Thorpe Park: General Discussion

[spotweld]

But the fire happened just as they were beginning to transition the park from a family one to a thrill focused one.

This left them with the options of spending money replacing a burnt down family ride - or spending that same money on thrill rides.

Given their plans, it is no surprise which choice they went for, and I doubt they came to regret the decision.

Until The Swarm came along...

 

[AT86]

Until The Swarm came along...

In what way?

 

[spotweld]

In what way?

It halted the parks growth and progress for about 12 years and even softened up the future of it's dark themeing.

 

[Hid]

But the fire happened just as they were beginning to transition the park from a family one to a thrill focused one.

This left them with the options of spending money replacing a burnt down family ride - or spending that same money on thrill rides.

Given their plans, it is no surprise which choice they went for, and I doubt they came to regret the decision.

Nowadays family parks make more money then thrill ones

 

[AT86]

It halted the parks growth and progress for about 12 years and even softened up the future of it's dark themeing.

In the context of the discussion (whether WWH should have been rebuilt or should the money have been spent on thrill rides) - I am not sure why they would come to regret the decision to build Inferno and Detonator once the Swarm 'came along'.

I think the perceived 'failure' of the Swarm is overstated. 2012 was an appalling summer weather wise and tourism was down during the Olympics (which happens at most Olympics, as non-sports fans stay away as the cost of everything rockets.) Those were far more impactful on visitor numbers than the new coaster.

In my view Derren Brown had a much more negative impact to investment decisions at Thorpe than the Swarm - leading to the 2018-2023 period with essentially no investment beyond glorified bouncy castles and walk through mirror mazes.

Nowadays family parks make more money then thrill ones

Some do, some don't. But in the context of Thorpe Park - Merlin have two other family focused parks down the road, plus another up and coming family park that out competes them in many ways close by in Southampton. Gearing Thorpe towards thrills makes sense in that landscape.

 

[SuperMuscleMan]

X is way older than 20 years I am sure it's was built in the 90s.

You might find this odd but I miss the moment of chill the boat ride gave going to the farm.. but I'm old lol?

Speaking of other attractions, surely we're coming up on the end of The Walking Dead: The Ride?

Wonder what they'll do with the attraction. Next year is X:/ No Way Out's 20th anniversary also.

 

[spotweld]

X is way older than 20 years I am sure it's was built in the 90s.

You might find this odd but I miss the moment of chill the boat ride gave going to the farm.. but I'm old lol?

My sense of time is out of wack.

 

[Benzin]

Doubt they'll do much for X:/ bar a token social media post and some merch that'llbe purchased by people who weren't even born prior to the X "rave" version.

Tussauds' purchase of Thorpe tied into the limited capability of pushing Chessie to the next level through planning permission. Doubt they've ever regretted that initial decision but the "thrill only" moniker has probably caused some problems as the times have changed. Not just a Thorpe problem as saw similar across many other thrill focused parks.

 

[DistortAMG]

Nowadays family parks make more money then thrill ones

Do they? If that is the case how can thrill parks build large mult imillion pound rollercoasters and still make money?

It's a genuine question. A thrill park must make some serious cash, to be able to afford huge investments.

 

[Benzin]

Do they? If that is the case how can thrill parks build large mult imillion pound rollercoasters and still make money?

It's a genuine question. A thrill park must make some serious cash, to be able to afford huge investments.

How many out & out thrill parks are independently owned?

Not even sure there are many out & out thrill parks in first place.

 

[DontLookDown]

Considering Hyperia was a success, they'd probably work with Mack again and could build one of their Water Rides.

But in reality we'll probably get an Extreme Spinner (ugh), a GCI and a few flats if they do develop that area.

What makes you think that Hyperia was a sucess to the point that Thorpe would work with Mack again?

 

[spotweld]

What makes you think that Hyperia was a sucess to the point that Thorpe would work with Mack again?

Errr, because they have delivered a successful product successfully?

 

[Matt N]

If thrill coasters didn’t make money, parks wouldn’t build them. It’s as simple as that, really!

You could argue that Thorpe might have been more successful in the 2010s had they not gone down the teenagers and young adults route so aggressively, but I think thrills did work for the park for a long time. The park only started hitting record visitor figures of well over 1 million consistently once the big thrill coasters were put in.

Rather than thrills, I think the mistake they made at times in the mid to late 2010s was going too niche. For something that cost so much money, Derren Brown, as a 13+ VR horror ride, had much more niche appeal than a big coaster or a more universally appealing dark ride. Ditto with The Walking Dead; putting that theme onto a Vekoma junior coaster was a spectacular own goal, in my view, but even putting that aside, a 13+ zombie themed horror ride is going to have quite niche appeal. Things like Black Mirror, albeit less so, were also quite niche in appeal.

Whereas the big coasters and flats of the 2000s and early 2010s appealed to a wider audience, and when the park returned to that with Hyperia, it was seemingly a commercial success (Hyperia was specifically highlighted in Merlin’s 2024 results as a strong-performing investment).

Errr, because they have delivered a successful product successfully?

That depends how you define “successfully”.

Has Hyperia been a critical and commercial success overall? I think it’s fair to say that yes, it has.

But has it been a success in terms of reliability, for example? With the lift hill issues and repeated stalling issues, Thorpe might beg to differ there in terms of its success from Mack’s end!

 

[spotweld]

If thrill coasters didn’t make money, parks wouldn’t build them. It’s as simple as that, really!

You could argue that Thorpe might have been more successful in the 2010s had they not gone down the teenagers and young adults route so aggressively, but I think thrills did work for the park for a long time. The park only started hitting record visitor figures of well over 1 million consistently once the big thrill coasters were put in.

Rather than thrills, I think the mistake they made at times in the mid to late 2010s was going too niche. For something that cost so much money, Derren Brown, as a 13+ VR horror ride, had much more niche appeal than a big coaster or a more universally appealing dark ride. Ditto with The Walking Dead; putting that theme onto a Vekoma junior coaster was a spectacular own goal, in my view, but even putting that aside, a 13+ zombie themed horror ride is going to have quite niche appeal. Things like Black Mirror, albeit less so, were also quite niche in appeal.

Whereas the big coasters and flats of the 2000s and early 2010s appealed to a wider audience, and when the park returned to that with Hyperia, it was seemingly a commercial success (Hyperia was specifically highlighted in Merlin’s 2024 results as a strong-performing investment).

That depends how you define “successfully”.

Has Hyperia been a critical and commercial success overall? I think it’s fair to say that yes, it has.

But has it been a success in terms of reliability, for example? With the lift hill issues and repeated stalling issues, Thorpe might beg to differ there in terms of its success from Mack’s end!

Forgot about Hyperia's tendancy to Fearlessly Valley.

 

[Bowser]

Nowadays family parks make more money then thrill ones

What are some thrill parks?

I think the majority of theme parks strike a balance to cover multiple demographics in Europe at least. Thorpe Park is quite an anomaly in that it offers very little for those below 1.3m

 

[DistortAMG]

How many out & out thrill parks are independently owned?

Not even sure there are many out & out thrill parks in first place.

Not many, but you rarely get independent family parks that have the money to build a huge number of thrill coasters either.

I guess there is no right or wrong. Some thrill parks will be more profitable in some locations where as some family parks more so in others.

 

[owenstreet7]

I think it's a shame alot of you want to get rid of a family ride. These are the rides where mums (and dads) can join the more adventurous of the family on something that is just fun.

If your a family with younger and older members then having some large all inclusive attractions is a must.

I remember congo as a kid being the ultimate thrill ride where the whole family would partake in a ride. Now if your a family I can't think of much my family would go on outside of the rapids and all get enjoyment.

Remember it's not the massive thrill families get out the rapids and log flume kind of rides
.. it's more 'who's going to get wet'.

With Rumba, it's not so much the idea of getting rid of a family ride but more of replacing a ride that Thorpe Park choose to only run from May to September with something that is able to run throughout the season.

Rumba certainly can run throughout the season but hasn't since 2023.

I do question the decision because for Fright Night, this offers needed capacity for some of the thrill rides however it isn't able to run in the dark.

In hindsight, I'd say Loggers Leap should've stayed and Rumba should've been replaced.

If Rumba did go, I'd love to see it replaced with a coaster in the vein of Wickerman with a 1.2m height requirement and no inversions (more airtime). I'd also love a flume or similar to be considered however would Merlin consider two major rides at once? I think having both will go a long way to open up capacity and audience.

I can understand if the Beach or High Striker went however for the others, I'd say it would reduce the line up further unless something for the budding thrillseeker opens up.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

With Rumba, it's not so much the idea of getting rid of a family ride but more of replacing a ride that Thorpe Park choose to only run from May to September with something that is able to run throughout the season.

Rumba certainly can run throughout the season but hasn't since 2023.

I do question the decision because for Fright Night, this offers needed capacity for some of the thrill rides however it isn't able to run in the dark.

In hindsight, I'd say Loggers Leap should've stayed and Rumba should've been replaced.

If Rumba did go, I'd love to see it replaced with a coaster in the vein of Wickerman with a 1.2m height requirement and no inversions (more airtime). I'd also love a flume or similar to be considered however would Merlin consider two major rides at once? I think having both will go a long way to open up capacity and audience.

I can understand if the Beach or High Striker went however for the others, I'd say it would reduce the line up further unless something for the budding thrillseeker opens up.

The closure of Rumba Rapids in September is a mixture of impending weather changes and the need to increase available staff hours.

Rumba Rapids is a staff intensive ride, eating up a considerable amount of staff hours. As the park transitions to Fright Nights, it needs all of the available staff hours it can to assign to scare attractions and other operational areas.

Although Fright Nights doesn't start in September, staff training and the most intensive parts of set up will.

It's budget management, not budget cuts.

 

[Hid]

With Rumba, it's not so much the idea of getting rid of a family ride but more of replacing a ride that Thorpe Park choose to only run from May to September with something that is able to run throughout the season.

Rumba certainly can run throughout the season but hasn't since 2023.

I do question the decision because for Fright Night, this offers needed capacity for some of the thrill rides however it isn't able to run in the dark.

In hindsight, I'd say Loggers Leap should've stayed and Rumba should've been replaced.

If Rumba did go, I'd love to see it replaced with a coaster in the vein of Wickerman with a 1.2m height requirement and no inversions (more airtime). I'd also love a flume or similar to be considered however would Merlin consider two major rides at once? I think having both will go a long way to open up capacity and audience.

I can understand if the Beach or High Striker went however for the others, I'd say it would reduce the line up further unless something for the budding thrillseeker opens up.

One of the problems with Rumba and all Rapids in the UK is they are the 2nd most dangerous ride since it is very unpredictable what the boats will do. In combination with UK high safety standards and no restraints its Safety inspection nightmare.

Also Rapids are incredibly staff intensive being one of the most costly rides to run.

 

[owenstreet7]

The closure of Rumba Rapids in September is a mixture of impending weather changes and the need to increase available staff hours.

Rumba Rapids is a staff intensive ride, eating up a considerable amount of staff hours. As the park transitions to Fright Nights, it needs all of the available staff hours it can to assign to scare attractions and other operational areas.

Although Fright Nights doesn't start in September, staff training and the most intensive parts of set up will.

It's budget management, not budget cuts.

This is a factor in why I'd support a year round replacement for Rumba Rapids with either a dry attraction or a water ride that is less energy and staff intensive.

The operating season for Rumba Rapids has reduced significantly over the last two seasons and got even shorter this season than last. In 2023, it ran from start to the end of season.

I'd also say that with the weather, there is just as much cause to open Rumba throughout the season than it is to keep it closed as it can be warm one day and stormy the next.

I'm surprised it opened this year with no significant changes however I'd be surprised if it opens in 2026 (or even beyond 2026).