The Walking Dead: The Ride - Speculation and 'Construction'

[MattyMoo]

Wonder if we'll have a little "The Walking Dead The Ride Shop NOW OPEN" sign outside for a few months a la DBGTROTD.

[pluk]

 

What a mess. They'd finally turned X into something fun and worthwhile that filled height restriction gap in their lineup that desperately needed filling, and have ballsed that work right up by inexplicably bringing us a kiddie coaster with a horror theme. Even if the ride experience itself is actually good (highly doubtful!), it's still an incredibly dumb decision.

 

I wonder if the increased height restriction might also mean the fill every seat rule can be dropped?

 

 

[Martin Doyle]

1 hour ago, Project LC said:

I wonder if anyone at the park has any idea what the park should look like in 10 years time. 

Barbed wire queue lines as far as the eye can see!! - “a prison island like no other”

 

Or it will have that many IP’s that they may aswell retheme it to a studio themed theme park. “Merlins Hollywood Studios” anyone??

[Marhelorpe]

So there’s a 1.4m height restriction once again on a coaster which succeeded these last several years for welcoming those just 1m onto, along with a minimum age restriction that’s higher than Saw: The Ride?

 

I have one word for this and I frankly don’t care how nicely themed it might be when it opens:

 

FAIL

[Coaster]

Stupid decision to make the only family friendly coaster inaccessible to families.  Seriously, what on earth were they drinking when they thought of this?!

 

Thorpe Park is in such a mess, it seems that nobody has any sense of direction for the park and the short term decisions like this show that all too well.

[Matt A]

While I'm sad to see X go this does look like it could be a very high quality and good new ride, and will have tidied up a lot of the areas of X that needed work. If the concept art is anything to judge by then I'd say the corridors will all have been made to look like prison corridors or a hospital perhaps. It also appears that when you're on the ride itself the brake runs will be themed with different areas, I'd imagine with actors trying to grab you, projections, maybe animatronics. I'm curious to see if there's a soundtrack in the pyramid and what will happen between the break runs, guessing maybe intense music and some lighting.

 

I'm going to keep my hopes up for this until I see it in person, although I do hold everyone else's skepticism regarding actors staying with Merlin's track record.

 

R.I.P. X 2013 - 2017

[spoonablehippo]

Gutted. My little boy loves X, one of the few rides there he could go on. He's 9 and under 1.4, and even if he was tall enough, the theme would scare the life out of him :-(

[Stuntman707]

I wonder if the return of the height restriction means the brake runs are back?

[Benin]

1 hour ago, Coaster said:

Stupid decision to make the only family friendly coaster inaccessible to families.  Seriously, what on earth were they drinking when they thought of this?!

 

Thorpe Park is in such a mess, it seems that nobody has any sense of direction for the park and the short term decisions like this show that all too well.

 

You make the Fish sad.

[Marc]

11 minutes ago, Stuntman707 said:

I wonder if the return of the height restriction means the brake runs are back?

 

The press release suggests the stops will be back “The ride itself will travel through darkened tunnels and shudder to unexpected halts to ramp up the terror.”

 

Also suggests we could see some tunnels within the ride area its self, theres potential there they could add some theming to the animations. Also from the concepts i wonder if "Loading Zone" is what the station will look like.

 

[MattyMoo]

1 hour ago, EpicSmatty said:

maybe animatronics

I'll buy my first ever MAP if there is  

[alexander]

I am confusion 

[GetEchoes]

I'm confused by the confusion over the choice here. I dont agree with the name (pretty poor for a company who can afford to hire a good marketing agency!) but I am in no way surprised. People keep saying about how it is going to lower the child-friendly lineup and this is bad. I dont see whats so bad about this. 

 

Merlin have 4 major parks in the UK: Thorpe Park, Legoland, Chessington and Alton Towers. 

 

Legoland is mainly for kids (and people who REALLY like lego), Chessington is more aimed at the younger market - and has some very strict planning controls so cannot build the thrill rides that easy, and Alton Towers also has strict controls over building (I know you can dig down, but that costs way more). Which leaves Thorpe, which doesn't have such stringent controls over building of the rides. 

 

From a business point of view, why wouldn't you aim to make Thorpe the Thrill park?? Makes sense to me! You have 3 others who are for family; two of which are very close. Also over the apocalyptic theming - Fright Nights is very popular (and I believe might of been one of the only times the Park sold out). Merlin is a business and has to come up with ways of getting people back and adding new things with tightening budgets (like every other business in the UK). Yes there are annual pass holders, but they are guaranteed money for Merlin (you pay for the year, might not pay anymore). They need people to buy day tickets to kick up attendance and sales. Thats why they have to do things like re-theming X to try and get more customers to walk through the door. 

 

Due to the success of Fright Nights, the permanent mazes (I.e. dont cost in building or the extra kit/generators to run) are going to be open out side of fright nights. All they have to do is staff them rather than rebuild them or change the configuration of the walkways like during FN - and this is due to the large success of this years fright nights and the reception of the walking dead. 

 

I would say always wait until you have ridden the ride before judging it. Merlin is a business - business pay to what makes them money. 

 

On another note, if they are opening up more horror/scare attractions during the main season it might make for a change to fright nights (I.e. the more intense version across the park) which can stop it from becoming stale.

 

Just my opinion - no doubt someone will disagree but you have to look at these things objectively. If when ridden you dont like the ride, simply dont go on it. The park will see throughput fall and then force them to change their ways. The direction of Thorpe has always been all over the place, but thats probably down to the change in peoples behaviours and what works for the park. There has always been a slightly disturbing theme with most of the rides there, and I dont think its a bad thing - as where else caters for the scare/horror/adrenaline market in the UK? 

[Ringo]

23 minutes ago, qzzb_uk said:

I would say always wait until you have ridden the ride before judging it. Merlin is a business - business pay to what makes them money. 

 

On another note, if they are opening up more horror/scare attractions during the main season it might make for a change to fright nights (I.e. the more intense version across the park) which can stop it from becoming stale.

 

The park certainly will have to make everything more intense for Fright Nights, Merlin state this X rebrand is 15 out of 10 on the scare scale. Everything else is gonna seem like a walk down CBeebies land. 

[Marhelorpe]

If the same height restriction as previous was used for this retheme, along with no minimum age restriction, I would've actually given this a chance to deliver and see what it's like despite being against the whole TWD theme in general.

 

But it's because the park are intentionally going to make this out as their next big thrill machine I have a problem, as this is once again going to lead to false expectations and promises with guests. People naturally are going to think this will be an amazing ride with the OMG ANOTHER WORLD FIRST nonsense when in truth, the coaster just isn't great for the market Thorpe are trying to go for here. Therefore, a fair few people who do ride it are likely going to be disappointed as a result and you end up questioning whether this retheme was worth doing in the first place other than for IP bragging rights. X as far as I could see worked very well with it's target audience, this change I simply cannot see happening.

 

You know something is clearly very wrong here when for example a coaster like Helix with 2 launches, seven inversions, massive airtime and near-60mph speeds has a lower height restriction than this. Increasing a ride's height restriction based purely and only on it's theme is sheer stupidity in my view.

 

This is an enormous two fingers up to anyone in the 1m - 1.4m height category.

[L7123456]

The press event for the ride will be on the evening of Thursday 29th March, so presumably the ride will be opening on Friday 30th in time for the Easter holidays.

I have mixed feelings about this ride. I am intrigued to see what the ride is going to be like and whether it will be good or not. I do hope that it is actually scary. I don't mind The Walking Dead theme but I hope that this wasn't a last minute, rushed project like Sanctum clearly was. I also think it was a bad decision to remove X. It was the perfect ride for the younger thrill-seekers who don't want to go on the kid rides, but aren't tall enough to go on the major thrill rides. There isn't much for them to do anymore...
 

[TPC]

Who else is looking forward to "The Walking Dead : The Ride: Rise of the Walkers" for the 2019 season? Also wasn't DBGT, advertised as being the center of the island as well...

[CharlieN]

8 hours ago, alexander said:

I am confusion 

If you are confusion, I’m disappointment. 

 

Every investment opposes the last one - there’s no direction, no purpose and no hope for Thorpe’s future under Merlin.

[RobF]

From the art this may have new trains, the style looks similar to thirteen from the artwork. As this is enclosed and the work has all taken place behind closed doors we cannot tell the extent of works that have taken place. A brake section could have been replaced with trick track ect or even retracking ect.

 

the one thing I'm sure of its the only decent reide that thorpe had for younger guests.

 

It will cause a number of complaints from people who have taken younger children on before.

 

Its a complete u turn in the direction of Thorpe, wanting to accomodate family's and slap dash embarrassing investments.

 

 

 

 

[Project LC]

It's a clear indication that the park either have no direction at all or they intend to turn the park into a park full of horror and disaster.

 

The year of the walking dead is hardly a sustainable business model for the park. I'm assuming that's come about by the new director who came from the midway attractions. I don't see it being successful as the IP must have cost a lot and I imagine it will have almost no impact on attendance seeing as the last 2 years has focused on horror and if they didn't visit previously I doubt they will visit now. I might be wrong but I suspect the pulling power of the walking dead isn't too strong anymore. 

 

The parks direction is concerning to say the least. Teenagers have no money, family's have no reason to attend. They are spending money on incredibly short term investments. They could easily boost visitor numbers by offering a more upbeat thrill ride aimed at the older families that isn't horror related. Everyone likes something thrilling and entertaining, not everyone likes horror. 

[holtjammy16]

Is the walking dead even that popular anymore? 

 

I hope they've installed some kind of tunnel on the stop sections at least, or else I can't imagine how making them scary will work if they're all still out in the open

[JoshuaA]

I have to say that I do think X really was the glue that gave something for the family/younger teenagers to do- so its loss will overall in the long-term hurt the park.

I think as a thrill ride X will seriously disappoint, the ride is a small Vekoma family coaster with a fairly tame layout due its constant break runs..

 

X as a family attraction honestly I think was the best years of its life as it actually had some fun in it.. Okay it wasn't amazing but it filled a huge hole in the lineup and it seemed popular with the public.

If they wanted to appeal to the thrill market they could of least maybe installed a new flat where Slammer was?

Or maybe give Colossus some new trains? Something that won't be 100% irrelevant in 5 years would of been nice..

 

When Angry Birds is the best investment to happen in your park in the past 5 years you know you have fu**** things up..

 

 

 

[Charlesberg]

Personally, I’m actually quite exited for this because I was quite bored of X recently. My last few rides were pretty dull and it felt like it needed much more to enhance the experience (I know I used to say force>theming but over the years that has become more balanced).

 

I highly understand why people aren’t a fan of this and I do see the huge flaws in their decision. But like many others here, I’m in their target audience and I judge a park from my point of view based on how much I enjoy it, not how other people will enjoy it.

[JoelAllen]

37 minutes ago, Terry Terry said:

Personally, I’m actually quite exited for this because I was quite bored of X recently. My last few rides were pretty dull and it felt like it needed much more to enhance the experience (I know I used to say force>theming but over the years that has become more balanced).

 

I highly understand why people aren’t a fan of this and I do see the huge flaws in their decision. But like many others here, I’m in their target audience and I judge a park from my point of view based on how much I enjoy it, not how other people will enjoy it.

Your not wrong there. My family don't like X at all, infact, they refuse to go on it. I believe, if the promising marketing images are close to the standard we are getting we're in for a treat. Wicker man is going to have some of the best themeing in the UK, so I hope, with the Walking Dead, this will have some brilliant themeing. 

 

Don't Judge it until you've experienced it.

[Coaster]

5 hours ago, Benin said:

 

You make the Fish sad.

Flying Fish is a kiddie coaster rather than a "for all the family" coaster.

 

4 hours ago, qzzb_uk said:

From a business point of view, why wouldn't you aim to make Thorpe the Thrill park?? Makes sense to me! You have 3 others who are for family; two of which are very close. Also over the apocalyptic theming - Fright Nights is very popular (and I believe might of been one of the only times the Park sold out). Merlin is a business and has to come up with ways of getting people back and adding new things with tightening budgets (like every other business in the UK). Yes there are annual pass holders, but they are guaranteed money for Merlin (you pay for the year, might not pay anymore). They need people to buy day tickets to kick up attendance and sales. Thats why they have to do things like re-theming X to try and get more customers to walk through the door. 

But regardless of who the park is targeting, X just isn't a thrill coaster.  It's a family coaster and marketing it as anything more will only lead to disappointment from thrill seekers expecting a thrill ride, and families who cannot ride a coaster designed for them in mind.  It's madness really considering the trains were redesigned just a few years ago to make the ride accessible to a wider range of people.

 

If Thorpe are aiming to be the "thrill park" then why did they install Angry Birds Land, I'm a Celebrity, the tacky flats near Loggers etc...  They literally have no sense of long-term investments and seem to decide everything on a whim whilst completely neglecting customer experience.

 

In addition, thrilling does not mean that everything has to be a dark, drab grey theme.  There are plenty of thrill rides with much nicer and more creative themes than just giving everything the same old boring "scariest ride ever" tosh.  Thorpe is such a depressing place these days with Saw, Derren Brown, Swarm and now this all with horror themes.  They market themselves as "the island like no other" but it looks like a derelict wasteland.

 

2 hours ago, JoshuaA said:

X as a family attraction honestly I think was the best years of its life as it actually had some fun in it.. Okay it wasn't amazing but it filled a huge hole in the lineup and it seemed popular with the public.

If they wanted to appeal to the thrill market they could of least maybe installed a new flat where Slammer was?

Or maybe give Colossus some new trains? Something that won't be 100% irrelevant in 5 years would of been nice..

100% agree.  There are so many better things Thorpe could invest in which would benefit the park in the long run, and would have been far more beneficial than throwing money at flash-in-the-pan stuff like this.