CharlieN

Sorry, didn’t really know where to post this - but I’m off to Thorpe for the first time in a few years this week and wanted to know when’s the best time to arrive to beat the entrance queues? I haven’t been to a theme park post-COVID and am unsure how time-consuming the safety procedures/bag check will be. Thanks.

And that’s aside from the fact hundreds of people will be touching the same restraints as each other. You’re right, it’s utter nonsense.

I can see this being the biggest issue to be honest. Yes, attitudes towards germs and cleanliness will change but I think more significant will be the reduced desire to experience such an attraction. I was thinking more generally about this only yesterday: how the market for horror and other spooky stuff will likely decrease in light of Covid-19. After half a year of pandemic-induced lockdown, the public’s desire to watch horror films/do live horror experiences/ride respiratory disease themed ghost trains will surely have waned as people reevaluate their lives. I wonder if the themes dreamt up by parks in the years following this pandemic will focus more on adventure and liberation than horror. After all, isn’t escapism what theme parks are all about?

I had envisaged 2020 being my first proper year of theme park travel. I had plans for Phantasialand, Poland and the Swedish trio. But it looks like Europa in December may be my only foreign trip this year - if this mess is cleared up by then.

I reckon this is much more likely!

Some positive news at last: Shanghai Haiching Ocean Park and Happy Valley Shanghai are reopening. You’d assume many other Chinese parks will follow suit soon.

Goodness me. Hyper Ride Roulette sounds like an outlandish excuse for ride downtime to me.... Another season I’ll pass on, I think.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I considered staying in Cologne itself as there are some really cheap hostels/hotels in a very good location but the price of travel to the park for two days outweighed that. I will look more thoroughly into both suggestions above but pillows and lifts don’t really bother me. (Actually I’ve never been to a Disney park so the prospect of a fake ToT is appealing!) Location is key really and proximity to the shuttle is ideal.

The cladding is corten (weathering) steel which gets that rusty appearance once oxidised. This means it is corrosion resistant and very durable. It can look nice when done right - although this looks hideous in my opinion. It would seem very strange to cover corten steel with another material/paint as it’s purpose is to withstand weathering. So I reckon that this is pretty much the finished exterior, bar some detailing. On a completely different note, I hope to go to Phantasialand in June and I’m wondering if anyone’s aware of any cheap off site accommodation near the park or in Bruhl itself? Thank you 😀

Ha, that’s very true Josh! I should probably add that it’s very likely I’ll be in Japan for the start of 2021 so I might have to be less ambitious...

Definitely: Thorpe Chessington Alton Probably: Phantasia EP Maybe: Poland Sweden I doubt the latter two will happen and Poland may be a 2021 trip, but there’s still potential.

^ It looks like a wonderful sweatshop. Long hours, little pay, poor workers rights... But I do agree, the marketing is so charming.

Ah, has been corrected. I was so excited I didn’t even check the account!

Someone’s had a go at creating the park’s upcoming double launch coaster on no limits: It seems like a great, long layout. I really like the idea of the slower, low to the ground section before the more intense section following the second launch too.

When I first visited Alton Towers there was Blade, Submission, Enterprise and Ripsaw - a decent flat ride offering. It’s such a shame that only Enterprise remains. Aside from the coasters, there’s very little to do at Towers anymore...