Thorpe Park: General Discussion

[simps100]

Re: Thorpe Park

I quite like the changes to X, its by no means an amazing ride but its no longer something for the park to be embarrassed about, as before this year it was abit of a state. I dont get the comments on "sorting out" the block brakes, when the rides at full capacity it will run 4 trains, making them pretty important!

The new 1m height restriction is also great giving some of the smaller guests another ride to ride which Thorpe do lack.

 

[Tomahawktom]

Re: Thorpe Park

Just been on today and think it's a much better ride than the old version (mind you that's not saying much). I for some reason did it twice. Still not the best, but who'd say no to a disco coaster? Can at some point see a lot of raving going on...
Also because of the lights I noticed the mannequin on the last block brake.

 

[Danza91]

Re: Thorpe Park

I went to THORPE PARK on Tuesday and thought I'd share my thoughts.

Firstly, we had a really good day, the queues were very short though which I found very unusual for THORPE PARK considering it's Easter, great for us though. Longest queues were 20 mins for Rush (1 arm) and 20 mins for Inferno (it was put onto 2 trains just before we got on). Swarm we queued no more than 10 mins for, including backwards. However, by half 4 we were a bit bored and left when the park was still open to 6pm.

So The Swarm backwards - A massive disappointment and I can't understand why they've done it. The ride felt less intense and just really underwhelming. Dread to think how long you'll be queuing for on busy days. Forwards, one of the best rides I've been on.

When did Saw get so rough?! I went back in September and although it was rough, it was ok, but Tuesday it was so rough it was just not enjoyable at all. I found it worse than Colossus to be honest as with Saw, it seemed to be really quick jerks which I found more painful.

Another thing I really didn't like was the staff on the bridge you walk across into the dome. There were two of the free refills stands there and one of the members of staff was shouting at you to get one like she was on a market. On top of that, just inside the dome, some bloke was trying to flog something else but I can't remember what. It's this kind of behaviour which may put me off visiting in the future. All they care about is draining every last penny out of you.

Also, the lower level of the dome massively needs sorting out, it reminds me of the gym I go to back at home. The toilets when I went in there were vile as well. Piss ALL around the seat and everything.

We also didn't go on X as it seemed to have a long queue and I really can't be bothered with it even if it has had a makeover, it's still a dire coaster.

I know this post seems a bit ranty but aside from the negatives, we had a really good day and Thorpe have finally seemed to sort themselves out in terms of ride maintenance. Everything open, and everything on 2 trains.

EDIT: I remembered what the other bloke was trying to flog me; anytime return tickets! So within 2 minutes of going through the ticket barriers they were asking for another £20 or so of my money. Disgusting.

 

[HaydenCR]

Re: Thorpe Park

Also, the lower level of the dome massively needs sorting out, it reminds me of the gym I go to back at home. The toilets when I went in there were vile as well. Piss ALL around the seat and everything.

You are seriously going to complain about the toilets? Thorpe Park's toilets are miles cleaner then your average nightclub, fast food chain, cinema, welcome break etc... And if your complaining about piss being on the seats, your standards are clearly set far too high on what a public toilet should look like. As for them trying to sell stuff every 5 seconds... its still cheaper then at Alton Towers

 

[Dave]

Re: Thorpe Park

As for them trying to sell stuff every 5 seconds... its still cheaper then at Alton Towers

Dunno i always found Thorpe prices to be higher in-park than Towers, always assumed that to be the London factor. This year Towers have toned down the up-selling a lot.

And toilets should be clean.

 

[HaydenCR]

Re: Thorpe Park

As for them trying to sell stuff every 5 seconds... its still cheaper then at Alton Towers

Dunno i always found Thorpe prices to be higher in-park than Towers, always assumed that to be the London factor. This year Towers have toned down the up-selling a lot.

And toilets should be clean.

I have always found the price of food and fastracks to be cheaper at Thorpe. And yes toilets should be clean, but I have always found Thorpe's toilets clean, and the toilets cant be cleaned every 5 seconds. My point is Thorpes toilets are much cleaner then toilets in other public venues

 

[Dave]

Re: Thorpe Park

Fastracks definitely more expensive at Towers but that's because their policy is to sell fewer FT at a higher price to reduce the impact on main queues (so they say).

 

[ThorpeFan]

Re: Thorpe Park

I visited the park last saturday and i thought the swarm back wards was amazing. To me it seemed more intense but maybe just my opnion. I do also think the toilets are kept clean compare to most public toilets etc.

And one last thing, when i visited there were people on the bridge selling refillable drinks but they didnt seem shouty, just asked politely and if you declined, (which i did) they said ok thank you, enjoy your day i was very impressed with everything last weekend

 

[DiogoJ42]

Re: Thorpe Park

Popped along for the afternoon. X is only running two trains (the host said the rest are not ready yet) leading to long queue times.

The first thing that struck me was that while I know the layout well, reversing the direction really threw me. Left turns are now right and vice-versa.
Lighting wise, what they have is good. A large vertical truss in the center of the room is covered in LED moving heads. They do a good job, though personally I would have programmed them to do something much simpler. Less is more. They spend too much time on, not enough time strobing. There are also two lasers, but they need more. Each stop/start block should be in a laser "tunnel" if you ask me.
They could improve what they have simply by upping the level of smoke, it's quite a fine haze at the moment. A thicker fug would help hide the track.

The queue looks half finished. The new additions look good, but most of it is unchanged.

The music is utterly forgettable... but at least it's not dubstep.

 

[ThorpeFan]

Re: Thorpe Park

Diogo what did you think of The Swarm backwards? Would like to hear you opinion

 

[DiogoJ42]

Re: Thorpe Park

The Swarm backwards is to roller coasters what the Reliant Robin was to cars: An interesting idea, and it's great that someone tried it out, but ultimately is misses the point.

 

[TheMan]

Re: Thorpe Park

The Swarm backwards is to roller coasters what the Reliant Robin was to cars: An interesting idea, and it's great that someone tried it out, but ultimately is misses the point.

I have no idea if I even agree with this until I ride it - however, for the second time today I get this baby out

;D

Hahaha!

 

[Tomahawktom]

Re: Thorpe Park

With Saw's roughness when I rode it last Thursday it was really rough, but then I went on Tuesday and it was a lot smoother. Does the temperature of the day affect how fast it goes? Does that then affect how rough it is?

 

[Nick]

Re: Thorpe Park

With Saw's roughness when I rode it last Thursday it was really rough, but then I went on Tuesday and it was a lot smoother. Does the temperature of the day affect how fast it goes? Does that then affect how rough it is?

I think it's because the wheel bearings in the wheels have a better lubrication when the grease is heated up, causing the bearings to have less friction, and so the wheels can rotate faster.

About the smoothness, it may be you being in a different train (I've heard some of the trains differ in smoothness), or a different seat. I would have thought a faster train would result in a more violent, but quicker, bump, yet the change in speed of the train would probably be not enough to affect this greatly, so it's probably to do with the train itself.

 

[Laura]

Re: Thorpe Park

I have found in the past with SAW that trains with heavier loads are more rough. The smoothest ride I had was during Fright Nights when the queue consisted entirely of young teens (and myself who has been abandoned mid-queue) and it was pretty cold then. Rides in warmer weather have been rougher.

As for the toilets under the dome - they are horrendous as is the whole area. If they can keep the other loos clean why not these ones? I don't think it is too much to expect clean toilets. They are NOT public toilets after all, we are paying to get into the park so shouldn't toilet maintenance be included in the cost?!

 

[Danza91]

Re: Thorpe Park

Also, the lower level of the dome massively needs sorting out, it reminds me of the gym I go to back at home. The toilets when I went in there were vile as well. Piss ALL around the seat and everything.

You are seriously going to complain about the toilets? Thorpe Park's toilets are miles cleaner then your average nightclub, fast food chain, cinema, welcome break etc... And if your complaining about piss being on the seats, your standards are clearly set far too high on what a public toilet should look like. As for them trying to sell stuff every 5 seconds... its still cheaper then at Alton Towers

Well it was quite disgusting really, I'd seen cleaner in nightclubs before haha. I should say that around the rest of the park, the toilets were absolutely fine, however these were just not acceptable. I understand it's hard for them to monitor as it only takes one person to make a mess of them but even so, it's not pleasant.

I just am anti-upselling in general when at a theme park really. I understand they're a business etc etc but when you've paid a fair amount to get into the park, you shouldn't have people in your face trying to flog you more stuff. Why does it matter that it's cheaper than Alton Towers?

 

[LiamC]

Re: Thorpe Park

Also, the lower level of the dome massively needs sorting out, it reminds me of the gym I go to back at home. The toilets when I went in there were vile as well. Piss ALL around the seat and everything.

You are seriously going to complain about the toilets? Thorpe Park's toilets are miles cleaner then your average nightclub, fast food chain, cinema, welcome break etc... And if your complaining about piss being on the seats, your standards are clearly set far too high on what a public toilet should look like. As for them trying to sell stuff every 5 seconds... its still cheaper then at Alton Towers

Well it was quite disgusting really, I'd seen cleaner in nightclubs before haha. I should say that around the rest of the park, the toilets were absolutely fine, however these were just not acceptable. I understand it's hard for them to monitor as it only takes one person to make a mess of them but even so, it's not pleasant.

I just am anti-upselling in general when at a theme park really. I understand they're a business etc etc but when you've paid a fair amount to get into the park, you shouldn't have people in your face trying to flog you more stuff. Why does it matter that it's cheaper than Alton Towers?

I'm sorry but when I could be paying up to £43 for a day out MINUS what I would spend on food and drink the least I would expect is a clean block of toilets. The ones in the dome at Thorpe are disgusting and have been dirty on most occasions I've visited.

The whole line about it being cleaner than your average nightclub, cinema, welcome break etc doesn't cut it with me I'm afraid. A welcome break/cinema/nightclub are all a lot cheaper to get into (welcome breaks are free) yet at Thorpe you're led to believe you're spending money on a premium day out. Which, when the toilet you're using is covered in urine and there's toilet paper strewn everywhere, you're obviously nowhere near to getting.

 

[HaydenCR]

Re: Thorpe Park

Also, the lower level of the dome massively needs sorting out, it reminds me of the gym I go to back at home. The toilets when I went in there were vile as well. Piss ALL around the seat and everything.

You are seriously going to complain about the toilets? Thorpe Park's toilets are miles cleaner then your average nightclub, fast food chain, cinema, welcome break etc... And if your complaining about piss being on the seats, your standards are clearly set far too high on what a public toilet should look like. As for them trying to sell stuff every 5 seconds... its still cheaper then at Alton Towers

Well it was quite disgusting really, I'd seen cleaner in nightclubs before haha. I should say that around the rest of the park, the toilets were absolutely fine, however these were just not acceptable. I understand it's hard for them to monitor as it only takes one person to make a mess of them but even so, it's not pleasant.

I just am anti-upselling in general when at a theme park really. I understand they're a business etc etc but when you've paid a fair amount to get into the park, you shouldn't have people in your face trying to flog you more stuff. Why does it matter that it's cheaper than Alton Towers?

I'm sorry but when I could be paying up to £43 for a day out MINUS what I would spend on food and drink the least I would expect is a clean block of toilets. The ones in the dome at Thorpe are disgusting and have been dirty on most occasions I've visited.

The whole line about it being cleaner than your average nightclub, cinema, welcome break etc doesn't cut it with me I'm afraid. A welcome break/cinema/nightclub are all a lot cheaper to get into (welcome breaks are free) yet at Thorpe you're led to believe you're spending money on a premium day out. Which, when the toilet you're using is covered in urine and there's toilet paper strewn everywhere, you're obviously nowhere near to getting.

I have been to Six Flags: perhaps thats why I think that the upselling isn't that bad, nor is the food, the toilets, the fastracks, or car park charges! Trust me, if you think Thorpe Park is unpleasant, then you need to get over to Six Flags immediately. You will never complain about Thorpe Park again!

 

[Fredward]

Re: Thorpe Park

Just because one chain is worse, does not mean you can ignore the problems at Thorpe.

 

[HaydenCR]

Re: Thorpe Park

Just because one chain is worse, does not mean you can ignore the problems at Thorpe.

My point is the problems aren't bad enough to hamper my enjoyment when I personally go to Thorpe Park. I am not ignoring the problems at Thorpe, but I feel they are minor problems. The park is so small that if you dont like the toilets at the dome, you don't need to use them. When I went to Six Flags the toilets were essentially unusable, the operations were unbelievably bad, the parking cost over $20 and the food was horrendous, with an exceptionally long wait and only two choices: Hot dog or cheeseburger! You weren't allowed to bring food on park and you had to use pay per use lockers. At least when i go to Thorpe, there is a wide variety of food options, customer service is great, all the upsell stuff is completely optional, and the attractions are generally well presented.

I am a little annoyed that I keep being challenged on my opinion so back off! Or something like that.