Thorpe Park: General Discussion

[_nemesis_]

^ All of what you just said is very true. Thorpe has huge potential, its just being run in a ridiculous way.

However, another flaw in Thorpe is that the park is way too open, you can see all of the major rides (except Loggers and Samurai) from all over the park. And whilst tall rides like Stealth and The Swarm are always going to be visible, the fact that you can see Colossus' Cobra Roll and Inferno's lift hill from anywhere in the park, really makes for an un atmospheric experience.

This is where I think Alton and Chessington get the good out of their restrictions. From the top Towers Street/Lodge Gate you can't see a single ride other that the Towers/Burnt Stub Mansion. You feel like you discover the rides as you adventure into the park.

Where as Thorpe, all the rides are way too cramped together, and the park (other than Canada Creek) is way too exposed and needs much more trees and foliage to cover the park. I believe this is Thorpe's main issue.

 

[Bob]

That is something that will never be solved. They can't dig down because of the low water table so they can only build up. In such a small space, it's inevitable that everything can be seen from outside the dome. But In my own view, that's one of Thorpe's biggest strengths. For first timers who aren't all clued up about what the park offers, that amount of rides in each direction must get the adrenaline pumping. There are a lot of trees at Thorpe, they just aren't all over 100 foot tall.

I think I'm right in saying that thing is cleaned far more regularly then you'd think. It's because the water source is the dirty lake next door and in their short sightedness, no filter was installed to clean the water. Therefore, every time Medusa is turned on, the cobra pit quickly becomes a stagnant, dirty, green water filled hole.

 

[Lottie.]

^ All of what you just said is very true. Thorpe has huge potential, its just being run in a ridiculous way.

However, another flaw in thorpe is that the park is way too open, you can see all of the major rides (except loggers and Samurai) from all of the park. And whilst tall rides like Stealth and The Swarm are always going to be visible, the fact that you can see Colossus' cobra roll and Infernos lift hill from anywhere in the park, really makes for an un atmospheric experience. This is where I think Alton and Chessington get the good part out of their restrictions. From the top Towers Street/Lodge Gate you can't see a single ride other that the Towers/Burnt Stub Mansion. You feel like you discover the rides as you adventure into the park. Where as thorpe, all the rides are way to cramped together and the park (other than Canada Creek) is too exposed and needs much more trees and foliage to cover the park. I believe this is Thorpe'sfacebook main issue.

I do agree with you there Ben. It's always nice to explore a park but I do generally like the views from Thorpe. It makes it 'unique' from other UK parks. Unfortunately due to Thorpe's location there isn't a lot they can do with 'hiding' the rides but I love the horizon of Thorpe. To see all the coasters is what makes Thorpe Thorpe imo.

 

[Laura]

I always thought L'Oxygenarium at Parc Asterix was nicely themed (if it a bit tatty in places now)(http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'Oxyg%C3%A9narium) and it's a ride I really enjoy. I did enjoy Storm Surge but the landscaping of Oxygenarium is much better and you feel like you're getting a better ride out of it. It might even be exactly the same layout, I'm not sure.

While prettier, it's probably not a particularly economical use of space compared to the Storm Surge 'installation' though!

 

[Rob]

Being able to see pretty much all of the rides at Thorpe from outside of the park works for Thorpe. For parks like Thorpe it adds to that excitement when you arrive. It's similar to the big thrill parks in the USA. I remember being on the bus heading to Six Flags Great Adventure and looking out for Kingda Ka as we approached the park (I may have squeeled out with excitement when I saw it for the first time ). It just works, and it looks amazing!

The same wouldn't work so much for a park like Towers. I think park of the magic there is that you can't see anything on your way and it just all unfolds infront of you as you approach the park.

 

[Ian]

Completely agree with Rob and Lottie. The skyline at Thorpe is just another defining feature of the park if you ask me. From the moment you drive into the car park and see that island with all these rides unfold before you it sets the adrenalin pumping, and really gets you in the mood for the rest of the day.

Last year I took a friend to Fright Nights who'd never visited the park before. Arriving in the evening with all the rides silhouetted against the sky her initial reaction was simply "Woah". Then, all the while we were waiting to get in the buzz was there. A completely different reaction to when I first took her to Alton, but still really great to see

 

[Sam]

Saw on the BBC News earlier that severe weather warnings have been issued for several areas from Heathrow to Thorpe, including Chertsey.

Is there any possibility of part of the park being flooded tonight, particularly given how low to the water level some bits are, such as the Swarm?

 

[Craig]

I don't think it'll be *too* badly affected, otherwise we'd have heard by now I reckon. It appears to be those by the river on the opposite side that are seriously affected. The A320 (Chertsey Lane - the road that leads to the park from the Staines roundabout) has been flooded and is closed at the moment though, so certainly the flooding is very close by!

 

[_nemesis_]

I would expect that Thorpe have a drainage system to deal with the lake water levels rising. This can't be the first time there has been a flood/flood possibility.

 

[Benzin]

We can live in hope that any flooding will sweep Saw away though...

 

[Dave]

I would expect that Thorpe have a drainage system to deal with the lake water levels rising. This can't be the first time there has been a flood/flood possibility.

If your surrounded by water where do you drain the water too? That's the problem with being on an island.

It will all depend if the lake has an outlet lower and more capacious than itself and how much the water levels rise.

 

[John]

Thorpe doesn't seem to have been too badly affected by the flooding in the area. The park has just released this pic of the coach park which is currently being used as a base for emergency vehicles:

 

[Mark-Cal]

They should keep an eye on those vehicles while they're parked there or they'll end up as extra theming for Swarm.

 

[_nemesis_]

^ Well, as you mention it, when I first saw that picture, I thought it was The Swarm!

If you're surrounded by water where do you drain the water too? T

The local drainage system? Just a guess!

 

[John]

Drains often flood before the surface does, as they’re swamped by surface floodwater downstream. As a result sanitation can be a serious problem during extended floods.

Following on from my previous post, the BBC have released this photo of Chertsey Lane, about a mile north of Thorpe Park.

 

[Quetzal]

Even if the park did flood, I would have thought that they would be well prepared, what with the lake being part of the thames flood defence system.

 

[djtruefitt]

I don't think Thorpe have been affected yet, they Tweeted to someone earlier that they are letting locals park their cars in the Thorpe car park if they have been effected by the floods.

 

[Vik]

SKY News , flew over Thorpe Park earlier, with the reporter pointing out 'There's Thorpe Park below, completely surrounded by water.' Though Thorpe Park is normally surrounded by water , so was kind of hard to figure out though what water is normally there, and what has appeared recently

 

[DiogoJ42]

If Thorpe flooded... how would you know?

 

[_nemesis_]

Knowing Merlin, if it did flood, they wouldn't drain it, they would just called it the world's first semi-aquatic theme park.

The re-brand of Tidal Wave. I can see it now. Ride Tidal Wave: Extreme, only at THORPE PARK Resort, the world's first Atlantis theme park.