AstroDan
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
Thorpe Park: The UK's most confused "resort"
I recall visiting Thorpe Park back in the days of only two major rollercoasters, Colossus and Nemesis Inferno. I remember my first visit - Fright Nights in 2005. There was some kind of buzz. A unique buzz, it was different to Alton Towers. Although nowhere near the same size, there was a certain vibe that gave Thorpe Park an edge. A new rollercoaster, which would become known as Stealth, towered massively over part of the park - although it wasn't yet open. It was lit in a multitude of colour, which changed every few seconds. There were two new huge flat rides - which were amazing to watch - Rush and Slammer. Everywhere, rides were lit, music blasted and guests queued to enjoy rides late into the night. It was that day and subsequent evening at Thorpe Park which would, to this day, remain my best ever visit to the place.
Back in 2005 and 2006, enthusiast forums were rife with debate - it wasn't "which is better, Thorpe or Alton?" (and there were plenty arguing Thorpe's corner, even then) - it was more "when will Thorpe Park overtake Alton Towers as the UK's biggest theme park?" - some were saying 2 years. Some 5. Some said it would never be done. But a significant number were genuinely expecting Thorpe Park to topple Alton Towers quite promptly, such had Tussauds' initial spending on the place been. We'd seen Tidal Wave, Zodiac, Detonator, Colossus, Nemesis Inferno, Rush, Slammer, Samurai, Stealth - all within just 6 short years. Additions had been added at a pace which simply had never been seen in the UK before. At least, not so quickly. Of course, the quality and theming of one or two of the smaller rides there wasn't quite up to much, but there was no denying - Colossus was a world record breaker - 10 loops, and beautifully landscaped. Nemesis Inferno had an incredible volcano which had several special effects to make it look all the more realistic. Sure, we won't mention that from some angles it looked terrible - the fact was, it looked as though Thorpe Park was the new crowing jewel, the new place to be, the place where Tussauds could focus their efforts, free from the restraints of the Alton NIMBY's and able to do (almost) what they wanted. Guest figures rose, and the park became highly regarded within the enthusiast community, with later opening hours and a bigger halloween event than its relative in Staffordshire. And that's without mentioning the likes of Chessington, where investment all but dried up.
Yet dark times were to come. Not in terms of investment, for that continued, at least at first.
Stealth opened as Europe's fastest rollercoaster, taking the title from Europa-Park, who had held it for 4 years previously. At 80mph, it eclipsed Rita - and for some, sealed the deal for Thorpe Park as the UK's best theme park. Visitor figures were less than 1m different to Alton Towers which, although might seem a lot, cut the arrears somewhat considerably. Yet beside all of this glory, something was starting to bubble under the surface at Thorpe Park. Rides began to shake. Guests began arriving to information signs that certain rides might not be open due to technical difficulties. 2007 was somewhat of a damp squib, as the park re-opened Flying Fish. Yet the presentation of the new ride left some asking what was happening. Why, after the euphoric successes of adding Colossus, Nemesis Inferno and Stealth, was somewhat of a classic ride being returned to operation looking so shabby? Where there should have been small lakes, there was a muddy bog. Where there could have been theming, there were just reeds. And with this, came two or three years where Thorpe Park's reputation plummeted. And plummeted. And plummeted.
The park made attempts at opening in February, with a limited ride line up. These attempts were short lived. Rides didn't open in the cold, guests were left wandering a theme park with practically nothing open. The maintenance was thrown into question, as guests were left with the choice of riding X:/No Way Out, or... X:/No Way Out. Coasters sat, stubborniny refusing to operate. And as the seasons went on, more and more problems began to amass. Rides would simply be thrown out of service for days at a time. Rollercoasters, kids rides, flat rides. Year after year, breakdown after breakdown, incident after incident... Families arrived to find that most of their rides had slowly been removed and a mass of security procedures which leant themselves more to Heathrow's new terminal 5. Additions became more and more erratic. Whilst Saw the ride ensured a blaze of media coverage for 2009, the ride veered from one problem to the next during its opening period. Saw Alive was hastily added the following year, and later mothballed due to the costs of operating it. Storm Surge was brought in, a second hand raft ride from Cypress Gardens and quite literally 'plonked' in the middle of the park, providing a ghastly new vista for guests arriving through the dome, which remained somewhat of a leisure centre and very out of date. All this, as queues lengthened, fastrack sales rose - and so to, did the complaint for Guest Services. In fact, Thorpe Park had started to become something of a joke amongst enthusiast communities. Gone was the fun atmosphere that had filled the park in 2004 and 2005, out were the families - the park was filled with a limited audience, all spending not very much money - as forums started to to question 'is thrill really the way to go?'. The Canada Creek Railway stood closed. The 4D theatre closed. Miss Hippo's Fungle Safari closed. Saw Alive closed. Rides were removed from the website, yet stood on for all to see as evidence of 'the past'. The map included images of guests urinating, vomiting, even portraying a quicky behind the bushes. This was the place Thorpe Park had taken itself, appealing to the lowest common denominator - nothing more. But, every few years, in spite of poor additions in between, the investment in a major ride continued. The addition of the Swarm in 2012 should have been a moment of glory and, to an extent - it was. Well themed and reliable, the ride went down fairly well in the community, although it wasn't universal. Yet the guests weren't coming. Thorpe Park wasn't doing it. There was a problem. The park had been its own downfall.
The years of poor reliability, removing rides, making shoddy additions, appealing to one small market. It had caught up with Thorpe Park. Guests weren't interested. Guests weren't loyal. Rising youth unemployment left the parks only market with no disposable income. Echoes from all those years ago - should they have gone down the thrill route - began to surface again. And the answer became clear. No, they should not. And didn't the park suddenly know it. Yet, there was a problem. The park had removed nearly all the family rides and attractions. There was nothing left for them. So, a hastily reworked X ensured smaller guests could ride, but confused as to who they were aiming at, the park quickly turned around some seats on Swarm to try and get back some of the edge for the thrill seekers, some of whom had vanished. Just when things seemed to be looking up, Thorpe Park added a hotel made of portable shipping containers. Opinion was split. On the one hand, it looked terrible, on the other - a bed is a bed. "The Crash Pad", they called it, to entice teens to sleep over in the back yard. Ride maintenance and reliability was improving, but the nails were already partly inside the coffin. It's difficult to undo 5 years in 5 months. Many had lost respect for Thorpe Park. They were sick of the fastrack, sick of the rides being closed and sick of the atmosphere. The argument continued about Alton Towers, but for most, it was clear, Thorpe Park was further behind in 2013 than it had ever been. Guest figures were more than 1m different again, and the thrillseekers had travelled back up north to ride on the 14-loop coaster that had (sort of) opened in Staffordshire. Perhaps the ultimate insult to Thorpe Park, was Alton Towers taking the inversion record for themselves.
So, to 2014. And the park replace the shipping container accommodation with some more shipping containers, and call themselves a Resort. Why? Presumably to attract families. "The Crash Pad" was gone, and in is "The Waterfront Hotel". But it's pretty much the same thing. In a moment of blind panic, the "resort" find themselves advertising a new Dodgems ride. Retheming the parks terrifying 100' drop tower ride to a cheap kids smartphone franchise and bringing in a new 4D film based on the same thing. Even though Sundown and Lightwater Valley were already jumping onto the Angry Birds franchise a few years ago, Thorpe Park jump on the bandwagon. Thorpe Park, the Merlin owned theme park, Merlin who are second only to Disney in terms numbers, theming some attractions with the same IP used at small-time players like Lightwater Valley and Sundown. Incredible. So, late to the party, do they jump on or is it more of a quiver? Moving into the new season, never has a park been so confused over its identity. Paying the price for years of focussing on one tiny market, Thorpe Park is going to change. We can only hope that the change is going to be more planned than what they seem to be doing for the 2014 season.
Will families become confused? What will the thrillseekers think? How can they claim it's a resort when the park is so small, and the hotel isn't particularly permanent?
Thorpe Park, Europe's most un-resorty resort.
I recall visiting Thorpe Park back in the days of only two major rollercoasters, Colossus and Nemesis Inferno. I remember my first visit - Fright Nights in 2005. There was some kind of buzz. A unique buzz, it was different to Alton Towers. Although nowhere near the same size, there was a certain vibe that gave Thorpe Park an edge. A new rollercoaster, which would become known as Stealth, towered massively over part of the park - although it wasn't yet open. It was lit in a multitude of colour, which changed every few seconds. There were two new huge flat rides - which were amazing to watch - Rush and Slammer. Everywhere, rides were lit, music blasted and guests queued to enjoy rides late into the night. It was that day and subsequent evening at Thorpe Park which would, to this day, remain my best ever visit to the place.
Back in 2005 and 2006, enthusiast forums were rife with debate - it wasn't "which is better, Thorpe or Alton?" (and there were plenty arguing Thorpe's corner, even then) - it was more "when will Thorpe Park overtake Alton Towers as the UK's biggest theme park?" - some were saying 2 years. Some 5. Some said it would never be done. But a significant number were genuinely expecting Thorpe Park to topple Alton Towers quite promptly, such had Tussauds' initial spending on the place been. We'd seen Tidal Wave, Zodiac, Detonator, Colossus, Nemesis Inferno, Rush, Slammer, Samurai, Stealth - all within just 6 short years. Additions had been added at a pace which simply had never been seen in the UK before. At least, not so quickly. Of course, the quality and theming of one or two of the smaller rides there wasn't quite up to much, but there was no denying - Colossus was a world record breaker - 10 loops, and beautifully landscaped. Nemesis Inferno had an incredible volcano which had several special effects to make it look all the more realistic. Sure, we won't mention that from some angles it looked terrible - the fact was, it looked as though Thorpe Park was the new crowing jewel, the new place to be, the place where Tussauds could focus their efforts, free from the restraints of the Alton NIMBY's and able to do (almost) what they wanted. Guest figures rose, and the park became highly regarded within the enthusiast community, with later opening hours and a bigger halloween event than its relative in Staffordshire. And that's without mentioning the likes of Chessington, where investment all but dried up.
Yet dark times were to come. Not in terms of investment, for that continued, at least at first.
Stealth opened as Europe's fastest rollercoaster, taking the title from Europa-Park, who had held it for 4 years previously. At 80mph, it eclipsed Rita - and for some, sealed the deal for Thorpe Park as the UK's best theme park. Visitor figures were less than 1m different to Alton Towers which, although might seem a lot, cut the arrears somewhat considerably. Yet beside all of this glory, something was starting to bubble under the surface at Thorpe Park. Rides began to shake. Guests began arriving to information signs that certain rides might not be open due to technical difficulties. 2007 was somewhat of a damp squib, as the park re-opened Flying Fish. Yet the presentation of the new ride left some asking what was happening. Why, after the euphoric successes of adding Colossus, Nemesis Inferno and Stealth, was somewhat of a classic ride being returned to operation looking so shabby? Where there should have been small lakes, there was a muddy bog. Where there could have been theming, there were just reeds. And with this, came two or three years where Thorpe Park's reputation plummeted. And plummeted. And plummeted.
The park made attempts at opening in February, with a limited ride line up. These attempts were short lived. Rides didn't open in the cold, guests were left wandering a theme park with practically nothing open. The maintenance was thrown into question, as guests were left with the choice of riding X:/No Way Out, or... X:/No Way Out. Coasters sat, stubborniny refusing to operate. And as the seasons went on, more and more problems began to amass. Rides would simply be thrown out of service for days at a time. Rollercoasters, kids rides, flat rides. Year after year, breakdown after breakdown, incident after incident... Families arrived to find that most of their rides had slowly been removed and a mass of security procedures which leant themselves more to Heathrow's new terminal 5. Additions became more and more erratic. Whilst Saw the ride ensured a blaze of media coverage for 2009, the ride veered from one problem to the next during its opening period. Saw Alive was hastily added the following year, and later mothballed due to the costs of operating it. Storm Surge was brought in, a second hand raft ride from Cypress Gardens and quite literally 'plonked' in the middle of the park, providing a ghastly new vista for guests arriving through the dome, which remained somewhat of a leisure centre and very out of date. All this, as queues lengthened, fastrack sales rose - and so to, did the complaint for Guest Services. In fact, Thorpe Park had started to become something of a joke amongst enthusiast communities. Gone was the fun atmosphere that had filled the park in 2004 and 2005, out were the families - the park was filled with a limited audience, all spending not very much money - as forums started to to question 'is thrill really the way to go?'. The Canada Creek Railway stood closed. The 4D theatre closed. Miss Hippo's Fungle Safari closed. Saw Alive closed. Rides were removed from the website, yet stood on for all to see as evidence of 'the past'. The map included images of guests urinating, vomiting, even portraying a quicky behind the bushes. This was the place Thorpe Park had taken itself, appealing to the lowest common denominator - nothing more. But, every few years, in spite of poor additions in between, the investment in a major ride continued. The addition of the Swarm in 2012 should have been a moment of glory and, to an extent - it was. Well themed and reliable, the ride went down fairly well in the community, although it wasn't universal. Yet the guests weren't coming. Thorpe Park wasn't doing it. There was a problem. The park had been its own downfall.
The years of poor reliability, removing rides, making shoddy additions, appealing to one small market. It had caught up with Thorpe Park. Guests weren't interested. Guests weren't loyal. Rising youth unemployment left the parks only market with no disposable income. Echoes from all those years ago - should they have gone down the thrill route - began to surface again. And the answer became clear. No, they should not. And didn't the park suddenly know it. Yet, there was a problem. The park had removed nearly all the family rides and attractions. There was nothing left for them. So, a hastily reworked X ensured smaller guests could ride, but confused as to who they were aiming at, the park quickly turned around some seats on Swarm to try and get back some of the edge for the thrill seekers, some of whom had vanished. Just when things seemed to be looking up, Thorpe Park added a hotel made of portable shipping containers. Opinion was split. On the one hand, it looked terrible, on the other - a bed is a bed. "The Crash Pad", they called it, to entice teens to sleep over in the back yard. Ride maintenance and reliability was improving, but the nails were already partly inside the coffin. It's difficult to undo 5 years in 5 months. Many had lost respect for Thorpe Park. They were sick of the fastrack, sick of the rides being closed and sick of the atmosphere. The argument continued about Alton Towers, but for most, it was clear, Thorpe Park was further behind in 2013 than it had ever been. Guest figures were more than 1m different again, and the thrillseekers had travelled back up north to ride on the 14-loop coaster that had (sort of) opened in Staffordshire. Perhaps the ultimate insult to Thorpe Park, was Alton Towers taking the inversion record for themselves.
So, to 2014. And the park replace the shipping container accommodation with some more shipping containers, and call themselves a Resort. Why? Presumably to attract families. "The Crash Pad" was gone, and in is "The Waterfront Hotel". But it's pretty much the same thing. In a moment of blind panic, the "resort" find themselves advertising a new Dodgems ride. Retheming the parks terrifying 100' drop tower ride to a cheap kids smartphone franchise and bringing in a new 4D film based on the same thing. Even though Sundown and Lightwater Valley were already jumping onto the Angry Birds franchise a few years ago, Thorpe Park jump on the bandwagon. Thorpe Park, the Merlin owned theme park, Merlin who are second only to Disney in terms numbers, theming some attractions with the same IP used at small-time players like Lightwater Valley and Sundown. Incredible. So, late to the party, do they jump on or is it more of a quiver? Moving into the new season, never has a park been so confused over its identity. Paying the price for years of focussing on one tiny market, Thorpe Park is going to change. We can only hope that the change is going to be more planned than what they seem to be doing for the 2014 season.
Will families become confused? What will the thrillseekers think? How can they claim it's a resort when the park is so small, and the hotel isn't particularly permanent?
Thorpe Park, Europe's most un-resorty resort.
