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Strange questions that sometimes need answering (or not asking in the first place really).

I’m not sure if there are any wrestling fans on this forum (or if this is the correct thread to post it in), but the comments section of Hulk Hogan’s TNA theme song (link below) features comical examples of somebody spoiling the party – in a similar manner to which the late Hulk Hogan allegedly sabotaged any young and emerging threat to his position!

I am trying to think of disappointing theme park experiences, which I have posted below; if anybody else can think of any then feel free to add them in!

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Toxicator: Attracts large crowds for its opening day

The drains:

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Thorpe Park: Spend millions on an exciting new dark-ride in 2016 instead of a rollercoaster

The Ghost Train:

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AT visitor in 2015: Air has long queue times

Galactica VR in 2016:

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Blackpool visitor in 2007: Finally, a new steel rollercoaster at the park, instead of another rough wooden one

Infusion:

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Thorpe Park: A new rollercoaster for the first time in 12 years

Hyperia’s second day:

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Drayton Manor: Reopens in March 2026

The Big Restart:

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Bluey: Kids eager to ride the new attraction

Enthusiasts:

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From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxEXrqsRn34
 
I have a funny question for those of you who rank coasters.

I'm updating my rankings following my trip to Adventure Island and Thorpe Park, and after having ridden Walking Dead for the first time since the retheme yesterday (late to the party, I know!), it's raised an interesting conundrum.

My current ranking for this particular ride, from when I rode it in 2014 as X, would place it at #84/142 and a 5/10. I think the coaster itself largely still deserves this ranking and rating... but as someone who isn't good with horror, I would have to admit that I absolutely loathe the new theming, or more specifically those dreadfully overwhelming pre and post-ride sections, with a burning passion. This makes me vastly less inclined to ride it than I was when it was X despite the coaster itself largely being the same; I will likely not ride this coaster again unless it gets rethemed due to absolutely hating the pre and post-ride stuff.

With this in mind, I'm wondering; if the coaster hardware is as good as I previously remember, but the new theming and horror-based pre and post-ride sections make me vastly less inclined to ride it than I was before, should I give it a lower ranking and rating? Or should I keep it the same on the grounds of the coaster experience itself still being about as good as I previously remembered?

I'd be intrigued to know how other rankers handle this sort of thing.
 
You should absolutely drop it down your list if you actively dislike a core part of the ride. Thorpe have chosen to make the preshow, indoor queue and exit route a big part of the ride experience and your opinion on the ride is rightly influenced by your response to that. For an indoor coaster, the theme is a much more significant part of the overall experience than for a typical outdoor coaster, as it has to compensate for the limitations of the ride hardware. In essence, the ride is just a non-standard vekoma jr coaster in a box. That sort of ride can be found all over the place with very few distinguishing factors but put it indoors and with custom theming and suddenly the experience differs substantially.

I also rated X quite highly as an fun, unassuming family coaster. After 15 years of trying to pass off a mediocre coaster as a proper thrill ride, they'd finally accepted what it actually was and in doing so the ride found its niche and served its purpose well. Then for some reason the park decided to go back to pretending it's a an extreme thrill ride, raising the height restriction significantly in the process. Of the 3 distinct versions of the ride I've done (backwards, rave, horror) it's by far my least favourite - at least the original was funny. I think last time I rode it I ended up turning on my phone torch during the long corridor to the station as I genuinely couldn't see where I was supposed to be going.
 
That almost feels unfair, as that takes it from #84 to absolute rock bottom and the coaster itself isn't a bad family coaster and probably still deserves its old rating... but if I'm thinking of all "active" portions of the experience between entering the pyramid and exiting it, I'd genuinely struggle to think of many, if any, coasters I've enjoyed less from end to end. If I count those horrible corridors as part of the "ride experience", it's possibly a strong contender for my least favourite coaster full stop. That sounds extreme, I know, but I strongly dislike in-your-face horror stuff, particularly that with scare actors, and I absolutely despise the new theming and the corridors as a result, even having ridden it with no actors. I just found those corridors in particular far too dark, far too loud and far too overwhelming and they made me quite anxious and keen to get out of there for that reason.

It's certainly the only Thorpe coaster I would say I'm likely to never reride in its current state for this reason alone, and it's why it took me 8 years to experience the rethemed version.

I don't normally tend to consider non-hardware factors when ranking coasters, so part of me thinks it feels unfair to do so here, but as you point out, Thorpe makes the indoor corridors a strong "active" part of the Walking Dead experience to the extent where they should probably be considered part of the "ride experience" (they aren't really passive enough to be a simple "queue", are they?), and my strength of feeling toward those is such that it's an incredibly strong deterrent to me reriding. With that in mind, I guess it probably is a fair assessment to push it all the way down...
EDIT: I've actually gone and settled for a rock bottom ranking of #142/142... yes, I really do hate the corridors that much and I really am that much of a wuss when it comes to in-your-face horror stuff!
 
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What if you had a pure and simple ride hardware rank and an overall experience rank? Might be interesting to see the relationship between the two and how drastically they affect the overall list order. 84 to 142 is quite a drop!
 
DiogoJ42 said:
Watching a vid about maglevs. China has a prototype that can accelerate a 1 ton test sledge to 700Kph in 2 seconds.

From: https://youtu.be/WICVlQOb09o?si=Ac60OkjlITFfy0re


But never mind that right now. I want to strap this launch to a coaster!
.... It may have to cross an international border or two ....
Click to expand...

Ah, you’ve just reminded me of the idea to build a launched coaster from the UK to the USA, with Ireland as the launch room. 😛
 
Yeah, I think you're right to put the Walking Dead at the bottom of your list, @Matt N. To me, it's the equivalent of a coaster that has become rough. In this case, it would almost certainly deserve the rating based on how it rides now, rather than how it used to ride.

Also, imagine if it was a dark ride, not a coaster. A different theme can make it absolutely night and day whether you still like the ride or not. Could make the difference between No.1 and No.100, without a doubt.
 
I have another interesting question for the people of TST this evening.

I’m currently in Nottingham ahead of a trip to Fantasy Island tomorrow, and I’ve checked into a hotel and had a Wetherspoons meal this evening. At other Premier Inn locations, I’ve had screen-based check-in, but here in Nottingham, there were no check-in screens and I had to go to a person at a desk. And at Wetherspoons, I was using the app to order and was in and out of there within an hour!

I know many people bemoan the loss of the human touch, but part of me thinks; is it only me who quite likes and embraces our new digital systems? Perhaps it’s a generational thing, but I find it easier to just go to a screen and type or press myself! The Wetherspoons app in particular is brilliant; you press what you want on the menu, use Apple Pay or equivalent to pay, and then it just comes to your table! I much prefer that to ordering at the bar the old-fashioned way.
 
Matt N said:
I know many people bemoan the loss of the human touch, but part of me thinks; is it only me who quite likes and embraces our new digital systems? Perhaps it’s a generational thing, but I find it easier to just go to a screen and type or press myself! The Wetherspoons app in particular is brilliant; you press what you want on the menu, use Apple Pay or equivalent to pay, and then it just comes to your table! I much prefer that to ordering at the bar the old-fashioned way
Click to expand...

It depends on the circumstances but generally i feel the same as it’s usually far more efficient. I’m not looking for customer service if I’m in a Wetherspoon etc, i just want my order ASAP!

I don’t really buy the Luddite argument as history is full of technological evolution changing workplaces. There are always winners and losers.

That being said i do think it’s good to have both options as there will often be scenarios that can’t be handled digitally.
 
Matt N said:
I know many people bemoan the loss of the human touch, but part of me thinks; is it only me who quite likes and embraces our new digital systems? Perhaps it’s a generational thing, but I find it easier to just go to a screen and type or press myself! The Wetherspoons app in particular is brilliant; you press what you want on the menu, use Apple Pay or equivalent to pay, and then it just comes to your table! I much prefer that to ordering at the bar the old-fashioned way.
Click to expand...

Instinctively, I prefer just going up to a desk and speaking to someone. However, it's not without its own problems. Once I was in Blackpool and tried to get an on-ride photo of Avalanche. I asked for "nine", and the member of staff thought I'd said "one" (or vice versa, I forget). Anyway, he printed off the wrong one, and got quite shirty with me over my pronunciation! A screen can be good for ordering exactly what you want, with no room for misinterpretation.

However, it's not exactly the same thing, but the one that gets me is apps-only for parking. I think it puts you in quite a time-limited situation where things can go wrong - the phone runs out of power, you lose your signal or it just doesn't work. To me, it's much simpler to just insert some coins.

I also don't like it when businesses say "Cash only" or "Card only", as it's not about taking sides for me - I just want people to have as much freedom as possible. If it's legal tender, you should be able to use it.

So, I'm not against technology - sometimes it can be very useful - but it's better when as many options as possible are available.
 
I might be in the minority, but I generally prefer screens to humans because some people can be quite rude

Not everybody is like that, obviously, but I am yet to encounter a rude machine*

(*Some computer screens have aggressive messages written on them, but - again - these messages were written by aggressive people, and not the machines themselves)

I think this is partly why Amazon has become so successful: not just the convenience, but it also avoids the risk of encountering confrontational staff when trying to return an item, etc

Some short-sighted Argos staff near me never understood that picking fights with customers and refusing to accept returned items may save the company money** in the short-run, but made customers less likely to return in the long-run

(**Especially irritating as it's not even their money or company policy to overrule)

I also thought the chugger thing was a bad idea, as - even if it's for charity - it made people less likely to visit an already-struggling high street
 
Matt N said:
I have another interesting question for the people of TST this evening.

I’m currently in Nottingham ahead of a trip to Fantasy Island tomorrow, and I’ve checked into a hotel and had a Wetherspoons meal this evening. At other Premier Inn locations, I’ve had screen-based check-in, but here in Nottingham, there were no check-in screens and I had to go to a person at a desk. And at Wetherspoons, I was using the app to order and was in and out of there within an hour!

I know many people bemoan the loss of the human touch, but part of me thinks; is it only me who quite likes and embraces our new digital systems? Perhaps it’s a generational thing, but I find it easier to just go to a screen and type or press myself! The Wetherspoons app in particular is brilliant; you press what you want on the menu, use Apple Pay or equivalent to pay, and then it just comes to your table! I much prefer that to ordering at the bar the old-fashioned way.
Click to expand...
I understand the joy of not having to stand at a sticky bar trying to catch the eye of an overworked bartender while holding a sticky menu, but digital systems were rolled out to eliminate human labour, not to "enhance the guest experience".

A QR code doesn't need a pension, it doesn't take a 20 minute statutory break, it doesn't call in sick, and it doesn't ask for a pay rise when inflation hits.

You're doing the job of the cashier for free, and Tim Martin is pocketing the difference, all whilst convincing you that doing the work yourself is a luxury upgrade.
East Coast Mariner said:
I also don't like it when businesses say "Cash only" or "Card only", as it's not about taking sides for me - I just want people to have as much freedom as possible. If it's legal tender, you should be able to use it.
Click to expand...
Legal tender doesn't mean what you think it does. It has an incredibly narrow and specific legal definition and only applies to the settlement of an existing debt in a court of law.

If you're sued for a debt and you offer to pay it into court using "legal tender" (which, amusingly, has strict limits on how many coins you can use), the creditor can't refuse it and then sue you for non-payment.

Buying a pint, a parking ticket, or theme park entry is not settling a debt. It's a concurrent transaction. A shop displaying goods is legally making an "invitation to treat". The business is well within its legal rights to refuse cash, refuse card, or demand payment in magic beans, shiny pebbles, or interpretive dance, provided they make their terms of service clear before the contract is formed at the till. There is absolutely no legal obligation for a business to accept cash, or even to accept pound sterling.

(Fun pedantic fact: Scottish banknotes aren't actually "legal tender" anywhere in the UK. Not even in Scotland. They're simply accepted by convention).
Secret Weapon said:
I might be in the minority, but I generally prefer screens to humans because some people can be quite rude

Not everybody is like that, obviously, but I am yet to encounter a rude machine*

(*Some computer screens have aggressive messages written on them, but - again - these messages were written by aggressive people, and not the machines themselves)

I think this is partly why Amazon has become so successful: not just the convenience, but it also avoids the risk of encountering confrontational staff when trying to return an item, etc
Click to expand...
The assertion that Amazon's trillion dollar global empire is built primarily upon the foundation of British people being too socially anxious to return a faulty kettle to a teenager in Argos is... a spectacular detachment from reality.

Amazon conquered the retail world through aggressive loss leading, monopolistic logistical networks, sophisticated data harvesting and treating their warehouse staff slightly worse than the machines they're trying to replace them with. Not because humans are occasionally rude.
Secret Weapon said:
Some short-sighted Argos staff near me never understood that picking fights with customers and refusing to accept returned items may save the company money** in the short-run, but made customers less likely to return in the long-run

(**Especially irritating as it's not even their money or company policy to overrule)

I also thought the chugger thing was a bad idea, as - even if it's for charity - it made people less likely to visit an already-struggling high street
Click to expand...
I can assure you that no customer facing staff member at Argos cares enough about quarterly profits. If they're refusing your return, it's because the system physically will not let them process it. If they're not overriding it, it's because they don't want to lose their job. There's no misplaced corporate loyalty.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
I understand the joy of not having to stand at a sticky bar trying to catch the eye of an overworked bartender while holding a sticky menu, but digital systems were rolled out to eliminate human labour, not to "enhance the guest experience".

A QR code doesn't need a pension, it doesn't take a 20 minute statutory break, it doesn't call in sick, and it doesn't ask for a pay rise when inflation hits.

You're doing the job of the cashier for free, and Tim Martin is pocketing the difference, all whilst convincing you that doing the work yourself is a luxury upgrade.
Click to expand...
Although I don't think the app reduces the amount of labour needed that much. Order at the bar and someone needs to input your drink into the till, pull the pint and hand it to you. Order on the app and they read the order from the screen, pull the pint and walk it to your table (might even be a second person running tables). If anything its almost more labour intensive doing table service instead of bar service due to the staff walking to tables.
It probably does increase spend, as people can review the whole menu at leisure and order whenever they want to get it brought to the table rather than needing to get up and fetch drinks from the bar. It helps customers who don't want to get up, the staff come to them, enhancing the experience.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
I can assure you that no customer facing staff member at Argos cares enough about quarterly profits. If they're refusing your return, it's because the system physically will not let them process it. If they're not overriding it, it's because they don't want to lose their job. There's no misplaced corporate loyalty.
Click to expand...
I half agree with this

Most staff probably don't care about the company they work for (unless they own it), but certain staff - for whatever reason - seem to treat the business as their own, and begin injecting their personal opinions or judgment into interactions with customers

There was a story recently of a manager who got sacked from Morrisons because he confronted a shoplifter (even though company policy told him not to), because he thought - on a human level - that it was the right thing to do

I remember a woman at Blackpool Pleasure Beach being reluctant to refill my water bottle in 2024, but yet the other staff all did so gladly

Regarding the Argos woman: I remember that other staff were always happy to accept returns (as long as there was no obvious physical damage), but this particular woman was always awkward, which leads me to believe that it was her own personal judgment that was the issue, rather than company policy (she later softened, and we always suspected that perhaps management had spoken to her about her approach)

You are probably right that Amazon's returns policy is not their main selling point (although it definitely was a crucial factor in Argos' success, in my opinion), and Amazon's Sunday delivery service was probably more of a factor in their success IMO, but I know some people dread the potential confrontation* with staff over returning clothes etc, which is why many preferred shopping online (even if the store refuses the return, it is usually less personal as it avoids dealing with staff directly)

*It applies to online platforms as well: one of the reasons why Twitter had content moderation wasn't simply to enforce a "woke agenda", but because people were proven to be less likely to tweet or use the platform if they feared being insulted or ridiculed afterwards

(I personally don't think much of sarcastic or insulting remarks online; I usually restrict criticism to the message rather than the messenger)
 
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