Fraser

The only thing I would say to Closed Seasons is places like Orlando - they run 7 days a week 364 days a year. There is a way to do this, and I for one do not believe that Merlin's margins are so tight they couldn't invest more in keeping the park running. Lets face it, a fully operational park is much more profitable than a half shut one. To put it simply: Consumer trust is everything; if TP and Merlin cannot get a majority of there big rides running - the trust that remains will not last. I'm afraid something must be done.

I have to agree with Perks... there is no logical reason why testing with water-dummies should cause any different problems to riding with real people. If there testing procedures are rugged and thorough enough, surely this should simulate both maximum and minimum loads, as well as a range in between allowing the majority of problems to be solved.I accept that SAW may be shut - new stuff may behave erratically. It always will without YEARS of testing. But the other rides really should have MUCH better reliability; Thorpe is getting a VERY bad name for reliability. It's becoming one of those things people comment every time you mention Thorpe - "oh was (this and that) open", "never was when I was there"