Adventure World Perth 'fat shaming'

[New display name]

14 minutes ago, iwerks said:

Apparently, Abyss has no weight scales. And yes, they have hired external people to do PR for them in the past. Perhaps, they should give @Slicka call.

You have 2 options. 

AW could have done it right from the start or you can call Slick for spin. 

AW can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig.

[Slick]

11 minutes ago, New display name said:

You have 2 options. 

AW could have done it right from the start or you can call Slick for spin. 

AW can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig.

My understanding is the weight restrictions have been in place for a few years now (there's signs that haven't changed for a few seasons that clearly point out weight limits) and it's only the weighing pads that are new, which is what both WhiteWaterWorld and Wet 'n' Wild have had for years for certain slides. I've also heard there's no actual scales or anything in Abyss so I don't know how that came to be in the first place. Maybe they're just asking operators to be more vigilant? In which case, what's the pig bit?

[Tim Dasco]

So adding my 10 cents worth;

Abyss does not nor did have scales. The 75kg average was always listed on the website since opening day. (pick taken 10 minutes ago)

This sign has been there for 5 years stating max weights. There not new. (Pic from 2 seasons ago)

There are also scales outside the queue to try before entering the queue. Out the way. The rocky rapids is the only one your weighed as an individual cos it’s a single raft slide which always had a 90kg limit. The other one is bigger and has both 2 people on it at the same time to make sure your under 180kg. Kraken is a large scale one for 2-4 people so there not weighed as singles.

They have since made the lights super small by cover them up. You can’t even see the light form a metre away now. 

[New display name]

11 minutes ago, Slick said:

I've also heard there's no actual scales or anything in Abyss so I don't know how that came to be in the first place. 

 

20 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

Apparently Adventure World is now weighing riders (on dry rides) to determine whether riders can ride based on their weight, rather than height or ability for harnesses to close.

They've installed 'test scales' with 'big red and green lights' for guests to step onto to determine if they're under the weight limit before queuing 'to avoid disappointment'.

 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

4 hours ago, New display name said:

For all we know the 650kg limit is because AW want to reduce maintenance cost.   

Fairly certain the figure was 600kg - by 8 is 75kgs average... Just to make sure we're getting all the figures right.

4 hours ago, Slick said:

1) Whether it was guest complaints or wanting to minimise wear and tear (probably both), the park consulted Gerstlauer over the break and found that that running the ride at the upper-end of the heat limit combined with having passenger loads in the upper-end of weight limit was making the ride rough. The ride is designed with a 650kg passenger weight average (track calculations, trains etc.) so then the easiest solution was to pop in a solution that gives operators an easy way to keep an eye on a total passenger load's weight.

2) Someone at Lloyd's or the park did a new RA over the break and decided the 650kg suggested limit could interpreted as a hard limit if an accident was to occur and decided not to take the chance. If it was Lloyd's, the two choices the park would've had was to either do as they're told or have no insurance at all and thus not be able to operate the park.

Either way, the park could do a lot more in future PR issues to quell public backlash and get ahead of it before it got really out of hand. A business their size should definitely invest in having someone on retainer who understands their business and can respond on their behalf. From the outset they needed to be transparent and explain what's going on and why.

(Again, just reiterating that it's 600kg, not 650kg).

If anything is as you say, my money is on guest complaints \ wear and tear factor. I reject the lloyds \ insurance related reasons only because Lloyds would underwrite many more parks than AW, and we'd be seeing similar stipulations at other Eurofighters.

Interesting if it is to do with ride comfort \ wear and tear - given we were only recently talking about Abyss's comfort issues (ride it first thing in the morning, or at night). If Gerstlauer's solution is to reduce the capacity of the attraction (by weight if not by numbers) it makes me really happy none of our parks ended up buying one. It sounds like a bullet dodged, if the ride can't even handle 8 average adults.

Sourced from Wikipedia - here is the list of countries (from 51 with data available) that exceed the 75kg average

26 out of 51 is more than half - although for the slides - the 90kg weight limit drops to just three countries above that average - Czech Republic, Tonga and United States.

Quote

 

Country	Average male weight
Australia	87.0
Bulgaria	81.0
Canada	84.6
Chile	77.3
China	77.7
Costa Rica - San José	76.6
Czech Republic	92.1
Estonia	84.4
Finland	82.1
France	77.1
Georgia	84.4
Germany	82.4
Qatar	84.6
Saint Kitts and Nevis	84.5
Saudi Arabia	77.3
Serbia	84.6
Solomon Islands	75.3
Spain	82.4
Sweden	81.9
Tonga	99.4
Trinidad and Tobago	76.7
Turkey	78.0
Turkmenistan	76.6
United Kingdom – Wales	84.0
Ukraine	80.0
United States	90.6

1 hour ago, iwerks said:

Apparently, Abyss has no weight scales. And yes, they have hired external people to do PR for them in the past. Perhaps, they should give @Slicka call.

Not even a test scale outside to check if you're 'average' ?

28 minutes ago, Tim Dasco said:

 

 

 

Well, at least they've recognised their cock-up and tried to resolve most complaints (including the very obvious spelling errors). Unfortunately judging by the comments on socials, they've already hurt the brand and this is why you bring PR in before you have a problem.

@Slick is good with words. He writes well. His suggested wording is probably all they needed to do, if they'd done it in advance. But they didn't. And (pardon me Slick) - he's not a public relations expert. This isn't to take a stab at Slick but to point out that anyone with a basic shred of customer service ability could see the potential for that to cause an issue, and the simple canned response written by Slick doesn't need an external PR and Marketing company on retainer.

It just takes a senior member of the park's management - preferably in guest services or operations, who has the authority to speak on the park's behalf, and actually KNOWS how to deliver an acceptable level of customer service to put a little something together along with an announcement of the changes. 

Although the Dreamworld screencap above was done well, it isn't always (and is hit and miss based on who is in at the time) and our other parks don't do a great job either. 

I applaud the fact the park has tried to fix the problems with their equipment and in-park signage, but right now, people are calling for the park to address it and it seems like they've got their heads in the sand. Communication is the more important thing to fix right now. Typos could wait.

15 minutes ago, New display name said:

 

 

Yeah look - I started this thread, but i'm not in Perth, so to be clear all my info is coming off comments and posts on social media. The locals on the ground are going to have more reliable info - but the Gerstlauer numbers have still got me scratching my head.

[MrLukeCarroll]

1 hour ago, Tim Dasco said:

Abyss does not nor did have scales. The 75kg average was always listed on the website since opening day. (pick taken 10 minutes ago)

Wayback machine says otherwise, you can go back to the rides opening season and this is the ride information - 

Even for the 2018/19 season the ride information board looked like this


I can find it being introduced in the 2019/2020 season, but this is hardly since opening day?

[Jobe]

4 minutes ago, MrLukeCarroll said:

Wayback machine says otherwise, you can go back to the rides opening season and this is the ride information - 

Even for the 2018/19 season the ride information board looked like this


I can find it being introduced in the 2019/2020 season, but this is hardly since opening day?

So just to be clear- it appears that the weight requirements of Abyss that have now been put in place have NOT been there since Day One? Thats quite contrary to what has been espoused as reasons for it being introduced- ie that this requirement has ALWAYS been there. If that was the case then this would have been presented in previous ride info- which this clearly does not show. So we have to ask- is the spin we have been told that this is a requirement from Gerstlauer 100% correct or has something happened to the ride to change that recommendation. I cannot get my head around the fact that this has been stated as a recommendation from Gerstlauer and this is a reflection of their engineering standards. Surely any coaster or manufacturer would ensure their rides are OVER engineered to ensure that it can function safely with well over the stresses that a full loadout of 8 fully grown adults in their cars would be possible. If not then what has occured to make that change? An issue with the ride itself? Or pressure from outside sources? Government agencies? Safety audits? Insurance companies? This action throws up quite a lot of questions about this ride, especially since these have not applied to any other coaster in the world, let alone another Eurofighter.

[Aw hype]

6 hours ago, Jobe said:

Surely any coaster or manufacturer would ensure their rides are OVER engineered to ensure that it can function safely with well over the stresses that a full loadout of 8 fully grown adults in their cars would be possible. If not then what has occured to make that change? An issue with the ride itself? Or pressure from outside sources? Government agencies? Safety audits? Insurance companies? This action throws up quite a lot of questions about this ride, especially since these have not applied to any other coaster in the world, let alone another Eurofighter.

You'd just think an amusement ride would designed so that it is capable of carrying a load of average adults. Thats top tier shithousery from a engineering point of view if you cant even create an amusement device capable of cycling adults.

Maybe it's going more to shit then the delayed concussions suggest and the park is trying to reduce wear and tear where they can? Does throw up a lot of questions indeed.

Sidenote - is the chairlift dead?

Edited September 28, 2021 by Aw hype

[grrofunger]

I agree with the previous comment that the park has gone downhill since Mark left, however i again bought season passes for the family this year and have been twice already.

Once on opening day Saturday and then also yesterday.

Day 1: Season Pass Family Holders were getting a fair bit of attitude from staff at the members entrance for not adding all family members names to the passes (or photos) - I still can't see where i was supposed to do that online before attending but went to guest services during the day and had it done.

I would have expected that opening day the park should be in tip top condition and almost looking its best for the new season?  Far from it.

The Barrels in Dragons Kingdom weren't taking riders just after opening because staff were scrubbing them with some orange oil and disinfectant.

The boat ride in Dragons Kingdom had visible cobwebs all over it and a black spider comfortably tucked in a corner

So after getting "into trouble" at the gate and then those two rides being the first experience i was a bit bemused.

Got out of Dragons Kingdom and went to Water Mountain where we were hit with the scales, was very much a wtf moment and you could see the confusion and annoyance on peoples faces. I had a chuckle at the shit spelling but i thought the lights were way too big and the process was a bit crap/poorly implemented 

Got to lunch time and we went and bought food from Kahuna Cafe or whatever its called and then went to sit in TIki Bar area as it was practically empty, shaded and had plenty of spare tables. I got everyone setup with their food, took a bite of my chicken wrap (which was very nice) and then got told off by staff for sitting in the area because it's for Tiki Bar customers only.... I was literally going to buy a beer...which i asked if i did could i sit there and the answer was "YES" ... so being a stubborn prick i said well i was going to but not now... looked around at all the empty tables in the area ... finished eating and left for more rides.

Kids had a good day but i felt service throughout the whole day was quite poor and the park was feeling a bit shit. 

I was surprised to read somewhere that the day was a sellout? Park was practically empty and queues were basically non existent. 

Next Trip on Day 3 of the season:

Kids wanted to go again, so back we went.

Spelling fixed and covers put over the lights in the pre-line scales so its only barely a pinhole which is much more private and only visible to the user. On the scales right before the ride there is also tape over the guest side so only the operator can see the light. 

So there is opportunity to check yourself before getting in line and saving some embarrassment of being kicked out in front of everyone. 

I can no longer go on Rocky Rapids, I have no idea why it is a 90kg limit only but its a pretty shit slide anyway. Though my kids did enjoy going all together down it. 

Despite signs on Water Mountain saying all slides open all day, Rapids was only operational every second hour for an hour. 

Same with Sea Serpents, only operational every second hour for an hour. 

Again park was practically empty and no queues

I didn't go on Abyss as i have a sore neck at the moment, forgot to ask my daughter if there scales on it but apparently there isn't.

There are scales on Kraken that all 4 riders have to stand on at the same time. I can see plenty of people not noticing the pre-line scales up there, lining up for ages in peak time (if that ever happens based on feedback and day 1 supposed sellout) and then getting kicked off at the front of the line if they are overweight.... though Kraken can go with 2 riders at 320kg limit... people shouldn't be getting kicked off the ride. 

I think they have clearly had an insurance risk assessor through and couldn't demonstrate how they were previously managing weight limits so had to implement the scales to get their risk rating and premiums down.

Chairlift is definitely not operational. 

I'm feeling a bit flat and annoyed about spending a ridiculous amount this year (prices were jacked up) for the premium pass so we could go in the summer holidays, kids did enjoy it but we didn't stay full days like we have in the past. (could have been because they were bored after getting extra rides in on everything and no time wasted on lineups...which should be a positive...??)

I think the "fat shaming' angle that has been portrayed has gone too far and deep and they will struggle to recover fully from it.

I'm not looking forward to the 'unvaxxed shaming' when the rule comes in mid season that only vaxxed can enter. 

 

 

 

 

[Noxegon]

If you load a Eurofighter train with adults you're going to have >600kg nine times out of ten.

If that was really a problem there'd have been accidents before now.

[Jobe]

1 hour ago, Noxegon said:

If you load a Eurofighter train with adults you're going to have >600kg nine times out of ten.

If that was really a problem there'd have been accidents before now.

This has been exactly my point all along thanks. The spin that we have been told then that this is official Gerstlauer recommendations seems like it is just that- spin doctor and deflection. It never felt right to me. Cheers for clearing this up. 

[Coasterjoe]

I have never tripped west to AW, but 90kg restriction for any form of ride seems quite ridiculous. Weight restrictions on waterslides is not uncommon but 90kg? Thats pretty light on. Pun intended. 

I am 113kg and frequent the parks in Gold Coast and Aussie World,  I have never not been able to ride anything due to my weight, including waterslides. I can understand why people are upset. 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

8 hours ago, grrofunger said:

I agree with the previous comment that the park has gone downhill since Mark left, however i again bought season passes for the family this year and have been twice already.

Once on opening day Saturday and then also yesterday.

Day 1: Season Pass Family Holders were getting a fair bit of attitude from staff at the members entrance for not adding all family members names to the passes (or photos) - I still can't see where i was supposed to do that online before attending but went to guest services during the day and had it done.

I would have expected that opening day the park should be in tip top condition and almost looking its best for the new season?  Far from it.

The Barrels in Dragons Kingdom weren't taking riders just after opening because staff were scrubbing them with some orange oil and disinfectant.

The boat ride in Dragons Kingdom had visible cobwebs all over it and a black spider comfortably tucked in a corner

So after getting "into trouble" at the gate and then those two rides being the first experience i was a bit bemused.

Got out of Dragons Kingdom and went to Water Mountain where we were hit with the scales, was very much a wtf moment and you could see the confusion and annoyance on peoples faces. I had a chuckle at the shit spelling but i thought the lights were way too big and the process was a bit crap/poorly implemented 

Got to lunch time and we went and bought food from Kahuna Cafe or whatever its called and then went to sit in TIki Bar area as it was practically empty, shaded and had plenty of spare tables. I got everyone setup with their food, took a bite of my chicken wrap (which was very nice) and then got told off by staff for sitting in the area because it's for Tiki Bar customers only.... I was literally going to buy a beer...which i asked if i did could i sit there and the answer was "YES" ... so being a stubborn prick i said well i was going to but not now... looked around at all the empty tables in the area ... finished eating and left for more rides.

Kids had a good day but i felt service throughout the whole day was quite poor and the park was feeling a bit shit. 

I was surprised to read somewhere that the day was a sellout? Park was practically empty and queues were basically non existent. 

Next Trip on Day 3 of the season:

Kids wanted to go again, so back we went.

Spelling fixed and covers put over the lights in the pre-line scales so its only barely a pinhole which is much more private and only visible to the user. On the scales right before the ride there is also tape over the guest side so only the operator can see the light. 

So there is opportunity to check yourself before getting in line and saving some embarrassment of being kicked out in front of everyone. 

I can no longer go on Rocky Rapids, I have no idea why it is a 90kg limit only but its a pretty shit slide anyway. Though my kids did enjoy going all together down it. 

Despite signs on Water Mountain saying all slides open all day, Rapids was only operational every second hour for an hour. 

Same with Sea Serpents, only operational every second hour for an hour. 

Again park was practically empty and no queues

I didn't go on Abyss as i have a sore neck at the moment, forgot to ask my daughter if there scales on it but apparently there isn't.

There are scales on Kraken that all 4 riders have to stand on at the same time. I can see plenty of people not noticing the pre-line scales up there, lining up for ages in peak time (if that ever happens based on feedback and day 1 supposed sellout) and then getting kicked off at the front of the line if they are overweight.... though Kraken can go with 2 riders at 320kg limit... people shouldn't be getting kicked off the ride. 

I think they have clearly had an insurance risk assessor through and couldn't demonstrate how they were previously managing weight limits so had to implement the scales to get their risk rating and premiums down.

Chairlift is definitely not operational. 

I'm feeling a bit flat and annoyed about spending a ridiculous amount this year (prices were jacked up) for the premium pass so we could go in the summer holidays, kids did enjoy it but we didn't stay full days like we have in the past. (could have been because they were bored after getting extra rides in on everything and no time wasted on lineups...which should be a positive...??)

I think the "fat shaming' angle that has been portrayed has gone too far and deep and they will struggle to recover fully from it.

I'm not looking forward to the 'unvaxxed shaming' when the rule comes in mid season that only vaxxed can enter. 

Thanks for another local's perspective. And welcome back! I feel like its been ages since I saw that eye on the boards! haha.

At the risk of opening a can of worms - some people cannot help their weight. I've never been able to get below 80kg since high school and sit comfortably a bit bigger than that today. With concerted effort I could get under 90kg but i'd never make 75kgs. The point is broadcasting to the greater park population with a blinking red light visible from the other side of the pool is definitely under the potential banner of 'fat shaming' (and for the record, I used the title as these were the words being used by the media articles I was quoting.)

However - one thing I am capable of doing is getting a vaccination, as i'm not immunocompromised or otherwise in a position that would prevent me from being eligible, and so I have done so. This pandemic has decimated tourism the world over, and if a privately operated facility wants to place a vaccination requirement to enter their facility, I support it fully - anything that will allow these places to reopen, with suitable arrangements for evidence or documentation of legitimate medical reasons (not moral objections) to be supplied where appropriate.

I don't consider this to be 'shaming' of unvaxxed. But if the moral objectors or Facebook and Google doctors feel shamed that they can't go out in public places because they chose not to join society in protecting everyone - if that shame nudges them towards a jab, perhaps we should be shaming them.

[Gazza]

Yeah I think scales are a fact of life in the water park industry now given injuries do occur

I even recall having to go on a set at the Frankston PARC raft slide....@Luke

And theirs had a camera fixated on the readout so obviously they want to keep a record for insurance purposes.

But it should be a lot more discreet, for example having a shroud around the lights, similar to what is around the keypad at an ATM, so only one person can see it.

And for group scales at the top of a slide, it should only be visible by the operator.

And yea, just have clear signage

"To prevent excessive speeds and injuries and for insurance liability purposes, this slide has a weight limit of 320kg per raft"

 

PS anyone reckon its cool how AW actually deals with go pros and camera restrictions on their website.

Edited September 28, 2021 by Gazza

[MrLukeCarroll]

Adventure World's CEO Andrew Sharry has posted an appology on their social media pages. Still lots of anger in the comments, nothing like a CEO needing to talk to a specialist to know shaming someone over their body is wrong but anyway...

[Baconjack]

On 29/09/2021 at 7:35 AM, Coasterjoe said:

I have never tripped west to AW, but 90kg restriction for any form of ride seems quite ridiculous. Weight restrictions on waterslides is not uncommon but 90kg? Thats pretty light on. Pun intended. 

I am 113kg and frequent the parks in Gold Coast and Aussie World,  I have never not been able to ride anything due to my weight, including waterslides. I can understand why people are upset. 

This yeah.

I'm 6'5" and am barely short enough to ride things like Superman.

I'm also pretty thin (but relatively fit) and yet I weigh about 80kg. This disfavours taller people significantly who by nature of their height have a higher weight and can't do much about it. When the average weight for a man in Australia is 5kg under your limit that you are excluding quite a significant number of the population. But I see why they do it - insurance purposes. For dry rides though implementing test seats like what they have in the eastern parks is far more practical than weight scales. Do any of the rides there have them? I don't recall Abyss having one when I was at the park several years ago.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Baconjack

[grrofunger]

Abyss has a test seat.

That apology from Sharry is hopeless, just added more fuel to the fire.

He needs to go. 

[Jobe]

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/ny-australia-amusement-park-body-shaming-weight-children-20210929-pcspbvpxezennpvvl7qj2ut4ea-story.html?fbclid=IwAR2m7Hcab594PGTAG1_zwt3n2FoA0AqIybTGn7gMY4RrIYW7RPFiFH2dJyw

 

Adventure World has made the international press now for all the wrong reasons..........