Benin

The extended hours are only good if people actually stay about. As mentioned, Summer Nights was pretty much a failure every time they tried it before. Can only presume that the other parks have had hours cut due to the weather being mostly crap this year. Perhaps it's just a culture thing. And without things to fill your day beyond queueing there won't be much demand for it either.

Passholders whine more than anyone. I'd want to maim people if it were me dealing with it. Which was probably half the issue with the often sarcastic responses from Thorpe. Fine for an individual, but not when representing a company.

Night rides on Beast are probably the main redeeming feature of the park. I did enjoy it many years ago, but was fortunate enough to be a VIP on that visit so queues and poor operations weren't a problem.

Probably just not getting the traffic/clicks anymore now that Hyperia is open and there's very little behind the scenes stuff really going on that they can't just post on their usual socials.

The old Temple is 24 years old nowadays (originally living at the Millennium Dome). If they hadn't decided to build that daft Glamping/Go Ape behind it would've been perfect for a half decent coaster.

If something has broken on it that's right rotten luck. Though that it has an exact reopening date on it is suspect.

I think with the expansion of Facebook and then Discord the groups on forums just migrated to those places. Being able to make posting footage of things a job also has made a massive contribution to the way the media of it all is consumed and distributed. How many construction updates were just someone taking photos on a random visit rather than being camped out for days on end or a 30 minute video with an asinine presenter and a click bait title? Also many who used them in the "heyday" have grown up, gotten jobs and lives that take precedent over forum times. I will say though some things do irk me about modern enthusiasts. Which isn't solely a theme park based issue. The almost cult-like following of certain "influencers" where their word is law, the way in which everything must be amazing or terrible with zero nuance to things. On the other hand, I do think some places had some very unwelcoming "veterans" and often internal politics/cliques/issues that did not help matters for newcomers or regulars. As mentioned though, this is not an issue solely in this hobby. There's a lot of forums I used to frequent which are very dead, even with there being constant new stuff happening. Discord is king now I feel of the old forum life.

Similar thing with the Nemesis redo. There are some bits that look fantastic (the eye), but the bits plonked in the queueline just don't have that same level of care or attention. Looking very cheap in the end.

God that splashdown is embarrassing. Maybe that's why they removed the viewing platform plans?

Probably had a queue because of running 1 train. Number of ERTs I've done and you're usually running round over and over. To close the queue early for a paid event is a bit dodgy.

Username checks out.

I prefer Det over a lot of the bigger drop towers because once you've hit terminal velocity with at least 1/2 the drop left it kinda loses it for me. Det is quick and forceful. Just how I prefer it.

They'll be buggered royally if they've gotta open it on one train. Better than shut but with all the big promotion could go down the pan.

The amount of armchair engineers that have appeared has wound me up no end. Spouting opinion as fact when clearly the thing would never have been opened in the first place if testing procedures hadn't been fulfilled. If I meet the person who first suggested that was an issue I'll smack them with my HSE book.

They will be. But considering that this is not the first Merlin/Tussauds coaster to open fairly disastrously no surprise where most of the flak is going.