Zappomatic

Looks like a Zamperla: https://www.zamperla.com/products/galleon/ According to the specs this is somewhat shorter than Huss's equivalent: https://www.hussrides.com/en/classic-rides/pirate-ship In the video on Zamperla's website it looks pretty lethargic.

The park has form... Dragon Falls and Dragon's Fury, Zufari and Zafari...

My guess is no barriers, and ANPR cameras. Pay at a machine or online, and if you don't then you get an extortionate bill in the post.

Food outlets and kiosks around the park (but not inside the Dome) now serve Illy coffee, from freshly ground beans. No more disgusting Nescafé! Also pleased to say that most of the Coca Cola Freestyle machines offer water for free. Goes through the same filter and chiller as the other drinks so tastes great.

All of the wood in the station needs sorting out. The fake wood panelling on the walls is totally warped, and the top of the balcony on the left hand side of the station is likely to give quite a few people splinters this season. It's in its seventh season now so not that new any more, and Merlin aren't exactly known for choosing the right materials for the job. Also noticed quite a few fence posts and panels in the queue line marked with yellow paint, presumably earmarked for replacement. I'm baffled as to why the station speakers have been replaced with inferior ones as I don't recall the old ones having issues last season. None of the TVs were working on Saturday and the whole area felt pretty dead.

Definitely limited boats on Saturday but the staff were doing a good job of filling the boats. Pleased to say that the doors don't make the ride even less wet than it was previously! Not sure if it's due to changes or the fact I was in a boat full of adults but the bottom of the boat scraped a few of the underwater pipes/logs when I rode.

It was a shame to see that despite all of the park's winter maintenance videos, there was still plenty of old litter and gum around the park from last season (or even older). The indoor part of Saw's queueline was full of dust bunnies and pigeon poo, and Nemesis Inferno's volcano was a disgrace! Could they really not find the time to get someone onto that with a scraper during the closed season?

Anyone yearning to hear Midnight Syndicate tracks being used for a Haloween event should head to PortAventura - the area music for Far West and Meditteranea features the tracks heavily (quite weird walking through from the Hotel Gold River at opening time when the place is deserted)

Really good, silly fun! Also liked the references in the missing posters (eg. Mr Rabbit - last seen: Tropical Travels)

Kebabs can be rather tasty and it's definitely improved by asking them to leave the pita bread out. You get quite a lot of food for the money. I think Fin's has upped its game this year too, consistently decent pub quality (especially their fish and chips) and they have improved their beer selection.

They really need to clean the glass in the pre-show! The effect is ruined by the thick layer of dust and the odd spit-mark - would it really take much time and money to sort that out?

Rather enjoyed having absolutely no queue for this on Saturday night!

There's not a lot of places that will sell you a pint of Goose Island for £4.40, that's for sure.

Alcohol prices at Thorpe Park are actually pretty reasonable, by London standards.