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  1. James

    Goodbye Blade…

    Didn't Blade have an extensive refurb a few years ago? If it does appear for sale, its removal will only anger people more. This whole year-by-year short-term approach does not work. It’s becoming a case of ‘what rides will still exist next year’.
  2. James

    Goodbye Blade…

    They could keep that for future cuts. Maybe 2026 season and keep the area as 'closed for new attractions' that may or may not happen.
  3. James

    The Alton Towers Dungeon

    This doesn't come as any surprise to me. The Dungeons appeared to be struggling to generate sales. It would have likely been a waste to have reverted it from the Amigo's maze to only struggle with sales again and a wasted operational cost. May as well leave the maze intact for Scarefest 2025...
  4. James

    Goodbye Blade…

    The biggest loss will be for families with The Blade and Flavio's gone. Forbidden Valley will have nothing for those under 1.4m.
  5. James

    2024: General Discussion

    Hopefully, she will stay in the job for a little longer. It has been a mixed bag of a year, but I think Bianca has generally done a good job. Let's not forget the years of neglect the resort has suffered. Unless Merlin pumps millions upon millions into fixing the park, any manager in the post is...
  6. James

    [2025] Toxicator: New Forbidden Valley Suspended Top Spin

    There doesn't appear to be anything going on around Galactica, either.
  7. James

    Merlin Entertainments: General Discussion

    I don't feel Merlin has changed much in the past few years. There's still an imbalance where you get the good (Curse/Nemesis) and then the bad (operational cuts, poor F&B offerings). There was good theming before going private (Wicker Man in 2018). Improvement in theming, I feel, is simply due...
  8. James

    BBC Scam Safe Quiz

    14/15 Harry Style's guitar got me. I put it down as a scam. How do you genuinely know if the artist has signed an item (unless they do it in front of you)? I've never heard of Julien's. If you Google them, their reviews aren't very good either, so I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
  9. James

    The Alton Towers Dungeon

    Merrie England became a very run-down area mostly used as a thoroughfare. The transition to Mutiny Bay turned it into an area you wanted to stay in. There were some new bits of theming. Battle Galleons was well done. You had a new kid's flat ride (Heave Ho), the pirate show in the Courtyard, and...
  10. James

    [202X] Project Horizon (SW9?): Planning Approved

    The planning permission allows them to commence works up to June 2026, so plenty of time for this to happen if Towers still wish to go ahead with it. They could push it as far back as a 2028/2029 opening. Personally I feel it would be a shame if this project is shelved/scrapped. The whole of...
  11. James

    Russia vs NATO

    It's likely a warning/response to the US and UK allowing their long-range missiles to be used by Ukraine to attack targets in Russia. I don't feel it's in Putin's interests to go nuclear or escalate this war beyond Ukraine (that's not to say it wouldn't happen). He's got supplies coming from...
  12. James

    [2025] Toxicator: New Forbidden Valley Suspended Top Spin

    Two acid vats on either side is a good shout. I am thinking black and yellow on the ride/structure, then two theming pieces on either side with green pipes, etc, maybe leading into some kind of water feature. I hope they go with good quality theming and don't make a cheap job of it.
  13. James

    You know you're getting old when...

    It gets worse when you are older and working full-time, Matt. That "Oh, god..." turns into "For ****'s sake".
  14. James

    Galactica's Future

    The shows tend to take many months of planning. If a retheme were planned for Galactica, it would be too late to change the Fireworks show/plans. I don't think it particularly makes a difference to the Fireworks show, as creatively, it works anyway. It’s not exactly like the story was ‘Come to...
  15. James

    2024: General Discussion

    Am I right in saying that the stage was only used for the CBeebies event this year before Oktoberfest? If we expect more cuts in 2025, I wonder whether we won’t see the stage until Oktoberfest (no events or stage entertainment prior to this).
  16. James

    Strange questions that sometimes need answering (or not asking in the first place really).

    When the hospital I work in opened (it's a new hospital), we had those floating/wall-attached toilets. Quickly after a few weeks of opening, lots of toilets across the hospital were coming apart from the wall attachments/hinges (resulting in angry maintenance staff coming to reattach/secure...
  17. James

    2024: General Discussion

    It always felt like the spa was under-advertised, likely due to the limitations of the space. It wasn't a huge spa and was a repurposed space itself from a kids club/hotel pool, so the limited capacity, I think, has always been reflected in the lack of advertising. There are spas up and down the...
  18. James

    Ride Availability/Operations 2022-25

    I think it's a good family-thrill ride that bridges the gap between RMT and the more intense thrill rides. The outdoor section lets it down a bit, but it's a decent enough ride. Lack of reliability as a reason for removal you could apply to any ride at any point in history. At the moment, Alton...
  19. James

    Hex [2024 Refurb]: General Discussion

    Yeah, I found that a bit disappointing. Given the time it has been closed, it's a shame they couldn't 1. fix that curtain and 2. make the preshow doors automatic (they're plain old doors that the staff member has to open, I imagine that gets tedious all day). It's great they've fixed the ride...
  20. James

    2024: General Discussion

    Well, #PrayforBlade was not on my 2024/25 closed season bingo card!
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