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

Some quick points on my in park experience since reopening: Disappointing that a number of the key attractions are closed, however I proceeded with my visit well aware of the experience ahead of me. Im glad @joz mentioned the digital sign at the ticket booths as this was noticed. The police officers adding comedic human to enforcing covid restrictions was a nice touch and really brought laughter to a number of guests and families. I only got access to two virtual queues however i did arrive just past 11:00am. Love that the old shows from the top of the street now travel down Main St and back around the fountain. Gives the park such a great feel and vibe. The park also presented really well and its evident that some time has been spent on general park presentation. Looks like the roof fairy lights are new, the roof looks like its been cleaned, the queue line hand rails look like they have also been repainted. The hallway in the Scooby queue used to always bug me also as it was damaged and the paint had been peeled away, this has now been fixed. The western area has a great new food offering where the ice cream outlet once was. They are doing fancy hot dogs and they are delish! I had the Mexican nachos style one and it was great! Social distancing seemed to be followed by most guests. I think the key point here is that the tools to achieve this have been executed by the park but there is a level of expectation that guests do their part. No different to visiting a shopping center. Plenty of available hand sanitiser. All team members were engaging and provided direction where typical processes have changed. For example I went to walk out of Village Bean through the entry and the team member kindly asked me to use the exit. In summary I think the park has done an exceptional job. Its certainly worth mentioning that you have to have a level of flexibility in your attitude when visiting. Particularly when its evident the park has used a number of forums/opportunities to educate guests on the changes made and that your visit isn't going to be what you would typically expect.

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.

Let’s put Aussie world on the map!

Pick a theme/name that can be done attractively for the budget. Not a vague one like "Vortex" that is hard to do.

If I didn’t have the budget to I wouldn’t. But I wouldn’t say I was going to either. Also this...

He sure showed you rappa.

https://www.parkz.com.au/update/2016/12/16/442-Dreamworld_reopens_with_respect_and_dignity.html Stop talking shit

Whilst I wasn’t there on the day that @CaptainLazerGunswas there, I have indeed experienced multiple people disappointed and upset when visiting, ranging from rides being closed, to the whole virtual Queue concept. On virtual queue; I mean, sure, slots may be filled, but the whole virtual queue system is being touted as the best way to ride to help social distance in the park. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was touted to the government as a reason they could reopen. But in your example @Jordan M., all ride slots were sold or filled by 11:30. That’s not necessarily making the system accessible as a fully fledged alternative to standby or traditional queues. As a result the traditional queues were incredibly long, and with lack of social distancing being followed, it made for an interesting experience. Put yourself in the shoes of Mum and Pop, and kiddies who are visiting the park for the first time, or a once a year kind of trip. If you were there, promised you could virtual queue, only to find by the time you got yourself sorted, the VQ was all filled up, or a ridiculous wait time, you’d be pissed. On top of that, you attempt to ride in the standby queues, and the standby queues would be overflowing, you’d be double pissed. If you arrived at the park, signage out the front advertising no closed rides (the universal way that rides around the world are advertised as being closed), get through the gates only to see multiple big rides closed, you‘d be disappointed. This isn’t one big ride, but multiple headliner attractions. Want to see and get a photo (from a distance) of Tom and Jerry? Pay $20 to experience the Hollywood magic... yeah, ok, you’d be disappointed. Take the kids to ride Junior driving school, and the kids get baited by the flashing lights and soft plush in the claw machines now placed in the queue line for that ride, kids scream, get upset and chuck a tantrum because you don’t want to, you’d be pretty disappointed. These are just some of the personal experiences I have witnessed since Movie World has reopened. I applaud them for reopening, don’t get me wrong, and the operations I’m not going to give comment on as it’s something that will be worked on in due course, however it’s easy from a realists point of view why @CaptainLazerGuns has the view he does. I don’t disagree with him. I walked out of the park wishing I had of gone to Timezone instead as well... Just on a parkz level for a minute, I remember this website was very critical of Dreamworld reopening after the TRR accident closure with a lot of the major rides being closed, and people on here (including the official articles) slaughtering the park. But somehow it’s ok for Movie World to announce the second coming of Jesus, and have 3 major headliner attractions closed..

I think the issue is not so much "knowing what to expect", it's being presented with it in the first place. It should be like 1 or 2 rides closed max, and rides of the same category shouldn't be closed concurrently. I think some people will be happy to be there because it's a bit of normality and an activity they've been sorely missing, but I don't think it'll be accepted for more than a few weeks to have so many things shut.

@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:

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?

So I have a few photos from my trip to the US i haven't published till now. One such collection was from Nickelodeon Universe. https://www.parkz.com.au/parks/US/Bloomington/Nickelodeon_Universe Parkz actually has some older pics from the place a few years ago (that my mum actually took when my parents were working in that part of the US) But, as part of my efforts to mop up the remaining parks I've yet to visit in the US, I went there myself (I wanted to visit Minneapolis anyway, as well as visit Valleyfair) The park is located in the Mall of America, at the end of a light rail line that runs from downtown Minneapolis. The airport is on the same line, so theoretically if you had an extended stop over you'd be able to duck over and visit the park. Easy to reach anyhow. The park is a giant square with a glass roof in the middle of the complex, with three levels of mall that wrap around the outside of the park. There are a few other attractions to check out, including mini golf, escape rooms, and Fly over America, a Sky Voyager style ride. I got a combo ticket which included unlimted rides as well as an admission to Fly over America. The place is quite clean and tidy, with bright paint and some pockets of nice theming...I guess being protected from the weather has its advantages. There is actually a fair bit to do as well, even if you are a thrill rider (And i didn't even do all the thrill rides there!) The park was once known as Camp Snoopy, the biggest reminder of that being a rocky mountain housing a Paul Bunyan themed log flume, (Like, why isnt it Wild Thornberries?) though there are a couple of other random non themed rides that haven't picked up Nick branding either. And why doesn't Nick Land at Sea World have this? Going down the paw patrol slide would surely be a kids dream, whilst being super cheap. As for the rides i did. Spongebob Squarepants Rock Bottom Plunge A punchy little ride with a good layout. The first drop feels like you are going to bang your head on the rafters. A tight loop, a cool little airtime hop, followed by an overbanked turn. There's an awkward roll, followed by a few quick turns to finish the ride. Avatar Air Bender A halfpipe coaster just like Surfrider, though it ran a longer cycle, and had a broken seat. Orange Streak Zierer family coaster with a stupid long train, so at least there is never a queue. Has a lot of long drawn out turns, and shallow drops, so really feels more like a tour of the park. Theres a 2nd lift hill part way through, making this a lengthy beast. Much Bepis: Fairly Odd Coaster A few six flags parks have these Gerstlauer spinning coasters, so I'm well familiar with the layout. I actually got a crazy ride on this one due to having an empty seat. These can be hit and miss because ive also had ride where its seemingly been perfectly balanced and held the same relative position through all the turns, like a compass trying to point north. TMNT Shell Shock Sky fly like Tailspin. This one had a helpful video clearly explaining how to get flipping going, so good on them for that. I loved the theming, right down to the control panel in a pizza cart. This one was in the middle of the road in terms of how easy it is to get flips happening. I did also like how it only had a lap bar type harness rather than OTSRs. Anchor Drop This is part of a ropes course / zip line / slide complex. They are all upcharge and can be done separate or as a package, though if you do the slides you get unlimited goes until you leave the area. I just wanted to have a go at the giant Wiegand snake farm slides. They're okay. Going in a spiral just feels a bit repetive, it would be better if they changed directions etc. Ghost Blasters Crap blacklight dark ride with unreliable targets. I'm at the point now where im not bothered if i skip these things over. Log Chute Actually a pretty lengthy and complex layout, with a giant paul bunyan statue part way through. Not too wet. Overall, the park is definitley worth a look if you are in Minneapolis. Generous trading hours and proximity to the airport make this an easy visit.

If they are selling it, it’s likely going to be to a property developer with plans to put 2000 houses on the land...

Ardent Leisure is already being crippled by debt. Chances are Dreamworld is going to be sold, hopefully someone who actually knows and cares about the industry will buy it up and Dreamworld can finally be back to the theme park it was in it's heyday. Ardent Leisure has done horribly as their stock prices continue to plummet.

Taken out the front of MW today. I guess in Village's mind these work just as well because you see this before you buy your ticket, not after like the signs down by the gate. If you're going to gp digital after the park reopens is as good a time as any I guess. BUT it is digital though, and it scrolls through other things which isn't ideal. Personally I think the physical signs are better and should come back. Just thought people might enjoy the whole picture.

Nah send it to Adventure World, saves on international shipping.. 😜

Even some walls and a forced perspective hole isn't that good. rappas pic of Talocan above I think sums up the benchmark for top spin rides. Even if you didn't do such huge theming, the way the stonework looks gives it real character, and you could do some other thing like "Wrath of {Atlantean Character}" If they were determined to do a vortex themed ride, then do it with a spinning ride which more readily lends itself to arranging columns etc around it in a concentric manner, as if they are being sucked towards the ride.

Also Wet N Wilds attraction... you know the same company...

Well I have the time. The first negative article was 4 months on, and was a jibe at the advertising campaign that used fake atttactions and unrealistic experiences. A pretty fair a assessment . Then we returned to mostly positive articles cept the occasional reporting of negative items in the press etc. The articles were still positive at least a year later (which is when I stopped looking). So the bias is not with Parkz. It’s with people who have decided a narrative and are now making up evidence to support it.

You said that when DW reopened as a website Parkz slammed them. Utter nonsense. Then you defend that by saying 'Well I remember you did'. Who cares what you remember, what you remember is wrong.

The images I saw today of the front gates, with the “attractions not operating today” signs covered over with plain white boards is at odds with that.

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. 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.

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

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.

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

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.

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...

Atmosphere was dreary at Movie World today. You could tell many families were disappointed with their visit and I've never actively heard children complaining about being in a theme park because they're bored until today. Village really dropped the ball on managing expectations with this one. You really shouldn't roll out the carpet and celebrate reopening when half your park is basically a construction zone. It would have made much more sense to quietly reopen with a focus on local community attendance whilst aiming to really ramp things up for the next holiday.

Easily Wipeout was because it had one. I maintain again that Vortex is not themed.

Commercial awnings, commercial light fittings... There just isn’t anything themed about it. Nicely presented yes, themed no. Themed

I believe Dreamworld is an asset to the community and should be saved by the government, same for SkyPoint. However Ardent should not get a cent of that in terms of bailout. I feel something like QIC should be buying out ardent at bottom dollar and then leasing the park back to a competent operator at a pittance until they turn it around. That’s my thoughts anyway.

OK. So same company. Sure the last 20 has been shit. But maybe the public is also the blame. Wanting a cheaper product with cheaper tickets for the past ten years at least. I don't always pay attention to the big parks. I usually like to pay attention to the little ones. They invest but if it takes ten years to invest then so be it. Usually due to low attendance etc. Dreamworld has been taken down the wrong road by multiple people for a long time. Anyone can make a quick buck. To make a profit is the hard part. IP contracts seem to be on little money, Cheap ticket sales, no major experiences all of those lead to a place that has been neglected for sure. I understand how people can say "Twelve months of change means shit" and I have heard similar sentiments mentioned face to face or on the internet. You know what, those people are indeed correct. A person or a company tho should be given the chance to change. Even if you do not like them/it. 2016 was terrible. We know. But I don't hear many people bang on about the dodgy back door dealings and possible gangland wars or the insurance payout that LPS management wanted resulting in that strategy. My point is people change and so do cultures. I don't see people on my visit to LPS go "I'm going to burn to death today" or "Fuck management they want to kill me". Yes, its facts and the past always hurts. But I feel even tho so many things have been done wrong they can somehow make a right. Maybe I think like this because it's within my nature. It's the kind of person I am to not back down on a challenge when others decide to walk away. COVID has ruined so many business and lives. I am sure management was on the right track (pardon the pun) in buying the new coaster. Then the world stopped. We don't even know how VRTP will pull through this either. They had an impending sale. No one knows if that will be going ahead now. I get the whole "fuck them" attitude. My personal opinion is I don't want to have that attitude yet.