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Which is a shame, really. There is a reason why Disney invests so heavily in marketing their food and beverage options and making sure they're as photogenic as possible. At the end of the day the guest is essentially purchasing a product that becomes free marketing for the business.

I wouldn't be surprised if Universal let the contract expire considering their new family-focused park in Texas is almost entirely DreamWorks. https://www.travelandleisure.com/universal-announces-new-theme-park-texas-7094079 Disney have stated that they have been losing traction with families as of late, and this is Universal's opportunity to sweep in and get people into their brand whilst they're young. It makes sense that'd want to control the DreamWorks ecosystem as much as possible and allows for them to build one of these parks in Australia in the future without figuring out licensing.

It's empirically not true. IAAPA has a ton of resources about how IP can drive a 20% bump in revenue if done well. There's also dozens of research articles you can find on Google Scholar that cover marginal affinity and what defines great IP synergy/execution and how it impacts long term bottom line revenue. I think that's where you might be getting your wires crossed - just because your favourite theme park CEO retires an IP doesn't suddenly make all IP's bad. If that were the case Disney wouldn't be the world's most valuable IP-house. That's not to say the particular Dreamworks IP's they had were tired, but to replace it with really no nationally recognisable IP is ultimately a measure in austerity not growth. Sky Voyager. Lol, you absolutely can't attribute Sky Voyager to the current CEO. That was three CEO's in the making and it didn't include the current CEO. Furthermore, and I can't state this enough, Ardent have had the same key board members for the last four CEOs ranging back to 2017, and whilst I can't understate how tough a CEO's job is, they report to the board and its strategic directives/interests, which have included ride procurement and theming in the case of the current activist shareholders. Therefore, this whole new/old management thing is a misnomer at best. Call it for what it is - you just like this CEO. And that's okay, too. CEOs aren't an island, and the ones that do often fail pretty quickly. People really like this one and I can totally understand why, but revising history and ignoring facts (like saying Buzzsaw was a maintenance nightmare but miraculously runs perfect at Gumbuya World) to suit this second coming of Jesus narrative is a bit cringe. The current strategy has largely purposefully avoided replacing the mix of attractions what was previously closed because current sentiment is that a smaller Dreamworld was the smarter move. And maybe that was justified back when the park was on death's door during the pandemic, but it's clear to see in the current demand across all parks that people don't want the Dreamworld that's being offered. Remember, a quiet park and short queues is a feature for enthusiasts, but it's a bug for profit and a successful long term organisation.

These are past mistakes. the park has announced they have a 5-7 year plan now so I think we can put that behind us. Yes that is the reason DW fell but no that’s not the reason they don’t have a bright future because they do have a plan now… Yes DW has removed a lot of icons over the years. It’s hard to get past that but we gotta move on. It was either run old DW to the ground or remove beloved attractions to keep the park moving forward. IP’s are a lame cash grab. They did a good job of DreamWorks land but if I wanted or anyone wanted movie based rides I believe there’s a park fully themed to that down the road?? No, DW needs something different from the rest. “Generic” (I say original) Is more risky and harder to pull off but if I had to pick between Disney or Phantasialand based on best themes I would with out a doubt go PL with its unique original themes. I know what they are planning is no where near PL style but I think removing all IP’s from dreamworld is a step in the right direction. Original themes can’t date like IP themes either.

Yes they do like theme parks but they aren’t as die hard as I can be. We are going to be doing a lot of other non-theme park stuff too around Japan . So it’s not solely a theme park trip but I chatted to them and they want to see most the major ones. Like spaland/Disney/thunder dolphin/Fuji-Q but I think I could squeeze a few other little parks in too. We are going for a month but it might not be till 2024 depending on a few things. Nothing is booked yet

@Joshua Hartas with Fuji Q it's different now because fast passes are now sold from vending machines out the front of each ride, There is no longer a singular booth. Your description is pretty much how I did it, for Nagashima there's a direct bus from the main bus station in the middle of Nagoya. **** In terms of fast passes I splurged a bit on the 7 ride pass for Universal. At Fuji Q and Nagashima I got express passes from the vending machines, and I found that it wouldn't have been possible to get everything done without them ( though of course I could have taken extra days at some of the parks, but I didn't have time) Must dos would be Universal, Disney, Nagashima and Fuji Q and arguably Parque Espana. Around Tokyo their heaps of medium sized parks. Personally I thought Yomiuriland was the pick of the bunch. Tokyo Dome City (thunder dolphin/panic coaster) and Joyopolis are both pretty good. Tobu Zoo (Kawasemi & Regina) and Yokohama Cosmoworld are kind of crappy but have well known coasters you want to ride

I've been to Japan three times (planning 4th trip for next year) and while my interests are more anime related than theme parks these days I still visited Tokyo Disneyland/Sea (multiple times) and Universal Studios (once). Even if you say you're not a Disney fan (I'm not, honestly have no interest in anything they make) the parks are an absolute must. Before I visited I thought there would be nothing to excite me about the parks but honestly they are an eye-opening experience, DisneySea especially, theming is unbelievable and a lot of the rides are bucket-list worthy. As for Universal Studios it was ok, honestly I'm still pissed about being denied the ride on the Hollywood Dream roller coaster because my thighs were too chunky to get the lap bars down on the test seat (I was 95kg at the time, down to 83kg now so fingers crossed for next trip). As for your other question regarding 'unsafe places' the only thing you have to worry about is touristy places like Shinjuku, Harajuku, Kabukicho and other areas with bars/clubs. There's a lot of dodgy establishments where they'll try and beckon you in by using English and then rip you off by overcharging for drinks or just plain rob you. It's never happened to me personally, but that's mostly because I'd only go to a place that actually appears on a Google review and not just wander into any random bar, club or restaurant. On our first trip we stayed in a business hotel (like APA) in the financial districts of the city away from all the glitz and nightlife and touristy spaces. It made what could have been an intimidating and overwhelming first trip overseas a lot more relaxed and safe feeling. Plus the public transport (trains) are so good within Tokyo that even if you're staying away from the tourist areas it doesn't take long (or cost much) to get back into it. Also the hotels are a lot cheaper in these districts too.

Thanks that is very helpful! How is the vibe around Japan? Any places that feel a bit unsafe or anything? Also how much are fast passes generally? If you can’t remember I can just probably google it somewhere. Also is public transport expensive like it is around here? I didn’t know there was a Tokyo Disney (not a huge Disney fan myself) is there any note worthy attractions or coaster there?

I've done 2 trips to Japan in recent years and briefly, this is how we had gone about it for parks. Started in Tokyo - stayed in Shinjuku, the station there is a great central hub to get around. Bus out to Fuji Q Highlands - Train to Disneyland & Disney Sea. Other parks around the Tokyo are were all a quick train trip away. Some great smaller parks spread out around as well as the VR zone in Shinjuku. Cosmoworld in Yokohama wasn't too bad to kill an hour or so, same for Tokyo Dome City for Thunder Dolphin. From there we got a bullet train to Nagoya, and from there it is quick (from memory it was train.. could have been bus... ) trip to Nagashima Spa Land. ( the Port of Nagoya Aquarium was also pretty neat ) From Nagoya, another bullet train down to Osaka to do Universal Studios. If you have time could also travel out to Himeji to the west of Osaka to do Himeji Central Park, few coasters there to add to the count. From there we had a connecting flight back to Tokyo and on to Aus. Fuji-Q both trips we ran straight for the fast pass booth to buy tickets for the must-rides. Honestly the operations there were far from great and it definitely made the trip that little bit nicer. Not sure how the Disneyland / Disney Sea fast passes are working these days but when we went it was the old ticket machines to print your free pass. Nagashima Spa Land was dead the day we went, mid week, walk-on for every ride. Was pretty eery being in such a large park with almost no one there other than maybe 1 or 2 tour bus loads. Universal 100% fast pass - we purchased the unlimited passes from Klook and again it just makes the day that bit better. I always figure you travel so far to get to these places, might as well fork out that little bit more to get on everything you want because who knows when the chance to go back again may come. Hope this helps a little!

The key difference is that Disney is large enough to self-insure their parks division. Therefore, the company can make different decisions on their appetite for risk compared to almost the entire industry which relies on a third party for insurance. There are also other factors - Walt Disney World's local government is essentially operated entirely by The Walt Disney Company (definitely helps with litigation and regulation hurdles). Also, many if not all of their rides are designed to avoid huge pops of airtime and extreme, sudden changes of motion, which results in loose articles staying within ride vehicles. Even the Disney coasters I have been on that go inverted still didn't have enough negative g-force to pull my bag away from the train. Only Jet Rescue and Superman have this issue and with the latter, there are huge components of the ride where the train comes within centimetres of guests' heads outside. Whilst sitting in a hot queue for half an hour and being forced to talk to people you're riding with kind of sucks, it's not the worst thing ever. Could be easily improved with something more interesting on the tellies.

Wait, you mean Disney rides never travelled over guests before, and thats why loose items weren't an issue, but now we're travelling closely to non-riding guests, they've changed the rules? 😮 it's almost like they've come to the same conclusion that our parks have! Here's your happy medium - our safety culture still allows rollercoasters to be built and ridden by humans, with the proviso that no loose items are allowed, and additional seatbelts and RFIDs are used to eliminate risks. Seriously, if it's that big of a deal to you - move overseas. I hear some regions in South America and their efficiency on their coasters is awesome with no bothersome seatbelts and they've only killed a handful of people this year. Maybe we'll get lucky.

I never did such thing. I said it's interesting that some parks allow you to ride holding a untethered mobile phone with a backpack at your feet - and some parks (here) will force you to remove a tissue from your pocket before dispatching. I'm not saying out parks should follow the Disney method.. maybe just a happy medium?

But I thought it was ridiculous for “here” to add strict policies for rides that travel over guests, and the correct way to go about things was the Disney way where they’ll happily allow guests to stow entire backpacks loose in the train? That’s what this current escapade of yours started as, anyway. And I haven’t even mentioned that you switched from using the originally referenced coaster (California Screamin’ @ Disneyland, which, if I might add, seemingly also has revised their loose article policy, way before Tron’s opening) to one at a park on the other side of the continent (Space Mountain @ Magic Kingdom) to further your inherently incorrect and nigh on dangerous argument. Also, if you can’t tell the difference between California Screamin’/Space Mountain’s intensity and every given example of a thrill coaster in Australia’s intensity, there’s something very wrong. Because, disregarding the fact that countries have different safety standards, a coaster with an average positive force around 2G’s and ‘negative’ force around 0.5G’s aren’t forced to be held to the same safety standards & regulations as one that commonly passes 3.5G’s and -1G’s.

There are these little things called ‘negative g-forces’ that our parks use pretty commonly, but Disney’s yet to invent.

Disney prioritizes guest throughput over possible litigation. That’s not possible when you aren’t Disney

Disney ≠ Aus parks American safety standards ≠ Australian safety standards stop comparing the two, we really shouldn’t be looking at America on how to run things. Also, down the road from Disney you go through metal detectors to ensure nothing is on you, so clearly it’s just a Disney thing.

I mean, App usage is pretty much the default these days. Both Village and Disney have app-based tickets (Although I do love Dreamworld's option to have it in your Apple Wallet so you can show your barcode on phone or watch to enter (never lose the damn thing again!) and while i'm sure parks will definitely have an alternative if you prefer to wear your hats covered in tinfoil, it's definitely the simpler way of entering the park. Purchasing backwards uses the same app as the entry ticket so if you already have it, you're not giving anything else away. Everything is "Simples" for you, but I don't see you running a theme park company, so maybe it isn't "Simples".

Yeah agreed. Then you throw some record-breaking attendance and it's a recipe for disappointment for sure. Full disclosure - I get marketing/comms is not everyone's cup of tea so feel free to skip reading the next bit. Yeah, that's an interesting case for sure. I think their last big announcement was a little bit too much information - there was a fair few different art styles shown and it all felt a bit too hodge podge for my liking. Cool for enthusiasts to nerd over, but not clear and succinct enough for the mass market to ultimately adopt the message Dreamworld is wanting folks to adopt. I think I've been barking on about comms since at least 2015, maybe earlier, and how Disney and others have pivoted from a "smoke and mirrors" approach to a wholly transparent approach. @Naazon touched on this as I was writing this post - I look at all of this through a weird hybrid lens of hospitality and storytelling. Whatever's communicated should be engaging, clear and have a degree of certainty, all of which leaves readers/guests with a sense of excitement and anticipation for what they'll get to experience. Perhaps most importantly though is that when communicating anything, be it any kind of storytelling content, is that you treat the audience with respect. When you do that and something goes wrong, folks are generally far more accepting when you treat them as though they're the intelligent, reasonable people they are. If you look at everything the parks do through that lens, then date changes on a website with no more information (Leviathan) could be perceived as feeling a bit contemptuous. In regards to Scooby, the date change happened in the middle of the night so will be keen to see if anything more is said to soften the blow. "Ruh-roh! We've had to extend Scooby Doo's closure by a few more months. Here's why. It goes without saying that safety is our highest priority. Our intention is to offer the kind of iconic, world-class experiences guests know, love and come to expect from our park, and Scooby Doo: Spooky Coaster is no exception. We understand that people love this ride, and we do too! We also don't close rides unless we absolutely have to, and in the case of Scooby Doo, we made the hard decision to close this beloved ride earlier than expected to allow us more time for us and our international partners to do the work it needs to live on for decades to come. And whilst we do everything we can to get attractions out from maintenance and down-time as quick as possible, the reality is that supply chain shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic still impact the speed in which our guests expect us to re-open rides. The up-shot of this is that we will have the time needed to properly refurbish Scooby Doo back to a standard better than when it first opened - with newer special effects and storytelling that will leave you wanting to re-ride over, and over, and over again. It's all part of our masterplan to continue to make Warner Bros. Movie World the country's #1 theme park - in the coming months, we'll continue to show you some of the behind the scenes that will make Scooby Doo even more incredible, plus exciting information on new attractions that will give guests even more to do while we refurbish the rides you love." Yeah, something like that.

You'd think so, but it actually causes more issues. (Full disclosure - I am an ex-smoker, and the smell of it triggers me and makes me feel sick). If you remove areas that are at least reasonably close walking distance, most smokers will do it anywhere. Disney banned it in all their parks, but they have great cast that are very observant and will spot wayward smokers in a second. Our parks don't have that many staff walking the streets - and if you don't give smokers an area to go to that is reasonably close, they'll light up anywhere and walk amongst the crowds smoking away. (And vapers don't consider themselves as "smoking" so alot of them already do walk around vaping away) The superman area is in a corner, near the action, but not in anyone's path - you don't have to walk through that area to get anywhere. It is a pretty well placed spot and not too far from most things at the front.

Especially if the park provides you with free fast track \ skip the queue passes. You are aware that SFMM only moved to 365 day operations in about 2018, and as of November 2022, they have reverted to closing during off-peak midweek periods again? It's pretty easy to keep your rides up on operating days if they're closed for 42% of the operating week. You'd be better off comparing our parks to Disney, open 365 - and most of the big Disney attractions have downtime for at least a month a year. (And don't forget downtime to add and remove overlays too) source

Almost every example you've given is from a time when Warner were invested in the parks. of course the parks all owned by the same mob, had the same attractions (Disney anyone?) because the R&D costs for one can be spread across all the parks you own, reducing the cost of the new attrraction. I wasn't aware SFMM had a PASS? I visited SFMM in 1996 and don't recall it being there - quick google doesn't show up anything either - got a source for this? (SFMM has had Looney Tunes for some time so the WB link isn't unusual, I just don't recall PASS being part of it) 100% I also got an opportunity to ride Leviathan mid-fireworks and my just-tall-enough-to-ride kiddo now has a new favourite coaster #ThoosieParentingDoneRight

Something that can be noted is that Movie World was "good enough" to inspire other parks to make attractions similar to the ones here. For example: Gremlins Adventure was also made at Movie Park Germany Main Street at Movie Park Germany is based off Main Street here Looney Tunes River Ride was recreated at Movie Park Germany Batman Adventure The Ride was recreated at Movie Park Germany/Parque Warner Madrid Police Academy Stunt Show was recreated at Six Flags Magic Mountain/Movie Park Germany/Parque Warner Madrid Wild Wild West was recreated as Rio Bravo at Parque Warner Madrid Movie Park Germany/Parque Warner Madrid were originally named Warner Bros. Movie World So other parks around the world must have taken note of us. Yes I know they don't now but it shows how we can be spotted on the international map, even know not as much as Disney/Universal.

MW is also definitely the park with the most international draw due to DCR, but in comparison to other, even non-Disney/Universal parks, it’s still kind of ‘regional’. And they don’t even care about unique events, unlike SW and DW, instead opting for the general regional park formula of ‘Scary event in October’ and ‘Festive event in December’.

The closest I would say we have of a Universal park is Movie World. It may not be as big as them but we do have more coasters than Hollywood, Japan, Beijing and on-par with Singapore. When we get the SFC, Boomerang and Half Pipe we will have 8. IMO I can compare Movie World to Universal more than Disney.

Yes. The parks do well with what they have but there’s nothing on the level of Efteling or Busch Gardens, let alone Disney/Universal.