Vidgamer

Yeah okay mate calm down. I didn’t say it was a difficult concept I was expressing my opinion that it’s an unnecessary upcharge, which is my opinion, feel free to disagree but there is no need to become so aggresive.

Well hence my initial statement, is it $5 to go into the snow globe and get a photo taken by dreamworld or $5 to take your own photo. I don’t actually know, but if they charge you to take your own photo it’s a rip off, if you can enter the globe without paying it’s fine.

I ask as dreamworld has continually insisted the only “up charge” has been the skating and the photo opportunities include the globe and a bench, and now they’ve decided to charge for the globe.

Is that $5 for a snow globe photo?!!??

I asked dreamworld on Instagram what will happen with the space and got the following response. “This space will be utilised to form partner of the dreamworld master plan for future expansion of the park. “ I wonder if this confirms the park will expand in the middle between DW and WWW

VILLAGE Roadshow will build a new $50 million Gold Coast theme park with three cutting-edge thrill rides at Sea World in a game-changing 18-month redevelopment plan. The centrepiece of the 1.5 hectare addition to its Main Beach site will be a one kilometre wooden roller coaster – with a pair of backwards seats – that travels at 80km per hour. Village will roll out the first of the rides – an 18-metre giant pendulum swing similar to Dreamworld’s recently retired Wipeout attraction – by December. It will be followed by a 52-metre high ride that spins guests at 36km per hour high above The Spit in April, 2020. The new roller coaster will be operational by December, 2020. They are the key features of what Village Roadshow is calling The New Atlantis, a “utopian precinct”. It will also promote Sea World’s extensive marine conservation work. The new roller coaster will be 1km long and travel at 80km per hour Village Roadshow Theme Parks CEO Clark Kirby, speaking exclusively to the Bulletin, said the investment had been two years in the planning and would revitalise one of the country’s favourite theme parks. Mr Kirby, who will officially unveil the development this morning alongside Premier Annastacia Palasczcuk at Sea World, said: “The New Atlantis will be a game-changer for Sea World and become a destination in its own right where our guests can experience the myths, mysteries, quests and challenges located within this new multimillion-dollar utopian precinct. “The New Atlantis has been designed as a fully immersive precinct with the rides complimented by sleek, eye-catching and architecturally aesthetic theming including waterfalls, fountains, statues and hanging gardens to take guests on the ultimate Atlantean adventure.” It is Village Roadshow’s first big outlay since it launched Movie World’s new $30m DC Rivals HyperCoaster in Oxenford, the longest and fastest in the southern hemisphere. Mr Kirby said it had been encouraging to see Queensland’s Government investment in The Spit Masterplan which was key for Village to green light The New Atlantis. “We pushed the button on this because The Spit masterplanning – which we are actively involved with and working with Government on – was one of the catalysts. “Sea World is a beloved property here on the Gold Coast and across Australia. “But there was some ageing infrastructure that needed to be reborn. What we have come up with is true to what Sea World is all about – in terms of conservation, having fun and something really dramatic that will stand the test of time.” The new wooden coaster had a life span of 100 years and Mr Kirby said extra additions to the precinct would also be revealed when under construction. Village Roadshow Theme Parks chief operating officer Bikash Randhawa said The New Atlantis would be visible from Southport’s Broadwater and become a skyline icon. “I can see every promotion of the Gold Coast which features the Q1 tower now also featuring this. What we have here is world-class,” Mr Randhawa said. The New Atlantis will also draw more attention to Village Roadshow’s conservation work carried out by the Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation. It will feature an amphitheatre for shows, presentations and activities to educate guests on how they can help protect and conserve the ocean environment. Mr Kirby said it was time Village made a bigger deal of the marine conservation work which includes rescues of 60 sea turtles and relocation of a humpback whale. The foundation has also donated millions towards marine vertebrate research. Sea World staff are also on call 24 hours a day, every day of the year for marine animal rescues. On top of its Sea World revamp, Village Roadshow will also boost blockbuster theming at Movie World later this year. In November, Warner Bros. Movie World will host set pieces, props and costumes from big-budget films The Great Gatsby, Mad Max, Wonder Woman, Shazam and Suicide Squad. Cat and mouse duo Tom and Jerry will also be added to Movie World’s life-size character line-up from September. Gold Coast leaders across council, tourism and business have been crying out for new attractions to reinvigorate the city tourism profile since last year. Mr Kirby said Village Roadshow were happy to oblige with its megabucks Sea World investment. “We can see there is so much potential for the Gold Coast and it is wonderful to have such strong leaders at all levels of tourism,” he said. “Destination Gold Coast is doing a fantastic job of promoting the Gold Coast and we are giving them further tools to do their job. “The Gold Coast is world-class now with incredible restaurants, incredible shopping while beaches and theme parks are still synonymous with the Gold Coast and that is what drives tourism.”

I'll add more. The Skyflyer replacement is 52 metre high, will open in April 2020. New area will have an ampitheatre.

I'll bet my membership on it mate.

It's a wooden roller coaster, wipeout style ride and skyflyer replacement. Tom and Jerry coming to Movieworld and more movie props coming to Movieworld too. 1.5 hectare precinct, 1 km rollercoaster. Precinct called 'The New Atlantis'. Wipeout Style Ride opening December 2019. Wooden Roller coaster December 2020. 2 backwards seats.

2H19 Theme Park priorities include: i) Dreamworld to target break even EBITDA in Q4 FY19, ii) opening Sky Voyager, iii) implement capital-light events and entertainment, and iv) continual improvement in safety management. After showing signs of growth in FY18 Theme Park visitation declined during the Coronial Inquest hearings that were held between Jun-Dec 18. Extended our existing credit facility to February 2020 and in advanced stages of establishing increased funding for execution of the Group’s medium term growth strategies of both the Main Event and Theme Parks businesses. Results for the current period continue to be impacted by Dreamworld incident costs due to coronial inquest hearings, as well as non-recurring restructuring costs in Main Event, Theme Parks and Corporate. Prior period results were significantly impacted by a write-down in the value of Dreamworld following the incident in October 2016, together with the impact of the sale of businesses. Theme Parks: Masterplan underway Vision Theme Park with world class rides and attractions  Water Park with world class slides and leisure areas  Innovative animal displays with a focus on the conservation of koalas and tigers  Showcase of indigenous culture and history  Indoor and outdoor event and entertainment spaces  In-house and branded F&B and retail outlets  Hotel and/or other short term accommodation options Our new world class attraction, Sky Voyager is expected to open during 2H19 (this is financial year) This is all sourced from the Ardent appendix on the site.

Yes, I think the general lack of communication is part of what makes it so frustrating. I was at the park last week and a tourist was having a go at a staff member because they thought the ride was open. I think just extra communication would help. Delays happen, but it's how the parks handle it that should be judged and in this respect Dreamworld have done an average job.

What I meant was that half of the attendees weren't even at the security checkpoint yet. So it was quite a crowd. I don't believe Movieworld should check every bag, that's not feasible, I'm just explaining how I felt the experience was this morning and suggesting an earlier entry would have been a little smoother.

Well I'm talking about the fact that there is such a concentration of people in such a small space, so from a fire exit perspective and security issue it is clearly a problem. I'm also not saying I was expecting different, merely commenting on the initial experience, from herded sheep to lots of space.

I feel Movieworld has dropped the ball on these entry opens. I am a local so I will return, but last week I went to Dreamworld and they opened at 9. At 8:45 they started letting people into the park, stopping them at the initial entry. At 9:00 the barriers came down and everyone was in. Today we went to Movieworld and they waited until 9:30 and opened the ticket window. After getting our onepass renewed we were then forced to queue at the very entry, right near the Movieworld entry until 9:40. Mind you, half of these people haven't had their bags checked, so it's a large security issue. At 9:40 they opened the initial entry, people flooded in and then entry was cut off to 10. I headed straight to Scooby, which had a "delayed entry". I understand Movieworld is busier than Dreamworld, but frankly the guest experience at Dreamworld was far better.

It’s funny because last week when i went to the Westfield Coomera I thought it would be perfect for a new Legoland. Close to the theme parks, in a growing area and it’s a shopping centre which offers leisure.