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They should have kept the price high. It's weird Towers is charging £20 for one of their coasters, yet Thorpe have reduced the cost of a one shot of their newest coaster foe their newest coaster. I'd hope that yesterday's long Fastrack queues is a one off due to the mixture of the taste unlimited Fastrack, first day having extra Premium Passholders, etc The Premium Passholder perk of one free Fastrack per visit is a real wildcard and I expect we'll see lots of quirks over the coming weeks. I agree most people will end up wanting to use their's on Hyperia at Thorpe.

27th March 2026: Alton Towers Day 1 After what has felt like a pretty long closed season (for me, anyway), March is upon us! And with me having purchased an Essential Merlin Pass back in November, what better way for me to start the season than with a trip to Alton Towers? With Alton After Dark being on for the first 3 weeks of the season and me now having the flexibility to come on a weekday, me and my mum decided to give the event another whirl following our less-than-stellar first go at it in 2024. And besides, I couldn’t wait to get back on some of my Alton favourites for the season, such as Wicker Man, Nemesis and others! With us staying in the park late, we left our home in Gloucestershire at around 10am, getting to Alton at around 1pm after a… somewhat hairy journey, to say the least! We got stuck in traffic around Gloucester and Birmingham, but it seemed like every man and their dog was parked in the road during the non-motorway portions, and as always seems to happen when we let the satnav direct us to Alton, it directed us a slightly different way to last time, and hilarity ensued when we got directed up a seemingly never ending ascent followed by a seemingly never ending descent… anyway, we got to the park at 1pm, and as it was already a few hours into the day, I went ahead of my mum and was able to enter relatively promptly by 1:15 or so: [img]https://I.ibb.co/dsSMyTWG/IMG-1653.jpg[/img] [img]https://I.ibb.co/VczWm43f/IMG-1654.jpg[/img] When I got into the park, I decided to head to a slightly different choice to usual for my first coaster ride of 2026… Spinball Whizzer Spinball Whizzer was on an advertised 45 minute queue time when I approached, and I decided to give it a whirl. It’s not something I ride terribly often, but as I was nearby waiting for my mum to enter and had caught wind that the ride was doing wet weather loading and only loading 3 to a car, I decided to try my secret weapon… the single rider queue! This proved to be a fruitful choice, as the single rider queue moved very quickly and I was on within 10 minutes; it’s great when that happens, particularly when the park is as busy as it was today! So, how was it? Well, I’m not normally Spinball’s greatest fan, but I have to say that it was pretty enjoyable today! It span well without being too excessive, wasn’t too rough either, and was overall an enjoyable way to start the season! I don’t know if it was just that it was my first coaster ride since September, but I definitely ‎enjoyed Spinball more than usual today and would consider moving it up in my estimations; it definitely put a smile on my face: [img]https://I.ibb.co/bM4Qsvsv/IMG-1655.jpg[/img] [img]https://I.ibb.co/4n53Z0zH/IMG-1656.jpg[/img] After getting off Spinball, my mum joined me and we headed over to Dark Forest to ride our first big coaster… Rita Rita was on an advertised 45 minute queue time, so we decided to have a go on there. I hadn’t ridden Rita since 2024, with it being closed on my last visit, so I was interested to get back on there for sure. We actually had a bit of a curveball thrown our way queueing for Rita, as the ride broke down when we were close to the front of the queue for about 30 minutes, meaning that we waited about 85-90 minutes in total. I do think they could maybe extend the tannoy system to better cover the bits of the queue going underneath the launch, as we could hardly hear the announcements being made. But how was the ride after all that waiting? Well, we were seated in row 2, and it was a very good ride! For all my sins, I actually really like Rita; as much as the layout is not the most interesting or dynamic, it has a cracking launch, there are one or two surprisingly good bits of airtime in there, and it was also riding pretty smoothly today! With us being seated in row 2, it also meant that we got a small taste of that front row sense of speed due to the staggered seating design, which was a bonus! Overall, then, Rita was great, and we both enjoyed it despite the lengthened wait time: [img]https://I.ibb.co/JjgVD3Q2/IMG-1658.jpg[/img] [img]https://I.ibb.co/GySY5G3/IMG-1657.jpg[/img] After getting off Rita, we headed to the other coaster in the area… Thirteen With Thirteen being the other coaster in the area and on an advertised 30 minute wait, we decided to take a spin on there. We pondered doing single rider on Thirteen after our lengthened Rita wait, but as the main queue on Thirteen was only advertised at a relatively short wait, we decided to ride together. This proved to be a prudent decision, as we in fact only waited 25 and single rider looked pretty long! But how was it? Well, similarly to Rita, I actually really enjoy Thirteen despite the flack it often gets. Today, we were seated on the very back, which is my favourite seat on there, and as much as the outdoor section isn’t greatly intense, the first drop was great and there were one or two other fun bits of airtime. And me and my mum both find that indoor section a laugh; I know very well that Thirteen is one of my mum’s favourite rides for that precise reason! I wouldn’t rate it quite as highly as her, but it’s definitely grown on me over the years and I’d probably plump for it being my 4th favourite Alton coaster behind Wicker, Oblivion and Nemesis. It’s great fun: [img]https://I.ibb.co/Y7PNhqtW/IMG-1659.jpg[/img] After Thirteen, I headed into X-Sector to ride my next coaster… The Smiler The Smiler was on an advertised 60 minute queue time, but as my mum didn’t fancy riding it, I used my usual secret weapon of single rider once again. The single rider queue on here hasn’t seemed quite as fruitful as it used to be ever since they restructured it to hold you at the bottom of the stairs before baggage, with it spilling to the entrance of the station building today, but even still, I got on in only 30 minutes compared to the advertised 60, so I can’t really complain! So, how was it? Well, Smiler isn’t an absolute favourite of mine, but I was sat in row 2, and I have to say that to its credit, it wasn’t riding too badly. It was a bit rough, but not too terrible, there were some good forces on there, and the OTSRs didn’t seem quite as uncomfortable as they can be. I do find it’s not a layout that I like quite as much as some, as I find the repetitive-feeling motions in places not the most interesting and a little bit nauseating, but I’ll admit it’s creative, has some good forces and wasn’t riding badly at all today: [img]https://I.ibb.co/3ym65126/IMG-1661.jpg[/img] [img]https://I.ibb.co/WXdd0sm/IMG-1662.jpg[/img] [img]https://I.ibb.co/r29Z4n3X/IMG-1663.jpg[/img] After The Smiler, I met back up with my mum and we headed to ride a coaster that we were both likely to enjoy more… Wicker Man Wicker Man was on an advertised 40 minute queue time, so we decided to take a ride on there. The ride only appeared to be running 2 trains, but was dispatching pretty quickly considering this, and the queue time board was broadly accurate, with the queue taking around 40-45 minutes all in. You can’t complain about that, really! However, I should say that as much as the content of the pre-show on there is good, I always find the whole experience of Wicker Man between the merge point and the station more frustrating than it needs to be, simply because it’s utter disorganised carnage. That pre-show needs either scrapping or completely reorganising, in my view; perhaps controversially, I quite liked how it ran during COVID, and my mum seems to agree! Anyway, how was the ride? Well, we were seated in row 7, and it was phenomenal! I absolutely love Wicker Man, and this ride was no exception; despite the somewhat middling seat placement, the ride had a great sense of pace throughout, had some fun pops of airtime, and was just generally a great laugh! While not the most head-meltingly intense, Wicker Man is my favourite coaster at Alton simply because of how fun it is. It consistently reduces me to fits of laughter every time, and it’s the sort of coaster that I would quite happily sit on all day and likely still enjoy just as much at the end of the day as I did at the start; it’s got more than enough thrills to be compelling and exciting, but strikes the right level of intensity to not be overbearing. All in all, then, I loved getting back on Wicker Man; it’s my favourite on park and one of my favourites in the UK, and it’s not an Alton visit without a ride on it, in my view: [img]https://I.ibb.co/r29Z4n3X/IMG-1663.jpg[/img] After Wicker Man, we headed over to Forbidden Valley to ride a coaster that we’d not yet ridden, strategically picking a ride that we weren’t so focused on riding at night… Galactica Galactica was on an advertised 35 minute queue time, so as we hadn’t yet ridden it, we decided to take a spin on there. The queue was shorter than advertised, taking around 25 minutes, but I have to say that operations were pretty slow on here and the queue felt longer than it was, with the ride only running 1 station and attaining a throughput somewhere in the realms of 600pph. As we only waited 25 minutes, I can’t complain too much, but psychologically, it felt slower to us and it didn’t leave the best taste, if I’m being picky. Anyway, that’s enough complaining about ops; how was the ride? Well, neither of us were massive fans of this, unfortunately. After today’s ride, I’ve come to the conclusion that Galactica is definitely my least favourite of Alton’s operating major thrill coasters, because while smooth, I just find the riding position of those B&M flying coasters incredibly uncomfortable, and that makes it difficult for me to overly enjoy it. I don’t like having my full weight resting on the restraints like that, and I also am not a massive fan of some of those extended periods on your back either (while the pretzel loop on Manta is worse, Galactica’s first turn is not the most comfortable). My mum came off it feeling a bit wiped out, unfortunately, so then didn’t ride the next ride as a result. All in all, then, Galactica is, perhaps controversially, not one I’m overly a fan of, particularly after today’s ride; I used to like it, but I’ve just gone right off it over the years, unfortunately: [img]https://I.ibb.co/1fXkt28L/IMG-1669.jpg[/img] [img]https://I.ibb.co/d00k68Xd/IMG-1668.jpg[/img] [img]https://I.ibb.co/5Wzjp6zv/IMG-1670.jpg[/img] After Galactica, I headed for a ride I had planned to do at night, as it was getting dusky and the queue was relatively short… Nemesis Reborn Nemesis was on an advertised 5 minute queue, and while the queue looked longer than 5 minutes, it didn’t look excessively long by any means and I was keen to get on it late, so I joined the queue. The queue took around 25 minutes overall, and in contrast to my experience on Galactica, I have to say that operations on here were absolutely smashing it; my average of 10 hit nearly 1,200pph even with 1 or 2 anomalously slow dispatches in the mix, and they were attaining dispatch intervals as fast as 90s or below at times, with little to no stacking during the entire period I was in the area! The night lighting on here also looks awesome; I love the red lighting, and the search lights going around the area are an awesome touch! So, how was the ride itself? Well, it was solidly a dusk ride bordering on a night ride by the time I got on, and my row 2 ride was absolutely fantastic; it was probably one of my best ever rides on Nemesis! It’s an absolutely superb coaster in the day, but it was running so fast with such brilliant forces and was also incredibly smooth (I once again find myself finding all this rattle talk hugely overblown, personally)! Nemesis has such a brilliant layout design, with sequences such as the first drop-corkscrew-helix-zero-g roll quartet being so inspired and exciting, and I’m increasingly convinced that it’s my favourite B&M invert and looping B&M period. The traditional looping B&Ms, while almost consistently solid to decent, don’t excite me quite like they once did, but Nemesis definitely stands out from the pack, in my view. All in all, then, I absolutely loved my ride on Nemesis; it’s a brilliant coaster in the day, but it’s an even more cracking night (or dusk in this case) ride: [img]https://I.ibb.co/JwvwXVsq/IMG-1672.jpg[/img] [img]https://I.ibb.co/XZCN2Sfn/IMG-1673.jpg[/img] [img]https://I.ibb.co/cK730W68/IMG-1676.jpg[/img] After Nemesis, I met back up with my mum, who was feeling a little better having recovered from Galactica, so we decided to head over to our universal favourite in the park, Wicker Man, for one final night ride on an advertised 45 minute queue time. Despite starting from a later point in the queue, the queue was much slower this time round and we ended up waiting 60 minutes. The ride was, if anything, dispatching more quickly than earlier (they were quick to the extent that I wondered if they’d added a 3rd train… remarkably, they hadn’t!), so I’m unsure of the cause of this. Anyway, we were sat in row 5, and the ride was absolutely phenomenal; given we’d only ridden a few hours prior, the ride felt like it had sped up phenomenally, and the speed, laterals and airtime were top-notch, even more so than usual! Once again, we were both reduced to absolute fits of laughter on the brake run, and that definitely ranks up there as one of my best Wicker Man experiences despite it only being a row 5 ride! Wicker Man is a night ride I’d highly recommend if you ever attend a late opening at Alton, and today’s night ride was a superb way to end the day: [img]https://I.ibb.co/Xf1CNyyC/IMG-1678.jpg[/img] [img]https://I.ibb.co/YFf31xQT/IMG-1680.jpg[/img] After we got off Wicker Man, the park had closed for the day, so we headed out and back to the car after a really good day: [img]https://I.ibb.co/BVwH3YT3/IMG-1683.jpg[/img] Before I wrap up, I should mention a really pleasant encounter that me and my mum had in the Premier Inn in Uttoxeter. We were sat in the bar chatting about our day over a drink, and a friendly Welsh enthusiast who had been to Alton on a solo trip of his own overheard us at one point, chimed in his thoughts, and we ended up having a lovely long coaster chat for what was probably almost an hour (we got turfed out of the bar by the staff at 10:45…)! I have to say that this was a lovely surprise encounter, and if the enthusiast in question is reading this, I’d just like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed our chat and you definitely added a nice pleasant surprise to my day! So, that brings me to the end of our first day at Alton Towers! I had some trepidation going into this trip, both after my last experience at Alton After Dark in 2024 and recent reports from others’ visits in 2026, but I have to say that I had a really good day! I got on 8 rides, with one ride on every operating coaster (bar Octonauts for hopefully obvious reasons) and a reride on Wicker Man, which I’m not displeased with at all given that the park wasn’t quiet and the fact we were in the park for around 7 hours rather than the full 10 hour day! Yes, there are things I could pick at (operations were slightly inconsistent, and it’s not ideal that a number of attractions including Oblivion were closed), but I overall had a really enjoyable day, so I don’t feel I can complain too much. I always love an Alton trip, and while I’ve had heavier riding days at Alton, I think 8 rides is a pretty good effort and today did not disappoint for me! Thanks for reading; I hope you’ve enjoyed this report! We’re going to be back on park tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled for that report! Although I should say that if you’re expecting a Bluey review from the opening day, you will almost certainly be disappointed, as I plan to avoid the likely carnage and give CBeebies Land a very wide berth… P.S. I’ve tried a new way of embedding images from imgBB, but I’m unsure if it works; could somebody please confirm whether my images show properly?

My point about the premium pass fast track is that most of the daily allocation will likely go to Hyperia. I don’t see that being as much of an issue at other parks. For example, at Towers I imagine a high percentage would be split on Smiler, Wickerman, and Nemesis. Just my thoughts anyway from what I've observed, no facts.

Merlin will still have a limited number of fast tracks that they will sell, they must believe that they will make more money priced like that than the previous £20. I believe the latest with the platinum passes (until Merlin backtracks) is that they cant use their free shot on any ride with a queue longer than 90 minutes. So hopefully any impact from them is limited.

I think Fasttrack might be a bit of an issue for Hyperia this year. It was overflowing outside the entrance at one point today. 1) Price of one shots have been reduced. £12 for off peak days and £16 for peak days. It has been a flat £20 every day for the last 2 seasons so not sure why its been reduced, certainly going to have more people buying it. 2) As we all know platinum passes get a free shot every visit now. The problem with that at Thorpe is that 90% of people are only going to be using theirs on Hyperia. 3) People that book the shark hotel on one of the closed days get unlimited Fasttrack including Hyperia all day. So everyone that booked for Thursday night had unlimited Fasttrack today. On days like today where there are a lot of enthusiasts, a high percentage of them are just going to be lapping Hyperia. When you combine the above with the high amount of RAP (which has a capacity for the whole park, but again a high percentage that just use it for Hyperia), thats going to take a huge toll on the main queue 😬

Tbf John B won't have had anything to do with the installation of some signs. That'll all be because of Thorpe's internal creative / marketing.

I might be misremembering this but think the initials related to one of the contractors that worked on the ride. I know the initials on the shop (PGB/PBG) relate to the architect involved with the project.

Lol at calling Walking Dead and Hyperia part of Thorpe's "Golden Era". Probably is just one last "DO YOU GET THE REFERENCE?" installation before he left. Maybe now rides will be focused on actual themeing elements rather than references and Easter eggs.

For a non-AI answer, there's no explicit reference. When the ride opened, it did have the "JBS.wrks" sign painted on the building. It was purposefully made to look faded, fitting in with the abandoned warehouse motif of the station and the general Saw storyline. Image from 2009. Back then, there was much less emphasis on Easter Eggs, hidden meanings, etc. It was likely thrown on there just to add an extra layer of 'this is an abandoned warehouse' and 'JBS.wrks' sounds like a plausible thing for a warehouse. The addition of the new signage is a bit unnecessary and doesn't add anything meaningful or worthwhile in my opinion. But equally, for some signs that were probably a couple of hundred quid, it adds another layer for repeat visitors to make things feel fresh. You could even argue that the "JBS.wrks Est 2009" signage goes against the original planned story, as the whole point is that the warehouse was abandoned and taken over by Jigsaw in 2009. But it's not that deep and doesn't matter. So yeah, no real relevance. Almost certainly doesn't actually mean anything. And very much done for the sake of it.

To many theme park fans visiting Thorpe Park in early 2026, those new "JBS Works (est 2009)" signs are a brilliant double-reference. They serve as both a piece of gritty, immersive worldbuilding for the "Saw Warehouse" and a sentimental meta-tribute to one of the park's most influential creative figures. 1. The Lore Reference: "Jigsaw's Building Services" In the fictional world of Saw, John Kramer (Jigsaw) was a highly successful civil engineer and architect. Before he became a serial killer, he operated through various property management and engineering fronts (like Gideon Properties). Within the context of the ride's backstory, JBS Works likely stands for "Jigsaw's Building Services" or "John's Building Solutions." * The Aesthetic: The name fits perfectly with the industrial, rusted warehouse theme. It suggests that the warehouse where the "games" take place was a legitimate business front owned by Kramer. • The Date: The "est 2009" is a direct nod to the year SAW - The Ride first opened at Thorpe Park, bridging the gap between the fictional company and the real-world history of the attraction. 2. The Meta-Tribute: John Burton Studios Beyond the Saw universe, there is a very high probability that "JBS" is a "signature" left by John Burton (JB), the Senior Creative Lead for Merlin Magic Making who was the driving force behind Thorpe Park’s recent "Golden Era" (including Hyperia and The Walking Dead: The Ride). • The Timing: John Burton officially announced his departure from Merlin Entertainments in March 2026. As he moved on to new ventures, it’s standard practice in the industry for designers to hide their initials or "studio" names in the queue line theming or on building facades as a final farewell. • The Signature: Fans often refer to his work and the team he led as "John Burton Studios" (JBS). Placing "JBS Works" on the side of the warehouse for the 2026 refresh is a way for the park to honor the man who spent years maintaining and evolving their world-class thrill rides. 3. Why the Refresh in 2026? The appearance of these signs coincides with a broader effort in 2026 to "clean up" the older IP-themed areas of Thorpe Park. While Hyperia remains the flagship, the park has been investing in high-quality signage and fresh paint for Saw and The Swarm to ensure the entire "Thrill Quarter" of the park stays cohesive and atmospheric.

Does anyone know the relevance of “JBS Works” to the back story, which is on the side of the Saw warehouse and on various signs around the plaza?

Very late to this but... Park count: Thorpe x10-20? Paultons x1 (first time in over 10 years) Liseberg x2 (first time) Grona Lund x1 (first time) Portaventura x2 (first time) Ferrari land x1 (first time) Parc Asterix x1 Walibi Belgium x1 Walibi Holland x2 (first time) Pretty successful year for me. 5 new parks, returning visits to some of my favourites and 3 European Halloween events. I got 29 new creds (4 of them being in my top 10) bringing me to a total of 205. Highlights Getting back to Paultons and seeing how much that place has changed. Haven't been since I was a kid. Portaventura was much better than expected. Walibi Holland was the best Halloween event I've ever been to. The Clinic and Slaughterhouse were the craziest Halloween attractions I've done, and Us vs You was a fantastic maze. I got on all 5 of my top 5 coasters last year. Disappointments Red Force wasn't as good as expected. I expected bad from Furious Baco. But that is by far the most uncomfortable and painful coaster I've ever experienced. Insane being closed at Grona Lund. Never done a Zac spin so was keen to get on it. 2026 I still don't really have much plans this year so will probably be a quieter year for me. I have a Merlin pass so have been to Thorpe and Towers already. I'll get lots of Thorpe trips in for sure. Paultons for the opening of their new coaster. Have a holiday in Turkey booked so will go to Land of legends and get on another Mack Hyper 😍 I was planning on Falcons Flight but thats looking unlikely now. Potentially a US trip instead. Was having a look at Florida but might be a bit silly to not wait for the new 2027 coaster at Universal. Looking at doing a couple days in Madrid but nothing booked yet.

Mean I don't know anyone staff wise but been told someone called Josh Reynolds has moved over.

Out of interest, what Thorpe employees have moved over to Towers? I know Howard from Chessington is now the VP at Towers but I wasn’t aware of any other moves?

I've just realised something. So Towers is run by former Thorpe employees now. And suddenly the 4 wheelchair lifts all suddenly appear to be out of order (well Wickerman's had a sign but was working, think was more down to someone having crashed into it). Thorpe notoriously had wheelchair lifts for Saw and Inferno closed for years. Plus Fastrack sales are going through the roof. We're through the looking glass here people.

I've seen a lot about this too. If that is the issue, then they need to do whatever they need to do to sort it. This isn't a new issue, Towers has had poor ride availability and capacity for years now. Pretty sure last year they had to cancel their pre season buy out days as they weren't ready. To start the season with 7 rides closed, staggered openings and not having major coasters on max capacity they clearly have some serious issues. Its an interesting thought. Towers always seems to be the first out of the 4 parks to get cuts the last few years and still has the weekday 4pm closes.

Haven't updated my top 10 in a while and have a few changes from 2025. New for 2025 in bold. 1) Toutatis 2) Untamed 3) Kondaa 4) Shambala 5) Hyperia 6) Ride to Happiness 7) Taron 8) Balder 9) Helix 10) Nemesis Kondaa used to be my number one, with Toutatis in second place. After riding both again in October I decided I prefer Toutatis overall. From the moment I got on it in 24 I was addicted to it, I’ll never get bored of that swing launch. I also love its more aggressive airtime.

All the black metal fencing behind the boards has been removed. I think the fright nights scenario will become true

Interesting to hear/read about the troubles Towers are having (again) this season, with staggered opening and many rides not opening until well after opening time if at all. I have heard a lot about a shortage of engineers being one of the main causes of all the problems. My thought.... Has Alton Towers just become bigger than is feasible to operate? It's an enormous site with actually quite a few rides, not to mention the 6 hotels.... If you think about the sheer number of staff required to (for example) run a hotel, let alone six, as well as run the daily opening routines and maintenance on all the rides across such a large site, it equates to a huge number of people. When you also think about how remote the location is, they need to draw employees in from far and wide, which is going to be difficult for a company that doesn't appear to have the money to compete with other companies who might attract potential employees with the same skills and interests, who would prefer a permanent (not seasonal) role. Considering AT isn't open all year, thus isn't making money for a portion of the year, AND the fact that many of the staff are seasonal, it must be a constant headache to fully staff such an enormous place. When you compare this situation with that of Thorpe Park's for example, as an outsider at least, it would appear that running a smaller park with fewer aspects (no hotels, smaller site, closer to towns/cities for employment etc) is more advantageous. Unless of course the business runs and brings in money all year round, like Universal will.

Went over the weekend. It is... problematic at the moment it feels. Yesterday the only thrill rides open were Toxicator, Nemesis, Rita and Wickerman. Even CBeebies Land had rides late opening so the families didn't feel left out either. The lack of supporting ride line up is telling. Heave Ho had a 20 minute queue at one point! Having things like Oblivion and RMT closed puts such a strain on the rest of the park, where the 11am openings drag things down even further. Families I think are at a loss for those not quite at 1.2m even more so currently. Something easily solved by filling in the currently abandoned spots that once homed flat rides. Yet there's no appetite. Wickerman's batching is still terrible. The pre-pre-show is asking for trouble the way they just let all the queues at merge enter. Smiler yesterday was quoting a 2.5 hour queue when it eventually opened. 90 minutes SRQ and "extended waits" for Fastrack and RAP. Fastrack was the prioritised queueline and the wheelchair lift for Smiler is currently broken. So yay for RAP users. Genuinely believe that if we didn't have RAP we wouldn't bother visiting.

Completely agree. Overall the park looks pretty fresh and they're on form operationally as we've come to expect the last few years. I'm disappointed the Colossus repaint wasn't finished though. I know Thorpe had Hyperia but it does feel Thorpe has lacked ££ out of the merlin parks. - Chessington has had a serious amount of investment the last few years. Jumanji, Paw Patrol land, and minecraft land next year. - Towers has had Nemmy retrack, Toxicator, millions on skyride refurb, and new family coaster within the last 3 years. Would love to see a new flat on the Slammer site next season to complement Hyperia, and a new major investment on the Rumba site or island behind Swarm before universal opening in 2031 would be fab.

Really nice to see. Likely pre-planned and then announced today to make people feel like they got bonus time. After having visited for a couple of preview days, it does feel like Thorpe is still on form operationally. It's a shame that Tidal and Zodiac aren't ready for the start of season. Depth Charge is also currently closed, which might be because of work on The Launchpad. It's equally a shame Launchpad isn't ready, but I imagine that's because of planning delays. There's been a few bits of work here and there across the park. New paving to replace tired paving. It's basic but does the job. New signs and paintwork in Saw's plaza. New effects in Walking Dead. Detonator repainted. But equally, the park feels effectively the same as when Hyperia opened (minus, of course, Rumba now). Last year, there was only one new food outlet (the Dessert place between Tidal and Ghost Train, replacing the Apple Fries unit). This year, no new food units, and only a couple of menu changes (though the Boulevard Bites menu is good and reasonably priced). Now when Hyperia first opened, and in general all the TLC that happened for 2024 with Project Sparkle, Thorpe felt fresh and alive again. And they could afford to ride that wave for a bit and milk it. But I think that that wave is petering out and they do need some bigger refreshes or something new of note now to sustain visitation. So yeah, much the same as before, but should be a good season ahead. Hopefully things like weather and such play ball for the park.

About time to move this to The Past now... Who loves blue boards? Interestingly there is a gate amongst those boards. A big gate; the type that would traditionally exist for vehicular access. Whilst I don't think there's immediate plans for work to happen, it at least seems like they're planning for that to happen

Went to Towers on Friday for Alton After Dark. This was my first time visiting since 2024 as I only bothered with a Thorpe pass last year. Some mixed thoughts but overall had a great day and it wasn't too busy. Oblivion was closed for the day unfortunately which was a shame. It wasn't staffed and has now been added to ride availability page so may be closed for a while. A shame, but these things happen and can't be helped. Having 7 rides closed for the day though (including Monorail and Skyride) is totally unacceptable and needs to be sorted as soon as possible. I can understand having the couple of water rides closed if it was solely them closed, but when you have them as well as all the others closed its just poor. Disappointing to have the Skyride closed after having millions spent on it the last couple years. Along with that they have a number of staggered openings with major coasters opening at 11, which again is really poor. The only thrill rides that actually opened on time on Friday was Rita, Wicker man and Nemesis. Every other thrill ride closed. Its a very poor first impression. Once things started opening up ride availability was actually very good and I only witnessed a couple of breakdowns. - Thirteen was on 3 trains but the bag drop was closed when I first went on around 1pm which meant throughput was pretty dire. Having 3 trains stacking is something I hadn't seen before but was happening regularly. Thankfully later on it did open. Having the SRQ back on Thirteen was great! - Galactica was running 2 crafts 1 station achieving a throughput of under 600. Nice to have the SRQ back but was a painful wait with such slow operations and sending empty seats a number of times. - Wickerman was on 2 trains achieving around 700-800 an hour. Bag drop were having issues keeping up which meant a queue on the exit stairs causing them to send empty trains at one point. Onto the positives... - Toxicator is a fantastic edition and looks great. The cycle is decent enough, has good intensity at the end but not too much that it puts people off going on. A shame to see the fountains off and water drained though only 1 year after opening. The lights on the gondola weren't on at night either. - Smiler was running really well. Was running 4 trains and they were smashing the trains out. Could definitely do with a clean up at certain parts though. - Nemesis was riding great. Had quite a few rides on various seats and didn't notice any rattle at all. I've always been a big Nemesis fan and was initially a little disappointed with Nemesis Reborn, but theres no arguing that what they've done with the area is fantastic and I'm glad they spent the money on it. I forgot just how good Nemesis looks in the dark now too. World class with all the new lighting and smoke effects. 100% my favorite night ride in the UK! - Curse was great and easily my favourite dark ride in the country. Getting back on Hex was good also. Overall was a good day and great to get back. Towers has so much potential and theres so much I love about the place, but its very frustrating seeing it being run they way it is. 7 rides closed all day, limited capacity on major coasters, and staggered ride openings is just poor. Dark Forest and X sector are both in desperate need of a supporting flat in my opinion too.

Hours extended today for passholders day from 11-5 to 10:30-6 which was a nice surprise, even with the park really quiet.