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Had my first visit this season yesterday. Everything open expect rumba which was a planned closure. Ops were brilliant for an off peak weekday. All major coasters on 2 trains. They seemed really overstaffed. I guess they no longer staff for peak/off peak but it just seemed really excessive? - 4+ staff checking restraints on Colossus and Inferno + staff batching even though they were struggling to fill the trains most of the day - Vortex, Samurai and Detty had 3 hosts - Staff at all the coasters merge points even though they didn't have queues all day Was great to see some Hyperia testing in the afternoon too!

Saw it today folded up down the side of the ride, so I imagine that'll put it back on soon. Was running well today. Anyone know why they continuously cycle it empty when they don't have the minimum of 15 people to ride? Never seen them do that before.

I think I've mentioned this before but I would love them to get rid of all the beach area and Storm Surge and build a new coaster in this place. Have it so when you walk out of the dome you pass under a zero-g roll or something like that; Gatekeeper style. I know it's a total Planet Coaster feeling idea but I think it would be great 😂

I have a monthly one for £20.99 which started Aug last year. I took a year off from parks the year prior and before that I had a Merlin pass since 2013 - started with Merlin Membership standard pass then they phased out the pay monthly ones so I moved to Platinum. The year before I took a break I had a Gold annual pass which never scanned and was a pain at Thorpes turnstiles. I now have platinum pay monthly and when I’m out of my contract I will either move to a Gold monthly pass or take some more time off. Back in 2002/2003 I had a Tussauds off peak 2 park pass for Chessie and Thorpe on off peak days - cost £35 and got a lot of use out of it. I live in Surrey so am only about 25 miles from Thorpe, Lego and Chessie but don’t actually visit a huge amount currently

Best new Mack coaster of 2024 POV.

I think some new flat rides would be a great idea, especially as they work well to support the coasters and some are no doubt coming towards their end of their lives. Vortex & Detonator will be 25 in a couple years. Another new coaster in the future would be great, but maybe in a number of years when Hyperia settles in. A modern water ride could work too. Put it where the beach and depth charge are or maybe as a replacement for Rumba. A dark ride doesn’t seem a necessity really especially given the park’s current identity and how disastrous the Ghost Train has been.

Might as well continue that red area to bin off the beach and Depth Charge. That area could definitely be used as an entertainments hub almost and the proximity to the 'hotel' would allow for some overnight stuff to occur outside in the summer. No doubt some of the flats will be coming to end of life soon. But much like Towers an actual replacement for Loggers wouldn't go amiss. Chiapas for all! Or they replace Rumba with the nonsense Bellwaerde have recently opened.

I agree with what's been said really - a new flat of some sort on Slammer's site would be great. A dark ride to replace the stupid Ghost Train would be good too. I understand the shop in there (which is brand new) is now empty? I wonder if it's flopping (again)... Ghost Train replacement might be on the cards at some point? I guess it depends on how the numbers look when Hyperia opens. Coasters really are the crowd-pleasers for Thorpe, so maybe another coaster in the next 4 years? There's plenty of space for one over on the very expensive bit of land they created behind Stealth ages ago! However, what I'd REALLY like to see! Personally, in the longer-term, I'd like to see Walking Dead and the entire pyramid building disappear, along with Slammer, the megastore and Storm Surge. That would clear a lot of tacky dated crap from the centre of the park, for a pretty big ride and central area there. I think it would make a nice central plaza with either a coaster or a big water ride, with shops/restaurants. Whatever happens, I think we will see some serious investment across Merlin over the next few years if Universal gets the go ahead. They're already investing heavily in Thorpe (finally) with all the sparkle improvements and Hyperia. With the new brand they've also promised a vibrant new future, so hopefully this is a sign of great things to come.

Would love to see a new flat on Slammer’s site next year. I expect with Hyperia being right next to Slammer they’d want to do something soon with that area to compliment it.

They've confirmed Slammer is being removed this closed reason - what are the chances we get a new flat ride there? Or do you reckon we're getting a new picnic area? Would love for them to get a new modern water ride. Get rid of Rumba. Worst rapids in the UK by a mile. Can't really see that happening though unfortunately. I personally don't think we'll see another dark ride until they finally decide to sack off the ghost train and use that building. But who knows. I really hope we're past the days of permanent scare attractions and actor led experiences 🤞

A bit criminal of me but I'd never visited Blackpool pleasure beach. Always been a bucket list park for me from a young age due to their wide selection of coasters, a lot of which are very unique. I visited last Thursday for my first ever time so I thought I'd share my thoughts. Heard lots of mixed things about Pleasure beach recently, mainly negative so I was a bit skeptical on how my day was going to be, but I had a great day and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The park was open 11-5, and advertised to be closed was Ice Blast, River Caves and Grand Prix, (now announced it'll be closed for good) Nickelodeon land is also advertised to close at 4pm an hour before park closing. I expected the park to be quiet, but the park was empty, according to staff this was the quietest day so far this season at just over 600 people on park. Most of the queue times on the app showed 10 minutes but nothing had a queue all day. I'll list the coasters in the order I rated them worst to best... 10. Blueflyer - Smooth classic woodie, but very short and more of a kids coaster. Would be a great first coaster. 9. Infusion - Was dreading this but not as bad as people make out. Not a lot else to say really, standard SLC. 8. Steeplechase - Good fun and very unique but I did find a little uncomfy, every corner the seats dug into my hip a little. 7. Avalange - Enjoyed this, much preferred it to Europas. Although its short, it had a lot of force. Lovely station and a nice soundtrack. 6. Nick streak - Great airtime hills and very very smooth for its age. Trains were really comfy with all the padding. 5. Big one - Didn't know if I was going to get this as it was closed all day Wednesday due to high winds and high winds predicted for my visit too. Looking at the forecast winds were due to pick up at 1 so my best chance of getting this was getting on it early. Luckily it opened first thing but it did later close for the rest of the day. They were only loading the front 2 cars with the rest sandbagged. First drop was great but apart from that, the rest of the layout nothing really happens. I imagine it was running slower than usual due to the winds. Would've liked to have tried the backrow (backrow looks lethal on that first drop) but was happy to get on it nonetheless! 4. Big dipper - Oldest rollercoaster I've ever ridden but was riding great for its age. Had some good drops and good airtime hills. All round enjoyable. 3. Grand national - I expected a lot from this, with people saying this is the best woodie in the country. I went straight on the back row and honestly felt like I'd just been beaten up. I saw someone on the other train on the 2nd to last row and it reminded me to ride non wheel seats 😆 Much more enjoyable but could definitely do with some more work. Would've loved to have tried the other trains back in the day. The racing aspect of it is great fun and you do get some nice airtime. 2. Revolution - Had never done an Arrow launched loop so was great to get on one of these - good airtime moments especially on the front and back row. Chucks you out your seat. Particularly enjoyed going backwards on this. 1. Icon - This was great fun. Although this is my favorite at the park is it my favorite in the UK? Absolutely not. Do think its a bit over-hyped but its up there. Some good airtime on the back row and really enjoy the top hat too. Its a great length and its great how it interacts with other rides too. Unfortunately didn't get to give Enso a go. Apparently they had the Enso train on first thing but took it off as it was predicted to be really quiet. Its a management decision weather to put it on or not in the afternoon based on crowds but they didn't, but understandable. Very expensive for what it is but would've liked to have gave it a go. Onto Valhalla - although it was a cold, windy and little wet day I couldn't come to Blackpool without getting on this. Always loved indoor water rides, but wow. Completely blew me away. Hands down my favorite dark ride in the UK by far. I didn't know how I was going to find this as reviews are nowhere near as good as they were before. I didn't get particularity wet on the drops, just from the effects but every time I went on the boat was to myself so I imagine thats down to the weight of the boat. I know from reading before that the effects are unreliable and can differ all the time so I did lots of re-rides to see if it was any different. Everything was consistent on my rides apart from the ring of fire which I only saw twice, although all the other fire was on every other ride. Also the waterfall as you go into the building didn't turn off on my first ride. For the rest of the day this was then just turned off. After doing a bit of research since I've been back, the only effects I didn't see on any of my rides were the crashing logs and the rolling log. There also didn't seem to be any mist outside the ride like I've seen online too. Particularly enjoyed Skyforce too. My first Gerst Sky Fly and really enjoyed this. 1 good gust of wind and you are off for the rest for ride. Operator said I did 64 spins, which is certainly the most I've ever been upside down on a ride before. So overall a good day. Got on everything I wanted to with lots of re-rides. For the most part staff were friendly enough and were fine with re-rides if there wasn't anyone waiting in the air gates. Hard to comment on operations, everything was on 1 train but there wasn't need for more than that on anything. I got my ticket just the day before for £35 which is reasonable too. I wouldn't rush back. Its nearly a 6 hour drive for me so unless they get something new worth traveling up for I wouldn't bother. Bit worrying a bit recent ride closures and hearing how quiet it is even on weekends at the moment. Will be interesting to see how the park does going forwards as the future isn't looking particularly great. They have a lot of old rides which can't be cheap to maintain and the park isn't the most presentable...

It will be interesting to see what happens. I think a new modern water ride is needed at the park. A proper dark ride would be good too. But also, coasters are what work for the park, so who knows. Maybe they should sack off doing anything else and just stick in a bunch of coasters?

oh well the hypes all here, but once this is clear, what will you see, in our park in Chertsey vote now, a rolley, scarey, flatey, or anotherey --- Mod translation: What do you think will be the next bigger investment at Thorpe Park? -A roller coaster -A permanent scare attraction -A flat ride -Something else

oh pom, ohh pom, ohhhhhhhh pom pom pom

solar electricity

are we building a next coaster? well, we'd love to, but we'll have to wait and see. HERE IT GOES ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong up and up, get it together oh ho, what a treat it shall be, thank you for your enjoyment of my clues, and I have led you to this day. when you enjoy your drop, think of old parm pap and making it possible for you at the thorpe of the park in the twenty of the twenty four

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

I don’t at the moment. I was a pass holder for I think 15 years and stopped a few years ago because of having kids. Will pick it up again soon I think though, it’s still great value even though I’ll need to buy it for all the family this time 😬 I do miss it.

I do. Currently on subscription at £15 a month and it expires 200 years after I pass away. Compared to some of the rubbish I waste my money on, £180 a year is great value and with some of the investment at the moment, it's easy to justify.

Hi guys. With Thorpe Park Mania being a Thorpe Park fansite, many of the site's discussions centre heavily around attractions operated by Merlin Entertainments. One of Merlin's key products designed to appeal to people who visit Merlin attractions more frequently is the Merlin Annual Pass, which gains you entry to all of Merlin's UK attractions for a whole year, amongst other privileges. I'd wager that some on here visit Merlin attractions pretty often, but at the same time, some hold great disdain towards Merlin and want to give the company as little of their money as possible. With this in mind, I'd be interested to know; do you currently have a Merlin Annual Pass, and if not, have you ever had one? If you don't have one, what puts you off buying one? Personally, I do not currently have a Merlin Annual Pass, but have had one in the past. We very often used to have them as kids, and we used to have them in alternating, non-Florida years going into my teens. The last season when I had a Merlin pass, however, was 2021. I had a Premium Merlin Annual Pass that I purchased in February or March 2020, and it got extended by a stupid number of months to something like December 2021 due to the COVID lockdowns. My parents and I really hammered the Merlin parks in 2020 and 2021; I reckon I got 10 park visits out of that pass! However, I have not had a Merlin pass since that 2021 season. These days, I don't have a Merlin pass simply because I'm not sure I'd get value for money out of one. Living in Gloucestershire, I don't really live close enough to any of the 4 theme parks to visit them super frequently, and to get value for money out of even the cheapest tier of Merlin pass nowadays, I'd need to do at least 5 Merlin park visits per year. I'm not sure that I'd necessarily do more than 5 in a typical year these days; in a typical year, I probably do a minimum of a 2-day visit to Alton Towers and 1 or 2 days at Thorpe Park. If either park has a new notable draw, I might also do a day at Chessington or Legoland. On occasion, I might do two 2-day visits or a couple of extra day trips to Alton rather than just the one weekend, but those occasions are getting rarer. I'm probably going to be spending a 3rd day at Alton at some point in 2024, but that's only because we got given a free return visit due to visiting on 23rd March, so it's not a "paid" visit to Alton. Had we not had that free return visit, we probably wouldn't be going back to Alton this year. When we were kids, we used to get value for money out of the Merlin passes because we used to do things like go to London and do some of the midway attractions at least once a year, as well as going to Warwick Castle, our nearest Merlin attraction at a 1.5 hour drive away, once or twice a year, alongside the annual weekend at Alton Towers. But we don't really go to the midways so much anymore; the last time I visited a Merlin midway attraction in London was no later than 2015, and I haven't been to Warwick Castle since 2017. But I'd be keen to know; do you currently have a Merlin pass, and have you ever had one? If you don't currently have one, what puts you off buying one?

Was back at Towers today for the afternoon, few things I noticed since the last time I went - A couple seats broken on each train, being a single rider meant I kept getting back row which was nice - Seemed to be staff training going on today but worst ops I've ever seen on Nemesis, lots of faffiing in the station. Stacking every train. Wasn't an issue as it didn't have a queue but it was noticeable - Towers seem to have implemented the headsets Thorpe have got which is good to see - unsure if this was on every coaster as didn't go on most of them but they had them on Galactica too, not on Wickerman - The new queue is a pain to walk around for re-rides - Noticed a little rattle which seemed more prominent on train 1, but not as bad as people are making out

Pacing will alter significantly as testing continues. Firstly the train literally crawled over the crest of the lift hill, in a couple of weeks it will be going significantly quicker over the top as Mack lifts are normally fast. This won’t dramatically alter the speed at the bottom (probably only a couple of mph) but that will mean a significant amount of additional kinetic energy is being carried by the train. Secondly the friction will reduce as the ride beds in and warms up so the speed will be maintained throughout the layout. This will probably mean more airtime but less hang time

Best thing about the testing was the cheers from the crowds as the train went down the first drop. The sense of community from things like this is never better then days like today.

Looks good tho

better angle courtesy of SLKSTN