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the, the, trumpet, the, the, trumpet, oh the, the trumpet plays no more, again, the, the, trumpet, the, the, trumpet OHHHHHH well I came online at a half past 9 and at half past 10 I went off again. then I sad bap bop and a mozzle map mop and I had a lovely pittle pattle day before the first bit it was like oh, I can't wait, then after it was like woah, it was quite good, then the middle bit was a mixed bag, but then after that, oh no, what the heck, it was a complete and utter, polly wally doodle all the day krindkekrax disaster! (transport) oh well I went online at a half past 10 and at half past 11 I thought 2007, then I went back on, and I went pom, pom, and the launch cable went on the screen as well

A quick google told me that it does, but then don't trust everything google says. I'll defo double check that now!

Looks decent, though not sure about Eurostar stopping at Calais to get you back to London. Unsure if Eurotunnel does foot passengers either. Definitely goes from Brussels though, so can either double back on yourselves or swap Walibi & Plopsa days.

I’m very glad to have got on it this year - even 19 years on the speed and height of this thing was still incredible and very grateful to have got on one of the 2 most iconic hydraulic launch coasters. I do think the way they’ve handled this is a complete joke, as mentioned already this is a iconic ride known all across the world, to just close with no warning is pretty shocking, had it been opening next year for a “final year send off” I’d have renewed my pass, made the trip over. In some ways I can almost understand the other rides closing which were less well known to close, but to close a ride of this stature with a little press release a few days after it closed just seems wrong to me.

Hi all! After discussing the plans through again with my mates we have come up with a revised plan. We have tried to keep days with very little traveling to allow us to rest for the majority of the day and have also chosen to do multiple days at some theme parks. What does everyone here think of this new version of the plan? Day 1: Eurostar to Paris Day in Paris AirB&B/hostel in Paris Day 2: Paris AirB&B/Hostel to Park Astrix (1.15 hours by bus) Parc Astrix Park Astrix to Paris AirB&B/Hostel Same AirB&B/Hostel (leave bags there) Day 3: Paris to Lyon (2 hours) Afternoon/evening in Lyon AirB&B/hostel in Lyon Day 4: Lyon to Walibi Rhone-Alpes (shuttle bus service Tuesday-Thursday) Walibi Rhone-Alpes Walibi Rhone-Alpes to Lyon Same AirB&B/Hostel (leave bags there) Day 5: Lyon to Rust (6.5 hours) Evening in Rust AirB&B/hostel in Rust Day 6: Rust to Europa Park (walk) Europa Park day 1 Same AirB&B/hostel in Rust (leave bags there) Day 7: Europa Park day 2 Same AirB&B/hostel in Rust (leave bags there) Day 8: Rust to Cologne (5 hours) Afternoon/evening in Cologne AirB&B/hostel in Cologne Day 9: Cologne to Phantasialand (1 hour) Phantasialand Day 1 Same AirB&B/hostel in Cologne (leave bags there) Day 10: Phantasialand Day 2 Same AirB&B/hostel in Cologne (leave bags there) Day 11: Cologne to Essen (1 hour) Day in Essen AirB&B/hostel in Essen Day 12: Essen to Movie Park Germany (30 mins) Movie Park Germany Same AirB&B/hostel in Essen (leave bags there) Day 13: Essen to Amsterdam (3.5 hours) Afternoon/evening in Amersterdam AirB&B/hostel in Amsterdam Day 14: Amsterdam to Walibi Holland (2.5 hours) Walibi Holland Same AirB&B/hostel in Amsterdam (leave bags there) Day 15: Amsterdam to Tilburg (2 hours) Afternoon/evening in Tilburg (music scene????) AirB&B/hostel in Tilburg Day 16: Tilberg to Efterling (1 hour) Efterling Day 1 Same AirB&B/hostel in Tilberg (leave bags there) Day 17 Efterling Day 2 Same AirB&B/hostel in Tilberg (leave bags there) Day 18: Train Tilberg to Brussels (2.5 hours) Afternoon/evening in Brussels AirB&B/hostel in Brussels Day 19: Brussels to Walibi Belgium (1.5 hours) Walibi Belgium Same AirB&B/hostel in Brussles (leave bags there) Day 20: Brussles to Dunkirk (2.5 hours) Afternoon/evening in Dunkirk AirB&B/hostel in Dunkirk Day 21: Dunkirk to Plopsaland De Panne (1 hour) Plopsaland De Panne Same AirB&B/hostel in Dunkirk (leave bags there) Day 22: Dunkirk to Calais (1 hour) Eurostar to London

Hey, check out MY map! The rides. The rides. The rides will tell. The past and the present and the future as well. Have a look and see what you think.

Here.

Those who do wish the infinity to return, then look at this. No. THESE! Have a look and see what you think.

And I most certainly agree.

Hello, here is the fourth and final report from my recent California trip so no better place to end than in Disneyland. Not Paris, but the one that started it all, which Walt built and set foot in. Opening in 1955, the park and resort marks for one of the first and oldest theme parks (not amusement parks) around, which perfectly boasts and balances traditional character, but also modernity as well. Unlike its French and Floridian counterparts, this one (at least in landmass) is much smaller, hence the existence of Disney World. But that’s another topic. All things considered it still boasts a vast selection whilst still being photogenic too. The outside hub of the resort weirdly reminds me of Efteling for some reason. Downtown Disney is much smaller but cosy than Florida’s and the parking situation is weird, as the Toy Story lot is like a 7 minute bus ride away from the rest. Disneyland Park/ I won’t be the first to say this (and perhaps not the last), but I was actually astounded about how much smaller the scale of this park is to the other parks, especially the mainstreet, which is 1/3 shorter in length than the other ones I’ve seen. The paths/routes are also noticeably smaller, which again would be expected as being the first park. The castle although small, is still adorable and a charming spectacle to see. Adventure Land/ Relitively small area but packed with some awesome rides. Jungle Cruise- this was my first jungle cruise I experienced and likely fitting to be the first one. I love the cheesy cliche jokes and witty humour throughout the ride, plus that “backside of water” joke never gets old. Indiana Jones Adventure- There were two things I knew about this ride before riding, 1- it has the same layout as dinosaur and the ride’s queue cleverly takes you out of the park. Words can’t describe how mind blowing this dark ride is, like wow! The effects, the fire, the dynamic ride vehicles and everything. It really felt like a complete adventure and package during the whole attraction and is easily one of my favourite dark rides I’ve done. New Orleans Square Not really a square, but the buildings and facades are full of charm, but most importantly two of my favourite Disney attractions. Pirates Of The Caribbean- I’m absolute sucker for anything pirates, so riding the original POTC in Disneyland was something I was massively excited about. Once you traverse through the dense outdoor queue, you reach the loading station and begin your adventure. At 15 minutes, this ride holds a longer duration than the others, but never gets boring. The ride is the perfect mix between mystery and action scenes, classic pirates and movie plush ups. And of course that awe iconic soundtrack. It’s a close call, but I think this might just be the best of the three I’ve done. Magic kingdoms the worst without doubt Haunted Mansion Holiday- Disneyland’s version of this ride is interesting in the most contrasting ways, it is the original, but also receives a festive overlay, based on the film, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Despite some differences, the changeover works really well, with changes of music, scenes and characters. Kidnap the Sandy claws is surprisingly similar musically to grim grinning ghosts. The mixture between both was delightful to see, even things like jingle bells playing in the Graveyard. The ride was on virtual queue, due to the plaza being renovated. Frontier Land Whilst it lacks the grand setting as the one in Paris, it does have an organic styling around the whole area and the rivers of America in the middle looks delightful, which hosts the Mark Twain riverboat and the nighttime show Phantasmic. Magic Kingdom’s really wont hold a candle to this when it is criminally demolished. Big Thunder Railroad- Always a pleasant coaster to ride and experience, especially with its entertaining lift 3 finale. It doesn’t compete to Paris’s incredible variant, but I still prefer it to Floridas to be honest. Fantasy Land/ It feels like a rougher less refined version of the Paris version, however this one is better, because it has a whole array of classic dark rides and also boasts an exclusive ride. The Matterhorn Bobsleds. The areas received its fair share of updates overtime, including a large update in the eighties, where several rides were either expanded or rebuilt. Matterhorn Bobsleds- I’m not lying when this was probably the most anticipated Disney coaster on this trip. Being a striking centrepiece even after this time, it’s great to look at as well as riding. This ride beats Everest, by not only having one, but two working Yetis. Plus the area music gives me Europa Park vibes. The two racing tracks, relentless fly down the mountain delivering one heck of a wild ride. It’s no smooth coaster, but then again it was the first ever steel one. At night it is something else! Alice In Wonderland- To those who have ridden this, you have no doubt ridden the Blackpool version first. I have for sure. It shouldn’t really be a comparison but it is. One version is a refined and updated attraction variant, with story dialogue and direction. The other a cheesy but iconic experience with an amusing song from a different movie. I like both for different reasons and whilst Disney’s is obviously better, I can’t help but say the Blackpool one is weirdly more distinctive for its quirky characteristics. The other dark rides- Four other classic dark rides reside in this area, one of which is exclusive to this park. Mr Toad’s Wild Ride is a short but snappy experience, from a film most are probably less familiar with (Disney’s mr Toad). Though perhaps the weakest, I can’t help but be amused by the remnant of the ride ending in hell. Which especially being in a Disney ride is just remarkable. Peter Pan’s flight was the usual setup of nursery, flying over London and neverland. I preferred it to Florida’s even if there was no interactive queue, but Paris might still win just. Pinocchio was just as delightful as the Paris one and Snow White’s Enchanted Wish was a delightful plush up from the original ride. Shame the queue was very messy, for Disney standards. It’s A Small World- Disneyland, home to the original 1964 world’s fair boat ride, which is probably one of the most famous and iconic rides ever made (for better or worse). However unfortunately we would t get to see this as the ride was closed for refurbishment. It’s a small park after all. Everything else- There was an adorable canal boat ride, with various Disney diorama scenes. It was like the one in Paris, except you get a cast member onboard giving you descriptions of each of those scenes, which was a nice touch. The teacup ride was fun but short, boom. Tomorrow Land/ Anaheim’s version is honestly such a divisive version of the ‘supposedly’ futuristic area. In my eyes it has some of the best versions of attractions you’ll find in one, but lacking the substance the other two have. No doubt due to its smaller size and the long dead Rocket Rods dominating the area (probably forever). Space Mountain- Probably my favourite version, I love the cheesy atmospheric space setting and the way the ride just winds around its layout in the dark. The operations on this ride were amongst the best I’ve ever seen at a theme park. The Monorail- though it’s route lacks the scenic views of the railroad, it gives an interesting detour between the park and Downtown Disney, especially if you fancy some shopping or dining there. Napoli Pizza is somewhere I recommend for decent pizza. Buzz Lightyear Blasters- Better than WDW’s because the ceiling doesn’t look like it belongs in a Merlin park Star Tours- Just like the others I’ve done, but it still rocks (literally) Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage- For those that ask, yes it is better than the ride at Legoland, and was quite the surprise with scenery and animatronics on there. It’s quite an old ride apparently but the Nemo update fits for the ride. Other Park Areas/ There is Bayou county, housing the new Tiana ride. Which was open only to Passholders and cast members, so we missed out! A shame really. There was also the Winnie The Pooh dark ride was charming, the hefflelump segment was the best part. Star Wars Land was pretty much the same as the one in Hollywood Studios in Orlando, except being in this park rather than the Studios. That said, it was still impressive and delightful to visit, especially with the awesome Rise Of The Resistance and dynamic Smugglers Run. Not to mention they’ve blended this with Frontier Land is actually a genius move on the imagineering part. I guess you could say it’s a space western! Mickey’s Toontown hosted two notable dark rides. The first of those was the Rodger Rabbit ride, which being a fan of the movie I should’ve liked. Sadly it just fell a bit flat for me, probably largely unhrlped by the spinning function not working properly. Whilst Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway lacked the grand facade of DHS, the ride was still a delight to experience, hosting its usual stunning tricks, from a separating train carriage and scene separating throughout. Disneyland also boasts the classic railroad which circles the original park circumference, since extended several times. Interestingly all seats face into the park in attempt to hide the outside world, also delivered a large berm. The dark ride segment between tomorrow land and mainstreet was mesmerising to watch. Several shows were watched too, including Fantasmic on the river. This was honestly phenomenal to watch, from countless effects to music and characters. Seeing the many Disney heroes on the mark twain boat at the end was a spectacular segment to watch. Twice. The spooky illuminations on the castle were enjoyable enough to watch, but still gutted I missed the original fireworks. And with that, I’ve probably covered my experience with the original Disney Park. I’ll cover my thoughts on Disney’s California Adventure as well as concluding of Disney and this trip in my next and final part. Until then, see you real soon.

I'm probably more bothered on a personal level because it was closed the entire time I was there and opened like two days later. Yes that's selfish, but it's a spite that I can never get now and the park made sure of that.

I'm not that bothered weirdly. But my early enthusiast days were at the time of Top Thrill Dragster so that to me was the more iconic of the 2. The method of the closure is very disappointing though. Is Amanda Thompson involved?

The amount of work the systems on TTD and Kingda Ka needed to do was ridiculous. Think Mark is right that the later models (or smaller/slower ones) have had those little edits to the system to make them work better than say, Xcelerator as the first one. Stealth is too integrated into the park's brand now for them to not try everything else before removing it. Ka's removal was probably fast-tracked through with combination of the merger and the utter disaster of TT2.

I’m honestly devastated that it’s closing. I’m so grateful that I got to experience it in 2016 and I controversially rank it as my number 1. Yes objectively other coaster are better more complete experiences, I also imagine the internet saying how bad Kingda Ka was lowered my expectations. But I’ve never come off a roller coaster so blown away like on Kingda Ka, even more so than El Toro back row. Such a huge loss, finding a worthy replacement that is marketable is gonna be a challenge (even if it is an objectively better coaster).

This news is hugely disappointing but not surprising. kingda Ka was such an iconic ride and definitely one that was high up on the bucket list. It’s hard to imagine SFGA and the world without this ride. As closures go, the handling has been amongst one of the worst. Whilst the ride was notoriously unreliable, even a 2 week/month warning would have been better than nothing at all. Which bar the bloggers rumours about this is true. 2025 will sure be a strange one for this park.

It actually feels like there's more closures than there actually are. A lot of them are closed and relocated because their respective parks have closed for example. Desert Race - Operational no issues Formula Rossa - Remains closed, rumoured that its launch system is damaged. Has been down since February and the park have been very coy about what's actually going on Furius Baco - Operational, no issues (beyond being an atrocious rollercoaster) Kanonen - Relocated to the USA as Matugani Kingda Ka - Rust in Pieces Rita - Operational, no issues Senzafito - Closed down due to the park closing completely. Now in Canada and converted to LSM launch. Skycar - Operational no issues Speed Monster - Operational, no issues Stealth - Operational, no issues Storm Runner - Operational, no issues Superman The Escape - Operational, no issues Top Thrill Dragster - I mean.. I'm not delivering lectures on this. Xcelerator - It's currently operational. It spent over a year closed and under refurbishment and opened at the end of last year. Zaturn - Park it was located at in Japan closed down, and the ride now sits in pieces in Russia. I wouldn't worry about Stealth or Rita to be honest. As some of the later models, the technology is slightly perfected from the originals and I would say the reliability of both rides is far better than their American counterparts.

No doubt there will be rumours circulating around that parts of Ka could go to Stealth, or indeed any hydraulic around the world. For now, I think we should take an air of sensibility about it. Ka's closure has only just been formally announced. Parks will plan and budget and buy parts well in advance of when they need them. It won't be some yard sale where Thorpe will go "you've closed this down, we'll take 4 of your motors for £100k". At the same time, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Thorpe will enquire and see what's usable for them for Stealth. --- As for talks about Stealth's future. I think it's fine. Firstly, let's remember that Merlin have 3 Intamin hydraulic launches (Stealth, Rita and Desert Race at Heide). So, across the group, there's a lot of shared knowledge, and potentially a lot of opportunities for bulk buying of parts. Next, let's take into context why TTD and KK closed. TTD closed following an incident that hurt a member of the public, and the park wanting to move away from the issues they had with the hydraulic system. KK's closure seems to have come from the new corporate overlords of Six Flags, who may also have had the concerns about the ride. There are still loads of Intamin hydraulic launch coasters out there, as well as some Vekoma ones. New ones aren't being built, yes, but plenty of parks continue to run them without issue, including some 'smaller' ones. Stealth isn't some rare, last of its kind breed. Most importantly, Stealth runs pretty damn well. I don't think anyone would call it unreliable, because it's not. Cable changes are a swift process. The ride runs exactly as intended, and doesn't come across as a drain on resources. Given that there's still loads of hydraulic coasters around, getting parts manufactured won't be insanely costly. Everything points to it being fine. Stealth is still popular and draws crowds. It doesn't take up a huge amount of space. And there's other areas which can be used for future developments, and other attractions which could be torn down, long before Stealth should enter that conversation. Genuinely think it'll be fine for many years.

Oh interesting. I guess it would make sense for any spares to be used rather than scrapped since they aren’t making parts anymore All this has got my thinking - could Stealth’s days be numbered? These hydraulic launch coasters are dropping like flies

Is it true the kingda ka parts may be coming over to stealth as it's closing now? Heard this rumor from coaster studios youtube and wanted to see if anyone knows anything. With hydraulic launches coming to the end of there lives I think it would make sense for the parts of ka to go to stealth. What are everyone's thoughts

It all feels very bizarre that it just closed out of the blue like it did. I remember watching those “worlds wildest rides” shows (or whatever they were) on TV years and years ago and being in awe of it back then! What a shame. I wonder what the reason was for closure? I assume cost to run and maintain? Makes me wonder realistically how much longer Stealth has - these hydraulic launch coasters are dropping like flies aren’t they.

It has been 2 and a half years since I shared my favourite coasters on TPM, so let's fix that. These days, I've focused on sharing a "Top 10%", because I think that encapsulates the upper echelon of my rides, rather than a Top 10, which is very restrictive and reserved for the 'best of the best', and doesn't see as many additions. I'm currently on 408 coasters, so here's my Top 40... Rank Coaster Park 1 Toutatis Parc Asterix 2 Taron Phantasialand 3 Taiga Linnanmäki 4 Untamed Walibi Holland 5 Skyrush Hersheypark 6 Helix Liseberg 7 Oz'Iris Parc Asterix 8 Balder Liseberg 9 Lost Gravity Walibi Holland 10 Der Schwur des Kärnan Hansa Park 11 Phoenix Knoebels 12 Hyperia Thorpe Park 13 Jersey Devil Coaster Six Flags Great Adventure 14 Joris en de Draak (Water) Efteling 14 Joris en de Draak (Vuur) Efteling 15 Colossos - Kampf der Giganten Heide Park 16 Goliath Walibi Holland 17 Manta SeaWorld Abu Dhabi 18 Kingda Ka Six Flags Great Adventure 19 Candymonium Hersheypark 20 Nemesis Alton Towers 21 El Toro (SFGAd) Six Flags Great Adventure 22 Troy Toverland 23 Black Mamba Phantasialand 24 Mahuka Walibi Rhône-Alpes 25 Fønix Fårup Sommerland 26 Flying Aces Ferrari World Abu Dhabi 27 Hyperion Energylandia 28 Lisebergbanan Liseberg 29 Van Helsing's Factory Movie Park Germany 30 Pulsar Walibi Belgium 31 Juvelen Djurs Sommerland 32 Batman Gotham City Escape Parque Warner Madrid 33 Voltron Europa Park 34 Silver Star Europa Park 35 Shambhala PortAventura Park 36 Nitro (SFGAd) Six Flags Great Adventure 37 Nemesis Inferno Thorpe Park 38 Storm - The Dragon Legend TusenFryd 39 Colorado Adventure Phantasialand 40 The Storm Coaster Dubai Hills Mall Some scattered thoughts on the list... -Toutatis is incredible. That swing launch is brilliant, and the aggressive airtime throughout is my bag. -Taiga doesn't see much light in people's Top 10s or similar, likely because not as many people have ridden it. It's a crying shame. See Mark's thoughts above, I would just echo that. -Similar, Manta at Sea World Abu Dhabi would be talked about a lot as an elite coaster if more people had ridden it. -B&M Hypers are great rides, but they offer a very specific experience: a fun-filled, floaty, long ride experience. Very enjoyable, but not what I want. There's a very obvious trend with many of my top-top rides having airtime which flings you into your lapbar; B&M Hypers rarely do this with aggression, hence their ranking on the lower side. -Mahuka and Juvelen are excellent examples of the perfect family thrill coaster. I don't use the word perfect often. But these are rides which are that very definition. They're also quite low in terms of height, and the ride types have a lot of versatility. Their respective parks - moreso Djurs Sommerland - are extremely easy to get to as well. -We know height and speed aren't everything when it comes to coasters, but Kingda Ka shows that big and fast can be enough. RIP. (On the flip side, Red Force shows that big and fast can be a recipe for a rough ride which isn't worth its own time) -Voltron is incredibly intense, but I found that it wasn't exactly comfortable during any major turn / transition. It's a shame, as if it was more comfortable, it would be much higher up. -On that note, I haven't ridden Lost Gravity in 5 years. I fully expect that (along with some others in this list) to shift down the ranks following re-rides, especially as my tastes have developed and changed. But I only rank rides on the experiences I've had, and my rides on Lost Gravity were always glorious and I loved them so much. -Yes, Hyperia is that good to me. -And on a final note, Storm at TusenFryd. A Gerstlauer inverted swing launch coaster, which basically repeats the same 3 inversions through its layout. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, BUT it's a ton of fun. Another coaster that many won't ride, and understandably so (especially given TusenFryd's poor reputation, which from my experience, is unjustified...it's a lovely park). But if you get the chance, it's a lovely coaster.

Firstly you make some really good points, and a well thought out discussion starter. I was surprised to find out quite how many operations Merlin had. As Josh has said there are so many layers and moving parts to an organisation the scale of Merlin, that we must be very careful to understand that at times decisions can be made to move in another direction which can be seen as negative, when in reality it’s simply a reaction to the market or an adjustment. I will try to summarise all my thoughts in a more detailed response but for now I broadly agree with what Josh has said. Aramark joint venture will have been set up with Merlin taking a percentage and an annual fee, and the arrangement is probably very risk free from Merlin’s perspective, although I agree the standard of service is poor and should be carefully monitored by Merlin. MMM is an interesting one. As Josh points out it is studios north that is closing. Now my suspicions are that Merlin are starting to show their hand on the moves they will make to react to Universal. And for me that is a focus shifting to the south parks that stand to benefit from universal. What does that mean? Time will of course tell, but the recent applications for Chessington suggest a shift towards harnessing the family market that Universal will pull to the UK shores, and the hints of the Thorpe hotel and project pivot suggests the park moving to start harnessing the enthusiasts and teen market that universal will create. All of that coupled with project horizon seemingly slipping further to the right suggests a smaller budget being spent in the north, and when you think of universal as a threat or opportunity, geographically it’s probably more of a threat to towers than it is an opportunity. As I’ve said, probably more to add to this tomorrow, but that’s what’s top of my head RN

Rumours started circulating online back in August, and the current ones indicate that it was a reasonably last minute decision, and that the decision to close it - and to not announce it until afterwards - came from corporate / above the park. I'm just as shocked that the park haven't properly announced Ka's replacement. I can understand some reasons behind not announcing it's closure ahead of time. But to do that and then not announce its replacement just smacks of low expectations for me. I know many found Ka rough or meh or whatever, but I genuinely really liked. Top 20 ride for me, simply because it's big and it's fast. Sometimes those primal feelings are all you need on a coaster. The word "iconic" is thrown around a lot these days. But Ka is iconic. It held the record for tallest coaster continuously and undisputedly for 19 years. Everyone who says they "like" theme parks / are a "theme park enthusiast" knows it. Heck, I'm sure that a large number of people who have ever visited a theme park would be able to identify that 'the world's tallest coaster is that one at Six Flags, right?'. It is genuinely saddening and disappointing that it has just been turned off and shut with no pomp and faff. It deserved it.

This is a very interesting topic, which has many layers and many moving parts. In short though, I don't think Merlin is a company in trouble. I do think it's a company which is going through many changes, though. Merlin Magic Making There's been a lot of misunderstanding going on about the MMM redundancies going around. What is happening is that Merlin Magic Making Studio North is closing down. Studios North is a studio which produces / builds things for Merlin, located by Alton Towers. It was effectively Merlin's own theming production company. But...Merlin don't use them much. For whatever reasons, it would regularly be cheaper to hire and work with external companies for those things. I don't really understand why. But it's been that way for years. But from small scale things (Alton Towers using Leek Signs to print larger signs) to medium things (Thorpe work with UVE to build Fright Nights mazes) to larger things (the Wicker Man statue for example), Merlin were using their own design studio less and less. There had to come a point where it became questionable for it to exist. It's of course incredibly sad for the staff involved. However, it should be stressed that Merlin Magic Making continues to exist, being the team that is involved in designing new rides for the parks, new experiences for the smaller attractions, etc. Those redundancies aren't making "creatives" (people who design rides) redundant. Another thing: very few theme parks have large dedicated teams to producing theming internally. It's almost always done externally for larger things, or done only for smaller things. Merlin was pretty unique in that. So it's not like they are falling behind or becoming worse compared to other parks / companies. Bear Grylls Adventure Bear Grylls Adventure is an interesting one. It had a good hook and idea, and when I went shortly after it opened, I was impressed with the experience. I do think it struggled to be marketed correctly though. Another thing, which most are likely unaware: Bear Grylls is incredibly popular in China. His 'brand', for lack of a better word, is huge. And, as we know, 10 years ago, Merlin was significantly interested in the Chinese market. In short, Bear Grylls Adventure opened in Birmingham as a tester attraction, so Merlin could learn how to operate it and maximise money in the Chinese market. The UK is a safer bet for the company to test things out, and easy for them to get people through the door (thanks to the Merlin Annual Pass). They did similar with Shrek's Adventure in London, and the Peter Rabbit Play experience in Blackpool. That does mean, however, the Merlin experiments with their "Gateway" (new name for "Midway") Attractions are clear to see for the UK market, including the associated failures. Gateway Closures In terms of closures of other Gateway Attractions, I'm aware of the following: -Little Big City Berlin and SeaLife Berlin -Madame Tussauds San Francisco I can offer a little bit of insight here. Little Big City is in a prime real estate position, located at the Berlin TV Tower. The rent is astronomical. It has done well for a number of years. However, it will struggle in Berlin in the current economic climate (where people are spending less). Berlin has lots of free sight-seeing things you can do, and many people will visit for the historical value of the city, or for the nightlife. With people spending less, LBC is a lot lower down on people's lists. Sea Life is located just round the corner, so again, hugely expensive, and again, will suffer the same issues as Little Big City. Berlin Dungeons will be attractive to people who visit Berlin, though, so that should be safe. San Francisco is a difficult market, and was interested at a time when Merlin were really pushing their expansion plans. It was seen as a risk, in the sense of "let's try, and if we fail, oh well, at least we've tried". That's the level of power and money Merlin have to play with. It should be said as well that there have been new Gateway Attractions that have opened in recent years too. Peppa Pig Theme Parks (which are more like big theme park areas) are doing well. Legoland Discovery Centre Brussels opened in 2022 and has been one of the most successful LDCs to date (possibly the most successful, I'm a little out of the loop there). Of course, the closures of attractions are awful for the staff that work there, but on the topic of Merlin as a company, I don't think it's as bad as it sounds when you just list out all the closures. Sea Lifes There are rumours - and I stress, just rumours - that the new CEO of Merlin is not a fan of zoos and aquaria. Those rumours don't make it clear whether that's from a business standpoint or a personal/moral standpoint. Regardless of the reason why, if that rumour is true, we could well see more Sea Life Centres close / be sold out of the Merlin estate. Two Big Issues This ramble about closing attractions has highlighted two major points which are very relevant to why Merlin are in the position they are currently in: 1. The economic landscape / the cost of living crisis, giving people much less disposable income 2. Merlin's shift in strategy and having to make large changes To address the second point first: as said, Merlin wanted to become the most visited theme park company in the world. To do that, they were expanding and expanding, and trying new markets, seeing what was happening and what would work. Inevitably, some would work, some wouldn't. And the ones that wouldn't, would have to close. San Francisco is a key example. Some of their Chinese ventures is another. But of course, dealing with those closures has financial implications which will be felt. On top of that, Merlin spent a long time looking into expanding in China. The Covid pandemic put a huge dent into those plans actually. On top of that, some of their early ventures out there stumbled through, meaning they had to spend longer sorting that out. However, they still have Legoland parks opening out there, with Legoland Shanghai opening next year Legolands The Legolands around the world have had mixed success. -Legoland Malaysia (opened in 2012) has done pretty well -Legoland Dubai (2016) does well in context of the UAE (and is technically owned by another company) -Legoland Japan (2017) opened in a poor location and has struggled. -Legoland New York (2021) was another poor location, and opening post-Covid and in a cost of living crisis has meant it's done poorly. -Legoland South Korea (2022) I know the least about, but again I imagine struggles right now because of the worldwide landscape. The Chinese Legolands (Shanghai and Sichuan) have been under development for a long time, and are in good locations. There's been a thirst and demand for Legolands in the country for a long time, and I believe Merlin learnt many lessons from Japan and New York, along with their previous ventures in China. From my understanding of those projects, I genuinely believe they have a huge chance of being very successful. But, there is a chance that the theme park boat has sailed in China now...certainly the expansion of parks, and attractions within parks, has slowed post-Covid. We will see. Cost of Living This is the big kicker. The entertainment and visitor attraction industry is being hit hard right now. Some parks are doing better than others, of course. But everywhere is feeling the squeeze. That should be acknowledged. Aramark I obviously can't provide any evidence, but I am under the impression that despite Aramark being a thing, Merlin are still very happy with the amount of money they get via Aramark. And it comes at the added convenience of not having to deal with that industry directly, so I think it is a win-win in their eyes. I completely agree that the price of food has spiralled and is too much in many - but not all - instances. At the same time, many theme parks have very expensive food options (Plopsaland and the Plopsa parks have more expensive and worse quality food than anything I've had at Merlin parks, for example). Compaigne des Alpes parks (Walibi and Parc Asterix) are quite expensive too, but broadly has the quality to much. The quality is a mixed bag. Thorpe's food offering is, in my opinion, better and more diverse now than it was in the years preceding Aramark coming in. Towers has gotten noticeably worse. Chessington and Legoland roughly the same. I'd say they're mostly all worse than, say, 15 years, but I wonder if that's a general industry trend. I do hope that Merlin/Aramark can address the cost of food. I appreciate it is hard to do so when prices are going up everywhere, but it is too much now, and I know plenty of people who bring their own food to parks these days. Universal I think I'm in a minority with this opinion, but I think that Universal coming to the UK will do nothing but good things for Merlin. I think that Legoland Windsor and Thorpe in particular will reap the most benefits. Universal, in all of its locations, is a premium product. As such, it comes at a premium price. Day tickets in the triple digits. I wouldn't be surprised if Universal GB has an Annual Pass costing £700. Compare that to Merlin's Annual Pass costing £200ish for multiple parks and loads of other attractions, and people will go "well, that's not bad". People will still visit Universal, of course, but they will see the value in Merlin when they can get an Annual Pass for the same price as a 2-3 day ticket. Yes, Universal's premium product will outshine Merlin's products. But people maybe won't mind that if the price is noticeably cheaper? And, plenty of people will come from abroad for Universal. Europeans will rather go to the UK than Orlando I'm sure. Plenty will fly into Heathrow and travel from there. I can certainly see people be happy to "add on" a day or two into London/Windsor, and potentially Legoland as a result. Those interested in theme parks more particularly will see Thorpe and consider that too. Obviously, that depends on how Thorpe play their cards with marketing, but they can definitely try and capitalise. I think the biggest issue will be in the short term when Universal look to hire staff. Not necessarily Creatives / Directors, as they'll come from people within the company already, but your Upper Managers, Engineers, Department Managers Team Leaders, etc. Heck, even your hosts. I'm sure there's plenty of staff within Merlin who are looking at Universal and going "I'd be happy to move towards Bedford and work for Universal. Even if I get paid the same, I'll get free tickets to Universal". And Universal will be happy to have people from within the UK with that experience come work for them. It will balance out, but could hit hard as it opens up. I'm making an assumption here that Universal will be a premium park with a premium price tag. Maybe they'll change for the UK market and offer something more in line with Merlin parks in terms of price. But when they've got a huge name to uphold, maybe not. But yeah, I genuinely think that Universal opening in the UK will offer nothing but good things for the UK theme park industry and for Merlin. Are Merlin in trouble? I think Merlin are going through many changes and have issues. That comes from the economic climate, the recent changes at the top and more. And there are a lot of changes behind the scenes (I'm aware of some redundancies that happened at a corporate level over the summer). I don't think it spells bad news for the wider company right now though.

Guess everything is subjective as I am literally opposite to your thoughts haha!