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Id argue f&b has moved more to the grab and go concept lately. So theoretically hot dog stands should be doing well. However what the theme parks never attempted or even really acknowledge was the changing tastes. Merlin continued to provide the same incredibly poor standard burgers and hot dogs across the parks. While generally tastes became more varied. Mexican grab and go should have been added years ago. The burger places should have started doing various things with chicken like the McDonald's wraps. Not to mention the vast move to healthy eating and vegi/vegan options. Meanwhile the sit down places should have been offering a higher quality product so that spending more there felt worth it. I don't see how contracting out the food operations is going to help the feeling of overpriced food and drinks in the parks but I guess we will have to wait and see.

Worth noting that along with Rocky Express and Timber Tug Boat leaving the Rides Listing page, so too has Wet Wet Wet: https://www.thorpepark.com/explore/theme-park/rides/ Though it did not open at all last year, it was still listed on the website: https://web.archive.org/web/20210918113557/https://www.thorpepark.com/explore/theme-park/rides/ Interesting if Timber leaves and Lumber stays. I would have thought that ripping out Wet Wet Wet and replacing it with Timber and Lumber would have created a nice little family friendly area, with those two, Flying Fish, Depth Charge and the Beach.

Thinking about this made me realise that most (possibly all) of the screen-heavy dark rides I've done have been interactive (ie shooters). And as I enjoy shooters, I've got positive experiences with dark rides with screens. But at the same time, the ones which are better are the ones where the use of screens is justified and is blended in with real world environments. I certainly think that more traditional dark rides can benefit from screens if done correctly. I would be more cautious to experience a dark ride which is screen, blank, screen, blank.

Things like mouse au chocolate / ninjago as they are interactive its fine, but I wouldnt like a screens that are for non interactive purposes

New promotional picture. Still no re-opening date, "summer 2022" is the official line at the moment.

Much the same with me really - I quite like screens on dark rides, especially when properly combined with physical sets. I do understand people's issue with screens though. Some rides really do rely too heavily on them, and I do sometimes think they can take away from what a dark ride should be. I haven't been on Skull Island, but it looks almost as disappointing as Fast and Furious, which was an absolute joke. When used subtly though they're great - one ride that impressed me was Revenge of the Mummy - that uses physical sets and fire etc, along with subtle screens that are only used briefly to simulate scarab beetles coming out of the cracks in the wall - brilliant.