So the Banana Ride closed due to weather earlier in the day, but later on nearly all the other rides closed for the same reason and the Banana Ride then open?

 

Nice consistency there.

 

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Has downtime that severe ever happened before at Thorpe Park as a result of high winds?  (Before this year/past few seasons I mean).

Not really, as there's been a change in procedure this year.  Obviously when the wind speed has been extremely high they've closed a large majority of rides down, but this is the first year they've been more sensitive regarding it. 

I know previously wind speeds were monitored at the dome which isnt that high up, however since the smiler rides have more often or not on coasters had there own systems installed, zodiac could potentially tip over in high wind hence its on the weather closed list

I popped into Thorpe Park on the way home the other day. It was a quiet Monday, kids in school, no special event on, 4pm close. The park itself was visibly quiet too, could go a while of walking without seeing another soul.

 

To my disappointment (but not suprise), because of s**ty 1 train operation on most coasters and the fact key attractions are in pieces (Rumba and Rush) queues were similar if not higher than on weekends. So much for a quick lap on Inferno!

 

I left after an hour of walking round in despair and it further justified not visiting Merlin UK parks for a year. 

23 minutes ago, Mega-Lite said:

To my disappointment (but not suprise), because of s**ty 1 train operation on most coasters and the fact key attractions are in pieces (Rumba and Rush) queues were similar if not higher than on weekends. So much for a quick lap on Inferno!

To be fair, I wouldn't exactly call Rumba a key attraction...especially on an off peak day.  Even calling Rush one is pushing it on an off peak day.

 

The likes of Rumba and Rush (and Slammer, Loggers, I'm a Celeb and whatever else for all the pendants out there...) won't be affecting the coaster queue times.  People go to Thorpe for the coasters, and it's the 1 train op which is giving them the long queues.  The fact they haven't got the rapids open isn't why Inferno is a 30 minute queue instead of a 10 minute queue.

You're correct it is 1 train operation that's causing the problem but you'd be foolish to say filler attractions don't ease the coaster queues.

 

Infact I saw people moaning amongst themselves about not being able to ride Rumba and Rush in the short time I was on park.

Of course filler attractions ease major attraction queue times.  But on these quiet days, their affect is negligible.  

 

Be willing to bet that if Rumba and Rush were open on Monday, they would have had no queue, Rush would have struggled to make a full cycle, and you'd have had 2-3 boats of people on Rumba at most at any one time.  Because that's what is like on every other quiet day.  Those numbers redistributed around the rest of the park makes very little difference on a quiet day.  Busy day is different though.

 

People will still complain, as they're rides that people can't go on even though they want to.  It is adversely affecting people's enjoyment.  But it isn't really making the queues for other rides any worse.

With Rumba now a seasonal attraction, that means we probably won’t be seeing it open until late May / June next year wouldn’t it? 

Doesn't take many people to make a queue long with 1 train op, if they were otherwise engaged the coaster queues would be shorter, simple. I'll agree to disagree with you.

 

The main problem is 1 train op and frankly it's f**king stupid!

2 minutes ago, Ringo said:

With Rumba now a seasonal attraction, that means we probably won’t be seeing it open until late May / June next year wouldn’t it? 

I would assume it will open as normal in March - they've already started closed season work on it, Tidal Wave closed just before Fright Nights a couple of years ago for extended maintenance too and has ran all year since. 

3 minutes ago, Marc said:

I would assume it will open as normal in March - they've already started closed season work on it, Tidal Wave closed just before Fright Nights a couple of years ago for extended maintenance too and has ran all year since. 

I only asked because Thorpe using the term seasonal attraction with relation to why it’s closed.

11 minutes ago, Mega-Lite said:

Doesn't take many people to make a queue long with 1 train op, if they were otherwise engaged the coaster queues would be shorter, simple. I'll agree to disagree with you.

 

The main problem is 1 train op and frankly it's f**king stupid!

At any one time, you'd probably have at most 50 people riding / waiting for the next cycle of Rumba and Rush combined.  Even if all of those people went and joined 1 coaster queue (which they wouldn't anyway), that ups the queue by 5 minutes, 10 if things are particularly slow.  Spread all those people across the whole park and the impact it makes is nothing.  It's fact.

 

The cause of long queues on off peak days is the fact the major rides are on reduced capacity.  That is the only reason.

I believe you're sugar coating figures there to make yourself sound right in a situation where I know you won't be able to convince me otherwise. If you truly believe what you're saying, that's fine, it is what it is but it certainly isn't "fact".

 

Like I said, agree to disagree, please don't make me have to log in again man!

The problem is that there's no reaction to there being a sudden surge in busy times...

 

Most parks will, on quieter weekdays, run one train... This is no issue of course, why would you run more than required? However many of these parks will, in the event of queues developing beyond a time frame (I'd say maybe 30 minutes? Maybe 20 depending on how nice I'm feeling) add on an extra train to cope with it...

 

Why Thorpe can't do this (Chessie did in my time on Fury and Rattlesnack, Vampire was a different thing though due to how the transfer track worked) I'm not sure though, perhaps they're still struggling with their maintenance teams?

 

If Rush and Rumba were open it would make a difference to the queues... Likely not a lot, but every little helps...

52 minutes ago, Benin said:

The problem is that there's no reaction to there being a sudden surge in busy times...

 

Most parks will, on quieter weekdays, run one train... This is no issue of course, why would you run more than required? However many of these parks will, in the event of queues developing beyond a time frame (I'd say maybe 30 minutes? Maybe 20 depending on how nice I'm feeling) add on an extra train to cope with it...

 

Why Thorpe can't do this (Chessie did in my time on Fury and Rattlesnack, Vampire was a different thing though due to how the transfer track worked) I'm not sure though, perhaps they're still struggling with their maintenance teams?

 

If Rush and Rumba were open it would make a difference to the queues... Likely not a lot, but every little helps...

It probably has more to do with staffing than maintenance, Stealth and Swarm at least require extra staff to run at full capacity, not sure on the others. 

 

I think you raise a good point on the queue times - as enthusiasts i recon we have less tolerance to queues on 1 train vs the GP - for me id not like to queue 30 mins for a ride on one train where as the GP would be more than happy to wait that.

Going to have to be pig-headed stubborn here.  

 

This time last year, on the 10-4 Mondays in October, both Rush and Rumba were open.  All coasters were on minimum capacity.  Coaster queues were around the 30-45 minute for a large majority of the day, just like they are this year, without Rumba and Rush. 

 

It's simple - on off peak days, the filler rides* are dead.  They will have next to no queue all day, and if they get a queue, it'll go almost immediately.  The number of people queueing for and on the rides is nothing compared to the people queuing for the coasters.  Sure, in effect it may mean you wait an extra circuit because 2 people were ahead of your group of 2.  But it makes no real impact to how long the queues really are.  It's perhaps a crude way to look at it, but that's how it is.

 

*with the exception of Storm Surge.  The public love Storm Surge somehow.

 

If anyone ever goes on an off peak day next season, with the wonderful Rush and Rumba open, they will see no queues and not all seats / boats filled.  And though I can't be certain of an actual number, I'm reasonably constant that on average, at any given time, you won't have more than 100 people ever on/queueing for those rides.  Happy to eat my hat if I'm wrong.  

 

The closure of Rumba and Rush will (and has) affected guest enjoyment on off peak days, but it isn't because queues elsewhere are longer.

With regards to 1 train service,  it seams like the decision is more pre-planned for some days that are off peak.  Lets put it this way a 30 min queue for Nemmy on 1 would prob be 10 min with 2 trains and the GP wont mind 30 min queue for Nemmy anyway. Queues like that are fine.  Though 1 train service has advantages on the mechanical side on off peak, allows for the maintenance crews to have less pressure put on them, prepping a train takes quite a long time.   Really its a shame you have 1 trains on some days but a necessary evil.

 

Also if you want throughput go on Saw that requires a high consistent throughput 

Imagine Saw running only 1 car...

Apologies if this has been asked before but why is Rumba a seasonal attraction yet Tidal Wave isn't?  You're lucky if you get moist on Rumba yet go on Tidal and you're walking around drenched for hours ?

Considering last year Rumba got a mechanical and partial aesthetic overhaul in the winter season I think they closed the ride early to facilitate "phase 2" of the works, hopefully when the park opens next year we get even more improvements to rumba

 

And with regards to Saw I think the control system requires a minimum number of cars 6 I think.  though I could imagine 1 car that be crazy

Go on Speed at Oakwood during an After Dark to see what one car Saw would be like 

 

Rumba's closure is a budget cut regardless of how the park try to dress it up IMO, it makes for a very bland park when rides that aren't seen as the "stand-out" ones are just not bothered with.

28 minutes ago, 1729 said:

And with regards to Saw I think the control system requires a minimum number of cars 6 I think.  though I could imagine 1 car that be crazy

Saw can run with a minimum of 5 actually, though I think it only did that for a brief period shortly after it opened due to some teething issues.  In practice, the lowest they'd ever really run it with is 6, and that'd only happen if they were running 7 cars on a quiet day, doing general work on the 8th, and they had to take another car off due to a technical issue.  I think the workshop only has room for 2 cars anyway? 

Certainly is frustrating to think while most of us would shout "f**k off" at the sight of a 50 minute queue on Inferno during 1 train operation, the unwashed masses will probably proclaim "only 50 minutes for the Nemesis, never seen queues this short at Forpe Park!".

 

Just watching Inferno from Pizza Pasta was making my brain hurt. I'd like to think if the GP knew and called Thorpe out on it things might change but they'd probably make up some complicated reason to justify it!

 

Lesson learnt on my behalf, no more walk on term days at Thorpe Park.

1 hour ago, Mega-Lite said:

Certainly is frustrating to think while most of us would shout "f**k off" at the sight of a 50 minute queue on Inferno during 1 train operation, the unwashed masses will probably proclaim "only 50 minutes for the Nemesis, never seen queues this short at Forpe Park!".

 

Just watching Inferno from Pizza Pasta was making my brain hurt. I'd like to think if the GP knew and called Thorpe out on it things might change but they'd probably make up some complicated reason to justify it!

 

Lesson learnt on my behalf, no more walk on term days at Thorpe Park.

 

Indeed. Although busy days are a gamble, but I think at least you get better operations. The gamble is how much fastrack is sold I guess but then that also affects the 'off-peak' days to.