DaptoFunlandGuy

end of financial year fire sale!

I thought i'd have a read of this one, and the whole way through, i'm waiting for the negatives. The downsides. The problems. We all know Movie World has these, and even with a fastpass, I expected to hear some negatives. I started to think that everything was just way to rosy just to be an opinion piece... of course at the end - the little disclaimer that the writer visited the park as a guest of movie world - so its a promo piece, not a legitimate opinion. I'm not knocking a little bit of promotion to their target audience - and its far cheaper than TV advertising... but I don't think it's fair for them to write a completely rosy picture and not address that there are a few negatives. Reading this has given me another thought as to why the entrances are different - In JL - kids go first as the carriage has a high side, and if the door were to fly open, the adult is less likely to fall out of the gap, and more likely to hold on. With Wild West - because you're stepping over the side and down into the log, there's a risk little Johnny might slip on his way in - smash his face open and shut down the ride - at least temporarily - those logs are wet! Plus - with the parent still on the dock, they are substantially higher than the child - who - if they slip, might overbalance the parent and result in them falling too. By having the adult go first, they are more likely to have a stable balance, hold on if needed, and less likely to smash their face as they have a better developed 'fall' instinct too. Once inside the log, they're lower than the child, and they can reach up to lift the child down and get them properly seated. I'm sure there could be other reasons, but i'm fairly certain this would be it. Ok so I still haven't seen the video, but i'm assuming based on comments that we're talking about a family, who visited from New Zealand, went to the park with a differently abled family member, and were disappointed when they found out. Ok - I've just seen the video as posted by Iwerks (Thanks @iwerks!) and I have to say this video makes me VERY angry... at the people who posted it. For starters - the video says they pre-purchased their tickets online. ONLINE. Now - many places the world over are set up to cater for persons with different abilities. Disney does it wonderfully - however, there are still adjustments to be made - Take Haunted Mansion for example. A wheelchair bound guest cannot disembark at the exit, instead riding their doom buggy through the maintenance section of the omnimover system (hidden by a curtain) and getting off at the start of the ride to re-ride back through the stretching rooms to ground level. What i'm saying though - is that wheelchair access sometimes provides a few hurdles. There may be different entrance points, or ramps located in odd places, so checking in advance to find out what kind of issues or restrictions there might be helps you pre-plan your day. I just went to the dreamworld website. clicked on 'park info' and amongst several options was one for 'guests with disabilities' - sounds like a no brainer. https://www.dreamworld.com.au/park-info/guests-with-disabilities On this page, they explain in detail about what you should do if you have a guest with a disability. Alicia DOES HAVE a disability. Although she has gross motor control, her cerebral palsy does impact on her ability to hold on. I have no idea what's going on at Rainbow's End - but I cannot imagine allowing someone onto a Disk'O without the ability to grab the handles - one could potentially break their spine due to the lateral forces. As for Rainbow's end - and using Alicia's ability to ride there as a reason why she should be allowed to ride here is crazy. That's like an american coming to australia, and having a blood alcohol content of 0.08 while driving because thats what they do back home? There is no reason or excuse for them not to have known what was required before coming as it is clearly posted on the website (the way back machine confirms it's been there prior to their visit too). If they'd read this, they'd also have realised that they could purchase a cheaper admission ticket at the gate for Alicia, due to the restrictions. Next up is the claim that the ticket booth staff didn't say anything about them needing a rider pass. Well... i'll have to throw back to the website here again, as it says once you have a rider pass, it's valid for 6 months, so you don't have to go there every time (and I must say this is better than VRTP who issue a wristband with punch holes that only works the day you're there). Would it have been nice for the ticket staff to enquire whether they had a pass already? Definitely, and this might point to some training needed for the ticket staff - especially at the wide-access gate... but given they were with locals (who I presume were passholders) they might have assumed the locals knew what they were doing. Would it have hurt for them to ask the gate attendant themselves? or did they just expect it to be presented on a platter? By the sounds of things, the ride attendant at shockwave was following the rules, incredibly apologetic and directed the guests appropriately to the place they needed to be. The staff at the first aid centre also sound like they were quite friendly. The staff could have had a quiet word with Alicia's carer if she wished to avoid embarassment to explain that there were rides she would not be able to go on, rather than just give them the pass and let them find out for themselves, and for this I fault Dreamworld, but again - arguing that she's done that particular ride in another country doesn't mean the park should bend their rules. No mention is made of whether she rode Corkscrew at RE, so not sure how she sits with 'being able to ride everything' and i'm almost certain she wouldn't be able to - but that is just opinion, not fact. I'm dubious about the quoted wait time - especially since it was phrased "about half an hour" despite the video stating that the gopro was on record the whole time, so it would have been possible to state down to the second how long that process took. Like we all know - waiting in queues feels like longer unless you have something to do. However - I'm assuming the staff member responsible for rider assessment is probably employed there as a first aid nurse or similar, and for all we know they were attending to an injury at the other side of the park. Medical needs should always take priority over disabilities - but blow me down if the park didn't offer them a queue jump for their trouble, which despite saying valid only once - they admit they used many times, gaining an unfair advantage over other park guests - most of which would have been kids by the sounds of the rides she was allowed to do. And while i'm mentioning the gopro - how dare they not only record staff without their knowledge or permission, but then post it online! Of course, they've now edited the video to remove those parts, but to do so in the first place is unacceptable. And finally, i'm disgusted at the use of the word "discrimination" as they were never discriminated against, except for their health and safety - which is lawful in Australia under the Disability Discrimination Act. This video represents in entirety a smear against Dreamworld. A blow for which they try to lessen at the end by redirecting their issue at the manufacturers of the rides and parks worldwide. Of course, the fact that she has ridden the RE version of Shockwave makes it seem like the manufacturer claim isn't quite true, but then the rider assessment can be subjective for the person making the assessment each day, and you could potentially get two different results based on who did the assessment. Unfortunately, the park has final say in matters such as this, and whilst its very sad Alicia wasn't able to ride certain things, the video portrays the park as uncaring. They claim they should have been told before arriving at the gate (they were - https://www.dreamworld.com.au/park-info/guests-with-disabilities) - everything after that, whilst certain elements could have been done better by dreamworld - was entirely their own fault. I'm prepared to get flamed on some of the opinions i've expressed here. I'm certainly happy to read a reasonable response and have a civilised debate - and i'll happily admit if i've got something wrong too. Unreasonable, petty or insulting responses will receive the same in reply.

I totally agree this is a big annoyance for differently abled or stroller bound guests - i'm just imagining the alternative during construction? They'll have to reprofile both the guttering, and the slabs behind them to slope them up for a suitable ramp - which is probably best done by removing the slabs and pouring new ones - potentially causing issues for guests to reach two major attractions. I guess they could just profile one side of the pathway (ie one slab, not two) but my OCD says it should be symmetrical. Part of me thinks a cheats way out on this would be a ramp affixed to the guttering sloping down to the road, but I shudder to think what possible impacts there might be on extremely large parade floats - maybe a removeable ramp? if they do go with this option, they mustn't use raw checkerplating - that shit gets incredibly slippery in the rain - it needs to be a grit\grip texture.

I'm thinking perhaps although the load stations are to the right, the evac points might be different? I don't know - i'm just speculating.

And 16 hours later: Perhaps the uploader realised their video was not getting quite the response they felt it should.

I picked up a couple of articles breaking this morning with announcements from SeaWorld Parks US that they would discontinue their orca breeding program, and cease 'entertainment' style shows, in favour of more 'conservation & education' shows. Unfortunately I caught the articles on mobile so I can't share them (if anyone picks them up on PC please feel free to share the links). Also - regarding @Wyncenuros' post above - the blue world proposal is not going ahead. One of the stipulations made by the approving body required them to end their breeding program to receive approval. This in itself is ridiculous - the blue world proposal would have cost $100 million. The cost (like with most construction) would probably have cost more than that when finished. For the park to build a $100 million dollar facility, for animals that will no longer breed, means the facility would be useless within the lifespan of their current animals. Onto the other statements - SeaWorld announced that the 'shows' would change within 3 years. I am saddened to hear this as my Son will never get to see these beautiful animals the way that I have seen them. The 'conservation' suggestion is an interesting one, and one I hope SeaWorld can do well in order to keep the crowds coming. If Sea World GC's Dolphin show is what they mean when they refer to a 'conservation' style presentation, i'm all for it - natural swimming behaviours without 'beaching' tricks would still be just fine for me. As for ending the breeding program - I've commented on this previously. The animals are a social pod animal. I'm disappointed that this signals the end of Orca at SeaWorld eventually, but agree it is the right thing to do - the problem here is that the pod will eventually die out, and the last surviving animals will lead a very lonely existence. This however is probably still many years off given the life expectancy of Orca. Regardless - anything SeaWorld does short of releasing these animals into the wild will meet criticism by animal rights groups - although some are quietly celebrating this victory. Now, instead of constructing the biggest simulated natural habitat ever, the remaining Orca are destined to live out their lives in the so-called "cruel concrete pools". The other day, a post went viral on facebook sharing a person's own views on Blackfish, debunking the myths and presenting some really good arguments. I can't find it now but that also would be worth a post. I hope that I am able to one day take my son to see an Orca up close before they are all lost, and whilst my comments here today have been riddled with the disappointment I have - I know that this is ultimately the right thing to do. I just hope the animals still held by SeaWorld do not suffer as their pod dwindles, and I look forward to seeing how SeaWorld reinvents itself without the Orcas as their mainstay. Here's hoping the dolphin show gets a facelift!

I'm sure most of us know @Wyncenuros is the father of a little one, and he's having problems with strollers. For me to say i'll soon be having the same issues, for them to be the same, i'd also have to be a father. If I was the mother - I wouldn't be having the same issues, as my issue would be "she's having problems with strollers. Nevertheless the assumption is still incorrect as my wife and I welcomed a baby boy in January. We're not taking a newborn to the parks, but no doubt, i'll SOON be doing so. So long as an adequate sized area was reserved for potential strollers (or a cap placed on the number that can be admitted) I think it's the best option.

Just a thought on the stroller issue - as i'll soon be having these same problems i'm sure... Could the entrance hosts perhaps have a small laminated card or somewhat that they hand to guests with a stroller. When those guests get to the top of the ramp, they could be directed to the seating closest to the exit? (let's face it - if little johnny starts getting upset at the loud noises or whatever - it's also a quick escape route without walking past the entire crowd) I can still see a problem with that - ie - others see people sitting there and try to join them - so perhaps stroller guests are directed to wait in the stroller parking area until called, and ushers can lead them all up as a single group before showtime to an area that has been marked off as reserved? Entrance Ushers could hold the crowd for a minute or two whilst the stroller guests are led up the ramp, and then continue to admit the rest to fill the gaps, including any previously 'reserved' stroller space that isn't taken up. I know there's flaws here, but this wouldn't be too hard to implement

<copy> <paste> - Dissertation complete.

Oh come on - he's been on the boards long enough to have read it. Just ignore the little shit.

Oh come on... you're making it too easy!

WOW. that is a great suggestion. It would also fit the parks "sound stage shed" style on the outside. Sadly I don't think we're that lucky - but that's definitely something they should consider in the future, as it would really bring back the 'movies' part of the park.

I can't fault your analysis. You're right. I don't think those points are the primary reasons (other than lack of thrill) why it's listed as people's least favourite, but either way, valid points all round. Edit: I realised this might trigger further discussion, so to clarify: When I say I don't think those points are primary reasons - i mean nobody is sitting there ranking it low because of poor queueing... Otherwise there are many others that qualify. I also don't think people are ranking it poorly because it's a manual handling issue for staff. Primarily I see it's poor ranking a result of the ride simply not living up to the marketing hype. but yes. it IS a bad ride.

To expand on the answer - they know when their quiet times are - so they hold special events during those times, launch new parades, or bring back old favourites 'for a limited time'. It's rare these days for Disney parks to not have something going on - even if it's just a promotion to encourage people back. DisneyParksBlog also does live webcast events almost every month - be it fantasmic, or the new years fireworks - whatever it is, they just have a knack of getting people to go back! (And if you missed it - here's the webcast from NYE)

Looks like a shuttle.

That's just it though - how many people said Road Runner was their favourite? How many people said the spongebob coaster was their favourite? What about reptar\escape? The ride isn't a bad ride - it's just not a thrill ride. Dreamworld's only problem was marketing it as such.

I thought the same thing. Photographer's challenge: take a photo which lines up the trees and the billboard perfectly... a little to the left should do it... Sounds to me like guest services are confusing 'laser tag' with 'scare attraction' considering they call them both 'kevil hill'. I think we've had several sources, including the official facebook page say that the laser tag was not coming back. that's good enough for me.

I think Disney does a very good job of 'filling' the gaps in between peaks. As i've read many times now, Disney no longer has an 'off season' just a 'lower than peak' season.

So SOME are new, and their debut will be at the zoo, but the others have been around the traps for a while... so my guess is yes, they are the dino island dinos... just with new ones added.

That area behind showstage has always been home to storage of various things - containers included. Whilst they could be new, they could also have been sitting there for a very long time. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Sounds like a pretty enjoyable day in Disney despite all the closures for SWL. Sad that montezooma was down - the forces on that launch are just awesome. Look forward to hearing about the rest - and to see some photos perhaps when you get back home. Thanks for sharing.

You forgot "AOL presents"

"MovieWorld"...by Village Roadshow. works for me.

I don't know - when you have a logo already done from last year, and you deliberately change it to a logo not featured on the park branding, maybe it is time to convert to VRTP publicly? Why go to the effort of designing a whole new license omitting the WB brand unless thats where you were headed? The park is way more DC these days than it is WB - WB kids and scooby are the only remaining WB identifiable property, aren't they?