How Busy?

[Matt.GC]

Absolutely. It's the quietest day I've had there for a few years at least now. You need to get lucky with a lack of school trips coaches now, whereas before, as you say, pretty much any traditional term time day was blissful.

I was going to ask what has changed actually?

The park is generally busier than the 2016-2019 days which isn't a bad thing at all, just the hours remaining as they were years ago is. This season in particular, it lacks attractions and reliability has been terrible so I would imagine that's a recipe for ending these truly walk on days? So I guess it has to be pot luck that visit on an quiet enough day, without school trips, where everything opens.

Maybe mid-week early September may be a good bet? That period between the schools going back and Oktoberfest starting, but ride reliability could be better by then. Just don't seem to know these days whereas you could bet on it in the past. Nothing worse than turning up for just 6 hours to find a 60 min Smiler queue, rides not opening until the afternoon, and repeated downtime.

 

[rob666]

Early September is rarely quiet...pass users getting a good weather visit in at the start of term, lots of colleges do icebreaker events, even some schools do early trips.
Best days are the week before scarefest for me.
Tree colours, empty gardens and generally some of the shortest queues.
I miss the good old days of all day walk ons.
,,,and then there was adrenaline week!