If you're talking about blackpool then yes I'm jealous
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2019: General Discussion
- Thread starter WL18
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Rob
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Straight to the Town Hall, collect your permission slip and head over to ride Wilderness Run!
Pretty sure it's nothing to do with that..!
themeparkfan
TS Member
Well if they spent £30 million on DBGT they were ripped off big time! When I went on the revamp in 2017 I was very disappointed and don't think I would reride. Perhaps they should cut the losses and just close it before they have to spend any more on it ! And with all that tech I'm sure it will drink the money! On a separate note who reckons I'm a celebrity will be cut?
£30 million is a conservative figure too that was just the build cost, I heard it's cost them upwards of another £15 million on top to fix everything that broke after the first few weeks of operation, rumour had it the mirrors alone cost more than NST as they are absolutely huge and have to be one piece so you can't see that they are a mirror.
They didn't get ripped off, practically everything about the ride was a prototype, they were just five years too early and paid the price of being first.
They didn't get ripped off, practically everything about the ride was a prototype, they were just five years too early and paid the price of being first.
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Poopoohead
TS Member
Can’t believe that thing has cost 45m
Danny
TS Contributor
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Meanwhile you can buy one of these beauties for less than the cost of a single Nemesis Sub Terra.... just saying.
It really is incredible isn't it?
Dave
TS Founding Member
You really thing £15 million was spent after the ride opened.....
Did they gold plate the VR headsets????
I mean we all know the cost of that ride far outweighed the value of the ride but come on.
RicketyCricket
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Taron
Merlin usually include marketing costs in these figures too I believe?
Still, it's surely got to go down as the biggest waste of money in theme park history. Is there anything that comes remotely close? Absolutlely embarrassing for all involved with that project.
Still, it's surely got to go down as the biggest waste of money in theme park history. Is there anything that comes remotely close? Absolutlely embarrassing for all involved with that project.
True
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
For all its apparent failures, DBGT did give Thorpe a dark ride in their lineup, which is something that the park was missing, so that's a positive. Even though it does alienate some of Thorpe's visitors (myself included) due to certain elements of the attraction that might put people off, it is still a dark ride for the park. Even though I haven't experienced the ride itself, the shop and the exterior are also fantastic, in my opinion; I got to see them in May 2018, and I'd say the shop and the exterior are some of the best theming in any Merlin park! The soundtrack is also brilliant and builds up a really tense atmosphere around the area!
However, I must admit that when it was announced that Thorpe was building a dark ride in October 2014, DBGT is not really the ride I had envisaged nor is it the sort of thing I was hoping for. I was envisaging some sort of simulator or trackless dark ride that would have some sort of appeal for everyone. Also, I must admit that I am quite staggered that they apparently spent £15m fixing the ride (to put things into perspective, that's almost as much as the whole Wicker Man project cost!), and when added on top of the reported £30m spent initially, that comes to a combined £45m. For that money, we could have had 3 Thirteens, to put things into perspective.
But if that £15m was what was needed to make the attraction as great as it can possibly be, then I'm all for that! Merlin clearly know what they are doing and what the guests want, and even though DBGT is not my ideal Thorpe dark ride, I probably have quite uncommon opinions and tastes compared to most!
However, I must admit that when it was announced that Thorpe was building a dark ride in October 2014, DBGT is not really the ride I had envisaged nor is it the sort of thing I was hoping for. I was envisaging some sort of simulator or trackless dark ride that would have some sort of appeal for everyone. Also, I must admit that I am quite staggered that they apparently spent £15m fixing the ride (to put things into perspective, that's almost as much as the whole Wicker Man project cost!), and when added on top of the reported £30m spent initially, that comes to a combined £45m. For that money, we could have had 3 Thirteens, to put things into perspective.
But if that £15m was what was needed to make the attraction as great as it can possibly be, then I'm all for that! Merlin clearly know what they are doing and what the guests want, and even though DBGT is not my ideal Thorpe dark ride, I probably have quite uncommon opinions and tastes compared to most!
DistortAMG
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- POTC Disneyland Paris
'Know what they are doing'.
They certainly do know what they are doing, they have maximised returns for their shareholders since they took over, this has resulted in poor value, poor quality, poor maintenance and upkeep, lack of variation, demise of entertainment, ill thought out attractions, steady but constant decline of the offerings and opening times at all their theme park properties over the last decade, I could go on........and on and on and on.
Naivety is a wonderful thing my friend, let me re write that whole sentence for you, clearly you made a spelling error.
Those figures come from reliable sources through Thorpe Park Mania iirc.
I think it's also fairly possible to be true since each headset costs over a grand each at the time, and there was 174 required for the ride to run (because of the way the ride works, there is no "reduced capacity", and the vast majority of these headsets needed replacing at regular intervals because they either burnt out or were broken by Joe public - it was how the ride was worked out, by counting the broken headsets in each carriage gave away there were three carriages), throw on top of that another 174 dedicated, air cooled PC's running each headset that regularly broke (literally daily in some cases), the needed installation of air conditioning after a few months operation, the re-rendering of the second VR scene, a mirror needing replacing etc. etc. Just pull out a calculator and work out the hardware cost alone, it's staggering for a "ride". Then you have staffing costs, I'm not a hundred percent but wasn't it 14 staff members required to run it originally, 14 x minimum wage x each day open = quickly adds even more to the cost.
As the age old saying goes, everything adds up, I would not be suprised if this ride will cost them £60Million by the end of its life, 2019 is the last year of Merlin funding for it, so expect it to go the same way IAC has gone this year at the end of 2019, i.e. Bulldozed.
Benzin
TS Member
You should NOT need that amount of money to fix a BRAND NEW ATTRACTION the season AFTER it opened...
jon81uk
TS Member
I think a proper simulator dark ride, something like Spider-Man at Universal would have done better for them. Maybe with a Doctor Who theme, or some other family sci-fi.
Danny
TS Contributor
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
I'm sorry Matt, but this is a ridiculous statement. If they knew what they were doing and what guests wanted, Galactica would not be in the sorry state of having almost all of its VR removed after just two seasons.
If they knew what they were doing and what guests wanted, we'd have potentially a great David Walliams-esque re-theme of CCL this year to cater for the next age bracket up from CBeebies, not an upcharged Midway attraction.
If they knew what they were doing and what guests wanted, we'd have a greater emphasis on permanent live entertainment throughout the season. This was nailed in the form of temporary entertainment last year with the band performing during the WickerMan opening, as well the choice to display the World Cup on park. It's proof that entertainment works, but oh yes I forgot, Merlin insist nobody wants to visit theme parks for live entertainment.
If they knew what they were doing and what guests wanted, they would focus on making investments to get guests to stay in the current existing accommodation. Not wasting money on new accommodation that will just continue to make the resort occupancy rate look a laughing stock.
If they knew what they were doing and what guests wanted, they would not continuously invest in actor led attractions knowing full damn well they can't afford to staff them and they will be cut only a few number of seasons later. (Looking at you Krake Lebt, Saw Alive, Sub Terra, I'm A Celebrity...)
Knowing what you are doing and what guests want is having the balls to tear down two iconic B&M inverts to replace with a new highly themed family thrill coaster. Not cutting operating hours or removing/leaving rides left to stand in sorry SBNO states.
Merlin have an idea of what they're doing to please investors and investors only. They do not however have a firm grasp on delivering what guests want to the calibre that other parks and big companies do. They have proven time and time again that their approach is quantity over quality. I am adamant that your persistent optimism will not and can not hide this forever (given I was exactly like you once upon a time, Merlin eventually broke me).
Their own marketing campaign for Towers this year contradicts everything that the resort stands for. Escapism. Yet here they are throwing 'research statistics' and Brexit into people's faces. That is not escapism.
The only viable form of escapism when it comes to the theme park industry in the UK now is to jump on the next flight out of here and get to parks on the continent or in the US. (I'll give Paulton's the benefit of the doubt for next year).
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