Benin
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Banned for breaking the rules between us...
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Long Post Incoming!
I dont see why either of them are an excuse tbh
Oblivion is a more valid one than Rita, mainly because the park know that everyone will be trying to get on Smiler (regardless if it's open or closed), and not having any rides open in X-Sector prevents (in theory) people travelling backwards and forwards in and out the area and causing havoc with the Smiler queue... It's bad enough during the day trying to get into that area...
What with the Woodland Walk actually opening for hotel guests now, it makes sense to keep everything on that side of the park... If Air was down on the list to open, no-one would actually be complaining, since Oblivion wasn't ever down for ERT this year and Rita was replaced early on in the season by Thirteen because of being a burden... So Nemesis has been pretty much the only thrill ride open for it this year, why are people only realising this now?
So Thorpe cutting their hours is ok because they did it out of season? I do like specifics when it comes to OUTRAGE at things... Let's be honest, no-one around any forum has been particularly happy about any park hours being cut (yada yada European parks open late yada) but unless some massive changes in culture occur, it's still going to be quite rare that our parks open late beyond Halloween events...
It's clear that Towers is struggling this year (due to Smiler, literally, that's it, so it's no surprise that any park would be doing better in the guest satisfaction scores, it's not particularly unlikely) and as we saw with the other parks before, things will get cut (remember when Blows It Up happened?)... Considering how empty Towers was at the start of the year (because everyone was waiting for Smiler for 2/3 months) it was pretty obvious that eventually, stuff would get cut out of the picture for one thing or another, in this case it's the easiest thing to alter from the park's view, and that's opening hours during the off-peak season... Like when Chessie used to be shut for practically every weekday in September...
Towers are constantly shooting themselves in the foot this year like Thorpe used to do with an unreliable new ride being shut half the time and not a great batch of contact to guests throughout as to what's actually happening (lack of ANYTHING stating that Smiler is down is pretty shocking), but it's clearly something the Merlin parks have realised that out of season Scarefest just isn't viable enough to keep going on till late if you have an exceptionally poor start to the year... Walk on rides everywhere are good for enthusiasts of course, but does it always make financial sense? Not to the big-wigs these days, due to the exceptional focus on instant returns...
And there in lies the issue across ALL the parks atm, it's the ownership and the complete change in focus towards financial targets across the board from everyone... One of the reasons why Thorpe are changing their target market because they're not doing that well on a financial sense, the reason why Towers started flogging Smiler Fastrack within a week, the reason we get all these budget cuts is literally down to there being a huge focus on the financial returns of the parks... And it's clear that it's at a detriment to the guest experience... Look at what's happening at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and SeaWorld(s) atm, looks familiar doesn't it? Well look who own them, Blackstone, and guess who they have a stake in as well? Merlin...
You can damn well be sure that the additions next year, like all recent Merlin additions will be done at the 'bare minimum' of effort... That level of just being average with the overall experience with such investment levels is stupid... All you have to do is look at what parks like Plopsaland are doing with their new areas/rides to see a massive difference in park expectations to what the guests want... Compared to the concrete jungle of Smiler or the random selection of vehicles on Swarm or the wooden fence land of Zufari, it's universes apart between the scale and the way in which the parks operate... That recent article from Roland Mack regarding how Europa treats it's guests (of COURSE they were gonna get mentioned) and how the experiences at that park differ to ours just shows that something is going seriously wrong...
The thing is, these decisions are logical from a business perspective, which I why I can see why they do it... But considering the reputation of the parks this year is taking hit after hit after hit, it's not the right way in order to try and bring people back in... Next year's attendance figures are going to be interesting, as none of our parks so far have actually hit a consistent level of busyness...
Tangent aside, could be worse, could be Chessie... Least the other two are open till dark at SOME points during their respective events...
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Oblivion is off ERT due to Smiler, hence pretty understandable...
Rita if off ERT due to being an Intamin, so again, understandable...
If you notice however, I do agree that they should try and get Air on ERT as well, but it might not be possible for the engineers to end up doing that many rides in the morning as they're all in one area for them... Logistically, it might just be too much for them, but since they are looking into it, then fine...
Considering on a whole that we've had plentiful amounts of hours cut back over the last year, I cannot say it's surprising that this would happen over one of the quietest periods of the season (evidenced when I visited over uni times)... Did I say anything about agreeing with the idea? No, I just said I wasn't surprised that this has happened within a season of low hours in the first place...
Thorpe already did this once before didn't they? Cutting Fright Night hours during the off-peak time of the Halloween season (or just not having them at all mid-week, I forget which), indeed, look at their website, and low and behold, the only days prior to October Half Term that are late hours are Friday, Saturday and Sunday... So they're basically doing the same as Towers bar closing 2 hours earlier for most of the week then 2 hours later on a Friday...
You can check for yourself Mark, which I'm surprised you haven't... If we're having rage at Towers for this, then why is Thorpe not getting so? http://www.thorpepark.com/plan-your-visit/opening-times.aspx
So, Thorpe are doing it, and am I on their case about it? I don't recall raging against Thorpe for that decision (although it is difficult to distinguish sometimes between the many times I am raging at Thorpe, though it has somewhat calmed recently)...
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Thing is, X has hidden it's length for years because of the block brakes, allowing it to appear more 'value for queueing' because of the elongated ride time...
Unfortunately, that doesn't exist anymore, so I'm sure people who wait an hour for it (and kids don't half love a long queue) will still be as disappointed as those before the change, albeit for different reasons...
They could do better, even if they just said to Vekoma, can we have a new layout please that uses the building space better using modern technologies... As I said, you only notice how bad it is for overall space usage now that you can see the building...
Compare it to EuroSat (which is the best direct comparison) in terms of length and usage of space, and the difference is staggering...
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Oh, the park's not opening till late during the empty part of that season...
#shocked
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But on the other hand, aside from Fluch's theming taking over a year to do because of snow (excuses eh?) with both a LSM launching system and vertical lift/drop could that not also be termed as a prototype? Can also look at Lynet and Wild Hog for other prototypes... Though it's hard to say if they were unreliable tat breaking down every 5 minutes because of being in parks that are very rarely looked at...
It seems clear that they've moved away from the dual loading system now, even Takabisha doesn't have it... Even that can be termed as a prototype with the amount of brakes at the top of the lift for the however many degrees drop...
Atm with Smiler, it seems to be a support issue that has kept it closed currently (aside from the lift hills when I visited)... Now, is this down to Gerstlauer? OR the construction team externally brought in for the job? Indeed, a fair few of Smiler's issues had nothing to do with Gerstlauer (or least, I doubt they have anything to do with checking the type of soil on site), and the flying bolt of freedom isn't a specific manufacturer issue and clearly a result of the harsh weather changes (hooray for metal expanding and contracting!)
It is a shame because the more issues have the more it paints a picture on Gerst (although, the Texas Giant issue will do more for that than anymore bolts flying off Smiler), as it's their biggest project and their rides are actually good (Saw being the exception) and as a still young and growing company they do provide something different... Perhaps though they are being too Intamin-like for their own good what with their new ideas being broken when used in the actual environment...
Overall, it's not a good year for Towers either, everything seems to be breaking simultaneously, with Runaway's motor dying, Thirteen's hydraulics being sprayed everywhere, Oblivion's lift hill, Rita being Rita... It's on the cards for the Valley to take the next hit...
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Know what I find really weird, only Saw and Smiler have had such problems for Gerstlauer coasters...
Yet meanwhile, things like Karacho are running fine (though unfinished, but that's the German way sometimes)...
Did Takabashi even have over the top problems during it's opening months? If so, there's something strange about that only two Gersts have major issues...
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It's strange that they're the only Merlin park that doesn't have some form of closed ride scroller...
Maybe it's the different website style, or perhaps they're just not as used to having half their park closed at once?
The social media person has probably quit or gone on holiday, hence why there's been no mention of it being shut...
Hopefully though, whichever support is being worked on is a quick(ish) fix, like every other major breakdown that has happened recently...
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Still hasn't been an official announcement though (in regards to actual theme, name and layout etc)...
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Currently only Smiler and Rita are down...
Thirteen's back up then...
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Love how we blame Intamin.. There are plenty of Launch coasters out there which cables havent snapped
Like their LSM ones...
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10 years ago you only had Air on ERT...
Or Nemesis if you were really lucky...
And you got a themed guide pick everyone up from the hotel lobby (Back when it was Nemesis and my first visit to Towers in 2001, a bloke in hard hat and hi-vis would run into the lobby screaming and promoting the story of Nemesis <3)...
Sigh...
I guess that having Air and Nemesis would be extremely unlikely to be both open and ready for 9am, especially with staff requirements... Sub Terra would be a definite candidate off the list just for staffing alone since it needs 60 people to run it...
They might look into Air opening as well, but for now, let's settle for whoring Runaway Train still <3
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And it's just made me notice that TPM has a word filter for the term "Colos.sucks"...
Amazing <3
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After a lot of rides on it on the weekend, I have come to a conclusion...
The light effects are good...
The ride is still crap... The block brakes (or lack of) really go to so how short the layout is, and it doesn't particularly impress...
Polishing a turd suits X very well as a description (always has done to be fair), and it's actually one of the worst uses of internal space for an indoor coaster (not helped by that you can see half of the building now)...
In the future, I think Thorpe would be better served removing X, Slammer (especially if it keeps conking out), Storm Surge and the Arena, allowing for a massive space in the middle of the park to be used for, just about anything really... Though I would imagine that is a long way away...
- JoelPagett and Inferno
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But I LIKE mocking people when their opinion is wrong, it's a fun game <3
It's all about presentation, and how one presents their opinions (be they positive or negative) on the matter that make a difference on a forum, since body language is null and void...
If a poster comes in and says "Y ride is crap and should be replaced by Z ride because of well thought out and structured reasons" then that's fine really, perhaps a full blown discussion can come of that based on other people's opinion of Z ride if they've ridden one before or what they think of it from pictures/videos...
Then you get the "Y ride is crap and should be called crappy ride because of how crap it is lol" posts... Whilst Thorpe especially has had a wonderful history of the ride names being changed to Boretex, Zodicrap, Colossus, Nemesis Inferior, etc, I've always seen that as a harmless joke from those days where the only way to survive a day out at Thorpe was to make fun of it (because it wasn't helping itself)...
But just saying a ride is crap because I say so overall isn't a fact (although this is not applicable to Mean Streak, Sequioa Adventure and Bakken's Tornado), it's my opinion and if I just say something is crap because I think it is isn't the right way to go about having a discussion (unless of course your opinion on stuff is already established enough on the forums for people to understand the usual moans, like me and Intamin OTSRs)...
People are going to disagree, that's life, and there's no need to throw toys out the pram... Because if people act childish, then they get treated like a child... That's my take on things...
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First drop and Dive Loop were jolty on my singular ride...
Too much head-bashing </3
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Think that pretty much confirms a Wing-Rider based on the HUGGGGGE gap between pillars then...
Worst kept secret of course...
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Yesterday Swarm said unavaiable, then they tested it, then they said it would be a while till it opened (at 7:30)...
There were no signs saying rides would open at 7:30 on park, so clarity is needed throughout...
Glass House said kitchen was closed at 6, but would reopen later if we booked a table... Not particularly good if you don't wanna lose time in the 3 hours...
Next week if the park closes at 7 THAT'S going to be fun if it's busy at closing, with lots of people leaving and entering... I don't know how that's going to work effectively... Staff not getting a break either is awkward...
A few flats wouldn't go amiss either... Samurai and Det would also be good calls due to their locations to the coasters...
It'd be a good event if they promoted it more... That simple, but they haven't beyond social media and the posters on park... There is too much focus on instant returns these days though, so if it's dead next weekend I don't think it'll come back...
Which would be a shame...
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It wasn't an overall disappointing event (indeed, you can't be disappointed by walk-on coasters for £5, if the weather had been the same as during the day, I probably would have stayed longer and maybe (MAYBE) ridden Saw/Colossus again (but doubtful))... BUT from an organisational standpoint the beginning was a shambles...
I was disappointed by the lack of organisation, that there was a 90 minute period of doing nothing between (we managed to grab a sandwich from Coffee Shack before it closed, but Glass House not doing food till the ERT started was silly, could've kept it open for Summer Nights/Crash Pad guests) and then when we were let in at 7 we weren't given wristbands and I don't think any of the rides were actually open at that time, as we spent 30 minutes looking for something open after giving up on Swarm, failing on Fish and Storm Surge and settling for X...
If the rides weren't gonna be open they could've said upon entry or in the Dome or just not let us in at all until such time until the majority of planned rides were available...
Lack of shops open was a burden, people could've got ponchos or sweets or whatever, even if they just had a few kiosks open in the Dome would've helped matters (as well as other food options, Stealth Diner and Glass House being the only two options isn't great)...
Majority of people were clearly Crash Pad guests, so there's an issue with marketing... You know something's wrong when you have a person shouting to people on a megaphone as you exit that you can come back in for 3 hours for £5, so that needs to be looked at as well...
As an aside, why did Thorpe go to all this trouble for a photoshoot, then NOT have the ice cream stuff? I expected in during park hours, but all there was was a lonely snowman, there wasn't anything set up for the ERT stuff either, so I'm guessing they just didn't bother? Poor show...
However, to the Inferno operator playing 'Singing in the Rain', I applaud you...
tl;dr - Good idea, poorly executed... Just like most Merlin ideas...
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I just got back... The event needs work, as letting people in at 7 into an empty park with no wristbands or knowledge of what would be open (compounded by the weather, but that cannot be helped), made things slightly awkward for everyone...
Inferno and Swarm shops were shut too... I got a decent ride count, even with the burdenous rain, but its an event that needs work to really take off, rather than trying to sell tickets at the end of a day with desperation...
Also, no ice cream rain... What was the point in the advert if there's not going to be anything?
And Storm Surge closing in the rain with everything else (bar Swarm due to evac) running? Classic Thorpe...
Chessington Howl'o'ween
in Chessington World of Adventures
Posted
Seems like they've gotten rid of Bewitched this year...
Closes at 5pm for the 19/20th weekend as well... Why? Guess is as good as mine... 7pm close for October Half Term...
Of course, no-one cares because Chessie are making Towers look good this year