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Cheers for the advice bruv.

Again though that just shows how poor Merlin are. Capitalising off the work a family park put into securing an IP years ago and copy-pasting it across their UK (and overseas) parks puts them further behind. They're supposed to be ahead of the curve yet they're copying something a small family park pulled off years ago, it's laughable.

All the positivity is in the European theme park topics currently. There was a brief rest-bite when Wicker Man and Icon opened but they weren't enough. Unfortunately Thorpe has fallen quite a distance from its heydays in the 00's when there was hope of enthusiasm and big projects from the park. Now-a-days a bouncy castle (which Chessington doesn't even advertise with theirs) is the best we get. Things like Slammer and Loggers just being abandoned are symptoms of a far bigger issue that Thorpe faces.

My favourite part of the attraction is the exit!

When this is what we ended up with, you think back to all the rubbish that was spoken about DBGT on its launch. So many enthusiasts coming out telling everyone it was near enough better than Universal, the best attraction "the UK" had ever produced, "that I couldnt help but clap when it finished". I even had some enthusiast friends who were scorned for not having done it yet as if it was a duty to go see it the moment it opened, as if Thorpe Park was a charity and you had an obligation to support the greatest ride ever made. Honestly... All this was said about the original version too. I wouldnt be surprised if all those people were just getting free tickets from Thorpe to say whatever the park wanted.

Lego Movie World will be coming to Legoland in 2021: https://www.southparks.co.uk/2019/07/27/the-lego-movie-world-coming-to-legoland-windsor-resort/ The area will be located near Squid Surfer and the reasonably dead area with some HB Leisure games. The new area will include a dark ride (likely a Flying Theatre like the other Movie World areas), a couple of drop towers and some play equipment:

These days, probably 400-500 an hour. I don't recall them ever saying that? Certainly, the absolute maximum throughput it could get (quoted from the manufacturer) was 925, and in practice, that was impossible (yet another problem with the whole process of this thing). Ideally, Ghost Train should operate like a Dungeons attraction in terms of its flow. You have different staff at each different section, and they all need to be following the same rhythm. They need to sticking to quite strict time schedules and get guests to follow them as well. The trouble is, whereas a Dungeons will have a dedicated (usually permanent) team, Ghost Train only has seasonal staff who also work on other rides, and aren't around for very long. This is a major issue as it means those staff can't ever share the good rhythm needed for the ride to flow well and get a good throughput. Coupled of course with reliability issues, and it's just terrible. In early 2017, the ride could get 750-800pph, which is reasonable for a ride like that at Thorpe I reckon (despite the money and advertising that went into it, Ghost Train isn't a major draw / headline attraction). Over time, that has just dropped down and down and down. This is a mix of poor design, poor planning, and overly optimistic guarantees from the manufacturer.

Hagrid's cred was popular here then... They've announced the 3rd gate park as "EPIC UNIVERSE", with a piece of concept art, and no other real information... I'll be probably more excited when they announce areas... Even if Nintendo is likely on there already...

They are including anyone in the virtual sections. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I remember when they said it would get 1,000 people per hour. Lol.

If we're lucky maybe we'll get some trampolines to go with the bouncy castle next year! Whoopee!!

Can relate. 10/10 would experience Bouncezilla with.

Well at least you get to see Derren's sexy face in the pre-show, that is the single reason why I re-ride this thing.

Okay

Awesome Old Tv show Bodger and Badger Series 4 was filmed at the park. This rare clip shows some of the park including Dragon River from the 90s. It ironically shows issues from todays maintaining of effects at Merlin parks 😂

They should cut their losses, close it and turn it into a real ghost train / scare maze. After doing a handful of VR attractions now, I'm not convinced it belongs in a theme park. I get more thrills and immersion from really well produced theming, artwork, lighting, effects, audio & animatronics. Save the money for a long overdue coaster. It may be the first time next year Paulton's start bringing some competition to Thorpe with Tornado Springs being more thrill focused from the predominantly family friendly park. Simply put, new coasters draw in the crowds and last longer than VR attractions like Galactica or DBGT:ROTD. (And they don't take up to 12pm to get them operational!)

Of all the bad things merlin have done I’m not sure closing slammer is one of them, it was a maintenance nightmare it’s amazing it went on as long as it did - along with that it wasn’t overly popular! The biggest shame is it’s not been replaced yet!

Will buy the melted plastic off you for £2, think I can make a profit on Ebay.

Oh yes @JoshC. also sent me a clue: BiGT0P iz N0T ComINg BacK. Could you help me decipher it please?

Can we just be clear about Big Top:

Those photos make me sad. Fright Nights used to be such an incredible event, what happened?