Coaster

Asylum returning confirmed. (Not really )

Yeah, Thorpe is notorious for undesirable characters, it's appalling that they seem to accept such a poor standard of behaviour when it ruins the experience for the majority of guests.

When I worked on rides it was standard procedure that it had to be fully locked off and clear of guests before you even think of entering a ride area. Tragic news.

No no no, that's why they're losing customers!

The park hasn't felt any busier than last year for me, and Icon was virtually walk-on all day on Sunday on 2 trains... it has a good throughput, but something's not right if your new 16 million pound coaster can't attract a queue.

Yeah, this one; https://youtu.be/PK_yVGW1BHY I think the new one is much improved as it actually shows the product as well as people (adding the human element is always a good thing in theme park ads IMO), still isn't perfect as it feels a bit "cut and paste" but much better than the first version despite the interesting visuals it had.

A new advert for Icon;

It was painfully slow last Sunday with VR working, only two trains (one station) running and stacking for 5 minutes each time. It's shocking when they allow fads like VR to impact on the efficient operation of the ride, needs to go ASAP! Also it broke down twice but so did Rita.

This is very exciting, wonder if it'll be like the 90s PB series - "get the damn thing open!"

That's a shame considering they were fully restored either last year or the one before

Has Thorpe always had this many closed days scheduled for October?

Am I correct in thinking the water effects in the queueline are broken/off again, despite having been fixed a few years back?

It used to be Calypso/Bush BBQ Probably BK now.

I wonder what's wrong with Saw Alive for it to still be down?

I completely agree. However, if you've waited a long time for a ride only to be turned away, some compensation should be offered for the lost time.

Car parking reached £18 today I believe (though I have heard that it was £20 earlier on).

Only one very short cycle today instead of the usual 2

Chessington was decent today. The park wasn't too busy and operations seemed marginally better than our visit last year, also ride availability was excellent throughout the day with only a couple of breakdowns. I mean sure, it's becoming bland and stale like all the Merlin parks and has completely lost its character, but was a fun day today.

Tiger Rock is good, though I did prefer Dragon Falls in its prime. Some nice additions but a shame about the loss of the dragon theming, which was more impressive and detailed than anything there now IMO. Also, we didn't see a single tiger!

Who's idea was it to run a 3D walkthrough WITHOUT 3D glasses?! Also, the pre-show has been butchered with a terrible voiceover, it doesn't fit in at all and is so obviously out of sync with the video. All because they couldn't be bothered to buy some more glasses? Guest experience...?

Dear oh dear. The audio in the biggest scene (after axe alley) was jumping on the same 5 second loop constantly, instead of triggering as the train enters and playing the full theme. You could hear it at the end of the ride as well - very very poor. Also, they had re-added a scream to the mummies but it's the wrong one (same as the wolf noise) - and too quiet.

Does anyone know how long the fountains in the finale room for Gruffalo have been off/broken? They'd kept some from Bubbleworks last year however there were none working today.

A shame the station audio has gone really quiet again, and the organist wasn't moving at all today.

But that is the correct use for them, when you've queued an hour for a ride and it breaks down you should be reimbursed for the time if the queue has to be evacuated. They should reduce the quota for paid Fastracks rather than making yet another cut to guest experience.

£43 million profit is surely enough to get basic customer service right though? Like, bad experiences will hurt Merlin's financials in the long turn as people won't go back. Also, weather?! It's been boiling. They're clinging onto any excuse they can because they can't bear to admit that they're failing to run their attractions adequately for their customers. I do think the ridiculously cheap annual passes at Thorpe/Towers won't be doing them any favours, a year's entry for £49 is ludicrously cheap really.