streetmagix

Looks like the website was at fault, the 11am openings are correct

Unfortunately the old thought of 'all publicity is good publicity' still rules in many (PR) departments. To them this entire debacle is a positive thing.

29-31 minutes by train plus the shuttle bus. I think technically Chessington is closer to me if I were to drive but I'm on the wrong train line.

Another update to the opening times with no mention of any 11am opening times:

Eh, as someone who works in the Media Industry I get what they mean. Advertising is (quite correctly) tightly regulated. Maybe this is a wakeup call to Merlin to be more careful in the future!

So what other parks proudly state that 'half of their rides will be open when the park opens'? Portaventura opens rides later but then it's often open until 10pm/12pm/3am(!) from a 10am open. I want to see this as good news but assuming that Nemesis/Galactica now open at 11 isn't really that great. The fact that Nemesis was on ERT last year shows just how reliable it is (when was the last time it was down for an entire day?), I can kind of understand Galactica opening later due to it's VR and more complicated trains (see DBGT). I want to be positive about Alton Towers but it still feels off. On the flip side I'm happy that Thorpe is getting later openings and things like SAW: Alive opening during the summer. I think it shows where Merlin's loyalty lies currently.

I agree, for those of us who can visit midweek/out of season it isn't great. I do wonder if Merlin are going down the route of Ceder Point/Fair and using Thorpe as a test. Ceder Fairs strategy seems to be: open fewer days but for longer hours. I was pretty shocked when I saw the opening dates for a lot of American amusement parks. For reference here is Ceder Points opening hours for 2018: https://www.cedarpoint.com/explore/cedar-point-calendar-and-hours . Mid May to Late August + Halloween. Probably the same/slightly more hours than Thorpe but a lot more concentrated. Six Flags seem to be pretty similar too. I'm not saying this is better or worse, just interesting to see Merlin trying something different.

I'm in agreement with most about the stupidity of it being a 'worlds first' but then it would it be an SW if it didn't have a 'worlds first' element? Remember that neither RITA or Spinball had Secret Weapon codenames. As it stands I'm willing to give Merlin the benefit of the doubt until I've ridden it, it may genuinely be a worlds first. Talking of the dark theme though: Thirteen has a dark theme and is lapped up by the public. Attendance went up massively and it still remains one of the most popular rides in the park. Merlin are using the same tactics here because, as far as they were concerned, the marketing worked perfectly.

Looks like the Twitter feed has started teasing it. Well, acknowledging it anyway. I'm guessing the Black Mirror picture isn't that related. https://twitter.com/THORPEPARK/status/950804947368587270

I was there 5/6 October 2017 and it was SBNO then, it had been like that for a couple of weeks at least according to some of the ride ops. As that was my first visit I never got a chance to ride the mouse, a shame as I've heard it was a brilliantly brutal little machine. I agree with the above posters, a very weird way to announce the closing of a ride. Someone was going to notice at some point that it had disappeared. I believe that's what happened and that's why they had to issue the press statement in a hurry. On a related note: I'm amazed that such a large park has such a poor press/PR department. As in, it barely has one. Their Twitter feed just has scheduled messages and retweets. No real advertising of ICON either. They failed to 'own' the closure of the Mouse. Very poor indeed for a park with 5.5M visitors a year...

I would guess that they will wait until after the SW8 announcements on Monday (?), so maybe sometime in early February?

Was it X that they had to curtail in the inside queue due to changing fire regulations? Maybe they are altering the building so the entire queue is indoors rather than some indoors and some outdoors?

I agree with this. People can see SWARM but wander around the Stealth plaza unsure how to get there. If I overhear them walking about SWARM I try and direct them but it isn't actually that obvious. Ditto with people trying to leave the park at the end of the day and trying to get back into the Dome. With my MAP and Lanyard of pinbadges I get asked a lot, I guess because people think I'm staff. If/when they use the bit of land behind SWARM/Stealth I hope they build a connecting walkway between the two. Or just get rid of the beach and open that entire area up and maybe move Flying Fish again.

Thorpe did say they would replace Slammer for 2018 but I don't think we've heard anything since then.

Yep, I think at one stage it was going to be called 'Tiger Falls'. Plus a name change wouldn't part of the plans for the council etc

As far as I'm aware there are H/V polarised (IMAX), Circularly Polarised (Real D), Differential Colour (Dolby Cinema), alternative shutter (NVIDIA) plus the red/blue 3D glasses. Get the right type and they'll work. Been ages since I went into Hocus Pocus so I can't remember what type they used. Pretty shoddy though.

They had a weird way of running Peeking Heights where only 3 to 5 capsules were ever filled, they then rotated it to the top and then back to the ground. It almost acted as a observation tower rather than a Ferris wheel. I'm guessing throughputs were terrible but it also open so rarely. A shame really, I do like Ferris wheels/observation towers at theme parks as it's a great way to see the entire park. A new (or decent second hand) Ferris wheel probably wouldn't cost much either but they have different plans for that area now.

Credit where credit is due: Park Operations were pretty damn good today. Even Nemesis Inferno which has had some shocking operations this year was going well. The afternoon team on SWARM weren't brilliant though, too much chatting causing hold ups on the break runs. The morning was fine though. Security checks were also over with pretty quickly.

I was at Thorpe today and took a few pictures: http://imgur.com/a/grbzd From my untrained eye it looks like they are replacing both sets of cables, cherry picker is still there as was some specialist tools and even a can of coke on the ride vehicle. No work was taking place during operational hours though.

1. Blue Fire (Europa Park) A wonderfully smooth, comfortable and thrilling rollercoaster. It feels like you're gliding on air as you fly through the circuit. Incredibly comfortable restraints / seats and a ridiculous high throughput. My perfect coaster. 2. Nemesis (Alton Towers) 23+ years old but it looks and feels like it was installed yesterday. The front row is possibly the most thrilling experience in the world, hurtling past waterfalls and rock work. Your feet mere centimeters from the floor. The back row is so intense is sometimes causes me to grey out. 3. Flying Dinosaur (Universal Studios Japan) A coaster so intense it almost ripped my face off. I've only been on it once but I would travel back to Japan just to ride this again. Outstanding. 4. Silverstar (Europa Park) Silverstar ahead of Shambhala? It's true. Whilst there is more airtime on Shambhala the lapbars are so uncomfortably tight I end up with bruises on my thighs. Silverstar doesn't have this issue and I can enjoy the airtime far more. A little bit rough on the first drop and the repeated trims stop it from being higher up this list. 5. Shambhala (Portaventura) A fantastic experience almost ruined by very tight lapbars with a test seat that doesn't match up to reality. This might move up the list if after my weight loss the lapbar doesn't need to be as tight. 6. SWARM (Thorpe Park) The sense of freedom and exposure is incredible, with nothing above, below or to the side of you it really does feel like you're flying. Probably the smoothest coaster I've ever been on with the best OTSR on any coaster. Towards the end of a hot day this thing feels like it's supercharged. It's too short though! 7. Eurosat (Europa Park) This thing is insane. The bonkers spiral lifthill, incredible techno soundtrack and an intense ride experience. As smooth than a chest of draws falling down a staircase but I still love it. 8. Dragon Khan (Portaventura) The second most intense ride I've ever been on (Flying Dinosaur comes first) but wow, what a ride. Far too rough, you come off in a fair amount of pain which is why it's not further up this list. If this is as smooth as it once apparently was this would be number 1 or 2. 9. Thirteen (Alton Towers) I love Thirteen, fight me. Nice floater airtime, comfortable lapbars and a nice 'surprise' at the end. The best family coaster I've ever ridden. 10. Stampida (Portaventura) A harsh and painful mistress but my favourite wooden coaster by far. A fun ride with a nice gimmick of dueling coasters. Honorable Mentions: The Smiler (Alton Towers): Too rough SAW: The Ride (Thorpe Park): Also too rough and with inconsistent effects/lighting Galactica (Alton Towers): A fun ride with and without VR but not enough to get into my top 10. Revenge of the Mummy Ride (Universal Studios Singapore): Does this count as a rollercoaster? I'm counting it as a dark ride. My 2nd favourite dark ride after Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

I'm of the opinion that having large groups of people waiting in a unprotected plaza is far worse than bag checks. When I was last at Thorpe (pre summer holidays) the bag check was over in 5 seconds flat, the quickest glance at the inside of my bag. Are they spending longer per person or it is just the sheer number of people causing the holdups?

In fairness last year there was Thorpe Park Summer Nights (x2) and a Thorpe Park Fright Night preview for pass holders, this year neither are happening. (Alton Towers isn't my local park so I'm unsure what, if any, events took place last year). Personally I won't moan about VIPs getting a special event but I understand why people are annoyed.

It was sitting there rusting away behind the giant fences as of 2 weeks ago. I doubt they'll start tearing it down until the closed season because of it's location and lack of access. I'm struggling to think what could fit in there as it's actually pretty tight. I'd love to see some sort of observation tower there, something like the one at Europa-Park or the i360 in Brighton.

I don't think the pretty picture of a bridge means anything. Having been subjected to Death By Powerpoint on several occasions they are just random templates gathered from the internet, don't go looking for any hidden meanings yet. That said I really think Thorpe Park needs new entrance. If that comes as part of a new roller coaster (like Cedar Fair have done with Carowinds) then all the better! Or maybe as part of the new hotel, depends on how screwed down those plans are.

The air cannon didn't seem as loud yesterday although it was probably a year since my previous ride. Could anyone else confirm? Although it doesn't hurt me it is still pretty loud! Is it an added effect or part of the drop mechanism?