Matt N

If the wanted to a more conventional dark ride, they would pretty much have to rip out Ghost Train and start again. In terms of tracks, Ghost Train literally just has a pair of parallel train tracks, so a conversion/refurb wouldn't really do much.

Back when I operated Runaway Train at Chessington I used to have a regular recurring dream that I was operating and couldn't get the train to park in the correct part of the station to open the restraints. So the train just went round and round relentlessly for hours. Even to this day, I have this dream once or twice a month. 
 
A pretty good dream I had once was that Southends Adventure Island got a B&M Floorless but it fell apart and into the sea.
 
Most of my dreams these days tend to revolve around getting on Disney Cruise ships. 

If Swarm’s old plaza audio has returned and the new station audio has stayed, then perhaps controversially, I actually think that would be my ideal Swarm music scenario, as I preferred the old plaza audio to the new one bought in last year, but I thought the new station audio was awesome!

If Swarm’s old plaza audio has returned and the new station audio has stayed, then perhaps controversially, I actually think that would be my ideal Swarm music scenario, as I preferred the old plaza audio to the new one bought in last year, but I thought the new station audio was awesome!

Ok, the two examples could be coincidences. 
 
Swarm audio might have been as a result of the audio changes across the park. It wasn’t good audio either way, they are still using the new station audio unfortunately. Anytime there’s a slight pause in a dispatch, the music will stop once the track is played, it doesn’t loop.
 
TikTok board feels like the most reactive, it was clearly deliberately set up and painted. Not long after twitter went at it, it was gone.

Honestly, no clue who they're targeting any more these days. They're a park which are still going for "thrills", but the people and age range seems to be broad and unclear.
 
Apparently the addition of the Playground is something that's come from above. The idea is that Merlin want some form of play equipment at every park, regardless of target audience, etc 

Hi guys. The 2022 season is just beginning, with BPB starting to reopen its gates, so I thought I’d breathe some life back into TPM’s trip report section (which hasn’t been updated for over a year by the looks of things) and make a 2022 Trip Plans thread! So, what parks are we all planning to do this year, now that COVID’s effect on the theme park industry is seemingly beginning to ease?   Personally, I have a variety of plans for 2022. Much of this isn’t set in stone, as it’s only February, but here are my tentative 2022 trip plans, split into categories of their status: Locked In Plans Europa Park (26th-30th April 2022, on park 27th-29th April 2022) - After months of planning, this is finally locked in! We’re staying in Castillo Alcazar for 4 nights and have 3 days of park tickets to Europa Park, a bucket list park I’ve wanted to visit for a good 7 or 8 years now! I’m absolutely buzzing about it; it’s slightly surreal to think that after years and years of wanting to go, I’m only a little over 10 weeks away from finally stepping into Europa Park, the Golden Ticket Award winner for world’s best theme park and a place that many hold in extremely high regard, and I’m going to be riding coasters like Wodan, Silver Star, Blue Fire, as well as seeing other esteemed rides like Voletarium and Piraten in Batavia, as well as seeing what the park in general has to offer… my, this is so exciting! I know a lot of you are probably quite blasé about a trip to Europa by now, but from my personal perspective, I can’t believe that a trip I’ve dreamed about doing since I was 11 or 12 is finally happening! Almost Definite Plans Solo Train Trip to Drayton Manor (Weekday in June 2022) - After my successful pilot of solo theme park visiting at Thorpe last September, I want to take my newfound ability further in 2022 and take the train alone to a theme park in 2022. And where better to begin with that than the easiest park to reach from my location by train; Drayton Manor! I’ve mapped out the route from Wilnecote train station (reachable by direct train from my local train station), and everything looks nice and walkable the entire way, and I’d also like to get back to Drayton even excluding the stuff about my solo park visiting; I haven’t been in 4 years, there’s still some significant(ish) stuff there I haven’t ridden, and I would like to give Apocalypse a good send off before its rumoured removal at the end of 2022! In terms of when I’d like to go; I’ve decided on a weekday in June, as I’m headed to Europa in April, and this is also when I’m off uni and the kids are still in school keeping park crowd levels low, so it’s win-win! I obviously haven’t booked anything or concluded anything for this yet, but I am quite set on doing it at some point in 2022, so I’ll file it under “Almost Definite”! Possibilities Brean Theme Park/possibly Weston too (Unknown) - In spite of having been a theme park enthusiast since I was 10, I still haven’t visited my nearest theme park; Brean Theme Park! My dad has said to me that me and him could remedy that at some point in 2022, though, and he also raised the possibility that we could do Funland at the Tropicana as well, so excluding the kiddie creds at either park, as I don’t generally do kiddie creds, this could be a very easy +4! Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Unknown) - My parents have said we might be able to get back up to Blackpool for a short break at some point this year, and I’ll admit, I am keen for a revisit, what with new Valhalla and retracked Big One, Grand National and Big Dipper all having happened since my last visit, and I’m gagging to get back on my #2 coaster Icon after 3 years away! To tell you the truth, I was originally planning to do BPB myself on the train in one day, but from the South West, the trip was quite an epic one compared to anything I’ve done before, and practically everyone around me thought it sounded like quite a poor travel-to-park-time ratio (I totted it up to be around 8-9 hours of travelling for around 4-5 hours of park time, with me needing to get up at about 5:30am), so my parents said to me “if you want to go to Blackpool, I’m sure we could go up and stay there at some point this year so you get a full day in the park!”, which sounded like a far more pleasurable, less bold idea to me… That’s all I can think of at the moment, and as I say, much of that is not set in stone, so the year could turn out totally differently; it’s only February at the moment!   In terms of the Merlin parks; from having talked to my parents, I’m led to believe that after quite a Merlin-heavy 2020 and 2021, our visit frequency to those will be considerably lower in 2022 due to us no longer having MAPs (my parents aren’t buying themselves new MAPs after being angry at the way Merlin treated passholders during COVID). I could in theory buy an MAP myself (my last MAP, the Premium MAP I had during COVID, was one I bought myself), but if my parents don’t get them too, it’s probably not overly worthwhile.   But what 2022 trip plans do you have?

My updated list after my recent Heide/Hansa trip:
 
1. Taron, Phantasialand
2. Taiga, Linnanmäki
3. Untamed, Walibi Holland
4. Helix, Liseberg
5. Oz'Iris, Parc Asterix
6. Balder, Liseberg
7. Lost Gravity, Walibi Holland
8. Der Schwur des Kärnan, Hansa Park
9. Nemesis, Alton Towers
10. Joris en de Draak, Efteling
11. Colossos - Kampf der Giganten, Heide Park
12. Goliath, Walibi Holland
13. Troy, Toverland
14. Black Mamba, Phantasialand
15. Hyperion, Energylandia
 
That's my "Top 10% of ranked rides" (ie creds ridden ignoring kiddie/little junior ones).
 
I think positions 9-13 are all very fluid; very much depends on my mood. Joris feels like a bit of an outlier on a first glance I think, but then I remember I have so much damn fun on it from start to finish that it really does deserve that spot.

To come back to your horror movie analogy, this actually does explain why thrill parks can sometimes struggle.
 
Generally movie studios will try to keep their movies with a lower age rating because statistically movies available to more people perform better at the box office. This is not always the case, but generally this is the case.
 
Horror movies have to try very hard to appeal to the more niche audience because they cannot get a wider audience due to their ratings.
 
Teenagers going to thrill parks likely spend less than a larger family (which may also include some teenagers!) going to a family park. Everyone can go to a family park, but not everyone will go to a thrill park.

Ooh Computer Science - I did that too! ❤️
I feel your pain 😂
 
Well… They aren’t wrong about the graduate roles.
If you’re looking to go in to a graduate scheme of some sort then a higher grade will definitely get you closer to the door in a lot of places, but the honest truth is that experience is the big thing companies look for, graduate scheme or not, and honestly that’s what gets asked about in interviews.
 
It’s all about the special projects you take on etc.
the s/w firm I worked for previously ran a grad scheme, and generally seemed to go for the ones who got involved in making apps / websites and things for local schools or businesses.
 
Good grades are great - but experience is better 😊

Thanks for the post @Inferno; I really appreciate it!
 
I’m studying Computer Science at the University of Gloucestershire. I am starting to get a little more used to it now, although I’ll admit that rightly or wrongly, I do still tread through my course and assignments with a certain degree of trepidation.
 
In terms of asking for help; I do often drop my lecturers an email if I need to know something for an assignment or whatever, and they always seem happy to help, but I’ll admit that I’ve never been the most forthcoming in asking for help, particularly in university what with the big onus on “independent learning”.
 
In terms of the employment thing; I’m getting quite mixed messages about that. We were told by the employability team at the university that graduate jobs often require at least a 2/1 (albeit not always), whereas my dad, who works in a big company in a position where he deals with interviewing university graduates for jobs, said something similar to you about how the exact grade of the degree isn’t really taken into account when looking at a CV and assessing someone’s eligibility for a job.

I'm not against a thrill park, the issue is that the park itself has to near constantly refresh itself and that takes a lot of money and resource to do. You also have to ensure your thrill rides have a wide range of appeal. Thorpe's coaster line up, the only real outlier is Stealth. The others are just a variant on an upside down rollercoaster. You kind of made that point for me Inferno, Thorpe a little bit of a s**thole because it hasn't changed that much. If it wants to be 'the thrill park' the demands of its target audience constantly want more, the new, the bigger, the better. The new coaster is not going to be enough to change that perception for the rest of the resort. 
 
A family park is far less focused on constant updates and investment because the line up itself has universal appeal. I see it on forums and social media all the time 'Thorpe gets no investment, its last rollercoaster was 10 years ago.' Whilst forgetting Chessingtons last rollercoaster was 18 years ago. And we don't talk about the removal of Vampire or Dragons Fury in the same way that we talk about Colossus going to the skip. So yes, I think family parks are far easier to manage and run and actually more profitable. A 13 year old visiting Thorpe with his school pals just doesn't have a disposable income, whereas a family going to a theme park, will. It may be stretched in the current climate but it exists. And they spend money, all those little extras such as toys, ice creams when it's hot. A meal for everyone at the fast food outlets. it quickly adds up
 
And thats before we even get to overnight stays....
 
 
 
 

Hi @Matt N, I was wondering if you're settling in to Uni a little more now, or if you're still getting used to things?
What are you studying?
 
I can completely understand the sudden change from the 'school structure' you get at 6th form in to a more "sort yerself out" kind of situation at uni.
I went to College rather than 6th form, which I think set me up really well for Uni, better than 6th form ever could have done.  Without doing College however I think I would have found starting Uni similar to you to begin with, and I know that a lot of my friends who came from 6th form felt the same as you.
 
It's A LOT to get used to isn't it, it's all very different to school.
I hope it's settled down now though and you're starting to enjoy it?
 
I think if I could give you any advice at all from my experience, it would be
to ask the staff for help with things. Be bold, and approach them directly - this is kind of a life hack I've taken with me in to work - just ask and I bet they'll be happy to help!  Don't forget, you're paying them for this. If you don't ask, you don't get   to remember that you absolutely deserve to be there, and you absolutely deserve to enjoy yourself. You've clearly worked really hard to get your place at Uni, doing the subject you wanted to do. despite what people might tell you while you're there, most employers don't give a damn if you get a 1st. Getting a degree is really hard - which lets face it, is kind of the point!  Nobody ever gets 100% on any assignment, that's impossible, just give it your best shot and be proud of what you're achieving! The fact you have been passing your assignments is REALLY good! You're on track to get a degree, that's an amazing achievement!  
What I'll also say though is this..
Someone I went to Uni with dropped out in the first year, and he now has a collection of incredible cars and runs a web design company employing multiple staff...
If you're really not enjoying Uni, if it's not for you, then it's not for you - that's ok!
Most of my colleagues at work didn't go to Uni, and here we are in the same position as each other.
 
 
Ugh.. I've rambled......
Be happy Matt. That's more important than anyone likes to say
Look after yourself and do what's right for you, not anyone else.

Apologies for the double post.....
One more argument in favour of a "thrill park"..
 
No matter how much a Theme Park invests, realistically they don't change that much, do they?
If I look back to my childhood, many of the rides I enjoyed as a kid are still at the parks today. Which is great by the way, but bear with me.....
 
One of the good things about Merlin's 3 park cluster near London is that they keep theme park visits suitable and 'fresh' for many years.
 
For example... You'd take your young kids to Legoland for a few years, and get to know the place, ride everything. That's great.
Then as the kids get slightly older, Chessington is just down the road. Again, an entire 'new' park to experience for a few years.
After a while the kids will want to go on some bigger rides, well... Thorpe is right there next door, and once again offer's a full park of 'new' attractions to ride.
 
A new park to experience every few years!
 
If for example all 3 parks offered a range of thrill and "family" rides, that would be great too, however might guests feel they're always going back to the same places after a few years?
 
I think it's a really nice way for kids/families to have something different to visit every few years rather than keep going back to the same places.
You can't beat that "first time in a park" feeling, and that's what kids get with Merlin's London 3.

I think this is a really interesting point, and I agree.
 
I must admit for a few years I did have the opinion that a "family park" would attract people with more money to spend...
I always thought that teens and young adults would spend less, and families more..
 
But now I've got a little Inferno myself.. I'm not actually sure that's the case.  I'd estimate I might actually have less disposable income than ever - even back when I worked part time in Starbucks I had more disposable income, and wouldn't think twice about filling up the car and heading to Thorpe every other week, buying lunch and merch there etc..
 
When little Inferno (I guess I'm going with this now) is old/tall enough we'll definitely head to the appropriate parks, but I can't see we're going to have the money to buy food and merch there very often. Tickets alone will be a budget-blower to be honest with you, and I imagine many others are in a similar position to me. (I know there will be many families with loads to spend, just from my perspective)
 
Anyway... ahem, TANGENT.
I agree - I don't see the issue with having a "thrill park" actually.
Yes, having a mixture of attractions (like Towers) will attract a wider audience, but they've proven that targeting 'thrill hunters' works. 2009ish was an unbelievable success for them.
 
I don't think Thorpe's problems are that they don't attract enough families.
I think the problems are
   a) the fact it's a bit of a sh** hole... (the "no drugs, our rides are thrilling enough!" sign above the entrance says it all)
   b) the lack of investment, meaning the "young people" aren't as compelled to book and travel there like they were when there was a new ride.
 
---
It will be interesting to see what effect the energy crisis and cost of living increases have on this situation actually.
I expect the traditionally expensive 'family day out' (Legoland / Chessington / etc) might be affected, meanwhile Thorpe with their new coaster might still attract a lot of teenagers who might still live with parents or shared housing etc.

My first view of this park (after my car breaking on the way there. Stressful in a different manner) was a chained up elephant. So fun.
 
 
That day was very good. But not having to suffer the terrible operations for more than 5 minutes each ride helped immensely.
 
Farup and Djurs Sommarland are both incredibly relaxing parks. Hours of fun in the playgrounds alone. Most of the Scandinavian parks are super relaxing to be fair.
 
I'll admit I'm dreading going back to Phantasialand with a wheelchair. Plus leaving it unattended in Bakken wasn't pleasant.

My most relaxed would have to be Dollywood Or Cedar point (I visited both for multiple days and they were not busy at all.)
and most stresful would have to be Six flags over texas when it was packed packed.
 
but sadly with towers short opening hours even an off peak day feels like a rush to do everything. It sucks. such a big park and still 4pm closes? It's been going on for years and its an absolute joke, even in May/June time. Like why?

I'm going to ignore, crowd levels etc and go with disability friendly.
 
Least stressful
Disneyland Paris
Blackpool (this has apparently changed recently)
Flamingoland (Only stressful part was I forgot to take my walking stick so got painful)
 
Most stressful
Drayton Manor
Alton Towers
Chessington (Gets nerve wracking leaving a wheelchair/walking stick not close to ride platform)
 
Fire depths of hell
Thorpe Park
 
Never will I go to Thorpe Park again assuming that I can have an ounce of independance with just a stick and end up still standing in a queue for Colosuss for 30+ minutes just because I felt that I was good enough to do without a wheelchair. Which defeated the point of I am using the disability pass due to mobility not because I HAVE to be in a wheelchair the whole time. 
@Benin can confirm most these stories hopefully!

This is such a difficult thing to answer, because it can entirely depend on crowd levels. Efteling for example is a park I would call relaxed, but I've had a particular day filled with school trips that was a nightmare and just stress. So I'll try and pick parks which I think would be relaxed/stressful regardless of visitor numbers...
 
Relaxed
Linnanmaki (Finland) - The park is well designed and has rides that are designed to cope with its crowds. Go variety of rides, good indoor and outdoor selections, good food. It's a nice city park on the outskirts of a city, creating a surprisingly relaxed and chilled out atmosphere.
 
Hellendoorn (Netherlands) - A spacious park with a good variety sprinkled all across the park. Nice green spaces too.
 
Stressful
Fantasy Island - The worst parts of a theme park mixed with worst part of a seaside resort. The market and arcade is just noise and eurgh.
 
Drievliet (Netherlands) - Awkwardly small space and just weird and annoying. Probably slightly basing this on the fact I visited when a million school kids were there which didn't help, but in general, I think this park would just be annoying and stress.
 
Parc Saint Paul (France) - Visiting the park feels morally dodgy tbh

Ohh interesting thread!
 
I agree with Merlin’s parks being stressful.
As much as I adore Alton Towers, it isn’t a relaxing day at all is it. Especially on days with shorter hours.
 
Chessington can be another stressful place with low capacity rides and high crowds, and that’s going to become much worse with their new one train coaster.
 
I’d say Thorpe CAN be more chilled than Towers sometimes, but can really swing the other way depending on crowds etc.
 
I think Fastrack sales dramatically adds to the stress and is a major downfall of Merlin’s parks.
 
As for relaxing parks - Disneyland Paris for sure.
I think Seaworld has got to be the most relaxing park I’ve ever been to though. 
(Aquatica if we are including water parks!)

Most relaxed
 
Disneyland Paris Parc. Wonderful park. I've been with Thunder and Space mountain both down all day and had a wonderful relaxed day
Animal Kingdom - Fantastic park to get lost in an animal trails or having a nice drink at Nomad lounge. 
Chessington - Yes Chessington is a lovely place to unwind in. Forget 40 minute Fury waits, just go around the Zoo or watch a show.
Efteling - I love this place. Its just so charming and easy to get lost in.
 
 
Most Stressed
 
Magic Kingdom - Way too stressful. Completely broken park which will take a lot to fix. I don't think it can be mended to be honest
Disneyland - So small, so cramped, so many rides to do but not enough time to do them. Great history but painful to visit. 
Port Aventura - Awful park to be in. Full of queue jumping neanderthals and unbearably hot and humid..
Cedar Point - This is here for Top Thrill Dragster alone which is the most stressful queuing experience of any major rollercoaster. Will it work properly, will it make it over. Awful.
 

I better be invited. 
 
My plans will be whatever Benin has planned as he is my wheels. 

There's some pretty neat signs, clearly geared towards enthusiasts, that can be seen through the construction fences, as seen by Theme Park Guide:
 
 
The plans should a standard 10 rows of 2 train, with no room for spinning. So I would think it's unlikely. 
Certainly not impossible, but very unlikely. 

Colossus opened 20 years ago today!
 
To celebrate its successful opening on what was a moderate Thursday in March, where the ride welcomed 7000 guests, we have taken a quick look back at the ride that put Thorpe Park on the map!
 
https://thorpeparkmania.co.uk/articles/09-03-2022/20+Years+of+Colossus
 
(This was heavily inspired by @Mark9's original 10 year article, which currently isn't on the main TPM site, but can still be viewed here!)
 

Some final new things, from Jack Silkstone's video:
 
A mini stage has been set up in Amity

This will apparently be used by the roaming actors
 
Some posters have appeared around Swarm island:

They're plastered on the station building too.
Not a fan of these. Way too many, and they lean very heavily on a theme away from the original Swarm story. Things change I guess, but it feels like adding something for the sake of it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
 
Finally, a new graphic on the service road gates by Old Town Burger King (which originally had the Old Town logo on):

This seems to be a big nod towards Exodus, somewhat mimicking the lift/drop