September 9, 201510 yr comment_217225 TBH I think the Shrek IP is a terrible idea, They went for it simply because it's a popular IP. Shrek is love. Shrek is life.
September 9, 201510 yr comment_217227 They went for it simply because it's a popular IP. Shrek is love. Shrek is life. I take it back, shrek is AWESOME..
September 9, 201510 yr comment_217229 Originally it was planned to become an area on Alton Towers before becoming it's own individual place.
September 9, 201510 yr comment_217244 When I went on a sunny day in August - it was completely sold out and the queue took 50 minutes to enter. It was hugely popular.
September 9, 201510 yr comment_217245 I still don't understand fully why Shrek was chosen as the IP. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the first two films (the rest I won't mention) very much, however it just feels slightly dead? Despicable Me or something similar I could see going down slightly better however even then, I don't see that being too popular either. Shrek just doesn't feel particularly loved by the British compared to something like Wallace and Gromit or Doctor Who, at least that's the way I see it anyway! I don't like Doctor Who anymore however I could see a similar attraction with that IP being an instant success and would probably attract tourists from the US. I'm sure there are many reasons why it was chosen, but right now I just don't get it.
September 9, 201510 yr comment_217246 Originally it was planned to become an area on Alton Towers before becoming it's own individual place. Additionally Chessington too. lol
September 10, 201510 yr comment_217256 Maybe Shrek was chosen as Merlin have some sort of agreement with DreamWorks?
September 10, 201510 yr comment_217271 Numbers have been low, or profit? I'm very surprised if it's numbers, considering how fast it's been selling out both over the phone and online. Then again, the website (and many other attraction websites tbh) has been experiencing numerous problems with not allowing people to book, JavaScript error messages, etc...
September 10, 201510 yr comment_217272 It's their own fault, #1 rule of ecommerce is the KISS principle, to assume all your customers have the latest and greatest hardware able to run the new standards is naive at best.
September 19, 20159 yr comment_217940 Went today after a long interview. No queue. The bus ride is definitely one of Merlin's best attractions, its a shame they can't just build a load of these. Even if WC16 took on this sort of ride system I would be happy seeing as I was expecting some sort of Madedeme Tussawds esk bus ride. Although the 4d wasn't the best the ride felt intense. Skipped the photo section at the end.
September 19, 20159 yr comment_217956 How did you skip the photo section? At Blackpool (Tower) we had to explain to the person 'no thanks, we've got no money on us so don't waste your time taking the photo' and they let us through, is there a short cut to avoid it at Shrek or is it pretty much the same? My son is a sucker for photo's and I don't fancy having to fork out £30 or whatever it is for the album. I've also long suspected WC16 could be Shrek's big brother (since Merlin announced they intended to build a lot more of the 'ride systems').
September 19, 20159 yr comment_217982 How did you skip the photo section? At Blackpool (Tower) we had to explain to the person 'no thanks, we've got no money on us so don't waste your time taking the photo' and they let us through, is there a short cut to avoid it at Shrek or is it pretty much the same? My son is a sucker for photo's and I don't fancy having to fork out £30 or whatever it is for the album. I've also long suspected WC16 could be Shrek's big brother (since Merlin announced they intended to build a lot more of the 'ride systems'). I guess as I was just on my own and was only really there to see the bus.
September 19, 20159 yr comment_217993 Are there any pictures of inside this simulator bus? What even is the ride, I really don't understand.
September 19, 20159 yr comment_218017 Basically like several rows of seats in what actually is made to look like a bus with open windows all around eye level. Then a curved screen that surrounds the whole bus, so unless you choose to look at the floor or the ceiling (if you're on the edge of the rows), then you'd actually be completely immersed in the full surrounding screen... And apparently the bus moves like a simulator with it, but it was completely stationary when I done it.
September 21, 20159 yr comment_218174 Completely stationary?? I assume that it's down to the ceiling cracking below, but how about Merlin FIX IT, rather than run it half arse?
September 21, 20159 yr comment_218175 Probably a County Hall thing, given how old the building is and is probably not able to withstand sharp sudden motions from heavy pieces of equipment... Overlooked issue I guess...
September 24, 20159 yr comment_218763 I'm doing the London attractions just before Christmas- is it worth the time? How much does it cost with a MAP?
September 25, 20159 yr comment_218778 If you're a premium pass holder it's £1 to book online if you want to - or you can just turn up and they'll give you next available time slot. If you're a standard pass holder you MUST book the the £1 time slot online beforehand If you're a VIP passholder, you get escorted right to the front. I dislike the £1 it costs to book. They claim it's because some people book and then don't turn up. They should make it a deposit, then. It's an absolutely bloody triumph of an attraction.
September 25, 20159 yr comment_218805 When I went and did it on Tuesday I paid the booking fee at the door.
October 2, 20159 yr comment_219413 Did it today, is it worth the full entry cost? No, not unless you have kids with you (or have a big kid inside), if you're not one for getting 'into the mood' of the attraction, then it won't work for you, but if you love getting into character and playing along, it's great, we had a small enough group that there was lots of fun and banter with the actors, and everybody got picked on at least once, I have very bad coordination so do not do dancing ever, no prizes for guessing what bit I got pulled up for. There was only one person in our group that didn't get picked on, but the less said about her the better (nothing nasty, she was fine and a nice lady, but not someone you'd expect to see in there, hence why the actors appeared to be scared to interact with her). Is it worth the cost for a MAP holder (£1)? Definitely 100%, if for nothing more that to experience the buss ride, the only thing that let that down for me was from where I was sitting, I could see the top of the screen, which spoilt the expeience slightly, but it was only a slight blip on an otherwise great bit of hardware. If I could change one thing, it would be to have the buss ride as the finale too, to 'fly you back to London', the present exit is a bit boring compared to the rest of the experience.
October 7, 20159 yr comment_220007 When I went and did it on Tuesday I paid the booking fee at the door. Well you shouldn't have - they just assign you the time you want on the day. Unless there's a booking fee for Standard Pass Holders on the day? Do tell us more.
October 7, 20159 yr comment_220014 Standard pass holder have to book/pay, it's only Premium and VIP who can pitch up and take the next available slot without paying.
October 7, 20159 yr comment_220015 Me and my friend just went straight to there. I'm standard he's premium but we both have to pay it.
October 7, 20159 yr comment_220027 I actually went to this the other day with one of my brothers and I can say I enjoyed it felt the theming was great they put great detail into it and had good sections to it including the magic bus ride although It is an attraction I wouldn't do everytime I would do it often enough.
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