Theme Park Worldwide Announce Australian Tour

[Rivals]

51 minutes ago, New display name said:

Do you feel bad they chose to visit Melbourne during the week when Gumbuya World's coasters are only open on the weekends @Rivals?

and why would i feel bad about that? more is closed then they originally expected hence why i feel bad

[joz]

26 minutes ago, Rivals said:

and why would i feel bad about that?

Eh what? You literally just said:

1 hour ago, Rivals said:

i just couldn’t help but feel bad as they aren’t seeing the full potential

[New display name]

I can't understand why you have taken on something that doesn't concern you, personally @Rivals.   In saying that, I would feel bad if MW did a DW and ran a ride that wasn't safe just to make some coin.

[REGIE]

7 minutes ago, New display name said:

I can't understand why you have taken on something that doesn't concern you, personally @Rivals.   In saying that, I would feel bad if MW did a DW and ran a ride that wasn't safe just to make some coin.

I feel like that’s a but unfair to say.     @Rivalswas just saying it’s too bad not every ride is open that when they planed the trip was stated as open. I don’t understand why that’s such a bad thing to say? And then to go and call out dreamworld for no reason.. especially considering dreamworld now have basically completely new management and a new CEO. It’s like blaming someone’s son for what their dad did..     

anyway.. do you think coaster studios will get the same treatment TPWW got with what rides they can and can’t film on? 

[New display name]

@REGIEno need for you to speak for Rivals.  @Rivals said he felt bad.   Also using DW as an example is not throwing DW under a bus.  DW did that to themselves.

[STRAWS]

2 hours ago, New display name said:

@REGIEno need for you to speak for Rivals.  @Rivals said he felt bad.   Also using DW as an example is not throwing DW under a bus.  DW did that to themselves.

But Dreamworld has brought in brand new management. What happened will always be there but it's a new park with a new and bright future I'm not saying forget its history but to move on and accept the new Dreamworld.

[Rivals]

2 hours ago, New display name said:

@REGIEno need for you to speak for Rivals.  @Rivals said he felt bad.   Also using DW as an example is not throwing DW under a bus.  DW did that to themselves.

“no need to speak” for me but what he said is exactly what i mean lol.

2 hours ago, New display name said:

I can't understand why you have taken on something that doesn't concern you, personally @Rivals.   

i don’t know them so just because i feel bad that more rides are close then they expected doesn’t mean i’m taking it on personally. i think what i meant was pretty clear especially as other people understood it clearly. 

[New display name]

@RivalsI'm going to get off this merry-go-round because, yeah, I'll leave it at that.

49 minutes ago, STRAWS said:

But Dreamworld has brought in brand new management. What happened will always be there but it's a new park with a new and bright future I'm not saying forget its history but to move on and accept the new Dreamworld.

It's a bright future is debatable.  Hopefully, but nothing DW has done gives me 100% confidence.

 

Wipeout........................................Gone

Tower of Terror............................Gone

Bid Red Car .................................Gone

Buzzsaw ......................................Gone

Steam Trains ...............................Gone

Log Ride  ......................................Gone

Dreamworks ................................Gone

Tiger Island interaction ..............Gone

 

Sky Voyager ................................Debacle of a build

Steel Taipan ................................Fell in lap.

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by New display name

[GoGoBoy]

Coaster Studios will be missing out on both Scooby and Superman, right? That's a downright tragedy 

[New display name]

21 minutes ago, GoGoBoy said:

Coaster Studios will be missing out on both Scooby and Superman, right? That's a downright tragedy 

The Giant Drop - Serpent Slayer – Steel Taipans’ spinning seat – Vortex – SX360 – Wild Mouse – Superman – Doomsday – Batwing – Scooby – Project Zero – TNT.

[Rivals]

35 minutes ago, New display name said:

It's a bright future is debatable.  Hopefully, but nothing DW has done gives me 100% confidence.

 

Wipeout........................................Gone

Tower of Terror............................Gone

Bid Red Car .................................Gone

Buzzsaw ......................................Gone

Steam Trains ...............................Gone

Log Ride  ......................................Gone

Dreamworks ................................Gone

Tiger Island interaction ..............Gone

 

Sky Voyager ................................Debacle of a build

Steel Taipan ................................Fell in lap.

 

everything they’ve done makes sense.

Wipeout was a rare model and a maintenance nightmare. 

Tower of Terror was down more then it wasn’t and reached the end of its life span (would’ve been to costly to refurb at the time.)

Big Red Car was a dated and very old dark ride that’s about to be replaced with a $35m vekoma roller coaster with modern dark ride elements.

Buzzsaw was a maintenance nightmare with little ridership.

Steam Trains needed specific training to operate and was costly to maintain.

Log Ride should’ve been refurbished and revamped instead of removed so i will agree.

Dreamworks theme is gone but the area is still around so it’s not exactly a giant loss.

Tiger Island Interaction is still around.

I find it funny you’re criticising them for removing rides but when they built two new rides (arguably best dark ride in Australia + unique to the country and Australia’s only triple launch coaster + one of our only looping coasters) you then again have another issue with that.

With all the investment currently happening + more plans down the pipeline it does have a bright future you can’t deny that.

2 minutes ago, New display name said:

Steel Taipans’ spinning seat – Vortex

Tailwhip is operating from last thing i heard + it isn’t out of the blue for Vortex to randomly be closed for a day or two for technical issues, it should be up by the time they come to the GC.

[GoGoBoy]

3 minutes ago, New display name said:

The Giant Drop - Serpent Slayer – Steel Taipans’ spinning seat – Vortex – SX360 – Wild Mouse – Superman – Doomsday – Batwing – Scooby – Project Zero – TNT.

😮😮😮

Someone refund their plane tickets!!

[New display name]

1 minute ago, Rivals said:

everything they’ve done makes sense.

 

Not having replacement rides in the pipeline doesn't.

2 minutes ago, Rivals said:

Dreamworks theme is gone but the area is still around so it’s not exactly a giant loss.

Shows DW unwilling to spend the money for a quality branding instead goes generic. 

6 minutes ago, Rivals said:

Tiger Island Interaction is still around.

Sorry, I should have said going.

7 minutes ago, Rivals said:

I find it funny you’re criticising them for removing rides but when they built two new rides (arguably best dark ride in Australia

What dark ride?

7 minutes ago, Rivals said:

Australia’s only triple launch coaster + one of our only looping coasters) you then again have another issue with that.

DW got lucky with getting ST.  Had nothing to do with great management and planning.

9 minutes ago, Rivals said:

With all the investment currently happening + more plans down the pipeline it does have a bright future you can’t deny that.

I'll wait and see what DW build before I get too excited.

 

9 minutes ago, GoGoBoy said:

😮😮😮

Someone refund their plane tickets!!

At this point, I don't think they came for the rides.

[Rivals]

Just now, New display name said:

Not having replacement rides in the pipeline doesn't.

 

has everything to do with old management not new.

1 minute ago, New display name said:

Shows DW unwilling to spend the money for a quality branding instead goes generic. 

the Dreamworks brand was only a licence for 10 years, if it’s bringing in no new crowds and there is better use for that money to uphold the licence then why waste the money.

2 minutes ago, New display name said:

What dark ride?

Sky Voyager.

2 minutes ago, New display name said:

DW got lucky with getting ST.  Had nothing to do with great management and planning.

the ride was always destined for Dreamworld, they got lucky as a project got cancelled at an overseas park so it opened up a slot for Dreamworlds coaster could to be manufactured earlier then expected. 

[New display name]

4 minutes ago, Rivals said:

has everything to do with old management not new.

The current board of directors have been there for 6 years, and I think they are up to plan F.

[Slick]

21 minutes ago, Rivals said:

everything they’ve done makes sense.

Wipeout was a rare model and a maintenance nightmare. 

Tower of Terror was down more then it wasn’t and reached the end of its life span (would’ve been to costly to refurb at the time.)

Big Red Car was a dated and very old dark ride that’s about to be replaced with a $35m vekoma roller coaster with modern dark ride elements.

Buzzsaw was a maintenance nightmare with little ridership.

Steam Trains needed specific training to operate and was costly to maintain.

Log Ride should’ve been refurbished and revamped instead of removed so i will agree.

Dreamworks theme is gone but the area is still around so it’s not exactly a giant loss.

Tiger Island Interaction is still around.

I find it funny you’re criticising them for removing rides but when they built two new rides (arguably best dark ride in Australia + unique to the country and Australia’s only triple launch coaster + one of our only looping coasters) you then again have another issue with that.

With all the investment currently happening + more plans down the pipeline it does have a bright future you can’t deny that.

Tailwhip is operating from last thing i heard + it isn’t out of the blue for Vortex to randomly be closed for a day or two for technical issues, it should be up by the time they come to the GC.

I think what you've missed there is that even most regional theme parks have a pipeline of attractions five or ten years in advance so that when something closes, something is ready to take its place. Dreamworld being caught with its pants down in the form of the incident really showed that the business not only had no long-term succession plan but failed to maintain what it had in place of a long-term plan.

[Rivals]

32 minutes ago, Slick said:

I think what you've missed there is that even most regional theme parks have a pipeline of attractions five or ten years in advance so that when something closes, something is ready to take its place. Dreamworld being caught with its pants down in the form of the incident really showed that the business not only had no long-term succession plan but failed to maintain what it had in place of a long-term plan.

you can’t change what happened however, they were fixing past managements mistakes as fast as they could and they now have a strong pipeline for new attractions, so what’s the point of complaining that they had no pipeline when now they do.

[joz]

I feel like drinking that much Kool Aid isn't good for you

[Tim Dasco]

2 hours ago, Rivals said:

has everything to do with old management not new.

the Dreamworks brand was only a licence for 10 years, if it’s bringing in no new crowds and there is better use for that money to uphold the licence then why waste the money.

How do we even know Universal even offered a renewal contract? Since Universal is building mini Dreamworks parks now. I wonder if Universal flat out refused to renew the contract or asked a stupid amount to basically force their hands?

 

Also Steel Taipan wasn't just a time slot the ride was already in production. The park made changes to include the spike etc. But it could have been brought by any parks. Dreamworld management worked hard to secure it and make it fit into that spot.

[Rivals]

5 minutes ago, Tim Dasco said:

How do we even know Universal even offered a renewal contract? Since Universal is building mini Dreamworks parks now. I wonder if Universal flat out refused to renew the contract or asked a stupid amount to basically force their hands?

I don’t know if that’s what happened or not but that’s just what i was assuming, just like other people in here assuming Dreamworld dropped Dreamworks and used it as a negative towards the park.

5 minutes ago, Tim Dasco said:

Also Steel Taipan wasn't just a time slot the ride was already in production. The park made changes to include the spike etc. But it could have been brought by any parks. Dreamworld management worked hard to secure it and make it fit into that spot.

from what i’ve heard the ride was already planned and a cancelled project allowed ST to be produced earlier but who really knows.

1 hour ago, joz said:

I feel like drinking that much Kool Aid isn't good for you

it’s better then being an adult complaining about nothing all day🤷‍♀️

[REGIE]

2 hours ago, New display name said:

Not having replacement rides in the pipeline doesn't.

These are past mistakes. the park has announced they have a 5-7 year plan now so I think we can put that behind us. Yes that is the reason DW fell but no that’s not the reason they don’t have a bright future because they do have a plan now…  
 

Yes DW has removed a lot of icons over the years. It’s hard to get past that but we gotta move on. It was either run old DW to the ground or remove beloved attractions to keep the park moving forward.

 

2 hours ago, New display name said:

Shows DW unwilling to spend the money for a quality branding instead goes generic. 

IP’s are a lame cash grab. They did a good job of DreamWorks land but if I wanted or anyone wanted movie based rides I believe there’s a park fully themed to that down the road?? No, DW needs something different from the rest. “Generic” (I say original) Is more risky and harder to pull off but if I had to pick between Disney or Phantasialand based on best themes I would with out a doubt go PL with its unique original themes. I know what they are planning is no where near PL style but I think removing all IP’s from dreamworld is a step in the right direction. Original themes can’t date like IP themes either.

Edited February 14, 2023 by REGIE

[Slick]

1 hour ago, REGIE said:

IP’s are a lame cash grab.

It's empirically not true. IAAPA has a ton of resources about how IP can drive a 20% bump in revenue if done well. There's also dozens of research articles you can find on Google Scholar that cover marginal affinity and what defines great IP synergy/execution and how it impacts long term bottom line revenue. I think that's where you might be getting your wires crossed - just because your favourite theme park CEO retires an IP doesn't suddenly make all IP's bad. If that were the case Disney wouldn't be the world's most valuable IP-house. That's not to say the particular Dreamworks IP's they had were tired, but to replace it with really no nationally recognisable IP is ultimately a measure in austerity not growth.

4 hours ago, Rivals said:

4 hours ago, New display name said:

What dark ride?

Sky Voyager.

Lol, you absolutely can't attribute Sky Voyager to the current CEO. That was three CEO's in the making and it didn't include the current CEO. Furthermore, and I can't state this enough, Ardent have had the same key board members for the last four CEOs ranging back to 2017, and whilst I can't understate how tough a CEO's job is, they report to the board and its strategic directives/interests, which have included ride procurement and theming in the case of the current activist shareholders. Therefore, this whole new/old management thing is a misnomer at best. Call it for what it is - you just like this CEO. And that's okay, too. CEOs aren't an island, and the ones that do often fail pretty quickly. People really like this one and I can totally understand why, but revising history and ignoring facts (like saying Buzzsaw was a maintenance nightmare but miraculously runs perfect at Gumbuya World) to suit this second coming of Jesus narrative is a bit cringe.

1 hour ago, REGIE said:

Yes DW has removed a lot of icons over the years. It’s hard to get past that but we gotta move on.

The current strategy has largely purposefully avoided replacing the mix of attractions what was previously closed because current sentiment is that a smaller Dreamworld was the smarter move. And maybe that was justified back when the park was on death's door during the pandemic, but it's clear to see in the current demand across all parks that people don't want the Dreamworld that's being offered. Remember, a quiet park and short queues is a feature for enthusiasts, but it's a bug for profit and a successful long term organisation.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Slick

[Baconjack]

3 hours ago, Tim Dasco said:

How do we even know Universal even offered a renewal contract? Since Universal is building mini Dreamworks parks now. I wonder if Universal flat out refused to renew the contract or asked a stupid amount to basically force their hands?

100% this.

Have universal ever offered to license one of their IP's to a competitor? That's probably something to keep in mind with renewal. It was always going to go once the ten years was up, no question about it.

6 hours ago, New display name said:

Wipeout........................................Gone

Tower of Terror............................Gone

Bid Red Car .................................Gone

Buzzsaw ......................................Gone

Steam Trains ...............................Gone

Log Ride  ......................................Gone

Dreamworks ................................Gone

Tiger Island interaction ..............Gone

Wipeout and Big Red Car both needed to go. Wipeout should have been planned to be closed years before it actually did. By watching videos of Big Red Car in its last years it looked like nightmare fuel, would have cost a lot of money to upgrade and is better off being flattened for something new. Why keep a rotting ride going to buff up the ride count. Tower of Terror is an appropriate trade off for Taipan. I'll give you the points on buzzsaw, the trains, tiger island, and the log ride. Buzzsaw was costly to maintain but needed to be kept around for a bit longer than what they did to fill gaps in the lineup. Log ride was an expensive redo but needed to be done or replaced with another water ride ASAP (that's not going to happen for a while). Trains and tigers are self explanatory.

FWIW Yong and his people have been spending the last two and a bit years cleaning up 10+ years of neglect by past management teams. It has affected literally everything at the park. Some of that neglect has hastened certain rides' operating lives. That sort of clean up doesn't happen overnight. It's going to take time. I do think Jungle Rush when its finished is that ride to capture the punters' attention which Taipan has so far failed to do provided it either equals or beats Village in presentation.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Baconjack

[Guest 239]

12 hours ago, Tim Dasco said:

How do we even know Universal even offered a renewal contract? Since Universal is building mini Dreamworks parks now. I wonder if Universal flat out refused to renew the contract or asked a stupid amount to basically force their hands?

I wouldn't be surprised if Universal let the contract expire considering their new family-focused park in Texas is almost entirely DreamWorks. https://www.travelandleisure.com/universal-announces-new-theme-park-texas-7094079

Disney have stated that they have been losing traction with families as of late, and this is Universal's opportunity to sweep in and get people into their brand whilst they're young. It makes sense that'd want to control the DreamWorks ecosystem as much as possible and allows for them to build one of these parks in Australia in the future without figuring out licensing. 

 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

9 hours ago, Baconjack said:

FWIW Yong and his people have been spending the last two and a bit years cleaning up 10+ years of neglect by past management teams. It has affected literally everything at the park. Some of that neglect has hastened certain rides' operating lives. That sort of clean up doesn't happen overnight. It's going to take time.

I had planned to reply to a whole bunch of posts above, with rebuttals to each, but this is all that needs to be said. You can't fix 10+ years of poor management and bad decisions overnight. You also can't point to board members who have sat for the past 6 years when many of those board members have relied on CEOs and similar to inform them of the best direction to go in.

Ride removals - may not be the decision we'd all like, but the neglect of the management prior to TRRR made it the only option.

Loss of IP - if you've got a choice between renewing a 10 year old licence, or building an entirely new land \ attraction group - what's going to give you the boost? New Dreamworks might have given a 20% bump, but 10 year old renewed dreamworks won't. If you've got a limited pile of money, you'd put it towards something new, rather than keep old things going without getting additional value out of it - see also: tower of terror.

 

The simple fact is the current set up is likely to turn the park around, and as their forward planning starts to bear fruit, momentum will build. 

They've effectively started from scratch due to the poor planning of their predecessors with nothing in the cupboard to start from, so to point to early progress and say "Dreamworld = Bad" is misguided and shortsighted.