Thorpe Park, Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures are getting ready to re-open their doors as lockdown measures in the UK ease. The parks, owned by Merlin Entertainments, plan to open on the 4th July but with new safety measures in place.
As much of the British public look for alternatives to international holidays this summer, Merlin Entertainments are encouraging visitors to the Parks. But with ongoing concerns about the spread of corona virus, they say health and safety is ‘a number one priority’. Ahead of the re-openings next month, they have listed a number of protocols to be followed by guests.
These include:
- Mandatory Pre-Booking
- A reduced park capacity
- Floor Markings in ride queues
- Temperature Checks at the gates (with full refunds if guests are turned away)
- Empty Seats on rides to enable social distancing
- Grouping on rides within household units
- Hygiene stations around the park
A number of rides and experiences are likely to be closed due to being unable to maintain social distancing. Indoor attractions are expected to be affected.
Thorpe Park’s newest attraction “Black Mirror Labyrinth” was set to open in March of this year. The indoor ‘digitized, hypnotic maze’, based on an episode in the popular Netflix Series ‘Black Mirror’, has now been postponed until Spring 2021. While Thorpe Park say the decision to postpone was a difficult one, they promise it is “an experience worth waiting for”.
Theme Parks across Europe and the US have already begun to open, with Universal Orlando Florida opening this week. One guest’s review of the opening day read “Social distancing measures are well defined…Universal did as well as can be expected” but said ride wait times were inaccurately estimated.
Guests planning a trip to Thorpe Park, Chessington or Alton Towers are advised to check individual park websites for the latest information.
Lucy Williamson
A Co-Founder and Health Editor. Editorial Assistant at The Lancet, NCTJ at News Associates.