Matt A

I'm thinking 2 and 4 are the non-Thorpe ones, had a bit of a chuckle at number 4 ?

It would appear that the single rider queue lines have reappeared on some rides (Smiler and Spinball Wizzer) The Smiler queue line has also had a repaint and clean too

I'm not sure if they actually make any profit for Merlin, while I worked at Chessington the lockers were almost always broken and guests would complain about it. I'm fairly sure another member of staff told me that an external company manages them but not sure if the money goes to them or Merlin.

It's the very first thing they say to all new staff in inductions, something like: "We're chasing the mouse, our aim is to be bigger than Disney" accompanied by a slide showing them as second to Disney.

Chessington says hello

The only time I ever went on Storm Surge was when it said there was only a 20 minute queue, which turned out to be an hour. You can probably imagine my disappointment after all the waiting ?

The difference is how many problems it has each time!

I was quite nervous before my first meet at Christmas as I'm usually a really shy person but within moments of arriving those nerves were gone, everyone is lovely and we've all get plenty in common to talk about! By the end of the day I couldn't wait for the next meetup! If you're considering coming to one of the meets then just jump right into it, you won't regret it!

I'm not understanding the hate for these events, apart from the fact that they're only events and not bigger announcements. The events themselves are all non-IP bits of fun to do at the park. The BounceZilla one sounds especially good since those courses usually cost £15 upwards for a ticket and are a lot of effort to travel to for something only 30 mins long or so, I can see it being incredibly popular during the summer.

So this actually isn't the first time HYPD have been at Thorpe, they did a live-stream during Fright Nights last year: Oddly their Facebook page has far more followers than their other social channels, ~80,000 compared to ~3,000

Hyper Coaster confirmed

Not a big surprise for the choice, same company (Coca-Cola) doing the sponsorship, guess they must have thought the demographic at Thorpe would be more likely to drink Oasis, associates better with summer too

That's a lot smaller on the rides I've worked on, only the size of matchbox, although it's in the right spot for it to be so could be!

Thorpe don't appear to be too impressed with plans to build a retirement home near the site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-47236355 "Merlin Entertainment said the development of 79 apartments could impact future investment at the attraction because residents might object to noise coming from the rides and visitors."

CATCF parts are being auctioned off for charity: https://www.nottinghampost.com/whats-on/music-nightlife/alton-towers-auctioning-parts-ride-2535595

I'll be coming, would be up for the meal afterwards too, not really fussed with which restaurant it is. We can hide from the apocalypse in Thorpe! (sarcasm)

Seems like Thorpe's twitter team actively want to be roasted now: There's many more replies, but didn't want to make this post too long. Strangely enough, Thorpe (I think for the first time this year) actually acknowledged the negative tweets being made...

I remember seeing Facebook and email adverts last year with this sort of thing, the Facebook page was called Merlin Backstage or something similar and it was advertising a range of different Merlin attractions and Merlin passes over two adverts. The Merlin pass is currently the main thing linking all the attractions together and the GP who own it are aware of the 'Merlin' brand/company.

I've seen plenty of online adverts (banner ads) for breaks at Thorpe Park but nothing else.

Depending on if I can get out of work that day I'll either be down for the entire time or just the bowling

If it is closing for good then I wonder if we'll see the building go back to only being used at Fright Nights or becoming another year-round attraction. Can't see it being used for much else apart from maze-type attractions.

Only ever played the original a little, went back to play it some more and found it had closed. Will definitely be giving it a proper go this time!

Interesting to see some areas that Thorpe clearly don't want the public to see, strange that they keep the lighting on if no work is being done ? Also highlights once again that Thorpe has a security problem, you'd think they'd sort it out after the break ins and people scaling Stealth (although the guy did say he filmed that video a few months ago).

Definitely, the photo is of Xie Qiuping, the world record holder for longest hair: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-hair-(female)

Today Blackpool Council announced £300 million plans to develop the site of the old Central Railway Station into a new entertainment attraction, scheduled to open in 2024. Attractions include: The Flying Theatre Virtual reality experience Alien Diner A Multi-media exhibition Adventure Land Thrill and Gaming Zone There are also plans for hotels, shops, and restaurants to complement the new area. More info: https://www.blackpool.gov.uk/Your-Council/Creating-a-better-Blackpool/Blackpool-Central/Blackpool-Central.aspx https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-46476635 So what are your thoughts on this? Personally I think it looks like an amazing addition to Blackpool and will be a great addition to the line up of already existing attractions.