GoGoBoy

Well they should be making a profit because it is the only theme/amusement park in New Zealand - talk about market dominance. There's no competition. If there is not much else around to compare it to then the punters will usually hand over their cash quite happily no matter how dodgy it is. Seems like they are sorta heading in the right direction now. I just hope this Power Surge is a park model and not a dodgy trailer mounted one. By the way I had no idea Rainbow's End was a publicly listed company but found the financial release very interesting so thanks for the link joz

I think it's great that Alex and other people share their experiences, good or bad, on these forums. That's what it's all about. I'm sick of all the fan boys on here who only want to hear "Dreamworld is the best park ever with the coolest rides ever" all the time because it's just not realistic. We want to have real discussions. In saying that, I agree that theme park managements rarely (if ever) read these forums so it would be a good idea to send in feedback to the parks in addition to posting here. Alex - I agree that judging a theme park in its peak season is probably fair but I just think you are crazy for putting yourself through it. All those thousands of school age kids and their families that flock to the parks during the hols... even if the park has good systems in place it's still going to be a nightmare. Ofcourse some will be worse than others as you have pointed out. But I have never been a fan of huge crowds - especially theme park peak season crowds (shudder). Regarding queue jumping - it is a common problem at most parks around the world. Any suggestions to help stop it? Do the Disney parks have a way around this? Only thing I can think of is giving the rude kids and their ignorant parents theme park etiquette lessons

I would think it to be a big mistake to visit Dreamworld during any school holiday period - especially the Queensland school holiday period. I believe Alex visited the park during this time. That is something I wouldn't even contemplate as I know it would be a total nightmare. Visit during off peak and the TR may be slightly different

I would agree that Luna Park's kiddie rides suck big time... but part of that problem is the way they have been just plonked down in a hurry without thinking about aesthetics etc. In fact as we have discussed before, the presentation of most of the rides needs some serious work. Regarding the ferris wheel - I can't imagine why that would be classified as heritage as it was built in the early 80's. Not exactly old. The Wild Mouse is definitely heritage and won't be knocked down anytime soon. I don't think a launch or spiral coaster would fit in with Luna Park's current theme

I would agree that Luna Park's kiddies rides suck big time... but pat of that problem is the way they have been just plonked down in a hurry without thinking about aesthetics etc. Regarding the ferris wheel - I can't imagine why that would be classified as heritage as it was built in the early 80's. Not exactly old. The Wild Mouse is definitely heritage and won't be knocked down anytime soon. I don't think a launch or spiral coaster would fit in with Luna Park's current theme

Nice to see that the park is actually adding new attractions whenever they can though and they are even making a small profit

I think Rainbow would have been a great addition to Luna Park for all the reasons mentioned above. They were so close to getting one in 1995 - it's a shame they changed to the Ranger at the last minute. Rainbow is much more visually appealing and would make the most of the harbour views. It also would not cause any more of a problem with the residents than the Ranger already does as they are both almost identical in design. It's unlikely that it will happen now though - that decision was made 10 years ago and the Ranger is here to stay... for a while at least

I think Rainbow would have been a great addition to Luna Park for all the reasons mentioned above. They were so close to getting one in 1995 - it's a shame they changed to the Ranger at the last minute. Rainbow is much more visually appealing and would make the most of the harbour views. It also would not cause any more of a problem with the residents than the Ranger already does as they are both almost identical in design. I'ts unlikely that it will happen now though - that decision was made 10 years ago and the Ranger is here to stay... for a while at least

Hahaha that's great screammachine. So true. One of the reasons I am not a big fan of carnival rides. Never impressed with those spray painted 2D backdrops

Wonderbus are you suggesting Luna Park is going to purchase some of Wonderland's old rides? I can't think of a single ride they would want that would benefit the park (especially considering most of Luna Park's target market would have already ridden the same rides lots of times before) so I think it's probably highly unlikely. In regards to coasters it is pretty obvious LPS won't get anything big but something smaller along the lines of a Galaxi coaster would fit in well in Maloney's Corner. Anything to replace the unattractive visuals provided by the temporary looking set up of the ranger and spider... not to mention the random childrens rides along the edge

Movie World was always my favourite park by a long shot but I'm so sad to hear they haven't re-themed the splash down room on Wild West Falls properly. No sparks and a mirror when you get to the top? What happened to the expanding TNT barrel? What happened to the miners hologram? What happened to that great explosion sound effect with the burst of wind and smoke that pushes you out the door? What is it with theme parks and upkeep? Very poor. Regarding the Matrix Exhibit - I say ditch it and build a new world class attraction in its place (in usual MW style). The last time I went to MW was a few years back and since then they have added nothing to make me want to return. At this stage there's more new stuff for me to see at Dreamworld. Thanks for the trip report Alex

I have to say I've worked in a few casual jobs and I hate it when a customer uses my first name by looking at my name badge - especially when it is not necessary. I find it almost condesending and so do most of my co-workers. It's like "I know your name and I'm going to use it - but you don't know mine". The other thing is that half the time the name badge the staff member is wearing isn't even theirs because they'll often lose their real one. I'm sure it's different in your case Alex because you seem like a nice friendly person which makes a big difference. Sea World staff are just generally very courteous and well trained (they have been ever since I can remember) so using their name probably doesn't make much of a difference. Being nice to them does. Just my opinion

There used to be a Zipper at Luna Park in the 70's. It replaced the old Tumble Bug ride and sat behind the original giant bug at the front of the park near the face and towers. The main advantage of a ride like this is that yes, I believe it would fit nicely next to the Tumble Bug on the dodgems roof. I'd personally like to see something a little more modern and a little more permanent though. Luna Park has enough portable 70's rides as it is. And Nightshifter is right about there being plenty of vacant space in Maloney's Corner. They could do anything with that space... even another coaster if they really wanted to

I have to say that for the first time I completely agree with Scott's original post. I do think it would be nice if Sea World would continue to keep a balance between rides and animal attractions, rather than just focusing on one or the other. When I was younger the main reason I went to Sea World was for the rides. Lasseter's (now Bermuda) and the flume were 2 of my favourite rides anywhere. For me the animal exhibits helped to create a nice atmosphere and if anything were more of an attraction for the parents. Over the last few years they have added so many new animal exhibits - isn't it now time for another ride? But as Rich said if the parks attendance is continuing to grow (which surprises me as I thought Aussies were more ride lovers rather than animal lovers) then I guess there's no need to change the formula which seems to be working

Yeah I agree... those slides should not be going anywhere. Water park technology has really improved since Wonderland built The Beach and I don't even think Jamberoo would want Wonderland's old stuff. As for Dreamworld I am fairly sure they will pull out something impressive when the time comes to upgrade their water park and I am looking forward to it. Wonderland did such a cheap job of refurbishing the slides it hardly made a difference and as wonderbus said they didn't even bother refurbishing the aqua tube. So dodgy

bjkaus - thanks for the review. But I have to say I have no idea how you can say the pirate ship is one of the best rides in the park. It is a very basic 1970's flat with about a million clones all over the world. One day I'm going to set up a small park with a bunch of the cheapest portable rides I can find and no theming. The place will be a hit. Stuff spending millions on state of the art rides with detailed theming

20-40 minutes? That's not very long for a brand new heavily promoted thrill ride is it? Was the park busy overall? I've seen longer queues at Wonderland and other parks for crappy old rides. I certainly hope it does well for the park. Regarding staff - how many staff actually work on the ride and what are each of their duties? In the on-ride video I noticed what I think was the main operators booth with dark windows and another little hut on the other side with someone standing/sitting in it. I assume this was the attendant?

Aah thanks Slick, I was wondering about that. Thought they must have decided not to put a sign there. I bet they're annoyed they couldn't have it up and ready to go by opening day

I have to say I'm glad some attempt was made to connect the theming to Ocean Parade in the end. At least they have tried to justify it and fit it in to some extent. It helps that they have used a lot of beachy looking materials like the old wooden posts, ropes and thatched hut style roofing. I really like the Ocean Parade community notice board and the related 'beachside campground' material. It's a nice little touch but I think it's things like this that make a big difference to the overall atmosphere. One of my favourite aspects of theme parks is the theming so I'm glad to see Dreamworld hasn't completely neglected this

Thanks Rich. Lots of interesting stuff there. Will be interested to see what the whole area looks like now that it has come together but that will have to wait for a special QLD trip. Also, did you happen to pick up the latest copy of the park map and brochure with The Claw included? I would be interested to see that if anyone can bother scanning it

Yeah thanks for the brilliant update Rich. I really enjoyed it. You're a legend

Yeah I agree - leave their poodles out of this. I saw a couple of those cutie-wootie poodles running around near Luna Park when I was there a while ago, and trust me, some of them are surprisingly large... you wouldn't want to make them angry

Hey Rich just noticed the change to the graphic in the main header. It looks so much better. I can actually see the roller coaster now! Looking good

New ride for Luna Park? Are you sure? I know they add temporary rides for the school holiday periods but I can't imagine them building anything new which is going to be permanent

I agree. I thought we'd at least be hearing a bit more from Rich (as it's his fave Aussie park) and joz (as he works there). Don't tell me you guys have lost interest?