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So had a great time at the second AW nights the weather was a lot warmer then last week and the park during the day was full with all car parks full. Was fun watching them try and removing 5,000 guests and then letting another 2,000 or so in within half an hour. Was great to watch. The event itself is growing year on year and it just has that nice laid back chilled feeling prefect to have a beer and relax.

But for a 20 million investment they ultimately ended up with a worse attraction than it replaced which fatal story/theming flaws, less capacity and not as family friendly. So I say it’s not worth the money. You could plonk that same ride on an open pad and it would be just as good.

But for a 12 million dollar coaster it’s not a bad coaster for the price tag. The main issue was the additional 8 million to remove BT and earth works.

No

I like it!

That’s the plan if all works out financially. Decision will be made around March/April. looking around late sept/early oct for 3 weeks in LA/San Fran/San Diego & then a week in Hawaii on the way back

Found a few old mobile videos from a visit in 2006. Converting them from 3gp to MP4. My, ToT did get high up that Tower back in the earlier days. SOUND WARNING - it was a loud ride.. Not for reposting. 1119 DW ToT & Drop.mp4 1119 DE ToT.mp4 1119 DW ToT & Drop.mp4 1119 DW Reptar.mp4

So I went to Carnivale tonight, the second time I’ve ever been (the last being two years ago). Overall, it was a very enjoyable night and there seemed to be a lot of good improvements. There was plenty of street entertainment and performers the entire night throughout the park. It just didn’t stop and it was fantastic. Created a great atmosphere, especially with so many of them. The park was decorated well (nothing majorly different compared to two years ago), but there was some nice lighting across the park. I must say that I do really enjoy SW at night. The types of lighting that matches areas of the park, signage and attraction lighting and watching the creatures within Shark Bay when they’re most active is really enjoyable. Parking two years ago was a nightmare. Navigating your way through the carpark was horrible and it took over an hour to get out. This year however they had traffic control which made the process a lot easier. My advice would be to just not park in the SW carpark at all and park on the street. The traffic to get into the carpark at the start of the night was crazy, so unless you arrive really early, don’t park in there. Both entrances were open (but I would recommend going to the straight ahead one rather than the usual pass holder one, it seemed to be much quicker). Side note: The main entrance looked different above the ticket booths, so it seems like they are undergoing a refurbishment. As soon as we entered the park at 5:45, the party had already started with entertainment everywhere, but also a lot of people. The crowds were very very big and this lead to probably one of the biggest issues with the event. Because of SWs long design, navigating your way through the park, especially with the park through the new Atlantis now open yet, makes the main path very crowded. Crowds in and around the plaza were also crazy and this isn’t helped by the placement of the food stands. Because they are at the front, queues extend across the path and cause bottlenecking to occur. I think reorganising the placement of these would be helpful. The entertainment under the plaza was fantastic and constant. Really felt like a part under there. The food also all looked really good and there was some variety. Definitely not up to standard of variety of Carnivale back when it was at MW, but still some good choice. Obviously the main part of the event is now the Aquacolour Spectacular. This year the show has a story. The water effects weren’t as spectacular as last time, mostly because they weren’t as big or as many. But with lighting, fire, projection and even fireworks. I found it to be a really enjoyable show. Just watched out for the creepy baby and the PS2 graphics. The incorporation of dancers, a float and the story didn’t feel cheesy (unlike the Thunder Lake Show) and I thought really added to the event bringing it all together. My partner didn’t find the show as enjoyable because she felt the story wasn’t necessary and things didn’t flow as well. She preferred the much bigger and dramatic fountains and water effects. Also, you will get wet if you’re sat on the seating. There is an announcement before the show letting the audience know they may get wet, but I can assure you, you will definitely get wet. It is only a mist, but this is because the fountains are much closer to the shoreline this year. Overall I found the event to be an improvement on my last visit two years ago and I would recommend checking it out, especially if you haven’t been in a while.

I think @Richard really nailed it, as did @AlexB in terms of land use currently. Particularly with Clark Kirby now at the helm, there's a big whiff of the John Menzies era of Village parks again, where long term vision, investment and focus on guest experience, and look, let's be honest here, doing the right thing has trumped maximising shareholder return at the detriment of what the brand stands for. And that's important, because with the right top level people having enough exerciseable power means money spent on things that may not realise a tangible or direct ROI are upheld. Think steam trains instead of diesel trains and you're in the right headspace. Sure, the diesel might be cheaper overall, but the steam trains create this intangible value to everyday guest experiences. The smell, the movement, the history, the immersion into a different world... these are all things that don't mean anything on a shareholder spreadsheet. However, something so intangible creates such a tremendously powerful impact on guest experience, and hey, let's not forget Dreamworld's brand was built on just this. Barbershop quarter didn't create a tangible ROI, but they were amazing. The horses clip-clopping through Main Street pulling a cart? The IMAX experience? The overload of shows & entertainment? All expensive, and all add up to being greater than the sum of the parts. To be frank, i'm not about picking Ardent or Ariadne or any other parent company, and for all the junk Ardent has copped, let's not forget that for the period the park was closed they supported the Dreamworld team very, very well, so for me, so long as who-ever it is treats one of the country's most iconic brands with the respect it deserves and ultimately, invest in enriching the brand as much as Village are with their brands, i'm happy. Buuuuuuuuut mayyyybe selling the land that's a link to the new Westfield shopping centre and the Coomera Train station isn't the wisest move. If I was as lucky as Clark Kirby and inherited a bunch of parks, except instead of Village it was Dreamworld, here's what i'd do: Get on the phone to Westfield. Start the conversation about a long term vision of developing a Universal city walk of sorts between Coomera Train Station, the new Westfield and the Big Brother house. Get onto the phone to who-ever has the Big Brother house land. Enroll them in the idea of the city walk. Get on the phone to Hilton, Sheraton etc. etc. about building a hotel in the citywalk. Get Dreamworld back to the 1980's vision John Longhurst had. Update, rennovate & innovate the theming from Mine Ride through to Rocky Hollow and Blue Lagoon. New rides, attractions, bars, food, retail. Develop a new entrance where Blue Lagoon is. Build a new steam train station there too for citywalk guests. Make the space amazing again. Build an RMC. Click "select all" on the Zamperla family rides page and just make it a good space full of kinetic energy. Quieten Tower of Terror. Make it work better. Remove most of the tunnel. Move Motocoaster anywhere else. Don't care. Needs to be moved. Develop ABC Kids World into something world class with the land that Motocoaster sat in. Tone down the fading pastels. Add more trees in, make it intimate. Add more food & bev. Make it a lovely area full of nice surprises. I'd go on but I think i've droned on about plans elsewhere. Point is, Dreamworld's a global brand, let's treat it as such.