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MikeC

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Basically, my sister attended one of those lecture-school-thingys at Thorpe on Monday, and she was told how Swarm hadn't bought in as many people as they expected (basically, it flopped) so all the hotel money is going to Legoland in America (whaa?) and it's unlikely we'll get a 2015 coaster. Also, they plan to demolish Neptune's Beach, Wet Wet Wet, and Depth Charge (in that order) for new stuff.

I can understand why the park would see why The Swarm would be a flop. In my eyes its the best roller coaster we've seen for nearly 20 years and to me, it doesn't matter one bit what financial gain the park got from it.

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  • 3 months later...

Just looking back to quite a few years back when thorpe had some great investments for a couple of years:

Tidal wave-2000

Zodiac-2000

Vortex-2001

Colossus-2002

Nemesis inferno-2003

Samurai-2004

Rush-2005

Slammer-2005

Feel free to add in anything I have missed out.

I feel that these years WERE all major/medium investments unlike the scrappy investments we get today(storm surge)

I hope over the next few years we can do something just like this:

The swarm-2012

New ride/refurb + crash pad - 2013

New flat ride-2014

New flat ride + hotel -2015

New rollercoaster-2016

New flat ride-2017

New rollercoaster-2018/2019

I know I am looking far ahead but I just want thorpe to have a good streak to make people come back, the question is, is this actually going to happen like it happened 10 years ago?

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In short, probably not. As well as a vast array of economic and financial issues that they've been facing even presently, there is the need to take into account where Thorpe Park was in 2000 and where it is now.

In 2000, Thorpe's largest ride was Tidal Wave, with Zodiac second-in-command. Alton Towers and even Chessington at this point were more thrill-orientated days out. Comparatively few guests ever visited Thorpe at this time (especially compared to it's own gate figures now). After Colossus, Thorpe put their name on the map and their foot in the door of the boardroom for some of the biggest-hitting theme parks in Europe. Nothing like Colossus was ever tried at Chessington, and the 'Sensory Overload' a year earlier (which saw the openings of Vortex, Detonator and Quantum) gave the park the necessary queue-eaters to manage rising popularity of the park in the 2002 season.

By 2003, Nemesis Inferno was added in order to give the vast onslaught of guests that were arriving after Colossus' enormous success. Eclipse was a Ferris wheel added possibly as a bid to give the kids something else to do with their parents, as Thorpe still offered a balanced array of thrilling, fun and family attractions (Eclipse and Samurai played swapsies in 2004, but Eclipse was then renamed Peeking Heights). By the end of 2003, Thorpe had made the name they'd been aiming for in just three short years. The mass indulgence on flat rides and record-breaking coasters continued though, until now, when it does seem that given their current position and prospective plans to focus more energy and money on their accommodation strategy, the installation of rides is slowing.

But you then have to consider other factors, such as - what flat ride experience do Thorpe not have? They have the standard array plus a few more exclusive designs (Slammer, Rush, Detonator even). They're also running out of space without having to do the immensely costly and time-consuming process of creating new land in the surrounding lakes (though they currently appear to have plenty of free space since the 2008 infilling plans).

And then of course we could always talk about the recession...

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I know I am looking far ahead but I just want thorpe to have a good streak to make people come back, the question is, is this actually going to happen like it happened 10 years ago?

I highly doubt it. Thorpe built themselves up very quickly but that's easier when you're replacing older rides and you've got a lot more space. I especially find the idea of Thorpe throwing flat rides around to be an unrealistic expectation. What flat rides do Thorpe really need? I can't think of a stand-out option around which would be of immense benefit to them... they've got a good selection already which has helped establish the 'thrill capital' status they were going for, but now that's in place the park's focus will shift towards the quality of attractions rather than quantity, which will keep people returning in the long term.

EDIT: Sidders beat me to it but yeah...

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In 2000, Thorpe's largest ride was Tidal Wave, with Zodiac second-in-command. Alton Towers and even Chessington at this point were more thrill-orientated days out. Comparatively few guests ever visited Thorpe at this time (especially compared to it's own gate figures now). After Colossus, Thorpe put their name on the map and their foot in the door of the boardroom for some of the biggest-hitting theme parks in Europe. Nothing like Colossus was ever tried at Chessington, and the 'Sensory Overload' a year earlier (which saw the openings of Vortex, Detonator and Quantum) gave the park the necessary queue-eaters to manage rising popularity of the park in the 2002 season.

Just thought I'd point out that Quantum cam in 2003. ;) The 2001 'Sensory Overload' trio was Vortex, Detonator and Zodiac, as Zodiac was only brought in in 2000 (under the name Enterprise) due to the fire which destroyed Wicked Witch Haunt. It then became a 'permanent attraction' in 2001 and was marketed as new. :)

But yeah, basically everything which Sidders and Dan have said. Thorpe accelerated themselves from a small family park into a thrill park, which features one of the larger arrays of thrill rides in Europe. Space wise and economically, that won't be feasible around now. Then there's also the question of what rides are left for Thorpe which they haven't got, and are good enough?

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I highly doubt it. Thorpe built themselves up very quickly but that's easier when you're replacing older rides and you've got a lot more space. I especially find the idea of Thorpe throwing flat rides around to be an unrealistic expectation. What flat rides do Thorpe really need? I can't think of a stand-out option around which would be of immense benefit to them... they've got a good selection already which has helped establish the 'thrill capital' status they were going for, but now that's in place the park's focus will shift towards the quality of attractions rather than quantity, which will keep people returning in the long term.

EDIT: Sidders beat me to it but yeah...

Well they don't particularly need any new flat rides but I really would like to see some things like a top spin, a huss booster/shake and roll or something even more extraordinary. I'm just thinking, if thorpe don't bring anything new in the next couple of years, they will lose guests because people will not go back to do the same old rides/attractions again(although they are amazing :P) they will probably go to chessie or alton instead.

Also I would like a windseeker but this has already been said that it would have to be close to stealths height and also mondial have many problems with their windseekers these days!

Just a fun fact: thorpe park was called 'great thorpe park' back in the 1980/1990 when X was built :)

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No it wasn't, that was just the end of its advertising "Big, enormous, giant, humongous, great Thorpe Park".

We should be able to expect a new flat or two over the next few years, especcially if any of the existing ones come to the end of their life. I would like a good old spin and spew, since Calgary Stampede went that is what is missing for me. It's hard for them to advertise a ride like that in a way to make it worth their while though so I doubt it would happen, makes it hard to introduce a good solid filler that isn't some new fangled prototype. The closest I think I can hope for might be a Huss Jump2, it is spectacular looking enough

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The Huss Jump2, a ride so loved only one exists in the world...

Yeah, I doubt we'll ever see one...

And you know it's closed season when the cries for Thorpe getting a TopSpin return <3

Slammer and Sky Swat?

Despite the argument of "there's only one in the world, so it must be crap", people love Slammer and you can see what could've been and it's a flat ride that most people would never have the chance to ride. None of the GP are going to go to US to ride a S&S Sky Swat so Thorpe is the closest they will ever get.

I love Slammer, I think it's unique and it stands out. Me personally, I would've built two Sky Swatters and built them facing each other and placed them in the Lost City and themed to some Mayan theme about a sacrifice to the Sun God. And I would've built Rush in Canada Creek and themed appropriately like Kennywood's version.

I think a HUSS Jump2 would be fantastic despite the "there's only one in the world, so it must be crap" argument and I think it would be a very unique ride. I'd also love two Topspins themed like Talocun with a pre-show and on an intense setting. None of us have ever ridden a Jump2 and it might be great.

I'd also love a Mondial Shake & Roll and a HUSS Booster

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SkySwat.

Wonder why only two were built in the world then...

Oh yeah, because it's unreliable (and that's an understatement)... And I like Slammer, but I can see why no other park would touch the ride type with a barge pole, hell even S&S called it quits...

No matter how good a ride may be received by guests, or have an unique experience or whatever, there are definitely obvious trends as to why certain rides do catch on (however briefly, you can see Topple Towers for this, which after the issues of Dollywood's, died a death, although were popular on Mainland Europe) or just die a death (Huss Jump2 and Sky Swats) due to technical failings and the costs that come with them...

Just because it would be an unique experience, does not mean the park (especially Thorpe and it's history of downtime on EVERYTHING) should get one...

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No, it doesn't mean they should get one. But there's a lot of things Thorpe should or shouldn't do and they often do the opposite instead.

They bought a SkySwat knowing the other one had been fooked on and off since it opened. If Huss could persuade them they've ironed out the problems with the design Thorpe could end up with one.

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The problem with the HUSS Jump2 isn't the dire popularity; it's a ride so unpopular it bares merits the term. But the main issue is the fact that first and foremost, the ride is gigantic. It's got a bigger footprint than Rush. Add to that how much they actually cost to buy, to power and then to upkeep, given Sledgehammer's downtime as noted by Turtle, it could just prove a logistical and financial nightmare. Add to that the pisspoor hourly throughput and the repetitive ride experience and it's really not a ride Thorpe should be considering based solely on it's size.

If Thorpe had to go with a HUSS-manufactured, low-throughput, downtime-plagued spectator ride, then a Topple Tower is my choice.

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Oh good, we're at that point in the closed season where Top-Spins, Jump2's and Huss Breakdances are mentioned as potential flat rides.

Just looking back to quite a few years back when thorpe had some great investments for a couple of years:
Tidal wave-2000
Zodiac-2000
Vortex-2001
Colossus-2002
Nemesis inferno-2003
Samurai-2004
Rush-2005
Slammer-2005

There is no way that Thorpe Park could sustain that type of investment. As is proving now, throwing rides at a park does not keep attracting guests. It's also backfired because people now expect these investments every year, such as mentioning Vengeance as moving to the park quite frequently. As an established park, rides like The Swarm and Saw: The Ride are things the park should be doing, things that are themed well and are appropriate. Storm Surge is not.

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Why would we want more fair ground rides at thorpe? Theme park flats should be about theming and quality and not just spinning/ constant flips. Didn't there used to be a ride similar to those above in Canada Creek, Calgary Stampede I think? That can't have been too successful. A dark ride would be nice but where to put it is the question. Is there any space left after Wicked Witches Haunt?

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No huss boosters not breakdances, breakdances are utterly boring and you end up just sitting there waiting for it to end, we want a HUSS BOOSTER!

Speak for yourself!

The 9's right on the money with the whole backfiring installation strategy thing. It's almost like Thorpe have an obligation to do something every single year as a result of the exponential growth of the park's arsenal during 2000-2006. The result being that on a small investment year we end up with crap like Storm Surge because they just never seem to have a clue unless they're building a coaster. I'd rather them take their time over new ride construction instead of whipping out every possible fairground flat HUSS or Mondial have ever invented so they have something new to market every year.

Guests won't come back for a HUSS Booster because a HUSS Booster isn't going to improve their day. A general park-wide TLC and making some of the older rotting rides look more presentable are the small things that will bring people back.

The Crash Pad will be interesting, as people will actually be staying on-park for more than a couple of hours and they'll see in from a different point of view. Thorpe is still a park in which you can do most of the bigger rides within one day, so by the second or third day of someone's visit the park will show it's flaws more easily - the flaws that Thorpe should be focusing on instead of fiddling around with the shiniest new ride they've got or chucking in a few random flats.

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To be fair to Thorpe Storm Surge isn't that bad. It does after all still get decent queues. I guess for a park like Thorpe there aren't enough buildings or space for decent dark rides and they already have quite a few flats like Slammer. With few new flat ideas to add why not build on the water ride idea and then move to mazes and smaller attractions? There doesn't seem an obvious non coaster option left!

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The idea of a dark ride at Thorpe is always something that has interested me. While I don't think it is an urgent addition, I certainly wouldn't complain if one was to appear in the future. Flat rides are good but it will be hard to find a decent quality ones that Thorpe have not already covered with their existing rides. Every park needs a bit of variety.

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