While some of Thorpe Park’s roller coasters can handle a large number of guests per hour, crowds on peak days will lead to lengthy queues for all of them (particularly Stealth and Saw – The Ride). Flat rides such as Samurai and Slammer, which feature agonisingly slow loading times, can also be seriously affected.
While you’re likely to have to spend some time standing in line during your visit to the park, it is possible to keep it to a bare minimum. Follow these simple tips to maximise the number of rides that you experience, and minimise your wait times.
Visit on the quietest day possible
If you can, avoid visiting Thorpe Park during the school holidays and on Saturdays. Obviously, this isn’t always possible – and the park does stay open longer during the summer holidays, compensating somewhat for the lengthier queues.
Arrive early
Aim to get to Thorpe Park at least 45 minutes before rides open (and preferably earlier), to give yourself a chance to park, pick up your tickets (if you haven’t ordered them in advance) and get into a prime position at the entrance gates. Because the park opens relatively late, queues can build up quickly – rising a little earlier in the morning can save you hours later on.
Avoid peak meal times
Restaurants at Thorpe Park are very busy between 11am and 1pm. If you can eat either side of this window, then do – you’ll find that queues will be slightly shorter for the most popular rides, with other guests tied up eating.
Hit the big rides early or late
Queues for certain rides at Thorpe Park (particularly Saw – The Ride and Stealth) hit unbearable levels within a couple of hours of the park opening on busy days. Try and hit them early, or return towards the end of the day when guests have started to filter out of the park.
Don’t forget that the closing time refers to the queue, not the ride
A fact that is often overlooked by many visitors to Thorpe Park is that the stated closing time for each ride actually refers to its queue. So if Nemesis Inferno is due to close at 18.00, you can still join the queue at 17.59.
Take note of the queue time boards
Located in a number of positions around Thorpe Park, electronic boards display the current queues times for major attractions. Try and take a peek at these before you trek across the park, only to find that a huge queue has formed for the ride you were planning to experience.
Turn to the dark side and buy Fastrack tickets
We hate it when theme parks charge extra for queue-jumping options, which leave everyone else in the park feeling like second-class citizens. But if you must, or you’re desperate, you can buy Fastrack tickets which enable you to avoid the lines for some of Thorpe Park’s most popular attractions. Be warned, though, that you could still face waits of half an hour more in the Fastrack queues for attractions such as Saw – The Ride.
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