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I'm really impressed by the ride teams at Thorpe. We really take for granted how hard they work to keep the rides moving so efficiently. It's really telling how good we have it, The Swarm probably had the worst ops but they were still only stacking trains for about 10 seconds per cycle (and that is an exaggeration). The Hyperia team must have been chosen by the goddess themselves, because they run that ride so well, never stacking, always dispatching as soon as they can. Also shout out to Inferno's team who were doing a great job. They need a batcher though as lots of trains going out with two empty seats next to each other. And finally, the older I get the more I see myself preferring Thorpe's coaster line up to Altons. As much as I like Nemesis Reborn, I think the rest of the line up is either gimmicky nonsense, run awfully or just dull. Whereas Inferno is running the best Ive seen it (honestly, it's so good right now), Stealth and the Swarm are just so much fun, Hyperia manages to be open ( ) and I still love hanging out around Colossus and hearing that music. In general Thorpe is just a better experience all round. Better hours, better rides, better food, better operations. I would have never said that 20 years ago, but now, to me, Thorpe is in a different league.

Colossus being closed would improve my visit 😉

I totally agree that paying to park at theme park sucks, but trying to get out of it by “outsmarting” the system or whatever is poor behaviour. It’s like these idiots you see with cameras in Police officers’ faces, not breaking any laws, but trying for hours to catch them out or get a rise out of them. Not breaking any rules, but it’s scumbag behaviour. The reality is, if you get out of the car park somehow without paying, weather that be by tailgating someone at the barrier, driving the wrong side of the road out of the entrance, holding up the queue while arguing with staff to open the barrier, or whatever, I doubt very much that anyone would do anything about it, but if someone does something stupid or aggressive in order to get out without paying, they’re are an absolute piece of sh!t. 🤷‍♂️ The rules apply to everyone. Nobody should do stupid things to get out of paying, and certainly nobody should be trying to lean on the staff to let them out etc - they aren’t there for that and it isn’t fair. There will always be people who try to flout the rules, but I suppose it comes down to the sort of person you want to be. Some in our society simply don’t care. But if we all behaved like that, 1, we’d be in a mess, and 2, the parks would simply make whatever changes are needed to close the loophole. on the other hand however - if you choose not to buy a parking ticket in advance, and take a chance that the exit barriers might be open at the end of the day etc, I think that’s fair enough if you’re let out without paying but were willing to pay at the exit 🤷‍♂️

Stealth is scheduled to be closed 23rd - 25th July. I assume this will be launch cable replacement.

The push for digital only ORPs. That said they're still about and have 2 physical ones that I've purchased since 2023. Can I change it to things you now see all the time? Because vloggers. And (especially at Towers) cosplayers are just everywhere. Saw someone last weekend in full Phalanx get up complete with name badge and box with fake egg of Nemesis creature in it. It’s weird to me.

In a nice, but admittedly very random, addition, Colossus now has a smoke effect! https://x.com/ThorpeParkMania/status/1936799436602065404?t=uY0MNotqAIdP5sGeIsb4tA&s=19

I get the reference however.. The only thing worse than people moaning about Christmas stuff in shops in August is forums talking about halloween.

It's the (unfortunate) reality of theme parks. The overwhelming majority of theme parks charge for parking these. And Thorpe Park is probably on the lower-side of average for theme parks in Europe. And cheap compared to America. Not that it should be a race to a bottom, but again, that's the reality. It's a weird one. If you were to go to any car park and park for 6+ hours, you're looking at paying over a tenner anyway. So not exactly different to a theme park. There's an argument for sure about the differences between the need for a theme park car park versus, say, a shopping centre car park, and how that should impact cost, but that's a different point for now. Ultimately the point you're making is a universal one across theme parks. Most parks have high costs for food, parking, etc, on top of an entry fee and have high-cost extras too. It's the way they are. If you're looking at technicalities of whether they can charge for things legally, it's kind of splitting hairs in my opinion

Private land so can do what they want within reason. Including charging for parking. There's problem some different laws/rulings written up for the various situations of car parking.

I'm no expert, but... I don't believe they can fine you if you left the car park without paying. The park have not opted to be a part of any regulator for car parks. It is not necessary for them to do this. This means they don't have to follow any rules about displaying T&Cs every so often, don't require clearly marked bays for cars, etc. That comes with the downsides of not being able to fine, not being able to punish drivers who park improperly, etc. The park state on their website, app and signage that there is a charge to park on site. This is clear enough that they can say they have made a reasonable and justifiable attempt to inform the customer if anyone was to kick up a fuss. So if you realllllly wanted, you could try and argue they're not able to force you to pay, meaning you could either: -Forcably drive through and break a barrier (and then be liable for destruction of property) -Exit the car park the way you came in. Again, there's technically nothing they can do even though you're driving the wrong way. But the second you leave the park (ie go underneath the coaster track), you're back under normal laws and made a conscious choice to drive on the wrong side of the road as a result. That's a big whoopsie. Most importantly, the park have been doing this for over a decade. Plenty of other visitor attractions have done the same. If there was a notable legal issue with this, it would have been brought up and resolved by now. Your whole point kinda feels like being awkward for the sake of it to be honest.

"Lands" at Thorpe is a cyclical process, they get removed and re-added every 3-5 years 😁 I know it's peak season but some of those queue times yesterday were horrific - Hyperia being ded all day didn't help, but Detty on an hour, Walking Dead on 80-90 minutes, Storm Surge on 80-90 minutes. Stealth, Nemmy and Colossus were all 100+ at one point. Grim. But at least the park is making some money so the Tidal Wave flame effect is instated for 2026.

Nah, too quick!

Green bulb replacement

Smiler is constantly Towers busiest ride but that doesn't make it the most popular 😘

Define slow. I believe they can dispatch as soon as the 1st train has cleared the lift hill.

Voltron is really REALLY good. Relentless in pacing and doesn't let up aside from the turntable and final brakes. A good variety of elements as well keeps things interesting and the airtime I don't think gets mentioned much. And if people think it's rough then they clearly don't know what a rough ride is. Blue Fire walked so Voltron could run. Straight into my top 3.

I have seen them counting down the inferno dispatches, going ‘next train leave in 30s’ then counting down, but I think it depends on the operator. Haven’t seen it this season but the last 2 it’s definitely happened to me on multiple occasions.

To me it’s always seemed that a train can dispatch after it’s passed the block brakes before the slow right-hand turn next to the maintenance shed. Back in 2009 sort of time, when the park was heaving after Saw opened, the operators on the coasters used to count down over the tannoy, and often the trains would be ready to go and would have to actually wait to be sent - the operations back then were incredible at times. Inferno would regularly dispatch before the next train had to come to a stop. I remember very regularly coming back to the station and watching the dispatched train in front fully leave the station and be out of sight round the corner as we rolled in without stopping. I’ve never seen it dispatch earlier than that though - I suppose in theory the lift hill creates a block doesn’t it? So I guess if it would be setup to do so, a train could be sent before the other one reaches the first brakes as the lift hill would stop if the block ahead (the main layout) isn’t clear by then? Not a lot of point though because realistically it’s rarely going to be that quick, and would literally save a couple of seconds at the very best

VID_20211016_121210~2.mp4

Thorpe have certainly done a lot right the last couple years and its great to see. It was great to see an American enthusiast group so enthusiastic about Thorpe are Hyperia in particular on twitter. Believe Hyperia got its record throughput of 54 trains in an hour on their ERT too. I used to love Nemesis but have never liked reborn as much as the original. Inferno seems to get better and better every year, can't beat an old school B&M.

Stealth's station audio has made a soft return, with the revving and pre-launch message now playing again!

Ok there are plenty of jokes to be had with this one, but I’ve got a few observations of things that have quietly disappeared from theme parks over the last decade or so. Park branded Ponchos This is a weird one for me. Seemingly overnight about 10 years ago these all just vanished out of thin air. These used to be everywhere. On all the water rides there would always be people wearing them, and when it rained there were ponchos galore! Although I know it was a waste of plastic, I almost miss seeing these. I remember being in Florida years ago and spotting countless UK park ponchos around. The iconic “don’t wet yourself” Thorpe ones were everywhere. Cigarette smoke As someone who’s always lived in a non smoking house, growing up I always associated the smell of smoke with theme parks! It’s a sign of the times I suppose, but the smell of smoke has all but disappeared from theme parks (replaced by those toilet air fresheners that people suck on now). Wasps Another sign of the times I think. Many of the fizzy drinks are now sugar free by default. The queue lines across the UK were always dreadful for wasps during the summer time. Remember those horrible wasp catchers they used to hang in the trees that were always full to the brim with dead ones? On ride photos What happened to these? You used to see countless people wandering around with ORPs at the parks! They seem to have faded away!

Thank you everyone for your help and advice! We all had a blast - great little park with the good and unique rides! Some key takeaways that took me by surprise however… The merch is HYSTERICALLY expensive. Frankly it’s no wonder Merlin are in a financial state. It’s clear that nobody ever buys anything any more from seeing the evidence - dust on a lot of the ridiculously priced novelty mugs- which priced far higher than better quality ones at DLP. Most of the restaurants and coffee shops today were closed, including the fish and chip place, burger kitchen, and the chicken shop. I poked my head in to Pizza Pasta to see the prices, and most tables were vacant at lunch time, which I’m not surprised about given it’s £22.something pp…. Clearly Merlin’s pricing strategy is not working if they can’t even half fill the only open restaurant at lunchtime… There is evidence that Merlin are struggling - the area where the show was is very out of place now, and there are bits around the park that show signs that the company isn’t doing well - the rapids sat abandoned, a lot of decor falling in to disrepair, etc. the car parks are also not staffed at all, causing chaos with cars going in all directions due to conflicting signage etc. single staffed cafe in heartlake as well was not good for anyone involved. Also many rides stayed closed throughout the day. HOWEVER - it’s a great little park. Plenty of people having a great time! The railway is a fantastic attraction! Lots of interaction on the way round, and brilliant team working there! the new duelling coasters are excellent and seem to be going down extremely well. (ignoring the dreadful landscaping and plastic sheeting on the fences?!?!) another high capacity ride somewhere in the park would be very welcome I think. I really like some of the finer details around - like the slides on the hill down to the main park, and the little rivers down the paths. Really adds to the experience for the little ones. When they build something on Viking River Splash, it’s a huge plot in a great location. Hopefully something good coming here soon! Overall, impressed. Certainly an expensive day out now, and I think Merlin need to be careful not to let the experience slip any further as it’s borderline at the moment….. but still on the right side of quality vs price at the moment I think.

Visited Thorpe Park for the first time in a couple of years on Saturday - arrived for opening and left just before closing. I was really surprised at how quiet the park was, and it seemed even more quiet judging by the queue times on the app yesterday. How are they performing against their expected visitors this year, are numbers significantly down or did the hot weather maybe just deter people from visiting over the weekend? I'm wondering if maybe the prices are just too high to justify for some people now. Anyway - had a fantastic day, the park was clean and the touch ups that were done for Hyperia (things like the old school Samurai paint job etc.) were noticeable. Hyperia is great - managed to get on it twice before we left.

Sounds like the discourse over Nemmie Rebs atm. Saturday didn’t feel much in the way of roughness at all. Way people go on about it makes it sound like riding an old school Vekoma.

Rode it twice today. Dunno what all this discourse is about it being rough. It's fine. There are vibrations present, and you can notably see the train shift during the stall. But it doesn't negatively affect the ride experience for me. There are significantly worse rides out there, even in the park itself. I will say it is more vibratey than say this time last year though, and it does make me fear for how the ride will age. But yeah, for now, I'd love to ride it with someone who is calling this rough and see what on earth is going on. Because if that's rough, then....

They just need to scrap it now. It does nothing for anyone, it's costly, it has a terrible atmosphere with ride hosts shouting down the PA and down megaphones all the time. It's also an awful ride that barely gets you wet. Opening 3 hours after park opening? Get rid. Not worth the effort.

Credit to DigitialDan on Twitter. I mean, that's one way to fix the screen - put a massive sign in front of it. AI is not the one though, look at those Hyperia wings 🙃

I did a Hyperia coaster climb this evening. There was some chatter when it was made live about the cost being expensive (£120). It is, no beating around the bush. But it is worth it. My experience was about 3hrs all in, and included lots of time spent scaling the ride, time spent in the console and time spent around the turnaround outside the station, with lots of opportunities for photos, fabulous hosts and a great vibe. Find attached a variety of photos (of me). I'll write a proper TPM article later.

so uh been a few weeks (in fact a month) and no soundtrack

First not-too-good day at Thorpe in a while it appears today. Colossus is closed all day, and was yesterday. Nemesis Inferno closed all day. Stealth on one train.