'Actions speak louder than words': Dreamworld is still a decaying, unreliable theme park

Dreamworld CEO told Sunrise viewers this morning that actions speak louder than words as Dreamworld once again promises the same commitment to safety and maintenance that they've been offering for more than two years.

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*cue fanboys here or on facebook abusing you for calling it like it is.

Decent article. Lols no fanboys yet. 

Harsh, but true.

Brilliant article.

As someone who absolutely loves living in SE Queensland, and the amazing access we have to so many theme parks  (Dreamworld being the largest), it saddens me to see so much negativity about it.

This on a site that's all about theme parks, in a forum whose members love theme parks. 

Anyone who visits Dreamworld can easily see investment all around the park. Sure there's a lot more still to be done, but I would like to believe it will be. Of most immediate interest of course is SkyVoyager, which I'm sure will be one of Queenslands (and Australias) best theme park attractions! 

The atmosphere in Dreamworld is energetic, and most of the staff offer guests great friendly greetings  (some train announcers excepted)!

Exciting things are happening! Let's show our support for Dreamworld! 

Edited December 20, 20187 yr by pushbutton

59 minutes ago, pushbutton said:

it saddens me to see so much negativity about it.

It's possible to love theme parks and still hold them to account push. Entering peak period with so many rides out of action is ridiculous and Parkz is not being unsupportive of the GC tourism industry for calling them out in my opinion. 

Edited December 20, 20187 yr by Jordan M.

2 minutes ago, Jordan M. said:

It's possible to love theme parks and still hold them to account push. Entering peak period with so many rides out of action is ridiculous and Parkz is not being unsupportive of the GC tourism industry for calling them out in my opinion.

That's a perfectly valid opinion. I just prefer to focus mostly on the positives, and there's plenty of that at Dreamworld! 

1 hour ago, pushbutton said:

Anyone who visits Dreamworld can easily see investment all around the park. Sure there's a lot more still to be done, but I would like to believe it will be. Of most immediate interest of course is SkyVoyager, which I'm sure will be one of Queenslands (and Australias) best theme park attractions! 

Don't visit but also don't see investment around the park.  Article covers off most of what is not being invested in.  SkyVoyager is the only major investment.

I just don't understand why they haven't made the painful decision to take out a few of their ageing rides.  I think it would actually be a signal that they're serious and not just giving lip service to their issues.  I'd prefer them to take out three rides, rather than just install a new one.

Great summary, Dreamworld have spent money on the unnecessary to save on the important. A visit to the park now becomes a quest to find which rides are open. Ardent management had no idea how to run the place prior to the rapids accident, and it's clear that they still don't.

SkyVoyager is nice but it's also the only major addition since 2014, far too long between drinks for even a medium-sized park. The sooner this place is bought out the better, hopefully by a group with some money and common sense.

Edited December 20, 20187 yr by aaronm

3 hours ago, pushbutton said:

This on a site that's all about theme parks, in a forum whose members love theme parks. 

I think you need to finally get over this.  It's you who has decided that the members here love theme parks.  It's you that has decided this forum is dedicated to loving theme parks.  The reality is this forum is for discussion of theme parks (it even says so).  If you've got it wrong you ought to wear it rather than sulkily expecting everyone else to change to suit you.

These are commercial businesses, not football teams. They don't need you to cheerlead them.

Sorry Push but agree to disagree on this one. Dreamworld needs help, and yes it’s finally getting some investment, but Ardent have taken out too much financially and literally out of the park in the last 10 years, and it’s the reason the park is in its current sad state. 

TOT is limping along because Ardent did not want to spend the money for the major upgrade. SFMM got that upgrade and it shows. 

They have made poor choices in regards to where to skimp and where to spend the money over the years. Case in point, Dreamworld once had a charming river boat that needed refurbishment, instead of spending the money for marine grade wood products, they skimped and rebuilt the boat with non marine wood products to save money. The result? The boat requires constant attention and eventually they pulled the pin. The above is story is just one of many examples of why Dreamworld are in their current predicament. They were already on this downward spiral, it just took the accident to stop the spiral. 

And to be fair, people on here don’t “hate” Dreamworld, no one on here wants to see a sick theme park, what they object to is Ardent and the way they are running the park. 

5 hours ago, RossL said:

Don't visit but also don't see investment around the park.  Article covers off most of what is not being invested in.  SkyVoyager is the only major investment.

I just don't understand why they haven't made the painful decision to take out a few of their ageing rides.  I think it would actually be a signal that they're serious and not just giving lip service to their issues.  I'd prefer them to take out three rides, rather than just install a new one.

They've just finished removing Thunder River Rapids, which was a huge ride. The disused Eureka Mountain Mine Ride has also gone, as has the Gold Rush area. They might well have plans to remove some other rides but it shouldn't be done all at once, otherwise the place would feel like a ghost town! 

With the Lego store and restaurant at the entrance, SkyVoyager, complete resurfacing of Main Street, new large screens on Main Street, new revolving globe near the entrance, recently redeveloped Tiger Island and Coroberree, and the current expansion of Whitewater World including new Adventure River, the redevelopment of the ice cream shop and coffee shop at the front of the park a few years ago, new Trolls Village including Trolls Funhouse, it's very hard NOT to see the investment that's happening, but of course it does take time! 😀

Edited December 20, 20187 yr by pushbutton

But what is window dressing, and what is real make-a-difference infrastructure?

You talk about the redevelopment of the ice cream shop a few years ago. A few weeks back I talked about looking at buildings that were falling apart and I wondered how much was held together by paint. The building I was specifically referring to was THE ICE CREAM SHOP.

As the saying goes, you can't polish a turd, but you can add glitter - and it would seem that that is precisely the kind of redevelopment they did with the ice cream shop if a few short years later the building looks as it does (go and view it from the train station and you'll see what i mean).

They removed thunder river - It killed people.

They removed Eureka Mountain - it sat rotting for more than a decade

They removed the rest of gold rush - without TRRR and EMMR, what exactly was left? - Oh wait - the disused Skylink chairlift station that also sat rotting for a decade.

You suggest they might have plans to remove rides - but history suggests that they need to shutter the ride and let it sit for 8 or more years before they do.

How many years did the gravitron ride sit in the boneyard?

So they renovated a store to capitalise on a new hot craze (lego).

They rebuilt their old food outlet into something modern - which was only about 15 years overdue.

They redeveloped tiger island, yes - but they botched it with the giant green prison.

Coroborree was only done because of generous government grants for indigenous cultural projects. This wasn't done with their own money or because they felt strongly about the subject matter.

The expansion of White Water World? A lazy river that WNW has had for more than a decade is hardly an inspiring investment - and its still just one attraction. The plans for that park had staged developments including numerous attractions, none of which we've seen - instead we've seen the kneejerk reaction to Aqualoop that is the Wedgie, Triple Vortex, and finally the lazy river... 3 new attractions in TWELVE YEARS.

Shall we talk about the cock up that was Trolls Village that was supposed to open last Christmas, and didn't open until more than 8 months later? Plonked smack down in the middle of an ocean themed area?

Shall we talk about those big screens or the revolving globe? Dreamworld have had screens all over the park for years, showing music videos and crappy advertisements for related products. I'm not getting excited over a few outdoor LED screens when their marquee attractions can't even stay open, or carry a full load of passengers.

And the globe. Yeah - what a photo opportunity. Its pretty, but its just window dressing. It is a take it or leave it thing that wasn't really necessary.

Things they could have spent their money on instead:

• Upgrading the control system on their flagship 21 year old coaster to newer technology (and actually running it at its capability
• Properly rebuilding Wipeout so that it can run as designed
• Running rides at capacity - both sides of Giant Drop, for example
• Maintaining a working steam railway, instead of wasting money on a glorified yard tractor that tears up the rails and constantly breaks down
• Maintaining the park's people soaking paddlewheeler attraction

The article points it out better than I ever could - but there are just so many things WRONG right now, its hard to be positive in the face of such blatant mismanagement.

You choose to focus on the positive, and let the negative slide, and thats your choice - but don't decry others who speak the truth - you can't live in a dreamworld and pretend that the issues don't exist, just because it doesn't fit your mould of 'fun'.

If you're going to ignore the negative, then you shouldn't be complaining about bored train conductors. You can't have it both ways.

Well, A to the Lex to the B, you're attitude just makes me think of this!

 

*your

33 minutes ago, webslave said:

*your

Yes. Auto-incorrect is pretty thick sometimes! 

Haha, I know what you mean man.  One time I remember it changed 'Push' to 'Auto-incorrect'.

1 hour ago, webslave said:

Haha, I know what you mean man.  One time I remember it changed 'Push' to 'Auto-incorrect'.

That's almost at the same level as "Justice for captives".

Yes it is time Dreamworld remove Tower Of Terror, Wipeout  and Hot Wheels Side Winder. 

 

With tower of Terror I reckon they should replace it with a all new modern system but keep tower in place . 

I very much doubt even Disney, Merlin, or Universal would remove all of Dreamworlds old attractions at once. It has to be bit by bit.

The most important thing is there should be a long term masterplan to work towards. 

I'd like to think Ardent has one for Dreamworld, but I must admit I'm not sure what it is or whether I'd like it if I was. I just hope! 

Ardent, DW and this topic remind me of this Fawlty Towers scene, which I've reworded below:

Quote

Parkz: These theme park premises do not come up to the standard required by this authority. Unless appropriate steps are taken instantly, I shall have no alternative but to publish poor reviews of the park or recommend closure to the appropriate governmental authority. Specifically, lack of proper theming, unreliable Tower Of Terror, reliable steam train replaced for unreliable diesel train for the Dreamworld Express, unreliable Wipeout, paint falling off on the Ice Cream Parlour, underutilized ride capacities, unused Amphitheatre, Blue Lagoon area and excess land,...

Ardent Leisure: Yes about the steam train...

Parkz:...inadequate innovative ride investment over the past decade, habit of keeping permanently closed rides standing but not operating for as long as a decade, frequent combining of 2 different themes in the same area, SkyVoyager & Lego Store placed in Main Street with consequent modern buildings appearing in a 1900's setting, maintenance webpage frequently edited, late updating theme park amenities and overuse of turbine theming,...

Ardent Leisure: Yep, say no more.

Parkz: Operational routines suspect evidence of greed in your company's operations, over-reliance on ageing rides, lack of opened major rides which you gave us a verbal assurance you would have finished maintenance on by now on our last visit 12 months ago & 4 deaths on the Thunder River Rapids ride!

Ardent Leisure: Otherwise ok?

Edited December 24, 20187 yr by Jamberoo Fan

Don't mention the war! 

me and my wife were looking at where to buy annual passes to take the kids this year during the holidays, DW and WW or seaworld, MW and WNW.

 

we took the kids to DW early this year and honestly, it was depressing. the theming was rubbish, half the rides were out of service and stuff seemed plonked anywhere with no regard for anything around it.  it was like a 9 year old playing roller coaster tycoon. 

we made a decison that even at the extra cost ($110 vs $150) we would buy village roadshow passes - at least they are doing stuff. and the skyflyer? doesn't interest me, and would probally scare my kids anyway.

Dreamworld is about to open a 17 million dollar, first of its kind in Australia attraction. How are they doing nothing.

And pretty much all rides are back open now.