Well this blew up :lol
Where to start ... firstly I do
not want us to find ourselves in a situation where Blackpool Pleasure Beach is the best we have, and I will never say that Merlin produce more bad quality attractions than good, because that's simply not the case. But it's all too easy to point to some of Merlin's more recent successful investments at parks and (rightfully) praise them on such achievements without actually covering the negatives of Merlin Entertainments' operations of their Resort Theme Parks
The issue here is conflating the quality of new attractions with the quality of the parks. Perhaps, as enthusiasts who visit Merlin parks regularly, we tend to be more forgiving and become used to seeing certain aspects of certain parks in poorer condition than they ought to be. Simple upkeep is an area where I genuinely think Merlin struggle for such a commended chain of parks, and perhaps its not surprising, given that they're an huge global company with far more profitable things to do than care for the finer details of their parks in the way that a smaller park might. In order to defend myself against the inevitable tirade of outrage, I will of course say that Merlin don't completely neglect their parks in this sense; the Towers Loving Care scheme is an excellent example of Merlin trying to show the pride they have for their parks, even if it consists mainly of what should really be annual maintenance for the world's second largest attractions company. But that does not forgive some catastrophic failures on Merlin's part that could/can be avoided simply by taking more care for the attractions which might not be at the front of the marketing campaign, but provide a fuller, deeper, higher quality overall park:
Why are flat rides dropping like flies and being replaced by cheap and tacky games? Why are attractions such as Colossos and Loggers Leap SBNO as a result of a lacking in proper maintenace? Why has Old Town been invaded by ridiculously out of place travelling fair rides? Why is a nearly-new multi-million pound dark ride sitting abandoned in Forbidden Valley? Why have more accommodation options been built in the UK in the last five years than large-scale ride investments? Why are opening hours being cut on days where rides are frequently seeing full queues at 5pm? Why is scenery on some iconic attractions disappearing without replacement? Why are otherwise well-themed areas being ruined by installations of things like Nitrogenie in wholly inappropriate locations?
But I digress. I don't want to simply point out what I believe to be Merlin's flaws. It would be incredibly unjustified for me to sit towards the end of another season of several thoroughly enjoyable days at Merlin parks and simply speak ill of the company which, on the whole, provide a fantastic service on a day-to-day basis. Merlin are the best we have (for now) by quite a way, and I'm not trying to argue that. My point is simply that, with Merlin set to press on with "the winners" without fixing some of their prior mistakes, it's not impossible for their customer base to decide that, while Merlin are the most innovative in this country, they might (personally) have a nicer day out at a rapidly-improving smaller park, where the owners demonstrate pride in every corner of their park, and it is not simply (in the words of some of my family who visited Thorpe Park a few weeks ago on a trip to the UK after moving to Australia in the late 00s) "a contest of who has the most money". Is it not possible that the country's medium-sized parks will soon start to become competition as a result of people leaving the stress-filled closure minefield that we've seen of late and opting instead to visit somewhere cheaper, more cared about and more personal?
That's my point. Not that Merlin are bad or don't care. Not that Blackpool, or any other park, is necessarily better. Simply that Merlin are not - as some seem to be suggesting - untouchable in their position as the operator of the UK's four leading theme parks, especially in light of recent events.
Burniel | Great at theme park knowledge, not so great at designing signatures.
