8 hours ago, MattyMoo said:

is it not a touch concerning JUST how dead it is considering Hyperia is still "new". I went this time last year too mid-week, and it was definitely considerably busier - there was Oktoberfest last year but I don't think that was a particular draw for people....!

Yeah I was thinking the same, I know we have this off peak period every year but it does seem particularly deserted this year.

And thats not just Thorpe either, seen videos from the other parks just as deserted.

For comparison, here is the queue time calendar from last year in the same 3 week period.

And then this years...

Obviously not sure gate figure wise, but queue time wise they've definitely been shorter this year on average.

Towers is already on 4pm closes, Legos been cut to 4:30 this year, Chessingtons cut hours to 4pm this year, wouldn't surprise me if we see more closed days or some dreaded 4pm closes next year. Especially in the state Merlin seem to be in at the moment.

Even this summer the park was really filtering out way before closing at 7pm, wouldn't surprise me if we see cuts across summer too.

I know it's not an exact science with those crowd calendars, but that's big difference - and as I said, there are filler rides down this year where as last year there weren't.

I can't see them opening for as much of September 2026 as they did this year to be honest, or if they do, they need to be far more aggressive with marketing to get people in and offer an off peak deal.

As I said, the Shark Hotel deal is insane value - any "non enthusiasts" I've told have been shocked by how cheap it is. I think you can get even cheaper than £139 too dependant on availability, I've definitely seen £129 for 2 people. Maybe go even harder and do a £99 deal for two people and get those crowds in? They need to do something....!