Merlin Entertainments General Discussion

General theme park and attraction industry chat, along with the world of theme park gaming.
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AltonThorpe
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Will Thorpe Park be busy on 8th September?
Last edited by AltonThorpe on Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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NF2
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I'd not think so as its once most people are back at school and work, so it won't be too bad.

The only thing to possiibly look out for is students, because I think the Uni return dates are slightly later than the school ones. Even then though, I wouldn't expect much more than 30-45 mions for the biggies, if that 8)
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venny911
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Hi guys, I wondered if you could clarify a few things for me. I'll be visiting TP for fright nights at Halloween weekend, no doubt their busiest time. My plan is to stop off for a few hours on the Friday night and then return on the Saturday for a full day. I've already booked the ridiculous Annual Pass guaranteed entry ticket for both nights. I was wondering whether you thought it's worth considering a Fastrack Ultimate for the Saturday. I know the queues are going to be long, so to have a more relaxing day (hopefully) and get on all the rides this appears to be a real option and even a decent value if I'm going to use it for the whole 12 hours the park is open. So...

-I know there was a special Fastrak Ultimate last year that included the mazes, do you think this will be the same again this year?

-How quickly in the day do these sell out, or can I book in advance, even though I've already booked the annual pass entry

-Where do the fastrack queues merge, i.e. how long are they compared to the regular queue on a busy day

-Does anyone have a definitive list of what attractions this Fastrack will let me into, as Thorpe don't seem to have this on their site

-Is the pass for just one entry to each ride, or unlimited (including the mazes)

...and finally, do you think it better to go with this Fastrack (if it includes the mazes) or buy a combination of the separate packages. Your thoughts would be appreciated on all these issues surrounding Thorpe Park fastrack and in particulat at Fright Nights.
AstroDan

To answer your queries:

- Expect to pay around £70-£90 for a Fastrack Ultimate + Mazes on top of the entrance fee.

- These are likely to sell out as it is Thorpe's busiest time of the year.

- Fastrack queue's range from just a few minutes on rides like Rush to up to 30 minutes on some rides/mazes - historically, Thorpe have sold too many fastracks. Hopefully they won't make the same error again this year and you won't have long to wait.

- It will let you into all rides aside from Zodiac, Detonator and some of the smallest rides.

- It is for Unlimited Fastrack on rides. I doubt they will allow Unlimited for the mazes due to capacities. If they do, then they are stupid!

- The fact is - you couldn't choose a worse weekend to visit the park. Without a Fastrack, your day will not be very good. I advise, if money is no object, on buying the most premium product to ensure you get on all the rides!

:)
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tidy_martin
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dan the unlimited rides and unlimited maze fast track will be £75 on top of your day ticket whcih is not to bad if your going in oct half term
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AstroDan

Why do they do "unlimited maze"... surely that just slows down operations even more for the rest of the guests?

£75 is a lot of money!

:)
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Sam
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[quote=""AstroDan""]Why do they do "unlimited maze"?[/quote]
[quote=""AstroDan""]£75 is a lot of money![/quote]
I think you just answered your own question. ;)
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xEmmax
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Do Thorpe Park do drink refills like Alton Towers - and if so are the bottles the same

Bit of a longshot but they are both merlin parks! :P
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andreamurray
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Hi,
Not sure about thorpe park but chessington have the same drinks bottles but not legoland, they have a completely different design.
Warwick castle also use the same merlin refillable drinks as chessington and alton, we have very cheekily taken our bottle to other parks and re filled for free! but unable to do this at legoland as was completely different bottle.
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Islander
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Be aware that all of these places are supposed to check your receipt for that day each time you get a refill, so in theory, you can't reuse your refill bottle anywhere, whether they look the same or not.
DiogoJ42

It's very easy to 'loose' a receipt on a ride... :P
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xEmmax
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I know it's naughty but I am a poor student. Got 2 days use out of it at AT never been asked for a receipt and if they do can just say you lost it :P
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andreamurray
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I was never given a receipt in the first place, and didnt ask for one as i didnt realise it had to be shown on each refill, it has only ever been asked for once and i told them i was never issued with one, the very kind shop assistant just printed me off another receipt.
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Magic is Nemesis
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Quick question; I'm going to Thorpe park tomorrow for the first time in ages; what should I expect the ques to be like and is it worth buying fast-track?

Thanks in advance :)
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Towersfan
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Similarly I'm planning my first visit to Thorpe Park on Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd September with trips to Chessington and Legoland either side of that. I'm assuming the parks will be fairly dead but could anyone please confirm?

Thanks in advance. :)
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tha fish
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I was wondering what X:/ No way out's theme is suppose to be, I've never been to Thorpe so I've never ridden it but I as listening to It's theme music and that got me wondering. :?
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ReMeMBeR ThE NaMe !!
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James6
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---- Post Info Added ----

[quote=""Towersfan""]Similarly I'm planning my first visit to Thorpe Park on Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd September with trips to Chessington and Legoland either side of that. I'm assuming the parks will be fairly dead but could anyone please confirm?

Thanks in advance. :)[/quote]


I would expect Chessington to be dead as well as Legoland, But don't expect Thorpe to be, it's not been dead once this year.
If you go down to the Towers today, you\'d better ride Th13teen. :P
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Islander
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[quote=""James6""]---- Post Info Added ----

[quote=""Towersfan""]Similarly I'm planning my first visit to Thorpe Park on Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd September with trips to Chessington and Legoland either side of that. I'm assuming the parks will be fairly dead but could anyone please confirm?

Thanks in advance. :)[/quote]


I would expect Chessington to be dead as well as Legoland, But don't expect Thorpe to be, it's not been dead once this year.[/quote]
Thorpe's been near-dead once or twice - just need to know when to go ;).

It won't be dead in September, but it won't exactly be crowded.

Also, are you aware that Legoland is closed all Tuesdays and Wednesdays in September, save the 1st-2nd? When it is open, it'll be dead ;)
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chrismci
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[quote=""tha fish""]I was wondering what X:/ No way out's theme is suppose to be, I've never been to Thorpe so I've never ridden it but I as listening to It's theme music and that got me wondering. :?[/quote]

[spoiler:1y1lkk50]Theme = Mad, runaway computer takes control of the ride.[/spoiler:1y1lkk50]

But I wouldn't get your hopes up too much with X, it was probably my most disappointing ride at Thorpe.
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CoasterCrazyChris
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Judging from previous seasons, how busy do you reckon the park willl be on Saturday 26th September? First visit in 6 years and hoping to get on most things, will this be possible as the park will have its slimmest opening hours all year? Average q times?
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