visit their park only to push the date back and the last min... shit this sounds familiar.
  25. DaptoFunlandGuy
    Judging by the phone number, they've had those patches a while.... LOL
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