2021 Season

[2542464]

For things that we know for sure are happening in 2021/ are currently happening in 2021.

[RobF]

Coronovirus episode 3

[Matt 236]

Lockdowns and misery in a labyrinthine of many unknowns.

 

Oh, and corona virus will sadly still exist too.

[MattyMoo]

How potentially Covid-secure is the Black Mirror eXPEriEncE, does anyone know? My guess is "not very".... apologies if this isn't the correct thread for this but maybe discussion and speculation about 2021 season is acceptable! Going to be interesting how that pans out - if they can't open it, will they have a backup plan/something else new for 2021? One would assume not.

 

A lot can happen in 5 months... I do think next Spring/Summer is going to be different - not "normal" by any stretch... I guess the big next step is over-the-counter covid tests - in theory that could open up a lot of things...

 

What fate will DBGTROTD have next year? Am I right in saying that 2021 is the last year that the IP is valid before renewal? 
I would assume XTWDTR will remain shut whilst social distancing is a "thing" because of the fact each car needs to have 4 people.

 

I'm glad I got to visit Thorpe twice and Towers this year, was very much needed for a slice of some semblence of normality after a rollercoaster (LOL!!!) year.

 

And to conclude: I maintain that the loaded fries, hot dog and drink deal at Wilderness Bar & Restaurant is the best value on park. And if you told me at the start of the year that you'd be able to get a pint of Spaten at Thorpe Park, I'd tell ya to get outta Old Town and buy me a VIP Parking space.

[JoshC.]

2 hours ago, Ivsetti said:

Given a vaccine to COVID-19 will have been made by then I think it'll be a condition of entry to access the park if it reopens next year in March (lockdown permitting) as Ticketmaster have decided to go down that path.

 

I think it's way too early to say either way whether something like this will happen.

 

1. We still need a vaccine. Yes, there's been great developments announced this week, but there's still a long way to go.

2. When a vaccine is made available, it will (or, at very least, should) be made available to older generations, NHS staff, etc first. The overlap between people who have been given access to the vaccine and people who want to go to the park at March will be small.

3. If you're requiring guests to be vaccinated, staff should be too. And then you encounter the same issue as above.

 

I can definitely see it happening for some events at some point in the future. I think start of season 2021 is too early for the parks to implement that. We could see similar ideas about having to show you've tested negative in the last 48hrs of your visit, for example, if regular testing with quick results (like happening in Manchester at the moment) becomes more of the norm. But then you're relying on the country's testing systems, which has been shown to not be as robust as it needs to be.

 

With the situation changing so much and developments moving rapidly, I don't think we can really say what the 2021 season will look like in terms of Covid-regulations until February at the earliest. There's just way too many variables at this point.

[Mark9]

3 hours ago, Ivsetti said:

The park is planning on opening on Friday the 26th of March 2021.

Given a vaccine to COVID-19 will have been made by then I think it'll be a condition of entry to access the park if it reopens next year in March (lockdown permitting) as Ticketmaster have decided to go down that path.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ticketmaster-covid-test-events-vaccine-b1721397.html 

Usually the annual pass preview day is a week before so that'll probably occur on the 20th of March.

 

Yeah just to clarify, I imagine Thorpes target audience of up for it families will be the last to really be vaccinated (thats if the vaccine pasts its test). So that won't have anything to do with it. I also don't think a negative test result will be enough as the NHS still recommends that you only get a test if you are showing any symptoms. The system as Josh says isn't robust enough.

 

I can see Thorpe opening in March however with similar conditions to this years season. 

[RobertA]

On 11/3/2020 at 10:53 AM, MattyMoo said:

 

 

What fate will DBGTROTD have next year? Am I right in saying that 2021 is the last year that the IP is valid before renewal? 
I would assume XTWDTR will remain shut whilst social distancing is a "thing" because of the fact each car needs to have 4 people.

I'd imagine pretty much every IP contract goes up in 5-year steps, so DBGT's fifth year would've been this year. TWD's just done its fourth year, and with both mazes being phased out this year, I'm sure TWD will die at the end of 2021 without a renewal. My best guess is TWDTR gets the Accelerator treatment for 2022 where the theming stays the exact same but the brand references are knocked out.

 

Derren Brown I'm not so sure about what'll happen to it. Completely stumped on that one. I'd imagine Thorpe wants to say "one more chance" but if the ride can't prove to be a positive addition for the park I can see them letting it go or majorly downgrading it.

 

I watched a POV of DBGT recently, and honestly I almost miss the ride but the park needs to do whatever is best for them.

[JoshC.]

The length of the IP contracts vary a lot, seemingly depending on how big an investment the attraction is. They'll have certain clauses and the ability to have pre-determined extensions triggered.

 

I believe Saw was on an initial 5 year contract and had regularly been extended. The Lionsgate and Walking Dead mazes, and I'm a Celebrity, were 3 year contracts, with options of 1 year extensions. Angry Birds I've no clue actually. Walking Dead The Ride is under a separate contract to the mazes. I'd have thought 4 years, but who knows. But yeah, it's very true that it would be easy to retheme it to a generic zombie ride if they wanted to!

 

Specifically for Derren, I've heard the contract was 6 seasons in length, which would put 2021 as the last season potentially. But all that remains to be seen.

[RobertA]

At this point I wouldn't be surprised if all the indoor stuff was delayed AGAIN, and it would be another financially devastating year for the park. TWD can't operate, Derren can't operate, Black Mirror's probably staying shuttered for the second year in a row. And with the IPs, you might get the chance we've seen the last of Derren and TWD a year ago if they're not renewed. The Thorpe guys are probably considering getting some kind of temporary "panic button addition" if BM is delayed again.

 

I simply can't see 2021 being the godsend year everyone's hyping it up to be with distancing regulations being thrown away in early summer. The year will be another "not so great" year for the park, clearly better than 2020 but still far from previous years. See it as some kind of "if 2020 was a full season length".

 

They could open BM if it's absolutely bodied by covid restrictions but it'll give awful first impressions of the new attraction and everyone's gonna call it "just another subpar filler until the next big thing". I want Black Mirror to be good and it would be nice to see it do well.

 

Black Mirror opening at all would be nice though, always good to see things we haven't seen before. Most of the time.

[MattyMoo]

On 11/16/2020 at 1:58 AM, RobertA said:

The Thorpe guys are probably considering getting some kind of temporary "panic button addition" if BM is delayed again.

Did someone say second drop tower? 😱😂

 

On 11/16/2020 at 1:58 AM, RobertA said:

Black Mirror opening at all would be nice though, always good to see things we haven't seen before. Most of the time.

 

Black Mirror is an interesting one, depends on how good the ventilation is I suppose, and how many surfaces are there that you touch - but if it's mask complusory, sanitize before entry.... it could work... but the throughputs though... I dread to think! In fact, I dread to think about those without any social distacing regulations!

 

[Matt 236]

Now here’s a way Black Mirror could work. 
 

make it timed ticket entry so only those with pre-booked slots can arrive (no queue). Also masks and sanitation before entering is a must and any physical stuff will have to be altered or removed too.

 

 

 

 

[JoshuaA]

Honestly is opening this even worth it? Assumed bad throughput, a 'live experience' rather than an actual ride, this has failure written all over it.

[pluk]

I imagine next year will be a near repeat of this year. 

 

TWD, DBGTROTD, BM all closed.

Capacity issues elsewhere. 

 

If only they had a nice open space like a farm to relax in, a large capacity train ride to take you there, an event space like an arena where people could be spread over a large searing area, or a log flume where each riding group could have their own socially distanced ride vehicle. 

[Mattgwise]

53 minutes ago, pluk said:

I imagine next year will be a near repeat of this year. 

 

TWD, DBGTROTD, BM all closed.

Capacity issues elsewhere. 

 

If only they had a nice open space like a farm to relax in, a large capacity train ride to take you there, an event space like an arena where people could be spread over a large searing area, or a log flume where each riding group could have their own socially distanced ride vehicle. 

So sad! Take us back to the 90's / early 00s

[MattyMoo]

With regards to vaccine, Ticketmaster etc. - as has been said, it's the most vulnerable and oldest first, then likely to go down the age groups, with those with underlying health conditions higher up the queue - I really can't see 90% of Thorpe's visitors even being able to get a vaccine until back end of 2021. With that in mind I agree with above - can't see 2021 being hugely different to this year to start with at least but I would like to think that Fright Nights will be back to something resembling normality.

 

I think rapid testing & over the counter testing is what's going to "unlock" events, holidays, normality in the short term.

 

That said, there's no doubt the progress on vaccines is fantastic - and that's with just 2 of the current plethora getting to this crucial stage of testing. 2021 is definitely a lot more positive!

 

But, I still don't think that fifth green light on Stealth will be fixed.  

[RobertA]

20 hours ago, JoshuaA said:

Honestly is opening this even worth it? Assumed bad throughput, a 'live experience' rather than an actual ride, this has failure written all over it.

Sometimes I do wonder if Thorpe should take "break years" where they take the time off to save up for something bigger, and touch up the park with some much needed TLC instead. I'd take no new additions for some years if it meant making the park feel more welcome and well kept. Adding some out of place attraction that was probably thought up two months prior to its announcement that'll get replaced three years later isn't going to work out in the long run.

 

It really feels like Thorpe Park is prioritising quantity over quality. If Thorpe said "no new attractions this year because we're saving up for something spicy" I'll 100% take the wait if it meant the park gets something good. Use the time to repaint stuff and bring the park back to life instead of keeping areas in shambles because the focus instead went on something that'll be gone four years after opening.

 

Black Mirror was initially promising for me when it was announced but now I'm rethinking.

[pluk]

10 hours ago, MattyMoo said:

 

But, I still don't think that fifth green light on Stealth will be fixed.  

 

Reports coming out of USA and China that Stealth blown bulb vaccine only around 80% effective.

[MattyMoo]

So... with all the positive vaccine news and such - the most important question is - do we expect Creek Freak Massacre to be back next year, and back inside where it belongs? ❤️ I personally would be pretty damn certain that's the case.

 

[Marc]

3 hours ago, MattyMoo said:

So... with all the positive vaccine news and such - the most important question is - do we expect Creek Freak Massacre to be back next year, and back inside where it belongs? ❤️ I personally would be pretty damn certain that's the case.

 

Certainly hope so! That said I think the park would want to know early summer at the latest so fingers crossed we are back to a more normal come Easter as is being suggested!

[Ringo]

Day tickets have reduced in price, was £55 now £50. 
 

The park passes were simply too cheap and now it’s being balanced out.

[Cal]

To be fair, I don't think its bad at all. I was expecting a lot worse. They were way too cheap before. 

 

- Its now an annual pass rather than season pass

- Now includes free parking, which can easily add up 

- Very few exclusion dates now, it includes most of the Fright Nights dates.

 

£100 for unlimited visits with the above benefits is still great value in my opinion. Only problem is the need for pre booking. Pre booking in itself is fine, but the way it was handled this year for pass holders was appalling. 

 

 

[JoshuaA]

Overall I understand this, though I do think they would have to improve their current booking system so people don't get pis*ed again.

120 is okay I guess, but if you can't book half the time, then it will be seen as a rip off and will be torched by current passholders.

I think the booking system should allow more passholders in line with this price hike, and on off peak days, IMO they should maybe even make the limit sky-high. If there is a ton of normal tickets available, why should a passholder not be allowed in? Passholders tickets might be completely sold out on a monday in September, but the park could easily take another 100 passholders because the park's dead anyway.. 

 

I do feel that the park should really bring back some things for loyalty (like passholders day, maybe ERT). Make it feel like a loyalty card, you feel like you got what you paid for. Even small things like a half hour ERT on one coaster can make the pass feel so worth it, I remember getting it on Wickerman a year or two ago. It is something simple, but damn good!

I do wonder how they price/priced Alton/Chessie/Legoland in comparison though. Considering they actually have had investment recently..

[JoshC.]

As others have said, I think this is still a pretty solid offering, especially given the free parking and minimal restrictions (bank holidays and Halloween).

 

At £120, plus free parking and discount, you're looking at needing to visit 4-5 times before it becomes worthwhile (assuming you use discounts for entry otherwise). That's fairly standard and in line up with other individual park passes across Europe.

 

Plus, being an Annual Pass (ie - valid for 12 months rather than till end of season) is a much better option. A Season Pass is ultimately flawed in that its sale value becomes less as time goes on. Pay the price in March and get access all season, or pay the same price in September and get access for two months (minus exclusions). 

 

The issue with Thorpe and Merlin is they have aggressively focused on trying to get as many people have passes. They'll have felt the problems with that this year, but it's always an issue. With such a large number of passholders, it's harder to predict numbers for each day (as they didn't have to pre book). You're also left with a larger market who think they're special and should be rewarded for their loyalty. The trouble there is with such a large number of people, any perks aren't actually that special as they're accessible to so many people..

 

The main issue is the pre-booking thing. For whatever reason, Thorpe's system ultimately didn't work this year (as pre booking wasn't checked for passholders). Hopefully they have a better checking system, and have an improved method for checking numbers. I wouldn't be surprised if Merlin are hoping to a degree that come summer time they can have less restricted numbers at their parks and the passholder prebook can become relaxed / not a necessity. 

[Mark9]

6 hours ago, JoshuaA said:

Overall I understand this, though I do think they would have to improve their current booking system so people don't get pis*ed again.

120 is okay I guess, but if you can't book half the time, then it will be seen as a rip off and will be torched by current passholders.

I think the booking system should allow more passholders in line with this price hike, and on off peak days, IMO they should maybe even make the limit sky-high. If there is a ton of normal tickets available, why should a passholder not be allowed in? Passholders tickets might be completely sold out on a monday in September, but the park could easily take another 100 passholders because the park's dead anyway.. 

 

I do feel that the park should really bring back some things for loyalty (like passholders day, maybe ERT). Make it feel like a loyalty card, you feel like you got what you paid for. Even small things like a half hour ERT on one coaster can make the pass feel so worth it, I remember getting it on Wickerman a year or two ago. It is something simple, but damn good!

I do wonder how they price/priced Alton/Chessie/Legoland in comparison though. Considering they actually have had investment recently..

 

Wouldn't surprise me if the price increase was to put people off buying one. It's likely capacity reductions will still be in place in 2021 and the annual pass complaints this year were farcical (if highly amusing). I'd side with caution on the loyalty thing, annual pass holders are pretty entitled and seem to think the park owes them a favour. 

[Ringo]

The prebook system is being improved, for starters you’ll be able to modify bookings.