Thorpe Park Annual Pass Day 13/3/11
- Thread starter Ian
- Start date
Nic
Strata Poster
^^I totally agree with Ian. The park met my expectations. My two objectives for the day were to have a laugh with mates and to renew my annual pass, both of which were achieved. I did think the park seemed very underprepared though. Apparently they weren't expecting so many people, but I don't know why - we were expecting it! A special offer on annual passes, people's first chance of the year to get their coaster fix, cheap guest tickets and a new ride - it was always going to be busy, so I don't know why they were expecting anything less.
I do have sympathy for most of the staff though. There's been quite a few comments on Thorpe's facebook slating them, but its not their fault. As Joey said, they're inexperienced, and that can't be helped. Everyone I dealt with was polite, friendly and as efficient as possible. From that respect (in terms of batching and stuff) I've seen it a lot worse on days in the middle of the season.
I've also seen the breakdowns be a lot worse. 2007 was terrible for that, and don't get me started on Saw's opening day. By those standards, yesterday was fine. If the rest of the park had been more organised, I don't think people would've been as frustrated with the breakdowns there were.
Anyway, yes, as we've said, I had a good day and a great laugh. That's what CF is all about, and yesterday was no exception.
I do have sympathy for most of the staff though. There's been quite a few comments on Thorpe's facebook slating them, but its not their fault. As Joey said, they're inexperienced, and that can't be helped. Everyone I dealt with was polite, friendly and as efficient as possible. From that respect (in terms of batching and stuff) I've seen it a lot worse on days in the middle of the season.
I've also seen the breakdowns be a lot worse. 2007 was terrible for that, and don't get me started on Saw's opening day. By those standards, yesterday was fine. If the rest of the park had been more organised, I don't think people would've been as frustrated with the breakdowns there were.
Anyway, yes, as we've said, I had a good day and a great laugh. That's what CF is all about, and yesterday was no exception.
Beans
Hyper Poster
I echo both Ian and Nics comments, I enjoyed the company very much. I have'nt much of a voice left today because of all the laughing and chatting, but it was all worth it just to see you guys, unlike my previous years of going I am now not looking for the number of rides just the qualitly, to get on most once is good enough for me. Blimey am I getting too old!! :lol:
Nic said:
It's because each year, 100,000 people go to the opening day (or some other fiasco day) and say quite openly in their complain forms and/or Facebook "We're never going to Thorpe again!!!"
Since 2007, that's more than their yearly guest level, so they were expecting this year to be seriously quiet... "There's nobody here but us chickens..."
I read on the Thorpe facebook that somebody also complained about the rusty water on Inferno spoiling their clothes.
They obviously didn't complain like I did. Maybe somebody could point out to him that they have a "damaged clothes" policy where they will pay for any cleaning/repairs if your clothes are damaged by their rides. I'm thankful that I found that phone on X:\WTF otherwise I wouldn't have visited guest services and mentioned my coat on the off-chance.
My coat is now in for dry cleaning and Thorpe Park will be getting a bill for £10.25 shortly.
They obviously didn't complain like I did. Maybe somebody could point out to him that they have a "damaged clothes" policy where they will pay for any cleaning/repairs if your clothes are damaged by their rides. I'm thankful that I found that phone on X:\WTF otherwise I wouldn't have visited guest services and mentioned my coat on the off-chance.
My coat is now in for dry cleaning and Thorpe Park will be getting a bill for £10.25 shortly.
T0M
Hyper Poster
I'm sure you guys can more easily forgive it and move on, but it is only my second visit and it's also a 500 mile round trip and I had two casuals with me who will probably never trust my judgement again!
They do deserve all the slating they're getting and I hope their 'investigation' will find that it needs a dramatic re-think because it could potentially be even more catostrophic next year with LC12.
One idea could be to have it as a weekend, and you have to register your interest in advance. Numbers can then be split over the two days. You would select your preferred day or no preference. Guests COULD also be limited to one per pass holder, if that was a significant contributer, but I bet it wasn't. That on top of just generally being prepared and having proper maintenance done on rides before opening.
They do deserve all the slating they're getting and I hope their 'investigation' will find that it needs a dramatic re-think because it could potentially be even more catostrophic next year with LC12.
One idea could be to have it as a weekend, and you have to register your interest in advance. Numbers can then be split over the two days. You would select your preferred day or no preference. Guests COULD also be limited to one per pass holder, if that was a significant contributer, but I bet it wasn't. That on top of just generally being prepared and having proper maintenance done on rides before opening.
Mysterious Sue
Strata Poster
It's an odd one, because I'm sure I've been to Thorpe on days where the queues for rides are are much longer. I can remember in years gone by waiting 2-3 hours to get on Collie or Nemmie. This sucks, but it's expected on a busy day.
I think the complaint most people had was with the queue for food/drinks/passes, with lots of food outlets being shut or undermanned (actually I think we made the right decision going with the kebab, as there was no real queue for that).
I agree with the idea of maybe limiting numbers, not of guest tickets, just tickets in general. First come, first serve, or a ballot maybe, and have the event spread over two days, or even two weekends.
I think the complaint most people had was with the queue for food/drinks/passes, with lots of food outlets being shut or undermanned (actually I think we made the right decision going with the kebab, as there was no real queue for that).
I agree with the idea of maybe limiting numbers, not of guest tickets, just tickets in general. First come, first serve, or a ballot maybe, and have the event spread over two days, or even two weekends.
EnigmaHyena
Hyper Poster
It was wet, it was cold, I was tired, the queue just to enter the park was massive, most the food outlets were closed, rides kept breaking, Samurai didn't open at all and it was very crowded. But thanks to CF none of this really seemed to matter! Besides, I've done Thorpe a lot so I was more there for the company instead of the rides.
It was nice seeing fellow CFers again after what seems like ages, and as usual there was much laughter to be had - most notably Richard wearing a kid-sized poncho for Inferno, where the hood was too small for his head resulting in only his eyes and nose being visible. The sound of his muffled "RAH RAH"ing is still echoing in my head and making me giggle. It did seem a bit pointless to wear the poncho though because all of Inferno's oil, or "Nemesis Juice", just poured onto my hands and legs!
I'm glad the group was sensible and opted to not bother with Storm Surge, because whilst it DOES look fun, a 90+min wait hardly seems justifiable. However, even though I did say the day wasn't really about the rides I still managed to get a fairly good ride count, most even getting re-rides!
I wouldn't really say the day was terrible or even think about comparing it to the Saw opening day. Come on, I've had days where I've been there from 9am 'till 5pm and only managed to get on 3 rides because of it being busy/ride breakdowns. So I really do wish some people would stop complaining! (Although I DO feel sorry for the people getting stuck in the AP queue.)
Highlights
-Seeing everyone again.
-Richard and the kiddy poncho on Nemesis Inferno.
-Everyone laughing at my hair on Stealth.
-Getting a really intense ride on Nemesis Inferno. Back row right seat <3
-Ian getting harrassed by all the scare actors on Saw Alive, a long with everyone making jokes about Will.
-Spiting Ian by closing The Umbrella Of Personal Space so it engulfed his head.
-Me being awesome and picking the seat on Vortex that got the top on every swing (this was when the group did Rush. Instead, me, Peter and Kirsten rode Vortex).
-There was more but my mind's a blur! The day was basically awesome.
Lowlights
-The weather being ****.
-The bad preparation on Thorpe's half.
-Queue: The Ride.
-Getting SPITED by the oil on Nemesis Inferno's lifthill.
-My neck feeling like it was broken after riding Stealth whilst looking back at Sue the whole time to see her reaction at my hair. (My own fault really but it still bloody hurt!)
-KFC being closed. I WANTED MAH CHICKEN AN' CHIPS.
Ride Count
Nemesis Inferno x 3
Colossus x 5(Hooray for getting to stay on for an extra go at the end of the day!)
Slammer x 2
Stealth x 1
Vortex x 1
As a final note, I'd just like to apologize to Tom (Rush) for ditching riding Rush to go and ride Vortex instead despite how much me and him had been raving about Rush being the best flat in the country, getting overly enthusiastic about it and defending it violenty if anyone said bad things about it. Maybe next time!
It was nice seeing fellow CFers again after what seems like ages, and as usual there was much laughter to be had - most notably Richard wearing a kid-sized poncho for Inferno, where the hood was too small for his head resulting in only his eyes and nose being visible. The sound of his muffled "RAH RAH"ing is still echoing in my head and making me giggle. It did seem a bit pointless to wear the poncho though because all of Inferno's oil, or "Nemesis Juice", just poured onto my hands and legs!
I'm glad the group was sensible and opted to not bother with Storm Surge, because whilst it DOES look fun, a 90+min wait hardly seems justifiable. However, even though I did say the day wasn't really about the rides I still managed to get a fairly good ride count, most even getting re-rides!
I wouldn't really say the day was terrible or even think about comparing it to the Saw opening day. Come on, I've had days where I've been there from 9am 'till 5pm and only managed to get on 3 rides because of it being busy/ride breakdowns. So I really do wish some people would stop complaining! (Although I DO feel sorry for the people getting stuck in the AP queue.)
Highlights
-Seeing everyone again.
-Richard and the kiddy poncho on Nemesis Inferno.
-Everyone laughing at my hair on Stealth.
-Getting a really intense ride on Nemesis Inferno. Back row right seat <3
-Ian getting harrassed by all the scare actors on Saw Alive, a long with everyone making jokes about Will.
-Spiting Ian by closing The Umbrella Of Personal Space so it engulfed his head.
-Me being awesome and picking the seat on Vortex that got the top on every swing (this was when the group did Rush. Instead, me, Peter and Kirsten rode Vortex).
-There was more but my mind's a blur! The day was basically awesome.
Lowlights
-The weather being ****.
-The bad preparation on Thorpe's half.
-Queue: The Ride.
-Getting SPITED by the oil on Nemesis Inferno's lifthill.
-My neck feeling like it was broken after riding Stealth whilst looking back at Sue the whole time to see her reaction at my hair. (My own fault really but it still bloody hurt!)
-KFC being closed. I WANTED MAH CHICKEN AN' CHIPS.
Ride Count
Nemesis Inferno x 3
Colossus x 5(Hooray for getting to stay on for an extra go at the end of the day!)
Slammer x 2
Stealth x 1
Vortex x 1
As a final note, I'd just like to apologize to Tom (Rush) for ditching riding Rush to go and ride Vortex instead despite how much me and him had been raving about Rush being the best flat in the country, getting overly enthusiastic about it and defending it violenty if anyone said bad things about it. Maybe next time!
If a park is really busy (Is it 25,000 that Thorpe has capacity of?) then you just suck it up. You know that theme parks on busy days will result in huge queues.
The problem with Thorpe on these "special" days is that they're entirely unprepared for seemingly any guests. Busy parks people can (unhappily) cope with, but at under half capacity when the busyness is caused by poor management/maintenance it's exceptionally frustrating.
"We're weren't expecting so many people" is not an excuse for your rides not being up and running properly (for the fifth year running). Had all the rides been running smoothly, the queues would be lower and people would be much happier
Tom, it's about a 300 mile round trip for me, and after doing it twice in one week and only getting on three or four rides, I just couldn't see the point any more. It IS just the early season they have the issues. Go mid week in May or June and you'll have a fantastic "ride day" there. Unfortunately, it's the early opportunity people love and flock to, and it's when they're the least ready for it (hint Thorpe: don't do early openings).
The problem with Thorpe on these "special" days is that they're entirely unprepared for seemingly any guests. Busy parks people can (unhappily) cope with, but at under half capacity when the busyness is caused by poor management/maintenance it's exceptionally frustrating.
"We're weren't expecting so many people" is not an excuse for your rides not being up and running properly (for the fifth year running). Had all the rides been running smoothly, the queues would be lower and people would be much happier
Tom, it's about a 300 mile round trip for me, and after doing it twice in one week and only getting on three or four rides, I just couldn't see the point any more. It IS just the early season they have the issues. Go mid week in May or June and you'll have a fantastic "ride day" there. Unfortunately, it's the early opportunity people love and flock to, and it's when they're the least ready for it (hint Thorpe: don't do early openings).
nealbie
CF Legend
I don't see what all the hubbub is about - it was a great day with a decent enough ride count considering how many people there were there and how short-staffed they were. But as usual, it's the same nit-pickers (most of whom were not there) who are banging down the doors of Thorpe.
Ride-wise most, if not all of the attractions were open (except certain water rides, obviously) - yeah Saw broke down, but who cares? It's Saw! You can't slate it for being **** and then use it as an argument for Thorpe having nothing decent open!.... Double standards much!
Yes, what was going on OUTSIDE the park was atrocious and very unprofessional, but that's where it stayed - OUTSIDE. On park there was nothing out of the ordinary, except for the short-supply of food outlets. But I'm assuming this ties in with the park's own confession that they simply were not expecting so many people to turn up, so didn't have the staff in for that day, feeling that what they had would be adequate (which it would have been EASILY if they'd got the 75% smaller gate they got for this same event last year).
So yes, Merlin should have perhaps planned to be a bit more flexible just in case hoards of people turned up at their gate requesting entry..... But they weren't. A simple (and quite frankly minor) business error. Once I finally got into the park two hours after arriving, all was well and much fun was had! 3 rides on Slammer and 4 on Colossus being much-welcomed bonuses! <3
Oh, and as mentioned, the company was fab, yadayadayada - but much like large(ish) queues, I was expecting this to be the case, so it's nothing out of the ordinary .
Ride-wise most, if not all of the attractions were open (except certain water rides, obviously) - yeah Saw broke down, but who cares? It's Saw! You can't slate it for being **** and then use it as an argument for Thorpe having nothing decent open!.... Double standards much!
Yes, what was going on OUTSIDE the park was atrocious and very unprofessional, but that's where it stayed - OUTSIDE. On park there was nothing out of the ordinary, except for the short-supply of food outlets. But I'm assuming this ties in with the park's own confession that they simply were not expecting so many people to turn up, so didn't have the staff in for that day, feeling that what they had would be adequate (which it would have been EASILY if they'd got the 75% smaller gate they got for this same event last year).
So yes, Merlin should have perhaps planned to be a bit more flexible just in case hoards of people turned up at their gate requesting entry..... But they weren't. A simple (and quite frankly minor) business error. Once I finally got into the park two hours after arriving, all was well and much fun was had! 3 rides on Slammer and 4 on Colossus being much-welcomed bonuses! <3
Oh, and as mentioned, the company was fab, yadayadayada - but much like large(ish) queues, I was expecting this to be the case, so it's nothing out of the ordinary
.
Danzibarr
Mega Poster
A pretty rubbish day to be honest. I did on the whole enjoy myself, despite not really riding anything. We saved Storm Surge 'til 4.58pm to avoid wasting valuable ride time on other stuff, but still queued for 80 minutes. As predicted, it's a bit of a waste of space, although the lady and kids we shared a dingy with loved it, having spent a total of almost 4 hours queuing for it for repeat rides (which translates to only twice!)
Here's my obligatory photo of Storm Surge;
And a few more snaps;
Here's my obligatory photo of Storm Surge;
And a few more snaps;
You'll all be pleased to hear that the dry cleaners managed to rid my coat of the rusty water from my coat. "Rusty water" is listed in the Viz Profanisaurus as "urine". :lol:
I also find it very difficult to type the word "coat" without puting a "s" after the "coa".
I also find it very difficult to type the word "coat" without puting a "s" after the "coa".
Beans
Hyper Poster
Just in case anyone is interested these are some Storm Surge pics I took on Saturday.
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