joz

Over at the show stage work has begun on this years Fright Nights event, relegating What's Up Rock? to main street for the duration. Another pat on the back for Movie World here, it would have been just as easy to not perform the show while the show stage was unavailable, but it's nice to see they've taken the effort to still do the show. So far this is the only evidence in park that preparation of Movie World's increasingly excellent Fright Nights is underway, but behind the scenes things are well advanced. So far Movieworld have announced the return of the Saw maze, the Psycho 3D maze, a new Arkham Asylum maze, as well as new shows for Main Street, Circus of the Damned, and Club Blood, an age restricted nightclub which takes over Stars Cafe (with the promise of Sexy Cage dancers!) which will make this years Fright Night the most ambitious so far. Tickets are only $30 ($29.99) and Fright Nights only run for 7 nights in October, so get your tickets now! For your convenience, tickets are available here. Speaking of extra charge events, work has already begun on the Christmas lights for Main Street. The lights that had been only taken down off the roof a couple of months back are already back, and early work has begun on the buildings The lights stretch all the way from the end of Main Street to just past the photo center with the promise of more to come So far the only lights attached to the buildings are of the subtle rope light variety. We only noticed these because we were looking. No ugly pieces of timber this year! Of course not all the lights were subtle, but these were mercifully in an alley, and not something easily spotted from Main Street. Some hooks have appeared on some buildings in anticipation of more lights. Again, these aren't as intrusive when you're in the park and not looking for them. In other Main Street news, Guest services has reopened in it's traditional spot after being refurbed, and it looks great! Across the road however the lights on the Roxy facade could do with some love And finally on Main Street, the Boutique has closed for it's own refurb. Have you ever taken the time to look and admire the details on the buildings on Main Street? Movie World have also announced that a new 20th anniversary parade will replace the current Streets Stars Parade for the holidays. While new details have been announced, it is believed that the parade will follow the "Parade, followed by street party and dancing" which has been the basic format for Parades since the success of the DC comics parade last year. New floats weren't the only improvement to the parade which the DC comics parade brought last year. The parades at Movie World now descend into a 'Street party' for the return leg, as characters walk up and down Main Street handing out Ice Creams and interacting with guests to dance music. It's a huge step up from the parades of only a couple of years ago, and early word on the street is to expect the same basic format for the 20th birthday parade. Stay tuned for more on the birthday parade as we find out.

It's been a long time since we did an official Parkz Update, and despite best intentions, it'll be a bit longer still. However, with so much attention focused on Dreamworld's Buzzsaw coaster opening soon, now is a good chance to let people know what's going on down the road at Movie World. This mini update is brought to you by Joz's iPhone. Happy reading! Movieworld Update September 2011 With Looney Tunes River Ride now closed and with no immediate plans for the show building, Movieworld has made a bit of effort to hide that a ride was ever there. These efforts amount to re-surfacing the the old queue and turning it into a Road Runner viewing area with some gardens and tables and chairs. The net result is that, while there is still a huge building looming over WB Kids zone, it no longer looks like it used to be something with only one unpainted logo giving away the building's former life, so unlike Bermuda Triangle, it doesn't really impact on guests. The one clue that there was once a ride here. Well that and the building. The arch at the entrance has been repainted, removing the Looney Tunes River Ride lettering. A painted wall hides the entry to the old ride, and a garden has been added across the path. On the whole it is actually a rather pleasant little area, and a good reuse of the queue, and while Bermuda Triangle sticks out like a sore thumb at Sea World, the new area is in my eye, rather acceptable. At present there are no plans for this area, but there's no point pulling down the building as it'll probably be reused down the track, so good on Movie World for making the area as nice as possible in the meantime. Western Town / Wild West Falls Wild West Falls is getting a major re-furb, and while it's unlikely to see any of it's original features restored, the ride is getting a good refresh, with much of the ride being repainted, as well as having many of it's 13 year old components replaced (most notably the final drop and lift hill). While this happens though most of the western town is a ghost town, with nothing to draw people through it, Movie World have taken the unsurprising (though slightly disappointing) decision to close Wild West Burgers, and by 3pm, all the games as well. In a previous update we mentioned that the dodgem cars had closed for maintenance, we're pleased to report that they did reopen ages ago, making a trip into intensity a worthy one. As it happens the games were also doing a roaring trade. Just outside however, it's 3pm, so it's time to close the carnival games. While the theme park purist will say these games have no place in a proper theme park, Joz says that much worse is closed facades. Is there not a way to run these games with less staff later in the day to make it worth keeping open? In related news, Wild West Burgers has changed it's menu, and now focuses on Hot Dog and 'Loaded' chips. Lets try the new menu shall we? Or maybe not. That might be a cheap shot, but I hate to look of closed facilities. Further down the road Movie World have erected a short barrier just beyond the Western Backdrop. If anyone from Movie World is reading, I love the shot barriers for update purposes, and the Sylvester sign is nice too. The placement still allows the western show to take place, but keeps people with an iPhone from getting close enough to the ride to take photos of the ride without a drop. If you look closely in this photo you can just make out the ground under where the drop normally is, as well as a shiny new lift hill The entrance and Rio Bravo shop are also getting some love.

Say what you want about the Outsiders, but they are clearly huge theme park fans, and if I were at Movie World and wanted to reach out to theme parks I'd have reached out to them as well as Parkz too. The only thing I don't like about them is all the advertising they do on the official face-book pages, but that's not a matter for me, and I'm sure Parkz members and the Outsiders can learn to coexist peacefully

Thanks for pointing that out, I hadn't noticed the different manufacturer, I bet as we speak they're having a good chuckle at the Maurer Sohne offices about how similar those rides are Now I'm looking properly, I must admit I much prefer the look of the Premier version of that ride, it does away with the ugly scaffold supports (which IMHO don't look that bad at DW) as well as the dodgey looking version of Intamin track that Maurer Sohne uses for the top of the Skyloops. Again though, not trying to diminish what's at Dreamworld, but just making observations, besides the upside down lift hill which is missing from the Preimer version should be neat-o.

I don't think the record thing really matters. I mean giant drop isn't getting any shorter, and it's still an awesome ride, and in the end that's all that matters. I also feel the need to point out that it'll have the same capacity as Giant Drop, which is barely enough for Dreamworld as it is, I shudder to think what the lines will be like at SFMM, so chin up Aussie theme park fans, Giant Drop still holds it's own. Having said that Buzzsaw does look a bit sad now doesn't it?

Even though this isn't a ski show, which is ultimately what I want to see take over that space, this is such a huge step up from Pirates Unleashed and I'm really pleased to see this show go in. Pirates Unleashed was a flawed concept right from the start, and I'm amazed that it was allowed to go on as long as it did. I should point out that some of the Sea World staff rewrote the show after it's initial bad reviews, and it was a better show for it, and the effort and skill of the performers can't be questioned, but the concept itself was just embarrassing. I mean a show featuring break dancing pirates? Really? The other main stunt in the show being high diving? That's all well and good but the show it replaced featured a guy jumping off a 10 meter tower and then barefooting around the lake. I think that's got the jumping off a mast thing beat. I guess the biggest thing for me is it didn't fit the venue, it was a really small show in a really big venue. I think this might be part of the reason this type of show worked at Wonderland, yet was so woeful on the Gold Coast. When you break it down, the performances were always solid, and the writing was pretty good despite the concept. Perhaps had they put it in a smaller venue (the endeavor lagoon as it was originally for example), then maybe the show would have worked, but as a replacement for Sea World's signature entertainment offering, it was just a sad depressing wreck of a show, and I'm not sad to see it go. Jett Stunt Extreme is a welcome change and I can't wait till September

Yeah I have thoughts I'll start with the Ardent results because I think it requires the least commentary. Basically you see Ardent record an attendance increase of 30%, but an amazing drop in per cap spending of 20%. On the surface, that looks like DW had a huge year by giving away tickets diminishing revenue. While this is true of the Village parks (more on that later), the true story is that Ardent is including Sky-point in it's results this year but not last. That explains the huge jump in attendance, and the incredibly low per cap spend. Based off the vagueness of their reporting, I think it's fair to assume that DW/WWW would have been flat at best, but more likely down last year. Given the timing of the wet weather, lack of new attractions and fierce competition that isn't a huge surprise. Village is the interesting set of results this year. Attendance is up to 4.9million, which is a record, so I'd suggest right there that the weather wasn't a major factor in the decline in revenue. Total sales revenue declined by $20million, however EBITDA was only $8million lower than last year, and despite the decline, this is their second best result ever. Anecdotally, AOS and PC were flat at best between them, so all of that upswing in attendance is at the theme parks proper; SW, MW, WnW. The obvious thing here is the VIP passes, 825,000 sold, (up on last year), resulting in huge attendance but a decline in revenue. So basically guests aren't spending money in the parks, and it is this which needs addressing. Personally, I'm a fan of picking the low fruit, which in this case is Food and Bev. It's overpriced, bad quality and the outlets are inefficient. Fix these 3 (or any 2) issues and I think they'll be a long way towards fixing their in park spending problem. I also think they are giving away money to domestic tourists, who buy VIP passes when they were going to be visiting all the parks anyway, so making the passes more expensive to interstate/international tourists would be a good move IMHO. Finally, I think the tickets need to be tiered. While they've started doing that a bit this year by giving away more stuff for VIP Gold pass holders (early entry, express entry) I think they missed an opportunity by not taking stuff away from the cheaper tickets, and not trying to use the expensive tickets to drive in park spending. I've discussed this before, and suggested how it might work in a previous post, but just to remind everyone, here is how I think a tiered ticketing system could work: The biggest benefit to this are you're still going to get the people who only want to buy the cheapest pass available and not spend any money in the parks, but they won't be overwhelming the parks when they're already busy. It would also mean that those cashed up tourists wanting to visit the parks over the holidays would be required to buy the more expensive pass (which is still cheaper than visiting each park, which they were going to do anyway so they'll buy). It would also encourage people to spend money in park, which this years results have shown is what they need to be doing. All these incentives to buy the most expensive pass, and you don't need extra staff to operate the rides for an extra half an hour on the weekend or a dedicated entry turn-style. As for the rest, MW are opening a new major roller coaster. If you're unsure what this means, remember what country you're in when reading this. Jet Rescue and Mick Doohan's Motocoaster are both major roller coasters in Australia, so don't expect a B&M hyper coaster. Expect a good coaster, but smaller than what would be major internationally. Something else caught my eye was in the Village report where they talk about the future growth plan. We know about Wet n Wild Sydney, and the possibility of opening parks in China, but these 4 words appeared amongst them: "New gates - Gold Coast". New gates? We know about the plan for an entertainment precinct at MW, which could conceivably be called a gate, but they're talking about new gateS. Could there be something else in the works that we don't know about? Finally, I'll say something for the overall condition of the parks themselves: The Oxenford parks are looking really good overall. F&B not withstanding, the quality at MW has picked up a lot over the past 2 years. The Fright Nights and White Christmas events are an obvious example of that, but there are many examples; Scooby Doo looks better than it has in many years, the worst thing people can say about HSD these days is that it isn't Police Academy, and there is a 20th birthday parade coming to MW, replacing the current parade, which is one of the better incarnations of the parade as it is, and if they're not willing to spend the money to keep it running properly, they get rid of it altogether rather than leaving it to rot in the public eye. They've also resisted the temptation to do 'pay to cut' systems on their rides, which is a serious reason for people to visit Village instead of the competition. WnW's up-charges aren't the tacky kind, and the park just added 4 Aqualoop slides, which despite having reliability issues (they've closed again to hopefully fix the problem once and for all) shows that Village really understand how to do new attractions. Add in the mix a new show for AOS, the turn around at Paradise Country while still growing the business, and I'd say that despite our initial fears, they definitely 'get it', credit where credit is due. Sea World is still quite a way behind where it was a couple years ago, and while I don't think adding a parade and jet ski show will fix the park, they certainly won't hurt. I won't go into what I think the parks issues are here, (I'll give you a hint though, it's got to do with cost cutting, removing some attractions and butchering others) but I will say they are still investing in the park, and I'm hopeful that in a few years we'll look back on 2009 to 2013 as a 'transition phase' for SW, and the park will come out the other side better for it. In other words from what I've seen at MW, WnW AOS and PC I'll give the benefit of the doubt that they can fix what's happened at SW too. - Joz

They know what they're building, the delay is probably due to the marketing department wanting to have a completed campaign ready to go rather than doing it 'on the fly'.

If you believe the rumor mill Dreamworld decided to change to Dreamworks, so Sea World picked up the license. For me the (perhaps) interesting question is who gets the rights to The Penguins of Madagascar, which a co production between Nick and Dreamworks. Also are they going to add any new rides to Nick Beach? The helicopter ride closed towards the end of last year and that spot could do with a new ride. Regardless you'd have to say it's a good move for Sea World. SpongeBob is a natural fit for Sea World, and Dora the Explorer (despite being one of the more painful kids shows going around) also fits Sea World like a glove. It'll also be the first time Sea World has ever had a parade, and this is supposed to be a big parade, so that might be good I guess. Have to say for me the biggest coup of this from Sea World's point of view must be having the Nick characters at the Sea World Resort. Kids love Nickelodeon, and it's no surprise that the resort is capitalizing by getting a Nick (and water) based attraction. Having the characters there should really give the Resort a huge boost, and their results over the next two years should make for interesting reading. As a final thing I have to ask, is the press release intended for media or the general public? It's up on the website in the news section for anyone to see, but the language in it is spectacularly dull: There will be consumer products available as part of the integration you say? Well now you make it sound that exciting I'm sure they'll be lined up all the way down to the Southport Yacht club. Plus I hear the parade won't just have SpongeBob, but will also "feature key characters from the hugely popular SpongeBob SquarePants series.", but we won't bore you with the details on which characters will be in it. Nor will we bore you with letting you know which Nick characters apart from Dora and SpongeBob will be making their home at Sea World, or indeed how long they might be staying for. I know I'm analysing a press release a little too much, but that dull professional corporate speak coming from a theme park really annoys me. It's a theme park, it's supposed to be fun and exciting! That is all

Stuff this I'm going to the pub

Habitat waterford... Omg!!!

Hello there! So unfortunately, I'm still without a camera, so I can't get photos of a good enough quality for a Parkz Update. But since we all want to see how the new rides are coming along, I took at trip to both Dreamworld and Movieworld to check out the latest progress and take some photos... on my iPhone. Here are the photos from Movieworld, not to be reposted elsewhere: Work has begun on Movieworld's newest coaster There are even the names of contractors and a sign which says 'Construction site' Peeking through the gap in the fence reveals; lens flair! Lens flair will apparently be a major part of this ride Double fencing all the way... ... along the entrance! The construction area takes up all the land from the old entrance to the studios right up to the main entrance to the park. Expect to see big changes to this patch of sky soon Before (See update from December 2011 for the after picture Another before picture In the Dreamworld thread I noted how Buzzsaw will really add to the excitement from the carpark, well I'm really looking forward to the effect Movieworlds new ride will have on the entrance. While it will be really noisy with riders screams for sure, seeing a car navigate the track every min or so will be a very entertaining sight for those waiting in line to enter the park. While I hope the move away from dark rides isn't permanent, and Movieworld opens a family friendly dark ride in the future, it's great to see Movieworld adding a big new thrill ride, the park needs it. With Movieworld's new ride, entertainment offerings and park refreshment, it really is a good year to be an enthusiast in Australia

Hello there! So unfortunately, I'm still without a camera, so I can't get photos of a good enough quality for a Parkz Update. But since we all want to see how the new rides are coming along, I took at trip to both Dreamworld and Movieworld to check out the latest progress and take some photos... on my iPhone. Here are the photos from Dreamworld, not to be reposted elsewhere: Buzzsaw's lift hill tower The return tower More structure to go on top of the lift tower The lift tower again The station begins to rise and the return tower again The station again and the return tower again The return tower again The return tower again. There isn't much to this ride is there? Have you seen the lift tower yet? Oh you have? Something different, one of the two pieces of track remaining in the carpark. There may not be much too it, but It looks like it'll be a fun ride when finished, and adds something else to build the excitement for those entering the park. It is a shame that Dreamworld have decided to again purchase such a low capacity ride, but it nice to see something new going in. We'll keep you posted on the progress.

I did! I'll take some photos tomorrow if I'm out that way.

Agree about the 'Big 7' thing. If you're going to include Motocoaster in the 'big 7' you may as well include Rocky Hollow and make it big 8. With Motocoaster having a higher height restriction, it doesn't even work as a "lets have a 'big ride' that kids can go on so they don't think they're missing out" thing. Having passed that though, it all sounds OK to me. It confirms that it's just the standard model like we've been saying all along, but it does sounds as if there will be some attempt at themeing and a back story, which is perfect for that corner of the park, and hopefully it turns out well. Capacity issues and the fact it's only a standard model aside, I am looking forward to having a go in September, hopefully it'll turn out to be a good ride.

Yeah I thought it was too random and deleted it, and then re added it. In this case the forums are working but the users are a tad faulty

... And here's Soarin' from DCA as a replacement for the ROXY

MW is boring after a couple hours. The stuff it's got is awesome, but there isn't enough of it. DW is a better park to spend a day at, even if most of the stuff is filler or less than stellar. I'd rather go on a couple flat rides than re-ride on Scooby all day, even though Scooby is undoubtedly better than a couple flat rides. From a guest perspective, MW needs more rides, and more re-ridable rides at that, no getting around it. Quality is great, and people really do appreciate it, but without the quantity then it's not a full day out, simple as that. MW's new coaster should help with the situation, and I hope that they continue to add new rides into the future, hopefully not always at the expense of existing attractions, while not compromising on quality. If they do that, they can be a full day park before you know it, but for now, it's a half day/ three quarter day park. As for the joke that is VRTPs F&B department, don't get me started

Yeah I gave it an intentionally vauge name on purpose, if no one else does I'll change it soonish.

Having his achievements listed on Linked-in implies to me that he had a very hands on involvement in capital management and the general direction of the park. Looking through some of what's in Noel Dempsey's linked-in profile does make for pretty depressing reading: (Taken from Spotty's post): When you add to that "Sitting idle when Village started discounting and over seeing a huge decline in both attendance and profits" you'd have to say it really doesn't paint a pretty picture of his tenure. The funny thing is, he is one of the better CEOs the park has had in recent history. The park didn't seem to rely on adding new up-charges during his tenure, and he had no part in the installation of MDMC. Shockwave seems like a good fit for the park, and is the first attraction since Claw to have an original theme/name. He was also at the helm for the introduction of Illuminate and ToT2, both of which were positive steps for the park. Hopefully the next CEO is one with "long term strategic vision". There's plenty at the park which needs work. There's the huge rusting mess that is Blue Lagoon, Eureka Mountain, and the many bits of the Skylink which still stand. There's also the WWW expansion, implementation of Dream-works to the park to get on top of, as well as deciding what to do with "The Lair" and Cinema, and dealing with what ever Village are doing, and that's just for starters. The next bloke has his work cut out for him. Steve Peet anyone?

^ You do know they're in the AWE section of the park now don't you?

I don't think anyone out in the real world thinks 'it's cheaper, so DW is probably worse'. If they give it any thought at all, they'll probably assume DW has a lower price because it's only one park. DW are new to the VIP pass style ticket, so it makes sense to me that they're cheap, it is an introductory price. My hope is that eventually we see DW raise their price like what village have started doing this year, because I don't think these insanely cheap prices are good for the long term. Village has started to change their ticket structure, hopefully DW do next year as well. On the subject, I really hope next year's cheapest tickets have some bloody blackout dates. When all the shops are running at capacity for 9000 guests, is there really a point squeezing in another 3000?

Apparently it was announced to staff today. In the past when stuff is announced to staff it ends up here within a day or two, and I was guilty of that when I was there. So as far as I'm concerned it's in the open. The theme is still an 'unknown' at this stage.

Not A-frames. They really are a pet hate of mine, and VRTPs over use of Aframes is not something that should be copied by anyone.

I wonder if it would be the replacement for Nick?