thunderbolt site work

[kennykoala]

Hi all, just a quick note. I was at dreamworld on thursday and at the thunderbolt site was a bobcat with a concrete hammer, and a cppl of utes with trailers doing a general clean up. The bobcat was over the far side were the hill used to curve at the start of thunderbolt, breaking up concrete. Thats all I have for you but I thought id pas it on. p.s- was at sea world today havent been there in years...i must say every staff member that we spoke too was so friendly and very nice..could be due to the fact that there was all of 20ppl in the park because of nonstop rain till 3-30, anyhow the staff were great.

[Ian]

p.s- was at sea world today havent been there in years...i must say every staff member that we spoke too was so friendly and very nice..could be due to the fact that there was all of 20ppl in the park because of nonstop rain till 3-30, anyhow the staff were great.

Did you see me, I was working at Seaworld, I would have been in aqua wetsuit boots with blue trackpants and blue seaworld jacket and I had a camera with me. Yesterday was fun, did you do any shows or rides.

[kennykoala]

if u were the guy taking photos of a boy at dolphin cove and a girl at the seal show, yes i did:) yes went on all rides and apart from sky way(closed)seen the shows apart from sos it was closed too.

[Ian]

that was me as for thunderbolt if the area is for the next ride I would think around April 2005 is when work will start construction wise so they maybe leveling the ground right now or using the space for something else.

[dr_teeth]

Be great to see another ride go in so soon but i doubt it. Id think theyd have to make their money back on the claw first. And besides the claw will still have its "new" status and be a drawcard to make people want to come to dreamworld for a fair while yet. However itd be great to see something good go in there so fingers crossed hey!

[Ian]

^wrong DW have a budget and a ride set so next year and so do MW and trust me they will be the 2 best rides in australia.

[nobbys nuts]

Was at the park yesterday and one of the ride attendants said that they are putting a staff carpark in where the TB used to be so that it creates more usable parking for the guests out the front. New rides to go in between park and Foxwell Rd (where you come off the highway from north) as they cant go further back behind Koala country due to a second entrance off the carpark for the new Westfield shopping centre to be built back there.

[dr_teeth]

what a waste to make a carpark out of that. surely the existing carpark is big enough and or they can build a specific staf carpark somewhere else if its needed. my thoughts would be why not keep that space to extend the ocean parade, or create an whole new themed area from behind what used to be the thunderbold station.

[scott]

Yes,it is a waste,that land is positioned perfectly for another attraction.Let's just hope he was wrong.

[T-bone]

I believe you have just been bought out by another one of those staff members jokes. Yes they do try to be funny now. They have to have some laughter now don't they.

[screammachine]

I dont see making a new topic just for my question, BUT.... What are the crowds like at Dreamworld this time of year?? Friends & I will be up there from the 2'nd Jan. And I would like to know if the waiting times will be terrible?? I can't wait to get up there and try out The Claw. Oh yah and I'm new cam... It will be sooo sweet if Dreamworld gets a nice coaster for next year. Lets just hope there is no building put up for some crappy magic show or something.... Screammachine

[T-bone]

The magic show is going into the Ampitheatre know as Dreamworld Studios, AKA Big Brother Eviction stage.

[kennykoala]

wemt to dreamworld yesterday, the claw and the wipeout were both walk- ons for the 4 hrs I was there. didnt go to the otherside of the park, but the bottom carpark wasnt bursting at the seems either. Movieworld was semi busy, but that didnt stop a pretty much 1 train wait on lethal weapon either. All i can say is if movieworld do get a launch coaster like xcellarator or dragster, u will get alot of oppurtunities to ride it over and over as oppsed to if dreamworld got one...the line would be miles..lol.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

ahhhhhhhh here comes the capacity issues again. I'd be interested to see a discussion put forth on the same IDENTICAL ride put in both DW, and WBMW, and how the different capacity issues would pan out - for example, (i know they're not the same, but similar coasters for comparison) Lethal Weapon - it has a really long alleyway to set the scene, observation area, outdoor queue line, "in-cinema" waiting area showing the movie, to get you further in the mood, then outside again to dogs barking, with plenty of props all over the place, graffiti, billboards to read, seeing the riders get strapped in, despatched, as well as seeing the riders come back, and the look on their faces terrorising you if you're a first time rider. then you get into the divided queue lines, more things to read, more of the ride to watch and listen to, as well as some very entertaining ride ops who do their best to keep you occupied. not to mention the overhead "police radio" for you to listen to, and any and all safety announcements the ops make. Cyclone - enter the first few metres of the spiral queue line and theres plenty of props and things to read, then you come out above the cyclone machine, and there are flashing lights that dont work, i beleive tehre is a blackboard lower down on the queue line, and then essentially all you have to look at is the cyclone machine, the people opposite you in the spiral, and idiots walking past you who are queue jumping. you get to the top where you stand there for a cycle, before an op comes and gets you, counts you on, the best theming of the ride with the bouncy floor and all the rest is wasted by the fact that you're rushed past it, to sit there and stare at blank, dark doors, until everyone has gotten off the train and clear of the exit. then and only then, do you see the train close up for the first time, with no previous instruction on how to get in, buckle up, loose articles etc. Now I dont think I have slewed these representations, and I think its a pretty accurate and concise description of the average experience on each coaster. Now as kenny said, we're talking about an IDENTICAL ride, proposed for each park.... regardless of capacity of the actual ride, which queueing design and entertainment system works better... and therefore - how long will the queue wait be PERCEIVED at WBMW compared to DW....

[Ian]

^its a easy answer in the normal season eg, non hoilday time MW have more ops on there coasters then DW do.

[coaster_crazee]

Ive been to DW when NSW schools were on holidays, and when QLD schools were on holidays (QLD holidays begin a week before NSW i think) and ive found that it is less crowded when QLD schools are on holidays...

[steve$]

yeah,I did the same thing. Except when Queensalnd were in School still. The parks were still packed though

[Obstructure]

Cyclone 1 train, lethal weapon 2. Lethal Weapon: Movie World's number 1 thrill ride Cyclone: A lot lower down the list of Dreamworld's top thrill rides Not a very good comparison to make, but I can see where you are going with things.

[dr_teeth]

Ive been to DW when NSW schools were on holidays, and when QLD schools were on holidays (QLD holidays begin a week before NSW i think) and ive found that it is less crowded when QLD schools are on holidays...

I have heard that something like2/3 of DW's customers are from out of state (nsw etc) so that could have somthing to do with it....assuming of course that this information is actually correct

[steve$]

It is a really big draw for people down in NSW.Half the people in my class have been there

[joz]

I can't be bothered having this discussion again, but I just can't resist throwing one comment in:

Lethal Weapon: Movie World's number 1 thrill ride Cyclone: A lot lower down the list of Dreamworld's top thrill rides Not a very good comparison to make, but I can see where you are going with things.

Yeah, the fair thing to do is to compare it with Dreamworld's number 1 thrill ride, Giant Drop.

[steve$]

That wouldnt be a proper comparison because they are completely different rides.

[scott]

Well,Cyclone and Lethal Weapon are the parks main full-cuircut coasters,si It's the best comparison there is.

[steve$]

BTW,was thunderbolt more popular than cyclone when they were still together at th epark

[scott]

Well,they're both pretty crappy coasters,one rough and boring,the other low capacity and boring.Thunderbolt would have been my fav had it not been so rough,but otherwise it's Cyclone.