aaronm

The first time I rode Apollo's Chariot there was a light shower starting which developed into a full-blown downpour as the train crested the lift hill. And I was in the front row. Very, very fun ride, but also quite painful! Of all the Gold Coast parks Movie World is probably the best one to get stuck in the rain at, as the main street is undercover and Scooby Doo/Justice League would be unlikely to close. Although, Wet 'n Wild probably wouldn't be too bad either.

I think this is the first year MDMC, Jet Rescue and Juvelen have been listed independently. In past years they've been grouped under "Favourite Motocoaster" (or something similar). Really do not get the hate for MDMC to be honest. It's a bit short but by no means a terrible ride, and definitely more thrilling than anything Zamperla have done in the same vein (i.e. Pony Express at Knotts, or Steeplechase at Coney Island). If Dreamworld had a greeter out the front to encourage use of the test seat, and used a second train, the operations could be much improved. Not that I wouldn't love to see it replaced with Juvelen, but there are lots of far worse coasters out there.

^I agree. It's a very non-threatening ride that still gets up to a decent height.

From Ardent's half-yearly report, the theme park business is pretty healthy (~$20m earnings on $55m revenue). Granted there are more businesses in that portfolio than Dreamworld, but it makes me wonder why they seem to keep pursuing these cost-cutting strategies, almost as bad as Six Flags when they were filing for bankruptcy! Universal is demonstrating pretty strongly that capital investment is a major driver of attendance - surely Dreamworld is about due for a new coaster or big thrill ride? If a big B&M invert is out of the question, a decent-sized family coaster (think Dollywood's Firechaser Express) would be a great addition.

This wouldn't be specific to Australia - I imagine Cedar Point would have the same problem (with an even shorter season), or any US park that isn't in California or Florida.

^I would have no problem with Movie World adding a flat ride, if it was along the lines of Kang and Kodos at Universal Orlando. Dreamworld even managed to add some decent theming to an Air Race (before ruining it with a huge fence)!

I don't think WWF needs to go anywhere - although it would certainly benefit from a long-term refurb to refresh the theming. Movie World could certainly expand into that land next to WWF and behind Arkham and Scooby. There are a few buildings there, but I think they are mostly maintenance and support buildings at the moment. The park definitely needs another family ride, something along the lines of, I don't know, a boat ride themed to Looney Tunes perhaps?

If the kids are into thrills, you can get a lot done in the Pennsylvania/Virginia/New Jersey area - plenty of good quality parks within driving distance of each other (Knoebels, Hersheypark, Great Adventure, Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens). Plenty to see outside of theme parks in that area too.

^From memory that survey had a non-disclosure agreement attached to it. Would hate for VRTP to stop sharing these concepts with us because they end up just posted on forums.

Basically I'm hanging out for an updated version of the Police Academy stunt show. I know, dreaming. But if they're going to go ahead with another quasi-ripoff of Lights, Motors, Action hopefully it'll have a bit more content and less filler.

Motorsport area? As if Dreamworld didn't attract enough bogans already...

A spinning mouse might work, could even go with a custom layout and keep the gold mine theme. Or a "high thrill" spinner like Bakken's Tornado, which I hear is quite intense.

Well, there's a first time for everything, and a five month rehab for a Top Spin seems a very long time. Dreamworld's staggered daily ride openings and closings suggests they are looking for cost savings wherever they can at the moment. I hope it's not the case and they're using the time to re-fit or fix the water effects that were present at the ride's debut. Would be great to see the ride looking like new again.

Wipeout looks more like it's down for cost savings than maintenance.

^Maybe (and it's a big maybe) Disney would put an Aulani-type resort somewhere further north, but short of them buying Hamilton Island I seriously doubt it.

Knowing Dreamworld, they'd probably buy some old Togo trains and convert Cyclone into a standup on the cheap.

Also - three weeks for the frog hopper? What's up with that?

This is what I was getting at - there is a general assumption in the theme park industry that the Asian public prefer mild thrills and shows over more extreme rides. I'm not saying it's necessarily true, just putting it out there as a reason why Dreamworld would add experiences rather than rides.

Dæmonen was the one that sprung to my mind as well. Put it in the carpark for all I care. Honestly think a new theme park in Melbourne or Sydney is more likely than a big full-circuit coaster at Dreamworld anytime soon. Dreamworld are clearly targeting the Asian market with their Aussie animal and Aboriginal culture experiences, and apparently Asians don't care much for thrill rides.

Yes, it could be any number of things that wouldn't be part of the usual annual maintenance - repainting the track/supports, replacing the launch cable, fixing the dark ride portion, for example.

^I'd replace Magic Mountain with Cedar Point and Disneyland Paris with Busch Gardens Williamsburg, but otherwise that looks like a pretty good list. Dreamworld should be nowhere near the top 50.

^Good point. And the numbers are even more in favour of the local parks when you consider the cost of an annual pass relative to wages, rather than a one-day ticket. Florida minimum wage is currently $7.80 an hour, WDW annual pass is $550. So over 70 hours' wage, whereas a MW/WnW/SW VIP Pass would only be about six hours' wage for a worker on the Australian minimum wage.

^Teenagers, right? I thought the minimum wage for adults was closer to $16.

^Wages would be a huge factor. I remember looking at a job application form for Waldameer last year, their starting rate was something like $6.50/hour. Granted this is probably OK if you're just a kid earning some extra pocket money, but it's not a living wage by any means, and probably close to a third of what an adult staff member would earn at an Aussie park.

The parks could save a lot of money by closing on Tuesday/Wednesdays in the off season and open longer hours on Friday/Saturday nights. Village could even bump their crowds around a little more strategically by closing Movie World on Tuesday, Sea World on Wednesday, Wet n Wild on Thursday etc. Basically would give them a day each week for minor maintenance and a regular day off for the full timers.