Fred
-
Posts
3181 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Events
Posts posted by Fred
-
-
Fantastic to see Thorpe once again working ages to improve guest existence.
Always nice to see guests existing.
This is actually hilarious, actually hilarious. This essentially works the same as Virtual Q.. a system they abolished because it doesn't work. It might work on paper, but in real life it's a complete logistical nightmare.
This trial will remain exactly as it is, a trial which won't go beyond this. Why? Because it makes fastrack pointless. Because it's incredibly difficult to get right and because it'll never work anywhere near as smoothly as they may think it does.
Find it extremely funny people seem to think it'll work, and that it'll benefit guests. It'll do sod all to help people. Love how they always do this to poor swarm, all the effort to make that queueline experience different to other rides always gets blasted by the park.
-
but I see a lionsgate-based thing arriving at fright night, whether thats linked to saw or something else... So many possibilities
I doubt we'll see any lionsgate related items - I think that tie up has gone now. Just cos they've got SAW doesn't mean they need to use them. Plus, they've done SAW related stuff before and it was boringly crap.
Hopefully dead silence, as long as that doesn't give them an opportunity to have no music or rides running on park
-
Ahh so polar bear was replaced with meerkats? I was trying to work that out!
Loving the pictures, thanks! Fish and Chips being where it's always been. Love the inventfulness and changes of tastes in the past 20yrs..
.Also trans sponsored by Coca Cola with Kodak safari skyway going above. I totally do not miss those advertising days!
-
Scarefest never has ERT anyway.
But even if there was ERT, sun tickets don't get any. No cheapskates get ERT.
- MattyMoo and NikhilSharma
-
2
-
4pms are ace.
Noone turns up anyway, so who cares
-
Week before schools break up..
However, depends if you want to see Fireworks or not.
-
Lego generally tries for throughputs though, or at least everytime I've been there they have..
Unlike chessie, potential being way higher than their actual due to their laid back attitude to allowing guests onto rides.
-
Either side of that day is much quieter and you'll enjoy it more. Friday is the best, if you can make that.
-
Last few films I've seen (seen a lot recently)
Despicable Me 2 - bloody ace. 8/10
Monsters Inc - Meh. Not needed. Didn't really enjoy. 6/10
Worlds End - Really really funny, really worth watching particularly if you like the cornetto triology. It's disappeared from all cinemas already up here (I wanted to rewatch with someone else). 8/10
Alan Partridge - Never seen anything Alan before, but the film is brilliant. Proper made me laugh, enjoyed it greatly. My sort of humour definitely! 8/10
-
That'll be their second busiest day of the year (well 3rd busiest after alton towers live).
Expect manic queues for everything, but great fun. Usually get about 25k on park that day.
-
Banyan was being used to his proper usage when I visited earlier this year, on an off-peak day which was nice to see!
I absolutely hate the Wild Asia announcements.. well, all the announcements at Chessie. They're all done by Graham so it's cheap and he's got professionalism about it, but it makes everywhere feel very bland and generic. Not enjoyable at all.
As for Old chessie vs New Chessie. I can only do old tussauds era vs now, because I only first visited in 05.
I prefer it now, far far prefer it. The old park used to feel incredibly generic or cheaply done (LOTD and hocus pocus, looking at you). The stage on market square. The branding. It was all.. tacky and eurghy. I think the parks going back to it's original form slowly but surely, hopefully we'll see this continue of focus with the refurbishment of pretty much half the park.
- JoshC. and Merry-go-girl
-
2
-
I imagine the fences would be to stop people accidentally standing in the ride area - same reason that vampire got awful extra fences in their already awful station layout.
I'd prefer a seperate queue at the station like a front row would work, if the queue is full people will naturally just fill the main station instead and try later. Means main queue can move smoother and everything will be more accurate and easier to run.
-
That's what happens on weekends. It just be's busier.
-
They are placed looking straight down on the queue lines so I guess they will be able to do some sort of count of people entering.
Place to look down girls tops!!
Not complaining.
-
Megafobia <3 <3 <3 <3 <3.
Makes me want to go Europa Park tomorrow and ride Wodan.
-
It's very much one step forward, two steps back, with a lot of cut backs over the past 2 years reducing guest experiences at the parks be it hours, ride times or entertainment
Have we had any cuts to entertainment? All parks seemingly have way way more than they used to - towers had nothing in 07, same with Chessington outside halloween. We now have daily shows and usually roaming actors.
The only place which have been cutting Ents was thorpe, to which I think that's pretty much being reversed - would be good to see a show back in showcase. That'll probably come next year I imagine.
For merlin, everything bar operations are way better. Food better quality, parks better maintained, better themed rides with which are usually well thought out in terms of layout and ease of use.
Sort out their short sightedness and operations, and we'd be all very happy I think.
-
Brilliant. Genuinely brilliant.
Well done thorpe, you're doing incredibly well this year. Persuading people to visit, persuading people to extend their visit, persuading people to enjoy visiting.
Far far better than your old view of "You'll come anyway, and we don't give a toss about you" attitude. I hope this shows back in improved revenue and satisfaction!
- THORPE PARK, dragon2000 and Cal
-
3
-
I always think they have understaffed swarms baggage - two just doesn't seem enough. Three is fine then, with at least one concentrating on the exit.
I understand the "lazy" attitude, as generally baggage takes too long so they need a constant moving main queue otherwise the station completely empties out. Smiler and Thirteen have constantly moving main queues because of this (unless letting in single riders).
As Pluk says, the design is awful too. Far too close to station and causes a bottleneck also.
-
-
Just thought, maybe Carnival has swapped with ToTT as that maze is pretty good with length and intensity throughout the years whereas carnival has been hit and miss - also gives people a chance to experience a different maze for free so those who don't pay then have something different to try! It'll be new to them!
Making the best out of the worst situation (of having same mazes)
-
Air has had it's fair share of downtime. Just not days worth.
Nemesis is being reliable as ever. Best it's had is 20mins downtime this year (excluding powercut and weather)
-
I imagine it was successful?
From 7 rides, and let's say about 4 F&B units and shops open, I imagine it cost them about 50 staff at a push to run the event.
Say they get paid average of £10 an hour, that's £1500. You'd only need 300 annual pass holders to make this event break even (with normal guests paying.. more? And think of cost of crash pad).
Just whether or not they made enough money from the lack of guests to make it worthwhile!
-
Ripsaw was open after about 2.
-
I dunno, I quite like that idea.
Only because ToTT is mega long so would be good value for money, plus it gives those who don't pay for the mazes but still visit every year something completely different to try out.
It all relies on ToTT having to be almost completely different, or having a few substancial changes to make paying worthwhile.
Alton Towers - How Busy Will It Be?
in Alton Towers
Posted
Always, always, always buy fastrack on the day. Wait until the park proves it's busy enough before buying them, as 85% of the time it just isn't.
Yeah he'll get in ERT.