Mark9

The only people who will ever put the two together and come up with Alton Towers are Uk park enthusiasts who like to niggle and criticise every thing Merlin do. To everyone else, its just a cool ride name with a slogan. The bland looking ride experience is far more troubling to me then the Merlin bigwigs in Italy recycling a brilliant name for a roller coaster.

Sheikra

We have a full year of your constant cynicism though, I'm just thinking of the positives.

Fury's ride managers at the time (around 2008 I believe) took it upon themselves to paint those supports. Time constraints meant they didn't get very far.

It won't be a refurbishment of the scale you're thinking. Track was replaced on the ride at the end of 2005 so it's probably that.

Its funny this old world isn't it. I got my first Annual Pass in 2003 which got me into Alton, Chessington, Thorpe, Madame Tussauds and Warwick Castle for £85. This got me into all the events that the parks put on and I got free parking. Wind forward twelve years, I can now get solely into Thorpe Park and free Parking and entry into the parks is a perk of the Premium Thorpe Park Pass for just £4 more then I did twelve years ago. Just shows how strong the value of the Merlin Annual Pass really is.

How much?

Again, please don't delete me Marc.

Ah a problem that Blackpool never has.

I bet the queue times dropped dramatically as well.. Another roller coaster will do diddly squat. The behaviour of Thorpe's guests would have to change dramatically before this occurs. This can only be done with an incentive such as a night-time show or a live performance.

Yes but as we keep saying, it has been proven time and time, year after year that the majority of people don't stick around after 6. There is no incentive to stay in the park.

(Please don't delete me Marc)

I wonder what AI and Blackpool have in common that could mean they do stay open later.. Thing is James, I can count the amount of parks in Europe that do stay open really late on one hand. Places like Liseberg and Tivoi open at Mid-day and are city parks where majority visit for a couple of hours. Even the holy grail Europa Park closes at 6 in Summer and only adds on 1-3 hours if the park attendance is particularly high. Adding hours on is fine, but closing at 10 and then only getting 6,000 guests all day means the park starts budget cutting things to hell. It's fine for the odd exception like PortAventura to do night closings but their climate and the Spanish lifestyle almost caters for that need. The English one doesn't really.

Guests don't stay for longer, thats the problem. Alton and Thorpe have proved constantly that staying open even past 6 doesn't mean guests stay. I've always maintained that to get guests to go beyond 6, there has to be an incentive. Fright Nights has the mazes opening towards the evenings and the only reason Summer Nights works is because its sold on the idea of little to no queues. If Thorpe could hook into maybe live night time shows/performances during the summer then it could work.

I don't really see the problem here. The novelty of a funfair in Hyde Park is always the attraction to people, the atmosphere of what feels like a proper German fair attracts more people then any single ride does. Theme parks rely heavily on the ride hardware but even a simple waltzer or booster is enough for people to go to a fair. I don't really see an issue with Winter Wonderland not expanding much for 2015.

Yes it is different. Maybe if they gave us the Australian Treetop Adventure then we'd be satisfied.

Maybe Annual pass holders shouldn't be allowed to use anything new then. Sorry guys, you got an annual pass, you can't ride this new roller coaster, use this new restaurant or stay in our super duper new Enchanted Village.

Currently booked is a trip to Europa Park and Disneyland Paris for May, a week in Florida in June and then a cultural trip to Berlin in July. Nothing else so far, the UK has stagnated to the point where none of the parks are really worth the effort.

You've got to make the decision on whether it is worth visiting anymore. There is more out there then the Merlin parks after all and just with a small added cost you could go on some amazing rides like Chiapas or Helix. A year away from Merlin politics can do the world of good.

This. The Merlin Premium annual pass has always been excellent value. Collectively it gets you into so many attractions and particularly if you live around London, you get the biggest value. I know its very easy to bash Merlin, left right and centre, however the Premium pass is severely underpriced for the amount you get on it.

Double post. Shut up, Shut up, Shut up -Clara Oswald

The inevitable VIP Thorpe Park annual pass can't be too far away then. This pass was pretty much agiven really.

Somehow the gift I want of people to stop killing each other, is probably not under my tree this year.

Can't help but feel the year could be summed up in a one word review; Underwhelming.

I can't wait for Aria to open in 2019.