JoshC.

If Thorpe get a Top Spin I will scream and cry and hate life.

So I've done some more digging. There's a fuller info piece on our site: https://www.thorpeparkmania.co.uk/index.php/2024/11/07/is-a-thorpe-park-hotel-about-to-start-construction/ In short, the hotel isn't planned to start construction yet. The park created a business case internally, and needed architects to create visuals. The company involved had on their website that construction would start in late 2024, but either this was incorrect or plans changed, and that has been removed. It will fit in with the park's development strategy. Simply put, we aren't seeing a hotel start building tomorrow. But it certainly seems the idea is alive again.

One of the over-riding conditions related to the Thorpe Hotel proposal - which has been in place since the park first looked into it almost 20 years ago(!!) - was that they wouldn't have more than 250 hotel rooms on site. I wonder if them looking into a smaller hotel means they're looking at keeping the Shark Cabins (which currently has 90 rooms, but permission for up to 184)? So that way they can have a budget option and a more expensive option. Also, having looked into the planning application a bit more - the current main hotel application is still valid and can be used for development.

Ehhhh, I wouldn't say it's the best area for rides. Putting a ride / rides in that area means it's literally slapped right into view, dead and centre, as you leave the Dome. Means it needs to be visually pleasing and high throughput, to fit into the park and handle the crowds. That minimises the amount of ride options. The space isn't that big. The whole Beach area and Depth Charge is about the same space as Stealth (the park's smallest coaster). You could create a densely packed ride in that space, btu again, visually, is it a good look when you enter the park? And it wouldn't be "another" stage, I'd imagine. It will be a permanent stage where all the shows / events can be based. And in doing that, they can have more money / tech dedicated to the production.

Interesting. The website suggests that the design was to continue in 2023, with construction starting in 2024. It says its subject to planning approval, but no new application related to the hotel has gone in in recent years. They do have permission granted for a hotel on that site, from almost 10 years ago, but I don't know the rules around all that as to whether that'd still be valid. A "proper" hotel should still be on the cards for the park, but it doesn't seem like it will be happening just yet.. Would be nice to be proved wrong. However, what I will say...I don't like the look of those images.

TPM article: https://www.thorpeparkmania.co.uk/index.php/2024/11/06/thorpe-park-submit-beach-replacement-plans/ Looks nice and smart and a good use of the space.

Moved this thread to The Future. We've got a few different threads going now for things related to the 2025 season, with our General 2025 Season thread, the Amity Beach work thread and now this. Happy to keep them separate for now though. --- As for Sparkle 2025, I think it's worth tempering expectations a bit, in the sense that nothing has been officially confirmed. Whilst the park did say they hoped / intended for the Sparkle Project to continue on in future years, it was never confirmed. And with the Thorpe Park Passholder Group closed, we've no way of finding out what the next step is. The park did say they intended to remove Slammer this winter, so that's something to keep an eye out for. Colossus obviously sits half repainted, so it will be interesting to see if the other half gets done. Things like Inferno and Rumba could definitely benefit from some attention. Even Swarm could too. As I say, I think it's worth tempering expectations, not just because we've got no confirmation that Sparkle 2025 is happening, but also because of murmurings of cuts. At present, that's just rumours, but I think there's never smoke without a bit of fire at least. And naturally, bits of TLC will be the first thing to get cut. Of course, whatever happens with the Beach could be considered part of a Sparkle project in itself, but I think that's worth treating as separate for now.

Lucifer's Lair has been an absolute crown jewel of Fright Nights this year. The atmosphere in the area resembles that of a scream park rather than a Halloween event at a theme park. The variety of shows makes it easy to re-visit on the same night, or just pass through. The amount of fire is wonderful. The actors and theme give the opportunity for a more dark humour and adult tone (whilst still keeping it PG given its an event anyone can visit), which isn't something that any other attraction on park achieves. It's been my favourite FN attraction both this year and last. But tonight, when the park was heaving, just to be able to spend time there, watch a couple of the shows and see the electric atmosphere that there was, really does show that this is a superb zone, and I really hope the park continues to run it in future Fright Nights.

There had been a fair amount of discourse about the "Final Beach Party" poster that appeared by DeadBeat... With the date being today, last day for season, and time being advertised as "8.25pm". There were some people expecting something to happen on the Beach at that time. There was a small gathering of people by the Beach at this time, but actors from the Creature Campus dance show told people the party had relocated to Stealth. At 8.30pm, the final Creature Campus show of the season played out as normal, no additions. Now, with work currently happening to dig up the Beach, it seems like something is happening there. And the aim of the poster is to tell us the Beach is going, with the time of "8.25pm" being a nod to "20.25", ie it being replaced for the 2025 season. Seems like it didn't gather enough steam to become an issue. But this is perhaps a cautionary tale for Thorpe to try to not be too clever with their Easter eggs... Also, does again seem to suggest we're seeing a Beach replacement in 2025. Again, with no indication of plans submitted, no tease beyond what we've got, and the location we have, I expect we're not in for a new ride. Flattening out the area and turning into a space for the stage, with permanent seating, would be a good option in my books.

Looks good. I'd assume it isn't just a copy and paste job as there would have been some thought about publishing it. I don't think these tend to get finalised until later in the year / early 2025, so we could see some tweaks yet, as well as additions / later closing times like we did this year. But yeah, stable opening times is a win at the moment. Hopefully they can experiment with some later closings over summer, but even if they stay as is, I'm happy with what we've got.

Make Poland another trip. I get you want to do a lot and are excited by the prospect of doing Energylandia and the country in general, but it's better to try and localise things. Waiting longer for Poland, for example, won't mean you'll miss out on anything (in that, everything you want out there will still be there a year or two later), but it'll be much easier to do. Another general note: from a personal perspective, I found it took me a couple of trips before I was able to minimise costs, whilst still keeping quality good. That might just be a me thing, but if you cram in too much in a first trip, you also run the risk of the cost spiralling more than how it might have been over a couple of different trips

Just on a more logistical perspective, how would you plan to carry around sufficient clothing? I'd imagine you're not planning on taking 3 weeks' worth of clothes, but then you need to factor in accommodations / time and places to do washing and drying of clothes. And that could well increase costs more than you initially realise. It would also be a lot to lug around when using public transport! Port Aventura, Europa and Phantasialand are parks you don't want to do in a day, especially if you're at the mercy of public transport and not able to guarantee getting there for opening / staying until closing. You certainly could get all the major / highlights done in a day, but they're parks which deserve more time. In general, as others have said, it's a lot of travelling to do. I will say it's sensible you've got non-theme park days; it's something you hear people mentioning of getting burnt out of theme parks after doing so many in such quick succession. I will add as well that, broadly speaking, the norm is that people will do these big multi-park trips whilst driving, as opposed to using public transport. It's possible of course, but harder. It may mean it's harder to get advice related to travelling to some of those parks by public transport though. Have you ever heard of coast2coaster.com ? It's a great tool for planning multi-park trips (or just for finding out if a park is near a certain place you're going). You're looking at doing multiple parks in multiple countries and, simply put, it's something which realistically should be done across multiple trips. You're already looking at some Dutch and Belgian parks, so perhaps consider something along the lines of visiting: Parc Asterix Plopsaland Walibi Belgium Walibi Holland Toverland Efteling (also not a 1 day park, FYI) Phantasialand You could chuck on extra parks like Europa / Energylandia if you wanted to travel further afield too. There's a couple of parks there that aren't on your list, but definitely worth looking at. Doing those parks also gives you some time to look at nearby cities / take breaks, which if part of your plan currently (although, again, different places). It significantly reduces the travelling, and also the length required. Obviously it's your trip and your plan, but I think anyone who's done a big multi-park trip before will strongly recommend you scale it down a touch, in regards to distance travelled and length of the trip.

Plopsa is a lovely little park and RtH has obviously been such a wise move for them. I've been to the park 3 times since its opened and never seen it on 2 trains (which included a trip in the middle of summer and it on a 1hr+ queue...), so hopefully they can operate and maintain it appropriately. Anubis is slept on a bit these days. Good ride. I'm intrigued to see what they do next. Their indoor Bumba World has no doubt filled a gap / extending the offering for younger audiences, but I thought it was a bit rubbish in comparison to the Maya Land, with the dark ride being quite weak. The park could probably benefit from a new, more modern, high throughput 1m restriction coaster. Vekoma/Gerstlauer have good offerings on that front. Big issue I have with Plopsa - as you noted - is the cost. Food is expensive and not good quality. Park tickets are reasonable enough, but then with parking, etc, it's not cheap. I've noticed that they've been doing more UK-focused marketing lately, so they do seem to be capitalising on their location more, so it'll be interesting to see what they do next. Looking forward to your thoughts on Asterix!!

Guys I think ParmPap lost their job at Merlin.

Yep. I think there could be some short term issues, with staff maybe relocating and jumping ship to Universal due to the name. But Universal is a premium name at a premium price. No doubt there will be people who will choose to save up for a trip there over somewhere like Towers or Thorpe. But Towers and Thorpe will settle in nicely, and somewhere like Thorpe might even benefit in a weird way, given its close location to Heathrow. Obviously very early, so hard to say for certain what will happen. But I'm not sure Universal will cause as many issues as some expect. Very similar for me on Sunday: I went in with low expectations and only really wanting to do 3 things (Nemesis, Hex and Compound). I got on more, but it is so easy to end up doing so little. What happens at the moment when you go to Dark Forest and Th13teen is experiencing an issue? Rita is dead, the Skyride isn't there to take you away, and Hex isn't exactly a thrill ride. So for those looking for a more thrilling ride, they've wandered to a dead end and now have to go all the way to X Sector or Wicker Man. That's a lot of idle walking time. And of course, if you don't want to do a coaster, you've got few options. Hex, Granny, Blade, Curse, Sub Terra, Rapids or Battle Galleons are the main options. Battle Galleons is more of a warm weather ride. Rapids are shut. Blade, Curse and Sub Terra are located very close together, in a more isolated area of the park. Granny is more a kids ride. Your options getting crossed off very quickly. Personally, I think the decision to add a flat ride in Forbidden Valley is not necessarily the right one. More flat rides, yes. Another filler ride in FV, when there's other parts of the park in dire need of support, isn't the best move. It's not a quick fix, it's a long journey. Let's not forget that right now the next installation is a ride type which was removed almost 10 years ago. They've got a long way to go to get back to where they were, let alone improve.