JoshC.

Max and Moritz is now officially open: And POVs for those who are that way inclined: The rides looks cute and fun enough for what they are. I'm sure once the greenery grows a bit more it'll be even better too. Station looks fantastic too, in true Efteling fashion. Still sad that Bob is no more, and that a family-thrill ride has been replaced by effectively a kids ride, but it is what it is. I guess in theory the expansion area with the new coaster there is meant to act as the true replacement for Bob, if it ever happens...

I have fears for how well they'll be able to operate their rides in December, but guess we'll see. Wonder if they'll still manage to host a February event given they'll have much less time for winter maintenance? Think the thing that's surprised me the most now I've digested the news is the fact they're not pushing the season till the New Year. I'd have thought they could try and push that Christmas/New Year week a bit more if they wanted to. I guess it's risky as it's hard to tell what demand could be like, but I still thought it'd've been worth a shot.

Please forgive the terrible quality screenshots taken from my phone. I'm too lazy to watch the video again. Jack's video shows some more new signage, which compliments the new entrance signage (which looks good): I like it! Fresh, vibrant and quite reflective of what Thorpe is really (and the sort of brand they should stick to). And then there's this: One of the blandest, dullest entrance ways I've ever seen. The removal of the rockwork and other Atlantis-esque, no matter how decaying it really was, creates such a boring, flat look. The poles holding up the Dome sign feel in the way and yet invisible at the same time. I don't know how common an opinion it is, but I liked the Atlantis theme and still think it worked with the park today (what with the Port / Basecamp / Shark vibe). Sure, it was dated and falling apart, but it had some life and soul in it. After this and the black panels of blackness on the inside, it now feels like a run-down Butlins... Shame, as the other signage we've seen so far is good.

Meh, don't have a problem with this really. You have to store the boats somewhere, and it's largely impractical to create a workshop big enough for holding all boats of a log flume / rapids (especially when you consider you need room to work on the boats too). It doesn't do them any damage, and they'll be cleaned before opening. This sort of stuff doesn't look good out of context, but for the most part, it's never really seen in context. Rumba Rapids boats have almost always been left on the service during winter, and times when they're awaiting work, so that's not a Merlin thing. Similar with leaving a train on a brake run if there's not enough room for both in the workshop: if work needs to be done to station track, there's not always another option. And again, it doesn't really do any damage. It's the same for lots of theme parks, it's just you don't see it. There's a million and one reasons why it could be the way it is. But the point is, it is the way it is and it looks terrible. Also, don't buy the coronavirus reason. Here is the Gruffalo's board from opening day before the pandemic (ie: when most places were open) Source: https://live.themeparkguide.biz/?event=Chessington 2020 Preview Day&_ga=2.174020643.1630671449.1592582375-1327971191.1592582375 Sure, they might be getting new restriction boards and there was a delay. But ultimately, it doesn't matter: it still looks terrible. At least this is better in that they didn't cut a hole that's awkwardly too big a la Room on the Broom... We as visitors, and particularly fans, can be forgiving to a degree (in the sense of every company can hit unforeseen snags, and the pandemic could potentially cause issues), but it doesn't mean we can just brush away what is ultimately shoddy-looking work.

Yes, but actually no. $9m is for the labour and materials, which may or may not include the partial deconstruction of the original Gwazi where required (it's not clear). But there's lots of extra costs, from things to station building, pathways, etc, to other contractors required and other stuff. Not forgetting things like marketing and all that other stuff. Those costs will all add up VERY quickly. To be fair, it's not that surprising that a RMC conversion sounds cheap. The base is there - literally! - so in terms of raw materials, you're paying for significantly less. That reduces costs for labour, groundworks, etc by a lot too. I expect a ground-up RMC is much more expensive.

Scruffy Dog, who were involved in the design and theming of the ride, have released a video with loads of never-released-before design artwork from the ride:

Left without further comment...

Well this thread became real dark real quick...

Adaptations are still okay for good rides though, right? I don't want to live in a world without being able to say Joyvelen...

Short piece from BBC news featuring Paultons, The Mary Rose and Tulleys: Interesting highlight is how Paultons are saying they're spending £800k a month during Lockdown, and obviously making nothing in return.

Oooft, that's a hit. This article here states that the park made a loss of £820k in 2018/19, which is a big amount for a small park even during an okay time. They also say that almost half of their visitors don't generate any money for the park, due to the free access of the park. So even with a fundraiser launched, it's going to take a great deal for someone to invest in the place. I believe the water chute is Grade II listed, so that can't be touched whatever happens. Though we may well see it left to the wilderness... Can leave it for now, but Covid may have a great deal to say about how many small parks will be left in a year's time...

If you've been missing random coaster construction updates as of late, Walibi Belgium have you covered... Images from Themeparkmagic and ameworld It's also good to see that in a time where Phantasialand are no longer building walls, other parks round the world are picking up the slack..

Towers was on the One Show on Friday, where they show some of the things they;ve done during Lockdown to keep the park ticking over and ready for operation... https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000jz8p/the-one-show-12062020 (from around the 6 minute mark)

I mean, fair play to him for the amount of effort gone into it, but my face throughout the entire video was just:

I'm trying to avoid spoilers of the inside, but from photos I've seen the inside looks very well themed. Exterior leaves a bit to be desired (the thumbnail is Smiler-level of bad!), but on the whole pretty good. It'll be interesting to see whether an Intamin launch spinner kicks off, or indeed if they can actually make a good normal spinner..

Difficult one ordering this, but this feels right.. 5. Polle's Kitchen, Efteling - I remember my last visit there not being as good as my previous visits, but the food is still pretty great, reasonably priced, and the restaurant itself looks fantastic. 4. Food Court, Linnanmäki - I'm sure there's names for these collection of places, but I can't say for certain. Basically a collection of 3-4 food places in one mini complex, quite close to Taiga, people can choose where to eat and then eat together. Really nice food choices, really good seating choices (indoor and outdoor) and just all round a nice area. Price was reasonable for the park too. 3. Flaming Feather, Toverland - Mark hit the nail on the head about the relaxed feeling you get in here; it's just nice a cosy. Was sat by the fireplace which added to it. Little on the expensive side but you get what you pay for. 2. Oberża Lecha, Legendia - A classic European canteen-style restaurant, the restaurant by Lech is just stunning. Real nice hearty food options, along with what I'm sure was plenty of Polish classic dishes. Cheap because it's Poland, but even in context of the park, it wasn't expensive. Really spacious inside but also with lots of outdoor seating overlooking the lake too. 1. Rutmor's Taverne, Phantasialand - Absolutely brilliant, stunning. I queued 45 minutes to eat here on my last trip, and happily did so with the knowledge that: 1. waiting around in Klugheim is no hardship, 2. the food would be worth it. Again, really hearty food with lots of German classics. On the more expensive side, but again really really worth it. Would recommend. And best couples of places for sweet treats: -Las Rocas Eis-Shop, Phantasialand - Ice cream cookie sandwiches overlooking Chiapas. What more could you ask for? -Ice cream sundaes, Linnanmäki - They sell these at various places throughout the park. But basically, you pay a fixed price (like €3), get given a cup, and can go crazy. Different soft serve ice creams, lots of sauces and toppings. Wonderful; bliss!

From the Parc Asterix thread... In terms of major announced rides for 2021, there's Plopsaland's Mack Xtreme Spinner, Walibi Belgium's Intamin Mega and Grona Lund's B&M Invert, all of which are still going ahead (construction had started pre-Covid for all of them though). We also have Nigloland in France building a major new ride, which is rumoured to be a Mack water coaster. In terms of later push backs, Djurs Sommerland in Denmark have said their major 2021 attraction (which no one knew about anyways) is now happening in 2022: No clue on what it could be mind!

Aqualantis update, showing surprise Rockin Tug: Be interesting to see when this area does open up. The dark ride is also open after tis refurb; there's little changes inside apparently.

Bad news: Parc Asterix's new Intamin multi launch coaster has now been further delayed to 2023: https://www.lobservateurdebeauvais.fr/2020/06/10/oise-des-nouvelles-montagnes-russes-vertigineuses-au-parc-asterix-en-2023/ As previously mentioned, the ride was delayed from 2021 to 2022 due to issues with tree removals and permits and the like. This new delay is due to financial implications of coronavirus. The park is owned by Compagnie des Alpes, who also own the Walibi parks and Bellewaerde in Belgium. Bellewaerde are of course opening their new coaster this year, and Walibi Belgium are still getting their Intamin Mega coaster for 2021. Belgium certainly has a higher level of competition at the moment, so it makes sense to press on with investments there over Asterix. Nonetheless, still a massive shame.

There are six sets of toilets: -One just before the turnstiles at the entrance (so technically outside the park) -One in the lower part of the Dome -One by Swarm -One opposite Tidal Wave's exit -One by Nemesis Inferno -One near Old Town, next to Slammer All toilets have disabled access too if that's appropriate to your needs. The park is quite small and the toilets are reasonably well spread out. Probably the worst place to be in desperate need of a toilet is half way along Colossus' pathway, and even then you could be at a toilet in a brisk 2-3 minute walk.

Yes, I see what you're saying. However, from some people I've spoken to, they've said that they either didn't join forums because they found the prospect intimidating, or didn't participate much after joining because they felt intimidated by the idea of a male-dominated forum. I don't want to make a generalization there, but it's definitely a trend I've noticed from people I've spoken to.

I've noticed that the coaster community is slightly more diverse on social media (in that there's more girls on there). It's probably not the most surprising thing though, as signing up to an online forum is intimidating. It can be even moreso for a teenage girl. Why there's few BAME people within the community is a mystery to me though.

Energylandia taking the opportunity for some light-hearted corona=updates:

I believe Blue Barnacle is new. I'm under the impression it's a Huss too, but I maybe be incorrect there... Everything else: it's hard to say, as it will all depend on how much work they've been able to do during Lockdown (including whether they've been able to get people in to install and 'function test' the ride). That may be further complicated by the fact their carpark has been used for coronavirus testing. We'll just have to wait and see.

So this is now testing, with many expecting it to open this month still (or early next month): It doesn't appear to have anything 'special' about it, like was rumoured at many times. This is a new coaster for the park which seems to focus more on speed and airtime. A good investment for the park, but perhaps a little underwhelming after what was rumoured. The ride has 3 cars, much like their Gerstlauer launched Junker. Junker usually only runs 1 car because it doesn't need any more, so that's an interesting set up. --- In other news, Legendia, Poland's second biggest park, also reopened this weekend along with Energylandia, and they opened their new rapids ride - Dolina Jagi (Jagi Valley), which they first started advertising 18 months ago. Here's a slightly old video: And then some photos from FOMO Coaster's Facebook: In recent Legendia fashion, it looks nicely themed and is, in general, pretty good looking. It also comes with a monster of a cattlepen queue: Edit: A video from the park showing off the ride, as well as their new mascots... The park's recent investments, especially Lech and Bazyliszek, have unnecessarily huge queue lines which are barely used. I'm sure they're planning long-term, but when these queues are likely capable of 3-4 hour wait times, it just feels...odd. Then again, Energylandia have crazy long queue lines too, so maybe it's just a Polish thing. It'll be interesting to see what's next for Legendia though. They aren't able to access the same EU grants as Energylandia due to their region being better developed, and the park being much older. The owners who took over the park a few years back clearly have a vision, but perhaps not the level of funds they'd like. They've invested in some great stuff slowly and steadily. But last year they also removed several flat rides for...reasons I do not know. The park has buckets of potential, and their next investment will be really telling for the park's trajectory for the next decade in my opinion.