First Impressions

The Save Dreamland Campaign was launched by Joyland Books in January 2003 and is now supported by several thousand people. This is the place to discuss all aspects of saving Margate's famous amusement park and its iconic , Grade II listed Scenic Railway, Britain's oldest roller coaster.

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First Impressions

Postby SuburbanHomeboy » 19 Jun 2015, 21:18

...we all know they count for so much, but when you've waited ten years...

I'd heard everything was all getting a bit hectic - Local guy Dan Thompson had taken a photo of the site Thursday 18 June and I thought - how on Earth will they be ready in time.

I got there at 9.30am this morning and as I drove into the Dreamland car park, I just thought - "They are doing this RIGHT!". Even though there was obvious last-minute work being carried out, the sight was stupendous! Luckily, I was able to walk onto the site - straight past the security guys, who nodded me through - and was amazed at the hive of activity. They were spraying tar and laying down the gravel used on non-block paved areas. They were unwrapping the turnstiles, which were still covered in their protective transportation materials. The large number of "cast members" were dressed in their excellent gear and carrying piles of boxes here and there. Tractors were carrying away the unwanted bits and pieces. Dumper trucks were carrying huge loads of gravel around the site. I bumped into Dave Littleboy who told me they'd been working 'til gone midnight - the kiddie's pedal car roadway was tarmac-ed and painted with a wonderful roadway layout just last night - this morning, workers were filling the many tyres around the edge of the roadway with sand. I wandered around taking loads of pictures. It was clear that some rides weren't ready, but the people in charge had drafted in emergency rides.

The most incredible thing was the hugely positive atmosphere. Despite all the last-minute work, everyone was smiling! I was greeted with a cheery "Hello" everywhere I went, and the park wasn't even open.

I wandered out before 10am ready for the opening ceremony, which was inevitably going to be a little late, and there was a small crowd there as a troupe of "cast members" cane out to entertain us. I think there was a cockney theme to it all, as they tried getting us to sing along with the old classics "Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside" and "My old man" - although only a few of them actually knew all the words to the songs. So many press cameras and TV reporters - a real buzz. By the time the final ribbon-cutting took place, a large crowd had built up at the entrance under the Scenic turnaround and all the speeches received loud applause and cheers - especially good 'ole Nick!

Then we were let into the park, got our wristbands, and started to think "Hmmmmm". There were more rides closed than open.

Open: Gallopers, Twister, temporary waveswinger, double-decker roundabout, Helter-Skelter, Jets, temporary Teacup ride.

Closed: "Proper" Waveswinger (still being built), Big Wheel, Dodgems, Mouse Coaster, Jumping Pirate Boats (a Frog ride with alternative cars), "Kiss Me Quick" Caterpillar, The Big Apple coaster (aka Counter Culture Caterpillar), Jumping Jack ride (junior "freefall" machine), Astroglide ("Born Slippy"), Monotopia (the monorail ride), the kiddies pedal cars, Swing boats and, of course, the Scenic Railway.

Of the rides closed, the Dodgems, Mouse Coaster, Jumping Pirate Boats, Jumping Jack and Pedal Cars opened later on, but those first couple of hours were most people's first impression. Including me! I was firmly in the "I'm just pleased the place is open" camp. Some people I chatted to were less enthusiastic. The upcharge attractions were all operating, which didn't help overall.

BUT - the atmosphere on the park was electric! The ride staff were all absolutely superb - it's not often you get a person working on a set of Gallopers to get the riders singing songs, but it worked a treat. The characters touring the park were brilliant - making everyone feel welcome. I'm not sure how often they will be there, but they were working their socks off. Magic shows, with Hula-Hoop/Diabolo workshops for the kiddies, Punch and Judy, Tommy Messham's Wall of Death and LOADS to see and do. A good food court (albeit a little pricey), a beauty salon set up in a vintage caravan - so many lovely touches. Live music all afternoon. Not sure how family-oriented the pole-dancing was, but it gave the blokes something to look at :oops:

So - it wasn't all working, there were plenty of rough edges BUT - everything has been planned very well. The ride barriers are made of a similar wood to the Scenic, which brings cohesion. The pastel shades of the Hemingway designs are perfect. All the staff are wearing FUN t-shirts with classic slogans, such as "Kiss Me Quick" and "Scream if you want to go faster". The music is great, matching the era of the ride. There is LOADS of space to walk around between the rides, and the scope for further developments is quite obvious to all.

The attractions outside the main ride area are all free to access, and they are the icing on the cake. The Roller Disco is just awesome - lovely wooden floor, huge mirror ball, brand-new skates for hire, lots of seating (think 1950's American Diner), a bar, food stalls, proper ice cream, a large information stand, the vintage pinball machines and possibly the best selection of merchandise I have seen in years.

Oh yes - the Scenic Railway has running lights that go all the way around the outer handrails of all the track - even where the track dips inside other track. This park is going to look great at night!

At the end of the afternoon, and a lovely fish and chip dinner with Nick, Susan, Jean Marc and others, I had to head off home. The Hullabaloo was completely sold out otherwise I would have stayed on for more. I really didn't want to leave, so heaven knows what I'll be like when all the rides are running properly this summer and the whole park is finished in a couple of years' time!

Hugely impressed - can't wait to go back!
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Re: First Impressions

Postby EAS » 19 Jun 2015, 22:36

Arrived 10 am, left 5pm, arrived Hullaballoo 7pm left 11 pm and had the most wonderful day.

My face is aching from grinning.

We did it folks! Dreamland is SAVED and I'm still pinching myself...
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Re: First Impressions

Postby THE ORIGINAL LOOPING STAR » 19 Jun 2015, 23:06

It sounds to me like you are trying to paint flowers on a dustbin here walk ways not finished, turnstiles not unwrapped, things not painted, rides not open, expensive concessions late openings. I'm all for Dreamland but what the hell happened ? All those years in the making and to fall so far short at the final hurdle is such a shame. Many of the people who attended today will have had the enthusiasm that you yourself had however Joe public have to start coming soon and with unfinished a closed rides those important first impressions you talk about will be of despair not excitement to come back. I knew from the articles I was reading that the odd one or two things would fall short but not the long list you describe. In all truthfulness when you take the rose tinted spectacles off its been a complete disaster, yes folks would have come and enjoyed themselves because they wanted to, had waited so long to and like you and I they have Dreamland in their hearts and memories, but in its current state how many people is it going to keep pulling back in at £18 a pop ? not many !

Without doubt the gates have opened too early and the ride line up is too poor there has to be some more thrill rides put back in to the place to interest the younger generation and I'm not talking Alton Towers / Thorpe Park type rides as Nick said in his interview Dreamland is not competing with them (sadly) but there were rides in the park in the 80's and 90's that would still draw the crowds my user name on here being one of the The Looping Star and other things such as the Mary Rose maybe The Enterprise, The Cyclone, we are not all from nineteen hundred and frozen to death and don't want Dreamland to go completely back there either. I was a child and teen of the 70's, 80's, and 90's and that's how I remember Dreamland. Looking at the site map and what has been installed its just all too old or too slow. The younger generation have to come to this park to keep it going and Helter Skelters, Big Wheels, Chair-O-Planes, Caterpillar Coasters, pedal car monorails, pedal cars and Hurricane Jets are just not going to cut the mustard with the generation theme parks rely on. Phase two and three must bring something more than what is effectively a travelling fair or our beloved Dreamlands days will again be numbered. I appreciate this is not the Blackpool Pleasure Beach, but if you look at their blue print they have it just right, the wooden coasters mixed with some old rides and a few modern ones. I'm not suggesting Dreamland ditches its heritage idea but rides like the Mary Rose, The Cyclone, The Looping Star along with the scenic are concreted in its heritage as well and possibly they are its security for the future.

Fingers crossed. :roll:

Keep Dreaming Of Dreamland Folks :D
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Re: First Impressions

Postby dreamland » 20 Jun 2015, 05:38

My first impression of dreamland is great and the people I went with yesterday all think the same ! I was having the time of my life all day at dreamland and I plan to go there once a week garanteed ! It's not just about the rides at dreamland it's the atmousfear and the dancers and entertainers and the staff at dreamland are so very friendly and they get you singing songs the atmousfear is totally amazing and Iam 100% impressed they have done a great job and with the landscapeing that's great with gravel laid on the ground and greenery and hedges it just looks beautyful ! And as for the rides there totally amazing aswell !! It was day one for dreamland so give them abit of time and be patient , dreamland is open for 3 days then it closes for 1 week and this is to do more work in the park so more or less everything is ready so they are trying there best at this and because I was so happy to be back in dreamland it did not really bother me that some of the rides were not operating was just happy to be there after 12 rollercoaster years ! Give it a couple of years and dreamland will be a uk major tourist attraction garanteed !!
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Re: First Impressions

Postby dreamland » 20 Jun 2015, 05:42

You have to enjoy dreamland for what it is ! Dreamland is one of a kind and that makes it unique !
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Re: First Impressions

Postby EAS » 20 Jun 2015, 08:54

Most of the rides were running very rapidly. Everyone I talked to was loving it. The Crazy Mouse was pretty wild, scared me anyhow (far more hairy than it looked on the ground) but the Jets, the pirate ship thingys, the gallopers, helter skelter, Twister, were being used by folk of all ages who were LOVING it. Same with the sideshows, Hook the Duck never loses its appeal, nor the pinball machines!

The pedal / push 'vintage' style cars for the tinies were a massive success, as were the other rides for tinies, and the Punch and Judy. Roller skating was being very well used too.

And the ice cream... fantastic.

Stars of the day for me... Wall of Death, fantastic, and the dodgems. Two Men of a Certain Age were on their third time when I was on it, and going back for more... everyone loving it, so much fun and laughter.

All I can says is GO, in the right frame of mind to enjoy yourself.

Staff... can't praise everyone highly enough. Helpful and enthusiastic, great people.

Two long term Save Dreamland campaigners deserve a special mention, Dave 'brakeman' and Neil. Living the dream working at Dreamland!

And lovely to meet Nick too.

I have to go back home today, can't wait to return to ride the Scenic and the Big Wheel.

People, we did it and it can only get better. And it will!
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Re: First Impressions

Postby SuburbanHomeboy » 20 Jun 2015, 10:02

No rose-tinted spectacles here, I'm afraid. I was actually put in a quite negative frame of mind after the "Priority for Locals" debacle that made it theoretically possible that I would not to be able to attend on the opening day. As it was, I got my ticket and turned up expecting the worst. Not the way I was hoping to approach this milestone event, but there you go - take a look at my posts over the past few months if you want to see what my train of thought has been like. I thought "get a ticket for the day event only and stuff the evening Hullabaloo".

So - I found myself playing The Devil's Advocate. I was looking for the stuff that wasn't up to my expectations. When I saw stuff, I mentioned it to the appropriate member of staff. I was Tweeting about the rides that were open/closed - not judgemental, just reporting the facts.

As for the long list of things that those workers were doing when I first got there - by the time the gates opened, they were all done and the place looked great, so those who had to wait a short while longer outside would have been none the wiser. I mentioned those things as even when the deadline was approaching, the atmosphere among those working flat out was hugely positive.

That atmosphere was infectious and lasted all day. There was so much to see and do that even with some of the rides out of action, I ended up staying right to the end of the afternoon and, as I drove home, I was kicking myself that I hadn't bought a ticket for the evening event, which was completely sold out. The main focus of the evening event, of course, was the music, so the few closed rides in the evening would have been less noticeable.

As for the selection of rides, it seems the Heritage Amusement Park concept was kicked into touch, although there is still a focus on the different eras from which the rides originated. It includes the modern times - Frog Hoppers are still relatively new, and the Dreamland version with Pirate Boat cars is superb - all ages were riding and having a great time. The Twister, Dodgems and the Wave Swinger are perennial favourites and were riding full all day. I was chatting with the bigwigs and The Mary Rose came up in conversation, with the likelihood of a version of this ride being sourced. So, there is modern-day excitement on offer.
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Re: First Impressions

Postby aweber1us » 20 Jun 2015, 14:08

There has been so much done, and plenty still to be done. Yesterday was about opening Dreamland and its great.The people are out of this world and so is Dreamland top marks.
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Re: First Impressions

Postby THE ORIGINAL LOOPING STAR » 20 Jun 2015, 17:02

Please don't take me out of context here I'm not trying to pan Dreamland or the work that has gone into it but after so long in the making there was no excuse for the park to be so unfinished. If they were laying paths on the morning of the opening then they could have been done before. If you were going shopping would you keep going back to a store that was half finished and half empty of stock ? no is the answer and this is what the grand opening brought to Dreamland a half finished product they would have known sooner rather than later they were behind, (believe me I worked in the construction industry for over 10 years. You know when you are not going to hit the deadline long before its close) yet they left it too late to do anything about it. If the place has to close for a whole week to continue construction it shows you the extent of the work that has to be done.

Dreamlands only saving grace is that at the minute the tickets have been brought by people who want it to succeed however comes the summer holidays and hopefully some continued weeks of glorious weather it has to convince the 'don't cares if it succeeds' it has to convince them to keep coming back and putting their hands in their pockets and I'm sorry but a a person who visits numerous seaside resorts over the course of the year and the holder of Merlin Annual passes I see both ends of the spectrum year in year out and the ride line up does not warrant £18 on a regular basis.

As you mention about the Mary Rose or 'something like it' above I just hope phase two and three bring such rides that will warrant the entrance fee and attract not only the families and older generations who may come once every so often on a day out but will keep the teenagers coming back time and time again for more as well.

Keep Dreaming of Dreamland :D
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Re: First Impressions

Postby THE ORIGINAL LOOPING STAR » 20 Jun 2015, 17:15

P.S. for those of you who don't know (and I'm sure the guys running Dreamland do) the Mary Rose is alive and well and still running in Ripon North Yorkshire under her alias name of The Black Pearl.

Come on Guys bring her back !

Keep Dreaming Of Dreamland :D
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Re: First Impressions

Postby Cheryl » 20 Jun 2015, 17:36

We had the most amazing day, meeting up and spending time with people who have become good friends all thanks to being part of SDC for the past 12 years. It was a very special and emotional day for us all.

The park looked amazing and the atmosphere buzzing and as for the hullabaloo, simply fantastic!

We are regular theme park visitors (going to Alton Towers next Saturday) and I can honestly say I enjoyed yesterday more, as any Dreamlander will know, there is nowhere that has the unique feel that Dreamland does.

A full day and night's enjoyment was had and it will only get better when everything is fully open, the Scenic Railway is looking awesome!

So everyone, lets support it and be part of an ever growing and vibrant Dreamland.

And finally ......... Congratulations and big thankyou's to Nick, Susan, Sarah, Dave, The Save Dreamland Trust and of course every single member of the Save Dreamland Campaign. Hope to see you in Dreamland soon!
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Re: First Impressions

Postby Vince, Charlie and Sam » 20 Jun 2015, 20:05

Firstly, congratulations are in order to Nick Laister, to Susan, Sarah, Dave, and everybody else who worked so hard for this day.

I will say that we didn't go, and were disappointed not to go, but that for us, Dreamland without the Scenic Railway is a bit like Queen without Freddie Mercury. We are looking forward to the day we do visit, and hope that day is not too far away.
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Re: First Impressions

Postby JMT » 21 Jun 2015, 15:44

Hats off to the staff who worked around the clock to open the park in time.
Kudos to everyone involved (and that includes all of you, Campaigners) to bring back Dreamland.
Granted, there are a few rides that need to be tweaked before they finally open to the public and there's still a lot of placemaking to do (as I understand, next week's closing days are meant for that) but I've attended a large number of opening days at parks to understand that it's always like that.
It was great to see the park full of people with smiles on their faces, it was great to see a "brand new" Scenic Railway (and it smells good too, thanks to all that new woodwork). The restoration job on the Jets is top-notch.
I spent a great afternoon, sampling the available rides, and a great evening, sampling the atmosphere.
Talking of which, during the numerous consulting meetings that I attended over the last ten years, I've always championed the concept of an evening at Dreamland being a time for a stroll, a drink or a bite in reference to Tivoli Garden's restaurant alley that is just located behind their wooden coaster.
I think that the new Dreamland has perfectly achieved this.
Special thanks to Susan, Sarah and Nick for trusting me (pun intended) with their precious plans during all these years of arm-wrestling. You did it, Friends! And I'm very proud to have been able to play a part in all of this.
Can't wait to go back with my family in tow. And that should be around mid-August. I will therefore be able to keep a promise I made to my 8 yr old daughter: that her first ride on a wooden roller coaster would be on Dreamland's Scenic Railway.
I dream of Dreamland...
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Re: First Impressions

Postby Nick » 21 Jun 2015, 20:52

Thanks for all your help through the years, Jean-Marc. You were the first person to bring our vision alive on a masterplan, which allowed us to go out there to people like Heritage Lottery Fund and the UK Government and ask them to support the project financially. You stayed with he project for what must be 10 years, and your input at design meetings was always appreciated.

Thank you. And delighted that you liked the (almost) finished product.
Nick
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Re: First Impressions

Postby kevinashe » 23 Jun 2015, 17:31

fantastic seeing it open after all the dark days and almost losing the scenic over the last 12 years.One question for Nick now that dreamland has reopened do you think it will serve as a catalyst for all the other seaside towns that have lost their fairgrounds over the last 20 years or so and whether its masterplan could help rejuvenate other resorts in the uk
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