Storm Surge: Petition

[thorpeparkjunkie]

Hi there everyone, I am planning to write a letter to Thorpe Park & Merlin in hope of Storm Surge's top frame to be themed. I think we can all agree it would improve the look of the ride & help it blend in with Amity Cove.After recent petitions on TowersTimes to remove the Fanta sponsership being so succesful I think it is worth a try. The frame currently looks very bare & sticks out like a sore thumb. Let's try and help the ride blend in better beccause I myself feel it lets the rest of the park down.http://www.fotowhizz.com/thorpe/stormsurge003/023.htmhttp://www.fotowhizz.com/thorpe/stormsurge003/015.htmPlease State your name and a comment including suggestions if you can.Many ThanksBen

[Benin]

Just for the frame?Try the WHOLE ride sticking out like a sore thumb...

[thorpeparkjunkie]

Just for the frame?Try the WHOLE ride sticking out like a sore thumb...

I agree however the frame would improve it and it's a step in the right direction.

[thorpeparkjunkie]

I have just been told by Thorpe Park that if we can get people to sign then it will be passed on to Mike Vallis so get signing people

[JackR]

Where about can I sign this petition. The 2 photowizz links only lead to the pictures so could anybody direct me to a URL or post a link so I can sign as well please?

[Sidders]

A little part of me dies whenever I see that ride. As someone who was quite fond of X:\No Way Out and that whole area it just looks so cheap. My Dad has built scaffolds with more visual integrity than that ride.

[TPGG]

I'm absolutely with you on this Junkie, even just some netting over the top and an orange life-saver ring will improve the top of the lifthill immensely and it will be very cheap to do too

[Kevin]

Yes I totally agree because this will create pure return on investment won't it?It's going to bring in lots more guests that projected already?It's going to affect the business and experience how?Exactly. This won't happen.

[Fred]

Kevin, your pessimistic attitude is exactly why places don't improve, just wallow in their own self pity.It'd definitely affect guests experience, and would affect the business in a little way - it could also increase the rides scores in KPI's.You talk such rubbish sometimes.(however, I haven't visited thorpe this year, so I'm not gonna sign petition. I don't think it'd work on same way as towerstimes one did though)

[TraX]

I think it's worth a try, why not! Although to be fair, I think there are many other things that would be higher on my list.

[Kevin]

Kevin, your pessimistic attitude is exactly why places don't improve, just wallow in their own self pity.It'd definitely affect guests experience, and would affect the business in a little way - it could also increase the rides scores in KPI's.You talk such rubbish sometimes.(however, I haven't visited thorpe this year, so I'm not gonna sign petition. I don't think it'd work on same way as towerstimes one did though)

So in what sense are you arguing with my point? Can you at least refute the central point of my argument which is pretty obvious of 'a genuine waste of money'? Instead of just slanging insults?How would it affect guest experience? Oh how fantastic, that lift is themed so lets have an even better day.No. Ride availability, low queuing times and staff interaction are the key to smashing KPI scores out of the water. You probably couldn't even name them all, so don't try and give me that crap Fred.Yes it'd look nice if they got a huge orange net a chucked a few lifebuoys in it but past that - what would it actually add to guest experience?

[holtjammy16]

People are being so pessimistic yet they haven't even tried.How do we sign? :S

[Fred]

No. Ride availability, low queuing times and staff interaction are the key to smashing KPI scores out of the water.

Not everything though. Otherwise we could suggest that bubbleworks didn't need it's new lighting on the fountain finale. The actual ride experience counts almost as much as the ride *actually* being available.Staff interaction, they're good. But not when they affect throughputs, which is exactly whats been happening when myself and others visit the park. They need to do what one of my lovely targets is "find the right balance between throughput and guest service"

Yes it'd look nice if they got a huge orange net a chucked a few lifebuoys in it but past that - what would it actually add to guest experience?

Yes, considering the majority of the time is supposedly spent on the lifthill [I've not been on it], I'd imagine it'd add to guest experience a fair bit. Themed, something to look at, improves everything visually.Guest experience counts overall, otherwise majority of the changes at chessington would not be happening. The same should be said for thorpe.

[Mer]

Sounds like it could be a good idea, where do we sign the petition?

[Kevin]

Not everything though. Otherwise we could suggest that bubbleworks didn't need it's new lighting on the fountain finale. The actual ride experience counts almost as much as the ride *actually* being available.Staff interaction, they're good. But not when they affect throughputs, which is exactly whats been happening when myself and others visit the park. They need to do what one of my lovely targets is "find the right balance between throughput and guest service"Yes, considering the majority of the time is supposedly spent on the lifthill [I've not been on it], I'd imagine it'd add to guest experience a fair bit. Themed, something to look at, improves everything visually.Guest experience counts overall, otherwise majority of the changes at chessington would not be happening. The same should be said for thorpe.

What, there's nothing to look at except the whole of the park? Yeah it's plain but what would it actually change Fred? How would it affect them by seeing whatever the theming would be? It'd be fantastic if they'd costed in having a covered lift, ala Pirate Falls but that's going to cost silly amount. And even then, ROIC would be nil.And why are you going on a tangent about staff interaction? What are you arguing for or against Fred?

[Liam T]

When storm surge was in Cypress Gardens the ride did have some kind of theming, and the station area did have a roof.Sounds like an good idea so where do I sign?

[Dan]

I agree too where do we sign :/ ?

[thorpeparkjunkie]

Thank's for everyones comments All I need is your first name and a comment next to it if you wish so

[Mark9]

Yes I totally agree because this will create pure return on investment won't it?It's going to bring in lots more guests that projected already?It's going to affect the business and experience how?Exactly. This won't happen.

Whilst I don't think that doing anything to Storm Surge's frame will enhance the ride, I really hate the way 'Kevin' looks at things. Everything has to be a return on investment or bring in more guests or effect the business. And it's things like this which stop the effects being fixed on Tidal Wave or theme on Zodiac or things looking nice. It's all looked at so cynically that it makes me despise Merlin a little bit actually.

[Ellie]

Funny really how Kevin feels the better of the two parks is Chessington partly because of its themeing and atmosphere. So why he's complaining about adding a little more themeing to Storm Surge I don't know.

[JackR]

Jack- I wish to sign and/or join this petition. And Kevin does have a very negative view towards the situation. Although the idea could be seen as a bit far fetched it's not going to happen if we don't do anything about it? The more people the better and hopefully we can get something good out of this

[Fred]

I really hate the way 'Kevin' looks at things. Everything has to be a return on investment or bring in more guests or effect the business.

All he needs to do is look underneath his office, to notice signs changed there. No return on investment there, don't bring in guests or affects the business. But done for brand integrety and to improve things. Erk

[ste193]

Whilst I don't think that doing anything to Storm Surge's frame will enhance the ride, I really hate the way 'Kevin' looks at things. Everything has to be a return on investment or bring in more guests or effect the business. And it's things like this which stop the effects being fixed on Tidal Wave or theme on Zodiac or things looking nice. It's all looked at so cynically that it makes me despise Merlin a little bit actually.

I don't like the way he looks at this either but that fact is this is how theme parks in the majority look at things, is this worth it, wil it give me more money. Though of course as they mentioned about speaking to staff who gave them advice it shows that they do care about their fan boys etc in the respect that we expect higher standards of theming and depth in rides than the general public do and this why they have said if you can get enough interest in signatures the manager can look over this and review it. Because as said before many times the general public don't go to theme parks because they look nice as such they just go because they want to ride the rides.

[Mark9]

I don't like the way he looks at this either but that fact is this is how theme parks in the majority look at things, is this worth it, wil it give me more money.

I'd agree if it wasn't for the fact that every park I know has elements that don't need to be there but are. If we really truely believe that the theme in theme parks is so unimportant, that people go for rides and nothing else, then parks would just add soul-less attractions which can be seen two a penny in funfairs all over the world.

[Benin]

^Well said Mark...Although really, my problem here, is that Storm Surge even with a themed lift hill, would still look awful because of everything else that they messed up with on the design side of it... It's such an American ride in terms of being reasonably large and brightly coloured, and it's always going to stand out like a sore thumb not matter what gets done to it...Unless the track itself gets repainted... I'd do a thing for that... But I just think that Storm Surge isn't worth the time or effort and other improvements to other rides are a much better idea (like repainting Colossus, adding heaters to Inferno's tunnel, theming Flying Fish and others)...

[JackR]

At the end of the day... Thorpe Park have put the shark in the KFC in Amity Cove, the steam in the Nemesis Inferno tunnel, the waterfall face by the Colossus cobra roll... The only thing these all have in common is that they are scenery/theming that have been put there to enhance the riders experience. They don't improve business in anyways, but they have been put there to make things look better. Storm Surge may not be the best looking ride in the world but a themed frame will definatly be a step in the right direction, so who's to say the petition wont do anything?