I don’t disagree with you mate, I just have a slightly softer view on it.
You’re right, the park does need those attractions yesterday (I’ve made the same point myself) but it isn’t getting them yesterday; so the next best thing is them getting them in a few years.
The reality is Hex is clearly opening soon (the park have teased it today), hopefully the Sky Ride will follow.
I do genuinely admire your enthusiasm with it and I know it’s coming from the right place I just take a slightly more optimistic position with it, perhaps I’ll be proven wrong though.
That's fine. There's no problem at all with you expressing your opinion, in fact I'd encourage it, so I wouldn't worry.
Whilst this is all true in regards to planning, I just can’t see them adding in two random flats during the closed season.
I know the 3 flat rumour is popular here, but with the amount of money they’ve thrown at the Valley this year they’re going to want ocean to take front and centre of all the attention.
Let the valley have all the attention this year and next year…2026 two new flats and then perhaps Horizon in 27’
It's not confirmed that they've signed on the dotted line of any deal. And if they have, we don't know the terms. I agree I can't see them doing this either. But the reasons for this, of which you have expressed, are absolutely the wrong ones.
Yes, they're going to want to flog the hell out of their expensive new addition. And so they should. But dragging guests into another season of X Sector being as bare as it's ever been, is not at all good for guests, or the long-term future of the park. And even if they do drag this out for another few years (which they almost undoubtedly will), something else will break, need renovating, or need removing by that time.
One flash new flat and a 'complete' area doesn't make a good overall park. It just makes Forbidden Valley a bit better. The park desperately needs capacity, and to make a statement of intent that they care about guest experience. This season has been a shambolic embarrassment, and it needs fixing fast. If it turns out they could just stretch a little further in which to partially achieve this, then that's what they should do rather than wait for marketing bragging rights. Letting the marketing tail wag the dog is the Merlin of old isn't it?
Also notice how the debate of the last page or so has centred around the theory that delivering quality and quantity are mutually exclusive. There's a big expensive concrete base being built for Ocean, but let's not pretend this is absolute assurance that'll be some sort of Talcon beater. It could end up being a gloss black off-the-shelf Topspin sat on a dull grey brutalist plinth due to last minute budget cuts for all we know. Yet it'll still be significantly better than what came before it, which was nothing.
This is the same company that persistently relies on shipping containers for theming, the last of which they installed right next door in the queue line for the reimagining of their arguably best attraction, and also commissioned a coaster down in Surrey that was so good, they could only afford to build half of it and locked it behind a boring fence so that you couldn't see the muddy crap pile they left it with.
I never liked the look of Enterprise much, but it was better than nothing and at least had themed signage. They did very little to Submission, but it kind of acted like a moving theming piece in itself. Twirling toadstool wasn't groundbreaking, but it did kind of look like a toadstool. Ripsaw was the heaviest themed, but even that was only a metal bridge, a water fountain, a wall, and a truck. All of these examples are better than what we currently have, which is a travelling Sizzler, some caravans, or nothing at all.
