JoshC.

Okay, this is obviously you creating your own ideas and sharing them. It's nice that you're creating your own ideas, but this isn't the platform for that, especially if you're saying it *is* the new logo. That's verging on spam. So please let's stop that.

With the new logo coming, makes sense to have a thread for it. Clearly this is a fan made idea. I don't see it happening. In saying that, I don't hate the idea of the coaster track forming that part-infinity shape.

(Love you really parmesan)

Sorry, Theme Park Fanatic got there 22 days before you...

Thanks to the wonderful Marc for this stunning update... https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02dPUmQbbJ1EiocwwYpsLCQHZ6NHCnr9WnKgeCcTEhB9uXzKJcL1UiyFJuvsb5nMVl&id=100063475932653

The park have said there will be a story, to some degree. I imagine that will mostly be communicated by videos / marketed. In terms of at-the-ride theming, I doubt it will be much beyond landscaping, stylising buildings, logos/images and not much else. The plans don't indicate any theming. I don't think the ride needs much theming anyway. As said above, the height will do the talking. The location around the lake will add to the vibe. A good, long soundtrack will help create an atmosphere. Onboard audio hasn't been confirmed or denied yet, but could still happen, and would add a lot. I expect there could be actors during the first few days/weeks around the plaza, just to add a bit more to the area. In other news, here's a look at what's been built so far in terms of supports/track: If absolutely everything goes to plan, then - according to the original scheme of implementation in the plans - the ride could be ready by mid-March. Obviously there's a lot of variables there, but I think there's a good chance the ride could open at the start of season.

The twisted outerbank dive is complete!

I would hope / imagine that by "brand new area" they decide to keep within the Amity/American realm, even if it's just a different era. The Tidal Wave side is a bit more 50s/60s. Stealth side is 60s/70s. American 80s style for example would work. Alternatively, bringing the Fright Nights schools into their own area could work. They seem to resonate with people and do well merch-wise. The park have confirmed it's a retheme with no new rides, but a new 4D film is coming.

Slightly amended plans: In short, the existing building which was set to be retained, refurbished and extended will instead be demolished and rebuilt. This is on advice from the construction team, who believe it will be more efficient. The exterior is also set to be slightly different too.

Some onsite photos:

The twist is going up... https://twitter.com/ThorpeParkMania/status/1717167617008374160?t=YwUfuPXkXvJ28Rx_a1gyiA&s=19

They did try it last year too (okay, the very last day of September, but still, a week earlier than this year). Again, doesn't seem to have been as viable as later dates. But it isn't to do with the amount the park are taking in, it's to do with the fact there's not enough people wanting to work for the park. It's something pretty much every park struggles with. Yes, Merlin could consider paying staff more than minimum wage and that may help. But how much more they'd have to pay to convince more people to work seasonal jobs with unsocial hours to make staffing issues less an issue is a real big question. Even if Thorpe paid more than supermarkets, for example, how many people who are working in supermarkets (which have clear, set hours) would change to working a job with not-set hours where they then have to find a job every winter? Halloween is a specifically tricky time for staffing in the UK parks as their younger workforce go off to uni just before, meaning they lose a fair old chunk of people. It's a good point. But then say they reduce maximum capacity by 5000 people. That's up to 5000 people who would be visiting who won't, and may potentially visit a competitor. Thus, potentially, they lose a customer, a competitor gains a customer, and they may not get that customer ever in the first place. Say they just chuck tons of attractions in the park, and the quality of those attractions is not-great. People then won't want to visit because the quality is bad and it's busy. There's so many potential things the park could do, but they all come with setbacks. If the park wanted to go for more HHN style mazes (continuous congo line) to increase throughput, they would have to completely change the style of their mazes, and include significantly more effects (both automatic and actor-triggered). But that would probably change the experience for the worse. Again, this is an issue which loads of large, popular parks face. Some aren't faced with the staffing issues so much thanks to being year-round parks, so people don't worry about being in seasonal employment. Other parks introduce significantly more shows, roaming entertainment and just non-ride attractions to help soak up the crowds. There's no quick or easy fix to this issue, and it happens every year. As I say, I think the best thing Thorpe can do moving forward is design mazes which have actually good, consistent throughputs. That, along with scare zones and shows, will help allow people feel like they can get their money's worth with Fright Nights.

2018 the park had a million mazes (okay I exaggerate, it was 8). In terms of quality, that was agreed to be one of the worst Fright Nights ever. The park keeps upping the prices and that doesn't stop people. Thorpe can do anything and the park will always be busy during this half term. Other large parks experience this issue too. Walibi Holland is a prime example. They have multiple mazes, experiences and scare zones. If you want to do everything, it will cost you over €100, and you're still looking at queueing for Halloween attractions and 2-3hr queues for coasters. The park should look at introducing another indoor experience for Fright Nights. But more importantly, they need to look at creating Fright Nights experiences which can handle the crowds without compromising on quality. Stitches feels painfully slow between groups, for example. Survival Games has 10 cages, meaning you either get slow-moving queues or double-batched, neutering the experience. It doesn't seem like the mazes get more than 300-400 people per hour. That's the biggest problem at the moment. The throughputs of the big rides not being a great doesn't help either.

Clinic will have a height limit owing to the fact that they have standard sized gurneys, which will have a maximum height. The attraction was designed with those in mind and from a H&S perspective they can't use larger gurneys. Slaughterhouse effectively has a ride system, so is designed in a similar way to a ride, which does unfortunately have issues for taller people. Below (wader maze) won't have a height limit. Presumably they're restricted by shoe size, but I imagine they have the majority of sizes.

And in an actually useful post, more supports:

It looks striking against the night sky:

Tharrr she grows

A significantly new entrance area is unlikely given we haven't seen plans yet, but not impossible. The park are restricted with how much they could do there, but they certainly could revamp it.

I mean, we've been here before. Several times. Change of brand, change of vision, change of direction. New logo, however, is different. I like the current logo and I'd argue there isn't a need for a change to it. But at the same time, it wouldn't necessarily hurt, and if they're going all in on change, then sure, why not. I know the park have wanted to change the logo for years, so it makes sense to make it fit. If they are going all-in, that means completely new signs, new merch, etc, etc. It's a big job, logistically and financially. I guess it depends on whether the new logo is more an evolution of the existing one, or completely new though. The main thing for me if that, as I said, we've been here before. Several times. Change of brand, change of vision, change of direction. And it happens for a couple of years, before they decide to slow down with it a bit and then change again a couple of years later. Part of that came down to changing higher-ups. Part of that came down to necessary changes being required. There's a sense of optimism in that the higher-up management at Thorpe and Merlin has been more stable in recent years, which could mean this has been a long-planned process, with people who will then be around for a long-time once in place. But equally, it's cautious optimism on my behalf. With Hyperia, the change in brand and whatever else the park are cooking behind the scenes, this is clearly going to be one of the biggest closed seasons yet for the park.

The ride has been seen to move, so not completely destroyed. It would make zero sense to buy parts from an equally old to try and keep Scorpion Express alive. I'm afraid you're the only one who thinks this. Whilst Scorpion Express could well return, I do think the writing is on the wall, as it were.

Unlikely that any of the ride hardware will be for Rumba since they're different manufacturers. I guess theoretically some parts could be used if they're cross-compatible, although I'm not what could potentially be.

3 Intamins in your Top 10 Mark? Welcome to the dark side... I've heard very little about Batman GCE, so your brief review has definitely renewed my interest in it. Looking forward to riding it in a couple of weeks!

Did I also say that track would be installed at 12.22pm on Wednesday 11th October?

Yeah, this is a bit disappointing. In the grand scheme of things, it's a minor thing, and with the efforts gone elsewhere, it almost seems like a nitpick point. But the park have done some pretty awesome Fright Nights overlays on rides in previous years, and having them along with the high quality areas the park would be fab. Big agree here. I'd imagine another reason for 10pm closes being something they don't want to bring back is because staff aged under 18 can't work that late, which puts pressure on staff (and then links into staff welfare and all the other reasons). However, I think the park really need to explore ways to bring back 10pm closes. It would help bring Fright Nights in line with scare-specific events across the country, and just give more night time experience. Even if they just kept Fright Nights attractions and coasters open till 10pm, or considered 11am-10pm, that would be a big helpful step. Another agree here. It wasn't bad, but seemed a bit...meh at the same time. This is something which has been in my mind too. Obviously not to jump the gun, but where do Thorpe go from here? Do the park expand their line up with a 4th maze, and if so, how? Do they just go for 4 mazes which you can buy separately, and then have a "Terrifying Quad" package? Do they go for a "Terrifying Trio" package plus a 4th maze which is entirely separate? Or do they go for 3 upcharge mazes and then 1 free maze? Or some other weird combo? Or if they keep with 3, do they replace Trailers? Or just update it? Or, do what seems almost unthinkable now, and stick with the 3 mazes they currently have, have no new mazes, and instead focus on new scare zones/shows instead? There's lots of options there. I wonder what the reaction would be to a 4th upcharge maze from the masses - would people be happy to pay for everything, or does it leave people picking and choosing what they're doing? It certainly is something they'd need to look at a lot with market research.

I don't know if Ghost Train does close early. However, I'd assume it does, purely because the building isn't the most sound-proofed, and the noise from Lucifer's Lair probably bleeds in. Tbf, I doubt there's much they could do with the space and ride system by adding more actors. The trains will have a maximum number of people allowed, and they can't go for high-intensity scares there. The only place they could realistically do an extreme version for Ghost Train is in the crypt, and even then, extra actors wouldn't add a significant amount there. Better to have 3 mazes and close it early than 2 and keep it open imo. --- It's very interesting to see the early reaction to the time slots. I still expected the later slots to be packed, but the price difference does seem to be swaying a lot of people. Wonder if that will change throughout the event or be a common theme. It is a real shame the park haven't managed to sort out the queueing for mazes yet. I think it's unrealistic to expect no queues, but a minimal wait time is okay. Approx hour queues are too much. It's good to see the park have tried something different, in turn acknowledging the issues that were present, but there's clearly still work to be done.