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Thorpe Park 2012 Updates

^Not sure about an 80m version, but there's a 70m version in South Korea, and very good it is, too!

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I'm only posting these pictures to brag that I've been on it by the way. I don't think for a second that Detonator is getting replaced with one of these. It does have a higher capacity though...
 
^Very jealous if you've been on Phaethon, that ride looks great.

I would like to see a taller drop tower at one of the UK parks, I loved Scream at Heide park and Drop zone at Kings Island, but unless Thorpe start having problems with maintaining Detonator I can't see it happening there.

Not to drag this back from the dead, but looking at the plan Dominoes posted I can't see a Hyper coaster being built at the back of the park, as much as i'd love to see it. Trying to build something that big along that tiny strip of land would be a nightmare. Not sure how accurate the plan is for the parks intentions but it's dissapointing for me that the whole of Neptunes Kingdom isn't marked as an area of future development.

I think a Giant Frisbee somewhere close to The Swarm's location is about the best I could hope for in the next couple of years, but with hopes that high i'm likely to be dissapointed by whatever they actually build next.
 
Merlin's debt must be having a serious affect now, as they're increasing prices mid-season left right and centre.

Firstly Thorpe's parking has gone up twice this year, entrance fee to Alton has just gone up by £1.50 and for Fright Nights, entrance to Thorpe will go up £2.40 to £44.40.
 
Well, every time they put in "cost saving" exercises, everyone moans and complains and campaigns to have it stopped. So they have to pass the cost on somewhere else.

Want the Skyride open off-season? You'll be paying an extra couple of quid entrance fee then.
 
Disney have put their prices up by 30% in the USA.

Everywhere is getting hit hard.

Thorpe putting their prices up this time of year happens all the time now. Who pays full prices anyway?
 
I'm with you Furie. They've got to make their money from somewhere. The thing is, I'd understand if these parks weren't adding new attractions but kept increasing prices for people to be angry over it. I totally understand that people aren't happy with price increases, but, at the end of the day, it's a business, it's gonna happen.
 
But they raise the price every year anyway, so why the need to raise it again during the year?

And as said before, Alton makes buckets loads, so there's no need for these 'cut backs' or 'increases' to help the park run, its just pure greed.

And I do agree with what Marc said, not many people will pay the full price, but at Fright Nights you have no choice (and other dates during the year).
 
Does Alton make "bucket loads" though? They have to pay off the investment in the new rides, and look to justify the expense of the new ride next year.

Maybe they're not making as much as people think. We know Merlin are overall, but is Alton making that much? Is it greed, or is it natural profit required for investment? I've not seen the financial accounts, so I can't really say but the fact they keep trying to add in cost saving measures suggests they're struggling. You don't risk upsetting customers because of greed.
 
And as said before, Alton makes buckets loads, so there's no need for these 'cut backs' or 'increases' to help the park run, its just pure greed.
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How do you know this? Do you know how much money it takes to run a park like that, there's about 3000 staff including the hotels! Then consider the constant maintenance costs and future investments which, as been published by the park reach around £20m for a large investment.

Then consider the amount of the guests have come in on offers and free tickets. If the park has say, 1 million visitors you really think they all paid full price? What about the two days the parks had to close? Meaning everyone that day had a ticket refund.

I think your statement is a little ignorant.
 
It may have been, but I couldn't be bothered to go in depth about it really. I just based it on what is said on most sites. Yeah thats hardly proof, but usually something like that (Alton loosing money etc) would make its way on to net somehow.

Apparently the parks are doing fine, but the parent companies debt is ever growing and needs paying off.
 
Martyn B said:
It may have been, but I couldn't be bothered to go in depth about it really. I just based it on what is said on most sites. Yeah thats hardly proof, but usually something like that (Alton loosing money etc) would make its way on to net somehow.

Apparently the parks are doing fine, but the parent companies debt is ever growing and needs paying off.
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Isn't that a good enough reason to cost cut? If the parent company needs to pay off its depts then making the parks more cost efficient is a good way of insuring the investments are decent.

Us enthusiasts will always moan that these cost cutting measures are purely for greedy reasons. But were not the ones with the figures. As said before, it's dealing with these changes/ accepting price increases, or dealing with budget cuts on new investments.
 
I would guess the business model relies on getting loads of people through the doors and then expecting those people to buy stuff while in the park (and with most food outlets now in-house again there'll be more profit there) but I suspect savvy customers aren't spending as much.

I know from the theatre I run that we're getting more people through the doors than ever before but they're not quite buying as many drinks as they were 2 or 3 years ago.
 
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