JoshC.

There haven't been any updates recently. There's no indication of when it might open beyond "Spring". However, I'd say it's looking unlikely it will open this month now.

Is it that they've always put OTSRs on their coasters, or that they've chosen coasters which require OTSRs? I think Smiler is the only example where they effectively had a choice between OTSRs and lapbars. You could argue in the past they were consciously choosing coasters with OTSRs in part because they had them. But that's a flimsy argument at best. I'd also so the modern lapbar has only come into fashion fully in the last decade, and Merlin simply haven't added that many coasters in the time frame. So it's less that they've created a culture, it's more that they haven't kept up with culture.

This is the least controversial opinion in this thread.

I have to echo Matt's comments sadly. We can say everything about this being a "preview" day, and so that gives the park an out for not having everything be ready. But at the same time, this is still the first day the park is open for 2023, and it felt like the park wasn't really ready in some ways. To highlight the point... -Incomplete renovation of the Lower Dome -No visual work done to various new F&B outlets (Doughnut Time in Lost City, Tacotina, etc) -Multiple rides not ready -Signage not in place I'm understanding that these things can sometimes be out of the park's control. And again, this is a preview. But when there's so many things that aren't ready, you have to wonder if it's poor planning from the park, since they're the common denominator. Dobble Tea Party is an inoffensive retheme tbh, but I hope they paint the entire building purple. The higher up parts are still dark blue and it's a jarring contrast. On a more positive note, the Lower Dome looks nice and I'm sure will be cool when complete. The picnic area replacing Containment is a nice idea, and if they add some more shrubbery it'll be cool. There's been some good touch ups throughout the park and they've made some positive changes, as have already been documented. It's fair to say though that they should also be looking at the wider picture of the park, because things feel disjointed and a bit weak for now.

It's funny how the park have managed to convince people that the return of paper maps is a new thing, and that this is some new style map. The map has been around for a few years around the park. Paper maps returned last year, with event overlays also happening too. People have short memories. The map focusing on direction and ease of use is weird. The park have said they're not focusing on themed areas because the park is small, yet they're using a highly accurate, bordering on bland, map so people can direct themselves. It's like the park hear feedback and seesaw from one extreme to the other, even if it creates contradiction. The BK modernisation is a good thing for practicality. However, to completely lose the theming is a real shame, especially when they seemed to be focusing on smaller details again.

Whilst it could be read as this is the final year of the contract (which would make sense as Thorpe/Merlin tend to favour 3 year contracts on IPs for smaller attractions), it could also be read as "we don't/can't confirm beyond this year due to the contract with the IP". BML could easily remain without the Black Mirror branding too tbf, with no changes to the experience. Though if they want to repurpose Slammer's site for a ride in the future, arguably it should leave when that time comes.

It looks nice in isolation in an "abandoned train station" vibe, which seems to be the theme/story. I'm still concerned how it will look in a wider context when you look at it integrated with the brick warehouse. Whilst I understand why they're showing close ups of the work, I think it's also telling that they're not showing wider pictures.

Not quite in the way you're describing. They have a team of 'Entertainment Technicians', some of who will have experience and ability to do creative work. But their focus will be more on the technical work for events, rather than scenic work. The park work closely with external companies, like Unique Concepts and UVE, to provide creative scenic work. In the last couple of years, there's also been overlap of Thorpe and Chessington departments - for example, I believe the Creek Freaks Unchained float used during last FN was designed and made by Chessington's creative team. In the past, Thorpe have had more scenic creative individuals, and have pushed for a more dedicated department. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, it just has happened.

That track still looks grey to me, not blue.

Hadn't heard of Dobble until I saw this. Random sponsor is random. Let's face it, it will always be referred to as "The Teacups" by anyone who rides it. Also, put me in the camp of people who felt that this didn't need any work. On the one hand, it's good to see stuff which doesn't necessarily need attention being given attention. On the other hand, it's a shame when there's other, more pressing, things which should be dealt with too.

The beyond vertical drop..? I don't know for absolute certain, but there's very little theming from Old Town which could realistically be moved to Mexicana and thematically fit. So I'd say the answer is "Nothing have been relocated".

It's a Rocky Express, it's an Enterprise, it's a... https://twitter.com/AttractionSc/status/1629420740381495296?t=8mI3USypJrJQrwAIF3Qurg&s=19 Zamperla 360 Discovery!

I think hot snow falls up, but I'm not sure people are ready to hear that yet. It's been said in Jack Silkstone's Ghost Train behind the scenes video that the warehouse scene is changing, which all but guarantees that the floating carriage will be changed / removed. I didn't know that it's been directly confirmed it's being removed...I imagine Thorpe have said so in their Facebook group and I've just missed it?

Not sure whether you meant no jokes of the crude kind, or no jokes about it being the perfect spot for Rocky Express. In any case, good call.

It's good to see that there's a fair amount of work going on inside. Suggests they have been given a pretty decent budget for this, which is good. I believe there's been some rumours floating around that the Duel retheme to Alton Manor could be as high as £5m...would be nice if we're even getting half that here. I'd been holding onto this for a bit, but now that Mr Cottonrock has been able to show inside, I see no reason why I cannot share this now too. Here's a nice look at the hanging carriage scene with the lights on. It doesn't take a lot to see the mirrors in this lighting. Now here's the question: what do they do with this scene if they don't have a floating carriage illusion? Do they just change it to a floating tube carriage? Do they try and transform it to just looking like a station? The trouble with redoing this scene is that it was specifically designed for the floating carriage illusion, specifically a Victorian train carriage. Retrospectively turning it into something else is not an easy task. The time period change (Victoriana to more modern day) is not an issue really. Plenty of train stations still use buildings built from a long time ago, and feel grand and dated. I'm not a fan of the concept art shown for the exterior. It kind of goes hand in hand with what I said just now...there's plenty of train stations which use buildings built a long time ago, and they might have modern retrofitting in place. But it's not the most exciting or visually pleasing thing to look at in the real world. And it certainly doesn't work in a theme park setting either. The concept art is 'fine', but doesn't really strike me as interesting or exciting to look at.