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Thorpe Park: General Discussion

Re: Thorpe Park

Hmmm interesting idea, and really good for those staying at the Crash Pad. I know it's limited but I can't help feel it may be a little expensive. It's also not a good deal at all for Pass Holders, a £2 discount is awful! Still, if it's a work in progress it has potential.

:)
 
Re: Thorpe Park

£2 cheaper for pass holders? Bit insulting really if you ask me as a MAP holder! :/

Wonder what the motive is for that. Try and put them off so they don't swamp the place out and take up places which could be used for the (slightly) more expensive standard tickets? Plus, as John has said, given the summer sunset times there won't really be much riding in the actual dark!

It's a nice idea, but I certainly wouldn't want to pay £16 for 3 hours. £12 perhaps, but that's probably the most I'd want to with my MAP.



Also, interesting to note that on Friday 2nd & Saturday 3rd August the park closes at 7pm anyway, but they say gates open at 7 for Summer Nights. How exactly are they going to be controlling this? What's to say you couldn't just stop in the park and wander around for that half an hour until the rides re-open? Presumably they'll have to have entrance hosts checking tickets on each attraction.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Thorpe Park have submitted plans to the local council to extend The Crash Pad's stay.

The original plans stated the park were going to keep The Crash Pad, supplied by the Snoozebox company, until the beginning of the 2016 season, by which time the Thorpe Park Hotel (which recently had its plans re-submitted with modified construction) was planned to be open. However, following troubles with the hotel's planning permission, construction suitability and finances, the new Hotel may not be ready until 2020 at the earliest. So, in response, the park has decided to extend The Crash Pad's stay until 2024, and add 50 new rooms - including some 2 and 3-bed rooms. Also, following independent troubles with Snoozebox themselves, the park will develop their own 'shipping container hotel', cutting all ties with Snoozebox as a company. The new Crash Pad will be built and themed by Thorpe themselves, which will hopefully help with revenue by cutting expenses to external companies.

It is expected that the current Crash Pad, supplied by Snoozebox, will stay for the rest of the season, with 56 new rooms opening soon or for the 2014 season. The new Crash Pad supplied by Thorpe will open in 2014 for a 10 year period, or until the Thorpe Park Hotel planned for the CEMEX site is ready.

The plans also state that the park's next roller coaster, the "2015 coaster" planned to open in either 2015 or 2016, is "unlikely" to be ready by the time the current MTDP ends (I.e. 2016), meaning the park's next roller coaster may not open until 2017.

Source: Thorpe Park Mania
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The bits in bold do not sound good.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

MiserableMonkey said:
The bits in bold do not sound good.
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Agree entirely, in fact, most of that article doesn't sound good! It does however make me wonder about whether they will now focus on balancing out the park attraction wise.

The thing is you don't make up for crappy attendance figures from a not very well received coaster (which I happen to like) by not opening another major coaster for 5 years. This would also put Alton Towers next SW at the same year if the 4 year cycle is to be maintained.

Makes no sense whatsoever. Unless this is again measures to appease floating the company in terms of investment/income projections.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Yes, next coaster in 2017... if the park lasts that long! It wouldn't be totally out of the question to speculate the place closing down by then, given how shocking attendance has been this season and last!

Mind you, Lightwater and Flamingoland are still hanging in there, so who knows. (Probably someone)
 
Re: Thorpe Park

So we have no new coaster too look forward to until 2017 (i.e. no good rides because Thorpe Park don't do in-betweens), and the Trash Pads are here to stay?

Bugger. :S
 
Re: Thorpe Park

BigAl said:
So we have no new coaster too look forward to until 2017 (i.e. no good rides because Thorpe Park don't do in-betweens), and the Trash Pads are here to stay?

Bugger. :S
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Well they do have some top quality flats when they are run on the right cycles. But no new coaster until 2017 I can only see Thorpe park crashing and burning, ending up worse than chessie at this rate. :(
 
Re: Thorpe Park

That's not what I mean. What I meant was that Thorpe Park don't build anything other than coasters these days (Storm Surge was just a cast-off from Legoland Florida), so if their next coaster isn't going to be until 2017, what the hell are they going to do in the meantime!? :S

And they've got to do more than just turn things backwards and slapping a few effects into old rides that shouldn't even be at the park anymore! Their "plan" sounds like the exact opposite of trying to out the park from the state they've got it in.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

An evening event?

Take note, Alton!

A summer BBQ and late night X Sector Please!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
 
Re: Thorpe Park

£16 quid? Nah...

Also, I'm tentative about Thorpe's ability to 'limit' such an event... Especially as they have advertised it as having 'NO QUEUES'...
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Looks like Thorpe are having to bite the bullet and delay a lot of capital expenditure, I image they will have a couple of years of family installation. Interestingly if Towers keep the 3 year cycle Thorpes next coaster will be AFTER SW8, though personally I don't think we will see another big coaster at Towers until 2018.

The only issue with that is they are going head-to-head with Chessie, Lego, drayton and Alton who are all currently having a good season.

Personally I want Merlin to sell Thorpe and focus on their other parks but that's not going to happen.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

The same seems to have happened at Gardaland with investment slowed down. I didn't think long term they could sustain an £18m investment every 3 years, very few of the large regional parks do, especially with gate figures similar to Thorpe and Altons. Even cedar point for example don't add large coasters as often now, (dragster in 2003, maverick 2007 and gatekeeper 2013). I think we will see some medium sized family investments over next few years.

I also agree that I don think we will see a coaster at Alton on 2016, although I also think they will continue to get decent investment levels (especially if they continue as they are doing since smiler opened in terms of attendance and revenue) With legoland and alton getting the most investment from merlim going forward. i think we will still see a large investment in 2016 at Alton but a non coaster ride, I am sure I read they were looking at a major dark ride as the next big investment for 2016.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Bear said:
Yes, next coaster in 2017... if the park lasts that long! It wouldn't be totally out of the question to speculate the place closing down by then, given how shocking attendance has been this season and last!

Mind you, Lightwater and Flamingoland are still hanging in there, so who knows. (Probably someone)
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Hate to disappoint you but the parks had a very strong couple of months almost making up for the slow start ;)
 
Re: Thorpe Park

simps100 said:
Bear said:
Yes, next coaster in 2017... if the park lasts that long! It wouldn't be totally out of the question to speculate the place closing down by then, given how shocking attendance has been this season and last!

Mind you, Lightwater and Flamingoland are still hanging in there, so who knows. (Probably someone)
Click to expand...

Hate to disappoint you but the parks had a very strong couple of months almost making up for the slow start ;)
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Disappoint me?? I want nothing more than for UK theme parks to grow and succeed.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Here's hoping they've realized the constant investment at Thorpe isn't helping and have noticed that Chessington needs more investment!
 
Re: Thorpe Park

There's something very weird going on at Thorpe at the end of the month... :p

TPN News said:
It might be scorching hot right now, but Thorpe Park is predicting snow showers by the end of the month.

However, visitors to the theme park have been warned that these won't be typical flurries of the white stuff.

Having teamed up with Miss Cakehead and ice cream scientists from Creighton's, Thorpe Park will be making it snow lumps of edible strawberry and vanilla ice cream.

After being alerted to an imminent shower by the sound of an ice cream van jingle, guests can either shelter under waffle umbrellas or take a spoon and dig in.

'The bonkers weather has been one of the biggest news stories of the year, switching from the soggiest June in a hundred years to one of the hottest Wimbledon Final days,' commented the park's divisional director Mike Vallis.

'We decided we'd mix it up even further by making it snow in summer.'

The Ice-Scream Weekend will take place on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July.
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Re: Thorpe Park

£16 for AP users, that's pretty darn bad :eek:
Suppose that's one way of killing the queues and getting more money from non AP users as it meant to be limited.

This at Alton would be nice plus has Astro said a nice BBQ to add :)
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Has it crossed anyone's minds that a new coaster not coming until 2017 could be to do with the fact Thorpe may be adding family rides/attractions between now and then?

It would surprise me with this re-branding if they concentrated more on the family market these next few years, adding a small ride/attraction for the thrill market in between. The Snoozebox could also easily be marketed towards families (although I disagree with the whole Snoozebox thing, it looks vile).

I can see it being a few big years for Thorpe. Although I do have a slight concern that Chessington is yet again going to be forgotten and left to rot for years. It's always been the quietest park of the three, but if anything Chessington needs something more happening to it out of the three main Merlin parks!
 
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