Dreamworld no longer a Theme Park

[Mort]

I think that Dreamworld has declined to the point that it is no longer a Theme Park and now an Amusement Park.

I just dont think it has enough coheseively themed attractions, areas and rides to be classified as such any more.

[Slick]

I think theming wise, they should just change their name from Dreamworld to Dreamworldks.

[Richard]

This is Australia, where anyone with a giant fibreglass piece of fruit, a jumping castle and a rock collection can open a 'theme park' on the highway.

Theming, consistency or even overall atmosphere aren't Dreamworld's strong suits, but they're still ticking enough boxes to remain a theme park before we demote them into the amusement park category with dubious company like Cedar Point or Holiday World.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I've been quite vocal on this topic previously, and must disagree with you Richard.

Giant fruit and rock collections aside (these are more 'tourist attractions' or 'fun parks' etc), what boxes are dreamworld 'ticking' to continue to meet the 'theme' in theme park?

I will admit that it wouldn't take much for dreamworld to regain it's previous 'theme' status, but it isn't quite there yet.

[themagician]

According to the Oxford Dictionary:

theme park:

an amusement park with a unifying setting or idea.

amusement park:

a large outdoor area with fairground rides, shows, and other entertainments.

I think Dreamworld is a theme park. Just because it doesn't have the best theming, doesn't mean it isn't a theme park. You aren't going to get rides like the Giant Drop, Tower Of Terror or Cyclone at an amusement park. Anyway, I don't know any amusement parks that charge $85 for adults and covers 210 acres.

Edited March 26, 2014 by themagician

[Richard]

What boxes aren't they ticking? The park is broken into themed areas, and for the most part the attractions within those areas are consistent with that overall theme.

Does it qualify as a good theme park? I don't think so... it's all over the place. But if we're getting critical we have Scooby-Doo across the road from Dirty Harry and Batman across from that at Movie World, or The Matterhorn next to the Great Barrier Reef at Disneyland.

"Dreamworld isn't a very good theme park" is a much more accurate statement than "Dreamworld is not a theme park".

Giant fruit and rock collections aside (these are more 'tourist attractions' or 'fun parks' etc)

Really? Thanks for clearing that up...

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

You aren't going to get rides like the Giant Drop, Tower Of Terror or Cyclone at an amusement park. Anyway, I don't know any amusement parks that charge $85 for adults and covers 210 acres.

But Luna Park Sydney just opened a ride almost the same as the giant drop (not as tall, but it is 'like' it) and that very same park was previously home to the Big Dipper - which later became the Cyclone at Dreamworld and nobody (except RWC who doesn't really count) has ever argued that LPS (or LPM) are "theme" parks...

The Sydney Royal Easter Show is described as 'part agricultural show, part amusement park' and it covers 110 acres.

The '210 acres' (or 85 hectares) listed as being the size of dreamworld is the total sum of land purchased by John Longhurst back in 1974. According to this the land currently owned is actually 104 hectares, however when the park was built, it occupied only 30 hectares (about 74 acres).

Since then, expansions include the land for thunderbolt (now forms part of WWW) and country fair, gum tree gully, tiger island and blue lagoon (no longer part of the park). koala country was also built and later became AWE taking up approx 4 hectares also.

Given the openings (and closures) of various attractions and expansions, as well as losses to land now occupied by WWW, a fair estimate of the park's "operational" size could be around 50 hectares, or about 120 acres.

Considering the Sydney Royal Easter Show offers animals, water rides, roller coasters, flats, showbags, food, sideshows (and let's face it, a much more inviting carnival atmosphere), with only 10 acres less - I don't really consider your point (based on land size, entry cost, and the types of ride experience) is proven. Once you take into account that admission IS cheaper, but rides are pay-per-use (which they almost are with Q4U) I'm not saying it's invalid, however the items you offer as proof don't really prove your point.

What boxes aren't they ticking? The park is broken into themed areas, and for the most part the attractions within those areas are consistent with that overall theme.

Does it qualify as a good theme park? I don't think so... it's all over the place. But if we're getting critical we have Scooby-Doo across the road from Dirty Harry and Batman across from that at Movie World, or The Matterhorn next to the Great Barrier Reef at Disneyland.

"Dreamworld isn't a very good theme park" is a much more accurate statement than "Dreamworld is not a theme park".

However, Batman, Dirty Harry, and Scooby Doo are all MOVIES, and therefore fit the unified "movie-park" theme.

The Matterhorn is the boundary between tomorrowland and fantasyland and can be seen most places around the park - it still 'fits' in the position that it is in.

Dreamworld is no longer broken into themed areas. It has once-themed areas broken by unthemed (or differently themed) attractions - V8 race cars at the beach (GC600 aside, it doesn't work - especially when the track isn't the GC600 track). Cyclone is a loose 'ocean' connection at best (original theme had a cow?) And an Alien-turned-zombie apocalypse laser skirmish really doesn't fit the ocean at all. The remaining attractions do make some effort to fit in, but all of their more recent investments (MDMC, AvPx2.0,) with the exception of Buzzsaw have been more about 'where can we put this' rather than 'what can we get to fit here (both physically and "thematically")'

You say it isn't a very good theme park - so you're agreeing the connection isn't very good. I'm saying there isn't a connection - we're both on the same side - that the park is lacking in the theme department... I just have a firmer viewpoint on it, whereas you're open to interpretation and giving benefit of the doubt. Theres nothing wrong with that - and I never said you were wrong - only that I disagreed with you... and still do.

Edited March 26, 2014 by AlexB

[Reanimated35]

Dreamworld does have a theme. It's just no one could agree on what it was so we end up with things like Alice in Wonderland mushrooms on a mine themed log ride. Or dinosaurs on a mine themed rapid ride....

[liz.wis]

Maybe they should rebrand as Turbine World.

[Brad2912]

The dinosaur is gone... Must have washed away

[Richard]

However, Batman, Dirty Harry, and Scooby Doo are all MOVIES, and therefore fit the unified "movie-park" theme.

The Matterhorn is the boundary between tomorrowland and fantasyland and can be seen most places around the park - it still 'fits' in the position that it is in.

Yep, agree with you on both counts. But you go on to say then that Cyclone -- a ride themed to a storm in a tropical beach themed area -- is a stretch. The actual difference is that Movie World and Disneyland pull it off well and keep it maintained, Dreamworld don't. But bad theming ≠ no theming.

The theme is there in a superficial way -- just like Green Lantern or Batwing Space Shot offer a pretty token theme.

You say it isn't a very good theme park - so you're agreeing the connection isn't very good. I'm saying there isn't a connection - we're both on the same side - that the park is lacking in the theme department... I just have a firmer viewpoint on it, whereas you're open to interpretation and giving benefit of the doubt. Theres nothing wrong with that - and I never said you were wrong - only that I disagreed with you... and still do.

I've argued many times that Dreamworld would fare better by simply installing good rides and offering pleasant landscaping/surrounds. Ditch all these over-engineered, underwhelming themes that they never even attempt to maintain, but as long as they continue to deliver second-rate themed rides in themed-ish areas, they'll be a theme park. A second-rate one, but a theme park.

Back to the final point I made in my first post, Dreamworld pales in comparison to good amusement parks too...

[jjuttp]

The dinosaur is gone... Must have washed away

It was getting on in periods.

[Reanimated35]

The dinosaur is gone... Must have washed away

So they've just got the 2 crocs now? You sure?

Has the dinosaur been moved to sit with the mushrooms at rocky hollow?

[Gazza]

It might not be a good theme park, but it's not like Buzzsaw would have gotten the theme it got if it weren't for some sort of acknowledgement of the themed area it is in....Have they come good since the days of stuff like V8 Redline? It remains to be seen, but the past few additions seem to have respected the themed areas that they are in.

[Reanimated35]

I'd say maybe they're back on the right track with the new additions. They just need to fix the existing ones now.

[bladex]

well none of the parks really have a theme. mw might as well be called dc comics world!

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

^right, because one corner of the park, all collected together, follows one unified theme?

[Mort]

Just because a Park has different themed rides doesn't make it a Theme Park.

You'll find that 6 flags parks like Magic Mountain are classified a Amusement Parks not Theme Parks yet they have rides themed to all different kinds of themes like DC characters and other rides like Colosus.

[Gazza]

I'm still not understanding where this notion has suddenly come from.

-Goldrush only has old time themed attractions.

-Dreamworks Experience only has Dreamworks related stuff, and furthermore the 3 sub areas stick to their themes pretty convincingly.

-Coroboree only has Australian wildlife and Aboriginal Themeing

-Ocean Parade is mostly right....Should we just call it that the end where flowrider/Cyclone/Kevil Hill is it's own bit?

I mean, it would be a bit like saying Alton Towers isn't a theme park because it has a ride called Air in Forbidden Valley, and Sonic Spinball just stuck out on the main path through the park. Rita when it was in Ug Land was a pretty odd fit at the time too.

I think Richard has it right. It's not a very good example of theme park, but there are certain things they do that you probably wouldn't bother with at a basic amusement park.

[lolman123]

Still a theme park. In my eyes

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Gazza - you completely missed MDMC... how does that fit?

What does Giant Drop fit into, being next to Rocky Hollow Gold Rush 'old' area?

How does ToT's Skull fit in? What land does it even sit in now - Wiggles World, KFPandaland or Tiger Island? (those are the three lands around it).

The park has themed areas only because they once were... not because they still are.

[rac2703]

How does Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage fit the theme of Tomorrowland? Or Pirates of the Caribbean fit into the theme of New Orleans? Disneyland itself the "model" themepark has a few examples of jarring themes.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

How does Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage fit the theme of Tomorrowland? Or Pirates of the Caribbean fit into the theme of New Orleans? Disneyland itself the "model" themepark has a few examples of jarring themes.

The original concept for the subs in Tomorrowland was the idea that one day, the general public would take a sub-marine tour through liquid space, the same way it also had adventure through inner space previously.

The idea, although rethemed to Finding Nemo, still follows that idea that we may all board a sub, the way we'd board a bus or a train.

Bear in mind that the Tomorrowland of today is meant to be a 'retro' look at the world of tomorrow... Walt's original concept was that tomorrowland would constantly change and update to always represent the future, however cost and engineering restrictions resulted in the change to 'retro-tomorrow'.

Nemo subs are an example where the theme has been watered down... that i'll grant you - but the link is still suited to the area.

As for New Orleans, i'm not sure how you can suggest POTC isn't suited? it was a common smuggler's port in the day of Caribbean Pirates, as it was one of the closest U.S. ports to the Caribbean Sea and therefore constantly host to them.... take a look: https://goo.gl/maps/YJi4i

[GoGoBoy]

I think the term theme park is fairly loosely used these days. Wet 'n' Wild Sydney were referring to themselves as a water theme park, despite ZERO theming in the park. It couldn't be less themed if it tried. So I think it's about how the park wants to position itself, and clearly 'theme park' gives an impression of something major and of a certain quality.

[BigKev]

It all seems very technical to me and I don't quite understand the definitions most of the time.

Hasn't Dreamworld sort of branched into a whole park theme of having the 7? major rides as a theme? That's what it seemed to me last time I was there and in their advertising.

Does that even count as a theme?