JoshC.

I guess the bigger question right now is...why? We're seeing this at Towers and now, to do a subtler degree, Thorpe. Why? Are those above the theme parks pulling money away from them? Have Thorpe/Towers not been as successful as hoped this year, given the new coasters they've invested in? Is there something else happening? It certainly is cause for a suspicious eyebrow to be raised.

Likely the same as last year: Crows roaming 3pm-4.30pm (ish), actors getting a short break, then heading to the scare zone. Whilst Mawkin Meadow hasn't "officially" been confirmed as returning, it featuring on the VIP Make Your Mark offering confirms it will return. The pathway was shut off today for construction, which is about the same sort of time it would close. As for roaming actors: I can take them or leave them. They're a nice extra, but I didn't like when Thorpe specifically listed them as an "attraction". Through no fault of a guest, you can go about your day and have no clue of a roaming cast's existence, simply because you never cross their path. And with scare zones and a more balanced spread of attractions across the park, roamers aren't a be all and end all. I'm reckoning with a 4th maze Death's Doors (which effectively operated a small, outdoor maze) has been cut with no like-for-like (ie scare zone) replacement. So that would leave a line up of 4 indoor mazes (Trailers, Survival Games, Stitches, New One), 1 outdoor scare "zone"/walkthrough (Crows) and 2 scare/entertainment/show zones (whatever Amity High is called this year and whatever takes place in Lucifer's Lair). I'd fully expect them to just carry on the Amity High story in one way or another (as Creature Campus 2: Electric Boogaloo), and Lucifer's Lair was a little gem of last Fright Nights, so would be great to return. With just under a month to go, there's a fair bit to do, but no more or less than they've been in other situations really (depending on how the 4th maze is going). The interesting thing is the park still haven't made an announcement. In the past several years, the full announcement would have been made by this point. Here's the dates when we had a full, confirmed line for the last several years: 2023: 31st August 2022: 31st August 2021: 26th August 2020: 3rd September 2019: 3rd September 2018: 11th September (technically, but they added in a "surprise, but not a surprise" maze on the 21st) 2017: 5th September So we're creeping towards 2018 territory with an announcement...hopefully we're not getting 2018 quality. It's interesting as the last couple of years have of course had a big teaser campaign with multiple videos crafted by Jack/Kieran. They certainly had their pros, but also some cons too. A change of pace is nice to see them experiment with if nothing else. To be fair, I expect for a majority of the audience, they don't care about the line until around now, when they're considering their visits. And even then, specifics aren't of much interest until much closer. In terms of a full line up reveal, I've seen Friday thrown about as a suggestion. It's Friday 13th (spooky), and the day after Jack releases his 'Behind the Scenes of 2023 Fright Nights'. So it fits.

Not sure on an exact time, but 9am is a pretty reasonably shout. If you want an exact answer, Thorpe are reasonably responsive on Twitter currently; they'd give an exact answer.

I've noticed this a couple of times lately. Vortex usually being the culprit. Yet even on the app it is listed as a 10am opening. It's mixed signals, but it effectively seems to be their way of saying "It hasn't opened yet, but will do later". The park seem to come up with these new ideas for communicating "Ride not open" every couple of years. Or even just communicating queue times. We've seen "90+ min" queue times. Closed. Delayed. Open later. Unavailable. Coming soon. Weather delay. Cleaning. Etc etc. All of those phrases used to say a ride isn't open. It seems to be the buzz every so often to find a way to minimise impact of ride closures and how they are communicated. Obviously the root cause of the issue is that the rides are closing, and that should be addressed. But there we go. The amount of rides not open though is a cause for a raised eyebrow.

I've found in my rides that the middle rows (especially rows 5-8) seem to be the most intense, and also ones which seem to have more of a vibration, which could turn into the dreaded Mack rattle. So far it hasn't negatively impacted my enjoyment of the ride, but it certainly has potential to, and I can see why people don't like it. It is confusing though; I can't think of any ride where the middle of the train is notably more intense

I keep forgetting that we don't have a general "Thorpe Park 2024" thread, or an Oktoberfest thread. So I'll stick my review in here for Oktoberfest It's kind of apt too, as you'd think that Thorpe have forgotten they have an Oktoberfest event going on. Oktoberfest came about in 2020 and whilst it was rough round the edges, it had potential. It's pretty much been the awkward middle child since 2021 though. It got better, but now it just feels a bit thrown together and rubbish. The Oktoberfest area is basically to the left of Ghost Train's entrance, with the stage, the ski lift carrier turned benches (which are pretty cool) returning, as well as snow-covered...Christmas trees? The event is leaning heavily on the more Bavarian Alps theme. By which I mean, it's the primary focus. The main Thorpe show revolves around it (the actors run a "fashion show" with what one of them should wear to go skiing). There's a set of roaming actors at set times who are "on skis". And my god, the show makes me cringe. The dance elements are good for what it is. But the speaking. It feels like the actors were told to watch Allo Allo and just copy the German accents. It's grating. Also, the Christmas trees. Why? The confused "Why is it Christmas?" vibe isn't helped by this song playing at the start of the family stage show: Hilarious. I should add: I believe in story, the actors are called the Furchtbar Gang. That's what it sounds like at least. "Furchtbar" is German for "terrible". So I guess the point is that they are terrible? Or meant to be terrible? But they're not - as I say, the dance elements make the grade. I don't get it. There's a couple of the pop up food places alongside Ghost Train's queue, which will no doubt stay through Fright Nights, and a bratwurst grill in Amity. There's a pitiful-looking bratwurst pizza available from Pizza-Pasta. In truth, Thorpe's Oktoberfest has never done it for me. Maybe I just don't like fun. So maybe this is doing the job, getting good reactions and there's a wider audience who love it. But it does feel like its been scaled back the last 2-3 years, and as nice as it is to get an extra boost during September, maybe it's time to lay it to rest.

From what I understand, it was actually just a typo, and was always set to be just the 4 days. So ladies and gents, boys and girls, make sure to proof read your work!

On the other side of the coin, the park haven't needed to do much planned maintenance to rides before. Arguably, as a seasonal park open mid-to-late March to early-November, they shouldn't need it either. But yes, it is good to see them being open. I do think there should be some discount in entrance price for 23rd-27th though; 2 major coasters closed? Big ouch.

Stage is built: Interesting that it's effectively in the opposite place it was last year. I guess it gives more room for viewing, and an additional pathway for Fright Nights since Death's Doors seems to not be returning. I wonder what effect it will have on Ghost Train. There was instances of noise bleed into Ghost Train from the stage, so it will be interesting how being closer, but with speakers facing the opposite way, affects things.

They've rethemed that space more times than I've had hot dinners. And it's still so long that by the end you forget the name of whatever incarnation you're in by the end.

They're definitely temporary as they're there because there's work going on there. The first set of fences blocks of the area, a second set because there's a deep hole. Whether they'll be replaced with permanent fencing or what is unclear. How long the fences will be there is the bigger question.

Park seems to have bought a few misters for around the place: Weird to get them towards end of summer, but better late than never (equally could have been delays outside their control). But if they have bought and own them, it should be easier to then get them out in future. Also, the Hyperia stage is outside Ghost Train, presumably ready for Oktoberfest prep: With Oktoberfest starting a week today, it does continue to show, in my opinion, that Oktoberfest is very much just a side quest style event that is the middle child of Thorpe's current line up. Whilst I like the idea, I question the worth of it moving forward.

Stage is completely gone, fans/misters on queue line, and work going on around the queue:

Was still like this on Monday.

Just don't break it, or Stealth, thanks.

I'll stick it in this thread. It looks like Rumba, despite closing early, is returning next year: Whether this is cost cutting or to start on a renovation, who knows.

On the topic of Make Your Mark / putting your own Easter Eggs in mazes, I think we can thank/blame @Glitch:

Yeah, seems likely to be related to the lift hill. Could just be Mack doing some checks following modifications made during the down period earlier in the year. Could be tweaks made ahead of Fright Nights. Could be lighting bits. In short, could be anything. Obviously wasn't the original plan, but seems to be a necessary thing. Hopefully it doesn't cause issues.

The way I see it, writing an email to Thorpe to explain one's frustration and how it could have been avoided takes me no longer than writing a post on a forum, or even a thread of tweets. That form of feedback can be stored and reflected on much more than forum posts and social media tweets, for example, and can be seen by those who have more of an ability to make change happen. Obviously everyone uses time in their own way, but giving direct written feedback is the best way I can see, as a guest, of offering an insight into a poor experience and how it could have been avoided.

You can judge a coaster by its cover. Vekoma SLC? Yeah, that'll be rubbish. Nu-Vekoma? Yeah, that'll be fun, smooth, possibly slightly over-engineered. Intamin multi-launch? That'll be good. 20+ year old B&M? Will be intense, little head-banging, showing its age, but still fab. It's not a perfect rule, but you will get a good idea of what you're getting just by looking at the coaster. The less you know, the better. Let me tell you a story. Late 2008. Corkscrew at Alton Towers was about to be removed for a new coaster to open in 2010. A 14 year old JoshC was told that that coaster would have vertical drop track, but keep that secret. Tbf, many people ended up being able to piece that together long before that was revealed in March 2010, but I had known almost 18 months before that official reveal. It was almost 3 years from finding out about Thirteen's secret that I actually rode it. And don't get me wrong, I like Thirteen. But imagine how much more I'd have enjoyed it if I didn't know? Never say "I won't get there". Moreso when you're younger, it's easy to think "I won't ever get the chance to get to that theme park". Again, I remember thinking that about Phantasialand when I was younger, and watching POVs of (and reading all about) Winjas. And, like Thirteen, I ended up riding it, liking it, but knowing all its secrets beforehand. It would have been so much more cool had I known nothing going in. So yeah, never think you won't go to a park, or won't ride a ride...as long as it's open, there's a chance. Enthusiasts are great. There's some amazing people who are enthusiastic about coasters, who are just lovely. It's a great community to be a part of. Enthusiasts suck. For balance. There some awful people who are enthusiastic about coasters, who just grate you and everyone around you. It's a minority, but it's a fact of life. Roller coaster element names are stupid. I still don't know what a step-up-under-flip actually is, and frankly I don't care. Nor do I know what a dragon roll is. Is there an element called a twisted knot? Who knows. And what the bloody heck is a jo-jo roll? And why is it called a banana roll; it doesn't roll and doesn't look like a banana?! (In saying that, Untamed's 270° double inverting corner stall - affectionately the 270° dics - remains my favourite inversion, by on-ride experience and name) Don't let anyone else tell you how to enjoy your hobby. You want to only visit Merlin parks and lap Mandrill Mayhem for the rest of time because it's your favourite coaster? Cool. You don't count creds? Fine. You only ride thrill rides, and don't bother with kiddie ones? Perfect. There will be people (in some instances, more light-heartedly) who tell you you should do this, should do that, or say "Why do you do that??". But you do you.

The stage and equipment almost definitely will be used for Oktoberfest and Fright Nights. As for actors, I don't think anyone would have expected the show to happen over FN, as actors are simply needed for the event. They might be used for Oktoberfest, Ghost Train, Walking Dead or simply training sessions for Fright Nights. If "scary scares" aren't those actors' thing, and they aren't suited to the Amity dance show (which will presumably return), they'd probably end up relocating to Chessington tbh.

Looks like the Hyperia show might have ran its course.

Naturally because I've posted today that it's been closed for ages, it's re-opened today. Currently has a queue which stretches almost to the Teacups!

I had the same thought, but can't be sure either way. Still digging around to find out. Over Fright Nights it closes at dusk in any case. Rumba is an interesting one at the moment. It's been closed for an extended period of time, and that's sort of flown under the radar. Many of my recent visits it's just been sat there, although on Thursday it was testing, with staff in all Watcher positions. Saturday again it was dormant. Two weeks to get it back open. Thorpe did say earlier in the year, on the Facebook passholder group, that it's a seasonal attraction. I guess it makes sense; it's a staff intensive attraction that is out the way and will have a low ridership in autumn. A different kettle of fish to, say, Tidal Wave, which though expensive to run and has low autumnal ridership, is very prominent. Too prominent to close. Remember in 2020 when Rumba was 'transformed' for Oktoberfest into the Oompah Rapids? That feels a lifetime ago, and now it's closed for basically the whole event. The park need to do something with it. Realistically, the park lack a mid-level water ride; one that gets you wet, but not too wet. Rumba and Storm Surge are rides on water, but barely get you wet. Updating Rumba, with new boats and effects, could work. The other option would be the scrap it entirely and put a new ride there. With some work, they could create a closed water system there and put in a new water ride (new gen log flume with restraints?), but it won't be cheap. The issue for Thorpe right now is they still have Slammer SBNO, next to the big new thing, they've got flat rides which are nearing 25 years old, they've got an elephant in Ghost Train, which surely can't operate as is until the end of the decade, and coasters seem to be the main draw to the park. Where in all that do they fit in a Rumba replacement? So the bigger question is: do they drag our Rumba as much as possible, rolling the proverbial turd in a bit of glitter, or do they take the hit and SBNO-it, hiding it behind a few extra trees? Neither is ideal, but it feels like we're leaning more towards the latter.

I mean, Phantasialand used to be worse. The park had a closing time, and they would close queue lines as and when, depending on queue length. You simply had no clue, and would have to keep an eye on queue times and try and time things right. 15 minutes after the advertised park close, the whole park would be deserted. Efteling was similar. They have improved, fortunately, but other parks have historically have had issues, but have learnt and improved from them. I guess the obtuse response here is a theme park is fluid; things change. You were in a position where you were given information (you were in the ride queue when you were told the queue line was closing soon). You could have chosen to cut your loses slightly, leave the queue, then rejoin, giving you the chance for a night ride. You'd have wasted some time, but you would have been able to use the information given to you to allow the night ride. As I say, it's an obtuse answer, and not a good scenario (and I hate this suggestion), but you had the most up to date information and made a decision. Not to be facetious, but have you raised / are you raising a complaint with the park? It's clear that Thorpe do see social media discourse (including the forums), but they will take further notice of a complaint which can be passed onto the relevant departments properly. I've raised a complaint this year about the inaccuracy of the height measuring sticks across the park. I've noticed that the more accurate / consistent slider measures are now in place at rides following my complaint. Now I know that they didn't read my email, and immediately order slider measures, place them clearly at rides and encourage ride staff to use them. But I like to think they've taken notice of that complaint, and similar ones people have made, to make the decision to address that complaint. Obviously it's not my place to tell someone whether they should lodge a formal complaint or not, and I'm sure if the Head of Customer Services is reading these forums they're cursing my name at the fact I'm actively encouraging people to flood the customer services inbox. But I genuinely believe it is the best thing to do (certainly much better than going on social media saying Thorpe Park are lying, when it's simply people behind a screen giving out stock answers which they're given, and can't do anything about)