General Discussion

Hi guys. Often, parks will have a large-scale consensus opinion that most enthusiasts seem to have about them, and in many cases, you might conform to that opinion. However, there might sometimes be cases where you think differently to the hive mentality. For instance, there might be that highly rated park you don't get the hype for, or that panned park that you don't get the hate for. So my question to you today is; what are some parks you like more than most and parks you like less than most? I'll get the ball rolling with my answers: Parks I like more than most Thorpe Park - Thorpe Park is the unloved step-child of the major UK parks, and it's almo…

Hi guys. Disney and Universal are arguably the two biggest names in the theme park industry, and their brand of park is quite a different product to any others on Earth. While many parks seem to have the big coasters as their main selling point, the big 2 aim for a more holistic experience, with the coasters often being sidelined in favour of a greater emphasis on different elements, such as dark rides, shows, and immersive themed environments. As such, these premium parks often don’t tend to build especially extreme coasters, particularly in the case of Disney and particularly in more recent years. Don’t get me wrong, the big players have built thrill rides, but they oft…

Hi guys. The new year is upon us (happy 2022, everybody!), and as the new year is ushered in, rides around the world are getting another year older. And to be truthful, the ages certain rides are hitting… scares me a little. The Smiler, a ride I remember riding in its opening year? 9 years old! The Swarm, a ride I remember feeling incredibly cutting edge and modern when I first rode it? Hitting double digits this year, at 10 years old! But that’s besides the point. The new year being upon us got me thinking; when I first got into theme parks, rides of certain ages seemed old, yet rides that are the same age now still seem pretty new to me. For instance,…

Hi guys. Many parks across the world aspire for unique attractions in order to stand out from the competition; even close to home at the Merlin parks, the aspiration for uniqueness is a key pillar of the creative process. I don’t know about you, but I think Merlin are one of the most innovative companies out there. They don’t stay within the mould when designing attractions; they think outside the box, and nearly everything they build is very much outside the norm for a ride of its type. But my question to you today is; how important is uniqueness, in your view? How important do you think it is for parks to shun cliches & norms and think outside the box? I…

As a themepark enthusiast, I thoroughly enjoy visiting themepark and attractions and trying out new rides and experiences. However there are many themeparks and attractions out there that I dream of visiting and have yet to visit. So the question is, which ten themeparks and/or attractions in the world would you like to visit that you haven't seen yet and why? For me, the list has to be 10/ Gardaland, Merlin international sister park which has the exciting looking Raptor 9/ Heide Park, I like the look of all those rides plus Kraken too 8/ Disney Land Paris, looks amazing and magical with exciting rides plus the nearest big park to uk 7/ Knotts Berry Farm, lots o…

OK, which worldwide ride do you want to go on the most. Mine is proberly kingda ka as it is the WORLDS tallest and fastest coaster and I bet theres nothing like accelarating from 0-128mph in 3.5 seconds!

Hi guys. Size is often used as a marketing tool by parks, but many enthusiasts (myself included) believe that size isn't everything. For my money, it's not the size that matters, it's what you do with it. So my question to you today is; are there some coasters that work against that traditional assumption that "bigger is better"? Can you think of small coasters that you think make the most of the size that they have, and also some larger coasters that you think squander their size somewhat? I'll get the ball rolling with my suggestions. For a smaller coaster that makes smashing use of its size, I'm going to nominate Mine Blower at Fun Spot Kissimme…

Hi guys. With Omicron sending countries into lockdown, closing parks in some places and wrecking people’s theme park travel plans, I thought we could do with a little positivity around here this evening! So why don’t we take a journey into a land of dreams? Let’s go to one where COVID preferably doesn’t exist and you have an unlimited pot of money and an unlimited amount of land with which to build your dream theme park. Planning restrictions are also non-existent, so height and noise restrictions are no object either! So my question to you this evening is; if you were given the chance to build the theme park of your dreams, what rides would you put into it? And if you wa…

Better park?

Wasn't sure where to put this thread but if anyone has any pictures of any ride control panels... post them here to make fanboys go "ooooooh"

There's no way around it - coronavirus is going to affect our daily lives in one way or another. And with open season just around the corner, it remains to be seen how parks around the UK and the rest of the western wordl will cope and what measures they'll put in place, as well as how long it will be before Chinese parks (which have been closed for weeks already) begin to reopen. I figured it would be interesting to have a thread to track what's going on, and people's reactions... Merlin Parks The current stance across Merlin's UK parks and attractions is pretty simple: if you feel unwell don't come. If you have coronavirus-like symptoms when at the park…

I have seen other forums do this when I have snooped over, and I have seen top 10 best coasters on here, so lets talk about the worst coasters we have been on. It doesn't have to be a top 10 as per say, just one particular coaster you hate with a passion and say why you hate it. The one coaster I hate is Space Mountain in DLP, the last time I went on it I felt like my head had been violated and I had a bad migraine for about 3 hours afterwards. Yeah its not one I'm going to go on again. SO what's yours!

It was rather interesting to see your replies to favourite Coaster drops so I'm back to ask about the other way of kicking coasters into gear (or keeping them rolling). What is your favourite Coaster launch section? I reluctantly have to award this one to Taron's second launch section. The sound, the sudden and intense kick of acceleration and the way the train shakes like it's falling apart, it's fantastic. I can't really think of any runners up at the moment, however I'll be riding Dodonpa and at least 1 of the Chinese S&S launchers next year so I hope that will change things. Over to you!

What is your favourite coaster maker and favourite flat ride maker? Mine is Gersaulter, B&M and Maurer Sohne and my favourite flat ride makers are KMG, mondial, Fabbri and Tivoli

Genuinely thought we had a Vekoma thread somewhere, but clearly not.. But it's fine, we need one... During this week's IAAPA, Vekoma are revealing 4 new generations of some of their coasters. Flying coaster is one of them (see Phantasialand), another one is the upgraded version of their SLC... Called the Suspended Thrill Coaster (STC), the new off-the-shelf model features two inversions and a significantly different layout. The last "new" SLC is set to open in China sometime over the next year or so I believe. After that, the STC takes over as the only off-the-shelf suspended model Vekoma will sell. Given that Ma…

Couldn’t find a suitable place to put this so I thought I’d make a new thread. If you have any recommendations or links to shows/documentaries on theme parks, post them here! I wanted to recommend the documentary series ‘The Imagineering Story’ on Disney+. It’s a really incredible series covering all sorts like the history and design of the parks, how they created Disneyland in California and the park in China, developing rides and animatronics, behind the scenes for several rides and all sorts really.

I've decided to steal a topic I saw on another forum because I think it's quite interesting and I'd like to know what you guys reckon. What is your favourite drop (including lift if you want) that you have experienced? Mine would be no questioned asked Karnan. The insane, intense, amazing stuff that happens on the lift is only the beginning. When the actual drop comes it's one of the most intense moments I've ever experienced on a coaster. Back row, left seat, ejected so forcefully it hurts as you are twisted to the right and it feels like mere inches from you crashing into the tower structure, life altering! Honorable mentions would go…

So, 2020. It goes without saying that this was a tough year for everyone; with everything else going on in the world, theme park visits feel like a pretty unimportant thing to talk about, but with everything else being so awful, they provided a much needed escape for those whom felt comfortable to and/or were able to visit. It has been a very different year, and with that in mind, theme park visit lists will look very different this year. With this in mind, did you manage to visit any parks this year, and if so, which ones? I took the opportunity of a "step-back" from normal times to re-visit and support some of the independent parks in the UK. …

Easy thread for today. What rides have you been stuck on and what rides have you been evacuated from? For example I was stuck on Inferno's break run for twenty minutes once. So.. *coughs* - Icon. Stuck on the break run in the pouring rain for ten minutes. Got given a poncho. Nice. - Detonator. Stuck at the top for fifteen minutes. Had to be winched slowly down. We ate cookies that I had in my pocket. Got comped a free ticket to come back. Cheers Thorpe. - Dragon Falls. Boat stopped at the bottom of lift one. Got an exit pass. - Stealth. Kind of launched but then slowed immediately and stopped on the launch track. Eventually made it back to the…

Tell us what you have in your collection, or better still, post a pic I currently own: X3 Alton Towers hoodies X3 Alton Towers T shirts 10+ ORPs X3 Alton Towers keyrings X3 Alton Towers pin badges X2 Alton Towers mugs Several stationary sets X1 Alton Towers bauble I think that's everything

We've had top 10 coaster counts, we've had park counts, but what about your top 10 roller coaster manufacturers? I'll start with my current list, bearing in mind I haven’t yet visited many non-UK parks and am yet to ride an RMC (hence me not being able to judge them); 5. Intamin - They've produced some shockers and I'm not generally a huge fan of the UK collection we have, but they've also brought us some incredible rides such as Taron, and I'm sure with various ventures this year I'll get to ride some of their better rides. 4. Mack Rides - Their rich family values and innovative technology make them a special company, who have produced…

What do you mean we don't have an Intamin thread?! Oh well, here goes... Intamin last year announced several new ride types to their offering. They've now uploaded some videos... Ultra Splash: A take on Mack's PowerSplash (aka Pulsar) model Giga Splash A take on Mack's SuperSplash model (see SuperSplash at Plopsaland) Vertical LSM coaster: A take on Premier's Sky Rocket II model Hot Racer: A take on RMC's single rail (Raptor) concept. Unlike RMC Raptors, a specific focus on launches (something RMC have said they wish to avoid with the Raptors altogether)…

Being an enthusiast, there are a hell of a lot of "things" that trigger us. For example, things that trigger me: When a ride has assigned seating and they don't let you wait for the front/back (I know it's a policy and it improves throughputs so they have to, but surely if you're willing to wait longer you deserve the front/back). People holding up the queue leaving a 10 metre gap and taking 5 minutes to notice. Whenever Colossus runs on one train. GP friends who have been to Busch Gardens saying that Sheikra goes "inwards" on the drop (the amount of times I hear that, it drives me crazy). Anyone generally saying something about a ride w…

So due to boredom I have decided to make a thread to rank the Merlin Parks. This will be by recent investments and just how each park fall in the hierarchy. I think this will be a lot harder than Cedar Fair and Six Flags as Merlin is pretty even with their parks tbh. I'm gonna be ranking all of the abroad parks but I will lump the Legoland's into one category because ranking them individually would take a while. A Tier: Alton Towers Easily the most loved Merlin Park. When this park receives a coaster, its usually very high quality and unique. They usually have good in between years to boot, with constant money being thrown into their hotels, t…

My first official Pandemic topic, here's the scenario. I'm an American visiting Europe for the first time. Recommend me twenty rollercoasters in Europe that I absolutely have to ride. Money and time are no object. Go.