Ricky Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 But I was preparing for a queue mob RideAddict 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 >Pushes backwards ride >Makes you pre-book a seat Organisational nightmare GO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 I've probably made a mistake somewhere but it seems to work. The park is open 7 hours on the AP day and 1000 Swarm backward tickets are available. This gives an hourly throughput of 1000/7= 142.857 (or 143 rounded). And with 8 seats going backwards 143/8= 18 trains an hour. So if my maths is correct that would mean a dispatch time of just over every 3 minutes which is a terrible throughput. Meaning that the forwards facing seats (20) multiplied by 18 gives only 320pph for forwards and a grand total of 463pph for the whole train. Now hopefully there is a mistake somewhere (in either my working out or Thorpe's decision at 1000 tickets) because I don't want to believe these figures. If these figures are true I can see Thorpe and Merlin receiving many complaints. The way I was thinking was - theoretical throughput on 2 trains is 1100, so 1 train operation would be 550 (in theory). So, 550*(8/28)=157 (nearest whole number). 1000/157=6.36 hours of operation of Swarm. So who knows what will happen there really; maybe the 1000 is a safe cap incase things go wrong / because of reduced throughput for whatever reason? ^If maybe only one train is ready to run backwards that would be right? Atleast it should avoid a repeat of Storm Surge! I don't know too much about the engineering and safety aspect of all, but I believe that the reversing of the rows isn't just a simple 'take off the nuts and bolts and turn them round' job, so will take a while. Then I'd have thought that it would need to go through rigorous testing to ensure it's safe and such. As I say, I don't really know much about it, but surely that is going to take more than three days? So, if only one train is ready to run backwards on AP day, then it wouldn't feel me with hope that Swarm would be running properly for the beginning of season.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 I don't know too much about the engineering and safety aspect of all, but I believe that the reversing of the rows isn't just a simple 'take off the nuts and bolts and turn them round' job, so will take a while. Then I'd have thought that it would need to go through rigorous testing to ensure it's safe and such. As I say, I don't really know much about it, but surely that is going to take more than three days? So, if only one train is ready to run backwards on AP day, then it wouldn't feel me with hope that Swarm would be running properly for the beginning of season.. It's not running properly though, they're turning seats BACKWARDS! Also, why do it on a Wednesday morning when most people will be at work? I mean I'm fortunate in that I might be able to get away with grabbing some tickets at that time, but not everyone will be able to... Thorpe's services to guests do leave a lot to be desired at times... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Maybe they should just let everyone queue for it, let it get 3 hour queues and let everyone moan on FB when they get home instead? Seems to me they cant win either way.. OldFarmerDean, Stokesyboy and Sidders 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Most of the people who moan on FB shouldn't be allowed to have an opinion... If people complain because a park is busy, well maybe they shouldn't go to these places... Especially if people expect Thorpe to ever be empty... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideAddict Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 So those who went to Chessington last week, regardless of whether they got in, they shouldn't be allowed to take to Facebook to moan - correct? Don't be so ridiculas. Complaints as well as compliments contribute to the successful running of a business, therefore allowing the business to review, learn and change things if necessary. Complaints are good for a business, it may sound strange saying that, but it does help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluk Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Maybe they should just let everyone queue for it, let it get 3 hour queues and let everyone moan on FB when they get home instead? Seems to me they cant win either way.. Maybe they shouldn't be doing it in the first place, let everyone queue up for the normal ride and no one will have anything to moan about? Literally the first day of them operating backwards and it doesn't seem to be working out well, MAP people will be turning up not knowing this information and be thoroughly pissed off when they can not ride. If the maths are correct then on a normal day 2000 will be able to ride, and Thorpe are advertising this is as the reason to visit the park this year. On capacity days there there will be 2000 people leaving happy, 13000 leaving unhappy. Well done Thorpe, great way to balls up your best asset. JoshC. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 ^Thats assuming all 15,000 people on park want to ride The Swarm which they wont? And then annual pass day open hours are less than an average peak day so I think the "unhappy" people would be much less.. And I'm sure not everyone will want to ride it backwards too! I'm sure if it turns to be a problem they will look into turning around more rows... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluk Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Not everyone will want to, but 2000 daily throughput for something they are advertising heavily as their new reason to visit this year is poor. People will view front and back as separate rides and want to do both, no matter how many seats they turn either way the throughput will drop for the other side and cause problems. People will be unhappy about not being able to get a go on both front and back, everyone was happy being able to go one way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Whilst I agree that not everyone will want to ride it backwards, the park are still potentially putting themselves in an unwinnable situation. If the park get people to 'book' backwards seats, for free, there will no doubt be people ignorant to this, and when they find out all the slots are gone, they will be annoyed, which is understandable to a degree - when you go to a theme park, you don't think you need to book a seat on a roller coaster, do you? Of course, you could argue that it would the person's fault for not checking, but really, when it's being pushed as heavily as it is, you don't particualrly think that there's 'hidden booking ideas', if you will. If you just have it as splitting into front and back facing queues (say, where the old front row queue was), you inherit the problems of the front row system - congestion in the building, not knowing the length of the queue for such rows, and the like. How that can be improved I don't know, but if they can improve it, then it may work better, but I just don't see how that will work well. The sad reality is, when you think about, The Swarm is now 2 rides (a backwards one and a forwards one), with 1 queue system. The backwards rows will have a 'theoretical throughput' of about 314pph, making it one of the lowest on park. Yet, it will be advertised (presumably quite heavily) this year, and appeal to a large number of people. We then consider that the theoretical throughput of the forwards rows is now about 786pph, making that queue longer as well. I'm open-minded about the row-reversal, and look forward to trying it out, but the more I think about it, the more I think this changing two rows backwards is going to be a nightmare for guests and staff and just wrong. Hence why Thorpe "can't win either way"... Inferno and pluk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenVig Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 So those who went to Chessington last week, regardless of whether they got in, they shouldn't be allowed to take to Facebook to moan - correct? Don't be so ridiculas. Complaints as well as compliments contribute to the successful running of a business, therefore allowing the business to review, learn and change things if necessary. Complaints are good for a business, it may sound strange saying that, but it does help. Someone who simply writes on Facebook, "I had a **** day, I queued 300 hours for Seastorm, it was crap. Merlins crap" Doesnt really help grow a business...... Besides, its been said before, dont expect these places to be empty. Yes you have an AP, but so do thousands of other people, these things aren't uncommon anymore, everyones got one and alot of passholders will be there! I on the other hand will be with my mother, being as that day is for her..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 So those who went to Chessington last week, regardless of whether they got in, they shouldn't be allowed to take to Facebook to moan - correct? Damn Chessie, closing the park because it was busy and only had a maximum amount of people it could let in! Some of the outrage you see on Facebook, is rather pathetic... "Oh I queued ages for this ride", it's a theme park, it will be busy... End... Stokesyboy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideAddict Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Someone who simply writes on Facebook, "I had a **** day, I queued 300 hours for Seastorm, it was crap. Merlins crap" Doesnt really help grow a business...... True, but writing that is moronic. If you're going to write a complaint, actually make it worth while. I still stand by what I said though. when you go to a theme park, you don't think you need to book a seat on a roller coaster, do you? When I go to went to previous Fright Nights, I don't expect to pay a small charge as an Annual Pass holder, and to have to book a ticket either to gauruntee me entry! The sad reality is, when you think about, The Swarm is now 2 rides (a backwards one and a forwards one), with 1 queue system. Saying it like this is wrong. It's a normal ride with 2 rows of seats turned backwards. You make it sound like we have an entire train facing backwards, and the other forwards. To be honest, when I see what they've done for myself, it'll only raise my eyebrows with a very mellow "wow" - and the same goes for this damn billboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluk Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Saying it like this is wrong. It's a normal ride with 2 rows of seats turned backwards. You make it sound like we have an entire train facing backwards, and the other forwards. . No, what he's saying is not about the physicality of how they are achieving it, but that there are two very distinct experiences on offer which people will consider entirely separably, especially as the park are marketing it in the way they are (ie, the main reason to visit this year). They are enticing people into the park to try something with a throughput of a couple of hundred an hour, whichever way you cut it a lot of the people arriving for that will be leaving disappointed. JoshC. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Saying it like this is wrong. It's a normal ride with 2 rows of seats turned backwards. You make it sound like we have an entire train facing backwards, and the other forwards. What pluk basically said. We now have two very different ride experiences, which are both being treated as big headline attractions, along with the likes of Stealth, Saw and so forth. One of those experiences (the 2 backwards rows) will allow 314pph to experience it which, for a park like Thorpe, shouldn't really happen on any ride, let alone a major ride. Then the forward-facing experience is now down to 786pph, which makes that in itself the worst of all the coasters at Thorpe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Then the forward-facing experience is now down to 786pph, which makes that in itself the worst of all the coasters at Thorpe. I know this is guestimating, but really? From highest to lowest (for major coasters)? Sigh... EDIT - BILLBOARD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchada04 Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Billboard is going in! (TPs FB page) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holtjammy16 Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Wow that looks like a tight fit, going to look scary going towards that haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokesyboy Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 That is going to be epic heading towards that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Looks bulkier than I was expecting it to. Should look great once it's been styled to fit it, and will be a great near miss by the looks of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokesyboy Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 I can see them adding some sort of mist jet in the gaps they have in that billboard, I wonder if it's something they'll do?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Throughput wise, from a guesstimate if they send 320 trains a day 2560 of them seats will be backwards whilst 6400 will be normal. I dont think thats a bad ratio atall, considering the amount of people who will not bother riding it backwards, wont want to etc. I'm glad there doing 2 rows and not the originally rumored 1, as I could see that being a nightmare! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Looks very big and bulky for a billboard. As for capacity, it won't be that bad because the queueline will (probably) stay as one main one for all seats, breaking off at either the baggage drop area or the station, so the queueline will probably still move at the same speed as before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan9 Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 "War has evovled" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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