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SteveJ

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Everything posted by SteveJ

  1. "Forbidden Tomb returning!!" = they are going to reuse the old sign that's still clearly visible underneath, to save paying for a new 3D one probably
  2. It's easy to improve on what immediately preceeded though because most rides now have come into in such bad condition that literally any DIY lick of paint feels better than nothing. Valhalla really needs restoring or if it gets a big redesign then improving on when it first opened, which I think it has potential for without losing what people enjoyed about it in the first place. (and I agree to be honest I thought Tiger Rock and Room on the Broome were like 1 step forward, 2 steps back)
  3. Me too, that's why I just wait to be pleasantly surprised if something does turn out enjoyable. I don't get my hopes up when each new random thing is announced and wait to experience it myself with an open mind. For all I know Valhalla might be great when it reopens, we have no idea. Or it might be another dodgy 'TLC' type revamp I do think it's one much loved dark ride that had plenty potential for re-working without losing what people enjoyed about it in the first place, so I wonder how far they're going with it.
  4. Why should something not be decried for getting run down, then why should enthusiasts not be enthusiastic when something closes to be redone? That could go for guests, not just enthusiasts. And have there been any genuinely great revamps on rides in recent years, where something has gotten better than when it first opened? Valhalla might be brilliant when it reopens for all we know! But if it's a disappointment, then it's a disappointment. Nobody knows yet.
  5. Oh yeah, for some reason I remembered it launching but it bounces a lot instead, which is still better than I expected so that's something.
  6. Rubbish name, rubbish logo. Hopefully not a rubbish ride, although a themed launched tower like at Paultons Park or Fantasy Island would have been far better for the park.
  7. Not complaining at all, just adding to discussion (the point of a forum). "Fumes" you're probably not talking about the carbon monoxide like I was, otherwise everyone would be dead. The fact that chainsaws are used inside means there must be some ventilation, otherwise it would be far more dangerous than Covid. Even if it caused shutdowns now and then, that could be solved easily by adding more extraction. Haze could just not be used if it was really that much of a problem. You know it's just an effect right? The maze format last year wasn't too different to some of the Alton mazes. I reckon there are probably other reasons why it didn't open. Or it was just a decision made by Thorpe while Alton decided differently with theirs. Difficult year for all events and being pragmatic is the best parks can do really.
  8. There has to be ventilation wherever chainsaws are used and CO monitoring to shut down the maze if too much build up, so that sounds more likely the reason there were shutdowns. Alton's mazes still have strong haze and narrow corridors, if haze too strong usually just opening a door for a few minutes would clear it. I can't really imagine why the Creek Freak building would have a Covid ventilation problem worse than anywhere else, when it's a wooden shack rather than a stone basement, especially when chainsaw mazes usually require strong ventilation anyway (stronger than for Covid regulations) Maybe there were other complications why it didn't open, or just different parks different approach
  9. Might be overthinking things, a set in the ruins basement isn't too different from a set in a draughty wooden shack, probably the ruins basement would be less ventilated. Actually I'm not sure there's any substantial ventilation at all in any mazes Ive been to this year? The Alton mazes still use thick haze this year. Even before Covid I'd not heard of a maze ever needing to actually shut down because of haze too thick. Usually smoke would just get turned down/off and left to dissipate a bit if it got too much. So maybe it's a case of Thorpe being over-precautious and Alton being more pragmatic about their maze H&S. They are two separate parks with separate H&S departments after all and probably just received general advice from above. OR Thorpe have other reasons (Covid related or not) why Creek Freak didn't open this year.
  10. It took me years to even notice the van had that logo, I dont think it makes any difference, the main feature is the queue entertainment and jokes/characters in the soundtrack and it makes sense with the 50s theme fine. Great that the park are getting the sound systems back working and sounding good again
  11. None of those colours are actually from Billy's Whizzer but just the colour of the skeleton underneath all the decoration, none of that would ever usually be seen. It's quite cool to see how it works underneath.
  12. I'm glad the ride has reopened since lockdown, so that fans can go see for themselves how outstandingly awful the 'new' Tomb Blaster is rather than believe all the social media hype that went on back in spring.
  13. The big investments in the early 2000s was to transform the park and double the numbers, which it did well. That level of investment was always going to die down, but all parks still have to keep up good new rides to stop declining attendance. Thorpe did do this for a while, but the park itself just died. In the early 2000s Thorpe still had most its family park era, which made it a fun place to be and a good visitor base. After that got sidelined and grotty, combined with so much marketing towards young adults, the park seems to have lost its visitor base over 10 years. And then, after Saw's hype died down, it started to lose its young adult appeal too. The Swarm was badly marketed and failed to get the hype Saw did (both are very overrated rides I think anyway). The young adult appeal is a lot more volatile and usually comes with each new coaster hype. At this point the park really needed a huge reinvestment, improve the park, make it a much better place to be and sort out so many problems. As well as expanding the park further around the lakes and the hotel etc, which it really should have done ever since Merlin got the park. Instead of that, it got a slew of gimmicky IP attractions, a shipping container hotel and Derren Brown's Ghost Train, probably the worst use of all that money thinkable. Their big rebrand was nothing more than a slogan and new graphics. The park continued to just die and now they're feeling the consequence of it. The young adult appeal died off without new coasters and there was no value for money for families anymore. It's still possible for Thorpe to turn it around and become a brilliant resort, but now they've got to do it in the face of a big recession for the entire leisure industry, and terrible attendance. It's like doing 10 years of work in one hit and requires huge vision. Maybe this is what was being planned once Merlin took on private ownership again, but too late. It's very sad really, it has so much potential.
  14. Six Flags parks are far off being theme parks though and don't try to, so reusing catchy names isn't so important. I have to agree I think Merlin have become quite unimagintive with names, they overcook it (The Smiler, THE Swarm) or they undercook it . Spot on!
  15. SteveJ

    2020 Season

    Well, that's a shame to hear, because I remember your optimism when joining that you believed Thorpe Park could one day be a great theme park in the world. But I got to say, I went through the same realisation. And I would love to be happily surprised and proven wrong, but every time theres news of "improvements" at the park somehow it's always hype. There's plenty great parks out there in the world to enjoy! Hopefully one day Thorpe gets its act together again.
  16. All the random fanpages using these allegations to plug their brand with empty "In light of recent events we would like to say..." posts is pretty sad. If people want to support others, use your platforms to retweet or share the stories themselves, comment support on the stories. Or post if you actually have something genuine to add, like some perspective, experience or if you were involved with the people the allegations are about. I've seen more fanpages doing these empty gestures on Twitter than the actual allegations. "We at Theme Park World Attraction Guide Podcast are shocked by the allegations" well thank goodness for that, problem solved then. On the whole, there has been a lot of real support from theme park fans which is great to see.
  17. SteveJ

    2020 Season

    I think it looked great for years when Thorpe still had some of that family theme park vibe! Since then they've tried to slick back and make the park more minimal, turn the dome into more of a club, so I understand them removing it. But they've revamped it in the cheapest possible, dullest way. There is literally no design to it, just removing all character. As always "phase 2" never arrives, "phase 2" is code for "not happening". The old Atlantis dome at its best with the underwater vibe was really good, the scenery was great, although it got a lot removed and beaten up over the years. I think it only seemed dated because of the different direction the park was going in. You could picture it fitting right into mid 90s family Thorpe really well, instead of 2010s era Thorpe. I'm surprised it was such a late addition actually! (2000 ish wasnt it?)
  18. Of course there are reasons, but it's not acceptable for this to look so bad when the park is open. Why do we see this kind of terrible standards so regularly at Chessington?
  19. Not that you intended it to sound that way of course, but isn't this sort of view really patronising. Maybe it's more likely that there's just not as many girls interested in a forum. I think in general theme park enthusiasts are moving away from forums and more towards social media, which is both good and bad. Good that there's more personality and a mix of more people, but bad because of the limitations of social media rewarding clickbait and vlogger fame over real enthusiasm. It's just pros and cons really! Either way, I second that forcing representation through tokenism is never a good idea. I don't think it suggests discrimination that the mods are white males, when most the forum seemingly is. Let's see them as individuals rather than categorise by their skin colour and gender. It's all about equal opportunity!
  20. Yes that's it, I can tell you my expectation was that it was going to be poor, but the moment they produce something genuinly great I would fully appreciate it and sing their praises (like Wicker man which I thought was a fun ride all round!)
  21. Is it too much to expect the same park to be as good as it was 20-30 years ago, especially for such a basic investment as a small childrens area retheme? Especially when prices have generally gone up
  22. But even just as that, the area was better before. Well before Toadies got so worn out. The new ending to Toadies is pathetic and dull. Even Berry Bouncers was arguably better, because now you just awkwardly face the back side from the main path where it's most visible. The whole thing is really poor quality. The log flume is 'better than nothing' but still extremely cheaply done for kids
  23. Mcamey Manor is one of those garbage things that only thrives off word of mouth and shock factor, it isn't actually that special or worth looking up
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