Matt A

Just come back from my walk by thorpe park, here's an update from the site. Contsruction walls avoided me from getting good photos, but here's the best I could get. Station's going up I believe though need to look over the plans to check. Main tower seems to be going up which was ace to see, but might pop into thorpe park next time for better photos.

New Valhalla promo image released today;
 

 
Source: https://twitter.com/MandsThompson

My first thoughts (from POV, I'm no VIP) is that if this sort of set up was used as the entrance and exit of X, with effects of comparable quality during the ride, that would make one complete, excellent attraction rather than two slightly lacking ones we now have.

I have been told by a friend that works there that actually the park audio is having a big overhaul at the moment and over last the closed season. Still a work in progress but I believe there has been a lot of dead spots sorted (with some more to go) and the backend systems have been replaced and changed to a new setup.

Absolutely. Here's a very short clip... Look at it moving! This playing with the rumbling effect under the lift hill was incredible.
 
I'm very glad that the old Nemesis Inferno soundtrack is playing, but I do wonder if it is a mistake as we had the old colossus music return for two to three weeks in 2019 for it to be changed again to the Imascore stuff.
 
The ImaScore stuff on both Colossus and Nemesis Inferno just doesn't have the same atmosphere! Too slow and not upbeat enough!
 
 
 
 
VID_20210418_105551.mp4

They were pretty old, I would bet that some were still from the Tussaud's days. Because of this, a lot of them were either dead or dying quickly (e.g. areas such as Colossus with lots of rattling, broken speaker cones).
 
Yes Bose speakers do last a long time generally, and have done well at thorpe. They are more consumer level than they are "pro audio" though. RCF are heavy duty.
 
Saying that though, a lot of them were newer and still okay, such as Saw and Swarm's areas. So that leads me to think that they got a deal on bulk buying from RCF and decided to do the whole place in one go. It gives them a more consistent audio setup and it's better than having the new speakers waiting around until the existing systems die, which could cause problems mid-season.
 
As of this season it's only the new RCF speakers and some Electro-Voice EVID 3.2/4.2/6.2 models across the park now AFAIK. They began to rollout EVID speakers to many areas (e.g. they were fitted to newer areas such as Ghost Train from opening day, and were later added to areas such as the entrance bridge and Rumba Rapids) but they seem to have changed their minds, used up remaining EVID stock and bulk ordered from RCF for going forward with audio upgrades as of last year.

**David Attenborough has entered the thread**

from what I gather, when re-entering the station, a few boats started mounting each other - pic from good old MAP holders FB group - note the boats are empty but there were people in them prior to pic being taken
 
 

Well when two boats love each other very much.. Okay maybe not now, it is a family forum.

This was certainly the case back end of last season, thankfully it didn't make too much of a noticeable difference, but interesting it has supposedly stayed that way.
 
I wasn't even aware that Storm Surge was not reopening so interesting. Anyone else know anything???
 
This is Thorpe however so don't expect it to get "removed". It'll add to it's collection of SBNO so it can have a worlds first title of "worlds first park with x amount of SBNO rides".  

Right. So Wisey & myself took a little trip to Chessington today, which would be our first trip and park visit of the year. 
 
To Sum Up:
Park is the best it’s looked in years, from areas such as Mexicana and Land Of The Dragons receiving noticeable touch ups  Park Audio was rather messy and untidy in several places, maybe there’s issue  All key eating places were open, although the surprise lack of outdoor seating was a little disappointing  Majority of staff were friendly enough, although there were some issues with one or two  Blue Barnacle is alright, least they replaced Buccaneer Zufari has interesting amendments   
Park operations left room for improvement, with rides stacking and breaking down often. Maybe these are start of season glitches but they still need addressing. RAP needs sorting because it’s getting a bit out of hand now! The park definitely warrants 7pm close, was very busy today!

Finally tried Croc Drop too. It’s a nice enough addition and looks visually pleasing (from the front). Nothing ground breaking but fun all round.
 

Was a nice day overall and whilst it was far too busy it was still a good day. 
 
Throughputs were not great but it is only four days in so fair enough. Availability was good with only Dragons Fury really going down for a couple of hours. 
 
Audio is a bit messy in places. Dragons Fury and Rattlesnake has no music, though the latter only ever had music in a couple of spots anyway. Scorpion Express was playing station announcments in queue instead of he station and Carousel was blasting out of the entire adventure point area. There's new Mexicana and Blue Barnacle audio is different and appears to be a new mix of call to adventure that plays in turn with Croc drop and vampire mixes too at the lodge entrance area. 
 
A shame that Monkey Swinger was without its water jets but hopefully this is just a temporary thing. It was great during Howloween with them all recently fixed and being held on for long periods of time! 
 
On a more positive note it was lovely to see some new signage and refreshed Mexicana looks nice. 
 
Croc Drop is a great addition for families and certainly going to be a hit. 
 
To finish a few pics of the ridiculous amount of fast track and high number of RAP users today. 
 
Oh and perhaps Forbidden Tomb is back... Love the new signage...
 

Seeing reports of 1hour+ long RAP queues. It all seems to be getting a bit out of hand now and I feel sorry for those who need to use it.
The bar has been set too low and doctors are more than happy to write a note for anything nowadays.
Personally I think there's only one way out of it which is to abolish queuing all together and have time slots. However thats failed in the past. 
Also seeing a lot of comments about fast pass being prioritised etc, I thought that wasn't possible with only 1 RAP group allowed per train due to evacuation reasons. 

Looks like the parks speaker system has had yet another overhaul! Swarm island and saws speakers have all been replaced with rcf p series and monitor Q series which sound amazing apart from saws station which has no bass but I think its due to saws speaker system still not being finnished leaving some areas without audio (by the way hello zepp it now played on dispatch!) and that they have left the old bose subs remianing making me think they are still keeping them but they have not be turned on yet.
Infernos old soundtrack is back with them new rcf subs that are pumping out the sountracks low frequency beat and lost citys speakers are sounding amazing with that great imascore sountrack. The parks amtmospere has changed alot with the new speakers giving it a refreshed feel, its looking like its going to be a great season!

So for anyone interested, one can make out what is said on the signage at the entrance to attraction thanks to Jack Silkstone's video (around 25min mark), and gives a sense of what we could expect:
 

(forgive the rubbish quality)
 
For those who can't make it out:
 
[quote]
1. Move forward when called
2. Your photo will be taken
3. Move to a touch screen
4. Click your photo and enter details
5. Accept the terms & conditions
6. Step aside for the next Participants 
 
Misuse will not be tolerated, including inappropriate names or photos.
 
Names or images breaking these conditions will not be uploaded and you may be escorted off the premises.
[/quote]
 
It's an interesting premise, and with the "We value your privacy" tagline, it could suggest that throughout the experience you're 'tracked', or that things are a bit more interactive. Certainly a very Black Mirror type thing too.
 
Does sound like it's a potential throughput nightmare though.

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!

I fear our beloved Prince is not long for this world. 

Really interesting post; thanks for sharing it!
 
I don't think we'll ever know the full story behind the closure. The specifically interesting thing is that when it was closed, it was announced as returning. How much internal drive there was to keep that promise is something we'll never know, nor how realistic those claims were. 
 
In any case, a few things I can add...
 
 
This has been floated around a lot and though I've never actually looked into it, I assume the change in legislation is true (I believe it's an EU thing). As you say, Tidal was always clean and treated water, so unaffected (fun fact: it is one of the most expensive rides to run because of the cost of treating the amount of water it uses).
 
Now there's always been questions about this legislation. There's been suggestions that it only affects newly built rides, not old rides. So stuff like Loggers, Rumba Rapids, The Flume, Dragon Falls, etc would be fine. If that's true, then we're fine. If however it needed to be done by a set point, then there's a major problem. You need to create a closed water system around a lake (since the treated water can't go into lake water). How do you manage that in Loggers' situation with Loggers' layout. 
 
Not saying it would be impossible, but that would be very difficult.
 
I can't comment on Pirate Falls or The Flume, but I believe Dragon Falls' work wasn't related to this new legislation per se.
 
The rockwork around Dragon Falls needed removal because it was effectively falling apart. Equally a lot of work needed to be done with the ride's trough. Maybe that was in some way related though, I don't know.
 
Hmmm, this bit I have some scepticism over. 
 
Thorpe have gone for a double hit with their more recent large investments. Saw had Saw Alive. Swarm had Swarm Backwards. I think it's only natural to expect they had budget planned to do something to Ghost Train for 2017. Do I think they always planned to re-do the VR and extend the building for a new scene? Probably not, no. But they will have had budget for something. And if they wanted to, there's a chance they could have gotten more.
 
Now it's certainly possible that any budget for Loggers could have been siphoned over to ROTD. My thinking is that that doesn't really match up with timings. If Thorpe were planning to open Loggers for 2017, and they had the budget to do so, there would have been some level of commitment to that by September-time, which was when ROTD was in its finalisation. 
 
I'm also aware that by 2018, Thorpe were stating that reopening Loggers would be an investment that would cost millions (I seem to remember hearing figures anywhere between £3m-£8m). I'm sure that figure increased as time went on, but if they did have budget for that secured to reopen it in 2017, but didn't open it, they would have used that budget elsewhere. The ROTD changes certainly wouldn't have used up that whole budget, and none of their other 2017 changes would have either. So something wouldn't add up there in my opinion.
 
To add my extra thoughts: as I said, by 2018, there were still talks of reopening Loggers. It was something that was being explored, to the point they had figures of how much it would cost to reopen, and some theming concepts. That would suggest it was still in some way feasible. The big issue at that point is then is it worthwhile? Loggers Leap was a decent log flume, but is spending many millions reopening an old flume the best way to spend money (even with a retheme or whatever)? Arguably not.
 
For some context here, The Walking Dead retheme of X cost about £1m. Spending at least 3 times that to get an old attraction open, plus increasing running costs for the park, is a lot to think about. Especially when you're getting to the point that you could probably build a new log flume for a similar price point.
 
I think in many ways, it was always a pie-in-the-sky idea trying to get it to reopen. When it closed there was always an air of pessimism about it ever reopening imo. It was great to try, but it just never seemed likely. And yet, I don't think they've ever truly given up.
I'm sure some remember back in 2019 after it was announced to not return, there was an auction of old ride parts announced. That auction was quietly removed and never mentioned again. I heard some rumours that was in part because the park changed their minds in case they decided to explore reopening it again. I've even heard that the work done in Loggers station for Creek Freak Massacre was done in such a way that they kept the core of the ride in tact (ride console, conveyor belt, etc). Not sure quite how true that it, so take that with a huge heap of salt!
 
 
I think the story with the rapids is different. Their features were changed, tamed, etc after the Drayton Manor incident. Internally, Merlin made the decision to tame their UK rapids ride to try to prevent people standing up during the ride. This was also accompanied by other things, such as ride spotters around Thorpe and Towers' rapids in particular. 
 
If it is linked with the change in legislation (which I doubt it was tbh), it certainly would raise different questions about Loggers' closure. The changes to rapids happened mid-way through 2017, so I'd find it hard to see why they would have not run Loggers, because of the legislation, for the prior 18 months when they could have.

Hey!

I thought Id just tell some stories of what I gathered from things friends and employees used to say about the reason it closed. I really have no idea how much truth is in this (its probably very little so take it with a grain of salt) and I assume a lot of you are quite a bit more knowledgeable about this than me. 

Essentially, in the early to mid 2010s legislation in regards to the operation of water rides and attractions were updated, something to the effect that water rides at parks needed to guarantee a level of quality in the water used. I think it was  along the lines of if guests get wet enough the water must be treated for health and safety reasons. For Tidal Wave, not a problem as it already uses treated water in the splashdown but, obviously, with rides that used open-water systems (Rapids, Loggers and the Flume etc) Merlin would need to make some adjustments.

You can see this happen on pretty much all of the flumes in the UK and I guess I dont know enough to outright say if these updates included changes to water treatment but: Pirate Falls became Dynamite Drench, Dragons Falls received a mini-update removing some of the rock work, the Flume closed completely and Loggers.... well

I'm not sure of specific details in regards to the breakoff point to when this supposed restriction may have occurred but Thorpe held onto Loggers for as long as they could before officially going in for the rework in 2015. The plan was to keep it closed for 2016, and start work on it before the 2017 season. Now I dont think there was any planning permission applications and any evidence of this wouldve been dug up quite quickly so that makes me a bit sceptical of the whole thing, but then again if the update was just closing off the water system and slapping 'Re-Drenched' on the sign maybe it wouldnt have been necessary. 

Then we all know what happened in 2016...

Supposedly the budget went to the DBGT rework ROTD in 2017 instead and Thorpe, not knowing what to do with it, left Loggers hoping that theyd be able to work on it soon enough. This may explain why for a while afterwards the park were still insisting it would reopen, but as we know that didnt last. The ride began to literally rot and reached a point where they just had to abandon ship.

I think this would explain a lot of the blank spaces left but I dont know. The park definitely knew that Loggers was incredibly important that we know for sure. Its just a shame that it didnt survive longer. Oh and by the way you can identify a lot of the changes made to Congo and Rumba removing a lot of the features and effects that would soak riders in order to avoid having to update those as well: Rumbas waterfall into the tunnel, the sprinklers on the lift and the bucket next to the camera, I believe Congo has also become much more 'tame' in recent times but I'm not sure on specifics. 

Anyway, sorry for the long read. I hope it was entertaining and please feel free to debunk it, Id like to know more about Loggers as well.  

 

What I am truly shocked by is the image of the RR boats! For the first time since 2002 they've actually cleaned the boats! They look super shiny! They were also covered this winter for the first ever time! The park is finally realising they should clean and look after their rides! The future is bright!

Just goes to show how much better a bit of cleaning makes it look! Wish they applied this to the rest of the park.

Can anyone confirm if the 5th green light has been fixed on Stealth to celebrate it's 15th birthday please.

3 weeks can be a long time, but remember that during those 3 weeks the ride will be testing regularly for staff training. Whilst something could still be done, it takes away time from training whilst it's installed, checked for safety, etc. And I believe that the ride has been running for training lately.
 
And in any case, here's an image from early 2019 (lifted from Google Maps of course):

Compare with the image EpicSmatty posted:
 
We can see the new theming has already been installed. Maybe there's more to add to it though.
 
As I say, at this stage I'm expecting that when the pool is filled with water, it will look like a boat that's there is sinking, and the rest could be for some sort of special effect, like some sort of water splash/fountain/explosion. But no idea really, so curious to see what it is.

Thorpe Park: experts in theming removal! (photo taken yesterday)

 
In other news...
 
Stealth is celebrating its 15th birthday by having its bag room closed and replaced with shelving:

 
And a marquee has appeared in front of the security huts:

 
Photos from Sky Survey UK: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=skysurveyuk&set=a.255034999417922

Just goes to show how much better a bit of cleaning makes it look! Wish they applied this to the rest of the park.