Coaster
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Posts posted by Coaster
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Confirmed
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Amanda Thompson has tweeted this;
However, it looks as though the "opening 2021" text has been removed from the sign;
Sadly this could suggest it has been delayed?
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I don't know about Croc Drop, but croc of something else comes to mind..
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So, 2020. It goes without saying that this was a tough year for everyone; with everything else going on in the world, theme park visits feel like a pretty unimportant thing to talk about, but with everything else being so awful, they provided a much needed escape for those whom felt comfortable to and/or were able to visit.
It has been a very different year, and with that in mind, theme park visit lists will look very different this year. With this in mind, did you manage to visit any parks this year, and if so, which ones?
I took the opportunity of a "step-back" from normal times to re-visit and support some of the independent parks in the UK. I was pretty careful with planning my visits to be during quieter times, which usually worked well, and I'd say that I felt pretty safe during my visits. Whilst there were guests at some parks who didn't follow regulations, e.g. not wearing masks or getting too close in queues, I didn't hesitate to tell them to keep a further distance away!
My park visits (in order) were;
Before First Lockdown
Blackpool Pleasure Beach x4
After First Lockdown
Brean Theme Park x1
Oakwood Theme Park x1
Alton Towers x1
Fantasy Island x1
Chessington x1
Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach x1
Pleasurewood Hills x1
Adventure Island x1 (Added in December)
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Fear Island was very good (aside from Millennium being down) on the Friday just gone. Would highly recommend!
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I thought Tomb Blaster was meant to have had a refurb?!
I rode it on Sunday and...
- Axe alley was just pitch black, couldn't see anything
- Boulder totally broken and not even spinning
- Half the scenes just pitch dark
- Voiced audio was overdone and inaudible for the most part
The only improvement was uplighting in the very first scene and decent new lighting on the mummy scare at the end. Everything else just felt broken and disjointed.
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22 hours ago, JoshC. said:
In the one sense, you can argue it's not any different to any other indoor queue line, which still exist. The reasons indoor mazes didn't run was a mixture of things: not enough space to incorporate actors and guests with social distancing, lack of appropriate ventilation, etc. An indoor queue line is very different to an indoor maze. And in all honesty, I would feel perfect fine in a Covid-sense queueing in there if everyone was wearing masks and social distancing (though I know this is unlikely).
But yes, it's hard to disagree that it's an unusual choice all things considered. It's equally unusual that both outdoor mazes have crouch sections, which see many guests touch the sides / top for stability. Not something that's been mentioned a lot, but something that does make you wonder.
I guess it is similar to indoor queue lines, but many of those are unavoidable in getting to the ride and most have more space than that tunnel, which is very narrow. Also ironic is the fact that (to my knowledge) Walking Dead: The Ride is closed this year because of the indoor queue-line and exit not being deemed safe for COVID? In which case, how is this different?
It seems strange that a scare attraction which has been redesigned supposedly with COVID safety in mind is using a very narrow tunnel for guests to queue in. I mean, surely that's more unsafe than using the tunnel in the way that it was used last year with one group at a time going through? Just makes no sense to me.
Unless the re-route has purely been designed in an attempt to justify the £10 charge? In which case, they've essentially made the queueing system less COVID safe because they've only thought about how to justify an upcharge with minimal actual investment into the attraction.
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I find it unbelievable that an event which didn't run indoor mazes due to COVID safety, lets a lot of people pack into a small claustrophobic tunnel to queue?
- LukeP_8, Martin Doyle and Ringo
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I can't remember all of mine, but here's a few;
Ghost Trains
- At a very young age, I broke down on the Ghost Train at Folly Farm (back in the days when it was pretty scary) next to a skeleton, we were sat there for ages before they put the lights on and came and pushed us out. I was terrified!
- Terror Castle at Brean - breakdown and evacuation, enjoyed it!
Valhalla
- Breakdown before lift 1 and evacuation
- Boat failed to engage lift 1, staff pushed it and continued ride as normal
- Block breakdown in waterfall room before turntable, blocks had to be operated manually to enable us to enter the turntable, leave it and go down the drop
- Breakdown in wind tunnel, lights came on, three boats stuck in wind tunnel and a fourth waiting to go down the drop!
- Breakdown and lights on before the last drop (has happened multiple times)
- Boat bump in last section before final drop
Alice Ride
- Breakdown and evacuation, again was very happy!
The Big One
- Multiple e-stops on the final break run (when the ride is running too fast)
Steeplechase
- Temporary stoppage on second lift-hill, restarts after a few seconds usually.
- Standard not quite making it back into station and being pulled in by ride staff job - happens a lot.
Big Dipper
- Stoppage on lift-hill (not the one where it waits for the block to clear, this was longer and Infusion was also stopped on its lift so can only assume it was a power-cut of sorts).
Grand National
- Train didn't quite make it off the brake run and back into the station, got evacuated (I'm counting it!)
Samurai
- Stuck on it for 20 minutes whilst they tried to park the thing, I had a nosebleed and no tissues so was dripping blood everywhere! I think people in the queue thought there had been some sort of accident. I did offer to clean it but was told they would do it!
The Swarm
- Breakdown before entering the station, then it overshot and went back onto the lift-hill where we sat for ages before they had to send us round again to get us off.
Stealth
- Four times in a day it failed the launch, fifth time we managed!
Astro Storm
- Breakdown on the first block brakes after the initial drop, sat there for ages, lights came on, then staff gradually moved us manually from one block to the next. Took about 40 minutes in total but I was quite happy getting to see the ride with the lights on!
Megafobia
- E stop on the brake run at the end of the ride, staff reset and got it going again in 10 minutes.
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Plenty of attractions of different types operate free (admission included) timed ticket slots on a first-come-first-served basis, so let's not pretend that charging £10 per maze was Thorpe's only option here.
I understand that the parks have suffered a lot financially this year, but nevertheless I don't think it's right that Thorpe have introduced such a hefty fee for these mazes when they are essentially one that has been around for years and Blair Witch without the IP. Ultimately I do not believe it represents good value for money and it feels as though Thorpe are exploiting the fact that they are one of few operating Halloween events this year by charging such a high amount.
- TPJames, Martin Doyle and Ringo
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So we've got Icon's track, Big One's trains and Colossus's layout? Flamingo Land are king of original ideas here!
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On 7/21/2020 at 10:28 PM, Marc said:
The thing is anti social behaviour and a stabbing are 2 very different things - you can have all the searches etc in the world but you’ll still get things like anti social behaviour.
I don’t really think there’s a right answer - even in Orlando I think it’s only universal and maybe one Disney park (Epcot I think?) who put all guests through a xray machine, I think there’s a fine line between checks an every day guest would expect when entering a theme park to the point where it gets too much, for example the hospital stabbing the other day I don’t think everyone will expect to be searched upon entry to hospitals now.
After this Thorpe may well look to change how they let people into the park and may decide everyone needs some sort of search - as with a lot of these measures like this they are bought in in reaction to something like this, and that’s not just within theme parks.
I saw towers also had additional security with handheld scanners since the incident it’s good to see merlin are taking it seriously across the board.Thorpe introduced security measures a few years back so clearly there is a need for them and they realise that; initially it was set up mid-way through a season (I think?) hence the temporary setup, however it's strange that they didn't redesign the entrance with a more permanent solution over the following closed season.
The park handles thousands of guests daily, they can't expect two search huts to cater for that many people. Having a queue that size to get into the park is ridiculous and this has been an issue for a few years now, it also means that the thoroughness of the checks is sacrificed to get people through quickly. I'd also suggest that causing such a delay to the start of people's day puts them in a worse frame of mind and could potentially lead to worse behaviour inside the park.
A visual deterrent of having a large number of scanners lined up forming part of the entrance structure would I feel be much better and safer for guests, whilst also ensuring that everyone has to go through security (not just those with a bag).
On 7/22/2020 at 12:10 PM, JoshC. said:Not to be facetious, but haven't you visited Thorpe much more than any other park (aside from possibly Blackpool)? In which case, the chances are you would have seen more antisocial behaviour..
I've witnessed antisocial behaviour at loads of parks personally - Thorpe, Towers, Chessington, Walibi, Phantasialand. I've heard about it at many more - Universal parks, Six Flags parks, Parc Asterix, Port Aventura... It does happen. Not that that takes away from your point per se, but it happens in more places. And I'm sure it happens more often that people see.
Not to try and create a 'race to the bottom', but loads of other parks have DIY security setups which have queues. It isn't a Thorpe exclusive problem.
I did used to visit Thorpe a lot yes, although I'd say perhaps less days there than Blackpool overall. My point is, Thorpe is notorious for this sort of behaviour, fights take place there a lot, as does other intimidating behaviour. I truly do not feel safe at Thorpe at times and this rarely occurs at other parks, the place has issues with antisocial behaviour and has done for years. This is why I believe it needs much more stringent security checks. In relation to the other Merlin parks, I feel that they too should have better security, however they do not seem to attract such high levels of bad behaviour as Thorpe does so regularly.
I'm not suggesting that this is a problem exclusive to Thorpe, however I feel that Thorpe has a much higher risk of this type of event occurring than any other park I've visited.
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2 hours ago, Marc said:
They have never had an incident like this - hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Thorpe have never searched everyone entering the park, they don’t have the facilities too and have felt they don’t need to. Blackpool’s setup is rather different, if I remember rightly Blackpool had huge issues with anti social behaviour which I assume is why their very strict security was implemented?
Theres only so much they can do to mitigate risk, compared to other parks in the U.K. I’d say Thorpes security is already fairly strict and will no doubt evolve as required.
The lack of facilities is exactly my point - Thorpe should have a facility similar to Pleasure Beach where everyone gets searched IMO.
In relation to antisocial behaviour, it occurred at Pleasure Beach back when it was free entry however since introducing the security measures it's a very rare occurrence in my experience.
Thorpe Park on the other hand has a lot of antisocial behaviour, more than I've ever seen in Pleasure Beach, and yet their security measures are nowhere near up to the same level. You mentioned about PB upping security due to antisocial behaviour, yes this is true, however my point is that they have had a secure entrance with the capacity to search everyone since 2009 whereas Thorpe (a park which has suffered from antisocial behaviour for years) doesn't.
I have witnessed more antisocial behaviour at Thorpe than in any other park personally, by a long way. There have been times where I haven't felt safe due to the behaviour of other guests. I feel that much stricter security and having scanners built into the entrance would prevent this, and given that Thorpe's bag checks have caused long delays whilst also not being thorough for years, they have had ample time to introduce a better more permanent solution IMO.
Why should it be accepted that a park handling thousands of guests per day has such a "DIY" security setup with a few huts and massive queues? It is just not good enough.
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On 7/20/2020 at 10:03 AM, Marc said:
I'm not sure it does show a failure on thorpes part? Thorpe Park's security procedure (the parts which we see anyway) is IMO probably the most stringent out of all the Merlin theme parks already and will no doubt evolve again after this incident. I agree that I haven't had to walk through a scanner at thorpe other than on some special events, but the same can be said for any entertainment venue I've visited in the UK over the past couple of years.
I think that given that Thorpe has a lot of security incidents and seems to have a higher number of poor guest behaviour than other UK parks, it should have higher security levels. BPB for example have scanners which all guests must walk through.
QuoteThe bag search was bought in after a number of terrorist incidents. I agree if they want to search every guest to a higher standard it will take investment in more equipment and infrastructure, and that 2 hour queues to get in are not a long term solution, but to say the park don't have proper security measures is a ridiculous statement.
I don't feel that they do though, because they don't have the capacity to search every guest thoroughly enough to make it safe. They either have to not search all guests completely or cause 2 hour queues; this has been an issue for years and they have had plenty of closed seasons to address the issue with a new entrance but it hasn't happened.
QuoteI don't agree Thorpe Park is not a safe environment, "Behaviours" you mention can and do happen in all sorts of places, when you manage thousands of people a day your bound to have trouble at some points, Fright Nights are typically busier and therefore your probably more likely to have someone out to cause trouble. And as far as I know this is the first instance of knife crime at TP - how would a "properly secure entrance" stop someone picking a fight in the park?
I have witnessed a much higher number of security incidents at Thorpe Park than any other park in the UK, I've never encountered that sort of behaviour on such a large scale at another UK park. I feel that increased security presence would be a deterrent to people who would otherwise cause that type of behaviour.
QuoteHolding Merlin or Thorpe accountable for the knife crime problem in the UK is abit OTT - Thorpe Park's checks were always simply Bag Checks - The park no doubt work with local police forces to plan and execute things such as security / bag searches etc.
I'm holding them accountable for the fact that somebody was able to get a knife into a supposed secure theme park. Given the issue with knife crime, plus Thorpe Park's tendency to attract poorly behaved guests, I think that makes it even worse that bag and guest searches haven't been thorough. I am not entirely blaming Thorpe; obviously the moron who did it is the culprit, however I do think that Merlin/Thorpe should be held accountable for not having stringent enough security.
QuoteTo enter the park you need to have a ticket scanned at a turnstile or manually by staff, they of course know how many people are in the park at any given time, as far as I know there are no "legal limits" for Covid 19 - they simply have to ensure social distancing measures are in place which they are, park capacity is significantly reduced from normal.
It seems strange to me that they were not checking pre-booked tickets which were clearly in place to ensure that social distancing was possible through limiting the number of guests.
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Would anyone be able to remind me how to change my signature? I can't seem to find the option anywhere.
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I was very saddened to hear about the incident yesterday. Truly a horrible event for the victim, staff, and guests. This shouldn’t happen anywhere; let alone a theme park and I hope that everyone is safe and that the victim recovers.
Sadly, I feel that this emphasises the absolute failure Thorpe Park have made in terms of security. For years, the park has needed a purpose-built entrance with a much higher number of security scanners and more thorough checks. Even after the tightened security measures introduced around the UK a few years back, they are still relying on waving people through a few (two I think) huts. On occasions last year and the year before, I wasn’t even asked to step through the security scanner. This should be compulsory for all guests and there should be the capacity to do this efficiently.
Today’s knee-jerk reaction causing a 2+ hour queue to enter the park is not the answer either. It should not take a stabbing to make a park that handles thousands of guests daily realise that they need proper security measures (which they still don’t have).
Whether they like to admit it or not, Thorpe Park is not a safe environment. Some of the behaviour I have seen from guests in the past, particularly during Fright Nights but also at other times of the year, is disgusting and puts people in danger. Thorpe Park are aware of this behaviour and yet have still not introduced a properly secure entrance.
A park handling crowds on the level of Thorpe Park should be able to search all guests safely and efficiently. It shouldn’t cause long delays, nor should they have to wave people through due to not having the capacity to search everyone properly. It is a farce and either Merlin or Thorpe should be held accountable for yesterday’s incident, as they have had years to sort this.
In addition to this, I have also read multiple reports that despite requiring guests to pre-book online, they haven’t even been checking tickets of pass-holders. This means that they potentially could have exceeded the legal limits for safety due to COVID-19? Plus, they aren’t following guidelines and then an incident occurs at the park which is not good by any means.
Ultimately, I feel that Thorpe Park have failed to keep guests safe. This is not the fault of staff, who have a very tough job and are doing their best, but the management and Merlin Entertainments should be held accountable IMO.
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It looks like some dodgy back alleyway not a theme park! 😂
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The rides are always heaving though? Particularly in the evenings.
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2 hours ago, JoshC. said:
You could say the same for Joris. And beyond the on ride pre-show, the same for Baron too (which is very, ahem, barren when it comes to landscaping).
In fairness though, Joris has a much better queueline which showcases the ride well, and also goes across a lake, it's much more interesting and I don't remember it having much (if any) cattlepen?
There's also the dragon, albeit broken now.
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This looks awful. The Dome always looked amazing as "Port Atlantis", now it just looks run-down.
Why would they remove all that fantastic theming and leave it looking so dull and bland? Unless it was dangerous or falling down, I can't understand it.
See this parallels with what's happened at PB over the last 5/10 years, removal of theming and "fun" features in favour of a bland, corporate look.
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If I'm being totally honest, this doesn't look up to Efteling's usual standard.
Sure it's only a junior coaster, but it just doesn't look inspiring at all; the layout looks worse than say, Scorpion Express or RMT, and there isn't really much theming beyond the station, just landscaping. And then there's the cattlepen queue, I wouldn't really expect that at Efteling, I mean even the Dragon at Legoland Windsor has a proper themed queueline.
I'm obviously not in the target audience for this but for an investment from Efteling and as a replacement for Bob, this just looks disappointing IMO.
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Incredible 😂
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Pleasure Beach have extended their season and will now close on the 13th December (weekends only Nov-Dec) and have also extended season passes free of charge. They are also offering the option to defer 2020 season passes to 2021 or receive a (not yet announced) discount from next year's passes. The promenade illuminations are also being extended until 3rd January.
All in all, an excellent response to a difficult situation in my eyes.
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3rd place: The Curse
Winner: The Asylum
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
in UK Attractions
Posted
I have to be honest, I strongly disagree with this.
The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure is, for the most part, very well done and an improvement on the version of Bubbleworks that immediately preceded it, but only because that had fallen into poor condition.
Tiger Rock however, aside from the new show-piece tiger head, which already looks tired and dated, they completely ruined the theming after the first drop and the majority of other features now look out of place or in desperate need of a paint job. I much preferred Dragon Falls.
Walking Dead: The Ride too, ruins the ride in my opinion. It isn't suited to the hardware at all and it was much more enjoyable and fun to ride as X IMO.
Valhalla does not need to become a lifeless bland IP-driven investment, and I thoroughly hope it isn't in any way similar to Gruffalo, Tiger Rock or Walking Dead!