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Thorpe's New MTDP

Ciall Connecticut said:
Excuse the double post, but found this news article which may be of interest to some people and may move away from the old Alton Woody discussion:

http://www.stainesnews.co.uk/staine...d-to-get-wooden-rollercoaster-54472-26794681/

Well, from what I was told, Merlin have denied that a wooden coaster is what people want... They are apparently adament that a woodie is something the masses are NOT interested in.

Heres hoping they might go for it. Personally, I don't see it happening due to density issues, but I can but dream.

At this point I am actually more interested in what the flat rides might be, since that is likely to be what we see in 2011 :)
 
Ben said:
And WHY is Neptune's Kingdom still there...
Indeed, are we missing something? Does Neptune's Kingdom draw people to the park? Does it ever get busy? Does England reach sufficient temperatures to make use of an outdoors paddling pool more than once a century?

Makes no sense, when that area is big enough for a major coaster and would cost less to change than making new land.

Though, perhaps, the issue is that in renovating that area means that they'd have to close of surrounding paths - which are the only access to the rest of the park? Might be the case... And that's putting them off?


Regardless, if the park don't build their next major coaster for 2012, they'd be mad. Whether it's worth investing in something worlds-firsty is another thing entirely, as any influx in guests will occur anyway due to tourism that year.
 
That is definitely going to bear on it I reckon Joey. With 2012 bringing a massive amount of overseas tourists they are bound to do a lot of offers to get people in from London etc.

From that I see it could go two ways; They could go all out and get a worlds first to tie in with it being visited by worldwide tourists as well as really show off and pull in more of the domestic crowds.

Orrrrrrrrr, they could just get something else, possibly something that will appeal to everyone. It would probably be a little too optimistic to hope for a woodie - They do seem much more popular over in the states and the rest of Europe as a new coaster choice.

In terms of Neptunes Kingdom, it is one of the last areas that does appeal to the family visitors so perhaps that is why they want to keep hold of it? However, I agree that it is extremely daft to keep it when it is very rarely even open and we have the right weather to want to use it...

I know I previously said that I would like to see more flats and I was quite excited about it but on further thought. What on earth could they get? They have such a diverse selection of flats i'm struggling to imagine what 5 new flat rides they could get that would be different from what they already have.
 
I have seen the pool open a few times. Infact, I have seen it very busy one or two times. Also, they like that space for events, such as The Curse at Fright Nights.

Also, if they want overseas guests, why not a woodie? People keep saying they are popular around the rest of the world, what better way to get pepole visiting from other countries.
 
jokerman said:
Also, if they want overseas guests, why not a woodie? People keep saying they are popular around the rest of the world, what better way to get pepole visiting from other countries.

That is exactly what I was getting at... :p
However, it has been bandied around for many a season that a woodie is considered too dense a structure for Thorpe. That coupled with people saying that Merlin are very unkeen on wooden coasters I would say it is optimistic to see one.
 
Ian said:
Having lived through a couple of previous MTDPs, I'm looking forward to months of hyped-up speculation, the unveiling of something which is moderately ok, followed by slating and disappointment from "enthusiasts."

Am I excited about the MTDP? No. No I'm not. I'll get excited when something actually materialises.

Exactly my thought.

I'd be interested to see the old Thorpe Park plans that included a second Detonator tower and other stuff so we can see how much stuff went ahead and how much didn't. That would probably put into perspective how much these changes will actually alter the park.

I'm still waiting for Alton to build a new hotel and move their entrance :wink:
 
Ian said:
Having lived through a couple of previous MTDPs, I'm looking forward to months of hyped-up speculation, the unveiling of something which is moderately ok, followed by slating and disappointment from "enthusiasts."

Am I excited about the MTDP? No. No I'm not. I'll get excited when something actually materialises.

Exactly my thought.

I'd be interested to see the old Thorpe Park plans that included a second Detonator tower and other stuff so we can see how much stuff went ahead and how much didn't. That would probably put into perspective how much these changes will actually alter the park.

I'm still waiting for Alton to build a new hotel and move their entrance :wink:
 
Trouble is, Merlin's research has probally been collected based on UK general public that have never seen nor ridden a decent woodie. Their opinions are likely to be based on Blackpool's old woodies or possibly Gwazi in Florida. So no wonder they would be concidered in a negative way. People haven't been exposed to the likes of the Voyage, Toro or Colossos or even Megafobia because its hidden away.

I'm taking the MTDP like a pinch of salt. Its highly likely that over that time scale potential attractions could be dropped for whatever reason. You only have to look at the old one (where only 1/3 of it was carried out) to see the changes that could happen.
 
Yes, this is true, but don't forget that 1/3 of it WAS carried out! Therefore, we can probably expect to see 1 of the coasters, 1 or 2 flats and one new fast food place. Still better than nothing surely? And I still like getting an indication early on of what might happen, even if it all turns out to be bollocks.
 
Mark said:
In terms of Neptunes Kingdom, it is one of the last areas that does appeal to the family visitors so perhaps that is why they want to keep hold of it? However, I agree that it is extremely daft to keep it when it is very rarely even open and we have the right weather to want to use it...
Good point about it being the last family friendly part of the park... Still doesn't make sense to keep the pools though. They should be removed, but leave depth charge there, and put a small family friendly coaster there. Maybe something a little larger than Fish which could travel under the bridge. Removing the pools means that fish could be incorporated into that area. They could get a play area like Land of the Dragons (dunno how popular it is?) or something similar to Flamingoland's water play area... or both? They've got room there. Those pools and slides (I've never seen the slides used) take up so much wasted space.

Regardless, Thorpe's very successful and I think they know what they are doing in terms of what kind of attractions will attract people. There must be a reason they aren't getting rid of Neptunes Kingdom and I'd bet on it being impractical due to pathways in that area.


As for taking the MTDP with a pinch of salt - it always amazes me how people need to point this out, or when concept art comes out we need to point out that it's not a photorealistic plan. Parts of this MTDP will be true and the fun at this stage is speculating what will happen, what wont happen and why.
 
I know it's TPM, but they do get news relatively accurate from stuff like this... Least I'd hope so...

http://www.thorpeparkmania.co.uk/news/1 ... w-for-2011

Thorpe Park Mania said:
Today Thorpe Park have submited further details to the council with their plans to open a new water ride in 2011.

In line with the THORPE PARKs Medium Term Development Plan that was submitted early this month, application for full planning permission for a new water ride opening in 2011 has been submitted to the Runnymede Borough council.

At a height of 19.4metres, the new ride will be located in the area currently occupied by Octopus Garden and will help establish the Park within a very competitive industry, appealing to both our core audience of 16-34 year old thrill seekers and families.

So yeah, place your bets now... But now looks like there ain't gonna be anything for the lil' uns from next year...
 
Water rides are really popular, so I'm glad. Will I ever ride it? Unlikely. I've not been on Tidal Wave since 2003 and I have no intention of ever riding it again.

And how in the world does a water ride at 65ft FIT in that area occupied by Octopus Garden? Unless they take the megastore out too, which I suppose would make sense...
 
I've had a look on Runnymede's website, and they don't seem to have uploaded planning aps for the last week yet (ie, to the 14th July - their week runs from weds to weds). Bit annoying.
 
Joey said:
And how in the world does a water ride at 65ft FIT in that area occupied by Octopus Garden? Unless they take the megastore out too, which I suppose would make sense...

Thats what I was thinking. Get ride of them games stalls too. X is quite close to Octopus Garden as well.... Burn that down then you'll have a massive new area :) Wishful thinking I know....

And 65ft is a good height for a water ride, so I wouldn't say its a kiddies ride just yet.
 
The only water ride I go on at Thorpe is the rapids, I do not think I have ever been on Tidal Wave.

But the public that go to the park seem to love all the water rides Thorpe have so I can see why they would build another one.

Aquatrax if I am right is made by Intamin and we have been told many times Thorpe will not get another one, so god knows.

Maybe a Mack water coaster?

Octopus Gardens is in the wrong place I always felt, I only ever walk through it to get from one side of the park to another. They should move all the rides somewhere else in the park.
 
Atleast there will be something new for 2011! I am amyeb hoping for a new flat too, but obviously they won't expand too fast due to making the most out of marketing, but maybe new flat new water ride do work well, I can't see many potential customers flocking to Thorpe just ebcause of a new water ride unless it's really good.
But I can't see a 65ft water ride fitting in that space, so I can imagine it going roun dthe shops then to the front of XNWO, or even better, replacing XNWO :p I will be glad to see Octopus Gardens go, it's just all wrong for Thorpe!
 
I know this is probably a really dumb question, but could it possibly be a flat ride that havily involves water and they have just put the emphasis on the water side of things?

Like the rest of you, I am really struggling to think what could possibly fit into Octopus Gardens and also hit that height mark.

Somehow I doubt very much that this is going to be a standard drop and splash ride. Since they already have two!

What about those things where you are suspended from the track and have water guns etc. (can't remember the name) The more I think about it, the more it could be a possibility. Think about it. the majority of the ride is actually above the ground. Could it be that just the station and queue will be placed in Octopus Gardens.

I was thinking splash battle, but they don't tend to be 65ft high...
 
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