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I hope everyone gets what they wish for... ...In reality, another year waves hello to yet another shake up in Thorpe’s management, staffing, project management and direction, meaning, yet again, consistency goes out of the window. Fright Nights is sadly an unorganised and chaotic event with little to no thought, direction or drive, and change in personnel can mark very significant differences in delivery. Big Top not returning due to lack of tent? More like lack of intent, with the creative minds and team behind its success walking away heads held high after completely turning around what was a disasterous delivery in 2015...

Thing is as well, these are things that are pretty plentiful in loads of places now... Can't fall over without finding an Escape Room company (there's about 5/6 in city centre alone up in Leeds), there's numerous trampoline/activity places opening, and gaming stuff is starting to come in due to esports... But if you're interested in these things would you do them at a theme park? It's a similar question to having a Dungeons attraction at Towers (though at least at Thorpe the hours are slightly better), why would you take 45 minutes out of your day to partake in something like this after paying whatever the entry fee is? Would people rather this, or the park replacing Slammer with, well anything? These additions scream of a park under the thumb of a company giving them little money to spend, and the worrying thing is it's only going to get worse apparently since the focus is on building Legolands everywhere in the world... Towers has an attraction foisted upon them, Thorpe have no money to spend on anything worthwhile and Chessie are getting another retheme of an attraction which was mothballed... Here's the thing, these events would be fine IF (and I cannot stress the IF enough here) the rest of the park wasn't in dire straits and in desperate need of picking up, getting a dusting down (or a repaint) and generally sorting out... But the parks aren't given enough money to do this because of KPIs or ROIs are directly noticeable from such things, even though having a park that looks the part is one of the most important factors in terms of guest satisfaction... If it looks like a cheap death-trap, then likelihood is guests will come away with that viewpoint...

Yes they do. "No other company on the planet delivers projects of such quality, with such value, within the timescales achieved." MMM website http://magic.lmcpreview.co.uk/ (click Read More) MMM of course is the organisation that produces and markets all of Merlin's attraction developments, including the Alton Towers Dungeons. Also, it has regularly been used in staff inductions, promotions, etc to make out they are "second to Disney" in any sense. I rarely see it specified as being only about attendance anymore. Yes, attendance is how they originally based that claim, but they have been using it disingenuously since. Along with many other ridiculous statements they make (eg that Spring update video), Merlin seemingly DO believe they make some of the best attractions in the world. So please don't be tired of the point being raised, Merlin themselves raise it allll the time so you can expect a valid counterargument! But do you think this is going to turn out anywhere near as good as Wicker Man? When it opened, I think quite rightly Wicker Man was a big hit with the public and enthusiasts alike. Yes there was a lot of cynicism beforehand from some, but mostly about the layout. Fair enough, because it's very short compared with the many other wooden coasters that were cancelled at Alton Towers. Other than that, the rest was just speculation and people being (understandably) disillusioned with Merlin after other recent developments that were nothing like Wicker Man. Maybe not "easy money", but they do it for the reason of spreading their own brands and guaranteeing marketing success by using a pre-existing concept (and therefore guaranteeing profits, according to them). But as usual, they are even internally dysfunctional, and you're right it will cost them more in the long term. They keep proving they don't care about the long term of their parks.

I just read that Varney proclaimed that "Merlin create the best themed accommodation in the world, unrivalled by any other amusement or park operator." One can only assume that the news in the next month will have the headline "CEO of Entertainments company sectioned after finally losing the plot"...

Neither was Walking Dead The Ride though...

Can someone edit the title of this topic please, as it is not technically a completely "new" attraction as it uses the old Hocus Pocus Hall building. #petty

Looking forward to JackSilkstone's Closed Season Update video with a thumbnail that says "NEW HYPERCOASTER CONFIRMED?!?!?!?" or similar 😍

Second to Disney is not a public Marketing phrase, it is a delusional corporate mindset. They want all their staff to think the work that they do is on the same level as Disney. It is not to be taken literally as though Merlin are going around telling the public their attractions are better than Disney. It is more about them having this mindset yet going ahead with the kind of projects you would never see Disney doing in the same way.

I am seriously tiring of this argument. Yes, Merlin claim they are second to Disney in terms of attendance figures. And as a company they are. They never claim to be second to Disney in terms of quality. People who try and use this argument just come across as ill-informed and ignorant to be honest, and it cheapens your point significantly.

Because it looks (equally predictably) rubbish. No need to defend trash, it's not like Merlin actually care about this other than making easy money. They know they can pay for nothing, do a half arsed job and people will still go along with it. Most the criticism of it I've seen online has been done with humour of disbelief anyway. You don't have to like everything by default for fear of being seen as "negative". True there's always some who will complain regardless, but just look at this. Seeing how people will defend the rubbish being fed them by Merlin (they're capable of better, look at Wicker Man), more because they have something against people's opinions than because they actually like the attraction being made, is sadder in my opinion. If they made anything entertaining and original, I'd be all over it in positivity!

Blimey. *Books visit to Phantasialand*

The last post in this thread before today was August. I think we have better things to do on January 1st than change the thread titles for new attractions. But, yes, you're right. It should be named differently, and I have done so. Thank you!

Bit of closure at last for a few on here. The way they closed and deliberately misled people over the last three years is the real story here. I made my peace with Loggers closure years back and I think my favourite memory of this ride will always be riding it for 7 hours for charity back in 2004. It will forever be one of my favourite log flumes for its short and snappy ride length, decent drops and surprising level of wetness. Whilst there are technically more superior log flumes these days, Loggers was a classic. The way Thorpe treated this ride towards the end of its life with its historical significance was pretty shameful IMO.

It's more likely 'Bouncezilla' is a code word for Loggers Leap and it's now reopening this year than Swarm going backwards tbh.

Well it’s better than nothing I guess!!

Whatever could be said about Thorpe Park itself, that is genuinely a great logo.

Rides are relatively expensive to run but compare DBGT to any other ride on park, for staffing maintenance, parts, etc. They gave themselves an enormous slippery slope there. Merlin/Thorpe are definitely not thinking about operational costs when they make these decisions, so I don't think that's any reason why old rides are closed. More usually rides means more theoretical capacity for your park, so you can grow your park and get more people through the door, so more money! That's the usual model anyway. Thorpe have plenty of other space to expand so there's not much case for removing old rides. That certainly wasn't the reason Loggers Leap was closed. So yes you can keep adding new rides to a reasonable extent. As long as you're not adding DBGT, and that you're maintaining your old rides well enough to avoid a big gridlock situation where it now costs a big lump sum just to keep an old ride open. Slammer was a bit different though, it always was unreasonable even with maintenance.

This is one of those funny stories which has some truth, but was sensationalised by Thorpe to grab attention. There's a lot more detail in this post about the original plan, but this picture summarises it nicely: These are all of the considered locations. There is one location which is essentially next and parallel to Monks Walk (pretty much the back half of Dead Creek Woods and first half of Blair Witch from last year). Obviously not an ideal location. The one next to it would have involved the removal of the carousel and Mr Monkey, and again wouldn't have been great either. Eventually, the current location was decided upon, to obviously redevelop Octopus Garden (an area which was very much out of place at Thorpe). For some fun bonus info, the park did indeed have South West London Paranormal in (they've visited a few times in the past actually). Jim, who is quoted in the above article, was actually the examiner for my driving test and we spoke about it quite a bit (I also passed my test - woo!). Basically he said there was some stuff detected, some of the stuff he said was obviously used to play along with the story (since there was never any construction in that area, though they did explore the area next to Monks Walk). The group wanted to explore more on different dates, but the park refused, and I don't actually think they've been invited back the the park since.. Funnily enough, that was one of the best, far-reaching, pieces of marketing the park have ever done. It was picked up all over the world, with everyone wanting interviews with the park, wanting to know their next steps, etc. It just really captured the attention and imagination of everyone. And all of that for Storm Surge! It's why I always feel they should capitalise on the local history and mythology behind it more. The nearby Chertsey Abbey opened in 666AD. There's mythology of a headless monk haunting the town and Monks Walk. It practically writes itself for a dark ride or Fright Nights maze.

No it’s not Blackpool.

I don't know why everyone thinks an RMC is gonna happen over Loggers Leap. We forget the 5 golden rules with any new permanent Thorpe attraction these days: 1) Must have an IP and world-first. 2) Must be a dark theme. 3) Must be a short-term investment. 4) Must involve actors. 5) Must be naff. An RMC or hyper-coaster would break most, if not all these rules; stuff Thorpe clearly doesn't dare want to compromise on!

A terrible decision. Loggers Leap was, as has been said previously, a very popular family ride which filled a much-needed gap at Thorpe. It was of a far superior quality to the likes of Storm Surge and had a much higher throughput to match. The loss of this ride further displays Thorpe's absolute lack of direction, when they prioritise IP attractions over maintaining key staple attractions you know there is something wrong. Furthermore, the communication on social media regarding this over the last 3 years has been absolutely unacceptable. Saying it's closed for maintenance (at the very first stage), then that it'll make a splashback, saying the area was under redevelopment (looks like that's gone well... 3 years?!). It's a joke. Thorpe is in a dire state and this further highlights that. 3 years to announce that it'll never return, that's 3 years that they could've been refurbishing it or rebuilding its replacement. Also, remind me why we have to have one-in, one-out with things like this? Like, Wicker Man at Alton is great but now the park only has two water rides (one of which is broken, the other has only worth doing on the hottest of days). Why not build a new coaster, and keep the water ride? -- In other news, Pleasurewood Hills have announced today that their Rattlesnake roller coaster (closed in 2016) will reopen this year. Isn't that nice.

Is this just an amazing coincidence given the timing this was posted on Instagram, or are Liseberg being proper trolls to Thorpe right now? Either way, I love it! And just to remind everyone, Liseberg's FlumeRide is now 46 years old and still looks and runs better than any remaining log flume left in Britain......

Well, it's not gonna be open in the 2019 season so...

Question for Coaster Jamie.

Happy 25th to the UK's most well loved and admired rollercoaster. To think on this day in 1994 a coaster that would come to define a generation of fans was opening for the first time. And in all this time, for me at least, nothing built since can match this iconic ride.

Aaaah, on park today and it's so refreshing to see that the retheme of Hocus Pocus Hall to Room on the Broom has been executed perfectly with no reference of the old 4D attraction anywhere across the park. More importantly, the goblins are nowhere to be seen. Excellent work Chessington......

As we know, Annual Pass holders are the most considerate, open minded and tolerant of Thorpe Parks guests. They will be completely fine with Stealth and Quantum being closed. Crap.

Wow... some of their social media replies really are shocking, you'd think this was coming from a fan account with 10 followers not the official Twitter page! Then again. I suppose it's better than nothing.

They are making the Stealth track and vehicles completely grey and then hanging a massive question mark underneath the Stealth arch for 2019 season.

I go to Merlin attractions still because despite all the criticisms I make on here, (shocker to all the readers), I still actually enjoy visiting them. Yeah, weird right isn't it? But seriously, just because I visit their attractions does not automatically mean I should love and adore every little thing they do and not utter a single piece of criticism in the process. If I see a flaw or something silly, I will point it out when I feel it is right to do so. In this case, commenting on the absolutely revolting entrance to the Alton Towers Dungeon by simply hiding Charlie's theming with planks of wood, and mocking the delusional mindset of Merlin in the process. If you look at my comments on things like Wicker Man and Gruffaloworks, you will see I have praised them very highly at times, so I'm not a Merlin hater and will give credit when I see it. It's just with the Alton Towers Dungeon, I'm finding very few reasons to praise this right now. I simply just expect better from this company. Simples.

Regardless of the 2nd to Disney discussion, that is still a weak entrance. Tiny portion of theming and then timber. It's just not good enough, however you feel about Merlin, and I don't think I'm Merlin bashing by saying that. There's no axe to grind, it's just not very good.

But do you see the contradiction here? I think you just accept it and don't see anything wrong with it, whereas others do. It is a valid point people make, I say people shouldnt just accept spin and hyperbole from a company screwing guests over with poor value. They should ask for better than what Merlin thinks it can get away with at high prices forever. If anything people use the second to Disney claim to poke fun at the flaws in Merlin's entire operation, not just criticising one statement they make. If Merlin stopped trying to convince people they were the best at themed accomodation, produced the best quality/most innovative attraction projects "in the world" and trying to brainwash its staff, then there'd still be all the other problems. It's just that their attitude is nicely summed up by the "second to Disney" contradiction. They will make even more noise about it once they "catch"/"stomp"/"crush the mouse" or whatever nasty variant of that phrase they're on to now.

It's the very first thing they say to all new staff in inductions, something like: "We're chasing the mouse, our aim is to be bigger than Disney" accompanied by a slide showing them as second to Disney.

The trick is that you've queued for hours to go on it in the vain hope it has been "continually invested for years to come" when it hasnt

Some progress on the Splash Canyon death, no corporate manslaughter or gross negligence charges to be brought to the park: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-47443195 Good news really, as if that had been the case we'd have seen another swathe of H&S implementations at the death of throughput... Especially on rides without restraints built in...

Oh the memories.

You've misinterpreted my post a bit, this is always the nature of planning in its earliest stages, it's not rushed or low effort if its just a desktop study. I was just pointing out that a picture on a map doesn't necessarily mean that much in planning terms. At most they would have visited Monks walk to check the measurement of the site. It was probably only included to show that Octopus Garden was the best out of some very poor locations. It would be an obvious (I hope) nonstarter having Storm Surge placed by Monks Walk. Although I'm hopefully not as negative as you make out, yes, I think that many things Thorpe Park have done in recent years have been rushed and amateurish. I do try to only post about things I've had some perspective on (ie not talking out of my bum!) but am always open to hearing from others if they have a different point of view. I'm always open to them changing their ways but I've watched Thorpe Park go from one of the best to the dumbest parks in the UK that's for sure. Would love for it to be more professionally run, but I doubt that will happen through Merlin. Storm Surge remains a beacon of total naffness for the park and I will never forget the hilarious day it opened.

Nothing screams “best themed accommodation” more than the gorgeous Thorpe Shark Hotel. Love me some shipping containers!!

IAC is staying alongside an RMC themed to Dec downing a bottle of Jack Daniels and going drink driving through the jungle/Pinewood Studios, though Merlin only gave the park a budget of £50 so they've just got an old wacky worm and put some nice fencing from B&Q around the area hoping nobody will notice. You heard it here first! #worldsfirsthybridwackyworm

An unnecessary expenditure for the park. They are restricted with capital so are unable to build a new half decent attraction and so have no choice but to try and focus on events to bolster the line up and sell as a reason to return. I suspect that they have very little impact on the parks revenue and advertising these events is just a way of reminding the public Thorpe Park exists. These events aren't going to turn anyone away but I doubt they will bring that many people in either. It just seems like a trick to get Merlin to release some capital for advertising so they can draw people into the park on the merits of existing attractions. Tomorrow will be a fun one when Merlin provide the preliminary financial results for 2018. That might be able to give us an insight into the lack of investment.

TBH i'd get bored if I used fastrack all the time!

I mean, there were arguably rides which were major that opened before Loggers - namely Space Station Zero and Thunder River. And yeah, as much as I like Loggers, I don't really see the need for it be made a heritage site. That's crazy tbh I've always felt that if a coaster replaces Loggers, having a double-down element where the main drop was would be pretty cool. Following the entire route sounds a bit too much, but I think that'd be a pretty neat nod and a cool thing in itself.

Dont think it’s that simple - think the park genuinely did want it to return, but were not able to to secure the budget for it to do so. A lot of people talk about how it’s been “left to rot” but in reality apart from a few overgrown trees it’s probably not in much worse state than it was on its last day of operation - just the modifications which it requires are deemed not worth it unfortunately.

It's just completely inappropriate really. A lot of the replies love it though so I guess if you loved Thorpe, just don't visit anymore and visit parks that value your time and money. Thorpe sure as hell don't anymore.

I mean, Thorpe's response would be funnier if the original comment wasn't true. Prices do go up, the length of the queues has increased, meaning on busier days ride counts go down. I'm all for banter from the parks, but when it's in the face of legitimate points, regardless of how they're presented, it loses all credibility.

That was me 😂 Pretty stupid reply from TP, in my opinion.

2020: A Mack Wild Mouse themed to Operation Yewtree 2021: A children's playground with year round live scare actors 2022: "The Thorpe Park Dungeon" 2023: The Octopus Garden rides return in the Saw area 2024: The whole "resort" falls apart from neglect, Merlin assure everyone that they are looking into options and that despite nothing being open, there are tons of events to look forward to on the beach this summer, including The Cannibal Holocaust Experience and the return of Love Island (which got cancelled in 2022) 2025: The Thorpe Housing Estate The worrying thing is that whilst I'm exaggerating, it's not by much. Merlin really do need to go.

I think someone needs to just add this into the Burnt Stub Mansion Topic- New For 1348!