What Would You Have Done With WLS Had It Not Closed Down?

[steve$]

Wonderland had the possibility to became a really good park, they had the land space to develop some great thrill rides and they could easily have a Hypercoaster or almost any rides

[rappa]

Well they are not doing the same thing for 6 hours because that is why you rotate positions (

[rappa]

Well they are not doing the same thing for 6 hours because that is why you rotate positions (as Joz said). Of course on the small rides you would rotate rides but these rides wouldnt usually have 'themed costumes.' I will admit I have never operated a ride at a theme park but I also happen to work 22 hour shifts some days so I thing I have some perspective on concentration... (anyone else here operated lights for 10 hours straight at a dance party???) This is where it all comes back to having sufficient staff on rides so there are the positions to actualy rotate. And yes, parks do have staff on single rides for an entire day or even more. In fact this time last week I was at one And I can honestly say that if I did work at a theme park I would be a hell of a lot more enthusiastic and efficient about my job than many of the operators you see at a lot of parks. The way I see things is if I take pride in and am good at my job then so should other people.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

anyone else here operated lights for 10 hours straight at a dance party???

Yes... yes i have.

And I can honestly say that if I did work at a theme park I would be a hell of a lot more enthusiastic and efficient about my job than many of the operators you see at a lot of parks. The way I see things is if I take pride in and am good at my job then so should other people.

hear hear, i wholly agree. I HAVE worked at a theme park, not employed to do rides, but every part played in a theme park is equally important to keep the atmosphere around. I was in retail and games, i did vocal coaching and microphone technique for the spielers on the microphones, both in games AND attractions. i was also a photographer for the shows, and a retail attendant in some of the outlets as well. the bottom line is the majority of staff employed in theme parks are not there to enjoy themselves, they are there for a paycheck, and THAT is the problem with the theme parks in australia. the biggest problem is that they can't fire them... not because they aren't keeping up the atmosphere, but because if they were to attempt to dismiss every person who wasn't keeping up the atmosphere, they'd have a lot of staff to replace. i suppose a periodical culling, a "mystery shop" style standard that would do several visits on the park, each cast member would get points for doing the right things, and those with the lowest "performance review" score would be put on warning... next time round they're gone, and they could be hiring new staff with the right attitude before the old cast is gone. if someone came to you and said "this is the job i employed you for. you're not doing it to standard, last warning and you're gone.." you'd pick up the act. i see a lot of ride ops who dont or didn't give a damn about the atmosphere screaming thats unfair, but that IS your job! Mc Donald's employees have specific requirements, one of which is smiling. Disneyland - well.... find me an unhappy cast member there! point is that the whole idea of the theme - nothing works without the cast... the performers... the actors in the show...

[Bussy]

It was this sort of bloody mindedness that closed the park. And good on them. Now someone else can reopen it with a completely new set of industrial relations agreements. ZordMaker

It actually had absolutely nothing to do with Wonderland and had everything to do with NSW State OH&S Legislation. And as I said before it had to do with the staff being provided with a safe working environment.

The evidence (including the official reasons given by Management as to why the park closed) suggest otherwise. As an international destination, WL held no significant pulling power at all. There are plenty of other Sydney destinations where tourists can cuddle up with Australian animals (the Zoo, Koala Park, etc etc).

I'm sure you will understand when I tell you that the reasons given to the public for the close were a load of crap. The only reason it closed is that it was time for Sunway to cash in on their investment. The Wildlife Park was in the perfect location in Sydney to capture the tourist market, which it did very well. The reason was what lies about 30 minutes west on the M4, the Blue Mountains, you can't tell me that the vast majority of tourists to Sydney don't go to the Blue Mountains, and what did they pass on their way there? That's right the Wildlife Park. A lot of the bus loads of tourists would stop for about 1 hour and pay around $20 per person plus get photos with koalas and buy plenty of merchandise.

..Remember?.. The Radio station transmitter?.. Space probe?... 1997?... Access only after hours?... Hmm Hmm.

Yeah that’s all good and well but still doesn't explain why you wear lycra.

no, i can't supply accurate or even speculative figures on daily attendance in the periods of 1985-1990 and 2000-2004, but it doesnt take a brain surgeon to note that between 1985 and 1990, bush beast running two trains, one main operator, one brake controller at the rear of the platform, and two loadunloaders, had a queue that ran all the way back to the main "bush beast" sign. now take any average day in operation for 2000-2004, and note that one operator running one train got you on the coaster within approximately 4 cycles.

Ok lets take 2 train operation on Bush Beast, if there are 2 trains there is a minimum of 2 persons operating. Regardless of how many people are operating the ride the trains can only be dispatched at certain time intervals. You could have 1500 people there to operate but the fact of the matter is that it is just as efficient with 2. Before you say about 'what about 1 operator' most of the time it was impossible to run 2 trains due to mechanical/electrical faults.

there are simply too many variables to say this is exactly where it went wrong

Nothing went wrong, Sunway made and investment and it was time to cash it in.

Of course on the small rides you would rotate rides but these rides wouldnt usually have 'themed costumes.'

It is more important to rotate staff on large rides due to the size, speed, and number of people involved. Believe me if you are not concentrating 100% of the time something will go wrong.

This is where it all comes back to having sufficient staff on rides so there are the positions to actualy rotate.

There was never an issue with staffing levels and staff were always rotated at least once a day usually more.

And I can honestly say that if I did work at a theme park I would be a hell of a lot more enthusiastic and efficient about my job than many of the operators you see at a lot of parks.

Yes you would be enthusiastic at the start like most people are, that’s why they are employed in the first place, but after a while of guests constantly asking stupid questions and the repetitive noise and motion of the rides you start to loose enthusiasm. I haven't been to Dreamworld for about 10 years but am interested to know/see what their uniforms look like. Some pictures of ride operators, gaming staff, food staff and cleaners should be sufficient. "The Bus is now leaving for Foody, NSW"

[joz]

the bottom line is the majority of staff employed in theme parks are not there to enjoy themselves, they are there for a paycheck, and THAT is the problem with the theme parks in australia. the biggest problem is that they can't fire them... not because they aren't keeping up the atmosphere,  but because if they were to attempt to dismiss every person who wasn't keeping up the atmosphere, they'd have a lot of staff to replace. i suppose a periodical culling, a "mystery shop" style standard that would do several visits on the park, each cast member would get points for doing the right things, and those with the lowest "performance review" score would be put on warning... next time round they're gone, and they could be hiring new staff with the right attitude before the old cast is gone.

I'm sure the heart's in the right place, but the method leaves something to be desired. You can't force people to be happy, and threats of dismissal aren't going to make people cheerful. A system that's designed to be, as you put it, a 'periodical culling' is going to give moral a kick in the guts. A low moral means unhappy staff, poor service and the problem just gets worse. Personally, if I was in management, and my staff were giving bad service, then I'd want to know why. Are people not getting their breaks on time? Is there something about the area their working in that is making them unhappy or annoyed? Once you've found what's wrong, then fix the problem, and if the problem is the individual, then put them somewhere which doesn't require them to deal with guests. The mood or moral of your staff is very important. Anyone whose been treated badly at work by managers knows that you just don't want to be nice. Its hard to face the same thing everyday with a smile if its not a fun environment. Theme parks are the same, and just because its fun for the guests doesn't mean its fun for the staff. Here's an observation for you, the staff who are having fun are the staff who are doing the best job, and delivering the best service. So making the parks a fun, happy place for staff is in a step in making the parks fun for guests. Giving staff an incentive to do a good job is important too. Warner Village for a year or two ran an incentive across its parks, where staff were asked to go and find someone giving good service. The person who that staff member found, was then given 2 free tickets to a different park with $20 spending money, to find someone else doing a good job, and on it went. That system worked really well, until of course the staff at all 3 parks got too know each other. Now that this system has finished, there's now a new incentive program at each of the parks. Also, one thing I feel I must comment on: Rotating staff is important if the staff are bored. If staff are new to an area, or simply enjoy a job certain job, then why rotate them off it?

There was never an issue with staffing levels and staff were always rotated at least once a day usually more.

Wonderbuss, DJ was talking about having sufficient staff on each ride to be able to rotate staff on that one ride. Take as example Bermuda, there is someone organising the groups, someone giving the pre-show, and 2 people on the platform, and a spare person to cover breaks. On Bermuda after 11 you rotate every forty five mins or so till all the lunch breaks are done, then every 20 mins till the afternoon breaks are done. Then someone gets to go home early. That's what he means about having sufficient staff to rotate staff

[rappa]

Sorry Bus I meant to say that you wouldn't rotate positions on small rides because you'd only have 1 or 2 Ops max... hence the need to rotate staff around the smaller attractions. What I was talking about with sufficient staffing levels was having enough staff on a ride to enable rotating. For example with 5 person Op. on Space Probe you could keep staff rotating and thus fullfill OH&S obligations. With 1 or 2 person Op. you couldnt. IMO it's more dangerous to have 1 person operating a ride regardless of rotation than to have 3 or 4 that work on that ride all day. And no I would be just as enthusiastic 4 years later, it's all about doing your job well. If you don't enjoy it then you have no right to be working in tourism or hospitality...or any service industry for that matter!

[zordmaker]

Yeah that’s all good and well but still doesn't explain why you wear lycra.

Oh well you should be glad to know that Im wearing it right now. http://members.optusnet.com.au/paulmat/MrLycra.html ZordMaker

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

a good point Joz. i wasn't thinking morale there for a moment but rather a quickfix to an ongoing problem. positive reinforcement is the correct option, but there are still staff there that do not respond to positive reinforcement either - again as i said - there just for the paycheck.... this is the "chaff" in the crop that would need to be culled, and it is an unfortunate but necessary part of the process. a worm in an apple barrel is only going to produce more rotten apples. You can't stick someone out of view of the guests and just expect the problem to go away because you hide it. a person with a bad attitude should never be hired to work in a theme park but if they are, and they do not rectify their attitude, they should be culled if they are having a negative affect on the rest of the cast, or the guests. as far as enthusiasm - i can't speak truthfully over 4 years like Dj did, but i can truthfully say that in the 2 (or so) years that i was at wonderland i always chose my attitude before i went "on stage". I used to keep a few funny thoughts in my head, and before i walked through the "barriers" between on stage and off stage, i would always think of one of these thoughts, and put a smile on my face. even if i was hot, cold, wet, sore, thirsty, hungry, busting to use the loo, one of these thoughts would make me crack the biggest smile and it never failed. something else that never failed was going to see Tony and Juleen while on my break. that did just the same....

[Bussy]

Sorry Bus I meant to say that you wouldn't rotate positions on small rides because you'd only have 1 or 2 Ops max... hence the need to rotate staff around the smaller attractions. What I was talking about with sufficient staffing levels was having enough staff on a ride to enable rotating. For example with 5 person Op. on Space Probe you could keep staff rotating and thus fullfill OH&S obligations. With 1 or 2 person Op. you couldnt. IMO it's more dangerous to have 1 person operating a ride regardless of rotation than to have 3 or 4 that work on that ride all day.

Ok there are problems with what you have said. Mainly Space Probe VERY rarely had more than 2 'ops'. And when there was 2, 3, 4 or more 'ops' there was usually only one certified ride operator the rest were only trained to load/unload/queue. On the rare occasions that there was more than 1 certified ride operator they would rotate on a regular basis. This also goes for Demon, Snowy and Bush Beast. I agree and disagree that one person operating a ride is dangerous. On the agree side is with more than one person there, there is less of a chance to get bored and also there is someone else checking safety as well. On the disagree side there is more chance to get distracted, more chance of hearing a problem and less concentration.

And no I would be just as enthusiastic 4 years later, it's all about doing your job well. If you don't enjoy it then you have no right to be working in tourism or hospitality...or any service industry for that matter!

You cannot say that until you have worked in the industry. I enjoyed it immensely when I started and then went through a period where I couldn't give a crap and then I enjoyed it again. Some people can do a job well and may be happy but to people looking at them they would think differently, everyone is different and you can't judge a book by its cover.

Oh well you should be glad to know that Im wearing it right now. http://members.optusnet.com.au/paulmat/MrLycra.html

That **** is whacked. Sorry Richard but it is. Alex, I know what department you worked in at Wonderland and I would have to say that they were the worst of the lot when it came to attitude. The entertainment cast would walk around the park (very rarely mind you) and would come across very snobbish. Don't get me wrong I knew most of them and they were great people but when it came to interacting with guests one thing came in their way and that was their egos. "The Bus is now leaving for Ego Creek, Western Australia"

[rappa]

Yeah Bussy I totaly understand how you had to have ride rotation at Wonderland. The point I was trying to make was that rides SHOULD have been staffed with the adequate number of crew to make rotation within the ride possible. Well its true what you say about more than 1 staff not being as safe. This is only true if the staff aren't focussed on their work. If you have two staff that are focussed on what they are doing and not distracted then it is a much safer system.

[Bussy]

Yeah Bussy I totaly understand how you had to have ride rotation at Wonderland. The point I was trying to make was that rides SHOULD have been staffed with the adequate number of crew to make rotation within the ride possible.

There is no need for redundant positions on rides. Let’s take Space Probe as an example, one you go beyond 2 person op and go to 3, 4 or 5 it actually slows down the cycle time. If 3 person op was in operation the third person was at the entrance to the tunnels grouping and then waiting for a signal to send them through, by the time they go to the launch area 30-90 seconds had elapsed. If it was 2 person op the next group of people would be ready to come through the door as the previous group was leaving.

Well its true what you say about more than 1 staff not being as safe. This is only true if the staff aren't focussed on their work. If you have two staff that are focussed on what they are doing and not distracted then it is a much safer system.

What happens when 2 or more people get together? (No not that, not at work anyway, get your mind out of the gutter) They talk and that causes a loss in what? Concentration that’s what. I'm still waiting for some photos of staff uniforms. "The Bus is now leaving for Cockburn Gutter, Queensland"

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

"takes a deep breath" ok - bus i disagree that my department was the worst when it came to attitude. it all comes down to how the cast approach their positions. regardless of the department you are in, you have to have the correct attitude. i am not talking about individual departments, i am saying cast as a whole needed a different attitude. besides if you're saying that my department had the worst attitudes, then you're saying that i know better than yourself or anyone else in other departments just how hard it was to maintain the right attitude on stage... and i could, so whats wrong with everyone else? so on the subjects you've talked about bussy... staff each ride with operators qualified to perform ANY task on that ride. as far as high-staff levels on space probe for example, i recall in its first year of operation, Space probe 7 operated with 5 or more cast. 1 - at the queue line next to the waterfall 2 and 3 - in the pre-show entry room 4 5 and 6 - despatch room, operating, checking harness loose belongings etc. now 4,5,6 communicated with 2 and 3 using an intercom system built into probe's tunnels, but generally the ops could talk to each other through the side door to the pre show room, and basically so long as they filled the preshow room as soon as it was cleared from the last group, theres no delay there. number 1 was generally in contact via a 2way radio, however common sense would dictate that as one cycle was completed, they would let another 12 (or so) people into the tunnel. they generally kept about 4 cycles in the tunnels before the preshow room anyway, so theres no delay in guests walking through the tunnels. as far as losing concentration - its all about their attitude towards their job at hand. 1 - has no one to talk to. 2 and 3 are generally always in the presence of guests, and need to be talking to the guests about preparing loose belongings, which way to proceed when the door opens, all that sort of thing... they're never really by themselves to chat idly. and as far as 4,5,6 - well... their only idle time is the time between despatch and unload. thats what... 30 seconds tops? 20 seconds up, 5 seconds wait and 3 seconds drop.... this time could be spent - a) notifying number 1 to send more people via 2-way, monitoring the surveillance cameras and the ride displays... im sure theres plenty of things that can be done - HEY what about adding another 12 to the tally of guests on the ride! rather than guess at the end of the hour, keep count! im sure you can come up with more ideas... but thats the point i wish to make....

[Bussy]

*Takes deep breath and farts* Sorry Alex I was confusing you with GoBoi, my comments were directed to him so I take back my comments about your department.

staff each ride with operators qualified to perform ANY task on that ride. as far as high-staff levels on space probe for example, i recall in its first year of operation, Space probe 7 operated with 5 or more cast. 1 - at the queue line next to the waterfall 2 and 3 - in the pre-show entry room 4 5 and 6 - despatch room, operating, checking harness loose belongings etc. now 4,5,6 communicated with 2 and 3 using an intercom system built into probe's tunnels, but generally the ops could talk to each other through the side door to the pre show room, and basically so long as they filled the preshow room as soon as it was cleared from the last group, theres no delay there. number 1 was generally in contact via a 2way radio, however common sense would dictate that as one cycle was completed, they would let another 12 (or so) people into the tunnel. they generally kept about 4 cycles in the tunnels before the preshow room anyway, so theres no delay in guests walking through the tunnels. as far as losing concentration - its all about their attitude towards their job at hand. 1 - has no one to talk to. 2 and 3 are generally always in the presence of guests, and need to be talking to the guests about preparing loose belongings, which way to proceed when the door opens, all that sort of thing... they're never really by themselves to chat idly. and as far as 4,5,6 - well... their only idle time is the time between despatch and unload. thats what... 30 seconds tops? 20 seconds up, 5 seconds wait and 3 seconds drop.... this time could be spent - a) notifying number 1 to send more people via 2-way, monitoring the surveillance cameras and the ride displays... im sure theres plenty of things that can be done - HEY what about adding another 12 to the tally of guests on the ride! rather than guess at the end of the hour, keep count! im sure you can come up with more ideas... but thats the point i wish to make....

Do you think that just anyone was trained to operate the major rides? Because if you do you are very much mistaken. Most of the staff that operated Space Probe worked there for at least a year and had proven themselves as competent operators on smaller rides. It's like driving. You don't learn to drive in a B Double truck do you? No. You learn in a car and work your way up. What's the point of having a staff member at the entrance to the tunnel if there are 4 or more groups in the tunnels? What you have said proves my point about redundant positions. You say that there is plenty to do and there is no time to talk, how long do you think it takes to write '12' and look at 4 monitors? The operator should have been watching the cameras during the cycle but remember that most people have to ability to look and talk at the same time. Now look at the time from dispatch to unload, it's more like 60 seconds than 30. Yes the pre-show person is busy all the time but what about the other 2 or 3 in the launch area? Are seriously trying to tell me that you or anyone with the ability to speak would not do so? "The Bus is now leaving for Farthing Park, NSW"

[PattieBoi]

I like the Space Probe

[PattieBoi]

I like the Space Probe Sorry I only said that because I have no idea what you guys are on about...you guyz type heaps of stuff. I mean I talk heaps but even I can't type that much. YOU GUYZ ARE COOL BECAUSE YOU CAN TYPE HEAPS OF STUFF!!! (sorry to get out of topic, I just felt like saying that)

[joz]

Run 3 sides, which would need 3 ops, plus one grouping guests before the door, and one doing breaks. Thats if you really want to use the extra staff. For the record, I'm for efficient design so you don't need an excessive number of staff, and staff rotation, but saying that it can't be done or is totally unworkable is a bit narrow minded.

[T-bone]

Mates, Stop Arguing, you type to much for me to read all at once. This is meant to be what you'd do to Wonderland. Not about Staffing probs. To tell you the truth, this thread is becomming really boreing. Enough. No more please.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Do you think that just anyone was trained to operate the major rides? no. Most of the staff that operated Space Probe worked there for at least a year and had proven themselves as competent operators on smaller rides. It's like driving. You don't learn to drive in a B Double truck do you? No. You learn in a car and work your way up. this i know. i am aware of how the system worked, what i am saying is they should have trained more staff up to the "operator" level. perhaps improve the morale and treatment of the operations staff, so staff actually stay long enough to make it to that level What's the point of having a staff member at the entrance to the tunnel if there are 4 or more groups in the tunnels? to control the amount of people in the tunnel. ever queued up in those tunnels when they are CHOCKA BLOCK FULL on a hot day? its not pleasant. the airconditioning cannot cope with a full tunnel. in its first year or two of operation, the queue controller outside the tunnel kept guest comfort under control IN the tunnels, also doing height checks, and when you were allowed into the tunnels, you would run through them - just like they did in the first tv ad they released. it was part of the preshow theming idea. What you have said proves my point about redundant positions. You say that there is plenty to do and there is no time to talk, how long do you think it takes to write '12' and look at 4 monitors? these were examples. theres plenty of things cast can do to occupy themselves. and a little talking doesnt hurt and won't risk safety. The operator should have been watching the cameras during the cycle but remember that most people have to ability to look and talk at the same time. Now look at the time from dispatch to unload, it's more like 60 seconds than 30. Yes the pre-show person is busy all the time but what about the other 2 or 3 in the launch area? Are seriously trying to tell me that you or anyone with the ability to speak would not do so? what im trying to say is that the interaction between the cast that WOULD occur in this sort of situation would not cause a safety issue. but the importance of having this many cast on the ride is to ensure the most efficient operation, and im not talking price, im talking capacity. i know a lot of people who used to operate who used to talk in hushed and reverant tones of a magical number that probe was capable of handling per hour. the 6 cast operation was the only way to reach this magical number. now im not saying EVERY DAY requires 6 people. our initial discussion on this was in regards to OHS. having 6 competent, trained operators on probe who could rotate between all 6 positions would satisfy the ohs obligations. lesser cast could still do this, but a one or two person operation is just not right for probe... ever.

[T-bone]

Don't you People listen To Me! Not happy Alex! I mean it. Enough is Enough!

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

look at the time of our posts paul. now think about how long it would have taken me to do that. i started typing that before you or Joz replied.

[Bussy]

Run 3 sides, which would need 3 ops, plus one grouping guests before the door, and one doing breaks. Thats if you really want to use the extra staff. For the record, I'm for efficient design so you don't need an excessive number of staff, and staff rotation, but saying that it can't be done or is totally unworkable is a bit narrow minded.

Running 3 sides does not require 3 ops. Having 3 ops actually increases the risk of an accident and reduces efficiency. I don't know where you got the bit about it can't be done, but doing it that was is inefficient and increases the risk of accidents.

this i know. i am aware of how the system worked, what i am saying is they should have trained more staff up to the "operator" level. perhaps improve the morale and treatment of the operations staff, so staff actually stay long enough to make it to that level

You have contradicted yourself with that statement. First you say you understand how it worked and then go on to say that staff should be trained up to that level to encourage them to stay.

these were examples. theres plenty of things cast can do to occupy themselves. and a little talking doesnt hurt and won't risk safety.

Can you give me some more examples of stuff that that they could have done because I buggered if I can see anything else that can do in the spare 60-90 seconds that they had.

i know a lot of people who used to operate who used to talk in hushed and reverant tones of a magical number that probe was capable of handling per hour. the 6 cast operation was the only way to reach this magical number. now im not saying EVERY DAY requires 6 people. our initial discussion on this was in regards to OHS. having 6 competent, trained operators on probe who could rotate between all 6 positions would satisfy the ohs obligations. lesser cast could still do this, but a one or two person operation is just not right for probe... ever.

I can tell you that the 'magical' number was nowhere near reality. What was the number? 600 or 700 from memory. That means 50 or 58 FULL cycles an hour which regardless of staffing was impossible due to the cycle time of the machinery. Let me break it down for you. Time going up: 30 seconds. Time down: 5 seconds. Time for catch wagon to come back down: 30 seconds. Time to get next group on, locked in and cabin enabled: 30 seconds. Add that all up and you get 95 seconds. Now put that back into the numbers I gave and now tell me that you can get the 'magical' number every hour. I haven't even taken into account time for rotation, guest queries/complaints, disputes over restrictions, time for disabled guests, etc, etc. Paul, no one is making you read what we type. "The Bus is now leaving for Twelve Hour Point, Tasmania"

[Wazza1]

Its pathetic that you same old boring cynical operators are still have the same old tired arguments about staffing levels, rotations etc etc etc..This forum sounds like it has become the virtual Wonderland canteen. Its funny that nothing has changed, there is so much mis-information floating around about all sorts of things and you people take Wonderbus's word as absolute gospel..from what I read none of you REALLY know much at all, there is just so much pathetic here-say, rumour and personal analysis. You people cant air your dirty laundry in the canteen anymore so why not do it online instead. Get over it the place is closed, why not talk about your real jobs that you have now, it was the sort of cynical attitude that is being brandished by ex employees on this very forum, that is what made Wonderland so bad..Don't blame management...have a look in the mirror first

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

You have contradicted yourself with that statement.  First you say you understand how it worked and then go on to say that staff should be trained up to that level to encourage them to stay.

No Bus... read it again. i said they should train more people up to operator level, and they should also improve the treatment and morale of the staff to encourage them to stay - as in long enough for them to become a console operator.

I can tell you that the 'magical' number was nowhere near reality.  What was the number?  600 or 700 from memory.  That means 50 or 58 FULL cycles an hour which regardless of staffing was impossible due to the cycle time of the machinery.  Let me break it down for you.  Time going up: 30 seconds.  Time down: 5 seconds.  Time for catch wagon to come back down: 30 seconds.  Time to get next group on, locked in and cabin enabled: 30 seconds.  Add that all up and you get 95 seconds.  Now put that back into the numbers I gave and now tell me that you can get the 'magical' number every hour.  I haven't even taken into account time for rotation, guest queries/complaints, disputes over restrictions, time for disabled guests, etc, etc.

See - you're doing what i love to do, grab numbers to prove a point. Now heres a few bullet holes in your theory of 95 seconds. As quoted on the fact sheet sign out the front of probe, time taken for the gondola to reach the top was just over 20 seconds (photo anyone?) drop time was 4 seconds again according to the sign, but im not going to be pedantic over 1 second. so so far we have 24 seconds. now the catch wagon begins descent the moment the cabin touches bottom. its automatic. and with operators at peak efficiency, they can have the previous group cleared of the launch bay, and have the next group beginning to take their seats. so ill grant your 30 second catch wagon timing, as I have no other information to go on. so thats 54. now if there is one operator per gondola, the preshow cast have already prepared guests with loose belongings and all the rest, and another operator on the console ready to despatch as soon as all 3 operators have given "all clear". now probe will not dispatch if a OTSR isnt down, and neither will it dispatch if the gondola is unbalanced. so essentially all the operators have to do is give a jerk to four OTSR's to make sure they're locked and give a "cabin 1(or 2 or 3), clear" and hit Despatch. so on the outside, ill say that from doors to despatch its 40 seconds, now take off your 30 second catch wagon timing... thats another 10 seconds. so by my calculations, thats 64 seconds from despatch to despatch. if the operator by the waterfall does their job in measuring height limits, and the preshow operators do their jobs for loose belongings and all the rest, then i foresee only 2 or 3 complaints outside of that scope for the whole day which would at most add another 60 seconds to one despatch. so you loose 3 minutes in complaints etc in the day. 64 seconds x 12 Passengers = 768 per hour cast turnaround and breaks etc would be handed over only during despatch and unload, a total of 24 seconds or so, which is plenty of time to handover one position to another op. defense rests...

[DaveB]

I'm sure you will understand when I tell you that the reasons given to the public for the close were a load of crap.  The only reason it closed is that it was time for Sunway to cash in on their investment.  

I agree that this was quite obvious. The land clearly has the potential to be very lucrative industrial land. The location says it all: on the intersection of the main East-West transport link (M4 motorway) and the soon-to-be main North-South transport link (Weslink M7 motorway). With the Weslink M7 currently under construction, clearly the time was right to "cash in on their investment" (ie the now prime industrial real estate Wonderland has sat on since well before the M4 was even in its current state), and this is obviously what has happened. Daveb.