Dreamworld, I love you. And I love you so much I just don’t know where to start…
I guess at the beginning. You’re a bargain; it was cheaper for the five of us (three adults and two kids) to get the unlimited passes than it was for a day at Movieworld. Yes, you’re off to a flying start.
You know, pretty much every theme park is fun for me and my bunch – we can have a blast at Melbourne’s Luna Park which is tiny in comparison, and features one ‘thrill ride’, which is only scary cos it’s made of wood and dates back over a hundred years!
The first couple of days spent with you guys were brilliant. All the rides we were looking forward to were open; being there off-peak AND mid-week we were treated to barely any queues, and we were always greeted by friendly staff. But it was only after spending a day at Movieworld that we truly saw your value. I’m not going to go into all the comparisons of where you excel and they fail. This is YOUR review, but do know the differences were enough that it would be very difficult for us to happily part with our money for Movieworld – they are gonna have to do something fairly stellar to get us back.
In terms of rides, as I mentioned, we can make anything work. If I had to choose a theme park JUST on rides, I think I’d still choose you. I think you have more on offer, and Tower of Terror 2 is one of the best rides I’ve ever been on – my only complaint, it’s way too short. (Damn you, Physics!) And The Drop? Just so awesome... I could run between these rides all day and feel totally satisfied.
But what Dreamworld showed me is that the rides are kinda secondary… It’s all about the staff.
It is really important to me that the energy I put into writing this is honoured by sharing this review with your staff. Really, it’s for them that I’m writing… The lovely helpers at Guests Services always answered our questions with kindness and knowledge… The Ride Attendants seem to have unlimited patience and smiles and energy… Even the staff on food and beverages never looked rushed or agitated, even though at times they were super busy – same with the staff in the retail areas, no matter how much was going on they were always able to help.
I do have some special mentions to make. I wish I could remember more names, but these are the ones that stuck with me, mostly due to seeing them time and time or again, and because the service they offered exceeded all expectations:
Ree: Oh my… where to start listing this man’s qualities? The patience he shows with all those kids running amok in the Madagascar Madness should earn him the King of the Kids title. And he appears to have unending reserves of energy… One of the only disappointing moments my kids had was NOT seeing Ree on our last day. Seriously, this guy is GOLD. Dreamworld is blessed to have him.
Linda: What a gorgeous lady – open, smiling, and so appreciative of all our positive feedback. She was a huge inspiration for me to write this. People like Linda don’t ask (or expect) a constant stream of great feedback, so when they get it, it’s a wonderful thing to see them shine and feel proud of the work they do. Initially, Linda really impressed to me cos she remembered us from a previous visit. And sure, it might have only been a couple of days before, but that was a really lovely acknowledgement for us. One of my only disappointing moments was not being able to give Linda my contact details before we left to ensure she sees this review. PLEASE, someone make sure she sees it! Linda, you’re great. We wish you everything awesome. Xxx
Shauna the Shop Lady: Shauna went to so much trouble on my daily shopping trips. J She even remembered the colours of the bracelets I’d previously purchased when my OCD prevented me buying an even number, and I had to choose one more. Again, this was someone who remembered us and checked in with us each time she saw us. We felt valued as more than ‘Dreamworld Consumers’.
Ken: He’s just funny. Even if he did point and laugh at me, and shout to the people queued that I’d ‘wet myself’. (No, the RIDE wet me!) He is the epitome of the playful nature your staff generates.
Scary Convict Lady: If she wasn’t so cool at her job, I’d demand it. And we’re pretty sure she made a kinda nasty Zombie too. At least, my Other Half thinks so – I’m pretty sure I was trying not to look at any Zombies during the ‘Screamworld’ walk-through.
Aho (I think) the Barrista: What a spunk, and seriously made one of the best coffees I had in two weeks. Bravo, darlin’.
But you know what? There was not one member of your staff who annoyed me in the slightest. (And I’m not a massive fan of ‘people in general’ so that’s a pretty huge accomplishment.
My criticisms?
Hmmm… Maybe the fact that there are no boxes for personal items on the Wild Rapids ride? (Mostly cos I got on my high horse about the lack at Movieworld, and told them you have them on ‘ALL’ your rides.) That’s my bad for not checking. But you could consider having a spot so people’s stuff doesn’t get drenched, particularly when it is one of the ‘family’ rides – no one wants to sit around and look after bags.
I’m wracking my brains in the name of ‘fairness’ trying to see if I can dredge up any other criticisms, but nope… I think that was it.
Um, did I mention the Corroboree area is AMAZING?! What a beautiful, quiet spot to sit and get away from it all. We could have spent a lot more time there, had we had the time. And even though my children are past the whole ABC Kids thing, I can’t tell you how happy I was to see two uniquely Australian ‘products’ supporting each other. I hope this is a wonderful match for both you and ABC Kids. It’s so fantastic to be able to support Aussie businesses in this way.
Dreamworld, you gave us value for money, a bunch of fun, and kept it DRAMA-FREE; we can’t thank you enough. But please share these thoughts with your staff. It’s important to us that the people on the ground who helped make our day so great are aware of the positive impact they’ve had. I’m sure if there are complaints, they’d hear about them. I love for them to know that we appreciate everything they do.
Bottom line: We can’t wait to get back, and will be recommending you to anyone who’ll listen. Much love.
I guess at the beginning. You’re a bargain; it was cheaper for the five of us (three adults and two kids) to get the unlimited passes than it was for a day at Movieworld. Yes, you’re off to a flying start.
You know, pretty much every theme park is fun for me and my bunch – we can have a blast at Melbourne’s Luna Park which is tiny in comparison, and features one ‘thrill ride’, which is only scary cos it’s made of wood and dates back over a hundred years!
The first couple of days spent with you guys were brilliant. All the rides we were looking forward to were open; being there off-peak AND mid-week we were treated to barely any queues, and we were always greeted by friendly staff. But it was only after spending a day at Movieworld that we truly saw your value. I’m not going to go into all the comparisons of where you excel and they fail. This is YOUR review, but do know the differences were enough that it would be very difficult for us to happily part with our money for Movieworld – they are gonna have to do something fairly stellar to get us back.
In terms of rides, as I mentioned, we can make anything work. If I had to choose a theme park JUST on rides, I think I’d still choose you. I think you have more on offer, and Tower of Terror 2 is one of the best rides I’ve ever been on – my only complaint, it’s way too short. (Damn you, Physics!) And The Drop? Just so awesome... I could run between these rides all day and feel totally satisfied.
But what Dreamworld showed me is that the rides are kinda secondary… It’s all about the staff.
It is really important to me that the energy I put into writing this is honoured by sharing this review with your staff. Really, it’s for them that I’m writing… The lovely helpers at Guests Services always answered our questions with kindness and knowledge… The Ride Attendants seem to have unlimited patience and smiles and energy… Even the staff on food and beverages never looked rushed or agitated, even though at times they were super busy – same with the staff in the retail areas, no matter how much was going on they were always able to help.
I do have some special mentions to make. I wish I could remember more names, but these are the ones that stuck with me, mostly due to seeing them time and time or again, and because the service they offered exceeded all expectations:
Ree: Oh my… where to start listing this man’s qualities? The patience he shows with all those kids running amok in the Madagascar Madness should earn him the King of the Kids title. And he appears to have unending reserves of energy… One of the only disappointing moments my kids had was NOT seeing Ree on our last day. Seriously, this guy is GOLD. Dreamworld is blessed to have him.
Linda: What a gorgeous lady – open, smiling, and so appreciative of all our positive feedback. She was a huge inspiration for me to write this. People like Linda don’t ask (or expect) a constant stream of great feedback, so when they get it, it’s a wonderful thing to see them shine and feel proud of the work they do. Initially, Linda really impressed to me cos she remembered us from a previous visit. And sure, it might have only been a couple of days before, but that was a really lovely acknowledgement for us. One of my only disappointing moments was not being able to give Linda my contact details before we left to ensure she sees this review. PLEASE, someone make sure she sees it! Linda, you’re great. We wish you everything awesome. Xxx
Shauna the Shop Lady: Shauna went to so much trouble on my daily shopping trips. J She even remembered the colours of the bracelets I’d previously purchased when my OCD prevented me buying an even number, and I had to choose one more. Again, this was someone who remembered us and checked in with us each time she saw us. We felt valued as more than ‘Dreamworld Consumers’.
Ken: He’s just funny. Even if he did point and laugh at me, and shout to the people queued that I’d ‘wet myself’. (No, the RIDE wet me!) He is the epitome of the playful nature your staff generates.
Scary Convict Lady: If she wasn’t so cool at her job, I’d demand it. And we’re pretty sure she made a kinda nasty Zombie too. At least, my Other Half thinks so – I’m pretty sure I was trying not to look at any Zombies during the ‘Screamworld’ walk-through.
Aho (I think) the Barrista: What a spunk, and seriously made one of the best coffees I had in two weeks. Bravo, darlin’.
But you know what? There was not one member of your staff who annoyed me in the slightest. (And I’m not a massive fan of ‘people in general’ so that’s a pretty huge accomplishment.
My criticisms?
Hmmm… Maybe the fact that there are no boxes for personal items on the Wild Rapids ride? (Mostly cos I got on my high horse about the lack at Movieworld, and told them you have them on ‘ALL’ your rides.) That’s my bad for not checking. But you could consider having a spot so people’s stuff doesn’t get drenched, particularly when it is one of the ‘family’ rides – no one wants to sit around and look after bags.
I’m wracking my brains in the name of ‘fairness’ trying to see if I can dredge up any other criticisms, but nope… I think that was it.
Um, did I mention the Corroboree area is AMAZING?! What a beautiful, quiet spot to sit and get away from it all. We could have spent a lot more time there, had we had the time. And even though my children are past the whole ABC Kids thing, I can’t tell you how happy I was to see two uniquely Australian ‘products’ supporting each other. I hope this is a wonderful match for both you and ABC Kids. It’s so fantastic to be able to support Aussie businesses in this way.
Dreamworld, you gave us value for money, a bunch of fun, and kept it DRAMA-FREE; we can’t thank you enough. But please share these thoughts with your staff. It’s important to us that the people on the ground who helped make our day so great are aware of the positive impact they’ve had. I’m sure if there are complaints, they’d hear about them. I love for them to know that we appreciate everything they do.
Bottom line: We can’t wait to get back, and will be recommending you to anyone who’ll listen. Much love.