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Merlin Annual Pass Changes - November 2017

Rick said:
I can't remember the last time I was in the park for ERT, but it's a good perk, for sure.
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It is.

Let's see if it still exists come March.

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AstroDan said:
That sort of thing means little.
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Perhaps we could see a reduced ride line up for ERT, but I suspect it won't go away altogether. It's very much ingrained into the hotel stay and the annual pass scheme.

Plus, in the grand scheme of things - it's not that expensive to implement. By the nature of how morning work is completed, some rides will be serviceable before others, you just need to staff (which you can do with salaried staff) and power them.
 
If there’s any expense involved at all you can bet it’s an expense Merlin would have looked at cutting.
 
venny said:
If there’s any expense involved at all you can bet it’s an expense Merlin would have looked at cutting.
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Unpopular opinion

Say what you want about Merlin, they're not stupid. You can't cut and cut forever, that's not how business works.
 
Rick said:
Unpopular opinion

Say what you want about Merlin, they're not stupid. You can't cut and cut forever, that's not how business works.
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You say that, Rick - but at what point will the cuts (which are clear as day) stop? Merlin seem to persist with their approach to running the RTPs even when they are quite obviously failing, Merlin lose out on the FTSE100 and attendance drops at their parks - when some parks around Europe are posting growth.

We've seen a steady stream of them since around 2011 onwards. It started with the subtle removal of 7pm closes in August... then it was this, then it was that - then we had the crash, then it got even worse.

:)
 
@AstroDan That's fair, on the whole, but I think the perception of how damaging some of those cuts are is felt more in this community than it is among the wider visitor community. I think as we enter a new season, future intentions will be clearer as I suspect the Wicker Man opening will put a line under Smiler, to a large degree.

Anyone who visited this year cannot claim that the park hasn't established the firm basis of a recovery throughout 2017, in both attendance and (I can't see how not) revenue - but difficult to tell given how it's reported. That recovery is happening whilst this community bemoans the park's death by a thousand cuts.

RTP will never grow in the same way that the other divisions will, I wish Merlin would come out and say that to the investment community. You can't squeeze the lemon forever.

MaxPower said:
It's true, the crash gave them justification for implementing cuts they already had planned (with a few more added for good measure).
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This is hot bovril. Who do they need to justify any kind of cutback to? No one.
 
AstroDan said:
then we had the crash, then it got even worse
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It's true, the crash gave them justification for implementing cuts they already had planned (with a few more added for good measure).

I would love to see how the parks finances from the 90s stack up against those of today....
 
Rick said:
Unpopular opinion

Say what you want about Merlin, they're not stupid. You can't cut and cut forever, that's not how business works.
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DBGT.

I'm sorry, but I don't share your can't cut forever optimism that somehow a business wouldn't continue down that path. I know, I've worked for some of them. The cuts continue, stock market players, speculative traders and the board leg it with all the cash and private equity moves in to strip the assets. That's EXACTLY how "business works".
 
@matthewgcole The Dissapointment Express cost £20m+ - that is not a cut. Capex is at fairly healthy levels at the moment. Opex is being kept under review and is adjusted as appropriate, like anywhere else.

Business does not work unless the company has goods or services that consumers will exchange for cash, therefore you can't cut forever. If you could, you'd take all the rides out of the park and sell them, employ a skeleton staff of four and charge the gate price to all. That's not going to work.
 
Rick said:
@matthewgcole The Dissapointment Express cost £20m+ - that is not a cut. Capex is at fairly healthy levels at the moment. Opex is being kept under review and is adjusted as appropriate, like anywhere else.

Business does not work unless the company has goods or services that consumers will exchange for cash, therefore you can't cut forever. If you could, you'd take all the rides out of the park and sell them, employ a skeleton staff of four and charge the gate price to all. That's not going to work.
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Think you misinterpreted what I meant.

I used DBGT is an example to illustrate that they are often stupid.

Business doesn't work unless there are goods or services that consumers will exchange for money, indeed. But that's an argument for business sustainability rather than what I was saying.
 
@matthewgcole Fair enough. I am not in the DBGT hate brigade, I think that it was a valiant effort that ultimately fell short of expectations in the enthusiast community, the public space and also within Merlin itself. That said, I enjoy my rides on it - when it works.

They tried to do something new and innovative and it didn't quite pay off, but if you play your hand really conservative each time, that's rarely the best way to succeed. The industry is littered with projects that had grand plans and big budgets that ultimately sucked.

I am not sure that's got anything to do with being stupid, but fair enough.
 
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I do applaud Merlin for actually trying something different with DBGT, in the end though it's just frustrating that so much money was wasted at a time that parks like Chessington and Alton Towers are suffering from underinvestment.

Hopefully Merlin might go back to basics with future attractions as they have done with SW8, rather than focusing on gimmicks.
 
MaxPower said:
Hopefully Merlin might go back to basics with future attractions as they have done with SW8, rather than focusing on gimmicks.
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Whilst I agree... I think sometimes things that are new are often written off as gimmicks. I think VR and AR will feature more in the future as the technology is refined. Merlin's use of VR at Madame Tussauds in NYC is one of the best uses I've seen for their Ghostbusters attraction.

When Arrow built the Matterhorn and used new-fangled steel tubular track, that was a gimmick... but I am glad that the industry stuck with it, refined it and did some pretty remarkable stuff with it over time. Now RMC is shaking things up again.
 
Rick said:
@matthewgcole Fair enough. I am not in the DBGT hate brigade, I think that it was a valiant effort that ultimately fell short of expectations in the enthusiast community, the public space and also within Merlin itself. That said, I enjoy my rides on it - when it works.
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I don't hate it either. Now that it's been redone, I really enjoy it when it works and I have great respect for what they tried to do with it. As controversial as my opinion is, I actually like it.

Again though, that's not my point. You often dismiss the criticism of the obvious decline in the Merlin RTP'S as being fanboyism that doesn't stand up to the test of reality. I often agree with you too. So how DBGT was ever let through by the board is astonishing!
 
So the sale is on...
Merlin Annual Pass sale prices

Standard family pass
  • New: £109 (was £139) - saving of £30
  • Renewal: £99 (was £109) - saving of £10
Premium family pass
  • New: £139 (was £189) - a saving of £50
  • Renewal: £129 (was £149) - a saving of £20
Standard individual pass
  • New: £129 (was £179) - a saving of £50
  • Renewal: £119 (was £139) - a saving of £20
Premium individual pass
  • New: £169 (was £229) - a saving of £60
  • Renewal: £159 (was £179) - a saving of £20
OK so the prices have gone up and some of the Ts & Cs of the standard pass are a bit mean but it still seems good value. I'm so tempted to get one this year.
 
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