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Thorpe Park: General Discussion

Whether you like it or not, the fact of the matter is that generative AI is here to stay and will be used in most, if not all, fields in some capacity. Thorpe/Merlin will be far from the only ones using generative AI in artwork, and if it is used as a supportive tool and its outputs are appropriately critiqued and prompted, it can be very helpful and help to enhance human productivity and outputs. I don't personally have an issue with considered generative AI use in moderation, as it can have great application and really enhance productivity.

Granted, I think using it to generate simple pictures of food is perhaps a bit lazy, seeing as a wide plethora of stock images likely exist that would fill such a role even if the park didn't want to take a picture of its actual product, but I guess that generative AI could help to provide the artistic flourish the park wanted.
 
Going back to the rapids, its not just the power consumption to consider when looking at cost. Its also needs a lot of staff to run (since the Drayton incident) so there is a big staff saving having it closed too.

It is sad though. 10 years ago it used to be open till 10pm at Fright Nights. Now its open for just over half the season...
 
KolonelKlink said:
Oh look, more AI graphic slop:


From: https://x.com/coasterizzy/status/1962924571939504248?s=46&t=OuG-53CJRHzzDVEPmDXGSg
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My now-former employer did something similar trying advertise sausage sandwiches, the fact they used AI was sloppy, but more importantly the art style of the image made the food seem plastic-y and unappealing, seems the same has happened here. It won't ever look as appealing as professional photography, but the workload is a lot easier in terms of graphic design.

It'll come down to whether the loss of custom is worth the time saved in graphic design. However, its entirely possible that it won't make a difference with quick-service food in terms of hot dogs, burger and chips (famously the food of fussy eaters with bland palates).
 
SuperMuscleMan said:
The problem is these rides are so power hungry. The economics have changed drastically since COVID. We have some of the highest power prices in the developed world and they look to get higher. I've been on a smart tariff called agile for about 7 years. I pay basically the market rate for power (my cost changes every 30 mins). On average I was paying about 7p per kWh in 2019 now it's closer to 21p and set to rise.. businesses often pay more for power too! Thorpe tickets have gone up in price but not as much as that commodity. I don't mind them saving some cash, but they should have given it 1 more week or started the rapids for a limited period of time each day (say 1-4).
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Whilst the cost of power certainly won’t be ignored by the parks, it’ll definitely take second fiddle to staffing costs and the like. You’re definitely over-playing the role that the cost of power will have in decisions on whether to open rides or not.
 
John_P said:
The fact is if a company is prepared to save a few quid using AI slop we should be worried about what other areas they want to cheap out on.
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To be pragmatic, you'd be hard pushed to find any company that wouldn't cut a cost if it found it could and decided (correctly or not) that it wouldn't affect revenue. Businesses are incentivised by profit, even entertainment attractions are just another form of profit-making enterprise. There's a thousand things they cut cost on every day.

To me the more alarming thing is that they're willing to cut costs on things like food that have a tangible impact to people's experience and affect re-visit rates, that short-term-ism is far more alarming to me than if they're using new technology to create marketing material like 90% of other marketing departments in the world.
 
Did the Thorpe park belle Saw alive ever sink? Can’t find any reference to it existing anymore nor on google maps
 
Had a fun day at Thorpe today, first time since before the pandemic. Hyperia was a lot of fun, loved the airtime but it is a little short despite being Thorpe’s longest coaster and the splashdown brakes hit hard. All the best parts of Saw are still before the lift hill, that is a bit rough. Didn’t do Ghost train but got all the coasters in and two Hyperia, plus Rush and dodgems in a not too rushed 10-6pm day. The security queue is not the best welcome to the park though and they really need to dust the stations, everywhere is full of cobwebs!
 
sillyrooster said:
Where are people eating at Thorpe? I mostly go to the fish and chip van and sometimes KFC but is anywhere actually good?
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I haven’t actually eaten there but we spotted what looked like an Asian food market round the back of ghost train and Hyperia Burger King that had good options so we will try it next time… unless this post is subsequently greeted by warnings 😂
 
sillyrooster said:
Where are people eating at Thorpe? I mostly go to the fish and chip van and sometimes KFC but is anywhere actually good?
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We just did KFC and it was predictably fine, but the kebabs did appeal, although might seem pricey if you don't have an AP.

As Thorpe has KFC and Burger King they can't just offer the burgers and chicken that Alton and Chessington do, so they have kept up the focus on interesting options like kebabs, Indian and Tacos.
 
Usually happy with a chicken curry from the Spice Kitchen (street food place below the canopy between Ninferno and Hyperia). It's a good quick service option if you haven't got time to go to VIBES, the curries are decent enough for theme park food and with annual pass discount it's pretty reasonable. They do beef curry and noodles as well. You can also have the whole lot drenched in Sriracha sauce if you like your food spicy as well.
 
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