JoshC.

The Ultimate Summer of Fun very much feels like they just realised they'd forgotten July and August existed and cobbled something together at the last second. July in particular will be a hard month for the parks I think. I doubt we'll see many, if any, school trips, which is usually where a bulk of the visitation comes from then. And if most restrictions are lifted then, I think people will be more interested in doing other things than the parks which would have been open for a long time comparatively. Will be interesting to see what happens. I think summer holidays will be fine for the parks. But if international travel is allowed, they might lose some of the staycation audience which is being pushed a lot at the moment.

Mardi Gras inspired event is an interesting choice. Has potential, but equally could end up feeling quite tacky. But in saying that, Towers should be given the benefit of the doubt I guess given they did good with Oktoberfest. And if it ends up it giving the park longer opening hours, both this year and long term, that's a good thing in my books. I hope Thorpe doesn't get a Mardi Gras event for a couple of reasons: -I'd prefer if the parks had a diverse set of events -Thorpe really should be getting a more dedicated event space if they want more events like that -Their Oktoberfest event wasn't as good as Towers'. I'd rather they work on improving an existing event (and also FN) than getting another new one

Sourced via Theme Park Guide's Facebook... A freshly painted monkey

I haven't visited on a really busy day in a long time, so my take might be skewed a bit. But from what I've seen, a big issue always feels like the number of security officers doing bag checks was never enough to cope with the mass crowds. Especially when compared with, for example, Towers. Using the old Admissions huts probably hasn't helped to a degree, given they create a bottle neck. I think the introduction of the marquee with the scanners helps spread things out more. That's obviously where a redesign would help. But without the staff to back that up, it wouldn't make a massive change.

I agree. I see how my post has been misinterpreted. My point was more comparing Thorpe to some of top theme parks round the world seems stupid given that nothing that the park have done for pretty much the last decade gives us any indication that Thorpe should be considered anywhere near that level really. Obviously this being a Thorpe-focused forum, people focus on Thorpe, but I genuinely can't think of any park that's regularly compared to some of the best parks around with no reason. Just seems weird is all. As it stands the entrance looks dire. I try to keep an open mind with these things until they're ready, but yeah, I can't see it improving much beyond its state. Curious about Quantum. It's still on the website, and isn't listed as opening later like DBGT and TWD. It has also been testing. Wonder if it's just a mistake made whilst they updated the app? Rumba Rapids' height change is a blow for the park. I believe both Congo at Towers and Vikings at Legoland have had their restrictions increased too. Whether it's a Merlin change because of the renewed focus / concerns about rapids following the Drayton declaration (and with those rapids set to reopen), or if it's coming from manufacturers is an unknown. Either way, it's a hit to the park's line up for smaller guests. Zodiac has also had its restriction increased to 1.1m (not sure if that's happened recently or last year?). But again, that's a blow too. It leaves 6 rides at the 0.9m range (Depth Charge, Flying Fish, Banana Boat and Old Town rides). And as there's no rides with a 1m restriction, those are the only rides kids can go on until they hit 1.1m.

Not saying there's anything wrong with making comparisons, or that Thorpe's entrance is good, but I do find it interesting to make comparisons between Thorpe's entrance and some of the best theme park entrances in the world. It's as if there's an expectation for Thorpe to always be up there with the best, and I never understand why*. Thorpe's entrance has a lot more potential than the state it is in at the moment. But does anyone realistically expect it to ever be spoken of up there with some of the best entrances out there? Just seems like an odd pedestal to be putting the park on, especially when you know that the park won't be able to reach for that level. *I'm sure someone will come with the 'But Merlin say they're second only to Disney' argument. Yes, they're the second largest, but they're not the second best. I'm sure, internally at least, Merlin would admit that themselves too, if being totally honest. If people are still trying to equate size with quality, then people really should get hit with a dose of reality.

Really interesting post; thanks for sharing it! I don't think we'll ever know the full story behind the closure. The specifically interesting thing is that when it was closed, it was announced as returning. How much internal drive there was to keep that promise is something we'll never know, nor how realistic those claims were. In any case, a few things I can add... This has been floated around a lot and though I've never actually looked into it, I assume the change in legislation is true (I believe it's an EU thing). As you say, Tidal was always clean and treated water, so unaffected (fun fact: it is one of the most expensive rides to run because of the cost of treating the amount of water it uses). Now there's always been questions about this legislation. There's been suggestions that it only affects newly built rides, not old rides. So stuff like Loggers, Rumba Rapids, The Flume, Dragon Falls, etc would be fine. If that's true, then we're fine. If however it needed to be done by a set point, then there's a major problem. You need to create a closed water system around a lake (since the treated water can't go into lake water). How do you manage that in Loggers' situation with Loggers' layout. Not saying it would be impossible, but that would be very difficult. I can't comment on Pirate Falls or The Flume, but I believe Dragon Falls' work wasn't related to this new legislation per se. The rockwork around Dragon Falls needed removal because it was effectively falling apart. Equally a lot of work needed to be done with the ride's trough. Maybe that was in some way related though, I don't know. Hmmm, this bit I have some scepticism over. Thorpe have gone for a double hit with their more recent large investments. Saw had Saw Alive. Swarm had Swarm Backwards. I think it's only natural to expect they had budget planned to do something to Ghost Train for 2017. Do I think they always planned to re-do the VR and extend the building for a new scene? Probably not, no. But they will have had budget for something. And if they wanted to, there's a chance they could have gotten more. Now it's certainly possible that any budget for Loggers could have been siphoned over to ROTD. My thinking is that that doesn't really match up with timings. If Thorpe were planning to open Loggers for 2017, and they had the budget to do so, there would have been some level of commitment to that by September-time, which was when ROTD was in its finalisation. I'm also aware that by 2018, Thorpe were stating that reopening Loggers would be an investment that would cost millions (I seem to remember hearing figures anywhere between £3m-£8m). I'm sure that figure increased as time went on, but if they did have budget for that secured to reopen it in 2017, but didn't open it, they would have used that budget elsewhere. The ROTD changes certainly wouldn't have used up that whole budget, and none of their other 2017 changes would have either. So something wouldn't add up there in my opinion. To add my extra thoughts: as I said, by 2018, there were still talks of reopening Loggers. It was something that was being explored, to the point they had figures of how much it would cost to reopen, and some theming concepts. That would suggest it was still in some way feasible. The big issue at that point is then is it worthwhile? Loggers Leap was a decent log flume, but is spending many millions reopening an old flume the best way to spend money (even with a retheme or whatever)? Arguably not. For some context here, The Walking Dead retheme of X cost about £1m. Spending at least 3 times that to get an old attraction open, plus increasing running costs for the park, is a lot to think about. Especially when you're getting to the point that you could probably build a new log flume for a similar price point. I think in many ways, it was always a pie-in-the-sky idea trying to get it to reopen. When it closed there was always an air of pessimism about it ever reopening imo. It was great to try, but it just never seemed likely. And yet, I don't think they've ever truly given up. I'm sure some remember back in 2019 after it was announced to not return, there was an auction of old ride parts announced. That auction was quietly removed and never mentioned again. I heard some rumours that was in part because the park changed their minds in case they decided to explore reopening it again. I've even heard that the work done in Loggers station for Creek Freak Massacre was done in such a way that they kept the core of the ride in tact (ride console, conveyor belt, etc). Not sure quite how true that it, so take that with a huge heap of salt! I think the story with the rapids is different. Their features were changed, tamed, etc after the Drayton Manor incident. Internally, Merlin made the decision to tame their UK rapids ride to try to prevent people standing up during the ride. This was also accompanied by other things, such as ride spotters around Thorpe and Towers' rapids in particular. If it is linked with the change in legislation (which I doubt it was tbh), it certainly would raise different questions about Loggers' closure. The changes to rapids happened mid-way through 2017, so I'd find it hard to see why they would have not run Loggers, because of the legislation, for the prior 18 months when they could have.

A look at some work that's been going on at the entrance, including some ugly new fences and the repurposing of the WWTP van as a food outlet: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMpBD6LB68M/ Rush's swings have also been reattached and I'm somewhat optimistic they can get that back open for when the park opens.

It's not implausible, but I just don't see it happening. Fair rides generate a lot of money. I would be genuinely surprised if it Alton Towers would, yearly, offer enough money to fair operators that they see it as more enticing to lend ride(s) to Towers than keep them on the fair circuit. Especially once fairs actually reopen and the operators are travelling again. There's the other side of the coin as well that eventually it would be cheaper for Towers to buy a ride than hire one every year. Sure, you lose the yearly variety / mix up, but long term it's cheaper, which ultimately is a plus for them. If their Oktoberfest event, for example, continues and expands, I could see the temptation there to bring in a ride or two for the event. That would be pretty cool. Logistically a huge challenge given fairs are hugely popular that time of year and the park have Halloween preparations too, but could happen, especially with a good relationship. It certainly isn't something to dismiss, but I do see it as unlikely. And honestly, I hope it doesn't happen and we instead see permanent ride installations in the future.

Fright Nights has received 5 SCAR nominations for this year's ScareCON: Fearstival Arena - Best Costume and Make Up All scare zones - Best Original Concept and Design All scare zones - Best Roaming Characters Best Theme Park Halloween Event Best Adjustments to COVID Last year was obviously a very different, depleted line up for the scare industry in general, but I do think in general the park made the best out of a bad situation last year. It might not have been the best event out there last year, but genuinely think they did a decent job and deserve the recognition for it.

Seat belts on most coasters exist usually either to reassure guests, or to help with evacuations (it allows staff to control the flow of people who get off the ride, especially if the system opens multiple restraints). Parks rarely add these things on later for the fun of it, so I wonder if it's something their own H&S team have decided to do to assist with evacuations, or if it's a feedback thing from guests? I'd guess (and hope for) it to be the former. Hopefully it doesn't affect throughputs too much.

From what I understand, the funfair rides have been hired from fair operators and they will be operated by the fairground staff. As such, I would expect little modifications made to the rides themselves (though it would be nice). I'd also be surprised if they stayed beyond this year. It's a mutually beneficial situation. Towers get extra rides to spread numbers about (and maybe show the powers that be at Merlin flat rides are necessary investments). The ride owners make money whilst fairs aren't allowed to open. Win win. Come 2022, fairs should hopefully be allowed to open, and Towers might be in a better situation. If Towers wanted to buy one of the rides, it would probably be easier to buy it for new from a manufacturer.

I know a couple of years back Thorpe looked at replacing the bag room with lockers which were somehow synced with the ride / riders. As you say, Saw is tricky, especially if it's an odd number of cars, as then it's not always the case that the same two cars offload every time, like with 8 cars. Ultimately, I think cost was the prohibiting factor then. Obviously if this is just straight budget cuts I can't imagine they would do something which was previously considered too expensive. Equally though, I guess it's still within the realm of possibility they would consider just cutting it if they have to save money.

Who loves low quality images of trains on tracks? EVERYONE OF COURSE (sourced via Coasterforce, original source unclear)

Absolutely no reason - just wishful thinking on my part! (I admit it looks unlikely and probably is just a boat and jetty, but I'm in that 'overly-optimistic-season-is-almost-here' mode)

3 weeks can be a long time, but remember that during those 3 weeks the ride will be testing regularly for staff training. Whilst something could still be done, it takes away time from training whilst it's installed, checked for safety, etc. And I believe that the ride has been running for training lately. And in any case, here's an image from early 2019 (lifted from Google Maps of course): Compare with the image EpicSmatty posted: We can see the new theming has already been installed. Maybe there's more to add to it though. As I say, at this stage I'm expecting that when the pool is filled with water, it will look like a boat that's there is sinking, and the rest could be for some sort of special effect, like some sort of water splash/fountain/explosion. But no idea really, so curious to see what it is.

Yes upon another look I realised that the current placement is awful (and I assume that will be the location it's set to stay in). And not very good for Covid. Frankly, most of the time bag rooms are an unnecessary expense which the parks could do without. And, for example, I haven't noticed any major issues with throughputs when Towers got rid of most of theirs. But yes, the solution here is just another bad bottleneck unfortunately. The ideal situation would see the bag room modified and repurposed into a locker space, but that is an upfront cost of course. Hopefully they see the worth in doing that. The beach is cleaned and repainted most closed seasons (all, I think?). Presumably yes, there's a level of legality involved in doing so, but it is something that is usually consistently done every year

Short answer: No Long answer: Nope.

Interesting photos. With the last set of aerial photos I thought the three-pronged silver thing was something that the fireball theming stood on, but that photos suggest otherwise. Seems the dark square is where that lived, and the three-pronged thing is new? Certainly looks like there's a boat there, for example. I wonder how that looks when the pool is filled in? Could be like a partially submerged small boat, and then a water splash effect or something? Either way, I'm curious to see how that looks in practice! The Stealth bag room replacement with shelves is not a bad idea imo. The area is usually chaos anyway and could cause a bottleneck both before loading and getting off the ride. The temporary nature is a bit of a shame, but I guess that's in part because this could be a trial? If it does work, it would be nice to see that reworked so it looks nicer. I wonder if they've made any changes to Saw too and got rid of the bag room for shelves? Less space so slightly more challenging there, but it's possible. Thorpe's bag rooms have always felt a bit unnecessary as with a well-designed layout all the rides they've featured on wouldn't have needed them. And of course they're an unnecessary expense really. I can't see their removals having adverse effects on throughputs so in theory I have little against their closures. I also seem to remember there being a marquee in front of the security huts last season after the stabbing incident? Featured walk through scanners and the like? Presumably that's once again returning. No clear view of what's happened to the entrance plaza otherwise though! There's some nice views of Swarm in that photo set too!

Gruffalo and Room on the Broom are also not listed, neither is Sealife. So I assume they have just (temporarily) removed attractions which are not going to reopen when the park opens on April 12th. If Tomb Blaster was going to be rethemed back to Forbidden Tomb I'm fairly certain we would have heard something official by now.

Stealth turns 15 years old today! Almost hard to believe it is actually that old..! If you feel like reminiscing a bit, or simply haven't seen construction photos of Stealth, we have a nice selection of photos on the TPM Stealth page for your viewing pleasure...

I wonder if it's a case of they feel they have to open. I think everyone understands its closure last year, but if they still have the contract and still pay money for it, and Covid restrictions aren't disappearing any time soon, I guess they have to bite the bullet eventually. If the interest it generates from being open ultimately makes them more money through merch sales than the money they spend on staff and running it, I guess it's a good thing. Though I imagine it's a risk as to whether it actually will... I'm sure the cynic could suggest Thorpe are opening it to show to the higher ups within Merlin how ridiculous the ride is and they need money to either complete re-imagine it or replace it. But who knows. Walking Dead is an interesting one. Storm Surge requires a minimum of 4 people in a boat, so groups of 3 or less we turned away last year. So it wouldn't be much different to that. Obviously it's a bigger problem since it's a bigger ride, but there is form there. Of course, there isn't actually anything stopping the park from sitting people from different groups next to each other. Whilst the idea of social distancing is very much engrained in our minds as a society at this point, the recommendation is - to the best of my knowledge - keep 2m away from people, and if you cannot, wear a mask. That's why mask wearing has been so important in indoor spaces, such as shops, where it is impossible to stay 2m away from people at all times. And this kind of circles back to the points that were raised when parks were first re-opening: what use is social distancing on rides really? When you hurtling round a coaster, what difference does it make if a stranger is sat a row in front of you or next to you? Don't get me wrong, I get why it's being done by parks, and in the absence of any scientific evidence, it's probably the easiest thing to do to keep people feeling safer and happier, but it is very much a placebo-like thing to do. For reference: when I was at Parc Asterix last year, they were completely filling up trains. No social distancing, grouping people together and even using single rider queues. Admittedly it felt a bit odd at first, but really, I didn't feel any less safe compared to the UK parks with their socially distanced trains. Anyways, I've rambled...I imagine Thorpe will go with the easiest rule of 'only even-numbered groups can ride', unless they've someone managed to change the 2 person per row rule (which I doubt)

Thorpe Park have updated their website with the following information. Black Mirror Labyrinth is scheduled to open in 21st May The Walking Dead The Ride AND Derren Brown's Ghost Train are set to reopen in 17th May!! I genuinely did not expect to ever see DBGT again tbh. (Presumably this is under the scenario that indoor entertainment can reopen in May)

They've already headed that way really. The past couple of years, they've been open (or at least planned to be) for much of December as well as the February half term. And that's been a largely complete line up. The December event is (or at least was) upcharge for passholders, so doesn't get mentioned much. I'm sure if they wanted to, they could "open" from February half term - even if it's just on weekends until March, to help finish winter work / wait for it to warm up before opening daily. I guess there's other factors at play there. But yes, demand seems to be there, so I don't see why it can't be a target in the future to be seen as more of a year round park than a 'seasonal plus' park.

Legoland's new area, Mythica, has been fully announced now: https://www.legoland.co.uk/explore/theme-park/2021/ Rides: Flight of the Sky Lion. Flying Theatre Fire and Ice Freefall. Spinning family drop towers (like Tikal at Phantasialand, and the ones in the new area at Paultons) Hydra's Challenge. Rethemed Squid Surfer The idea for the area is that any time a 'creature' is made out of Lego, it actually comes to life in an alternate world. The Flying Theatre in particular is about travelling to this other dimension, and meeting some the huge creatures around the area. I believe these creatures are sort of amalgamations of real-world animals, to create that fantasy-feel. The Legoland app will also allow you to scan some of the Lego models around the area to see them come to life on your phone (AR technology), which if works could be great. Other things: -There will be a 'Creature Creation' area for kids to build their own creatures -The Fish and Chips restaurant is being rebranded into The Hungry Troll Restaurant. Not clear if it's serving the same food, but looks likely imo -New character, Bitsandbobs, a unicorn like creature, seems to be pushed a bit -There will be 13 'large' creature models, using over 2 million bricks between them It's a really cool idea imo. It's nice to see something different and unique, away from all of the Lego sets, whilst creating something that feels very Lego-like. It's the sort of thing Legoland parks should be doing. Some of it feels a bit ambitious, and I do worry the Flying Theatre might be a bit rubbish with bad throughput (if the other Lego flying theatres are anything to go by), but on the whole, I think there's lots to be positive about here. Area is set to open May 29th, assuming they're allowed to open the Flying Theatre with Covid restrictions