Minor Changes @ MW

[BNErider]

Here's some pictures of some stuff that's changing at Movie World. Taken from my new camera

[Churros]

Bahahaha! They were so overdue to just put either a path or paving in that area near Superman. The number of times they have attempted to grass it. And question, is that path in Johnson town a redo or a completely new path?

[dreamworld_rulz]

When you see the photo's on the wii. Talk about full screen. Great pics ash thanks for posting them.

Edited December 3, 2007 by dreamworld_rulz

[ads086]

Hey guys, not sure if this is the right thread to post in, but the title fits it really. Last time I was at the park, I rode Wild West Falls a couple of times, just after the October/November Annual Maintenance, and noticed some new "brushes" I suppose they'd be installed on some of the turns around the 'back' part of the ride. Can any one explain what they're for?

[pin142]

Would be guessing to help reduce splash back as a water saving measure.

[ShadowXL]

yer i saw those brushes today to, i thought they were new, never seen them before. the christmas tree is a little more decorated now. On the arc now tho as you walk is is about 6 posters about the new alvin and the chimpmunks movie, its a bit weird for movieworld to be advertising a movie so much it goes on there entrance arc isnt it?

Edited December 5, 2007 by ShadowXL

[BNErider]

I think it's cool they promote movies that's now showing. I mean I loved the way years ago they would have a close link between the studios (also the cinemas) and the park. I hope they bring back the "Now Filming" signs and really start a close link with the studios again. Maybe even a tour of some kind.

[BNErider]

Quick update: Movie World has added three 'wait time' boards throughout the park. (Fountain, SCSC-LW entry and Wild West Falls spectator area) The good thing about this is that you don't need to go to each ride to see if it's closed or a long/short wait. The downside is that it's a "magnet" system updated by the staff regularly. All the boards were the same (when I looked) as each other so I don't think anyone has "messed with them" but it's not a fail-safe system. A digital sign would be MUCH better, but, It's a start.

[Chaos-Maniac]

Good idea. If only other parks like DW would use this idea...?

[MickeyD]

This is taken straight from bigger parks overseas like Disney. I think it's a great move to assist with guest circulation on busier days

[zaneymon]

For the Record those wait time boards have also been installed at Seaworld and Wet 'n' Wild

[Richard]

Well that's about the ugliest thing I've seen. Great idea and certainly something long overdue for our parks, but I find it a bit ridiculous that the best they could do in this day and age is a whiteboard with magnetic dots. I find it hard to believe they couldn't spend a few hundred bucks on signs to go with some LED screens. It also couldn't cost too much in the scheme of things to set up a wireless network between them all so they can be synchronised with minimal effort. This kind of thing is not just a benefit to the guests but it can also be a very valuable tool in altering behaviour to ensure that the crowd is evenly distributed and thus be a key instrument in the park's yield management, but it can only work in this manner if it's a true realtime system. They'll have to replace these signs out the moment they add a new ride as not only is there no room but they're ordered in terms of overall popularity. The names of the rides are devoid of the correct formatting that WVTP are typically very conscious of and strict about. Using the logos rather than written names would have made reading this chart much easier to follow. I'm all for this type of signage, but it seems to be something that has avoided any consultation with marketing or design people within WVTP judging by the fact that it looks more like a classroom whiteboard than something you'd see at a world-class theme park. The ideal solution would be a neatly designed sign with the ride logo/name printed and a 3 digit LED display for the wait time followed by "min" and the ability to add more attractions as time goes on. The time and money it'll cost to have an employee running around keeping them up to date and ensuring that no one has tampered with them would surely quickly escalate beyond what centrally-controlled, scalable (i.e. able to be added to and changed with new attractions) digital signage would cost to install and maintain.

[nev]

Well that's about the ugliest thing I've seen.

Looks like someone had a free afternoon and $50 to spend at Officeworks.... my favourite bit is the stuck on logos Adding to what Richard says, it'd be pretty simple to integrate the digital version into the screen on Main Street as well - although that might actually give it a practical function rather than being an advertising eye sore hey

[BNErider]

I agree with Richard here, but even if they put a little plastic cover over it with a small lock, to stop people from tempering it. I know it wouldn't help the "ugliness" issue, but I can't help to think that someone has messed with all of the times whenever I look. Let's hope Dreamworld fights back with a bigger and better system.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Quick update: Movie World has added three 'wait time' boards throughout the park. (Fountain, SCSC-LW entry and Wild West Falls spectator area) The downside is that it's a "magnet" system updated by the staff regularly. All the boards were the same (when I looked) as each other so I don't think anyone has "messed with them" but it's not a fail-safe system. A digital sign would be MUCH better, but, It's a start.

Yeah - I don't think they're using magnets in WnW. I was there last week and i'm pretty sure they were just big hand drawn X's using a whiteboard marker. I agree with Richard, a digital display board would be good. Network wise it wouldn't be that hard. WnW and Movie World's ride photo boards are linked together and accessible from either location, so a reasonably established network is out and about there... Spending the money on a digital board in theory is ok, with LED boards etc, but I think a simpler system would be better - imagine this: At the entrance of every ride, which would already have the cabling etc for communications etc, a simple LCD display monitor or plasma. All linked to the network and all displaying all the rides in the park and their current wait time. Benefits of this method are: 1) infinite expansion, it can be updated to show anything the park wants to - so it can be used to advertise. 2) not only could this board show the ride wait times, but it could also show when another show within the park was about to start... shrek, police academy \ whatever 3) not prone to tampering 4) being at every ride means that the boards are not in themselves a clusterpoint, anybody, going to any ride, can see immediately what the wait is expected to be at the ride they are going to, and alternatives with shorter wait times.

Good idea. If only other parks like DW would use this idea...?

In theory it would be good... but the bottom line is that dreamworld's wait boards would look something like the attachment below.

[BNErider]

Haha, good one Alex! I agree with Alex, but I still would like a "central" board saving me from needing to go to each attraction to see the wait time. I know it's lazy, but I don't want to always have to walk back to SE to see if it's back open, when I'm just about to re-ride WWF.

[Gold Coaster]

At least it's a start. Probably just a trial -- doubt they would go for having this look permanently.

Edited January 9, 2008 by Tony Teulan

[rappa]

Its been proven at Disney that a 'fastpass' type system of que reservation can actually lead to INCREASED wait times rather than reducing them. They have found that removing the system from some of their rides had actually reduced the wait time considerably... I'm not about to go and bash my own employer but I would have thought they could have come up with something a little bit more intelligent, or at least themed than those wait time boards. Great idea, less than perfect implimentation.

[Gazza]

Hopefully they go for something a little more permanent looking, it could be they didn't want to go all out with a full electronic system without doing a bit of trialling first. Something else I'd like too add, at Disney the central Tip Board is actually magnetic, and is staffed all day.

Its been proven at Disney that a 'fastpass' type system of que reservation can actually lead to INCREASED wait times rather than reducing them. They have found that removing the system from some of their rides had actually reduced the wait time considerably

Bingo, after a few days at WDW I found this to be the case...Fastpass has some definite flaws. I mean, it is great to give people a warm fuzzy feeling when they can stroll through past a crowded queue house, but a couple of problems I found: -Causes unecessary waits, i mean on space mountain, half the capacity goes to Fastpass. The standby queue was 40 minutes, but it would have been a bearable 20 minutes for everyone if fastpass didn't exisit. -Not there when it is needed, in the morning you can get a fastpass for any ride easily, problem is you dont really need them then, so really all they seemed good for was re-riding. But in the afternoon when wait times get huge fastpasses are often all sold out, which forces everybody into the standby queue further increasing waits. If you are park hopping this becomes a big problem since you simply aren't in the park in the morning when fastpasses are available. But back to the main topic, good work on getting those queue time boards, its something I have wanted to see for a while, they do need provisions for showing when a ride is down though. AlexBs idea is the best though, plasmas can show full colour, can scroll through different rides. In fact Parque Warner uses this type of system.

[ShadowXL]

They Do look a little tacky, especially because of the fact that the park logo is just placed there with a different background colour, makes it look very cheap. I'm all for a electronic plasma/lcd television idea, the central one could always be the big screen in main street, after a movie preview it could pop up the wait times for a minute then show another ad then the wait list etc. I like the idea, i jut hope as Gazza said, that this is a trial and they will place better boards in the long run.

[dreamworld_rulz]

The boards a pretty tacky but as mentioned earlier it's a start. Alex you have some gr8t ideas there. Maybe you should email MW about it?