joz

Hang I thought they built some sheds? Why are they still closing one of their few rides for 5 months?

The purpose of the article was to explain to a lay audience that just because rides stop, that doesn't make them dangerous, and to allay their fears about stoppages., It was written in the context of lots of articles about ride stops. Educating people about unrelated freak events doesn't help tell that story, and the risk is that if you tell a lay person about a freak thing that happened they won't read through to the end. Also yeah most most people find ride stoppages boring rather than scary. That's not really something that's up for debate.

@YLFATEEKS I think it's fair to say the delivery didn't go well. Poor thing, maybe in a future life it'll be reincarnated as a joke about mother in laws or something.

RIP joke. 31/1/17 - 31/1/17

That sign would be tacky as hell in that location anyway. It's a peaceful tropical area of the park, the sign takes away from the area. However, the fact the sign is pointing away from the ride takes it from tacky to embarrassing. Can people see why I'm as negative as I am?

It's good to see that people with hobbies different to ours are also a bit mental.

I don't want this thread to devolve into a TRRR speculation thread, but I don't think that ride was designed to stop in the instance that there was a boat there. I think it'll be one of these 'no one could have foreseen what happened so it wasn't engineered for' type of things.

I'm curious too about the fog screen and the entry to the ship doors?

Opinions can be wrong. Even if you're a dark family ride fan you should appreciate that this promises to be amazing, the same way that coaster fans would still be excited if there was an amazing dark ride going in. Honestly I'm shocked that people aren't a little bit more 'OMFG a hyper!!!' Even shit hypers are amazing, I've been on a Morgan hyper, and it'd easy be the second best coaster in the country behind Superman. Mack are building this one, and Mack are doing amazing things right now. I know I've been negative lately but if you're not excited for this ride then get a new hobby!

@YLFATEEKS Hey that was pretty mellow by my standards of late Just making the point that it's going to be hard to cool down at Sea World with a water ride closed in summer and no bubbles in the beer. #wherehavethebubblesgone

It's a pity they couldn't schedule that downtime for the middle of winter rather than in summer., but really it's going to be like that at least twice a year now.

Maybe that's the soloutuon, have a 2 story carpark, and make the bottom undercover area cost like $5, and make parking on the roof free.

How about Bill Murry's Younger brother then?

This is the issue here. Everyone wants a hyper coaster, including me, but I also want to spend $30~million on park improvements. One of the things I've said before is that if I got my way with everything, the parks would be bankrupt by the end of the week. Obviously you can't have both, there is only so much money to spend. They've not been afraid to invest in the parks, and for the most part they spend it on pretty decent stuff. But you can't deny what's been going on inside the parks either, and that's what I'm getting at. From the outside it looks like shit went down at Dreamworld, and insurance went way up, and before anyone could do anything someone from finance has just said 'we're not paying to insure it, whatever it is get rid of it' despite that leaving both parks looking well below their best right when they need the parks to be looking good (both from a traditional peak season POV but also just for public perception). Or it could be that the themeing was actually dangerous and Viking's was run past the point where it was safe to run it. Neither of those possibilities cast VRTP in a good light. It's funny you should mention Pirate Ship; I've heard through the grapevine that the park did lament closing Pirate Ship, and looked into getting a replacement, but they then discovered it would be too tall and they couldn't get permission. Given they built Storm after that story was told I tend to think it was bogus or just one of those things where someone tells a story to justify a crappy decision. On a similar note Skyway was actually on the chopping block for a long time before it closed, like they knew they were getting rid of it a couple years before it went, and I remember someone buttered up the staff saying 'Once Storm opens Skyway with have to close because of how close it is'. That story came from an entertainment manager so who knows where they got that story from, but it's a weird story for someone to go ahead and make up. Of course Skyway and Storm went on to co-exist for a year or so before Skyway closed, so that story was also some made up to soften an unpopular decision. Heck I'm surprised no one has made the excuse that the reason Mammoth Plunge is still there is because if they took it down they wouldn't be able to build that tall there again (in the past the tower did stand without slides for a year or 2 so it's not that) I got side tracked but the point of these stories is to say I'm skeptical when I get given some story about why something has to close, when the reality is components just reached the end of their life and it wasn't deemed worth it to replace, and I think there's a bit of that going on now. 'Oh we started to re-do the themeing then we realized it wasn't going to be done but we opened it anyway so guests don't miss out'. 'Yeah we closed the Flume ride but there's a new attraction coming in 3 years and that's why we closed it'. 'WnWS has seen it's attendance drop because of events at Dreamworld rather than the reputation for poor customer service and the lack od new attractions'. You can see why I'm skeptical about it right? Like I say, I'm not knocking them for the investments they've made in the theme park division, clearly it's to be commended but I reserve the right to notice and bemoan the fact that despite all the money going in, the parks seem to be going backwards right now. That's not really something that's up for debate, the parks are going backwards right now. Finally, as for our parks v American parks, yeah it's not going to happen that we get something on that scale for a long time. Low population combined with higher operating costs makes for a bad time for parks like that out here. I think sometimes though it is easy to lose sight of how good some of the stuff here is. Like Superman is a crazy good ride. WWF is also all kinds of awesome, likewise Giant Drop is that class with the really big boys. If Giant Drop wasn't here you'd see people saying 'could you imagine if we had a ride like that here?' and they'd be shot down in flames for being unrealistic. Yet there it is, having it's awesomeness largely taken for granted. There is really good stuff here, that's probably why I care as much as I do.

Given that capex figure includes top golf and doesn't account for the fact that Village have more parks than Ardent, that figure is pretty meaningless and out of context. Anyway I should clarify what my point was; What I mean is they're spending so much money on a new things right now (new coaster, Top Golf etc.) that there's no money in the pot for other stuff as it comes up which it does all the time when you're in the theme park business (new Viking's boats, higher insurance premiums for Viking's/Scooby). My point wasn't that they don't invest in the theme park division, it's that at the moment they seem to be unable to spend the money needed to keep the parks running properly. If the insurance premiums have gone up why isn't there money to pay them? If the boats need replacement, why not buy more and get you through till you're ready to replace the ride properly? Why did Mammoth Plunge close last year and why is it still there? Are you really going to close a ride when you know there isn't the budget to replace it for 3 years and the park is already thread bare? Sea World is my favorite park, so yes it is going to influence my judgment of Village when they keep making the place worse. What of it? lol The irony is the resort looks great. When MW hotel I hope that they make a Hotels division and the people currently in charge of SWR run both, there's clearly some passion and drive there. There is clearly passion in the company for MW too, but it's like Dreamworld, it's making the most of scraps. WnW is also pretty stale right now but I feel like there's at least some drive to at least keep it where it is. That's not to say DW's shit doesn't stink either. Dreamworld's owners have been funneling money out of Dreamworld and into Main Event for a long time now. You won't often hear me say nice things about Ardent. I wouldn't be surprised if on the day of the Dreamworld incident no one at Ardent head office actually knew they owned the park until the media told them. But management at a park level have really made what they have available to them count recently, and unlike Village Dreamworld hasn't had stable management, so it's not entirely the fault of the current management that the park has a lot of run down areas which need sprucing up. But to the current regime's credit the park was looking great, and they were one big new ride away from something spectacular. I'm not as negative as today's posts from me would have you believe, but I think there are a lot of VRTP apologists on these boards right now, and I feel like someone has to be a counter point to all the 'Everything village do is amazing!' posts because while some of the stuff they do is genuinely great, some of it is at best pretty piss poor. (or should that be poor piss? #wherehavethebubblesgone?)

^ Oh that's awesome then!

It's good that Superman got repainted. It's sad it got to the point where it was 'desperately needed' (seriously this isn't Dreamworld, management hasn't changed half a dozen times in the last few years). I'd venture that Super 8's replacement was pretty badly needed, that's a lot of money to spend for the hell of it, and I'm glad they saw the value in rebuilding the ride exactly as it was (though rankings above the lane rather than timed results work better for me and does it still record false starts? Oh well who cares it's still awesome they did that). I'm not sure I can rate replacing the mechanics at WWF as a good decision, it's an 'exactly what you'd expect' decision. Replacing old equipment is just part of running a theme park. The themeing upgrade was welcomed, though last I saw once the ride reopened they kinda left the stuff that was broken. Like the ride's open now, that's all we're doing. The plaza at Sea World is good, would probably be lower on my priority list than a new ride, and if you were serious about improving the park you'd have moved midway games. Also I'm reliably informed that the lights in the roof can be gelled for special events. They're not LEDs, it doesn't just take the press of a button, some dude has to get up there with a boom lift to change them. Super! Superman came to the parks which is good. How about characters from Storks? The Lego Movie? What about some extra villains rather than just joker and Harly Quinn? Everything else is about revenue, VR, well themed Doomsday, and new f&b outlets. Don't get me wrong of course, all of those are good things, and everyone's best mate is clearly a driving force behind a lot of it. But it's all based on 'what will we get a return on' not 'what will make the parks better' and I think unless they can change that culture they're going to continue to struggle.

Just pretend that the hangover ride from the local fair was well themed.

All the ciders to were flat. I know I complain a lot about stuff that would cost 10s of millions to fix, but if someone can fix the beer at Dockside once and for all (it's been all over the place for years) that'd be super. We'll give it a massive shout out when it's done. Also while we're talking about booze at Sea World, license top terrace and castaway bay too please? A tiki bar at castaway bay and castaway bay attractions open till 7 or 8 would be awesome for resort guests ?

Hmmm wel it's not Doomsday is all I can tell ya. The rest are 3 rather well executed interesting rides (Doomsday is too but it's a bit nothing really) I think Surfrider is just too short a ride, It's good fun but it suffers from big queue, short ride syndrome. So that's my second to go. Claw or Wipeout? Both visually interesting, both have a good capacity v demand, both presented brilliantly. Both have the advantage that different seats give vastly different rides making them very rerideable, and both have a low height restriction. I think at my age the biggest difference between them is nostalgia, Wipeout has been there since I was a kid, it's one of the first rides I think of when I think of Dreamworld. I still vividly remember the feeling of being a little kid strapped onto it and the little bridge swinging away, and just the reality of the ride I was on hitting me. I'm sure the current generation get the same thing with the floor on the Claw, but one thing to remember as well is Wipeout was really one of the first big modern thrill rides on the Gold Coast in more than a decade when it opened. Other non-nostalgia reason I'll give the nod to Wipeout is the ride builds and builds. First you don't go upside down, then you do but close to the ground, then a breather with some fun weird topspin motions, and then you're upside down at the highest point. Claw kinda just does it's thing, it's awesome and then it's done. The themeing is also done a little better on Wipeout, it's actually about as close to a perfectly themed ride as you can get, even with how much has been taken away over times. With Claw it's good, but I'm still not sure on the overall theme they went with. Also what part of the beast are we ridding on exactly? Tough one, but I'm going with Wipeout, largely based on nostalgia, a little bit on themeing, and a little bit on ride time/ride experience.

It's actually been a bad year everywhere. Dreamworld you can't blame them for everything being closed (or it's entirely their fault depending on how you look at it), but all the Village parks were under done. WnW had a new attraction miss opening day, and Super 8 was closed for the busiest part of the holidays. Movie World had it's new ride closed as well as Scooby looking like crap, as well as no extra incentive to visit during holidays (decent extended hours or entertainment offerings). Sea World closed Viking's Revenge and left it sitting there, with along with the remains of the water park and lack of decent ride options the park is in a horrible state. I'm worried about how little money Village are putting into the parks at the moment. They're spending big dollars on other things and it's noticeable how little capital they have left for in the parks stuff. At Movie World I don't blame them for Intamin ride not working, but Scooby looking like shit is on them. The lack of any new entertainment option is on them. The lacklustre parade is on them. The lack of extended trading is on them. Yes there have been some good things, almost all of them also at Movie World; Rick's Courtyard looks great, there's new Vynal on intencity, they put a bit of effort into upgrading some facilities, so credit where it's due, but they just seem to be firing on one cylinder at the moment Dreamworld were the only park park who seemed like they were trying this year. Sadly for then it was a bit like trying to fight blindfolded with your legs tied together with a hand tied behind your back. Full marks for trying but with the bulk of the rides closed and a public image that needs to be built from scratch it was always going to be a big ask. I really hope that Village and Dreamworld can get it together for next year, when the parks are going well the Gold Coast is going well. This is my hometown and I love the theme parks. I'm harsh on the parks not because i don't like them, but because I really want them to succeed, and it sucks watching them stumble like they have been.

Not just the Gold Coast, they've blamed the Dreamworld incident for a decline In Sydney too. I'm sure the reputation for poor value, unpredictable operating hours, being understaffed, consistent poor customer service, unfriendly policies and not opening a new attraction since the park opened has nothing to do with it.

Well in that case at least they're consistent in their disregard of guests ☺

I think it's important to remember that at no point have Movie World suggested a timeline. In making excuses for them gutting their best ride everyone just kind of said 'oh it'll close after the holidays'. I'm not surprised that they know nothing about it, I'd be very surprised if they had a plan for rebuilding the themeing when they pulled it out. The only change that's happened on the ride in 4 weeks of operation is to block the view of the rest of the ride from the exit run. Has that got more to do with themeing or more to do with making sure no one else takes photos?

What are you talking about Push? 'Always crowded and dangerous?'. It's a carpark with a ramp man. There are poorly designed ones yes, but a well designed one isn't any more dangerous than a normal carpark. if they did it without charging for parking I'd be all for it. Given how expensive a parking structure is though I'm skeptical they'd do it for free, so I'm 100% in favour of the carpark across the road.