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2022: General Discussion

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Danny said:
No closures throughout the calendar. Praise be.
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2nd & 20th May are already grey out on the booking page so I'm assuming they are closed to the general public on those days. Unless one of you lot are having a private party and I'm not invited :(.

*Unable to workout how to upload the screen shot to TowerStreet site*
 
Jim said:
2nd & 20th May are already grey out on the booking page so I'm assuming they are closed to the general public on those days. Unless one of you lot are having a private party and I'm not invited :(.

*Unable to workout how to upload the screen shot to TowerStreet site*
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2nd May is a bank holiday so I highly doubt the park will be closed. Perhaps it’s a cock up or maybe plans are afoot for a special event such as the return of concerts and plans aren’t finalised so they are holding back on ticket release for now.
 
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Wasn’t really sure where to put this one, but Merlin have extended their leases of Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Warwick Castle and Heide Park. Originally running 35 years from 2007 when they purchased Tussauds, the leases had 20 years left on them. They have now been extended to 55 years and the lease company have paid Merlin £33million as part of the deal.

Full details here:
https://otp.investis.com/clients/uk...regulatory-story.aspx?cid=2129&newsid=1539840
 
...will change from uncapped annual upwards only RPI uplifts to annual reviews of CPI +0.5% (with a floor of 1% per annum and a maximum increase of 4% per annum) ... confirmed that the Capital Contribution paid represents not more than 50% of any marriage value created as a result of the lease extensions ... resulting as it does in the weighted average unexpired lease term across the SIR portfolio increasing from 19.2 years to 30.0 years, making our WAULT the longest amongst our peers in the UK REIT sector. ... "Merlin is a genuinely world class business which, through this initiative and particularly the new ESG elements incorporated in the agreements, has demonstrated its clear commitment to these unique, landmark sites."
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...well. I will never, ever understand this level of business.

They're just playing around with big money to make more big money, right?
 
Merlin executive: "Hey, you know those theme parks in the UK that everyone loves?"

Merlin employer: "Yeah, so what?"

Merlin executive: "Wht not we buy them for another 20 years and keep killing them, getting rid of beloved attractions, excluding their IPs and the Secret Weapons of course, and keep raising prices..."

Merlin Employer: "Why? Just why?"

Merlin executive: "Money."

Merlin Employer: "Gees!! Why didn't I think of that!"

Great, just great. I have little faith that Any of Chessington, Thorpe, of Alton will even be recognisable in a good way when their contract ends with the Parks. They'll probably just end up like a your typical Six Flags/ American Amusement Park, but worse.
 
Trooper Looper said:
Wht not we buy them for another 20 years and keep killing them, getting rid of beloved attractions, excluding their IPs and the Secret Weapons of course, and keep raising prices..."
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Can't think of any good attractions they've got rid of from towers tbf. Flume, sub terra, ripsaw, submission, ice age and toadstool. All pretty meh attractions imo. I guess there's corkscrew which was a classic but I can't comment as I never rode it
 
Ethan said:
Can't think of any good attractions they've got rid of from towers tbf. Flume, sub terra, ripsaw, submission, ice age and toadstool. All pretty meh attractions imo. I guess there's corkscrew which was a classic but I can't comment as I never rode it
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Ripsaw was great for those who like going upside down, Twirling Toadstool fantastic for those who don’t. The theatre was always a good family attraction as well both as live shows and the Ice Age 4D.
They might not be to your tastes but there were all good attractions for those who did enjoy them.
 
Matt N said:
Out of interest, what's wrong with Six Flags? Some of their parks look great, in my opinion!
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The impression I get is that some of the old rides are good and even the odd new one. The issue they have is that there is literal advertisements everywhere meaning that there is no atmosphere. They also have dreadful operations and are even worse than Merlin at cost cutting. I haven't actually visited a Six Flags park but that's the impression I get from the US enthusiasts.
 
JAperson said:
The impression I get is that some of the old rides are good and even the odd new one. The issue they have is that there is literal advertisements everywhere meaning that there is no atmosphere. They also have dreadful operations and are even worse than Merlin at cost cutting. I haven't actually visited a Six Flags park but that's the impression I get from the US enthusiasts.
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This varies massively dependent on which Six Flags parks you're visiting, and under which leadership. I haven't been to any in a while now, but always felt like their dreadful operations and customer care were grossly overstated. I would rather have the vast majority of Six Flags parks in the UK over Thorpe Park, for example. They have a clear vision as a company and know what they are and in which area they excel.
 
I guess it all comes down to the person visiting a park as to what they deem value for money. As a thrillseeker, I'd much rather spend £34-£42 on getting in to towers than $100+ to go to Disney. But families would happily spend the extra money to go to disney as its the best park in the world for families and kids, so why would they go to towers when it's got cbeebies and walliams and that's it.
 
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