• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Thorpe Park: General Discussion

I think what Thorpe needs is competition, most parks near it are small family parks but nothing that is of any interest to children over 10.
Nearest competitors with thrill rides would be:
Brighton Pier (44 miles - tiny)
Adventure Island (54 miles - actually a really good park but struggling with space and is relatively unheard of)
 
pluk said:
I think I the question we need to be asking is would bouncezilla fit in that building? :grinning::grinning:
Click to expand...

Whilst I am sure you were kidding, I believe I read that they actually sold Boucezilla in 2019, perhaps highlighting how much of a success that was!

I think DBGT will reopen, they spent a fortune on the thing and I think they will stubbornly continue to run it, especially since they probably have to pay to licence the name.
 
Mad the need for a USP put them off building a B and M hyper. There's parks in America with B and M hypers and gigas.

Surely the USP even then would be building the UKs tallest coaster (214 foot) , or if that's not possible dig a hole and have the UKs tallest drop (206 foot).
 
Changing the subject. I re remembered the staggering pace of development and cash Tussauds put into the park back after the fire. Tidal wave, Collosus and Nemesis Inferno all put in within 4 years, plus I'm sure 2 or 3 themed flats were slapped in for measure around then too.

The rate of development in that period was even higher than Alton the previous decade and simply staggering! Something we could only dream of these days. I am guessing they wanted to get their new acquisition upto the standard they had become known for, and fast.
 
John_P said:
Mad the need for a USP put them off building a B and M hyper. There's parks in America with B and M hypers and gigas.

Surely the USP even then would be building the UKs tallest coaster (214 foot) , or if that's not possible dig a hole and have the UKs tallest drop (206 foot).
Click to expand...

I can understand why park's go for record breakers like The Smiler, but UK's first wing coaster isn't really that much of a scoop anyway. They obviously didn't think it was that much of a USP, because they concocted a publicity stunt around the water dummies and got You Me At Six to record a song about it. Presumably the conversation went like this:

"It needs to have some kind of record or first. You know, like it's the UK's first wing coaster"
"Will we use that in the marketing?"
"No, it's a bit lame, isn't it? We'll build the UK's first wing coaster, and then tell everyone that we forgot to design it with the clearance envelopes that every modern roller coaster has. It'll make us look so stupid, we'll get in all the national newspapers. Clever eh?".
"You so smart."
 
DistortAMG said:
Changing the subject. I re remembered the staggering pace of development and cash Tussauds put into the park back after the fire. Tidal wave, Collosus and Nemesis Inferno all put in within 4 years, plus I'm sure 2 or 3 themed flats were slapped in for measure around then too.
Click to expand...

To be fair, the previous owner - RMC - had already committed to Tidal Wave (Tussauds came in and gave the ride its Amity Cove theme) but there really was an enormous buzz about the place in the early 2000s, with Detonator, Zodiac and Vortex all opening in a single "off" year.
 
KolonelKlink said:
To be fair, the previous owner - RMC - had already committed to Tidal Wave (Tussauds came in and gave the ride its Amity Cove theme) but there really was an enormous buzz about the place in the early 2000s, with Detonator, Zodiac and Vortex all opening in a single "off" year.
Click to expand...

That advert really got the GP attention as before that been from Birmingham I hadn’t heard of Thorpe Park as all ads were about Chessington.
Then I visited a couple of times a year from 2001 to 2011.
 
Themeparksandy1981 said:
That advert really got the GP attention as before that been from Birmingham I hadn’t heard of Thorpe Park as all ads were about Chessington.
Then I visited a couple of times a year from 2001 to 2011.
Click to expand...

The biggest TV advert they had out at the time was the one on watchdog, when only one of their advertised three new rides were open for much of the season!
 
pluk said:
The biggest TV advert they had out at the time was the one on watchdog, when only one of their advertised three new rides were open for much of the season!
Click to expand...

Yes I recall that only Detonator was open on time with Vortex and Zodiac open in the June/July time but on the ad they listed them all open but after the watchdog report they put a opening date on the ad.
 
Last edited:
Thameslink Rail said:
If I was given the goal of increasing Thorpe's capacity I would do the following:
Remove DBGT and use the warehouse for a large scale dark ride possibly using the Duel car system.
Ensure that rollercoasters have all their trains running (looking at you Colossus).
Fill in the gaps where rides have been removed recently (Loggers Leap, Slammer, Saw Alive, I'm a Celeb).
Edit: ensure that rides at the back of the park e.g. Rumba Rapids are ready at 10 instead of staggering them.
Allow guests to get to their first ride from 9:45 so rides are ready to go at 10.
Click to expand...
All of these except those that require capex (which Merlin are refusing to give) already happen and have been for the past 2 season. All coasters always on full capacity, and all rides open at 10
 
John_P said:
Mad the need for a USP put them off building a B and M hyper. There's parks in America with B and M hypers and gigas.

Surely the USP even then would be building the UKs tallest coaster (214 foot) , or if that's not possible dig a hole and have the UKs tallest drop (206 foot).
Click to expand...

Stealth's USP was it that it was literally the fastest coaster in Europe and that it was tall as hell and look how successful it was. It strikers as idiotic how Merlin wouldn't build a hyper of decent height where you could break UK record and that would be the USP as you say.

Just make up some BS excuse "world's first" regarding the theme like they did with Wicker Man and the idiots upstairs can greenlight the hyper the country desperately needs.
 
Where can you build a decent hyper though?

Thorpe have a limited ceiling due to Heathrow.

Towers obviously no chance.

So we look to elsewhere, and the options aren't exactly good.

Not that easy unfortunately.
 
I still don't think the London Resort will go ahead but obviously I'm hoping I'm wrong and it does.

My question is though if it does go ahead what does that mean for Thorpe Park? It's already struggling as it is. If we do end up getting a world class Theme Park in Kent / London area then I don't see Thorpe surviving at all. It would become a bit pointless. Obviously that's a huge if as I'm incredibly sceptical the London Resort will get over all the bairriers they need to over the next 12 months.

I think merlin will be following the London resort news very closely and if all the doubters, myself included, are proved wrong and they do build this great big theme park then I think merlin will put continue to focus their efforts on the midways and on other parks.
 
I think it's intended that the parks will be very different offerings, in the same way that Asterix & DLP and Tokyo Disney & Yomiuriland happily coexist.

Thorpe is part of the wider Merlin eco-system and pricing and (if you believe this thread) offers a lower quality experience than a resort destination is intended to deliver. The number of Southbank tourists that take the chugger out to Staines is quite low, but London Resort is intended to be large enough to attract people out of the city for a day, or two with good transport connections.

Merlin haven't gone down that route with Thorpe, the plans for a 'proper' hotel seem to have very much stalled.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top