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As the 2012 season draws closer, and the 2011 season a thing of the past Merlin Mania have taken the time to look back on 2011 for the Merlin group.

The main investment for Merlin in 2011 was overseas from England. Gardaland got the Worlds first B&M wingrider, and Heide Park got Krake, a new type of Dive Machine. Merlin also opened a Legoland in Florida. All of these additions were well received. Raptor was an extremely immersive and impressive new ride for Italy’s number one theme park, covered in a more than healthy amount of theming and effects. The layout, whilst short, had been designed to perfection, to utilise the small space, on top of a hill top, that the park could afford to use. Diving under bridges, through walls and swooping over lakes were all effects the ride debuted. Raptor was the first real sign Merlin knew how to build a brilliant ride, and as such the enthusiasts loved it.

Krake was not as well received, after the large theming element, of diving into a Krakens mouth was left off the ride, due to building regulations, and a shorter than desired layout. However it was a considerable step up from previous Merlin rides, and gave fans hope for the future.

Along with Raptor, Legoland Florida was the other hit of the year. Guests flocked to the redesigned Cypress Gardens with mixed expectations, but the general reaction was a success. Merlin had managed to turn around this failing Florida park, and plans are already in place for the waterpark to re-open next year.

However, whilst foreign investments were exciting, UK parks had a lot to desire. Thorpe park received Storm Surge, a Spinning Rapids ride, relocated from Cypress gardens. Thorpe Park could not have made a worse decision for a filler ride. The old Octopus Gardens area was ripped out, and replaced by a multi coloured leaking water chute. In addition to a lack of theming, throughput was poor, and the ride itself left a lot to be desired. By the end of the year the sections which made the boats spin had been removed, leaving just a gentle meander. Maintenance teams also struggled with the rides conveyer belts.

Alton Towers and Chessington got no major attractions, and this left the parks line-ups to stagnate, the general view of both parks decreased during the year. Alton Towers being a particular target of disappointment, after plastering Oblivion, a roller coaster which plays on Fear, with comical Fanta advertising. This was removed after a large group of fans sent a letter to the top of the Merlin Group. Many claimed that the parks trademark magic had been lost.

The only UK park with significant investment was Legoland Windsor, which debuted Lego Atlantis, the worlds first submarine ride, through an aquarium. This ride was the first real indication that Merlin knew what they were doing with Legoland, after many years of poor investment. Legoland Atlantis brought back the magic which was littered in older park rides.

Events wise, 2011 was a success. Every park housed popular events, which outdid their previous year events by far. Thorpe Park increased the scale of Sun Scream, and brought the utterly brilliant Experiment 10 and roaming clowns to the park for Fright Nights. Alton Towers Scarefest brought all the mazes on park.

All in all 2011 was quite a weak year, with only a few parks in Merlin’s portfolio receiving a major new attraction. Many parks were given weak or no attractions, and these attractions had to pull up their reputation by creating incredible events.

2012 will see the launch of the Swarm, Nemesis what lies beneath, another new Legoland Park, and many more developments from Merlin. Hopefully 2012 will be a lot better and magical than 2011