Coaster

If there are clear improvements next year then I can understand this decision.

Going from this article it seems that this will be to do with their entry ticketing system rather than more Speedy Farce, but it could be both. http://accesso.com/2015/11/accesso-expands-european-presence-with-new-contract-win/

What a great way to get guests back through the gates! Starting to wish I hadn't bothered renewing my MAP, as I can't see myself visiting Alton next year if this turns out to be true. Also, what did Hex do wrong?!

So saying "I don't see the appeal" is a judgement is it? Did I ever say it was a bad thing? No, I just said that I didn't see the appeal which was basically a way of asking "what is the appeal?"When you consider the amount of judgement thrown around on this site by others, I think that you are overreacting just a bit.

Steath is a good ride - all 12 seconds of it!

At least on Valhalla they know how to vacuum water out of a boat!Dora's World Voyage is better than scrap-metal surge!

Recliner sofa > The Swarm

What has that got to do with park counts and which parks you choose to visit?

I guess people like different things, but personally I can't see the appeal for travelling to places with one tiny coaster for the sake of saying "I've been on that one". Each to their own I guess!

I have heard something along those lines as well but not sure how they will achieve it, unless it has a very high throughput.Also, 50 per hour from the main queue on IAC? Oh dear!

Yeah, it was brilliant!IAC seemed to introduce Fastrack after a few months despite them saying they wouldn't, as the Fastrack sign was added back on. Not sure if they actually sell it though or if it's just for VIP's.

Gwazi... gutted I never got to have a go on that!

Loggers and The Flume are very popular rides and are still good queue shifters as well, removing them is an awful decision and one that I do not support at all. They have neglected these rides over the years but with a bit of TLC they could be restored to their former glory which really wouldn't cost that much to do. Not impressed.

https://youtu.be/jb8h0DXkmHE

I think it's very unfortunate that due to being owned by the same company, Thorpe is suffering cuts as a result of something that happened at another park. £50m is a huge loss but closure of rides is only going to put more people off and further increase this loss. As I have said, they need to be recovering the parks not dragging them down even further. Why not remove Samurai instead? It is a shadow of its former self and there are plenty of flats that can take its place (as they have done regularly throughout the last few seasons). Loggers on the other hand is a staple family ride and is very popular, especially during the summer months.

Shame they chose Loggers and not the pile of junk in front of X in that case! On a more serious note, that is a terrible way of thinking as any closed ride makes a difference, especially one as popular as Loggers. I don't doubt that it needs some form of refurbishment, what I do doubt however is that it will take a whole year and two closed-seasons.

They are all completely different rides and all have a place in Thorpe's lineup (well, apart from Storm Surge).

That doesn't surprise me in the least, providing such a poor service years-on-end as well as making bizarre investments that don't pull the crowds in (ABL, IAC) is bound to bring gate figures down. And that is why I get so frustrated with the park. They charge a crazy entrance price, run the park with several rides closed and/or on poor capacity, oversell Fastrack and provide awful customer service... THEN THEY WONDER WHY GUEST NUMBERS ARE DOWN!

Closing rides is only going to lower the customer satisfaction at the park even more, subsequently leading to further loss of guest numbers. Thorpe are trying to get families through the gates, so closing a staple family ride is a bad decision which will lead to lots of disappointment because it's closed as well as strain being put on other attractions in the park. Have you seen the queues it gets on warm days despite being one of the best throughputs on park? That says enough about its popularity IMO. This is all before we even get to how bad it will look having it SBNO all year. Oh, but wait, surely there will be work being carried out throughout the entirety of the season, otherwise they will have a hard time telling the public that it's closed for "maintenance" if it's just sitting there collecting dust. I have no doubt that they are going to do at least some work to Loggers, but I think it is being used as an excuse to cut next year's costs by closing it all season. This. Although in my opinion theme parks should never be allowed to get to the stage where shareholders are more important than the actual parks themselves and the experience they are offering to guests!

Not really, it's just black chipboard walls with a few decent theming elements. The bathroom scene is good though. From the outside it's just a warehouse disguised as a warehouse.

For anyone who did Containment, what happened about Katie "Horror" Hopkins?

Oh believe me, they will be getting a lot of backlash if it hasn't had refurbishment significant enough to have taken a year. A general clean-up does not justify a whole season being closed (and two closed seasons). I am expecting a lot to have happened including new theming and effects, and the tunnel back. To put it into perspective (and I know this is a bad comparison as it's not a Merlin park), it took six months to refurbish Valhalla which included gutting and replacing the entire frontage, significant upgrades to the ride system, trough replacement and scene changes. If Loggers hasn't had work at least to that level then it doesn't justify the long closure, which means that it is effectively cost-cutting, in which case I will be very disappointed in the park. They are not losing money, profit is only down slightly and closing rides is not the answer. Unnecessary budget cuts are not acceptable.

That thing is terrifying.

I can understand it having some time out for maintenance, but a year seems excessive. Hopefully it'll be more than just a cleanup and involve a complete overhaul - I'm expecting a lot if it's going to take a whole season!

NO!