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Thorpe Park: General Discussion

Secret Weapon said:
Ride Comparisons are unhappy that Thorpe Park have apparently stopped giving re-rides to the final riders of the day (although some in the Comments section have said that this is untrue) - see link below

I don't mean to sound like a miser, but I actually agree with Thorpe Park on this, as it was causing arguments in the queue line because everybody wanted to be on the final train of the day (i.e. at the back of the queue), and it also seemed unfair for those who weren't fortunate enough to be in the final train?

P.S. I assume that Flamingo Land would never have implemented this policy anyway, as I am told that they don't allow people to ride too many thrill rides per hour for safety reasons


From: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qElZYWW2KZc
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I'm pretty sure the main reason this would've stopped is because of the competition around getting last train of the day on Hyperia.

There is a lot of competition from Thorpe Enthusiasts to get it and it can get carried away.

I have noticed the park are clamping down on people trying to do that with announcements that the queue will close at closing time on the dot and of course, not offering last train of the day re-rides.
 
Just to chip in on the last train of the day.

They do still do this, but they don’t and never have to. It’s purely down to operators discretion.

The reason this was introduced was to give a good last impression from the park. Imagine you’re going on your last ride before you go home, and unexpectedly they offer you a re-ride? It’s a good customer experience and gives you a good last impression.

Unfortunately though, this has turned into the Hyperia plaza full of enthusiasts arguing to get the last train which is a nightmare for staff when they try to close the queueline.

From what I understand, they do this on most rides every day, however have stopped doing it as much on Hyperia for the reasons above. They gave us 2 laps on Thursday so it definitely does still happen, but they’re understandably less likely to do it if people are causing problems for staff.

In short: It still happens, but it’s down to staff discretion. Being entitled and begging for it only makes it less likely.
 
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rob666 said:
Again, never ever heard this one before, in many (Many!) years of visiting.
You believing thoosie vapours on youtube as fact again matey?
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To be fair this could possibly be a thing. I was at Flamingo Land a couple of years ago and a teenage lad on his own was going on to ride Cliff Hanger. I’m trying to think of the best way to put this but the lad looked as if he might have had some kind of special needs or disability in some way (I don’t want to say Down’s syndrome but it was a little something that I picked up on).

As the ride cycle started I distinctly recall a Flamingo Land staff member signalling over to the ride op and saying something like “That’s the last one for him, he’s had enough for now”. I can’t say for certain how many goes on it he had taken but that does sound like he could have fallen foul of that policy doesn’t it (and it’s quite a controversial one isn’t it).
 
I've seen some truly pathetic behaviour around Hyperia closing time. Grown men arguing with 12 year olds about who is last in the queue.

They do still give you an extra couple of laps if the usual suspects aren't knocking about. I've had 3 rides in a row a couple of times and the staff were fantastic.

This is why we can't have nice things etc.
 
RicketyCricket said:
I've seen some truly pathetic behaviour around Hyperia closing time. Grown men arguing with 12 year olds about who is last in the queue.

They do still give you an extra couple of laps if the usual suspects aren't knocking about. I've had 3 rides in a row a couple of times and the staff were fantastic.

This is why we can't have nice things etc.
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I predicted that this would happen

It will either cause arguments, or lead to intimidation (and resentment) from riders who try to join last but are prevented from doing so by others who are more aggressive and persistent

The only solution I can think of would be for Thorpe Park staff to monitor the riders as they enter the queue and hand a sticker to the final riders

(This isnt exactly the same thing, but I always hated celebrities / athletes / wrestlers throwing merchandise into the crowds, as it leads to fighting, grabbing, and resentment; I'd much prefer it if people handed items directly to specific fans instead)
 
Three decades ago, my friends and I used to hang around the entrance to Rameses' Revenge, waiting to be last in the queue. That's because in those days, the last ride of the day (9pm closing in summer!) would run every program back to back.
The difference is that we seemed to be the only 4 people in the whole park that knew this, so there was never any arguing involved.

I know in the past I've been part of our lot, waiting outside Nemesis to bag the "last train of the season". But again, that was just for the principal of it, we never expected an extra circuit.

Why are there always "digestive exit orifices" who have to ruin things for everyone?
 
The problem with any kind of “little perk” like that is that as knowledge of said perk increases, more people will want to take advantage of it, and thus it becomes less of a fun bonus and more of a thing that lots of people will crave.

Back in the day, anybody who knew that “last ride bonuses” were a thing were in a relatively exclusive club and didn’t have the means to proliferate that knowledge, and thus it wasn’t an issue. But now, you only need one influencer to talk about it on YouTube or TikTok and suddenly thousands of people enter the club of knowing about it and all want to take advantage of it. It’s the nature of perks becoming more widely known about, unfortunately.

Actively fighting to be on the last train of the day isn’t on, though! If this is happening, I can see why Thorpe have ended it…
 
DiogoJ42 said:
Three decades ago, my friends and I used to hang around the entrance to Rameses' Revenge, waiting to be last in the queue. That's because in those days, the last ride of the day (9pm closing in summer!) would run every program back to back.
The difference is that we seemed to be the only 4 people in the whole park that knew this, so there was never any arguing involved.
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If very few people knew this, why did Chessington do it?

Was it so they could test every cycle?

Or was it just as an unexpected surprise? (obviously some already knew, but most of the final riders probably didn't)

Thinking about it now: I vaguely remember getting two consecutive rides on the Roller Skater at the West Midlands Safari Park in the 1990s towards the end of the day, although I don't think I was ever in the final train (although maybe I was)
Matt N said:
Actively fighting to be on the last train of the day isn’t on, though! If this is happening, I can see why Thorpe have ended it…
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The Thorpe Park guests can be a bit aggressive, in my opinion (compared to most parks), which is one reason why I saw this coming
 
Secret Weapon said:
If very few people knew this, why did Chessington do it?

Was it so they could test every cycle?

Or was it just as an unexpected surprise? (obviously some already knew, but most of the final riders probably didn't)
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I doubt it was an official policy, might have just been a thing the ops did for fun, to see who threw up, for all I know.
 
I'd say count me in, but then, I'd happily ride the "euthanasia coaster".

.... ahem.... Something about Thorpe?
 
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