Which former attraction do you miss the most?

[Brad2912]

The loss of LTRR for Jnr Driving School is the biggest stain on our parks imo. 

Yes I know it would have been costly to refresh and update the animatronics, but it was quintessential MW and that ride truly would have had its place FOREVER if they kept it well maintained. 

 

[Noxegon]

Aussie World wooden mouse. Real shame it was removed.

[Prequel]

I just miss the Tower of Terror's (I & II) roar across the park, just seeing it fly up as you past the park on the M1. The ride had a dominating presence over the park, and Dreamworld feels emptier without it. The same goes with Wipeout, the noise it made is so ingrained in my mind, and it always felt like there was just as big of a crowd watching the ride as there was queueing for the ride.

[Cactus_Matt]

On 20/09/2020 at 12:42 AM, Cactus_Matt said:

I miss Dreamworld circa 2004, the park was perfect then.

Quoting myself from over 2 years ago because the last few posts seem to be echoing the sentiment. Dreamworld when Tower of Terror and WipeOut were in full operation made it feel like their was a World Class Theme Park right down the road (this was when I used to lived on the Gold Coast so it actually meant something not now living in Melbourne). I yearn for the days when anything in Australia feels truly world class and 'til we get a dumb coaster filled Six Flags parks of our own, or a record breaking Giga or a B&M (of any kind really) Australia is going to feel like a third world-coaster-country, which is a shame because we have the kind of money in this country to build something truly spectacular.

Edited January 23, 2023 by Cactus_Matt
Edit because drunk

[Brad2912]

5 hours ago, Cactus_Matt said:

we get a dumb coaster filled Six Flags parks of our own, or a record breaking Giga or a B&M (of any kind really) Australia is going to feel like a third world-coaster-country

So the loss of TOT and wipeout is a bigger factor than the addition of DCR and ST in determining if we are a country with quality or world class rides? 
 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

7 hours ago, joz said:

It's not that they were great rides, but in all cases you didn't know what you were going to see when you went on them. It was like you were going on a journey. I know that's weird to explain to kids today; these days if you started getting excited about not knowing where the ride went, you'd pull out your phone and get a satellite image of the layout. Back then you could have been going anywhere.

This sums it up perfectly. These days as enthusiasts we know every nut and bolt of an attraction. We fly through a layout going 'here comes the immelmann!' instead of just hanging on and being amazed at every turn. They weren't "Great rides" but they were exciting and unknown.

18 minutes ago, Brad2912 said:

So the loss of TOT and wipeout is a bigger factor than the addition of DCR and ST in determining if we are a country with quality or world class rides? 
 

To a degree, I think so. Before I lived in Queensland, TOT and Wipeout were iconic destination attractions. Rivals and Taipan are just 'there' now. But I think its a bit of the nostalgia at play (per Joz's quote in this reply above) that those we grew up with hold more "pull" than the current installs.

[New display name]

The Thunder River Rapids is up there not because it was a great rapids ride but because DW has ruined it for everyone, and I can't see Australia getting another one or at least not for a very long time.

[Bradley McGrath]

Snowy River Rampage and The Bush Beast

[joz]

The 'best' DW is the one you grew up with. For me, around Tiger Island opening and pre tot was the best by some margin. As good a ride as it was, it totally ruined the feel of the place and what I liked about it as a kid. If you built ToT right over the top of frontier land at Disneyland, people would say it ruined the place. In 30 years there would be a generation of people who grew up with it who consider it peak Disney. Again, it's all subjective and personal to you. Having said that, there's a moderator who incorrectly thinks that Claw opening was peak DW. Gross.

[Slick]

Just now, joz said:

The 'best' DW is the one you grew up with. For me, around Tiger Island opening and pre tot was the best by some margin. As good a ride as it was, it totally ruined the feel of the place and what I liked about it as a kid. If you built ToT right over the top of frontier land at Disneyland, people would say it ruined the place. In 30 years there would be a generation of people who grew up with it who consider it peak Disney. Again, it's all subjective and personal to you. Having said that, there's a moderator who incorrectly thinks that Claw opening was peak DW. Gross.

@Flea c'mon you're better then that.

The nostalgia bit of me says those skinny few months where Thunderbolt and Cyclone were both open was peak Dreamworld. Still had steam trains, chairlift, IMAX, Mine Ride, River Rapids, Australian Wildlife Experience, Tiger Island with the cougars and still plenty of remnants of old school Dreamworld.

Adult Slick agrees with @joz - having seen a ton of old school pictures of the park over the years it's clear to see what we're missing out on today.

[New display name]

From being privileged to go to DW in the early years it wasn't the attractions that made DW great.  It was the atmosphere DW created.  Something DW could easily recreate.

[Gazza]

1 hour ago, Slick said:

@Flea c'mon you're better then that.

The nostalgia bit of me says those skinny few months where Thunderbolt and Cyclone were both open was peak Dreamworld. Still had steam trains, chairlift, IMAX, Mine Ride, River Rapids, Australian Wildlife Experience, Tiger Island with the cougars and still plenty of remnants of old school Dreamworld.

Adult Slick agrees with @joz - having seen a ton of old school pictures of the park over the years it's clear to see what we're missing out on today.

Vintage cars still in Rivertown too....

[joz]

10 minutes ago, Gazza said:

Vintage cars still in Rivertown too....

... With roaring just about your head, destroying anything actually nice about having Vintage Cars there

[REGIE]

I think wipeout was such a high bar to reach they decided with the funding they had at the time it would be better to replace it will a seating area that doesn’t mean in a few years a new ride could go there. Wipeout and TOT were so iconic that TOT is in the original Roller coaster tycoon and wipeout is in RCT3.  The rides we got now for the most part are better then what was then but the clunky charm is gone and the somewhat home made atmosphere that DW had things are so slick now that some of the charm is gone the addition of IP’s ruined it too and the removal of so many iconic attractions in a row because the park didn’t have a solid plan for when they got too old. DW can become great again but it’s going to take along time and it’s going to be a new dreamworld they can’t recreate old DW but they can use what made old DW so good too improve the park. (And the steam train NEEDS to operate at least once a month) that’s my thoughts at least.  Maybe also adding a throw back ride to thunderbolt and do a special event in SV where they play one of the old IMAX movies.

[REGIE]

I personally also really miss the Viking revenge log ride. It was my first ride I ever went on and it holds a special place in my heart. The themeing is also really good I really like castles. I liked when seaworld had the big drawbridge now the towers of the bridge are gone and it weirdly divides the park since you go under it where water used to be to get to jet rescue and that’s the only way to get to JR you can also get to Storm from the other one but you can’t cross the bridge so it just looks weird

[Guest 239]

3 minutes ago, REGIE said:

I liked when seaworld had the big drawbridge now the towers of the bridge are gone and it weirdly divides the park since you go under it where water used to be to get to jet rescue and that’s the only way to get to JR you can also get to Storm from the other one but you can’t cross the bridge so it just looks weird

I also miss when Sea World didn't require doctorate level qualifications in Cartography to navigate. 

[joz]

Don't know how to break this to you but there was never such a time. I remember on very early visits as a kid getting lost around the castle/flume/plaza. I would say that's almost part of the charm, but I think that's more down to my own weirdness. I quite like going to cities I've never been to and being lost and exploring.

[Guest 239]

Haha, that's fair! I can't remember early visits as a kid (except oddly for one memory on the monorail. RIP) but I do remember it being okay to navigate in 2014 when I first visited as an adult. At least back then you didn't need to walk five minutes to get from the central food court to Storm. 

11 minutes ago, joz said:

I quite like going to cities I've never been to and being lost and exploring.

I don't think that's weird. There's something fun about getting lost in an unknown place. I love going to a theme park for the first time where I actually need to use a map to get around and everything is new. 

[Gazza]

32 minutes ago, joz said:

Don't know how to break this to you but there was never such a time. I remember on very early visits as a kid getting lost around the castle/flume/plaza. I would say that's almost part of the charm, but I think that's more down to my own weirdness. I quite like going to cities I've never been to and being lost and exploring.

Stupid poll idea:

What was more confusing, the ramps around Vikings Revenge or the ramps around Giant Drop?

[REGIE]

I like that poll idea.  I think the ramps around Vikings are more confusing but the ones around GD look like they are from RCT and are ugly as hell.

 

I liked the short period of time when the outside of the park looked like this. TB and GC/cyclone looked so cool tangled around each other. This photo somehow makes GC/C look like a much newer style track then the TB

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

18 hours ago, joz said:

Don't know how to break this to you but there was never such a time. I remember on very early visits as a kid getting lost around the castle/flume/plaza. I would say that's almost part of the charm, but I think that's more down to my own weirdness. I quite like going to cities I've never been to and being lost and exploring.

There was a time when the gates across the railway tracks providing a bypass to the plaza were open.

[joz]

1 hour ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

There was a time when the gates across the railway tracks providing a bypass to the plaza were open.

Normally around 5pm onwards.

[REGIE]

On 24/1/2023 at 5:19 PM, Gazza said:

What was more confusing, the ramps around Vikings Revenge or the ramps around Giant Drop?