Obstructure

OK, you have all made good points and I respect them, but they are not feasible solutions. 1. I am sure everyone has been in a line after the closing time and still gotten a ride, that is because when the cut off happens, they've still got a long time until it is against the laws to run the ride. Fright Night was a different situation, being that the ride attendents were guessing who would make it - not 'everyone before this point will definately ride.' Once it hits 10 o'clock, thats it, not a minute over otherwise the attendents will also jeopardise their jobs, and it isn't as if the Giant Drop can hide and say, OK we will go a couple of rides over for you, EVERYONE can see the ride because of its height. 2. Would it be worth it for Dreamworld to give possibly up to 3500 return passes? This potentially means that they would lose any profits they have made for the night with those passes, which is unlikely to be made up when those people return. Even so, I am sure there could've been anywhere up to 500-1000 people lodging a complaint, or cut off from a line early, or even stuck in a line at 10pm and didn't get a ride. That is still a lot of return passes. 3. Dreamworld were maxed out with the staff and they even opened more attractions then were advertised. After chatting with a few of them apparently there was going to be less then there was and they decided to open more up to try and cater for the demand. You can put more staff on but that isn't going to make the ride go any faster. I agree with you all about the organisation and how it was grossly oversold, and those ride attendents worked themselves to the bone trying to get people through as quickly as they could, only to cop abuse for people not getting rides, or lining up for hours. I would recommend next time perhaps capping it at 2000 tickets, possibly 1500, selling them for $20, making it 6pm-9pm so that anyone lined up at 9 when the rides close off still have time to go through, and still keeping open all of the rides they had. But hey, I'm not CEO, but if i was that would be my call. Just curious, those people that went - how many rides did you get on? Which ones were they?

"We had been in the line for an hour and half and were almost about to get on the GD when we were told that the ride is now closed. It was disgraceful. The line behind us was cut off at about 9.15, however nothing was said to us about the possiblity of not being able to get on." That is directed at the ride attendents, not DW management. I agree that lining up for so long was not enjoyable and not worth the money in some cases, particularly the 1hr 30min one. If they cut the lineup off at 9.15 then surely you would think hang on a second maybe I might not make it seeing it closes off at 10. Giving free return passes to those rejected? Now you've opened up a whole new can of worms. First of all the night cost between $10-$20 on admission. You give return passes out, they are worth $58, just for missing out on a ride which evidently had an enormous line up. Then there is a scenario of people saying they lined up for ages, which is a lie, and receiving a return pass. Then what about the honest people that missed out, or lined up for ages (which in actual fact is the majority of the crowd), do they deserve a refund? I mean if those people get refunds for lining up then everyone else should too. I know if I heard about some people lining up for over an hour got refunds then I would be demanding my money back too, because then that is fair. In my opinion, it is bad luck for those people who only just missed out after such a long line up, that is life, but they do deserve some kind of compensation because they were hard done by. Not a free return pass, or necessarily a refund, but something else. Yes - perhaps smiling and what not is supposed to happen, but that is a load. If you get personal attacks, you are hurt, and what are you going to do? Suck up to the people abusing you. There is no polite way of saying sorry you've lined up for 1 1/2 hours, but we can't go any longer. If they went to 10.10, that is breaking the rules dj, and where exactly do u draw the line? You've got to say no time sometime, what then happens to the people at 10.13 or 10.15, do you give another 5 minutes just for them as well? 10 o'clock is fine, draw the line somewhere.

Next clue: the name has 3 syllables in it Unfortunately it doesn't look like there will be any cool lead up to the ride, as Richard's photos suggest there is not a huge amount of room allocated to the ride.

What would you like them to do about it then? Give you a free pass because you didn't get on? I thought it was all pretty clear, they aren't permitted to run the rides after 10pm, they can't precisely count up how many people would make it before then, they did their best. The rules were there, you should've had a fair idea how long it was going to take, and you wouldn't have been the first person to complain that night. In the defense of the ride attendents, I heard all sorts of abuse being hurled at security and employees, except just because they didn't say sorry to you then they're bad people? They are people as well, they aren't made of stone, perhaps giving them a fair go is in order here too. If people were abusing you, calling you every name under the sun and threatening you, then how would that change your mood? Could you honestly still smile and apologise to every single person? Imagine how many people would've complained to them when they were putting them on the ride. That is not enjoyable. I wouldn't go blaming the rides people for this one because they did their best. If you saw how big the line was, it just was not possible for one of the operators to stop loading people, slowing the line down even more, and counting every single person to try and calculate who would make it before 10pm. Its not possible to accurately do that. Sure people were annoyed, but I don't see any of you being understanding of the situation Dreamworld put the staff in. Like always there is a side to each story and in all seriousness, I am sure there will be more opportunities seeing this one got such a huge response.

I go in reasonably regularly, so I could take a digital camera one time and give some updates, only problem is there are fences in the way so you can't see in that well. Lately I've been popping in for an hour or two which has been unusual because usually I go for most of the day, but it has mainly been looking for updates. You can maybe see it all from the Wipeout or Cyclone if you are quick but there's nothing really exciting at this stage, just a lot of digging. It is pleasing to see them start this so early so it should definately done by September. It was really out of the blue today when I saw it all. Anyways, I am presuming it will be Ocean themed because it is practically right next to the Wipeout. OK another clue then: The name doesn't sound Ocean Themed to me, and I'd expect most of you would agree. So if I were a betting man...... The name would start with a C, and doesn't really fit into the Ocean Theme.

Huge. It is silly coming in the holiday periods, the lines are just so enormous. They've already started proceedings for the new ride as well, so September is looking good.

So i was in Dreamworld today as it was my RDO and it wasn't very busy so i spent most of the day there, and I have some news to share with you all: The whole area where the gyroswing is to go is fenced off and they've started digging up the area. The area that is closed is from the end of the wipeout to the surf shop, including the sandwich bar. And as for the name, if I were a betting man, I would put money on it being called................. something starting with C. Don't know if I should spoil the surprise or keep the suspense for a little longer........ The name is what I heard from around the park anyway.

Cyclone always seems to take the longest during non peak times because theres usually one person there that has to walk around and do everything. Giant Drop won't take long at all unless only one side is operating. Tower of Terror holds a fair amount of people and gets through pretty quickly as long as it isn't raining. Wipeout takes heaps of people each time and you wouldn't expect to be stuck in a big line there. Rapids gets busy though it gets through the rides fairly quickly and at times you would have to line up less then 5 minutes in non peak. Sometimes if it really isn't busy you may get to go twice, but that is unlikely unless it is a wet day or you are there really early before the crowd gets to the ride. Blue Lagoon may also be closed seeing it is the Winter time, and Tomb Raider of course is over now.

He didn't double post. Their post doesn't make any sense now.

Yeah but its unlikely that they won't theme it. If they just extended Ocean Parade I think it would make Ocean Parade way too big. Got to agree with the halloween type theme, wouldn't really suit and seeing its open in the day time they can't do much with it to make it look cool.

Nah, look at the times he posted, it was 1 minute apart and my post was 1 minute before those. The second post was replying to mine. We both posted at around the same time to the same post, he then replied to mine, that is why he had 2 in a row.

I might be wrong but there isn't a name for the new gyroswing to go into Dreamworld so how about we throw a few names into the hat and see if we can get anything close to what it will be called? Any suggestions?

So presume that Dreamworld is going to create a new theme on the thunderbolt land. What suggestions are there for another theme?

Not much point in getting another old, second hand roller coaster. What would irritate me the most is if they got it and labelled it as a new attraction. Buy something new, get a good coaster, not an old recycled one.

I might ask someone the next time I am in there (hopefully tomorrow). This is only a guess but you would be permitted to ride but I think if you are totally intoxicated (and its obvious) then they could refuse because safety of the guests, the rides and themselves comes first, so if there was a chance they could be a hazard they could say no.

Your not supposed to drive when you're drunk either, but people still do. It isn't as if Dreamworld breath test everyone going onto a ride, but I guess if they felt you were really drunk or on drugs they could stop you, for your own safety and to avoid a potential problem. They sell alcohol in the park so people would consume alcohol and go on rides.

It is definately a family favourite in the park, and it should stay, however it badly needs to be upgraded. Something which I think would be good is in the dark tunnel (this is something the rapids should do as well) is put big fans that make it windy, and there can be wind sound effects just to add to the experience. I have a feeling after the log rides annual maintenance that it will be alot cleaner and polished

I think completely getting rid of the log ride is a silly idea, but perhaps upgrading it would be better. There aren't many real family rides at Dreamworld and the log ride is a family favourite so they need to keep it. Dreamworld has no problems with a lack of land for further attractions, especially at this point. I would expect Dreamworld to do as they've done in the past - a new major ride every 2 or so years, so expect one this year, then 2006, 2008 etc, with other smaller attractions along the way, perhaps each year or 6 months, like tomb raider, farmyard friends etc. However from what I have heard, the thunderbolt area sounds like it will be developed earlier then 2006, and so it should because otherwise that will just be wasted space for 2 years. My only worry is that Dreamworld is becoming very heavy at the front of the park, particularly the front right, and developing a new theme in the old thunderbolt area will make it even heavier. I am sure this is their plan though and perhaps the left hand side then will turn into a water park to even things out like MLE suggested. When they do eventually run out of room, expanding the park at the back will seem out of place if they keep AWE.

1.30-6.30 is ok, but people coming to the park know so its their problem if they have shorter hours.

I got no idea how they got it operating I don't work there but all I know was it was running Friday and Friday night. It wouldn't be the first time it says TOT isn't running but it still does. I dare say they would say it isn't going to run to cover their tracks incase people get in and see it isn't running and complain. If it says before they go in that it is down for the day then they've got warning before they pay, so it is their choice whether they come in or not. The rain during the night wasn't all that heavy, it was more of a drizzle at most when it happened and it didn't get heavy enough to make you wet until about 9.30-10 when the night was pretty much over and done with. In my opinion I think the public received the most efficient operations possible. They maximised their staff on the rides that were open (they appeared to have staff like they do on the holidays). The rapids gets the people through fairly quickly, but to open the entire gold rush area as well it means they would need to have spent money to theme that area, open those shops and attractions, pay for the employment and if it is true they need 10 people then I'm betting they would have to be trained and told specifically where they would need to stand and what they would have to do, which costs money for people to train etc. It wouldn't cost just $450 in wages theres alot of other hidden costs to take into consideration. Perhaps next time if they have gotten a response similar to this one, they should just rope off Blue Lagoon, AWE and near Tomb Raider and leave Gold Rush open and prepare the staff. If it is going to be a regular thing then the staffing and resource costs will even out because they've only got to pay the initial costs once, then wages after that. You could theme the area with creepy miners or something. If they had it again, I would go. I was pretty satisfied with the event, if there was an extra 30mins-1hour of operation it may have helped the problem, as well as selling perhaps 500 less tickets, but I am sure they would've picked up on these things. If they have it again, expect it to be a lot better then this one.

Dreamworld advertised only a few rides being open. In the end they opened the following rides up: TOT Giant Drop Cyclone Wipeout Reptar Bumpers Reef Diver Vortex Tomb Raider Gold Rush was closed off, and as someone said earlier it was probably because of safety - I don't know how good the lighting at rapids or log ride are but if its not much good then it wouldn't be safe to run it. TOT was operating on Friday and did operate at Fright Night. It was going quite frequently actually and hardly any stoppages on Friday night. I think Dreamworld did a great job, they took a risk and they got a huge response. I know a lot of people were disappointed with the long lines, but I say this; nobody makes you go, and nobody makes you stay. It was always going to be a huge night, and it is just like the Christmas holidays. You know it is going to be busy so expect to wait a while for rides. I dare say that most people who went are pretty regular visitors to Dreamworld as well, so going on the rides is nothing new, but the novelty of the night as well as the whole themeing would have been a pleasant change which shouldn't be forgotten. Also I don't think that alot of people would've paid $20 to go because if you were in Dreamworld, it only cost you $10 I had a terrific time, and if you played your cards right, you would've gotten more then just 1 ride in, I sure did.

Log ride definately needs to be done up, it is going under annual maintenance for like a month according to their website so who knows how much could be done in that time? I don't think theres been a public official announcement regarding a new ride, but it does seem pretty certain something new is coming later this year.

Yep, welcome Joe, and I've got to agree with some of your points. I thought they did a great job doing the place up, and it was a good first attempt. I'm sure they will realise how the night went, what the positives and negatives were and what they should do next time. The haunted houses ideas, its a great idea but I don't think DW would do it just for a night here and there. The whole idea of the halloween kind of theme was adapted to the Tomb Raiders last days in Dreamworld, which is where the fright theme came from I guess, and also that it is at night. I was in there on the Friday afternoon and the signs had sold out put on them so whatever they allocated was all gone. When I asked they said it was something like 3000+ tickets sold, that explains the huge lines. When I was walking around at 9.15-9.30 there were people sending the public away because the rides had to be closed by 10, which means really you've got 2 hours (give or take a bit) to try and get rides in. Theres a very low possibility that you could get the 4 main rides in, seeing they would not do anywhere near 3000 people in just over 2 hours. Perhaps they should make it more of a regular event so the crowds aren't as huge, and also allocating less tickets. The word around the park on Friday prior to the event was that it was a trial to see how well the idea goes and they may make it more of a regular project down the track. Well if it was a test to see how the public responds, it passed with flying colours. My additions: - sell less tickets, open it up earlier, maybe from 6-6.30 to give people more time - make it a monthly event, on a Friday night again - don't make it an alcoholic event, just make it available similar to how the park is at the moment. If people want to drink they can, however don't put the emphasis on it for this particular event. Perhaps if they wanted to have an event that focus' on the 18+ crowd, make it a social event like that with DJ's

I wasn't here 6 months ago and didn't read those threads, but updating the thunderbolt and the front entry are pretty obvious things. As for roller coasters being a thrill ride, didn't write off the chance of there being a roller coaster, just next to no chance of there being something massive and world class, seeing they are planning like 5-6 thrill rides in that section, add to that other necessities like shops, amenities etc to cater for the themed area and theres not much room to create something massive. However the plans are for this area to be opened up with at least something new by the end of next year. So you've got the gyroswing project this year, and then something new next year. The Blue Lagoon expansion is looking like they may include Big Brother, and some of the top carpark as well, which is one large water area. But again, who knows what could happen in 10 years, I'm sure 10 years before Big Brother they weren't planning on using that area for a reality TV show. Anyway I just thought I would share what I heard, but yes, very vague and no specifics.

As I said in another thread (i'll stay true to my word), I found out some information about Dreamworld's further plans. Apparently these are the new features that MLE announced at their latest shareholder meeting of upgrades to Dreamworld: New ride opening later this year (September) - as everyone now knows this is the gyroswing, no new news here. Area at the back is to be a town centre, shopping area type thing, which will serve Coomera's population well (no new news here either) Now for the new news: Thunderbolt Area: well unfortunately the chance of a new age roller coaster isn't on the cards, it looks as though it will be a themed area with a number of thrill rides. Don't know anything about what rides or what theme but it'll be a new area. It was a little unclear what they have confirmed but it is either going to be the whole area opened probably late next year, or open it up in stages with a couple of rides at a time over a couple of years. Upgrades: Other than the regular park upgrades (paint jobs, new paths etc), there are plans to make changes to the entrance. It is pretty old and it could do with some modernisation anyway and I think it is a positive move in the right direction, seeing it is one of the outstanding features you can see from the road. Don't be surprised if they replace it with a brand new entrance, which is important if the park wants to grow, it will cater for the inflow of guests much easier. Blue Lagoon: It's not a bad area seeing it's not Dreamworld's focus, but they said further down the track (Next 10 years or so) Blue Lagoon is facing a huge facelift and expansion. They said this in respect to Big Brother being over and not using the land down there anymore, which would result in Blue Lagoon using the land it occupies, as well as some other areas. They suggested there may also be an option to make it a seperate "park" where you can pay admission just to go there. Sounds like it could be quite big. So that is all the news I had to share.