Fright Night

[Obstructure]

Discuss....... Who went? What are your thoughts? What rides did you manage to get on? I'm surprised no one has posted anything about it as of yet.

[kennykoala]

I went, i satyed untill 9-00pm. thoughts: the park looked nice lit up at night, especially around the tomb raider down to the model t cars. Definatley too many ppl! I know at 8-00pm the line for the drop was out onto the wooden foot bridge, into the coverd area, and down the ramp into the ride(thats crazy, worse than boxing day when it opend). Dreamworld gets approx 2000-3000 ppl on a good weekend, now there was apparently 2500ppl there last night, and spread over the 4 big rides open I wont even place TOT as a big one cause of the rain, it is stupid to think that it would be ok for that amount of ppl 4 such a short time to ride the rides they had open. All in all it would of been good if not 4 as many ppl. having the rapids open would of swallowed some ppl from the park too!! however to run the rapid ride at night it requires 10 ppl, as they have them spotted arround the attraction for satey, so an expensive attraction for them to have open staff wise.

[mikrowave]

What was the reason for having Fright Night in April? Was it for anything in particular? Just thinking aloud here; I know its common in the US to have similar themed nights/month around Halloween, but I guess thats not such a hugely celebrated holiday/event over here... any reason for choosing April?

[Joe]

Well, what can I say about Fright Night... It was a small, so small (but promising) start into this type of event for Dreamworld. Living in Brisbane, but as a 'veteran' of 2 HHN (Halloween Horror Night) visits to Universal Studios Florida, the "Fright Night" concept can take hold here - I AM ABSOLUTELY SURE... But for next time, here are some ideas of what Dreamworld can do: 1) MORE LIGHTING, MORE FOG, ADD SOME FOAM! 2) MORE, MORE, MORE dressed up scary/horror characters... it was so good to see all the kids having an awesome time with the scary clown, the undertaker, the African voodoo guys, etc. but they were so lonely kicking around the huge empty spaces in the park... Next time, put at least 20-30 characters into the park....get them to jump out of bushes...get some REAL scares going !!! 3) Put the scary music (FROM THE ENTRY PLAZA) ALL around the park. 4) how about merchandising more alcohol - the Big Brother cafe was a pretty sad kind of hangout, serving rum and cokes and beers with a REALLY loud DJ parked outside, and a couple of people flipping out to dance music.... if the alcohol is going to be on, then MERCHANDISE it... how about a "STOLI" wagon selling mixed drinks... Dreamworld needs to decide HOW to market this night to people - is it for kids? young adults? should it promote alcohol or not? From HHN experience, Universal sell AS MUCH ALCOHOL as they can, from fluro alco pop sticks to plastic bottled vodka drinks, etc. It was also interesting to note the heavy security everywhere... are Aussies just bad drinkers, or were Dreamworld expecting trouble makers.?? Security in USA theme parks is much, much more discrete..... 5) OPEN UP MORE RIDES..... AND AT LEAST 1 WET RIDE, JUST FOR KICKS... 6) If they are going to get serious, need at least 2 haunted houses.... with the all movie making experience/skills in the Coomera/Oxenford corridor, there is no doubt that the skills are there to put together a couple of excellent haunted houses, and in the bush setting of Dreamworld, they could be kept well away from day crowds. Also, plenty of good actors/volunteers to be SCARY people in hanuted houses.... man, SO MUCH POTENTIAL here for the future..... ... According to the entry sign, this event sold out, and the price was $20. Fair enough. and that was with HARDLY ANY PROMOTION at all in South East QLD. Nothing like the amount that HHN advertises in Florida (and the East Coast of USA)... to get their crowds. There is SO MUCH POTENTIAL in this whole type of event. Next time, do it better, raise the price, and people will still come. I have every confidence in Dreamworld - next time, just do it better... Well done for a great start..... Oh, and next time, pick like Friday the 13th, or around Halloween time, attach the event to some sort of time frame...... This could become a prime, prime annual event at Dreamworld, and attract people from all over Australia to the Gold Coast. Hell, my last trip to Florida was designed ALL AROUND visiting HHN at Universal.... these type of events, if done well, can attract people from a long, long way and create a huge following........ phew. Now I have ideas for my own Halloween party. Cheers, thanks for listening, Joe, Brisbane

[Daniel]

Hey Joe. Welcome to the forum mate. Good to have you onboard.

[willsy]

Well, what can I say about Fright Night... It was a small, so small (but promising) start into this type of event for Dreamworld. Living in Brisbane, but as a 'veteran' of 2 HHN (Halloween Horror Night) visits to Universal Studios Florida, the "Fright Night" concept can take hold here - I AM ABSOLUTELY SURE... But for next time, here are some ideas of what Dreamworld can do: 1) MORE LIGHTING, MORE FOG, ADD SOME FOAM! 2) MORE, MORE, MORE dressed up scary/horror characters... it was so good to see all the kids having an awesome time with the scary clown, the undertaker, the African voodoo guys, etc. but they were so lonely kicking around the huge empty spaces in the park... Next time, put at least 20-30 characters into the park....get them to jump out of bushes...get some REAL scares going !!! 3) Put the scary music (FROM THE ENTRY PLAZA) ALL around the park. 4) how about merchandising more alcohol - the Big Brother cafe was a pretty sad kind of hangout, serving rum and cokes and beers with a REALLY loud DJ parked outside, and a couple of people flipping out to dance music.... if the alcohol is going to be on, then MERCHANDISE it... how about a "STOLI" wagon selling mixed drinks... Dreamworld needs to decide HOW to market this night to people - is it for kids? young adults? should it promote alcohol or not? From HHN experience, Universal sell AS MUCH ALCOHOL as they can, from fluro alco pop sticks to plastic bottled vodka drinks, etc. It was also interesting to note the heavy security everywhere... are Aussies just bad drinkers, or were Dreamworld expecting trouble makers.?? Security in USA theme parks is much, much more discrete..... 5) OPEN UP MORE RIDES.....  AND AT LEAST 1 WET RIDE, JUST FOR KICKS... 6) If they are going to get serious, need at least 2 haunted houses.... with the all movie making experience/skills in the Coomera/Oxenford corridor, there is no doubt that the skills are there to put together a couple of excellent haunted houses, and in the bush setting of Dreamworld, they could be kept well away from day crowds. Also, plenty of good actors/volunteers to be SCARY people in hanuted houses.... man, SO MUCH POTENTIAL here for the future..... ... According to the entry sign, this event sold out, and the price was $20. Fair enough. and that was with HARDLY ANY PROMOTION at all in South East QLD. Nothing like the amount that HHN advertises in Florida (and the East Coast of USA)... to get their crowds. There is SO MUCH POTENTIAL in this whole type of event. Next time, do it better, raise the price, and people will still come. I have every confidence in Dreamworld - next time, just do it better... Well done for a great start..... Oh, and next time, pick like Friday the 13th, or around Halloween time, attach the event to some sort of time frame...... This could become a prime, prime annual event at Dreamworld, and attract people from all over Australia to the Gold Coast. Hell, my last trip to Florida was designed ALL AROUND visiting HHN at Universal.... these type of events, if done well, can attract people from a long, long way and create a huge following........ phew. Now I have ideas for my own Halloween party. Cheers, thanks for listening, Joe, Brisbane

On the alcohol thing i dont think they should sell it there. It kind of like family thing dreamworld, if you want to drink just go to the pub or club. Anyway thats just my opion p.s. i do drink by the way, tequila shots

[Obstructure]

Yep, welcome Joe, and I've got to agree with some of your points. I thought they did a great job doing the place up, and it was a good first attempt. I'm sure they will realise how the night went, what the positives and negatives were and what they should do next time. The haunted houses ideas, its a great idea but I don't think DW would do it just for a night here and there. The whole idea of the halloween kind of theme was adapted to the Tomb Raiders last days in Dreamworld, which is where the fright theme came from I guess, and also that it is at night. I was in there on the Friday afternoon and the signs had sold out put on them so whatever they allocated was all gone. When I asked they said it was something like 3000+ tickets sold, that explains the huge lines. When I was walking around at 9.15-9.30 there were people sending the public away because the rides had to be closed by 10, which means really you've got 2 hours (give or take a bit) to try and get rides in. Theres a very low possibility that you could get the 4 main rides in, seeing they would not do anywhere near 3000 people in just over 2 hours. Perhaps they should make it more of a regular event so the crowds aren't as huge, and also allocating less tickets. The word around the park on Friday prior to the event was that it was a trial to see how well the idea goes and they may make it more of a regular project down the track. Well if it was a test to see how the public responds, it passed with flying colours. My additions: - sell less tickets, open it up earlier, maybe from 6-6.30 to give people more time - make it a monthly event, on a Friday night again - don't make it an alcoholic event, just make it available similar to how the park is at the moment. If people want to drink they can, however don't put the emphasis on it for this particular event. Perhaps if they wanted to have an event that focus' on the 18+ crowd, make it a social event like that with DJ's

[Richard]

It sounds like nothing short of a big joke what they did. I didn't go - I had no intentions of going because it doesn't sound all that interesting to me. Did Tower of Terror run on the night? It's been down for maintenance but it was on the list. If it operated, then why is it down for maintenance? If not, then why did they advertise it as one of the rides open. There's no good answer there. You're saying they sold 3,000 tickets on the night. With all the rides and attractions operating, the park would have had a combined capacity of around 800-1000pph IF they were operating efficiently, which is a very rare thing with Dreamworld. That means each guest in the park would have averaged under 1.3 rides in total on the evening. That's a joke. You pay less for rides at your Royal Show. Why can Wonderland do the same sort of thing, open more rides, charge less and not charge guests already in the park during the day? What Dreamworld/Macquarie Leisure are trying to do is essentially milk it for everything it's worth. No surprise - they've been saying for a few years now that they'll be trying to maximise profits with minimal expenditure. However, it's evident that what they've done has really come at the cost of satisfaction (is anyone genuinely satisfied after queuing most of the evening to ride one ride, maybe two if you're lucky?), which goes against everything a well-run theme park should stand for. I agree that they should make it a regular event, which is obviously what Fright Night was leading to. Fright Night was obviously a test, and based on how they feel it went, expect to see them happening again anywhere from every holiday to monthly or even more frequently.

[Slick]

Great because I wouldn't mind getting some footage of the TOT running at night.....

[willsy]

It sounds like nothing short of a big joke what they did.

What?? Hows it a big joke? They opened for the night for the first time, Of coarse things arnt going to be perfert. They had what rides open they could. Maybe they werent expecting so many people to come. You say its nothing but a big joke but you didnt go right? So how would you know if its a joke or not? From what you have heard? This is what it had on the Dreamworld site for ride closures. The Tower of Terror between 31st March and 8th April inclusive Wasnt friday night on the 16th? Just my thoughts.

[willsy]

It sounds like nothing short of a big joke what they did.

What?? Hows it a big joke? They opened for the night for the first time, Of coarse things arnt going to be perfert. They had what rides open they could. Maybe they werent expecting so many people to come. You say its nothing but a big joke but you didnt go right? So how would you know if its a joke or not? From what you have heard? This is what it had on the Dreamworld site for ride closures. The Tower of Terror between 31st March and 8th April inclusive Just my thoughts.

[Richard]

Tower of Terror wasn't operating during the day on Friday, but I just realised it was because of the weather, which meant it wouldn't have operated during the night either. Tell me how they didn't know how many people were going to turn up, despite selling out? They knew how many people were there and based on how they were marketing it, they would have known that they would more than likely sell out weeks ago. The thing is, nothing is ever perfect at Dreamworld, or even remotely close to it. Are you trying to tell me that an average of around one ride per guest for the evening is anything but a joke, when they paid $20 for the event? They had a small fraction of the rides they could open. Eureka Mountain, Rocky Hollow, Thunder River, Nick Central don't seem to be coming in anywhere. Regardless of whether it was the first time or not, doesn't at all make it any less of a pathetic attempt on Dreamworld's behalf. Hopefully they'll learn for next time, but I'm doubtful, because how this event went in terms of capacity and efficiency is nothing out of the ordinary for Dreamworld.

[kennykoala]

was anyone in the line for the giant drop, like i said in my previous post about the line being out onto the wooden bridge, up towards bb cafe. im just wondering what time did they get a ride on the drop. my guess was they would of been waiting till close to midnight, 4 the amount of ppl in that line at 8-30pm. I enjoyed the fact that i got to see dreamworld at night. however i came fom the event unsatisfied because of the lines. normally if there is a line we wont go on it, thats fine because its our choice and ive been on the rides there millions of times.lol. but i was sad that i couldnt get on the rides at night. (the worst part was, none of the ppl i know were working fright night, so i couldnt go through the exit of the drop and get on:()

[joz]

It does seem rather half baked, but not a bad concept. 3000+ with 4 medium capacity rides? I realise that the event is meant to be more about atmosphere then it is about rides, but come on. 3000 on a normal day in the park is bearable because there are many places for people to disperse too. Only having 4 rides operating is a bit of a joke (no wonder the BB cafe was so popular). I still don't know what's wrong with opening Goldrush Country, or even more of ocean parade or Rocky Hollow? How about a scary (I mean very scary) Imax film? Or another maze? One question to those who went; did the crowds behave? That'll have a huge baring on wether the event is run again. Even with the profits made, the park may very well turn around and say "Nope, not worth it". That's why you don't desperate & dateless balls at the parks any more, or why Rivera has been banned from having its end of year party at the Casino, and every Theme Park on the coast (to much trouble having them). Just one note as well, MW and SW will open till 6.30pm on ANZAC day, allowing about 45mins of night rides. Doesn't sound like much, but its always quiet. I hope Dreamworld learn from the mistakes and try the event again (in Halloween perhaps?).

[Obstructure]

Dreamworld advertised only a few rides being open. In the end they opened the following rides up: TOT Giant Drop Cyclone Wipeout Reptar Bumpers Reef Diver Vortex Tomb Raider Gold Rush was closed off, and as someone said earlier it was probably because of safety - I don't know how good the lighting at rapids or log ride are but if its not much good then it wouldn't be safe to run it. TOT was operating on Friday and did operate at Fright Night. It was going quite frequently actually and hardly any stoppages on Friday night. I think Dreamworld did a great job, they took a risk and they got a huge response. I know a lot of people were disappointed with the long lines, but I say this; nobody makes you go, and nobody makes you stay. It was always going to be a huge night, and it is just like the Christmas holidays. You know it is going to be busy so expect to wait a while for rides. I dare say that most people who went are pretty regular visitors to Dreamworld as well, so going on the rides is nothing new, but the novelty of the night as well as the whole themeing would have been a pleasant change which shouldn't be forgotten. Also I don't think that alot of people would've paid $20 to go because if you were in Dreamworld, it only cost you $10 I had a terrific time, and if you played your cards right, you would've gotten more then just 1 ride in, I sure did.

[Richard]

Regardless of whether you pay $10 or $20, people who go are paying customers. As paying customers they should expect the most efficient operations possible. It is inexcusable for Dreamworld to operate the park inefficiently during the day, let alone when the major selling point of the three hour event is to be able to ride their major rides in the dark. If queues are overly long then you have every right to be angry or disappointed. The whole park is decked out to be able to cater for night events. There would be no reason to rope off any section of the park, other than cost-cutting. Eureka Mountain is practically a giveaway there. If it takes ten people as you say to open Thunder River, then that's what, $450 on top of the operating costs? When they made $30,000-$60,000 from entrance tickets alone, that's fairly insignificant. How'd they get Tower of Terror running? It was listed as closed on Friday outside the park, and it was raining all night where I was (Burleigh). Unless weather was better up at Coomera it seems pretty odd.

[Obstructure]

I got no idea how they got it operating I don't work there but all I know was it was running Friday and Friday night. It wouldn't be the first time it says TOT isn't running but it still does. I dare say they would say it isn't going to run to cover their tracks incase people get in and see it isn't running and complain. If it says before they go in that it is down for the day then they've got warning before they pay, so it is their choice whether they come in or not. The rain during the night wasn't all that heavy, it was more of a drizzle at most when it happened and it didn't get heavy enough to make you wet until about 9.30-10 when the night was pretty much over and done with. In my opinion I think the public received the most efficient operations possible. They maximised their staff on the rides that were open (they appeared to have staff like they do on the holidays). The rapids gets the people through fairly quickly, but to open the entire gold rush area as well it means they would need to have spent money to theme that area, open those shops and attractions, pay for the employment and if it is true they need 10 people then I'm betting they would have to be trained and told specifically where they would need to stand and what they would have to do, which costs money for people to train etc. It wouldn't cost just $450 in wages theres alot of other hidden costs to take into consideration. Perhaps next time if they have gotten a response similar to this one, they should just rope off Blue Lagoon, AWE and near Tomb Raider and leave Gold Rush open and prepare the staff. If it is going to be a regular thing then the staffing and resource costs will even out because they've only got to pay the initial costs once, then wages after that. You could theme the area with creepy miners or something. If they had it again, I would go. I was pretty satisfied with the event, if there was an extra 30mins-1hour of operation it may have helped the problem, as well as selling perhaps 500 less tickets, but I am sure they would've picked up on these things. If they have it again, expect it to be a lot better then this one.

[thunder001]

Just getting off topic for one moment, Joz the reason for the parks opening late on ANZAC Day is proberly to offset the fact that they are not allowed to open the parks until after 11:30am. This is something that is a norm on ANZAC day within Australia, but the first time that the parks have stayed open later to allow more time for the guests to stay in the park. Nice idea from them for a change.

[GoGoBoy]

Just looked over their respective websites and all of the QLD parks are opening around 1:00-1:30pm on Anzay Day

[thunder001]

Yeah, got the time frame wrong on that one.

[Daniel]

You'll see in the appropriate Wonderland thread, that they will be open from 10:00 on ANZAC Day. I think it's absolutely disgraceful and they should be blown up.

[joz]

QLD parks are closed untill 1.30, and close at 6.30. This has been the case for at least 10 years and probably more.

[Obstructure]

1.30-6.30 is ok, but people coming to the park know so its their problem if they have shorter hours.

[joz]

I'd say go anyway, since the parks are so quiet, you can get as many rides in as you want. WnW also has a dive in movie on ANZAC day (last of the season) and the park is open till the end of movie.

[Richard]

I went to Dreamworld on Anzac Day two years ago. That place was packed beyond belief that day. It was weird, a heck of a lot of APers, plus a seemingly abnormal number of tourist coaches. They don't open as late as the WVTP parks, only until 5:30, but I remember getting the last ride of Cyclone for the day. The sun was set but it was still barely light. I'd have to say it rated as one of my favourite rides on Cyclone ever - front seat on that thing and it passed off as a decent coaster for that ride. I still want to check out Movie World after dark an Anzac day some time. Riding Lethal Weapon in the dark would be pretty cool... but that park needs to offer a little more before I go back there again.