September 25Sep 25 Author comment_328291 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.
September 26Sep 26 comment_328298 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....!
September 27Sep 27 comment_328306 Back in 2019 it was common place for Thorpe to close midweek and advertise it on twitter (X). It’s going to be like that again and it shouldn’t be a totally bad thing. Yes, inconvenient and annoying but it’s not sustainable and the money they can save will be able to go towards future projects. On another note, is the beach going to be finally redesigned this closed season or has it been canned?
September 27Sep 27 comment_328308 18 minutes ago, MattL28 said:On another note, is the beach going to be finally redesigned this closed season or has it been canned?There's been no confirmation either way really. Obviously the plan was for it to be this year, but planning delays stopped that. They pushed through and it was approved in Spring.That at least signals intent for them to do it. But whether the plan has changed since then is up in the air.They technically have 3 years from the approval of the application to start the work, so if it doesn't happen for next year it could still happen later.This is a very long-winded way of saying "we don't know". At the same time, I still think the default for now should be to expect it to happen.
20 hours ago20 hr Author comment_328728 Its being reported that Thorpe had an 8% drop in attendance last season, the highest drop on the list.https://x.com/ThemeParkWW/status/1981330874747531338/photo/1Really concerning with that obviously being Hyperias opening year, and this season seeming quieter? The same thing happened with Swarm and then we had to wait 12 years for a coaster...Also strange to me that Towers seemed to have quite a lot of cuts throughout the season last year and Thorpe didn't, despite the difference in attendance.
13 hours ago13 hr comment_328733 I don't know if it's still the case (but I expect it is), but theme parks / companies are under no obligation to be truthful to TEA for reporting their attendance figures. Obviously they can't outright lie, but their numbers don't have to be accurate. I've been aware of some parks' TEA numbers being off by 300,000 in the past.So definitely take with a pinch of salt. They'll be good ballpark numbers, but obviously could be off by 10-20% in some instances.In the context of Thorpe, I'm going to outright say I don't believe the 2023 figure. The 2024 figure seems plausible. But just from my visits, I do not see how 2023 ended up being more visited than 2024.I caveat this by saying I'm just going off my experiences, so I could be completely wrong.The big question is - if Merlin haven't necessarily been truthfully accurate with their attendance figures - why have they made Thorpe seem like it's had a big attendance dip when they open a big brand new ride? Surely it would make sense to keep the fabrication alive and make it seem like Hyperia had a positive impact?Few possible factors. Could be that they are now reporting more accurately. Or they could blame 2024's "poor" performance on Hyperia's reliability. Or they could pin it to Hyperia opening in May. It could be part of a narrative they're building that will see increases in 2025 and how Hyperia is a long-term draw. Who knows.As I say, I simply don't believe that Thorpe's attendance dipped from 2023 to 2024. I could be wrong, and I'm no doubt sounding pig-headed stubborn right now, but that's a hill I'm currently going to stand on right now.
11 hours ago11 hr comment_328735 Hyperia opened 2 months after park opening. Then broke for what, another 2 months (certainly felt like that long) after a day?Plus cost of living crisis etc. And no doubt the changes to RAP made many not bother.
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