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2026: General Discussion

Secret Weapon said:
Sorry for asking a silly question, but if the park is closed to the general public until next week then how were people able to go there today? I don't remember seeing this advertised?

Ride Times is saying that it is only open for private hire today, but how would somebody have gone about hiring the park?

Did AT do this last year as well?
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Happens every year.

Corporate hire of the park is available. Today it’s Blue Light Day hiring, tomorrow John Lewis.

 
Isn't it also around £2,000 to hire a rollercoaster for an hour after closing?

That sounds like a lot, but it's only around £60 per person for a group of 32 people.

I assume (hope) that you would be allowed to stay on the ride for the entire hour and wouldn't have to disembark, walk around the entire queue line, and re-board each time! (With Oblivion's long queue line, I'd be exhausted after the second ride). I'm assuming that the park would agree to run multiple trains as well?
 
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Secret Weapon said:
Isn't is also around £2,000 to hire a rollercoaster for an hour after closing?

That sounds like a lot, but it's only around £60 per person for a group of 32 people.

I assume (hope) that you would be allowed to stay on the ride for the entire hour and wouldn't have to disembark, walk around the entire queue line, and re-board each time! (With Oblivion's long queue line, I'd be exhausted after the second ride). I'm assuming that the park would agree to run multiple trains as well?
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I’d expect them to continue operating the ride how it is at close of park rather than actively adding or removing a train unless there’s a maintenance requirement.

Depending on the ride, if your group size exceeds the number onboard I’d be surprised if they let people loiter around the exit platform but it’s probably case by case for each rides set-up.
 
Liam_82 said:
Was this the colour of the corkscrew in its later years ... .early 2000s? I would have sworn the supports were the colour of this picture but the track white? Probably old age playing tricks with me but the memory is so clear in my mind
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I remember it being a pale yellow colour around 2004 (not this vibrant) - possibly due to weather or mechanical damage over time?

I didn't see it that often, though, so I could be wrong (although I think I have an old photograph of it from 1994 somewhere).

I am too young to remember what it looked like in 1980, and the old VHS cassettes at the time probably didn't record the exact colour intensity accurately enough for us to compare! (we'd possibly need to rely on the memories of the seasoned vets on this forum instead)
 
The original corkscrew was bright yellow (it's why all the advertising for the park around that time had a bright yellow corkscrew on it) and they repainted it when Ugland was introduced to make the coaster look bone-like to fit in with the prehistoric look. Ironic really considering by the end of its life it was a bit of a bone shaker!
 
shaun3 said:
Merlin getting exactly what they wanted. You're all discussing them repainting a set piece whilst ignoring all the stuff they didn't repaint.
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In fairness, we have no idea that they haven’t repainted other things.

As much as people like to portray that Merlin leave the parks grubby and don’t do any maintenance, other work will have been done over the off-season. Every year, the park does all kinds of repainting, cleaning and glowing things up.
 
shaun3 said:
Merlin getting exactly what they wanted. You're all discussing them repainting a set piece whilst ignoring all the stuff they didn't repaint.
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Well why not be positive and be happy about what they have done rather than moan about what they haven't done? In my opinion, there is too much negativity around Towers and Merlin on social media at moment, much of which is just not justified other than it seems to be fashionable to have a dig at them all the time.

Just because "Merlin" doesn't mean they won't do anything. And looking at these updates from Theme Park Guide, they have done quite a bit more than just splashing paint around:
  • Pathing around the Skyride toilets have been repaved (block paved too, not the cheaper tarmac that they could've opted for)
  • New accessibility ramp at Rita (probably removed the lift)
  • New screens in Galactica queues telling those with no common sense how to board Galactica
  • Some new signs here and there
  • The frogs and their lily pads have been repainted
  • The outside of Towers Trading is being repainted
  • Not mentioned in these updates but part of the path from the Towers down to the toilets at X Sector has been repaved (again with block paving, not tarmac)
  • No doubt lots of other things around the park yet to be noticed
 
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Steve74 said:
Well why not be positive and be happy about what they have done rather than moan about what they haven't done? In my opinion, there is too much negativity around Towers and Merlin on social media at moment, much of which is just not justified other than it seems to be fashionable to have a dig at them all the time.

Just because "Merlin" doesn't mean they won't do anything. And looking at these updates from Theme Park Guide, they have done quite a bit more than just splashing paint around:
  • Pathing around the Skyride toilets have been repaved (block paved too, not the cheaper tarmac that they could've opted for)
  • New accessibility ramp at Rita (probably removed the lift)
  • New screens in Galactica queues telling those with no common sense how to board Galactica
  • Some new signs here and there
  • The frogs and their lily pads have been repainted
  • The outside of Towers Trading is being repainted
  • Not mentioned in these updates but part of the path from the Towers down to the toilets at X Sector have been repaved (again with block paving, not tarmac)
  • No doubt lots of other things around the park yet to be noticed
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I am more curious what they have done with Runaway Mine Train, Congo River Rapids and Monorail.

Hoping Monorail has an upgrade to loading proceedure to allow fast ops to get 6 trains running especially as last a ride op said they might be repairing Cow Train
 
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