Thorpe and Towers coasters- Have Thorpe reached a level that Towers can't equal?

[GooseOnTheLoose]

You ask the GP which is the best park in the UK and majority would say Towers or Thorpe. That’s why they’re compared by people because they’re similar in terms of quality. Blackpool is run even worse than the Merlin parks and has a lineup probably with the combined age of 300

Are you really doing the my park is better than your park, or this park is better than that park, thing again? It's not constructive and it's not helpful.

Many people have explained to you, certainly over the past few months that I've been reading, the benefits of each park. How Blackpool, Alton, Thorpe and the rest compliment and contrast each other in different ways. Just because you prefer one park to the other, it doesn't make it awful.

You know what Blackpool is really good at? Reliability, familiarity, food and entertainment. We may slag off and poke fun at Mandy's folly with the Fire and Ice show, but it's actually really good. It's not my style but technically it's superb and far outstrips anything that the Merlin parks offer.

I know you're a big coaster and intense thrills nut and that's great, but let's look at each park objectively for how it serves its demographic. Entertainment is where world class resorts thrive. Let's also not forget that Blackpool is where Disney first went looking for ideas when they were creating the theme park model.

You make a dog at Blackpool at its lineup being old. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. It is old, but you know what? It's still running. That's the true mark of success, longevity. People keep coming back again and again and again. (Also a lot of the park is listed, so it can't do squat with certain rides).

Each park screws up. Each park does some things really well. It's Christmas. Lighten up. Have a mince pie, toast to joy and wellness for all and be thankful that you live somewhere that has great parks!

Also the GP, as you refer to them, are never to be trusted about anything. The GP gave Me Blobby, The Teletubbies and the Crazy Frog number 1 singles. The GP wanted to make a scientific research vessel Boaty McBoatface. It's really not a good metric.

 

[Blackhole_Sun]

Alton will always win with the general public as their rides a tailored to a wider audience than Thorpe’s. My own preference is Towers, I prefer most of the coasters there compared to Thorpe. With Hyperia, not everyone wants their heads blown off on a ride. Building the tallest/fastest or most inversions is no guarantee of a decent ride.

I feel it’s about to be overshadowed by the return of Nemesis next year anyway.

 

[AstroDan]

Hyperia could well be judged the 'best ride in UK' by some.

But you get off and you're still at Thorpe bloody Park.

Shark Cabins, anyone?

Thorpe has a long way to go.

 

[rob666]

The Big One really did it for Blackpool though as the biggest, even though Thorpe's won't be a world record, Britain's biggest will still mean a lot for many.
And Blackpool ain't pretty (to some).

 

[Ethan]

The Big One really did it for Blackpool though as the biggest, even though Thorpe's won't be a world record, Britain's biggest will still mean a lot for many.
And Blackpool ain't pretty (to some).

Exactly you see even Rob agrees with me that the height record for the UK will be huge for Thorpe

 

[benpicko]

There's surely going to be a massive advertising strategy throughout the country about how many UK records this ride is going to break and I can't see that being unsuccessful at all in bringing people through the gates. It's a big deal.

 

[rob666]

Exactly you see even Rob agrees with me that the height record for the UK will be huge for Thorpe

But then again, I was the one that said skyforce would get massive queues and Icon would be a woodie.

 

[AstroDan]

There's surely going to be a massive advertising strategy throughout the country about how many UK records this ride is going to break and I can't see that being unsuccessful at all in bringing people through the gates. It's a big deal.

Thorpe have not yet sought to significantly advertise nationwide.

The lack of significant resort offering makes it much less appealing to folk in the Midlands, South West, Wales, the North and Scotland.

 

[Matt N]

Thorpe have not yet sought to significantly advertise nationwide.

The lack of significant resort offering makes it much less appealing to folk in the Midlands, South West, Wales, the North and Scotland.

Have Thorpe ever advertised nationwide, or is not advertising nationwide a new thing?

For what it’s worth, I’ve certainly seen plenty of Thorpe Park adverts here in Gloucestershire (the South West/South Wales border), and I know plenty of non-enthusiasts who’ve been. I live about 2 hours from the park, for context, so Thorpe is doable in a day from here.

I’d say that many people around here have heard of and been to the London-based Merlin parks, whereas very few have heard of Blackpool Pleasure Beach and even fewer realise that it’s a park on that scale.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

Have Thorpe ever advertised nationwide, or is not advertising nationwide a new thing?

For what it’s worth, I’ve certainly seen plenty of Thorpe adverts here in Gloucestershire (the South West/South Wales border), and I know plenty of non-enthusiasts who’ve been. I live about 2 hours from the park, for context, so Thorpe is doable in a day from here.

As a gosling it seemed as though the Pirates 4D Cinema advert was never off the television. I schooled in the Midlands, and often holidayed with family in Cumbria (awfully close to Sellafield), and often saw it then. Complete with crash test dummies telling us that our televisions were incapable of demonstrating the technical achievements that would be achieved in this attraction.

 

[AstroDan]

Have Thorpe ever advertised nationwide, or is not advertising nationwide a new thing?

For what it’s worth, I’ve certainly seen plenty of Thorpe Park adverts here in Gloucestershire (the South West/South Wales border), and I know plenty of non-enthusiasts who’ve been. I live about 2 hours from the park, for context, so Thorpe is doable in a day from here.

I’d say that many people around here have heard of and been to the London-based Merlin parks, whereas very few have heard of Blackpool Pleasure Beach and even fewer realise that it’s a park on that scale.

I find it hard to believe more people from the South Midlands are aware of Chessington over Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

People in the Midlands have DMP and Alton. To many, there's just no need to go to Thorpe.

Lego is different.

 

[BSwiss]

Personally, I believe the intangibles are what make AT and BPB more comparative competitors than either with TP.

TP hasn’t had as long to build up the nostalgia, and the focus on thrills can alienate the younger guests who are more susceptible to being won over by ‘magic’ and memory-making.

This nostalgia stakes at AT and BPB are very high. Many of us went as kids with parents or grandparents who aren’t able to go anymore.

And there’s a certain naïveté to pre-Merlin AT and Blackpool in general that many people find charming.

I adore Blackpool as a town for its rawness. I like the underlying sense of danger and feeling a bit scared when sketchy folk invite you into their terraced house for poppers. It’s the only Popworld I’d go in because “it’s Blackpool”.

And likewise, AT is the only park I’d go on a ride like RMT, just because it’s linked to nostalgia and memories.

Whilst I really enjoyed my only two trips to Thorpe because I rode a lot of good rollercoasters, I don’t feel the pang to go back or any emotional attachment.

I realise this is a foolishly emotional and irrational perception of the three parks, and the debate at hand, but I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way.

 

[Bowser]

TP hasn’t had as long to build up the nostalgia, and the focus on thrills can alienate the younger guests who are more susceptible to being won over by ‘magic’ and memory-making.

This nostalgia stakes at AT and BPB are very high. Many of us went as kids with parents or grandparents who aren’t able to go anymore.

I'd disagree with this point and suggest it's perhaps based on your location/age? I would be surprised if there are many people on this forum old enough to be attending theme parks prior to TP opening.

The only alienation would really be if you were born in the last 10-15 years when the park moved its focus to thrills and even then with the average child being able to access all attractions from the age of 10 that's quite a small window. I would also argue that a lot of fond theme park memories are from those bigger attractions. There's a reason Nemesis is beloved 30 years later compared to CBeebies Land.

Thorpe Park was my first theme park in probably 1985 and whilst the following decades had occasional visits to AT/BPB, the proximity meant TP (and to a lesser extent Chessington) was my most frequently visited park as a child . Admittedly I was also fortunate in that as they changed their target demographic to appeal to thrill seekers i was the right age to benefit from this but even as a young child i could reel off a stream of beloved TP memories such as a ride on Space Station Zero with my grandad.

I think also worth remembering children tend to have much lower expectations and the things we enthusiasts may criticise or overanalyse are still special to more innocent eyes. I see this first hand when my son continues to enjoy the decrepit Room on the Broom at Chessington.

And i'm reminded of when Thorpe Park was deemed the big family attraction in the 1990s, highlighted by the annual visit from Princess Diana:

 

[Johnny Rocket]

I'd disagree with this point and suggest it's perhaps based on your location/age? I would be surprised if there are many people on this forum old enough to be attending theme parks prior to TP opening.

The only alienation would really be if you were born in the last 10-15 years when the park moved its focus to thrills and even then with the average child being able to access all attractions from the age of 10 that's quite a small window. I would also argue that a lot of fond theme park memories are from those bigger attractions. There's a reason Nemesis is beloved 30 years later compared to CBeebies Land.

Thorpe Park was my first theme park in probably 1985 and whilst the following decades had occasional visits to AT/BPB, the proximity meant TP (and to a lesser extent Chessington) was my most frequently visited park as a child . Admittedly I was also fortunate in that as they changed their target demographic to appeal to thrill seekers i was the right age to benefit from this but even as a young child i could reel off a stream of beloved TP memories such as a ride on Space Station Zero with my grandad.

I think also worth remembering children tend to have much lower expectations and the things we enthusiasts may criticise or overanalyse are still special to more innocent eyes. I see this first hand when my son continues to enjoy the decrepit Room on the Broom at Chessington.

And i'm reminded of when Thorpe Park was deemed the big family attraction in the 1990s, highlighted by the annual visit from Princess Diana:

Agree with all the above! As a 90s kid living in Surrey, I have a huge attachment to Thorpe and Chessington, visiting Thorpe almost every year since at least 1994! Same as you, the shift from kids park to thrillseekers coincided with my own aging. The 2000s were such an exciting time to be visiting Thorpe Park, 2001-2006 specifically!

The park’s barely changed since the 2000s so plenty of nostalgia. Amazing to think Depth Charge, beach, the rapids, tea cups, Mr Monkey’s are all still pretty much untouched since the 90s as well. Will be a sad say when Mr Monkey’s finally departs, the last remaining bit of the Thorpe Park Rangers!

 

[Bowser]

Agree with all the above! As a 90s kid living in Surrey, I have a huge attachment to Thorpe and Chessington, visiting Thorpe almost every year since at least 1994! Same as you, the shift from kids park to thrillseekers coincided with my own aging. The 2000s were such an exciting time to be visiting Thorpe Park, 2001-2006 specifically!

The park’s barely changed since the 2000s so plenty of nostalgia. Amazing to think Depth Charge, beach, the rapids, tea cups, Mr Monkey’s are all still pretty much untouched since the 90s as well. Will be a sad say when Mr Monkey’s finally departs, the last remaining bit of the Thorpe Park Rangers!

I only just discovered that the Flying Fish rollercoaster IS Space Station Zero after they moved it outside.... and it'll be 40 this year!! Funny to think such a relatively tame ride had over the shoulder restraints, they made it seem much more intimidating (and the fact you couldn't see the track).

 

[Altonadvocate1]

Never really understood the obsession with height records. For me, once you go above the height where a fall could make or kill you, the increased height has little if any impact on the fear factor. I do concede that it the right setting, the view can be lovely though.

Close proximity to the terrain makes a coaster seem so much faster than it really is and really high coasters usually generate speeds that sacrifice their duration despite their length.

Personally, I'd rather have a coaster of modest height, with an actual speed up to say 50mph (or even say 43mph), an apparent speed much faster than this due to proximity to the terrain, near misses, etc and therefore a good duration to length ratio. This can be achieved with good planning and several lift hills or launches. I prefer lift hills using the terrain to launches.

 

[Bowser]

For me, once you go above the height where a fall could make or kill you, the increased height has little if any impact on the fear factor

Technically you can die falling from a standing position but you have to go fairly high to guarantee death.

For me there is something awe inspiring about seeing a gigantic structure that you'll be travelling up in the open air. Then you have the journey up where you have the time to process that height and how unnatural it is to be there. And on the really tall rides there's a point where it becomes surreal.

Mostly it's about the extended anticipation.