DaptoFunlandGuy

I saw a lot of cargo boxes stacked around that were clearly intended to be seating as well as theming - or are they too well themed nobody realised they were allowed to sit in them? Yep can back this up - we were timing 2:15 dispatches (without Greg operating it), and also saw a number of younger kids looking scared being led out of the gem room where all the booming sound effects were. Indoor sections definitely could have used more dressing - but not sure how much they can do when the turntable moves across most of the space. Rather than a cavern, perhaps if the turntable was enclosed, so you couldn't really perceive the switch movement? i don't know. the gaps are gone, the light is from the portals to the outside track. Night rides will be pretty cool I reckon. So for our experience: Gates didn't open until exactly 10am. Those who headed to rivertown were held at the rivertown archway for a further 10 or so minutes. The rail track that was removed behind rivertown has been mulched over. Likely temporary, but it shows they aren't planning on restoring the train track there in any hurry. The VIPs were allowed to proceed through rivertown, and then a minute later guests were rope-walked down to follow. A small stage had been set up at the base of Jungle RUsh with small pyro boxes on poles wrapped in vines. Then ensues probably 30 minutes of speeches and officialdom that started with greg's welcome, then a welcome to country by an indigenous representative. The 'acting' mayor then got a say and waffled on for far too long - especially since she started out with an acknowledgement to country immediately after the indigenous welcome to country. The state minister for tourism also got a few words in though was mercifully a little shorter than the councillor (and was also smart enough to thank the indigenous representative for their welcome to country rather than waffling on with another acknowledgement of country. Gary weiss then said a few quick words, and finally Greg had a few people to thank too. They had their official "vine cutting" with the novelty oversized scissors, and then 'welcome to the jungle' played along with quick bursts from the pyro. A few photos and then a few minutes while the event team broke down the pyro units and sound equipment before we were permitted into the ride. We probably only queued for 15 minutes, but were near the front of the 'general' group, and the ride was showing 45 minutes immediately after we got off, so one ride was enough for us today. We departed backwards. the queue was really immersive, and nice that it was so cool, especially immediately after the baking we got at the hand of the execs. there were wall mounted fans hidden discreetly in the shadows of the queue, and it was great to enjoy that respite. There were some details I noted while walking through that jarred - The final queue divider - a section of 'bamboo' scaffolding, were wrapped with rope details at guest level, but left bare overhead - the unwrapped details revealed the bamboo was fake, whereas if all the joiners were wrapped, it would have preserved the illusion. Another bamboo structure earlier on in the queue (where the T O T skull is) had poles held together with shiny new zinc plated bolts - which further stood out and broke the illusion. The place is nicely themed, cleverly lit, and has loads of details I look forward to exploring when the queues quieten down later in the year. Load procedures were easy (and as noted, the depart backwards queue moved a lot quicker than the forwards one). loose items procedure could be improved if they went with a loose items box like the Wipeout - accessible from the rear - rather than the sliding doors that they weren't really using. Disappointed that the crew working the attraction were in generic dreamworld polos. I would have liked to have seen those guys in the same (or at least thematically similar) shirts as the execs who were wearing rivertown button down shirts. Ride experience was fun, not too forceful, and I look forward to the re-rideability of it. The second exit from the turntable had a quick snappy turn that caught us reverse riders by surprise - it was a little uncomfortable but i think riding forwards wouldn't have the same issue through there. I did find the turntable room a little bare - and while I hope its true that there are more pieces to come to flesh out the room, I also hope they didn't have an 'official opening' if it wasn't truly finished - so on the fence about that. Would definitely like to see more in that room, or perhaps some lighting effects to give more kinetics to the space (lighting triggers can be built separately depending on if you're facing forwards or backwards so you could again offer a different experience each time) If they could cure the light bleed from the tunnels that would be good too. Not sure how easy it would be but it would be worth it. Ride photo system worked perfectly, and we were able to get our photo immediately. We had planned to visit DW well before the opening date was announced, and had a different plan for our day, so ultimately we tried to get JR in first to tick it off before getting on with our day - so we just got lucky with the ride opening in time. The downside of being in the inital crowd was we got rushed through the first stage of the queue and not enough time to really explore all of the details. I look forward to spending more time in the area when it quietens down. We didn't bother with MM given it's full queue by the time we got out so we left Rivertown at that point. We'll be back in a few weeks and we'll give it another go then. I don't begrudge them a little opening ceremony. And I know the big wigs all want to have their time at the podium to speak of how great their contribution to the project was (especially politicians) but I really feel like this could have been handled better. Guests were baking in the sun for over 45 minutes and were audibly complaining with each new speech-giver. They should have opened the park gates say - 15 minutes early (they clearly had the staff there to handle guests in park as the VIPs were already in-park by 9:30), mustered people down to Rivertown and had their speeches before official park opening so that guests could be welcomed onto the ride at or at least close to 10am. While the sun baking wouldn't be much different (though more shadows earlier in the day may have provided some relief) you wouldn't have cost people an hour of their day to give some politician their 5 minutes of chest beating. JMO.

Scuse me, but that's a Parmi right there. The numbers have gotta stand out, and while theming is nice, i think what fits the theme is something brown, beige, cream, or green and those just aren't going to pop out hard enough to be seen by servers across the restaurant. We went yesterday and tried out the restaurant. Although advertised as 11:30 open, staff informed us it wouldn't open until 12. We waited around, and were the second group seated, though some of our party joined us a few minutes later. Drinks took a little while to come out (nothing too fancy) and then we all ordered food using the QR code. We watched as other groups came, ate and left. Several senior staff came in wearing their jungle rush branded button down shirts and some with dreamworld staff nametags, with groups (I assume their family) and also ate, and left. So the service was reasonably efficient. Our second round of drinks came in a reasonable amount of time given the restaurant by this time was packed. Unfortunately our food didn't arrive. Well... one dish arrived (so we knew the order had been received) but nothing else came out... We waited almost 45 minutes (we waited this long as several wait staff running food kept coming near, looking around and then returning to the kitchen, so we weren't sure if this was our food but kept the hope that ours was the next one out of the kitchen) before one of our group approached the bar to raise the missing food. To their credit, they checked our table number, went immediately into the kitchen, returned a few minutes later and advised our food was coming out the door in moments, but acknowledged that it most definitely should not have taken as long as it had. Compounding the issues they also advised they'd experienced an "IT issue" with their ordering system. They offered what was a fair compensation for the delay, but it did end up taking two hours out of our day by the time we had eaten (kids meal didn't come out with the other main meals and we had to ask another waitstaff to go check and it arrived about 5 minutes later. Putting the delay aside, the food was delicious, perfectly cooked and well presented. There was a small hiccup with salads being delivered with incorrect ingredients (one of our party specifically ordered one salad over another because the other had coriander in it. The alternate one had coriander in it but wasn't listed on the ingredients. The replacement they sent out was a different salad (the one that had coriander on the menu) but without coriander... so a little odd there, but again, resolved quickly once it arrived. I noticed Greg come through the restaurant while the bar staff were sorting our food issues. He came through chatting to folk and a few minutes later was manning the bar - nearly got a drink from the man himself but I declined his offer as we needed to speak with the staff member we'd dealt with on our food issues. We saw him moving about Rivertown throughout the day and I think it's great to see a really involved leadership team. It was clear to see the restaurant had issues, and around the time we approached the bar, the restaurant suddenly swarmed with dreamworld staff who were very clearly not the restaurant wait staff. (At a guess, I'd wager they even pulled in office \ admin team to clear plates and glasses.) Overall, while I know the restaurant had opened a few days prior, I'm happy to put it down to essentially opening day jitters. I don't believe the park has had this level of full service dining before, and the venue itself hasn't operated in over 6 years. Teething issues are to be expected, in or outside a theme park. My local had a new store open up in July this year and our first visit on opening day was a nightmare and we left after 1h20m without food - however we returned 3 weeks later to perfect food and speedy service. I'll be trying out Jane's again in a few weeks time - I suspect the team will have found their rhythm and bedded down their procedures \ ironed out any kinks. At least, I hope they do - but will update our experience when we can. ETA: I should add while all the dreamworld nods are cute, and the animatronics certainly give the place a certain life - it kinda feels jarring against the rest of rivertown. It's like it was designed by two different companies - there's a whole bunch of thematic elements that just don't fit the 'rivertown' canon. It's a great place to cool off in the heat and sink a beer by the river though, i just hope the animatronics don't end up looking like the old koalas that surfaced a few years ago - need to ensure they're maintained and kept up.

Interesting to drop that literally the day prior. it does sort of feel a bit keeping up with the joneses but we have no idea how long they've had that date in mind. Sounds like a bonus for anyone going to the final nights of White Christmas with the new land open there'll be night rides on Oz well before the After Dark rides on Jungle Rush in January!

Don't forget K&B on the tables inside Jane's... And the character merch\plush\keyrings etc in the main street gift shop... I wouldn't be surprised if there's K&B faces all over JR...

Am I reading you right - you think something is 'hit or miss' and you haven't even seen it? By that logic I think you're a bit hit or miss yourself... AKA: Enthusiasts can't even wait until they've ridden something before judging it these days. I know they've been leaning into K&B for nostalgia and lack of licencing, but i do with they'd ease off a bit. K&B aren't Rivertown. That's the Tasman Co. K&B have their own land. they should stay there. JMO.

A lot of non-enthusiasts watch POVs online to see if they\their kids would be comfortable riding it. I understand the variation on the cycles, but I think it's a big miss for them to not release a POV - even if it's captioned with some explanation that the cycle may differ.

Until they're ready to officially open it?

We saw pictures a week or so ago of a petrol powered car, with a big electrical box on the side. It's a reasonable assumption that in addition to headlights for the cave section, the seatbelts would be electronically locked. I hear what you're saying about kids sitting forward in the seat, and I don't have an answer for that, but it seems reasonable that if they're installing seatbelts in this age, and have a huge power box on the rear, that the seatbelts would be lockable by the operator. DW's teaser showing people on ride clearly showed cameras mounted on the train, so they've definitely shot it. A bit poor they didn't have it out at soft open, but i'm sure we'll see it by official opening day.

I think we can trust staff not to stop the car mid-track, get off and go waltzing through the ride envelope.... plus they probably wouldn't be able to unlock themselves without the assistance of someone off-ride...

i'll give you a 50% chance.

if this were village, the maintenance wouldn't even be listed that far out.

Exactly, the signage says tech rehearsals, but the tensabarrier is still up and an earlier post said it was staff rides. i'm sure it's imminent though.

Is Dreamworld seriously going to beat Village to the soft open? 😮

Ok bro, I'm sure you understood the point I was trying to make about theme park pricing but since you want to argue the example, have it your way. Get up to $800 off on Mobile Phone Plans & Data - Telstra This is pricing for a handset only. Priced on a per month basis (as long as you have a monthly phone plan to go with it, which costs extra). You can pay in full upfront or pay the same price in monthly instalments. You can end your contract early but you still have to pay out the full cost of the phone handset. And the big price is still the monthly price, not the full price. Phone plans that are contracted are rare these days, but they do exist. Early termination charges (ETC) are a thing, and yes, usually they aren't the full cost of the remaining plan. The advertised "minimum cost" price is still a legal requirement, and you will find that the minimum cost is still the amount you'd pay, even if you cancelled the contract early - that's why it's a 'minimum cost'. Most providers stopped doing subsidised plans a while ago, having a handset as an 'add-on' cost meant they were technically 'not a contract' - but you're still with them for 1\2\3 years until you've paid off your phone unless you've got a lump sum to pay it out, so the end result is the same for people who don't pay for the phone upfront. The old contracts \ ETCs were primarily to ensure that the phone company got paid for the handset they gave you. As for ending your annual pass, while it's not usual, there are cases where people have requested to cancel their annual passes prior to expiry and have requested refunds. How each park handles those requests I can't say, but I know in some cases they have issued refunds - possibly only pro-rata (generally as a goodwill rather than any liability) so it is possible.

What a lovely way to effectively destroy the view. ^for that exact reason.

Definition of Obtuse: @New display name

I know that wasn't directed at me, but i'll answer anyway as it is a discussion board. I paid $99 for my DW pass this year. I get access to a water park in the warmer months, a dry park year round, and various animal experiences. I get included entry to multiple night events, although some are an additional cost, and have access to attractions suitable for all ages in one location. I paid an additional $10 for the 'After Dark' January event. I also get discounts on merchandise and food and beverage in-park. Wait times are usually manageable. I decided not to pay $229 for a one pass this year. This would have given me access to a water park all year round (honestly it's an hour+ drive to either property and i'm only motivated to visit water parks in the summer months on non-weekdays anyway), a dry park all year round, and various animal experiences. I get included entry to multiple night events, although some are an additional cost, have access to attractions suitable for all ages, although the age spread varies in different parks. I do not see the value in the prices charged for fright nights and so do not pay any extra for these. I get no discounts in park on food or merch, and everything is an upcharge, or a 2 hour wait.

Don't be so obtuse. Of course legislation, codes of practice and regulations aren't going to specify a particular style of fencing. It is going to put forth the minimum requirements. It is then up to the relevant parties to agree on what meets those requirements. Chief of those parties would be the company engaged to consult on the risk assessment process, and the company whose job it is to sign off and certify that the installation is compliant. It's unusual that both Village and Dreamworld's new rollercoasters have much the same fences around their ride envelopes, no? I wouldn't be surprised if they use the same companies for the risk assessments, and this is what that company has come back with. I think in the current environment, and with the park's history - If the risk assessment they have paid for states a particular fence is required, and they choose to disregard that, it would be complete and corporate suicide. If anyone wants a read, the relevant section is 7.3.1 - Access to an amusement device

Jeez, It's almost as if something changed between 2021 and 2024...

So the ACCC has advice on the prominence of pricing and this is where it gets tricky. The ACCC says that part prices (the example is a 2 year contract paid monthly) can be advertised with the monthly fee, "...as long as it advertises just as prominently the total cost of the contract..." Mobile phone companies have done this for years where the monthly cost is in a much larger font than the total cost over two years. Both prices just have to stand out. I'm sure we've all seen phone plan pricing so here's just one quick example where the monthly cost is the bigger number, but the minimum total cost is displayed directly below it: I agree that the pricing should probably reflect the total cost as the bigger number, and this is actually how many businesses that use afterpay show their pricing. Most places that use buy-now-pay-later options only show the afterpay detail in smaller print after the full price: However as can be seen from the phone plan pricing, it's fairly common for the 'installment' pricing to be the bigger number. I used to sell phone plans many years ago and the total cost thing has been around for at least 20 years, unchallenged by the ACCC, so presumably it's within their guidelines, which would seem to indicate the dreamworld pricing is technically allowable. I guess opinion on whether it's best practice is going to come down to your personal view of things and what your personal experience is with these facilities.

I think you can put that down to the heightened safety requirements for amusement devices these days. WOZ has much the same fencing, and it seems like a pretty standard requirement these days. I'm sure they would have themed it if they could. You've still got the train line separating the two. And you really don't want your immersive jungle themed land overlooking THE WIGGLES BIG RED BOAT RIDE Hopefully the next expansion of Rivertown is to retheme MDMC. Hopefully they can engage PICO to do the work on this and completely redo the attraction to properly incorporate it into the Rivertown theme.

yeah the sightline is unfortunate, but like MDMC, I think their plan is 'yes, but not now'. they've clearly prioritised what is feasible and will turn their attention to the next park section when they can afford to do so.

Reign in the ego mate, you'll get stuck with overweight baggage for your return trip. gonna cost you thousands.

Did you hear Jungle Rush has a new state of the art fire protection system? the roof is cantilevered to open and vent smoke from the inside? The coaster train headlights are actually fire detectors - they can identify if fire is in front of the train, and they quickly reverse back down the track (the real reason why the car can run in both directions).