TPJames
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Posts posted by TPJames
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Just got back from the Winter Wonderland Hyde Park Preview Event 2015!
The layout is very different this year, please be aware you will NOT be permitted entry at Hyde Park Corner and you must enter through Knightsbridge/Marble Arch.
It was great to take a first look at the event this year and I'm not going to lie I thoroughly enjoyed my evening however I much preferred last years layout, although this years should massively help with crowd control.
Atmosphere was alright tonight, the pathways were pretty bare but most of the rides were going with queues. A lot of rides were operating with little/no atmosphere whatsoever though, for example there was no music on ski jump/turnpike (although this was between 9-9:30 and they were supposed to have closed so thumbs up for keeping them open extra). Snow Jet had a particularly amazing atmosphere tonight, probabaly one of the best ride atmospheres I've seen in a while.
As it was a preview night, you have to arrive and expect some attractions to be SBNO. Topspin, Daemonium Ghost Train(largest in the world) and Bayern Breaker weren't operating all night. To add onto this, Hangover the Tower closed early(I shall explain later) and so did Gladiator turbine as well.
Total ride/attraction count:
Magical ice kingdom x2
Apres Ski Funhouse x1 (Highly reccomend this, it's brilliant!)
Irrengarten Funhouse x1 (also highly reccomended)
Fear haunted house walkthrough x1
Haunted Mansion x1
Euro Coaster x1 (awful ride!)
Wild Maus XXL x1
Airwolf x1
WW Express x1
Ski Jump x1
Turnpike x1
Yeti Ride x1
Maximum Capriolo x2
I've probably missed something out, there's so many rides this year it's ridiculous and there was no where near enough time to get on everything.
Overall it was a very good evening and some rides stayed open slightly later too (although this meant we couldn't find any open foodstalls after our last ride). However, I was only slightly miffed about one thing. Ovbiously nothing can be done about it and it gives me an incentive to return but we unfortunately didn't get on Hangover the Tower this evening. As I was looking forward to this most, I was annoyed that I didn't snatch up the opportunity to go on it upon entry while it was operating. We went back to the attraction at about 7pm, joined the queue and waited a couple of cycles. The ride would do two drops, at 40m and at 85m. However, after the 40m drop, while we were in the queue, the ride would try to reach 85m but would only go up to 40. The operator would say "sorry wrong button..." and then it would try again. After about 3 attempts, it finally went to the top and then dropped. We were then one cycle off and it happened again. So they cleared the queue and closed the ride to try and fix the problem. Operations were resumed about an hour later for about 5 cycles just before we got over there to try it out again, the same problem happened and then it just shut down for the rest of the evening.
It's a shame we didn't get to ride it but I'm sure I'll have the chance again at WW in the next six weeks and it is a very impressive machine, so I am very excited to ride it in the future!
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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.
IAC's fastrack system was a mess. They weren't actually selling fastrack, however ride priority passes, VIP passholders and disabled were all being accepted through the fastrack entrance. This meant half the throughput per hour (100pph...oh dear) was going to those going through the fastrack entrance, doubling the main queue wait time.
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It's been a while since I've made any posts really to this forum, let alone any form of trip report, so I thought I would bring my presence back to life by a funfair trip report.
Once again, like last year, I ventured down to Milton Keynes for the firework and bonfire funfair this year. Usually, every year I have one incentive to go; Rock Rage. This year my incentive to go was no different, as I knew rock rage would be returning, however the fair as a whole had actually changed a lot since last year and it was actually quite pleasing to see the line up of attractions on offer this year.
The fair had a very different atmosphere on the whole this year, I ventured down on Sunday 8th November, the final cheap night. I'm not sure whether the difference in atmosphere was due to the crowds, the atmosphere on the individual rides or the new "around the pathway" style layout so that you would come across the rides one by one instead of the random dotting of rides all over a muddy field like last year.
All the rides were supposed to be priced at £1.50 for the final cheap night I believe, with the exception of the brand new Elegant giant Wheel(which was priced at £3 a go for a very windy and nerve-racking experience at the top!). However, several rides around the fair didn't appear to be obeying this pricing scheme; for example the mirror maze was priced at £2 and Vertigo booster was priced at £2.50.
When we got to the fair, it was pretty dead. There weren't many people around so we decided to take a walk around the new layout and see what attractions were on offer. Whilst it was a shame to see the toboggan coaster and the starflyer leave from last years line up, it was nice to see Crazy Frog, Elegant Wheel and King Loops(only one in the UK) to fill the void. All the other attractions were the regulars from previous years. We waited for the crowds to pick up and once they did, the atmosphere picked up also. Most rides tended to be going full with people waiting to get into the next ride. Vertigo booster also had a full queueline and rock rage had half of its queueline full, the longest queue I have personally ever seen rock rage operate with.
Unfortunately, later on in the night there was a short but extremely heavy period of rain, which really appeared to scare the guests off, as after this heavy shower, the queues/crowds around the rides quickly dispersed as people left the grounds.
My ride count for this year:
Elegant Wheel x1
Crazy Frog x1
Extreme x1
Energy Storm x1
King loops x1
Superbowl x1
Rock Rage x4
I have a couple of videos of King Loops and Rock Rage, in my opinion the two most exciting rides at the fair this year. Unfortunately, these videos were taken after the heavy shower of rain meaning both crowds and atmosphere had died down slightly. These videos were taken whilst we were on the rides and on rock rage, we are in the car which is flipping like crazy and then gets stuck upside down before doing even more flips! Absolutely insane and was ridiculously intense! I was completely screaming my head off
King Loops:
Rock Rage:
- OldFarmerDean and pluk
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Chessington: 1.
Legoland: 1.
Europa park: 3 days.
Tivoli Gardens: 1.
Bakken: 1.
Thorpe: A few times from February - August, before I got slightly fed up and didn't bother going to fright nights this year.
Really glad to do a few abroad parks this year and hoping to do some more German parks next year and some more European ones the year after
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(Map is available to view however I am unable to attach...)
2015 line up:
Angels Christmas Market
Angles Market PWR Events
Waveswinger - Chris Danter
Fantasy Double Deck Carousel - Joseph Manning Jnr
Jagerwald Cafe Bar - ? (Germany)
Christmas Tree Licensed Bar - GB Event Group
Irvin's Traditional Fun Fair
Helter Skelter Lighthouse Slip/Side Show - George Irvin
(Christmas) Gallopers - George Irvin
Waltzer James Irvin
Dodgems - George Irvin Jnr
Fear Dark House - John Woodward
Alice In Wonderland Cups & Saucers John Groom
(Santas Workshop) Fantasia Formula John Groom
Winard Train - ?
Austin Cars - ?
Alpine Adventure
(Avalanche) Waltzer - William Thurston Jnr
XXL - Jacky Dotremont (Belgium)
Alpine Thriller Roller Coaster Joseph Manning Jnr & William Thurston Snr
(Sno-Drifters) Dodgems - Joseph Manning Jnr
(Blizzard) Gladiator Turbine - Buwalda-Kreik (The Netherlands/Germany)
(Turnpike) Super Star - Leigh Danter
Airmaxx Smashing Jump Fabrice Dotremont (Belgium)
Heartbreaker - Bartel's (The Netherlands)
(Ski Jump Extreme) Rock Rage Inversion - Graham Sedgwick
Alpine Adventure Entrance Arch Catering Unit - Alfred Gregory
Carousel Rotating Licensed Bar - Joseph Manning Jnr
Windmill Cafe Bar - Harry Harder (Germany)
Firepit Entertainment Area - PWR Events
Circus Town
Zippo's Mega Dome Circus Zippo's
Bayern Breaker Break Dance - Monty Lagerin (Germay)
Jumbo Circus Fun House Freddie Stokes
(Trapeze) Maxximum 2 Capriolo - Joseph Manning Jnr & Remco Kriek
Clown Roller Coaster Buwalda (The Netherlands)
Flying Jumbos Dumbos Joseph Manning Jnr
Flying Circus Samba Balloon Joseph Manning Jnr
Flying Tigers Planes - ?
Circus Town Licensed Bar Joseph Manning Jnr
Santa Land
(Christmas) American Carousel Joseph Manning Jnr
(Spinning Baubles) Tornado - Joseph Manning Jnr
(Sleigh Ride) Dumbos Lewis Gess
Toy Factory Giant Fun House - Joseph Manning Jnr
(Santa's) Spinning Mouse Roller Coaster Colin Buwalda (The Netherlands)
(Penguin Party) Pod Racer Dodgems - John Bugg
Helter Skelter Lighthouse Slip - Howard Brothers
Racing F1 Vortex Roller Coaster Joseph Manning Jnr
(Toy Cars) Cars Race-O-Rama Juvenile Whip - Manning's
Santa Land Express Train Ride - Joseph Manning Jnr
Chilly Willy Spinning Penguins - Joseph Manning Jnr
Toy Factory Track Ride - Joseph Manning Jnr
Juvenile Waveswinger - Charles Manning
Ski Jump Inflatable Slide Joseph Manning Jnr
(Santas Reindeer Ride) Pony Express - Joseph Manning Jnr
Fun Bus Toy Set - Joseph Manning Jnr
Santa's Christmas Grotto - Joseph Manning Jnr
Arctic Circle
(Ice Mountain) Crazy Mouse Spinning Mouse Roller Coaster James Mellors
Star Flyer - James Mellors
Snow Jet 2 Matterhorn - Reinard Van Der Veen (The Netherlands)
North Pole Fun House Reinard Van Der Veen (The Netherlands)
Air Star Shape - Abie Danter Jnr
The Magical Ice Kingdom PWR Events
Bar Ice Licensed Bar PWR Events
Polar Bear Island Reinard Van Der Veen (The Netherlands)
Christmas Tree Maze - ?
Arctic Lodge Bar James Mellors
Pizzeria Restaurant - ?
Pirates Island
Pirates Adventure Fun House - Michael Schneider (Germany)
Pirate Ship - James Burton
Surf 'n' Turf Catering Unit - James Burton
Main Rides In Non Themed Areas
Candy Cane Bungee Trampolines - Leigh Harris
Giant Wheel - James Mellors
(Barrel Of Laughs) Exteme Rotor - David Wallis
Après Ski Party Fun House - Fackler (Germany)
(Christmas) Euro Coaster Colin Buwalda (The Netherlands)
Show Time Afterburner Joseph Manning Jnr
Daemonium Giant Ghost Train Martin Blume (Germany)
(The Yeti Ride) Dance Crazy Jump & Smile - William Thurston Jnr
5D New Vision Cinema - Antibes Land Amusement Park (France)
Alpen Hotel Fun House - Edgar & Rene Rasch (Germany)
Hangover Gyro Drop Tower - Ewald Schneider (Germany)
(Winter Wonderland Express) Action Musik Express - Horst Ohlrogge (Germany)
Megaspin Twin Spin - Ross & Dayna Kayes
Airwolf Inferno - Max Eberhard (Germay)
Wilde Maus XXL Roller Coaster - Max Eberhard (Germany)
(Black Run) Technopower - George Irvin
(Blue Run) Super Bounce Jump & Smile - James & Celia Irvin
Haunted Mansion Ghost Train - Johan Hinzen (The Netherlands)
(Santa's Flying Sleigh) Wacky Worm Roller Coaster - Buwalda (The Netherlands)
Der Grosse Irrgarten Mirror Maze/Fun House - Edgar & Rene Rasch (Germany)
Top Spin - Paul Hart
Main Non Ride Attractions
Ski Zillertal Sponsored Ice Rink PWR
Liminaires Light Arches Joseph Manning Jnr
Juveniles In Non Themed Areas
Crazy Bus Toyset George Irvin Jnr
Peter Pan Mini Jets John Groom
Santas Sleigh Ride Muffin The Mule Ride David Wallis Jnr
Toyset - Joseph Manning
Cafe Bars/Licensed Bars/Entertainment Areas
Mr Fogg's Cocktail Licensed Bar - ?
Christmas Licensed Bar - GB Events Group
The Swiss Chalet Restaurant - Mossinan Of London
Bavarian Village & Beer Hall - Patrick Greier (Germany)
Sweet Factory - ?
Street Food area
Christmas Tree Feuerzangenbowle Licensed Bar - Joseph Manning Jnr
Greier (Germany)
House Of St Nicholas Cafe Bar - Ewald Schneider (Germany)
Etagen Cafe 2 Tier Café Bar - Patrick Greier (Germany)
Santas Pub Licensed Bar Horst Ohlrogge (Germany)
The Outpost & Grizzly Inn Licensed Bar - ?
Lighthouse Bar & Bratwurst Cafe - Edgar & Rene Rasch (Germany)
Die Pyramide Licensed Cafe Bar - ? (Germany)
The Mirror Licensed Bar - PWR Events
The Bratwurst House - ?
Other Attractions
Robin Hood Side Show - Niko Buwalda (The Netherlands)
Reindeer Racer Kentucky Derby - Shane
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Thoughts and opinions anyone?
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There will be a LOT of new rides this year, as the event is set out to be much bigger, including Hangover The-Tower(85m), Airmaxx Smashing Jump, City Skyliner, Heartbreaker and plenty more attractions to be announced.Both look like worthwhile additions, especially the Ghost Train, tempted and hoping to ride it this year [as long as I don't need to take out a loan].
Any updates on that massive new power tower they were going to build/get last year but never happened?
In terms of pricing, it will be similar to last year with smaller flat rides costing £3-£5 and larger flat rides and rollercoasters at £6-£8. The coasters from last year will all be returning and favourites Air, Gladiator, XXL, Ski jump and Winter Wonderland express are all confirmed to return. A full line up/event map shall be released shortly.
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Either sort out the mist, or just remove it and theme the inside of the tunnel to an extent...
Or do both?
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I'd be very surprised if that wasn't a website glitch.
Most likely, but it has been 75-90mins before on one staff operation during the holidays
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Vortex has ran so well the 4 days ive been here! tonight was awesome! the two ride ops working were really funny and the person controlling it tried to get my seat to go top swing and nearly everytime it did and also on the last ride he asked what music should be played and I shouted ride theme and it got played yessss!!! Vortex is a truly awesome ride and deserves more love
I'm pretty sure vortex is an automatic cycle so the fact that you were achieving the top side will be complete luck as a ride operator cannot change or modify the cycle set by the engineers.
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I disagree here, whilst they may receive relatively high figures for a UK park, this does not make them "extremely popular" overall. The only reason for the long queues at thorpe park are simply because they are unable to cope with the figures they achieve and the park should be changed to accommodate this(no RNR,no fastrack overselling, more shows, higher throughput attractions etc) before they try and get more people through the front door.whilst fastrack overselling was a problem last fright nights it's not Thorpe's fault they're extremely popular!
Yes, even if they made these changes queues would still exist inside the park, however they would be nowhere near as long or slow moving as they currently are.
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Looks like a washout to me, just like the ride.
Storm Splurger would've been a hundred times better at Florida Legoland than Thorpe.
I used to call it storm turd, but storm splurger is definitely what I'm gonna call it from now on
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I know some will think differently but I refuse to say this is a good Halloween event till it actually becomes an immersive experience and that's why Chessington and Alton Towers always beat the quality of this event every single year upon year even if the mazes are worse at the other parks.
If fright nights has no park wide theming again this year, to call it a good Halloween event is like saying WC16 is a great dark ride even if they put no theming inside it whatsoever.
So I'm going to say it again as it needs to be heard, more park wide theming and roaming actors are needed this year!
We're talking simple things like mood lighting, misters all over the park, pumpkins, scarecrows, skeletons, spiders, corpses, gravestones, cobwebs, fake bats; virtually anything to create a suitable atmosphere which can combine with the park music to create a good atmosphere
Then we need more roaming actors, last years set was perfectly fine but more of them are needed and they need to be all over the park. This will really set the mood and along with the park atmosphere this will create a "fright night".
Along with the mazes if there is a suitable amount of atmosphere and theming along with a good amount of roaming actors then this would be a truly stunning Halloween event. However, everyone says this year upon year and we still get the same tacky looking park with no atmosphere whatsoever; yes the mazes may be of good quality this year however without the ambience and the atmosphere it will never be a good Halloween event.
The fact that the fright nights are split up over specific weekends this year like last year indicates that the park will have a poor atmosphere on fright nights dates as theming won't be added/removed between fright nights and non-fright nights dates.
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On a seperate note, after visiting both Portaventura and Europa Park which had parades throughout the day, I would love to see Thorpe park have a dedicated Halloween parade on fright nights. Once it's completely dark and the atmosphere has truly kicked in, it would be great to see a parade do a full loop around the park so everyone gets to experience it. The parade could feature main characters from the mazes as well as general scare monsters in vehicles with fire, smoke and lighting effects. Barriers could be set up to allow the parade to pass through whilst everyone is crowding around them, and the dressed up actors could come up and rattle the barriers and scare the crowds to make the night truly one to remember.
If thorpe ever ever ever did something as brilliant as that, I would be along to fright nights every single day possible.
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It was nothing to do with getting higher attendance than expected that the queues rocketed out of proportion and I'm almost certain that even though attendance this year will be lower than last year, queues will still be an absolute nightmare due to oversold fastrack, low throughputs and Reserve n Ride. The event last year was a complete nightmare, after preview night the mazes were all pretty rushed, sub-standard and certainly not worth the horrendous queues they were gaining. The lack of atmosphere at fright nights is utterly a poor show as well, I encountered the roaming actors once on preview night and there was no park theming whatsoever. How you can consider that an immersive Halloween event completely confuses me.I don't get your vendetta against Fright Nights James.
Thorpe experienced some of their highest attendances in the past few years during last season's event. They will be keeping it at least as large as last season's event. With 5 scare attractions, roaming actors and out of hours extras, it is one of the biggest Halloween events in the country.
A few days where they got higher attendances than expected isn't going to drive many people away, nor will it stop the park expanding the event.
Howloween last year along with scarefest had a brilliant atmosphere over the park with great park lighting, theming and atmosphere. Whilst on the other hand, thorpe park was a mess of over crowded and ridiculously slow moving queue lines with no atmosphere whatsoever. It's a shame that Howloween has taken along the path thorpe follows with a truly half-arsed effort to approaching their Halloween event.
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Chessington has been a joke throughout the whole of this year and rounding it off with this shockingly crap Halloween event? That's certainly going to keep the customers coming back next year isn't it.
Seeing as Thorpe Park haven't even started to advertise their Halloween line up yet, I just know that it will be on the same scale as last years. Due to the nightmare that fright nights was last year I'm not surprised they aren't willing to expand as they know there will likely be a massive drop in gate figures over the Halloween period compared to last year. Chessington are likely in a similar situation as they've had a really bad year and know it's not worth investing money into an event which will be much emptier than previous years.
I'm surprised that Alton Towers are going all out with the event this year however I imagine that's because they are trying to regain their guests and draw them back in after the accident. Alton is unfortunately the only Merlin park which will have an exciting and interesting Halloween line up but even then they are still charging a further £20 on top of entry to experience those scare mazes.
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I just checked and I am a bit wrong about it being standard procedure. BUT, for arguments sake, it is entirely possible that the Smiler could have had minor block section issues that day (not picking up trains and such small problems) which could open up the possibility that the op wasn't paying attention to the right camera, and just saw an empty brake run. Obviously the op cannot override anything, so an engineer was called to clear the block section as without doing so the ride could not have continued operation. Adding to this theory is the fact you cannot actually see the batwing element from where the engineer was, where they came from, etc. It also includes the fact that the train on the first lift hill will have stopped in the time it took the engineer to clear the block.
The Batwing is covered by the CCTV cameras though isn't it? Also the whole of the ride team and guests in the queueline would have been able to clearly see that the empty test car had stalled so I'm sure the operator and/or the engineer would have known what was going on with the ride.
That's why I think the computer must have played up a vital part in it. Unless it was a genuine mistake of the engineer accidentally advancing the train(which the ride system should have stopped anyway?) then a computer fault must have occurred to let the train full of people advancing into the next block section. Ovbiously as I've said we know nothing yet but the theory about trying to reverse the train and the computer playing up and instead advancing the train sounds plausible seeing as I'm almost certain that all of the ride team and engineers would have been fully aware of what was going on in the situation.
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I've heard (once again all speculation) that the engineer and operator may have put the ride into manual override in order to carry out a lift hill evacuation. As the train full of people was reportedly stopped towards the top of the lift hill, a computer failure may have occured and advanced the train off the lift hill instead of reversing it like instructed by the operator to perform a much safer evacuation.
Until details might be officialy released it's not fair to point the finger at anyone and it's also worth noting that if this incident was a genuine mistake by an engineer then they will be needing all the support they can get as well as they will be feeling horrible right now. I think it's only fair to respect everyone involved in the incident until official details are released.
- OldFarmerDean, HermanTheGerman and Mer
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They have said that when I've gone in. It's an attempt to try and scare you like a lot of other things they do in there, which is bizarre as it's not a scare attraction.Glad to hear the cyclone is back!
and nope, they've never used real bugs, and highly doubt they would now..
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My point is, these parts of the park are all relatively new, it's not like chessington where the rides have all been around for years. However, it is clear to see that no effort has been made whatsoever to maintain these areas and no effort has been made into trying to make these areas look nice in the slightest in the first place.I don't get how any of these examples support your claim that the this part of the ride is going to be an eyesore?
-The likes of Colossus, Inferno's volcano and Rumba Rapids are things that the park do want to sort out (ie they do care), but budget is more the likely the bigger problem.
-Cattlepens come to logistics more than anything else, and whilst they could be more creative, one has to question whether anything more creative will add to the experience enough for it to be worthwhile. Many many parks have cattlepen / highly compact queue lines with bits of theming to distract you. Thorpe isn't much different.
-ABL is a bit plonked down, yes, but there's been a clear attempt to make it feel like its own area and give it its own feel. I don't get your point here?
-The shipping container hotel argument - that loads of people bring up - just annoys me. You hardly see the containers unless you're looking out for them, and you only see them on the entrance bridge going into the park (when most people are focused with what's ahead of them). They're a temporary solution, and most people don't see them.
So I don't see how the points you've raised supper the idea that this part of the building will be an eyesore? Yes, other parts of the park aren't perfect, but that doesn't necessarily mean that this will be terrible.
IAC looks alright from the outside, but if it hadn't been themed by an external company, I'm sure the park would have taken the lazy approach with not making it look asthetically pleasing as unfortunately parks in the UK can now get away with half arsing a project and still getting the gate figures.
If so many of the areas have been poorly executed due to lack of budget or simply because they don't care whether it looks nice, what's to say this area of the park is going to be different. The plans already show that externally this is going to look crap from certain angles and the rest of the park not being given a care in the world of what it looks like just gains more evidence to the fact that this is going to look awful from the outside.
Sure, Thorpe prove me wrong here. However next year when you are walking under storm turd with water leaking on you I will be happy to tell you that I told you so when you see an ugly red metal tin trying to be covered up by a wall or a mere few trees.
The approach to investments in the UK now is so lazy that it's no wonder that other theme parks over Europe are not only more popular, however much more successful in terms of profits and customer satisfaction. It's a real shame that budget comprimises or simply because the parks know they can get away with scrappy efforts now means that the quality of rides and theming is dramatically worse than anywhere in the rest of Europe, and probably the rest of the world also.
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So we went down to the Beach Brent Cross today as the weather couldn't have been more amazing really. Was a good day out overall however would I recommend the beach to a friend? Absolutely not.
If you don't know what it is, it's essentially an urban beach with a giant funfair plonked down next to a shopping centre and a motorway in Central london. An ideal location? Of course, many passers by will be able to see this event as they have tried to make it as grand as possible. It's essentially a summer winter wonderland and unfortunately I preferred winter wonderland a lot more.
Yes winter wonderland is a LOT more expensive, however the rides and atmosphere there are so much better. The Beach wasn't particularly cheap either, not a complete rip-off just not cheap in the slightest. It's a £3 entry fee to get in(free if you download Brent Cross Plus app) and then you have to pay for food, drinks, games and rides on top of that. The access to the beach and paddling pool area itself are free however.
The price is partly why I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else, however this event was also insanely busy. We must have queued at least 20-30mins to get in, in a long windy cattlepen queueline. Admittedly they were getting people in thick and fast however the queue was pretty damn long. Once inside, if you want to sit on the beach itself it's so overcrowded that you have to go searching for the smallest space and once you eventually sit down, loads of screaming little children will chuck sand all over you and throw their buckets and spades at you. If there hadn't been so many people maybe the beach itself would have been a bitmore enjoyable.
The rides themselves were of a decent standard. In terms of good rides they had a full size rollercoaster(Thriller), a KMG afterburner(showtime), a fabbri booster maxx(Mach 5), a starflyer(aviator), a travelling log flume(pirate river), a waltzer and many more smaller attractions for the kids. The rides were pretty pricey and the big rides were all 3-5 tokens. However, the rides didn't seem very popular and were going half empty the majority of the time.
The final reason I despise this event is due to the tokens system. It is £1.20 for one token, £10 for ten tokens or £20 for 25 tokens. It's a bit like this at winter wonderland however at winter wonderland it's so much easier. There are plenty of token boxes at winter wonderland opposed to the single one here which means you would have to queue for ages to purchase your tokens. Then you have to work out which rides you can afford to go on with the specific amount of tokens you have. This then forces you to buy more as you usually end up with tokens left over meaning you have to spend them for another ride as they are non refundable. At winter wonderland you also just get a piece of paper whereas here you are given little metal gold discs meaning they are extremely easy to lose. It's all part of the scheme to try and make you spend as much money as possible as they want you to lose them or force you into buying more.
Anyway so the rides we went on:
THRILLER rollercoaster: priced at 4 tokens(previously £6 at winter wonderland), this rollercoaster was alright however was extremely rough and boisterous, you really got thrown around and your shoulders would press into the restraints. My legs would also smack into the back of the seats infront so it was pretty uncomfortable.
Pirate River Logflume: priced at 4 tokens, this standard travelling log flume was relatively short but good fun. Was really nice to have a cool down and a refreshing splash with such hot weather. Not particularly worth £4 though.
Mach 5 booster: priced at 5 tokens, I've been on this before and payed £5 however my last experience on it was faster, longer and much more intense. This time the ride was not being run at full power and whilst it was still good fun, it was no where near as insane as I had previously experienced. A real shame as I was looking forward to it however it was going pretty empty and I imagine they weren't making much money so therefore were compromising on the amount of power they were using.
So that's pretty much it, whilst I recommend both going to a beach and a funfair, I don't recommend going to the two combined together. It's far too overcrowded and expensive and turned out to be unfortunately worse than my expectations of the attraction.
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I still think its far far to early to judge, with the exception of Storm Surge Thorpe generally do care what the park looks like
How about Colossus?
Angry birds land?
Rumba rapids?
Nemesis inferno's volcano?
Cattlepen queuelines with no theming?
The Shark(shipping container) hotel?
These are only a few of the examples where Thorpe Park have either plonked down rides or a particular area without caring in the slightest what they look like or where an originally good looking ride is falling to pieces as it hasn't been maintained.
So unfortunately, yes, the evidence does support the fact that this building is going to be a complete eyesore.
I'm still in hope however that this could be an enjoyable and interesting experience on the inside however.
- Altitude, MattyMoo and HermanTheGerman
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The smiler incident was absolutely devastating and of course I feel so much sympathy for those involved. If it hadn't been such a life changing event then it wouldn't have had as much effect on the parks as it has done.Playground chatter before the Summer hols indicated most parents round here had banned their kids (those young enough to not speak back) from going on Rollercoasters after the Smiler, most of you are old enough to be able to make your own decision so may not understand, but Smiler scared a lot of people. I was even accursed of being irresponsible by a few for daring to encourage mine.
I can count on one hand the parents I know who have taken their kids to Thorpe /Chessie/Alton this summer. I think as fans we have a slightly bias view, but a lot of parents are now petrified of the places and won't go.
It's ovbiously upsetting that this event has had such an impact on the theme park community as a whole, as it's likely to drop attendance dramatically all over the UK. However, at the same time I can only feel that this event is beneficial for merlin as a company to learn from this traumatic experience. Not only do merlin now know how to handle a situation like this if it were ever to arise again, however the drop in gate figures across the board may make merlin realise that they need to improve the way they operate their parks if they want to retain their customers.
Of course I and I'm sure everyone would have rather the incident never happened however now that it has happened I feel like Merlin can learn from it to improve as a company(whether they actually will is an entirely different matter altogether).
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
in UK Attractions
Posted
Preview night is good fun although if you want the "full experience" then you're not going to get that despite paying £50. Lots of stalls, decorations, music, lighting, rides haven't been finished off yet so it's good if you want an overview of what this year's event is going to be like, but if you want to experience it properly, you have to go once the event opens and fork out money for each attraction you want to go on.
I did thoroughly enjoy it and hopefully going back again next year, but I've certainly got incentive to return as I've still got a lot of the event to experience this year due to closed rides/attractions and lack of atmosphere, lighting, scenery etc in certain areas of the event.