DaptoFunlandGuy

I had meant in terms of popularity and attendance Noxegon - MW is by far a much "bigger" park in terms of this.

Yep - absolutely - it can happen - i'm not saying it can't - i'm just saying the bigger a business gets, the less hands on management get in most cases, and it requires far stronger leadership to 'hold it all together' and keep that magic that they had when they were 'younger' or 'smaller'

With all due respect to Mark and the wonderful team at AW who by all accounts do an absolutely fantastic job "all round", I think the parks being compared here (the gold coast parks in particular) suffer from being a lot larger. When you have a small, dedicated team - a CEO in touch with his staff so closely (and apparently a taste tester to boot!) it's very easy to foster a great family working environment that sees everyone work together for the common good. As parks get bigger - you'll find less of the 'family' environment. Silos will develop between "operations staff" and "Retail staff" and "F&B staff" and "Custodial Staff" where they will no longer interact on such a wide scale. I'm sure Mark will work with his team as the park expands to maintain this great working environment - but even Disneyland suffers from this 'Silo' effect (made even worse under Eisner) - and they're doing a damn fine job of 'bringing it back'. It also started out as a meagre park with a CEO who kept in touch with his staff and considered them family. I'm not forecasting doom and gloom. Obviously the GC parks have grown to a point where stronger leadership was needed to maintain the environment created at opening, and it hasn't happened. I do hope as AW grows and expands that Mark and the team will succeed in holding onto what they have now.

As I recall, there was a mention of the changes in the Dreamworld 2014 thread (i think). Gazza has made reference to a number of these that were re-profiled after opening. It almost seems like Proslide had both parts made, and shipped and said 'let's see how the standard fit goes, and if it doesn't work we'll change it' You're right - they did move too quickly to have it fixed up - and the downtime wasn't long, so it looks as though they were prepared for it.

The sad part is I find many asian parks to be extremely efficient, so i think chances are these parks won't suffer from the terrible operations we have here - which would be 50% management decisions on cost saving, and 50% staff attitude and motivation (as noted by Noxegon in a recent TR to MW). THings could be improved dramatically just by re-training those staff who seem to have lost the 'magic'. Maybe they could rename the cast members 'magic members' instead...

Technically... they are...

Pretty sure - given the park is considered a 'workplace' that there will need to be a workcover type incident, which should more than likely produce a publicly accessible report. Whether the park is obligated to release something, as opposed to some interested party going digging for it is a different story, but fairly certain VRTP will want to show transparency in this process, as a way of restoring faith in the ride, if it is to continue to operate.

*yawn* You still here Yoshi?

Try "more reply options" and then scroll down.

Thanks for the photo credit. It's a good thing they watermarked those photos of shipping containers. You wanna make sure people who want photos of those go down and get their own. Here's one I took myself* *of course it isn't mine. All credit to theme park social network for their exclusive.|

Yes from what I can see it is very much like a colour run - it talks about cannons of colour at the start, and throughout the run - so quite likely. I hope whatever dye powder type stuff they use isn't going to cause too many issues for the filtration system, because I find it highly unlikely they're going to hose everyone off before they let them into the park. Can you imagine the wavepool? It'd look like Chocolate milk!

I think we'd have heard more rumblings if SW were to be getting a new ride. I can't think of the last time we had a new ride installation where the first we heard of it were containers on site. I'd say COTD is definitely what we're looking at here.

Unfortunately, many businesses these days say things like "all care taken, but no responsibility" or "you ride at your own risk" "we accept no liability" and these are standard boilerplate terms that most people read, understand, and ride anyway (or don't read at all). The problem is that businesses cannot write away your own rights under law. These terms and conditions are meant for people who ride a rollercoaster 2 weeks after spinal surgery and then sue the park because they are paralysed. However - this is generally stupidity, out of the operator's control, (and would be contrary to medical advice) meaning it would be hard for them to make a case against the park. In GL's case however - if it is shown that maintenance was the problem - the riders have a very real case against the park. If it is shown that it is the fault of the manufacturer - something that they should have done, but didn't, the riders may still make a case against the park (as they are the owners and proprietors of the ride) - but likewise the park would also have a case against the manufacturer. You can't just say 'the T&Cs told you it's your own fault, so deal with it or don't visit' because visitors to the park have an expectation that they will get what they pay for - family enjoyment in a safe, well maintained environment. Growing up in Sydney - Wonderland was the only park within reasonable distance. To be honest I don't think i'd ever get bored - I realise standalone that the VRTP parks are lacking, but when combined, I believe they shit all over Dreamworld. This probably needs a new topic if it goes any further - but i'd say 'arguably the best park' is extremely subjective, depending on what you want out of a park - and that not everyone would agree with you.

I'm not a fan of posts that don't contribute in the slightest to the discussion with words like "me too" or "i agree" but in this case I feel it is wholeheartedly appropriate to echo Reanimated's sentiments and just say... ^this.

Yeah if Disney's ToT counts, i'm all for that, otherwise Space Probe - again for the same reasons given by Spotty - Drop rides are fun, but they're even more fun when they're actually given a good immersive theme - it isn't too difficult to do that, and that makes the ride, in my opinion. Falcon's Fury is certainly a nice new gimmick i'd love to try - and the experience may sway me yet - but for now as I haven't tried it - i'll stick with what I know.

TSNM - can I ask (for my own self righteousness I guess) - you mention your father had broken ribs - media articles said he had a punctured lung also. I'm already on record in this thread on my thoughts, and I don't believe a punctured lung would have been the case given that no medical attention was brought to you until you made it back down on the ground - can you confirm this? I don't want to be wrong on this but I just don't see how it were possible... if i'm wrong i'm wrong. It's great to have you on the forums so that we can get the info straight from the horse's mouth so to speak, rather than media beatup. It is unfortunate the experience you've had with the media, but to be honest it was to be expected. Good on you for turning them down. I would suggest that this would not be out of the question. It's not like it would cost the park money really, and at the end of the day - they'd make more money from you by you coming back and spending in park. Why would you buy a dreamworld pass if you can get into VRTP for the rest of your life? Agree - Skeet I think you've got a little overboard there (are you american?) - we are too much a litigious society. Given the circumstances of the event, and the info now coming to light about just how close the train came to the edge - the park would do well to offer a generous compensation - even if it isn't in the form of money (as I said above - passes wouldn't cost much, but would hold a lot of value to guests). Chuck in a couple nights at SWR, and maybe a dinner at AOS - these things don't COST a lot to VRTP, but would be very generous in terms of an apology. TSNM - I don't blame you for 'taking a time out' but i hope at some stage in the future you approach Richard to have your nickname changed on the forums. If it were me - i'd keep riding anything else, but avoid GL until the official investigation concluded and the cause was known. All the best to you and your family.

Color (american spelling for some stupid reason) Me Rad 5k is coming to Wet N Wild! I'd hate to see the pools after all the participants wash off!!!

^somehow I don't think the investigation report is going to end with that as a conclusion. It's a shame there aren't "closer up" photos of the two wheel assembly components that were thrown off to see if there was in fact a fracture in the steel or whether something just simply came undone. And it's entirely unheard off for a total derailment to occur, usually because the guide side friction wheels on other parts of the train would still prevent catastrophe. In this case both left hand bogeys have been damaged, which means there is nothing left to stop the right hand bogeys from separating also. Never would have happened on a woodie.

Removal of what? And don't say MDMC or prepare to be flamed...

Could this be a simple re-decking re-fencing of the Murrisippi? Or something more? Interesting...

I must say Richard - i've never noticed a difference in the wiegand toboggans used by Corin or Jamberoo. I've achieved similar (feeling) speeds on both - although Corin certainly does appear faster due to the proximity to the trees. I've always thought Jamberoo ran 4 wheels (the typical 'clunk-clunk' as it goes over joins in the track)... but i'm happy to admit i'm wrong on this one if it is so - I must say i've not really paid them much attention... Big Banana's toboggan isn't short... the lift hill is interminably long!!! but the route itself after the lift is a 180 right turn, short downhill, 180 left turn, longer downhill, 180 right turn, then a meandering downhill slope back to the station. It's not possible to do the first turn at any speed, the second is only mildly better. The third turn can be achieved with a reasonable pace, but after coming out, it's almost immediately into the 'slow slow slow' signs to bring you back to the station. Did it once. Don't need to do it ever again.

^Agreed Flea - but TB was 'the' icon for Dreamworld once upon a time. The loops were the only major attraction visible from the highway, and they certainly made an impact - especially as the heralded 'double looper'. As a coaster itself it was rough as guts, but in a way - it was 'classic' dreamworld and would easily fit the description I gave above (ie: full circuit, experiential, park is renowned for it - only questionable factor would be the 're-rideability' - however i'd argue in it's hey day it was THE most popular attraction in the park.)

I wouldn't be surprised to see an extra 'seatbelt' buckle attached to the harness, similar to how Superman's are.

yeah but it isn't long enough - Jamberoo or Corin Forest's Wiegand Toboggan runs are way faster!

OG - As a coaster, TOTII is sorely lacking. When it was built, it was a great attraction, a record breaker - but in reality - it's experience is nothing more than a relatively fast shuttle coaster - without inversion, or any particularly good experience. It is the quintessential 'one-trick pony' fast-up-down-brakes... and quite obviously so - with the need to 'reinvent' it by reversing the car. If that is Dreamworld's Signature Coaster - it's probably quite fitting - relatively good at going fast in one direction, followed by slowly going backwards the same way that they have come. Most of Dreamworlds more modern additions are one-trick ponies. They've certainly tried to shake off that image of late - giving love to old classics - but when I think 'signature coaster' I think i view it similarly to the OP - a full circuit, experiential coaster that has infinite re-rideability, and is what the park is renowned for. You need ALL of those factors for something to be considered the park's "Signature" in my opinion.