Slick

This is really great to hear. I feel like the vast majority of feedback that's been posted here (from parking flow to allowing guests to stay in the park after day trade etc. etc.) has been taken onboard and adapted to make the event better. I feel like the mansion has been under-rated - what were people's thoughts on it?

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. If they saved a ton of money by not modifying the support structure greatly, brilliant. Same goes for the launch, no doubt they saved a ton of money by having to buy only a third of the launch system traditionally needed for this kind of ride. And I think most enthusiasts are totally okay with them saving a buck, so long as they're using their savings to make the ride better elsewhere. I think then that the beef that enthusiasts have lies with the fact that they stick out like a sore thumb and not a lot has been done to minimise that, despite the extra capital available to do exactly that. I personally feel this way about the launch - I think the largest missing Steel Taipan will have on launch will be the lack of anything to build anticipation from the station to the launch, despite having the cost-savings to do it. I don't think it needed to be a 1:1 Blue Fire pre-launch with animatronics etc. but having a tunnel in the similar style of the other rock-work to hide the switch track combined with some audio effects and mist would've absolutely made all the difference.

Is that.... Calibri?

Maybe it was an issue when they changed the water level in RollerCoaster Tycoon?

It's 100% a cost thing, which I don't hate - it saves having to redesign and re-engineer an entire section. I don't love the rocks and overall execution of that space. Going back forty years it was just a nice, simple pathway with mowed grass, which looked a far sight better than the trip hazard we have now, imo.

As mentioned it's very likely the insurance company that's pursuing this to minimise their losses and it's not current leadership that's going down this avenue.

At the end of the day, over a period of a decade, in order to save money on paying an artist every few years to update the cool cartoon maps of old, they’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on a mapping CMS. That’s not just a slight on Dreamworld’s map, it’s a slight on any park who chooses a 1:1 realistic 3D or isometric map and thinks guests will prefer it. 😂

That’s an ambitious gradient.

Bloody brilliant update there @Richard I think it's the first time the trains have been seen, no? Really digging the custom paint job - if there's one thing we do well in Australia, it's sexy roller-coaster trains.

Okay, sure, to re-clarify, the majority of Dreamworld's feedback and this thread has been about traffic flow, not lack of parking. For the latter, both of us have raised some valid options that avoid spending millions on redesigning a car park.

That's shifting the goal posts. The discussion is about the feedback and ultimately the issue at hand which was that getting in was an issue, not that there was enough parks. If you want to talk about that, Dreamworld's easiest solution would be to move staff parking to the Coomera Indoor Sports Centre, which happens frequently during peak season anyway.

I think it's being overthought now. The carpark works great 99% of the time. It's clear there's some bottlenecking that occurs during sold-out night events that could most likely be addressed by having a team of staff direct traffic flow of cars into parks. Two staff are out on the road signalling traffic into a row. When the row is full, it's roped off. Use of the two-way roads are restricted to minimise flow obstructions. Signage is placed in the entry roadway to pre-empt people on where they need to go to prevent un-necessary lane changes that would further obstruct flow. Add additional signage and barriers to ensure as many people as possible wait and cross on the crossings. I think you'd get 90% of the way there by doing the above instead of spending millions on infrastructure changes.

Not everyone.

Yeah true. Here's hoping Dreamworld takes onboard the feedback they got and puts a few more folks in to better direct traffic flow e.g. having someone direct cars into car park lanes, having another wanding them down into the car park itself etc. etc. Might also be a good idea to add in larger on-demand signage from the roundabout onwards (car-park right lane, drop-off left lane kinda stuff) and to even limit use of the two-way access road that parallels the entry road such that the few cars that try to use it to cut in don't impede flow completely.

Was there staff in the car park managing traffic flow?

Does anyone else constantly forget Motocoaster is a thing?

For the pre-ride itself, this is the gold standard: Realistically there was never any money to do anything that intricate. However, the switch track mechanism is far away enough from the queue that adding in some rock-work to really darken and hide the switch track and the launch track would've really added to the fear factor when the train does the initial stall backwards. As for the queue itself, i've tortured people enough with my ideas for that and they're in the forums if you go search back far enough. I would've gone more steampunk and less snakey boi. The theme would've centred around a crazy blacksmith's new invention for getting logs from the Buzzsaw down to the Rocky Hollow via the use of a new steam-powered track system. But alas, the two rides that make that idea work are gone now anyway. 🤷🏻‍♂️

There's so much irony in being critical about everyone being critical. You're on a forum filled with fans about theme parks. Being passionate, engaged and critical is fundamentally why these forums exist and I personally don't besmirch anyone for having an opinion. My point about execution still stands. Some further thoughts i've had: Wait, Luna Park has different lands now? Sounds like a theme park to me. Again, they could've literally put any logo, any paint, any design, anything they wanted here, and we got muted grey and generic logo #3. Basically if you told me a company called Multiplex ran a theme park, this is exactly what i'd expect.

That train is sexy as hell. I really like the Dreamworld logo on the front. Thinking about how I feel about the landscaping and execution of the theme, it really comes down to what is it being compared to? What's the benchmark? If it's being compared to Thunderbolt, it's a massive step up in presentation of a major coaster. We went from a station that was themed to a furniture store to something that really carries an identity the whole way through. Compared to the park's previous coasters? It looks to be a far more pleasant space to stand in for a while (both Tower of Terror and Cyclone were scorchingly hot in the summer-time) but it doesn't build hype and excitement in the queue, which might be a real missed opportunity. Compared to Rivals? It's much of muchness, and I think that's probably a good thing. It's the same fundamental building blocks that you can really compare ad neaseum and still not come out with a clear winner. Do you prefer pleasant fauna or cool DC comic-book style billboards? Snake-themed trains or Batman trains? Station walls painted snake-ish or Gotham-ish? etc. etc. etc. Compared to what was on the site before? The gamble is that Dreamworld is trading an entire themed land (that over its history had two coasters, two rides and seven attractions) for one major coaster. That's ballsy, but not without merit. I'll be glad for Dreamworld to finally have a really solid, really good coaster. But it definitely sucks how deep we are in replacing facades and lands for walls and further land sales. But that's history, baby. Compared to what else was possible, thematically? Realistically, that's subject to opinion. It's presented nicely - it's exactly what I expected Buchan, a group that specialises in urban design, to create. And maybe that's the point - maybe the park accepted that trying to tell a huge, far flung story is hopeless? Thunderbolt didn't have a huge, far flung story and it kicked arse. Could it have been more for the same budget? The fact that there's no sense of anticipation being built in the queue is the biggest missing for me, and it's something that perhaps another company with expertise in theme parks might've picked up on. Maybe. Who knows? In any case, i'll be looking forward to having a ride come late 2021 whenever and making some content about it. It definitely photographs well from what i've seen.

How is it broadening their horizons? Edit: I'll go a step further, how is generic modern design better than a totally unique, instantly identifiable, iconic design aesthetic that's weathered the distance for over a hundred years?

The point I'm making is that inside of that budget, there's still plenty of decision making that lands us in "generic modern corporate" and not at all in the realm of Luna Park Sydney. Take Sledgehammer's logo for example: This ultra-modern "theme park" logo is such a juxtaposition to the brand that it almost looks out of place on the website. And it would've cost the exact same amount of money to design a more fitting logo, more fitting colour, more fitting trim etc. etc. Are these choices going to change the experience in such a way that you'll be fooled into thinking you're at California Adventure? Of course not. Will it make the overall experience feel more cohesive and at home at Luna Park? 100%. And in time, when there's plenty of money post-COVID, the groundwork will be there to plus these attractions further (something Disney's been doing for decades).

Just touching on a few points: I think you're right, but that's a low bar to begin with too, and I personally would want our parks (which are fundamentally businesses centred around profound enjoyment and escapism) to exceed our expectations and not just meet a low expectation that's nearly two decades old. The park had some pretty beautiful facades way back when even despite the space-issue (I should also point out that during that period there was plenty of Victorian-era facades and motiffs interlaced with the oriental architecture at the time): I wanted more and I reckon the public deserved more. It's not a budget thing, I do believe it's just an effort thing. There's so much potential to play into the eccentric Coney Island "oriental meets art deco vibe", from the trim on rides: Colour-use (above and below) & sign design: even little things like typefaces all play a role in setting that theme: For me the issue is that despite so much rich design culture that was worth tapping into in order to make something iconic, we got "modern corporate". It's fine, it'll do the job and it'll make them a good bit of coin, but at the end of the day i'm just not really chuffed by the execution.

I never said I wanted a replica, nor did I actually say the word replica at any point. You assumed my opinion in the previous thread purely because I enquired about your opinion in good faith. You've then used your assumed opinion as a defence. Ironically, you've gone on a rampage when folks have pointed out you actually said the thing you keep saying you didn't say, and shifted the goal posts to try and defend your stance. Sounds like you've got more of a problem with me than my opinion. That's fine, either way, i'd encourage everyone to better use their time by engaging in opinion not semantics and trying to understand and respect opinions instead of outright cutting other members down purely because you have a different opinion. Remember, opinions are like arseholes, everyone has one. I'd love to see the idea of a chairlift make a return. The views of the endeavour ship, the ski shows, the rides and the dolphin nursery were ace. As @New display name suggested, it'd be pretty silly to build a replica - it'd be like re-building the Thunderbolt in 2021 for some nostalgia wank-fest. I don't even know why anyone would think to build a replica - why rebuild old when you can build new stuff that's better? The Pirate Ship was a great filler flat ride that families could enjoy together. Viking's Revenge was the same deal.

Do you think the Skyway was bad? Feel free to elaborate.

And chairlift, Vikings Revenge, Pirate Ship etc. etc.