Benin

The restaurant formerly known as Woodcutters was £19 for a burger. Prior to discount of course but still. £19! We jogged on and went to the slightly cheaper Burger Kitchen. The quality has dropped and the prices increased. As you mentioned though off peak is even worse (especially at Legoland) for having food options actually open. Options for proper sit down indoor meals are more and more limited too. People are now wise to it and its telling that many outlets are quiet even with MAP discounts. Though MAP holders are notoriously stingy these days.

The push for digital only ORPs. That said they're still about and have 2 physical ones that I've purchased since 2023. Can I change it to things you now see all the time? Because vloggers. And (especially at Towers) cosplayers are just everywhere. Saw someone last weekend in full Phalanx get up complete with name badge and box with fake egg of Nemesis creature in it. It’s weird to me.

Inspiration taken from Paultons' motorway services entrance.

Doesn’t help when its the only event the park has or has ever been popular/good at.

Sounds like the discourse over Nemmie Rebs atm. Saturday didn’t feel much in the way of roughness at all. Way people go on about it makes it sound like riding an old school Vekoma.

IP removal on Saw would be an interesting dilemma for them.

[/benderlaughingharder.gif] The quiet years were always the years that visits were made because of the groups. The rides were always second. Plus the stagnation of the UK in comparison to mainland Europe on top of often cheap access to those parks makes them far more exciting than heading to a Merlin park with a hope of a good visit rather than an expectation.

No Mystic Manor is probably the most upsetting thing to read there.

It was a huge balls up from the staff at the time. But like with many things, the safety procedures weren't entirely up to snuff and the way it which the park was being run arguably led to the mistake being made. It changed the course of the park and Merlin a LOT. Sadly it caused a major hit for the industry that it has struggled to recover from (mostly as, in my opinion, Merlin went into damage control mode rather than focusing on getting the parks to a level of quality again). Combine that with the general state of the world in those 10 years and its no wonder we're sat here begging for Universal.

Think Drayton also recently adding a Vikings area (and the Valhalla refurb) has made it feel a bit ott as a theme.

Think people need to remember that not all Gerstlauers ride like Saw or Smiler. For a park like Paultons, it's a great fit if maybe a decade too late. But because it's the enthusiast favourite there were very high expectations and hopeful rumours. I'd also wager that planning permission issues down that end of the park also had something to do with it.

New area for next year gets an Euro-Fighter, an ART Engineering Swing ride and a new restaurant. Cobra will be rethemed. T'Edge seems to be moving and Magma going? Not seen the confirmation of either. 2027 teasing a water ride. Surprised that it's an Euro-Fighter. But it's still a sensible addition to the park as next step up from Storm Chaser.

There's not much "old" stuff left now is there? Only original attraction left is Genie Carpets. Just wish they'd add something new to the main park.

It'll look very weird though given you'll need to walk through a load of dead empty space to get to Frozen Land next year and beyond even Lion King being added. Making the best of the initial bad designs with the new Studio 1 mind.

I mean it wasn't exactly valleying every week last year so who knows. Think it's been as unreliable as most things under the Merlin umbrella.

Add in customs faff too. But means the influencers can up their views a bit by creating "OMG PANICK" videos.

Someone on another forum reckons after talking to GS it's waiting for a part and might be another month yet.

End up with Zamperla parts instead...... 🫣

It ALWAYS goes silent when there's a long term closure. See Hyperia last year. It is not within the best interests of the park(s) to announce publicly any technical issues with the rides. Aren't Rita & Stealth trains the same? Just likely that the hydraulic launched coasters have a bit of a shorter lifespan. Presumably down to the launch system itself being incredibly high energy for short bursts of time so wear and tear is bound to happen. Fairly telling with there being only 10 Intamin ones operating with the last brand new one built in 2010.

If it survives that long.

No different to most areas at Chessie then. Though this is also taking up the old children's zoo area as well as Mine Train. Rattlesnack survives somehow.

Looks like Chessie will be "on a roll" with their next addition........ https://www.chessington.com/paw-patrol/ Made up of a cred and 3 flats. One of which likely to be Jungle Bus judging by the plans. https://www.attractionsource.com/2025/04/29/chessington-world-of-adventures-announce-paw-patrol-themed-land-opening-spring-2026/

I mean this IS the company the used the term "Legs. Gone." with an accompanying picture of Smiler.

Would be interesting how Colossus would've been like these days if they hadn't changed the original trains. The current ones put me off riding because (especially now) I cannot ride in a back row of a car. Probably doesn't help that the design has been improved somewhat (Altair and Sik).

Think the problem is more that beyond Thorpe's initial rush in the 2000s post buy-out the UK parks have stagnated. Other mainland European parks have expanded (much like peak UK in 90s) and pushed the limits of what their parks could achieve. Unless its DLP. When was the last truly successful innovative addition?