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They just need to scrap it now. It does nothing for anyone, it's costly, it has a terrible atmosphere with ride hosts shouting down the PA and down megaphones all the time. It's also an awful ride that barely gets you wet. Opening 3 hours after park opening? Get rid. Not worth the effort.

😬 I suppose it’s better than a blank screen... I can only assume they’ve cheaped out on this because the whole lot is coming down in the next couple of years for the fab new entrance plaza 👍

I’d say Rumba’s days of operating are likely numbered. It’s an expensive atttaction to run ( in resources & staffing now), gets lower ridership most of the time and strict regulations and badly behaving guests adding up also. Rumba wasn’t a bad one as a former host, however after what happened at Drayton, it wasn’t the same and staffing and operating is much higher and stricter now. At nearly 40 years, maybe it has run its course now (no pun intended).

Yeah that'll be because of school trips. It's a silly rule but it makes things easier for the park Certainly less operational hours for it but I don't think that's too worth reading into just yet

Credit to DigitialDan on Twitter. I mean, that's one way to fix the screen - put a massive sign in front of it. AI is not the one though, look at those Hyperia wings 🙃

From next Monday till 21st July Rumba is scheduled to open at 1pm. I imagine this is due to the school trips and 18+ rule? Hours for Rumba certainly getting less and less each year though.

It’s always had a bit of a delay between stopping and the restraints opening, for as long as I can remember, but over a minute seems excessive! Interesting to hear it could be to do with building pressure? I thought that would be entirely separate to the restraints. I always assumed it could be down to the ride still slightly moving and not yet satisfying the sensors that it had stopped.

It was also doing this throughout most of last season too. I don't think it's a new issue. Certainly odd though.

I noticed this too on my visit on the 4th June. Really odd! Other than that it seemed to be running okay

Noticed on a few visits this season after the cycle has finished on Rush there is a wait of nearly 2 minutes until the restraints are released, which is really awkward and leaves a lot of people very confused and questioning whats going on. I know it has to wait for air pressure to build up after the cycle before restraints are released, but the time it takes to do this has significantly increased. Its also running particularity poor, hardly reaching full height. I believe Rush goes through a more extensive winter maintenance program once every 3 years which includes having the top come off which I believe is this closed season. Hopefully it gets the work it needs to get running well again as its running pretty poor at the moment.

Yeah I remember that. Little things like that add so much in making the area feel more alive. Wasn't there 1 or 2 more locations that triggered that sound too? Or am I imagining things, its been a long time 🤣

It's strange because the rest of the park received new TVs which are basically always on and working. So is Swarm just cursed with other issues, or is there another reason why it doesn't work. The effects situation is a crying shame. It's easy to forget that when the train goes through the tower before the station fly over, it used to (/ is still meant to?) trigger the Swarm 'noise'. I can't remember when I last heard that. There's definitely a disparity between creative and operations. I find it hard to believe that Thorpe would actively have wanted the water effect on Hyperia given the way Swarm's has gone down, and how quickly it stopped working. Hopefully they can stabilise and streamline that process in the future.

Yes it is. I actually like quite a few of the rides but it is a painful park to be in most of the time.

It’s such a shame isn’t it. Thorpe does have a lot of cool features around, but they’re mostly abandoned. Hyperia’s one minute wonder water effect being one of the worst offenders ever. The screens feel to me like another casualty of the cutbacks. I suppose they’re running on the bare minimum staff now, meaning maintenance will be prioritised to essential stuff first. 🤷‍♂️

Has anyone seen any of the queueline TVs on this year? Very strange decision to invest time and money getting them working again last year for them to be switched off a month later? I have a lot to praise about Thorpe in recent years, but their upkeep of any kind of effects has always been shocking. Not a single effect working on Swarm Island. The water by the fire engine is currently green and they haven't even bothered to fill up the area by the helicopter with water this year. No Inferno mist effects or Stealth smoke effects on Sunday too. How hard is it to keep a smoke machine going 🤣

Reliability is so bad at this park. Three rides in 5 hours due to constant mechanical issues. This park is extremely overrated.

Ooh interesting one! I think yes, a park can definitely be too quiet. Thorpe is by far my most visited park, and back when I had an annual pass I’d frequently visit on quieter days. The trouble is, it was occasionally possible to have everything, and I mean literally everything, done by lunchtime with ease. Fantastic for re-rides etc, but it didn’t feel like a “full day out” if you know what I mean, and it certainly lacked the atmosphere and that buzz you get from a bustling theme park. I remember going to a very quiet fright nights one year, having arrived at opening time. We had ridden and re-ridden everything all day, and then when the mazes opened we went through all of them several times, to the point that we weren’t fussed about doing Asylum anymore that night even though it was literally “walk on” with hours to go - unheard of these days for a maze. Don't get me wrong - I look back on those visits with fond memories, and LOVED the amount of rides we could get on, but overall I think it’s a better overall experience when the queue times are around 10 minutes for things. Queueing a little definitely helps space the day out nicely, especially in smaller parks like Thorpe. It also builds up that anticipation a bit, and forces you to take in the atmosphere and theming around you. Staying with the fright nights as an example - my favourite ever FN was the year Cabin in the Woods opened. The atmosphere around the park really added to the experience, particularly around Cabin where we spoke to several strangers around the park about the different routes etc that could be taken. There was a real buzz about it that could only be felt because so many people were sharing the enjoyment. So yeah, as much as I adore a re-riding marathon, I really do enjoy experiencing a park that is alive and visibly thriving. The perfect balance for me would probably be no queue exceeding 20 - 30 mins all day, but the last hour or so having walk ons. 👌🏼 best of both worlds!

Depends on the park for me, especially if such place has x amount of rides that requires a minimum number of people to ride in order for it to operate. some parks when quiet feel pleasant to visit, enabling numerous re-rides and getting lots done, assuming they don’t have silly operating hours (glares at Towers). But then again, with empty paths, areas, fewer or no entertainment (depending on the park), it can definitely impact atmosphere and environment. Making it feel more flat and empty as a result. Not sure where everyone else is on this, but I find parks on average the most enjoyable when they are between the busier end of quiet and the busier event of lively. But that might just be me.

It's an interesting question. I have spent too much of my life waiting so I don't like queuing and when it comes to riding, I do take it into account. It depends also on the people around you, and any themeing, this particularly relates to whether one is alone. The chatter amongst a group can be enjoyable, if you're included. The atmosphere can be affected, especially if the Park is "dead".

Hi guys. On paper, everyone’s dream theme park visit is one with no queues. Queues are the bane of everyone’s existence when it comes to theme parks, so to not have them sounds like a dream… right? After a recent visit to Paultons Park on 5th June that was particularly deserted, as well as some ensuing discussion with people off the back of that, I’ve been pondering this notion. With this in mind, I’d be interested to know; in your view, can a theme park ever be too quiet? Is the theoretical ideal of a park with no queues and no crowds really such an ideal in reality? Personally, I’m actually somewhat undecided on this. From my own perspective, a large part of me would say no. A quiet park means all the more rides for you, and as a person who doesn’t mind doing a good number of rerides on things I enjoy, that suits me down to the ground! There are very few things better than a nice riding marathon, in my view, and depending on the park, some of my best memories in theme parks have been from times where I’ve just been able to ride over and over (a 30-ride day at Thorpe Park in September 2023 sticks particularly fondly in my mind)! On the other hand, though, some might argue that depending on your own tolerance for reriding, queues are almost necessary to lengthen the day and break up the rides a bit. There’s also the argument about atmosphere that I can see; I had a brilliant day, but at points, my Paultons visit was almost quite surreal due to the sheer lack of crowds. When you’re the only person within visible eyeshot at points, it is certainly quite an odd experience! So on balance, I would probably lean towards no, but I can see some of the arguments for yes. I can also see that the answer might differ depending on the park; I’ve certainly found riding lots of rides easier and more enjoyable in some parks on a quiet day than in others! But I’d be keen to know; do you think a theme park can ever be too quiet?

It's true, really. Sat on Stealth today, waiting for launch, person next to me (adult).... "What's that wire going to the top?" Me: "That's so if the train gets stuck at the top , they pull that cable which pulls out a valve at the top causing the whole frame to deflate, lowering everybody safely to the ground!" My co-rider looked up to the top and declared, "makes sense"!

I wouldn’t be overly surprised if Legoland gets primary school trip groups rather than secondary school ones like Thorpe and Alton. I went to Paultons last week (which is probably similarly pitched in terms of target age demographic) and there was a Year 6 school trip group there. I never went on theme park trips when I was a Year 6 (only 11 years ago!), but it seems to be a thing now…

Thank you very much everyone! Interesting to hear about school trip season… I (perhaps wrongly) assumed that Legoland wouldn’t be as badly affected by it given the younger audience. Fingers crossed. I have to say it’s quite nice going to a UK park and not really knowing what to expect - it’s been so long!

There has clearly been a sudden halt to that strategy over the winter - however, every company I’ve worked at that has gone through mass layoffs suffers the same “back to basics / keep the wheels turning” sort of situation for a year or so at least while things settle down. It’s often the only way to operate with reduced numbers until wider changes are made. Hopefully as mentioned above, the same management will continue at Thorpe, and the good work will continue, because it feels like for the most part it’s been going in the right direction over the last few years. I think most people would now agree that Thorpe is by far the best run Merlin park. That isn’t something that many would have said a few years ago. It also has the best opening hours and a very good, pretty reliable lineup. The reputation has been massively improved, quite quickly actually. (Made even more stark since it’s all happened at the same time as Alton Towers’ spectacular fall from grace over the past few years) It’s disappointing that the brakes have been put on the progress. Hopefully it’s temporary.

With the IP references, I don't think that's a long-term strategy, but just a reference to what they did in 2023-24. -2023: Retheme of Derren Brown's Ghost Train to just Ghost Train -2024: Removal of Black Mirror, plus retheme of Angry Birds Land to Big Easy Boulevard IPs can work in certain circumstances; Saw is the best Merlin example. But obviously they have overly relied on them in the past, which has caused issues. As I say, I don't envision Thorpe removing IPs entirely. I mean, they introduced IT 4D at Fright Nights last year, so they're still actively doing these things. But they've cut away what wasn't working and hopefully are being more sensible. That BALPA slide is interesting, as it certainly feels like a few of the "maintain momentum" points this year haven't happened. -There's been no capitalising on Hyperia Year 2...I haven't seen any ads for it? -Events have regressed, not developed -The KPI focus seems to tie in with 2024's KPI focus which was related to Project Sparkle, which barely happened in 24/25 winter. The impact of the Merlin restructure, plus the delay in the Beach Stage, plus perhaps some lack of confidence in Hyperia with the early issues this season, all likely haven't helped. And that's a shame. And going onto the other conversation, I think that is felt this year. Last year, the park felt really revitalised and fresh. Hyperia opening really helped, but even prior to opening, the park felt in a good place. That feeling that hasn't been captured this year. There's next to nothing new (just a new dessert place). There was no tarting up. There's no events throughout the year to keep things interesting. It's just a bit...same old same old. And there's nothing wrong with that per se. Parks can't introduce something new every year. But the issue with Thorpe is that that is exactly what they have done for decades (even if it is just a new event, or a bouncy castle, or a maze..). And that stuff papers over the cracks. Other parks get away with not adding new stuff because they fix those proverbial cracks, or don't have them in the first place. Hopefully this year is just a lull, and things pick up for Fright Nights in particular. But sadly, it doesn't feel like the park is maintaining momentum this year.