Theme Parks Reopening Post COVID-19

[Brad2912]

When the coast is full of nsw tourists why wouldn’t you try and attract them? They need to maximise revenue at the moment.

the only kids rides closer are Yosemite’s Railway & Pounce N Bounce - so what were the kids complaining about? Queues? They’d be longer in a regular holiday period.
 

the ride closures are on the maintenance Page, everyone is aware of the COVID related changes, so anyone disappointed with what they get only has themselves to blame...

[StingRay]

2 minutes ago, Brad2912 said:

the ride closures are on the maintenance Page, everyone is aware of the COVID related changes, so anyone disappointed with what they get only has themselves to blame...

Sure everyone is aware. But as a parent, it is a little harder for children (I do mean young children) to still, understand what is occurring.

Plus I am sure we know why some rides might be closed. It helps cut cost. But imagine if a business did that. Not open everything. They'd be thrown to the wolves. Thank god that does not happen at this place.

[Brad2912]

3 minutes ago, StingRay said:

Sure everyone is aware. But as a parent, it is a little harder for children (I do mean young children) to still, understand what is occurring.

Yes, but thats no different to any other trading time, it’s not unique to this post-Covid opening. 

 

4 minutes ago, StingRay said:

Plus I am sure we know why some rides might be closed. It helps cut cost. But imagine if a business did that. Not open everything. They'd be thrown to the wolves. Thank god that does not happen at this place.

I don’t believe any of the MW current closures are due to trying to Save money. It’s already been stayed that apart from a skeleton crew in now and again the maintenance were not working during the covid closures until about 4 weeks ago when they were back on deck for checks and maintenance 

[StingRay]

2 minutes ago, Brad2912 said:

I don’t believe any of the MW current closures are due to trying to Save money. It’s already been stayed that apart from a skeleton crew in now and again the maintenance were not working during the covid closures until about 4 weeks ago when they were back on deck for checks and maintenance 

I don't know. I mean it seems like it a money-saving tactic. Machines need servicing etc and I completely know it. They mentioned they brought back all the staff.  I would have thought they would want more of the park open. Not have half of it closed.

I mean if another place did that you know exactly what would occur. Maybe this place has immunity?.

[Brad2912]

SE and WWF are always down at this time of the year, so really the only major that has been added to the maintenance list is GL, and last I know that was in the middle of a repaint prior to covid. 
I don’t think there is much for they could have done other than keep their maintenance crews working as normal despite closure which they clearly weren’t able to do financially 

[Guest 239]

13 minutes ago, Brad2912 said:

When the coast is full of nsw tourists why wouldn’t you try and attract them? They need to maximise revenue at the moment

the ride closures are on the maintenance Page, everyone is aware of the COVID related changes, so anyone disappointed with what they get only has themselves to blame...

Such a great long-term business practice they've got going there. Really shows the forward thinking of the company. "Let's reel them all in and then severely disappoint them. It's their fault that they're deciding to come to our park!"

This is a fast-food tactic. Show an amazing, incredibly crafted burger and then sell an awful mass produced mess. I expect that from a company that sells $2 cheeseburgers not a company that sells $89 day passes.

[MrLukeCarroll]

Does anyone know what the specific Government restriction that stopped Maintenance being continued on Theme Park rides during the Covid-closures was? They were receiving Job Keeper right, so couldn't they have kept their staff working at least the number of hours per week that would fulfil the $750?

[StingRay]

10 minutes ago, MrLukeCarroll said:

Does anyone know what the specific Government restriction that stopped Maintenance being continued on Theme Park rides during the Covid-closures was? They were receiving Job Keeper right, so couldn't they have kept their staff working at least the number of hours per week that would fulfil the $750?

Tight purse strings. 

[MrLukeCarroll]

 

 

 

13 minutes ago, Brad2912 said:

SE and WWF are always down at this time of the year

This just isn't true and wasn't meant to be this year? Going back through maintenance schedules SE usually gets it's maintenance in April/May as it was meant to this year, and WWF was meant to be back up in June as well. When has Movie World ever planned to close those two rides during the July school holidays for QLD/NSW?

[Brad2912]

14 minutes ago, CaptainLazerGuns said:

Such a great long-term business practice they've got going there. Really shows the forward thinking of the company. "Let's reel them all in and then severely disappoint them. It's their fault that they're deciding to come to our park!"

Severely disappoint? Outside of GL being down, and no parade as that is banned due to covid, in what way are people being let down vs attending last July holidays? 

14 minutes ago, MrLukeCarroll said:

Does anyone know what the specific Government restriction that stopped Maintenance being continued on Theme Park rides during the Covid-closures was? They were receiving Job Keeper right, so couldn't they have kept their staff working at least the number of hours per week that would fulfil the $750?

There was no government restriction on what jobs could be done, but I am assuming financial wise it was more viable to have them at home? The company was bleeding money, so they would have looked to save absolutely whatever they could during closure 

[rappa]

To be fair this is one persons review of people’s experience. 
 

It’s also at odds with the many other reviews and smiling faces I’ve seen dotted around the internet from the park. 
 

It’s a given some people will be happy and some won’t. Some people are on the coast having a good holiday, and others are bitching and moaning they have to wait a few extra minutes for an elevator. 

[Guest 239]

7 minutes ago, Brad2912 said:

Severely disappoint? Outside of GL being down, and no parade as that is banned due to covid, in what way are people being let down vs attending last July holidays? 

Today Wild West Falls, Green Lantern, Superman Escape, Arkham Asylum, Parade (COVID-19 reasons) were down plus a few kids rides. From Sunday we can add Doomsday to that list with the carousel joining on the Sunday after.

Rivals went down for around 90 minutes and Batwing opened after midday with difficulties meeting its opening launch.  Also talking to guest relations they said virtual queue went down in the later half of the day. 

I think that's a fair reason to be disappointed. Judging by the comments on the post below it seems the court of public opinions is also not really on Movie World's side either.

 

[StingRay]

17 minutes ago, rappa said:

To be fair this is one persons review of people’s experience. 
 

It’s also at odds with the many other reviews and smiling faces I’ve seen dotted around the internet from the park. 

You have not read the Movieworld Facebook pages comments then. More than one person thinks like this.

[Guest 239]

4 minutes ago, rappa said:

To be fair this is one persons review of people’s experience. 

It’s also at odds with the many other reviews and smiling faces I’ve seen dotted around the internet from the park. 

Why is everybody getting their undies in a twist because I provided a first hand account on my experience in the park? The only opinion I provided was on the expectation of the opening and why I felt guests were justified to be disappointed but everything else was based on what I saw around the park today.

Also the quote above is appalling from somebody who is meant to be fostering the community. What a sly, backhanded way of throwing away my comment because 'it's just one persons review'. See Facebook above and discover that there are plenty of others that are matching the sentiment of what I saw.

Though why should I bother even acknowledging your post? To be fair this is one persons response to my post.

It's also at odds with the many Facebook comments and reviews I've seen dotted around the internet. 

[rappa]

Yes I have read it, but you also have to look at the nature of Facebook commenting. Most commonly people only take to Facebook to make complaints, not compliments. 
that particular post had around 100 comments, that’s still a small sample. 
Then you have to also consider the validity of the claims. As I mentioned, first hand I’ve seen the barrage of complaints over Covid related things from tourists visiting, all completely unjustified. 
 

So yes, things are not ideal at the park, it would have been good if all rides were open. But also not EVERY guest is upset and I’d argue the overall park mood is not dreary. The complaints about closures really aren’t any different to the ones seen every year at this time, even when only one or 2 rides are closed. 

6 minutes ago, CaptainLazerGuns said:

Why is everybody getting their undies in a twist because I provided a first hand account on my experience in the park? The only opinion I provided was on the expectation of the opening and why I felt guests were justified to be disappointed but everything else was based on what I saw around the park today.

Also the quote above is appalling from somebody who is meant to be fostering the community. What a sly, backhanded way of throwing away my comment because 'it's just one persons review'. See Facebook above and discover that there are plenty of others that are matching the sentiment of what I saw.

Though why should I bother even acknowledging your post? To be fair this is one persons response to my post.

It's also at odds with the many Facebook comments and reviews I've seen dotted around the internet. 

Saying one persons opinion is only one persons opinion is not dismissive, it’s fact. Your post spoke to the mood of the park, not your mood. So I’m am saying that I disagree, and I’m allowed to do that. 
 

Frankly I’m so sick of hearing all this fostering the community crap. You’re allowed to post your views and I’m allowed to post mine. You can’t get your knickers twisted every time a moderator doesn’t agree with an opinion or a member. 

[StingRay]

They pumped their own tyes up tho. Making out everything was back and through that giving that impression everything would be so much better.

Gotta think like the average punter and not an enthusiast here.

[Brad2912]

32 minutes ago, CaptainLazerGuns said:

Today Wild West Falls, Green Lantern, Superman Escape, Arkham Asylum, Parade (COVID-19 reasons) were down plus a few kids rides.

All of which were known about however. 

33 minutes ago, CaptainLazerGuns said:

From Sunday we can add Doomsday to that list with the carousel joining on the Sunday after.

what’s happening later isnt disappointing a visitor today 

34 minutes ago, CaptainLazerGuns said:

Rivals went down for around 90 minutes and Batwing opened after midday with difficulties meeting its opening launch. 

Unplanned, happens multiple times everyday in any park around the world.

 

i stand by the fact that anyone attending could not possibly be oblivious to what is going on the world and that what had happened has changed operations. All VTP can do is communicate what is and isn’t operational - and they’ve done that. People can make up their own minds if they wish to spend their money attending or not. 

 

[rappa]

Ok but hang on they didn’t though. 
They've listed all the closures on their website. 
In the countless interviews they’ve stated not everything was open and things were different. 
 

It’s fair to say some people don’t check these things and make assumptions. But you can’t say they didn’t attempt to get that message across. 
 

For every guest that was sad that not everything was open, there was someone just desperate to be in the park again. I might not agree with them, and neither might you, but many exist. And many would be overjoyed just be in the park with no rides open, it brings them joy. 
 

As for any member of this site attending the park and saying they were disappointed by not having rides open I call bullshit. Because anyone on here knows what they were signing up for before visiting, so can’t be saying how let down they were after the fact. 
 

Any attraction, show, restaurant, club, hotel is going to be a mixed back of experiences at this time. And that’s just the way it’s going to be for a while. 

[Guest 239]

9 minutes ago, rappa said:

Yes I have read it, but you also have to look at the nature of Facebook commenting. Most commonly people only take to Facebook to make complaints, not compliments. 
that particular post had around 100 comments, that’s still a small sample. 

There are plenty of compliments towards the park in the post below. 

Also 100 comments seems small but judging on attendance today and car park occupancy I'd say there was roughly 1000 guests in the park. If 1-in-10 guests felt the need to jump online and complain then you've got a problem. Disney didn't become the biggest theme park operator in the world because 1-in-10 guests was disappointed with their experience.

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Then you have to also consider the validity of the claims. As I mentioned, first hand I’ve seen the barrage of complaints over Covid related things from tourists visiting, all completely unjustified. 

This was actually something I was surprised by. Whilst I saw a lot of guests not following the rules, when they enforced I actually didn't see many complaining. I've seen more people in QLD taking a relaxed approach to the restrictions than those over the border. I'm happy to wait for an empty elevator or in a line to get into timezone but the amount of people I see just going 'Why bother?' has been pretty astounding. 

[StingRay]

5 minutes ago, rappa said:

For every guest that was sad that not everything was open, there was someone just desperate to be in the park again. I might not agree with them, and neither might you, but many exist. And many would be overjoyed just be in the park with no rides open, it brings them joy. 
 

As for any member of this site attending the park and saying they were disappointed by not having rides open I call bullshit. Because anyone on here knows what they were signing up for before visiting, so can’t be saying how let down they were after the fact. 

Let us hope then as a community this quote exist for other parks. 

[rappa]

I went through the Facebook post, there are 21 comments that are negative from people who actually went and aren’t just the same person justifying their views. 
There are over 21 comments telling the first 21 they are stupid or wrong and defending the park. 
 

 

My view is not that someone can’t be unhappy not all rides are open. But it is that Reviewtyme can’t speak for the overall satisfaction for the park based on their experience. 
 

If I visit another park and say I was disappointed because I went and it was shit, when I know it’s shit, Im more than happy to be called out on it. 
If I visit it and say I hate it, I’m allowed to do that, but it’s also only going to be my personal opinion, it doesn’t make me right or wrong. 

[TomiJ]

 @CaptainLazerGuns is your wife named Karen. I'm happy the parks are open and their current state is acceptable in unprecedented times. (lols not DW half that shit Is their own fault). Just curious did anyone use the virtual queue. Seems it was a mix bag:

Edited July 16, 2020 by TomiJ
@karen

[StingRay]

Good to see someone is saying shit about DW already. A bless you, Karen.

[Guest 239]

Quote

@CaptainLazerGuns is your wife named Karen.

Incredible contribution to the discussion. Kudos kiddo.

It's interesting getting an insight from all of your perspectives as locals. If the parks are busy you go home. If a ride is down you come back when its open. If you get hungry you can go grab something from home. You can all literally visit the parks whenever you want and that's something I'd love, but I don't get that. 

I get to visit a theme park maybe once every 3-6 months. I took time off work and planned a trip to come up here and support our parks at their opening. I pay more because I'm not a local but that's okay because I'm happy to support the parks. I knew what to expect and I managed my expectations accordingly. My comment was on how I felt the park felt but I honestly had a fun day even though nobody has asked how I personally felt. I'm always happy to ride Rivals and soak up that theme park atmosphere but the energy and life just wasn't there. Is that my fault? Well judging but your reactions it seems so. 

Will I leave on Sunday feeling disappointed? Not likely. You don't dedicate this much time to theme parks to get disappointed when you visit theme parks. I also know I'm coming back in the future and can ride all the rides that are closed so it's honestly not a big deal for me. 

But do other families who have come up from NSW have a right to feel disappoint? Probably. We've been locked in our state for months and were likely about to be locked down again. Many families are heading up here to catch a quick break and enjoy a holiday after they've probably lost a year worth of plans and they're seeing a fanfare from the parks about how they're reopened. If you're a family that's got a week left of school holidays and who has had since July to throw together a holiday than your last priority is to jump on and check the Movie World maintenance page because you trust that you're in good hands. 

Also these parks are damn expensive. For a family you're paying a lot and for many families I can imagine that a theme park holiday is a special occasion. 

My biggest criticism is this: We also don't exist within a bubble. Village is more than welcome to tout that it's world class but if so then they need to be ready to be compared to other theme parks on a global scale. From almost every park I've seen reopening internationally almost none has opened up in a state like Movie World and if there is one then please I'd love to know.

Though then again we don't need to look internationally because Luna Park Sydney has reopened with every available attraction opened.

Though I also want to know; where any of you even there today? What's the point of having this argument regarding the atmosphere of the park if none of you were to experience itself? 

This whole back and forth is like me saying that the park smelt like garbage with several others also saying it smelt like garbage but several of you at home saying that it didn't smell like garbage because you saw lots of photos of people not holding their nose and if it did smell like garbage well then its the guests fault because they should know its garbage day.

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But it is that Reviewtyme can’t speak for the overall satisfaction for the park based on their experience. 

I'm not ReviewTyme, I'm Dominic. My thoughts and opinions are my own. 

[Park Addict 93]

5 hours ago, rappa said:

So yes, things are not ideal at the park, it would have been good if all rides were open. But also not EVERY guest is upset and I’d argue the overall park mood is not dreary. The complaints about closures really aren’t any different to the ones seen every year at this time, even when only one or 2 rides are closed. 

Quoted for truth, I saw countless people enjoying themselves, the park mood was was far from dreary. 

Main St performances now travel down Main St, you would struggle to find a time on main st prior to 3pm when you couldn’t find a character.  I would argue with this in place the park is atmosphere is excellent.

4 hours ago, TomiJ said:

Just curious did anyone use the virtual queue. Seems it was a mix bag:

I used it on opening day, it works as intended in my experience. I got on rivals after booking immediately at opening around 10:30, by 11:30 the virtual wait was 5 hours with a return time close to park close. If anyone is complaining it wasn’t working it’s most likely due to all slots simply being full.