tactic Posted March 15, 2023 Report Share Posted March 15, 2023 Hopefully the new stuff they open has cheaper food though, towards the end of last season pricing was starting to get very high on smaller food items Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML27 Posted March 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2023 Photos from inside the renovated Burger King. Unfortunately, it’s removed all of amity’s old theming and turned it into a service station looking place. Yes the old interior was old, worn. But they’ve retrofitted a standard BK inside an old themed area. The Ben and Jerrys outlet was stage one of loosing the themed buildings for amity. This is the next…. Matt N, Matt 236, pluk and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML27 Posted March 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2023 Not the greatest integration ever with vinyl stickers slapped on the side of the cups. It’s the tea cups, not much to complain about, just a shame sticks out like a sore thumb. They’ve also started to repaint the entrance area. To a white colour, further straying away from that boardwalk blue which used to be used a lot a few years ago on signage. Id argue, this closed season Thorpe have been the most contradictory than they’ve ever been in regards to general appearance and branding. They are painting, reprinting signs and refreshing most things. Trying to make their appearance look nice and less rundown which is great and has kinda works. However, things like a purple tea cups, removing the lands and removing theming contradicts all of this. Nothing is cohesive from the food, to signage, to music, to theming. Individual ride theming, it’s different. But the bread and butter between the rides just isn’t up to scratch Matt N 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark9 Posted March 15, 2023 Report Share Posted March 15, 2023 It's easier if you just think of Thorpe Park as the UK's answer to a mid tier Cedar Fair park. Chessington is the theme park, Alton is the void with empty space masquerading as themed environments and Thorpe is IKEA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tactic Posted March 16, 2023 Report Share Posted March 16, 2023 I am not a fan at all of that dobble theming on the teacups, the purple just doesn't seem right. Idk why thorpe have gone with another IP for the theming on such a small ride tbh, I feel like it would ruin the feeling of the area making it into another cash grab. Glad they are doing the repainting of many of the areas though, the park had started to decome run down and it defo needed some tlc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterverse Posted March 16, 2023 Report Share Posted March 16, 2023 Paper maps are back for 2023! Slight tease for Exodus in the corner (I personally would've preferred if it was a bigger, more visually-appealing tease as it's kind of just plonked there as if it's just a regular boring piece of information, but I assume they're either not ready or wanting to advertise the theme just yet, so either had to put something there or nothing at all). Also confirmed are brand new, themed maps to each of the events! So there will be brand new maps for the regular season, Mardi Gras, Carnival, Oktoberfest and Fright Nights which should be nice, and perhaps as the season grows longer, the Exodus tease may even be updated as the park start to tease the project themselves 👀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluk Posted March 16, 2023 Report Share Posted March 16, 2023 WTF were they thinking with the BK destruction? Just as they put in a highly themed railways station coffee shop, they tear out a highly themed burger bar and turn it into generic shopping centre? Spending money to make things worse is my biggest hate in Theme Parks, especially when getting funding for anything that isn't a big new thing has been neigh on impossible for decades, but with this and the teacups we have two big lumps of that here. Who the hell is running this place, and can they be sunk with the Thorpe Belle? Inferno, ML27, Han30 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlesberg Posted March 16, 2023 Report Share Posted March 16, 2023 I find it amusing how they’ve given up on the whole pretending the ride is a secret campaign (where everyone already knew what a ride was going to be anyway) and have instead just plonked the full coaster straight on the map. Doesn’t seem very Merlin to me. But neither does Thorpe Park getting a new coaster so I’m not complaining 🙂 Inferno 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyRocket Posted March 16, 2023 Report Share Posted March 16, 2023 Sigh. At least the Burger King's not been replaced by a Merlin "Burger Kitchen" - yet. Weird how Thorpe's still got that and the KFC. That photo of Dobble tea cups with Angry Birds pictures stuck to the cinema wall behind it and the clinical Burger King to the right sums the park up very nicely. But then you think that they've put in a brand new train themed coffee shop which probably has some of the best theming in the park at this point, so it's super inconsistent?! pluk and Inferno 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML27 Posted March 16, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2023 As I understand, it was Burger kings wishes to upgrade this restaurant in line with their other outlets. However, I still feel like Thorpe could have put their foot down allowing them to refurb the place in line with the existing theme. Cant really complain, Chessingtons indoor food areas and Alton’s aren’t themed to the areas. Says more about thorpe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tactic Posted March 16, 2023 Report Share Posted March 16, 2023 4 minutes ago, ML27 said: However, I still feel like Thorpe could have put their foot down allowing them to refurb the place in line with the existing theme. I wonder if the same is going to happen with the KFC eventually, would be a shame to see its theme go, but then the amity cove area is mess so it doesn't seem too far of a strech for them to give up on the theming in the area due to their current record and the park wanting to get rid of the distinct areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted March 16, 2023 Report Share Posted March 16, 2023 The themed areas/No themed areas thing doesn’t bother me too much. Because Thorpe is actually a small’ish park full of large rides you might see in a Six flags/Cedar Fair park. Arguably. However, turning what was probably the best themed Burger King into something you would see on an M4 services is just disappointing. Some nice changes ahead of the 2023 season, but some poor ones also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitch Posted March 16, 2023 Report Share Posted March 16, 2023 Does anyone feel sorry for the construction workers working on the project, must be annoying having voyeurs walking around trying to get the latest updates....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted March 17, 2023 Report Share Posted March 17, 2023 It's funny how the park have managed to convince people that the return of paper maps is a new thing, and that this is some new style map. The map has been around for a few years around the park. Paper maps returned last year, with event overlays also happening too. People have short memories. The map focusing on direction and ease of use is weird. The park have said they're not focusing on themed areas because the park is small, yet they're using a highly accurate, bordering on bland, map so people can direct themselves. It's like the park hear feedback and seesaw from one extreme to the other, even if it creates contradiction. The BK modernisation is a good thing for practicality. However, to completely lose the theming is a real shame, especially when they seemed to be focusing on smaller details again. Glitch and coasterverse 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted March 17, 2023 Report Share Posted March 17, 2023 Our queen is back 🙏 SRQs on Saw & TWD (I guess the latter makes sense so it avoids the must be in pairs rule).... Stealth coming soon (cos it's not like they've had all closed season to alter the queue lines) Lots of new food/drink things around park - shocks me how late they leave it though to build these things, and I know the video could have been filmed a little while ago but I doubt it. So... did that "Frost City" cocktail bar never open last year then? Didn't even know it existed, but then I guess I don't often go near the rides there other than Rush ❤️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterverse Posted March 17, 2023 Report Share Posted March 17, 2023 1 hour ago, MattyMoo said: shocks me how late they leave it though to build these things, and I know the video could have been filmed a little while ago but I doubt it. According to the super-secret-but-not-so-secret THORPE PARK Passholder Facebook Group, it was filmed on the 14th... a whole whopping 3 days ago. Although if I remember rightly (pretty sure I even posted on here about it!) last year they also left a lot of construction right up until the very last minute, but surpringly everything was cleared away in time for the Passholder Preview Day. So you've definitely got to give credit where credit is due, Thorpe are pretty damn speedy when it comes to this kind of thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted March 17, 2023 Report Share Posted March 17, 2023 I doubt they'd be allowed to open the park if half of it was a construction site. This isn't continental Europe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML27 Posted March 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2023 They do it every year, they leave everything to the last minute. That’s why the lower dome isn’t ready (like the toilets last year) the new picnic area isn’t ready, signage isn’t ready… fright nights signage is left out until March Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inferno Posted March 18, 2023 Report Share Posted March 18, 2023 I kind of understand BK being refitted - a BK outlet should look and feel like a BK outlet in their eyes, and to be honest the old format was an absolute nightmare and just didn’t work when it was busy. It’s also not really in Amity is it. It’s sort of in no-man’s-land out the back I guess? It is a shame to lose the theming though regardless. KFC better stay away from the Amity Hotel theming though! That really would be a huge loss if that was all removed! I’d much rather KFC getting the boot and Merlin’s ‘Just Chicken’ going in there if the theming is ever at risk. Dobble Tea Party is even poorer than I expected it to be. Wtf is this? Everything else looks good though! Looks like they’ve tidied a lot up. The new food and drink also sounds good (let’s see if anything opens for once!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted March 18, 2023 Report Share Posted March 18, 2023 The new arrows to tell people where to go on Rush look good. About time the faded and pointless coloured dots were removed anyway, looked awful for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted March 18, 2023 Report Share Posted March 18, 2023 I went to today’s passholder day and kinda wonder why I made the effort. Ride closures galore, with basically one half of rides closed for the day and the rest pretty much breaking down on a fairly regular basis. Ok, some were advertised and other’s weather related, but still disappointing. Stealth basically closed midday due to various rollbacks. Swarm and Detonator appeared to have regular breakdowns. Rush was on one swing and Quantum was playing as they had to keep releasing the bars. The Dobble teacup sticks out like a sore thumb and is an inferior iteration to say Tetley. I arrived midday at the park and left around an hour before closure. Probably says it all if honest. Not the greatest day by all means and possibly the worst passholder day since 2011. It is understandably a preview/rehearsal on the main part, where things won’t be perfect. However if these issues persist beyond a certain point, one must wonder if it is worth it. On a more positive note, some nicer spruce ups around the park. Rush flooring, Dome enhancements, F&B outlets, the new rest areas and more. Hopefully this continues as cosmetic improvements are always welcome. Exodus construction will without doubt be a pulling factor for things too. coasterverse 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted March 19, 2023 Report Share Posted March 19, 2023 I have to echo Matt's comments sadly. We can say everything about this being a "preview" day, and so that gives the park an out for not having everything be ready. But at the same time, this is still the first day the park is open for 2023, and it felt like the park wasn't really ready in some ways. To highlight the point... -Incomplete renovation of the Lower Dome -No visual work done to various new F&B outlets (Doughnut Time in Lost City, Tacotina, etc) -Multiple rides not ready -Signage not in place I'm understanding that these things can sometimes be out of the park's control. And again, this is a preview. But when there's so many things that aren't ready, you have to wonder if it's poor planning from the park, since they're the common denominator. Dobble Tea Party is an inoffensive retheme tbh, but I hope they paint the entire building purple. The higher up parts are still dark blue and it's a jarring contrast. On a more positive note, the Lower Dome looks nice and I'm sure will be cool when complete. The picnic area replacing Containment is a nice idea, and if they add some more shrubbery it'll be cool. There's been some good touch ups throughout the park and they've made some positive changes, as have already been documented. It's fair to say though that they should also be looking at the wider picture of the park, because things feel disjointed and a bit weak for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inferno Posted March 19, 2023 Report Share Posted March 19, 2023 Oh dear that doesn’t sound good 🙄 I did wonder why the stupid Dobble branded facade only covers a bit of the teacups structure.. Hopefully it’s work in progress. It’s the same old Thorpe every time isn’t it. Everything looks great “on paper”, but then you turn up and it’s a bit of a s*** show 🙄 all talk and no trousers as they say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML27 Posted March 19, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2023 They are cutting things which should big projects into small projects. I.e Containment gets removed, but haven’t really made the area suitable or look too nice. They’ve seen this as get rid of ugly containment and put a bench down. In reality, it’s a bigger project. They should have repaved the area provided some new planters. They repainted the outside of the tea cups and didnt do the whole building. Also focusing on things which don’t matter when there’s bigger problems to be had. you could argue the best change this year is the F&B locations. But that’s not funded by Merlin at all. It’s actually Aramarks success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted March 19, 2023 Report Share Posted March 19, 2023 Same every year for all the parks to be fair. Never seem completely ready. And always hope its different but never seems to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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