You say it’s not been popular but, all major rides at 60-90 mean it’s too popular for the ride count as, with a standard 10-6 summer opening, you wouldn’t get even the big rides done in that time let alone filler
the 90 mins is only for like a hour or 2 of the whole day, and the rest of the rides are normally less than 60 mins, and most the summer days hasn't seen a 90 min queue, also I recall last year the queue to enter the park was quite long and would reach back to the chained oak or further on most summer days, but the times I have been there has been no queue.
It is just VIBES, and I am noticing that it feels like there are less people in the park
Long queues don’t necessarily mean high attendance. Alton in particular has had quite weak ride availability this year, as well as considerably lower overall ride capacity than it used to have in years gone by.
These things will drive up queue times even if attendance is low, as there are less operating attractions to spread guests between.
availability wasn't particularly well last year either, tbh this year I haven't been in a queue and the ride breaks as much as last year (but there are problems, like the smiler being down for a couple days or wicker man) I am curious why it has dropped as other parks like that in the USA from what I have read have also seen avalivility drops.
also last year nemesis was closed last year, so there would be more demand on the rides.
Maybe this is in part down to me living in the South (albeit the South West rather than near London), but all in all, the weather this summer hasn’t seemed quite as bad as last year. It started off a bit rainy and cold, but it’s seemingly been quite sunny and dry for much of July and August. Perhaps that rainy, cold period at the start of summer did put a lot of people off, but overall, the weather this summer has not seemed as overwhelmingly bad as last year’s summer weather was.
I travel to bristol for work quite often and it is often night and day, I would put shorts and a T-shirt on in bristol, and when I arrive in the west midlands it is pouring it down, and freezing and often requires jeans and jumpers. often the north and the west has felt more like autum/winter this summer.
The other interesting to note about attendance is that outwardly at least, it seems as though Alton Towers and maybe Chessington World of Adventures have suffered more than Thorpe Park and Legoland Windsor.
This is why I suspect the weather is playing a role, all the other parks are in the south with nice weather this year, alton is up north where it has been really bad.
