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Thorpe Park: General Discussion
- Thread starter Ted
- Start date
Tim
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Air / Blue Fire
I've just got back from Thorpe Park and based on how busy it was they shouldn't even have opened for those that hadn't pre-booked.
All major roller coasters had queues between 1 and 2 hours, all day
Likewise all mazes had queues up to 2 hours, all day
This was my first experience of FrightNights, (bar a 2 hour staff preview last year) so I was looking forward to properly experience all the Scare Mazes. That didn't happen, I only got on Cabin in the Woods and only after giving in to over an hours wait ending at park close. Buying fastrack would have been the only way to do them all, something I did not have the budget to do.
But not content with the ridiculously long queues they had Thorpe Park were once again wildly over-emphasising queue lengths on the park displays (supposedly 120 minute wait for Swarm when I arrived... it did reach that but only after all the fastrack had been sold, at which point the boards got a fair bit more accurate). So I spent most the day doing laps of the park to find the rides that did have reasonable queues.
All major roller coasters had queues between 1 and 2 hours, all day
Likewise all mazes had queues up to 2 hours, all day
This was my first experience of FrightNights, (bar a 2 hour staff preview last year) so I was looking forward to properly experience all the Scare Mazes. That didn't happen, I only got on Cabin in the Woods and only after giving in to over an hours wait ending at park close. Buying fastrack would have been the only way to do them all, something I did not have the budget to do.
But not content with the ridiculously long queues they had Thorpe Park were once again wildly over-emphasising queue lengths on the park displays (supposedly 120 minute wait for Swarm when I arrived... it did reach that but only after all the fastrack had been sold, at which point the boards got a fair bit more accurate). So I spent most the day doing laps of the park to find the rides that did have reasonable queues.
jon81uk
TS Member
I'm not trolling so don't take offence, just curious. You said this was your fisrt fright nights and you wanted to do the mazes. So why were you looking for the RIDES with the shortest queues. I assume you've done the rides at Thorpe before? So even if it is a 2 hour queue why not just do the mazes, even at 2 hrs each you should be able to do 3-4 during the afternoon, just with a long wait. Then you can do the rides another time when there are no mazes?
I see similar comments on other forums about Disney and other parks, that people didn't want to wait 1-2hrs for the ride they really really wanted to do so they went on things they have done before instead. Surely if that is the main ride you really really want to do it is worth the wait, even more so if you have done the other rides in the park before?
Tim
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Air / Blue Fire
Because although I wanted to do the mazes no maze is worth queueing 2 hours for, especially when said queues were moving at snails pace due to the number of Fastrack.
Just because I want to do something doesn't mean I should sacrifice enjoying my day to make it happen, especially when I'm at a Theme Park and the whole point is to be having fun. So yes I did the rides I'd already done before because the alternative was mind numbing boredom
+ I assumed that if I stuck it out to the end of the day the queues would die down but come 9pm they were still posting the same length queues they had 6 hours earlier.
Just because I want to do something doesn't mean I should sacrifice enjoying my day to make it happen, especially when I'm at a Theme Park and the whole point is to be having fun. So yes I did the rides I'd already done before because the alternative was mind numbing boredom
+ I assumed that if I stuck it out to the end of the day the queues would die down but come 9pm they were still posting the same length queues they had 6 hours earlier.
jon81uk
TS Member
I think the best way Thorpe could improve it would be to do same as AT, some mazes are queuing only, no Fastrack at all. Other mazes are paid tickets only, no regular queue. At least then you know the queue on the regular maze will move quicker as no merge point and the paid for mazes have reserved time slots so almost no wait at all.
Rollercoasters4Life
TS Member
This was put on the Merlin Annual Pass Facebook page today:
Seems like the next few days of Fright Nights will be a nightmare. Luckily me and the missus always attend the first weekend it is on as it it normally fairly quiet. I just feel sorry for the people that are going to be going the coming days and will no doubt be disappointed.
Seems like the next few days of Fright Nights will be a nightmare. Luckily me and the missus always attend the first weekend it is on as it it normally fairly quiet. I just feel sorry for the people that are going to be going the coming days and will no doubt be disappointed.
jon81uk
TS Member
Yep and they have "sold out" of tickets for both standard and premium annual passholders but are still selling tickets at £49.99.....
James
TS Founding Member
They obviously had a limit of pass holders they wanted in. Then since demand is high sell normal tickets and make more profit at the end of it.
Little bit of a kick in the teeth for pass holders. Thorpe being at full capacity sounds like hell though. Anyone know what their capacity is?
Little bit of a kick in the teeth for pass holders. Thorpe being at full capacity sounds like hell though. Anyone know what their capacity is?
I have been inactive for half a year now, but these plans just came up on Facebook, and a long awaited 'indoor attraction' has arrived. There is also a big container jutting out of it.
http://thorpeparkmania.co.uk/news/30-10-2014/2016-Attraction-Plans-Released
http://thorpeparkmania.co.uk/news/30-10-2014/2016-Attraction-Plans-Released
Ian
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Dizz, Bobby’s Yarn Land
Another grotty looking building.
What a surprise.
Am I right in thinking that these plans seem to suggest the removal/relocation of the carousel? Unless the 'first of its kind' element is going to be a carousel with a tunnel section
I've always thought that the arena had become something of a wasted space, and ripping out the seating recently it now all makes sense. It's a huge area which served no purpose. However, one thing which does spring to mind is the loss of a Fright Nights maze location. Maybe they're going to create some form of attraction which can double up as a maze during Halloween?
EDIT
Having just read the cover letter it does indeed include removal of the carousel.
What a surprise.
Am I right in thinking that these plans seem to suggest the removal/relocation of the carousel? Unless the 'first of its kind' element is going to be a carousel with a tunnel section
I've always thought that the arena had become something of a wasted space, and ripping out the seating recently it now all makes sense. It's a huge area which served no purpose. However, one thing which does spring to mind is the loss of a Fright Nights maze location. Maybe they're going to create some form of attraction which can double up as a maze during Halloween?
EDIT
Having just read the cover letter it does indeed include removal of the carousel.
Danny
TS Contributor
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Perhaps the carousel will be mounted to an indoor track and therefore it'll be a ride on a ride? Definitely a world's first claim
Other than the predictable run down, gloomy moody theme Merlin uphold two a penny everywhere these days, this is certainly an eyebrow raiser in terms of interest. For once, I'm actually excited at the prospect of a Thorpe development.
Other than the predictable run down, gloomy moody theme Merlin uphold two a penny everywhere these days, this is certainly an eyebrow raiser in terms of interest. For once, I'm actually excited at the prospect of a Thorpe development.
The seats and the drainage channel are part of the existing arena - they've just overlaid the outline of the building for comparison.Looking at this picture it looks as if there's rows for seating on the right hand side of the building facing left.
And I wonder what the drainage channel is for?
I quite like the brick facade of the main part of the building (though wish it wasn't yet again run-down), but I can't stand how they keep having really large parts of new attractions the same generic corrugated metal warehousing on show. It just looks so shoddy and destroys any illusion that may have existed.
Curious to see what this will entail although already bracing myself for the 'world's first concept' etc marketing this will bring with it.
Ian
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Dizz, Bobby’s Yarn Land
To me, it seems to suggest the carousel will be removed rather than relocated:
Must say, I'm feeling fairly excited about this development too
Maybe, however, at the start of the document they also state:
I suppose it's anyone's guess at this stage.
EDIT
Hmmmm... Thorpe Depot. So it's something industrial no doubt. Narrows it down a little I guess.
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That looks suspiciously like an asylum entrance. And if it's based on an ip........ hmmm; I'm getting Batman VIBES. Probably wrong though.
Maybe, however, at the start of the document they also state:
I suppose it's anyone's guess at this stage.
EDIT
Hmmmm... Thorpe Depot. So it's something industrial no doubt. Narrows it down a little I guess.
That looks suspiciously like an asylum entrance. And if it's based on an ip........ hmmm; I'm getting Batman VIBES. Probably wrong though.