Benin

So we come to the end of what has been a rather disappointing year in the UK (there’s no two ways about that) it was up to the park’s abroad to show us how to do things, and that is something they most certainly did. United Kingdom I didn’t actually visit any non-Merlin UK parks this year, I nearly made it to Mingoland but fortunately that didn’t pan out. The additions to the Merlin parks sounded good (at least if you weren’t Thorpe, who seemingly cannot think of suitably well thought out additions when not building a roller coaster), with Zufari being inspired from one of the most engaging Disney rides, and Smiler’s secretive and fantastic advertising showing that when they put their minds to it our parks can advertise things properly. But what went wrong? Alton Towers This one is clear, Smiler was both the best and worst thing about this year for Towers. The positives are simple, it is the biggest ride that has been built in the country for years, it captured the imagination of the public, it is a marvel of engineering/construction, the advertising was going well, it clearly boosted the park attendances upon opening. It was what people wanted. Unfortunately, whoever Towers hired to build the thing probably appeared on that BBC show that sort out dodgy companies in a previous life. The list is longer than the Ultimate of what went wrong, the primary issues surrounding the ground it was built on being surveyed incorrectly which meant they had to delay half the construction in order to concrete the ride it properly. Then of course the winter decided to throw snow onto the matter, delaying it further. Subsidence, flooding, storms, incorrect placement of track, aligning issues, etc. were also major influences on the ride’s construction. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ride construction be so flawed and have so many external issues added on. One of the few track pieces inserted correctly... Then of course, the ride opened, then closed, then opened again, then threw bolts at people. Gerstlauer’s biggest project became the world’s biggest pain, which is a real shame because the ride itself is fantastic (although still the 3rd best ride on the park), but the rushed construction, poor planning and awful contractors will be this ride’s legacy, in amongst the countless breakdowns and the like. Elsewhere on park, it was a weird situation, as Smiler made the park rather top-heavy in investment. Constant other issues like storms, poor ride reliability and powercuts meant that the park didn’t particularly have good PR for the season (see also the July Smiler breakdown which wasn’t communicated until about 3 days before it re-opened). However, what has been a shining light this year has been the entertainments department, which involved the fantastic pirate show with Roger Ramrod, the new Park Keepers who eventually got a vehicle to tour in, the Orchestra in the Summer; a relatively decent array of stuff for Halloween and the Fireworks. For our parks, where shows are particularly high on the agenda, these were a real joy to see happen; and easily the best part of the year for Towers. I hope that this continues on into the future more than anything. Fantastic ride, a legacy of issues... Chessington Where does one begin? Zufari ended up being a cluster of good ideas badly executed in the worst possible way. Bunnygate. Runaway Train was SBNO all season. Dragon Falls lost its theming. Rameses died. Vampire’s operations got worse somehow. Across the board the park was quite simply, dreadful, and will probably see a very low attendance figure this season (more than usual at any rate). Just when you thought Chessie couldn't get any worse... 2013 happened... The Halloween event was probably the best week of their season, and even then the not-so-late openings and general park issues couldn’t be ignored. Most of the theming was non-existant based on previous years attempts. Their two mazes were excellent value for their minimal budget though, with Hocus Pocus Hall’s refurb being a complete surprise. However, that cannot skim over the fact that the park has easily been the worst one this year, and with nothing to look forward to next year (though this can be brought to all Merlin parks, though Towers will get LOTS of guests next year), I simply cannot get excited for it. Thorpe In a strange turn of events, the park that did nothing of real value (Mraws is still a poorly designed gimmick and X really isn’t that special) did the most by doing what they should’ve been doing for years. Expanding the social network side and using it to their full potential, whilst creating new events (some which worked well, some which didn’t, Summer Nights variated beyond belief as to the quality of the event, although popularity was non-existant, which isn’t the best indicator of the worthiness of an event from the park’s POV) and just generally keeping a decent improved profile this year. This was the Ice Scream event... Will it improve matters completely? It’s hard to tell, as currently the park’s portfolio of rides and attempt at a new direction are very much at odds at each other whilst they also have to get rid of the old image of unreliable rides (which Slammer doesn’t help), long queues and Fastrack over-selling on a regular basis. The two former issues still exist on the park, even with the random attempt at complete Virtual Queuing for Swarm, which still seemed to have plenty of teething problems. Fright Nights apparently existed, although that wasn’t particularly clear even when visiting the park during it advertised (the second time of the year an advertised event didn’t exist, Ice Scream I’m looking at you). The park-wide theme amounted to a CAD entrance sign, film music and the same announcement on every ride with Detonator being the only modified version. The roaming actors were very good though, both sets (Director and You’re Next), but it just didn’t feel like there was an event going on, which is very disappointing when the park was calling it “the UK’s answer to HHN”, that has plenty of theming on the park, Thorpe did not. Apparently the mazes were good (or not so good, opinions varied across the board for both Thorpe and Towers’ attempts), although my experience of Blair Witch Project was simply diabolical. Fortunately for it Walibi’s Zombie River exists, which was worse, but not by much. Thorpe let me know in no uncertain terms that my feedback is always appreciated... PR aside, the park has advanced to doing the basic minimum I want from our parks. But they made a lot more effort this year to improve the guest interaction and issues, which can only be considered a good thing. Just hope that this extends further in Thorpe’s DNA and also to the other parks. Legoland Legoland still exists for some reason. Miniland is an absolute TIP and needs fixing up as standard. Elsewhere it’s still the usual meh place really with nothing spectacular going on. It really needs a decent new ride in there. Well themed high throughput coaster preferably, but currently I do wonder why I bothered going at all. Still, not that worst park of the season. In another post, I’ll look at all the International parks I visited. Check back soon.

This is going to be so awful isn't it? Instant cult film <3

Be interesting to see if the event is as busy as it was last year... Unsurprising Oblivion hasn't made it back, would imagine (read: hope) the park have some major plans to fix Smiler's constant issues... As for Thorpe doing one, only if it's nothing like the last time they tried... Although I sense they'll always be at a disadvantage due to their island location meaning a complete lack of temperature cover for the rides...

Probably helps that most of the other flats at the park are pretty dire... That said, Samurai and Rush are hindered by only rarely having decent cycles...

The park with nothing new 'failed' last year though, perhaps the rest will realise that using an external PR company is the way forward (or at least making the most of social media, like a whole load of other parks did extremely well before this year)... That's what it SHOULD prove to the bean counters in that getting new things is all well and good (indeed, Swarm and Smiler are fantastic additions, Zufari not so much), but what really matters is connecting to the guests and providing a good day out at the same time... Hmmm, I might do a blog rather than clog up Mark's comment boxes of my opinions...

Some pics from Liseberg's Facebook... This will keep me warm this winter...

Good show from Towers there... Must be said, the Entertainments department this year have really been a beacon of light amongst all the other issues... Well done to them...

Sporting events anywhere that have paid-for parking zones tbh... I wonder if the other countries where this is the norm feel the same way? I mean I paid €7/8 for Walibi and Plopsaland last weekend but it didn't feel that bad... Maybe because the entry fee was €35 for Walibi and €28 for Plopsa? Definitely works better that way than the way we do it over here as it doesn't really feel like it's part of the park cost...

Is Europa less than 8 euros then? £6 or equivalent tends to be the trend across the continent... Then again, Europa charge for car parking must mean that Merlin aren't THAT awful for having it... Though would be nice to park on tarmac yes...

I wish I was cool enough to break park rules...

They don't put people off though... Otherwise no-one would visit their parks, so a rather strange comment to make... $65 to enter Great Adventure, so tis about $90 for the day... Which in English (approx £56) is about the same as what you pay over here for Towers/Thorpe on the gate... Considering Great Adventure have 11 coasters, and Cedar Point even more, it's certainly not that comparable though...

Doesn't say how long for though

I think they mostly always have, especially the Intamins... Imagine if Thorpe had such a website over the last few years... That wouldn't have provided a good indicator...

Most parks do this actually, closing queues early if they're excessive... Walibi closed a 2 hour queue for their woodie a hour before park close... Makes sense if it's down to the fireworks, even Disney do that...

Seats 4 per plane, and I would love to see one built outside of Copenhagen, but throughput would be a major issue for a 'normal' ticket park... If only Mingoland stopped buying Zamperlas...

Weren't allowed to take photos inside unfortunately, especially when most of the time you had an actor with you so not even sneakily like... It looked fab though...

In what will probably be an unsurprising development, our 2nd park of the weekend was Plopsaland, because we all love it to bits. It also has an immense amount of new things at the place this year, from a new MASSIVE theatre, two new rides in a newly themed area, and two rethemed rides (the kiddie cred and onion boats) which is really fantastic to see. Add this to the hotel development which is on-going and it does seem like the park is going places. They had a good amount of Halloween stuff going on as well, and numerous walking characters because why not? We faffed about the entrance area and K3 Museum before the park opened and we headed over to Vleermuis, the Batflyer since I had only the one side of it and both are separate creds (cue arguments). I forgot how much of a burden it was to get into it and I eventually sat in the child seat. Urgh. Still, plus 1. After this we meandered a bit and found the Lapins, a bunny variant on the infamous porn ponies, so naturally we had to ride them because they’re FAB. It was then time for our favourite ride on park, Anubis, which has led to us becoming quite massive fans of the TV show (Nickelodeon’s version, not the Dutch one) and very goony about it. Hell, we even played the Board Game in the hotel on the Friday night. Either way, the ride is still very good, aside from the awful rattle you get off the launch; everything else is pretty damn smooth. It also gains points for finale in-line times. Up next was the brand new Wickieland and its two new rides. On my last visit this was but a circus tent, but now it’s a lovely themed area with one of the best themed flat rides I’ve ever seen. We first did the Splash Battle of Burden, as the queue is unfinished and people waiting to get off can just fire at you without fear of retribution. In addition to that, you can also get people on the Disko Coaster, which is a hilarious concept indeed. The ride itself was a Splash Battle though, so nothing special really. The Disko was next, and unsurprisingly that too rode like one, only sans bouncing which disappointed me slightly. However it does look immense and puts Kobra to absolute shame. We fancied a bit of dark ride action so went to the Forest of Plop, which is still as fab and weird as before. We also petted a moody cow in the farm area before electing to have some food because hungry times were abound. This resulted in Waffles of JOY <3 After the waffles we went into Maya Land, which is a lovely indoor themed area. We did the Slide before the Waterlillies (a Demolition Derby) and finishing on the Flying Flowers of Burden, which were Dumbos but with annoying water fountains. Mergh. We decided for another 2 goes on Anubis before heading off towards the newly partially rethemed area. It so far looks a lot better than it did 2 years ago that’s for certain, and hopefully when they finish doing the other coaster and the Teacups it’ll look even better. We did the Onion Boats and found a rubber ducky before Victor’s Race, a Zierer Tivoli with very happy planets and a dinosaur control box. It was then time for the first show in the new Theatre, and the entire park seemingly decided to go and see it. It was our first glimpse into the new building and all I can say is wow. There is a MASSIVE reception area which can be used for business functions and probably the hotel in the future. Then inside the theatre itself it looks fantastic, with comfy seats and just all modern stuff. Pete the Pirate was the show in question with a Halloween theme, and the guy doing it was the same who appears in the TV show and epic looking Film. Chalk another for the European park shows, as it had catchy shows and typical kid-friendly amusements. We then went in search of other shows, but this led us to the amazing doughy balls of sugary joy! They even had raw dough within them! OM-NOM-NOM! The Roller-Skater was next, with it’s weird theme and covered in old theming from the rethemed Zierer. The painting techniques on the back of the washing machine were fab though. Into the Castle area and we watched the Witches show, which involved dancing, interaction and sweeties! After a quick run around on Draak, the Mack powered coaster of epic music and weird layout, we sat down for the Ron and Jon show. This was basically a lot of slapstick between two guys which was then exacerbated by a giant monkey of WHY?! It was still quite funny though and it was nice to see a show we could understand. After that it was 2 more goes on Anubis, a bit of shopping and the journey home. We could’ve stayed for the last show, but I think Walibi took a lot out of us the day before. Unfortunately our trip home was a disaster, as we were turned around from the EuroTunnel due to a stuck train to the ferry, which was delayed so we had to wait around 2 hours to even leave the country, by which point the trains had started up again. Then the ferry was a burden as well. And the rain, the constant miserable rain. URGH. Got back at 12:30 Monday morning and went straight to bed, making a disappointing end to a fantastic weekend.

Turns out they are 7 rows then...

It's open again...

Eh, basically the same as last year bar a Spinning Zamperla in a box... First of it's kind indeed... Tis hard to get excited about the over-pricedness of it all being a right old burden... Wristbands would be so much nicer...

I'm surprised our parks haven't thought that digital ticket machines (be they for pick up or on the day purchases) would be a fantastic and useful idea... Already have the system in place, why not do it?

Bleh that's weird how none of the pics work on here now... Work everywhere else... I dunno, John got put into a cage and according to Kristof/Jereon it sounds more like Face it Alone is ripping off Project Z but adding nudity because it needs to be 'edgy'... EDIT - Pictures now fixed... Stupid TPM...

I wouldn't say Thorpe need to do anything with their lighting, as it's always there and used for more than just the Halloween event... Audio, eh, whilst the stuff was fitting the theme, were the Director blurbs any better than previous years? They were rather cheap and corny jokes, which if the event is meant to be adult themed, should have no place within the park? Thing is, to me, the park struggled to have an atmosphere that was Halloweeny... Indeed, it felt exactly like my Summer Nights trip for the most part since the only differences were the audio and the odd roaming actor... I don't see what's wrong in the park trying out a theming splurge... If the park wants to make this event as good as possible, then they're gonna have to spend regardless... Be it on quality theming (which could easily be used BY roaming actors) or more actors... At any rate, how expensive IS a good quality fake weapon? Not one that looks like they got it from ASDA?

It depends on the quality of the theming... A budget could easily spread to have stuff like this: Hell, even covering the park in pumpkins would be an improvement... You can also use the Towers Freaky Fun Zone on a good example of how to do a reasonably decent Halloween zone for the family market, as that certainly had the best atmosphere in the park upon my visit... There is nothing really stopping any of our parks to really pushing the boat out on park-wide theming like Chessie used to do... Problem is with Thorpe, is that outside of the actual mazes, you'd be easy to forget it was a Halloween event... The only thing that changes in the park is the addition of spooky music and the mazes, which to me, isn't good enough to make it a truly decent event...

Or maybe have set locations as to where they will hang out? That being said, Walibi had TONNES of roaming actors around their scare mazes and other scare zones... Maybe it's just a case of boosting the numbers if they really want to make the park the destination for Halloween events... Of course, making the park FEEL like it's having a Halloween event would be my personal focus...