pluk

Closed by 2023 is all I could think of to be honest.

In a truly shocking turn of events, Tomb Blaster is... exactly the same.
 
https://twitter.com/ChessingtonBuzz/status/1394256497517993986?s=19

I can't believe for a second they'd go for a B&M wineries, it just feels all wrong.
 
I'm sticking my money on a variant of that S&S prototype with the flicking out seats that looked a lot like it could be developed into a winged coaster.
 
Not much money mind, because it probobly won't actually be anything that exciting.

Where have I heard these things before? Let me ask my buddy, Derren:

"I don't know Josh, I just don't know..."

Paultons was indeed excellent on Sunday.
 
Tornado Springs is a stunning new area and Storm Chaser is an incredible addition to the park.  I really like how it's a coaster of two halves, you get the calmer first half with views around the park, then you dive into the helix which is packed full of force before the final few turns throw you around a bit before you reach the brakes.
 
Genuinely, I think it's the best Mack coaster in the country.  It left me with a real "wow" feeling when I hit the brake run on every ride, and had me eager to get straight back on.
 
As others had said, it does outclass the other rides in terms of throughput, but it also looks very promising for the park's future.  Just a brilliant, delightful area and the very best of UK parks at the moment.

Hello last spring.
 
Surprised it wasn't mentioned after this post, but the theming element is no longer missing although you'd be hard pressed to notice it wasn't. Really, it is tiny sitting atop this ride, the scale is all wrong. It just looks bizarre, with some big sort of padding thing below it and a relatively tiny motif on top. The base has colourful stones in sections, but this is full of detritus from the trees so just looks messy. The ride itself is also quite broken, with a couple of elephants (including the yellow one I found myself on) very obviously not able to make it more than a couple of feet off the ground.
 
When small but IP led retheme investments are this bad you know something is deeply wrong at the heart of what is happening here.

The ride cant seem to lift much weight these days.... ( I'm not saying your big lol) more that any elephant with an adult doesn’t go full height

Hello last spring.
 
Surprised it wasn't mentioned after this post, but the theming element is no longer missing although you'd be hard pressed to notice it wasn't. Really, it is tiny sitting atop this ride, the scale is all wrong. It just looks bizarre, with some big sort of padding thing below it and a relatively tiny motif on top. The base has colourful stones in sections, but this is full of detritus from the trees so just looks messy. The ride itself is also quite broken, with a couple of elephants (including the yellow one I found myself on) very obviously not able to make it more than a couple of feet off the ground.
 
When small but IP led retheme investments are this bad you know something is deeply wrong at the heart of what is happening here.

Walk on Vampire fun times!
 

Not really much help but I’ve been today and had one of the best days there in a long time - staff were lovely, social distancing far better than Thorpe in my opinion and it just looks like it’s had a lot of TLC.  We don’t often venture into the zoo areas but really enjoyed seeing the animals.  The only downside which isn’t the parks fault is that we had to eat outside but once restrictions are lifted that is sorted.  Also flying jumbos is much prettier with the repaint and new music 🙌

Went today, everything was pretty much walk on  to 5mins. 
 
Overall operations were pretty good, only shutdowns noticed was Croc Drop, the modified tiny truckers was back down to 4 car train.
 
Food was poor on park with some units/ restaurants being weekend/ peak days only
 
 

I went last week and everything was running full capacity and walk on queues
 
Open 10 - 5 and the only staggered openings was Zufari and Tiger Rock opening at 11 so didn't affect the day at all

Highly recommend visiting on midweek days

Today, myself and others made our way to the park to check out the new area. Here’s just some of my thoughts. 
 
Tornado Springs is a lovely area and really adds another dimension to an already great park. It’s must be amongst the best areas I’ve seen in recent years. 
 
Storm Chaser is a lovely fun coaster with a very reasonable throughput, Cyclonator is surprisingly thrilling, the drop towers are fun and the tractor ride pleasant. Rest of the area further compliments this. 
 
Rest of the park still great and surprisingly busy. The comparison of newer areas to the likes of where Cobra and the Flume are located is remarkable. Hopefully they’ll sort those next. 
 
All in all great park to see if you can. And worth the longer drive compared to say Chessington.
 
A few photos. 

Somehow I forgot to share my thoughts here after my visit last week.
 
I guess my thoughts will pretty much echo Mark's. Tornado Springs is one of, if not, the, most complete theme park areas in UK. It has something for everyone - play areas, rides of varying height restrictions and thrills, eateries, etc. It's seeping with detail and theming all around. It is brilliant. Some parts feel a little cheap and bordering on tacky admittedly (the hay bales in particular feel a bit out of place), but that is nit picking.
 
Storm Chaser is a solid coaster. Not as spin-y as the other Mack spinner I've done, but still packs a nice little punch. 
 
I think one thing that the area does highlight is the park's ambition going forward. High quality rides, with high throughputs. If anything, it perhaps overshadows the rest of the park slightly, and shows some of the shortcomings even more - especially operation-wise. Storm Chaser with its two trains can power through the crowds, but the rest of the park's coasters trudge on by. That's not a criticism per se, but it shows that the park have used this opportunity to level up.
 
I can't wait to see what the next major development at the park ends up being.

And there was much rejoicing.

Jack Silkstone has released his pre-season behind the scenes video, where he's shown round by the park's Commercial Director, Russ:
 
 
If videos aren't your thing (though tbf, it's a nice video), here's a fairly comprehensive overview of the changes for 2021...
 
Changes to the Drop Off system in the car park. There's now a barrier and you have 30 minutes after entering before you're charged (thanks to number plate recognition) Thorpe Perk Express, the rethemed car from Stealth's plaza, will serve breakfast food, hot dogs and Costa drinks The Dome has a new, sparkling blue floor The Coffee Shack in the Dome will be open for takeaway only No seating will be available in the Dome to support government guidence Indoor arcades are not allowed to open until May 17th, so these will be covered up The company who bought out Picsolve last year, Pomvom, have a facial recognition system being trialled at Thorpe and Towers. Effectively, you take a selfie on your phone, and any on ride photos get sent to your phone (presumably with a watermark / low res) for you to view to decide if you want them Lots of signage to fit in with the rebrand that started last year, including new signs for Amity Kebabs and Colossus Hotdogs The fingerpost signage directing to rides instead of areas is because it's felt guests just want direction to rides rather than areas, but the areas will still exist The Megastore has seen a refresh Tidal Wave will be receiving a flame effect, some new audio effects and has had a refresh in the queue line and surrounding water The partnership with Nitrogenie has ended, but the unit is still being used for nitrogen-made ice cream, and will also serve ice cream cookie sandwiches  The Fastrack unit now has self-serve machines Jungle Escape has fences around it hiding it. When asked about it, Russ was very much dodged answering about if it would reopen, so I don't expect to see that again tbh In terms of dining options, everywhere is expected to be open, with Pizza Pasta operating takeaway service only for now The marquee by Zodiac is indeed just going to have seating, and will be available for people staying at the Shark to use, with the nearby Cantina having an extended menu The Saw police car is back, near the Fastrack entrance, behind some theming Possible summer event might be happening  
Black Mirror
As expected, Slammer's old queue line will be the queue line for the experience. The fences seem to have been painted black The endless tunnel that was used for waiting when mazes were there has been removed. That walkway exists for wheelchair users The pathway leading up to the entrance has been smoothed out, with the rocks around there removed Because of the delay, some further work was done to improve the experience There will be some sort of Black Mirror merch  
Tidal Wave
I'd usually avoid screenshots from videos, but for reference, here is the new theming feature which has replaced the decaying old rusty ball:

A flame effect will be coming out from the petrol pump. I'm very intrigued how that will happen, but if they've managed to get something that is a proper fire effect, looks good and works reliably, that is very impressive.
 
There will also be a sounded effect from the tower, and there's also been more theming placed in the pool where the remote control boats used to exist (they have been removed from there this year).
 
EDIT: Ninajed by Marhelorpe, but meh, it can stay
 
It's always worth reminding one's self that these videos are effectively a form of marketing from Thorpe, so some stuff should perhaps be taken with the tiniest pinch of salt. And naturally the focus will be on the new and the good, and not the ignored and bad. But in general, the park is looking nice and I'm a fan of many of the changes. 
 
Some impulse reactions from me:
The new Dome floor looks very shiny and bright. I have fears it will dull down quickly and may not look the part after a year or two. It also looked a bit tacky from the video, but hard to say until seeing it in person.  It's nice to know that the branding has been extended throughout the whole park. It's not my favourite branding to have existed at the park, but on the whole it's nice. I just hope they stick with it for more than 2 years... I can't help but think that the park should just give up with themed areas. They haven't gone all in with them in YEARS, and it just leads to confusion and things being messy. If the guests really just want to know about ride locations and not areas, then just focus on that. I'd rather that than half in / half out themed area ideas I'm already overly excited about the existence of ice cream cookie sandwiches at Thorpe tbh If Jungle Escape really has gone, please please please Thorpe, use the space for Fright Nights again Seeing the Saw police car behind a fence is sad, but given how often it was carted away because people destroyed it, I'm not surprised Black Mirror's entrance looks nice  
So yeah, in short: park is looking nice, and I'm intrigued by the changes. We're at a point where it's been a long time since there's been anything new, and the Black Mirror attraction doesn't solve many of the problems. But I feel more optimistic than I have in a couple of seasons about the park, which is a nice surprise!

Thought I might as well introduce myself as I’ve been sort of a lurker on the site for years and now thought I should try and be a bit more of an active member. - so hello!
 
I’m Jordan from Dorset, I used to live in Addlestone, just down the road from Thorpe Park and have been to there countless amounts of times. For 18 years in a row I held a MAP so have spent most of my time going to Merlin theme parks. A couple of years ago I decided not to renew it and try out some different places, since then I’ve been to Europa Park, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Paultons Park and plan on going to Drayton Manor and Flamingo Land later this year - been so nice to go to some new places!

Gruffalo and Room on the Broom are also not listed, neither is Sealife. So I assume they have just (temporarily) removed attractions which are not going to reopen when the park opens on April 12th.
 
If Tomb Blaster was going to be rethemed back to Forbidden Tomb I'm fairly certain we would have heard something official by now.

If only they had a family enclosed Vekoma coaster.. It would do wonders for the park's younger audience.
 
I actually agree with the actual entrance not being the problem, but the area around it needs improvement IMO.

Narrator: it will

I imagine next year will be a near repeat of this year. 
 
TWD, DBGTROTD, BM all closed.
Capacity issues elsewhere. 
 
If only they had a nice open space like a farm to relax in, a large capacity train ride to take you there, an event space like an arena where people could be spread over a large searing area, or a log flume where each riding group could have their own socially distanced ride vehicle. 

Do you think the 2021 Tomb Blaster refurbishment will be as good as the rumoured 2022 one? I dont want to see them break the tradition

This hasn't aged well, has it.  Both of these things seemed better before 😐

I wonder if it's a case of they feel they have to open. I think everyone understands its closure last year, but if they still have the contract and still pay money for it, and Covid restrictions aren't disappearing any time soon, I guess they have to bite the bullet eventually. If the interest it generates from being open ultimately makes them more money through merch sales than the money they spend on staff and running it, I guess it's a good thing. Though I imagine it's a risk as to whether it actually will...
 
I'm sure the cynic could suggest Thorpe are opening it to show to the higher ups within Merlin how ridiculous the ride is and they need money to either complete re-imagine it or replace it. But who knows.
 
 
Walking Dead is an interesting one. Storm Surge requires a minimum of 4 people in a boat, so groups of 3 or less we turned away last year. So it wouldn't be much different to that. Obviously it's a bigger problem since it's a bigger ride, but there is form there.
 
Of course, there isn't actually anything stopping the park from sitting people from different groups next to each other. Whilst the idea of social distancing is very much engrained in our minds as a society at this point, the recommendation is - to the best of my knowledge - keep 2m away from people, and if you cannot, wear a mask. That's why mask wearing has been so important in indoor spaces, such as shops, where it is impossible to stay 2m away from people at all times.
 
And this kind of circles back to the points that were raised when parks were first re-opening: what use is social distancing on rides really? When you hurtling round a coaster, what difference does it make if a stranger is sat a row in front of you or next to you? Don't get me wrong, I get why it's being done by parks, and in the absence of any scientific evidence, it's probably the easiest thing to do to keep people feeling safer and happier, but it is very much a placebo-like thing to do.
 
For reference: when I was at Parc Asterix last year, they were completely filling up trains. No social distancing, grouping people together and even using single rider queues. Admittedly it felt a bit odd at first, but really, I didn't feel any less safe compared to the UK parks with their socially distanced trains.
 
Anyways, I've rambled...I imagine Thorpe will go with the easiest rule of 'only even-numbered groups can ride', unless they've someone managed to change the 2 person per row rule (which I doubt) 

An Enterprise was bought in in 2000 shortly after the fire to compensate for the rides which were closed. Not sure if it was the same one which was then used for Zodiac from 2001 until it was replaced in 2006.
 
Detonator is a funny story. The short version: It was bought by the park and installed in the 2001 season too, but the park only applied for temporary planning permission (1 year). It ended up being really popular though, and the park decided to keep it and got permanent permission
 
 
The long version, for those interested: After the fire in 2000, Thorpe wanted to use the space affected to get a coaster to open in 2001. Their choices were either a Vekoma SLC, or a Rock n Roller Coaster clone, both of which could have been ready by summer 2001. Plans were actually submitted and approved (I can't remember for which one though), but the park then encountered some issues and ultimately had to shelf the project.
 
The project was shelved around October 2000, but the park still wanted something in that location (and by that point, plans for Vortex and Zodiac were well under way). A drop tower had been discussed in the past (for the Lost City area), so that's what they went for. Quick and easy to buy and build, easy to get approval, but always intended to be a quick fix until the park put a coaster on that site. That's why they applied for it to only be there a year.
 
2001 came and it ended up being one of the most popular rides on park. It was unexpectedly popular, and the park felt that had to keep it. They applied for permission again, but only for another temporary term, this time 5 years. The logic there was that because it is effectively a fairground ride that they rushed in, they weren't sure how popular it would be long term, or how it would fair from a maintenance perspective. 5 years passed and they realised it was fine on all fronts, so they sought, and got, permanent permission.
 
(Let's just take a second to pause here, and be very very grateful for the fact we have Nemesis Inferno over a Vekoma SLC)
 
Fair to say that it is, seemingly, a different story to Towers' situation.
 
 
----
 
 
As for Towers getting fairground rides temporarily... Yeah, they need flat rides, and that's been a glaring problem for years now. If they only way they can get them is to bring in temporary additions to show there's demand for them, it speaks volumes about the situation the park, and Merlin, are in high up...