Leaderboard

5) Thorpe Park TPM meet 2013. There was something just so special about this trip. Whether it was the fact it was snowing, freezing cold, the most awesome people on a trip or just everything put together I don't know but it was just brilliant. To Peaj and Dara riding Tidal Wave and being drenched for the rest of the day or sitting in Calypso BBQ with hot chocolates and coffees. 4) Disneyland Paris Fandaze 2018. The end of the 25th anniversary celebration really but this was a trip where many rare characters made an appearance as well as meeting the (at the time) CEO of Disneyland Paris, Catherine Powell. It was a long day but a fantastic one. 3) Europa Park 2006. I met my future husband on this trip so it has many, many special memories for me. Travelling through Rust to the Lidl from the Tipi village. Getting drunk in a field and several of us falling into a lake. Getting on Silver Star for the first time. Travelling the diamond mine and avoiding the bears, seeing the metal dragon. Such a great trip. 2) Walt Disney World 2011. When building up to Florida, it was Universal and Seaworld that I wanted and craved. But once the trip was over it was the Disney parks that captured my heart. This was the trip where my boyfriend and I were chosen to be in the Jammin' Jungle Parade which was utterly wonderful. I'll need forget this amazing trip. 1) Chessington 1998. I wasn't an enthusiast of any kind, I was just really obsessed with them. I used to draw pictures of the Vampire with its classic bat trains all the time. This was a trip long time coming and I remember sitting outside the Bubbleworks, eating my McDonalds and looking up and watching this beautiful train swoop through Transylvania. It caught my attention and has shaped my theme park life really. To this day I love the Arrow suspended rides but Chessington is where it all started.

Refreshingly honest if you ask me. And I'm no big fan of Boris! Regardless of what they do people will die who may not have done if they didn't have a the virus. Just like many things, people pick up all sorts which finish them off that ultimately could be prevented if people didn't come into contact with each other or extreme measures were out in place to stop them. You could ban alcohol, processed foods, tobacco, cars etc etc and wipe out incredible amounts of 'untimely' death, but it's generally accepted the loss of enjoyment, freedom and economic activity would be too bigger cost for the result. The same thing is happening here but within a shorter timeframe. Playing state activity off against risk to life might be an unsavoury thought but it is happening constantly, and has to. Even in my lowly position in it all in my training, for terrorist response especially but a lot of major incident response, you have to make some dreadful decisions that will ultimately condemn people where you use your resources in the most effective way. Not everyone can be saved from everything, you have to do what's best with a much wider outlook. The decisions that are being made are made on the advice of medical experts, and with a hell of a lot more information than will be available to the rest of us, they're not just pulling the decisions out of their arses. Even if in some aspects with hindsight we get it wrong I think they are making the right decisions for the right reasons.

Dear TPM members It is with regret that I announce the cancellation of all TPM meets for the foreseeable future. However, it is only fair that we think of the health and safety of all our members and the general public. Once things calm down we will come up with a new plan. Let's hope we get through this crisis sooner rather than later and can all enjoy social events and the one thing we all love, visiting theme parks! Thank you for your understanding. Matt Quote

From reviews it seemed like a generally successful day for Chessington, bar the 1 hour queue for RAP, ironic do people really need these or just see them as a free fast track, same with carer passes, I wonder if people just see that as free entry nowadays. On another note I saw a post about allowing a full train of RAP users to drop queue times, is this not theoretically an operations nightmare if something went wrong, I thought you were only allowed 1 RAP holder on any ride at a time for safety and evacuation issues. Doesn't seem like these issues will go away soon now either with RAP passes being valid til the end of 2021.

Unless you’ve been living under on a distant island or on a galaxy far away, you will be fully aware of the current pandemic that is happening, causing for much concern and cancellation of next to everything fun, social or entertainment related. Whilst there are definitely bigger concerns out there, we probably won’t get our park fixes again now for at least a little while. This is why I’ve pitched up the idea of 10 Theme Park related things you can do and enjoy in the comfort of your own home whilst waiting for all this to blow over. Feel free to post your own suggestions too. 1/ Theme Park Video/Computer Games The first (and possibly most obvious) thing to do when the parks aren’t open. There are plenty of theme park games, from the obvious Roller Coaster Tycoon Games and Planet Coaster, to the slightly more obscure Theme Park World and Roller Coaster Factory, and even the whacky (yet wonderful) Legoland games. Whilst we wait for this to blow over, enjoy your own fictional parks, simulations and creations! 2/ Watching YouTube Videos Again, another straight forward option. YouTube is literally a library for theme park videos, let alone everything else. You can watch literally anything, from Theme Park Worldwide, Jack Silkstone, Pleasure Beach Experience and many many others. Not a fan of these or vloggers altogether? Then why not watch a POV of your favourite/bucket list coaster or that charming dark ride from Efteling? I know it’s not the same as visiting in person, but in the right ambience it can do the trick! 3/ Listening to your favourite park soundtrack or Album Theme Parks don’t just give us great attractions and experiences, but they also give us some great music and playlists. Whether Imascore you adore or snore, there are lots of soundtracks to listen to and cherish in the comfort of your living room or bedroom. Belt out that Europa Suite or Villa Volta music from your sound system. Or if you prefer listen to the popular music playlists that usually echo through those amusement park entrances. In your living room. Not Coronation street please! 4/ Theme Park (related) construction toys Theme Park toys and gadgets are becoming more common these days. You have Lego Rollercoasters, nano- park building kits and other crazy contraptions that are based off, or at least resemble theme park related items. Definitely worth a shot. 5/ Watching Film/TV shows with theme parks in You could say I am just repeating point 2 again, but I say no. The difference between those are that those films and tv series use the parks essentially as film sets fo centre around or the development of the plot line. Whether that be that underwhelming time the Lampoons visited Six Flags Magic Mountain, that time the Spykids saves the day in Knotts Berry Farm or that time Will embarrassed everyone in the Inbetweeners? It’s all there Indeed and lots to see and adds even more amusement (no pun intended) to compare the accuracies and inaccuracies to how these parks actually operated in real. Silly me, how did I not even mention Final Destination? Ok there you go. 6/ Reminiscing Old Park Trips This one won’t be for everyone, especially if it triggers serious park withdrawal symptoms, but nonetheless may still be something worth doing. Whether you’ve been worldwide, around Europe or generally stuck to just the U.K. parks, there must be that trip, that place or that visit that literally stuck out for you and gave you ever lasting memories. For me, it has to be that first trip to Disneyland Paris back in 2015. I had never been so excited upon visiting a park before and felt simply overjoyed with everything about that trip, from an entertaining park group to some simply hilarious and magical laugh out loud memories both within and outside the parks. Wow! Five years. 7/ Looking at your merch collection Again this won’t be for everyone, but for most, there is surely some item that you have, or at least were collecting at one point. Maps, pin badges, mugs, clothes or even shot glasses. I know this seems like a long shot, but it is these items that help with those connections to the parks and remind of us those wonderful visits we had there and hopefully will again one day too. I’m generally a resin person. 8/ Books from parks and attractions The title alone is rather vague I admit, but there are lots of park books and even articles to read right now. From park guides, brochures, theme park biographies and picture books too. Many have informative content which really go down into the depths of how parks and attractions cane to be. John Wardley’s biography is a strong personal recommendation! 9/ Act It Out! Ok, I’m probably scraping the barrel a bit here and I can see most of you already acting confused as you read this. But if you can’t get down to those memorable attractions, bring those memorable attractions to you. Act it out! Dress up or style as your favourite park characters. Why not re-enact the Hex pre-show or Symbolica’s storyline? Ok, I just got the idea from this video, but it’s still pretty fun eye? 10/ Interacting with park mates and communities Last but not least, but the most important thing of all, stay connected with your theme park mates and communities. It may all seem awkward being separated from next fo everyone right now, but you can stay together through virtual context. Drop messages, video chats and other means. Talk about your favourite rides, debate whether Helix is better than Taron (no fighting please), but more importantly, stay happy and well entertained in this challenging time for everything theme park and non theme park related. Thank you for reading if you survived to the end. We are all in this together!

I reckon this is much more likely!

And in doing so has almost killed a fair few industries. Absolute nonsense to tell people to not go out to these places but not say what's in place to help these businesses out with the lack of trade. Literally only do so to ensure that the Tory friendly insurance companies don't have to pay out millions to ensure businesses don't go under and people end jobless. Awful.

I never feel like political discussions go down well on the internet, no less a theme park forum, but oh well... I'm completely anti-conservative, and anti-Boris. But I have to say that when watching the press conference yesterday where Boris and the experts discussed what they were doing and why, I completely got it. Impossible to know, of course, if they're the right decisions, and there's still - in my mind - questions that should be asked about the legitimacy of the research done (as far as I know, the research they quote isn't publicly available, which leaves some doubt in mind as to whether they actually are just plucking things out of thin air). If we take things at face value, though, it's hard for me to reasonably say what they're doing is wrong. Some of Boris' wording wasn't great (further still since it can be taken out of context), but there's not much that can be done. I really hope we don't live to regret the action take so far though, of course. I personally never feel that making comparisons to other countries is a good idea. Especially since we're on an island, which drastically alters how this could spread. And also, just because other countries are doing things in a certain way, it still doesn't mean it's the right way. Death rates might be tiny, but there's likely still a number of children catching the virus. They just might not be showing symptoms, or recovering very quickly. The greater issue is that children can catch it and pass it on to others (especially since children are less well adept to cleaning their hands thoroughly, or catching sprays from coughs and sneezes), increasing the spread to adults and, in particular, those at greater risks. Drastic and melodramatic? No. This is a severe situation. And the media are just responding to what the public want - as much information as possible. The bigger issue is that social media is spreading false information, people are panicking, etc. That's where all of the major issues stem from. If, as modelled, there are 10,000 people in the UK who have / have had coronavirus currently, that's about 1 in 700 people at the moment. On average, about 1 in 2500 people get seriously injured in a car crash in the UK every year. In other words, you are MUCH more likely to catch coronavirus than you are to be seriously injured in a car crash. That's not to scare anyone, but it's the truth. As I say, I never think political discussions go down well, and this is probably steering the conversation in the wrong direction. It's impossible to know if what any country has done is right or wrong. But what is obvious is that we're in this for the long haul. A vaccine realistically won't be ready till next year. The virus spreads very easily. It's not clear if you're immune after catching it, or how long for. The worst is yet to come. As the general public, all we can do is do out best to look after ourselves, follow the advice and apply common sense. No one wants to be isolated any longer than necessary, and no one wants to see the country crumble. Hopefully we won't see that, and whatever happens in the days and weeks ahead will help reduce the impact for everyone.

Children have been said to be at the absolute lowest risk though.. Not many young folks have died from the virus, actually the current number for the age range 0-9 is 0. And 10-19 is a very low death rate. Young people are not the worry here. Honestly I like the UK approach, I find the current media coverage to be somewhat drastic and melodramatic. People mass buying crap and self isolating themselves are just perhaps a little too easily influenced by the current media brainwashing them. It is a nasty virus and some people are going to die, but there is many other things such as cancer, heart problems, or even the Flu itself which kills tons of people a year but I don't see anyone locking themselves in a room crying over it? There is more chance of crashing your car on the way to the parks that catching the corona virus.. But you still drive cars don't you?

2020 park map is available here: https://www.chessington.com/media/msbjs1wa/2020-park-map-theme-park-zoo-sea-life.pdf It's interest to note that Blue Barnacle, despite being an entirely new piece of ride hardware with a new theme, isn't in any way being marketed as 'new' or even 'returning' for 2020, which is refreshing.

Similar to Europa Park and their drone footage last week, Paultons have done the same. Looks such a well kept and aesthetically pleasing park.

Playing along with the game, if you're an American there's a mix if you want to do the quality that Europe has to offer, the uniqueness of some attractions and then some weird European things. I'll try and avoid most hypers given to an American, they'll probably just be seen as 'smaller than our stuff'.. Quality Attractions Taron, Phantasialand Taiga, Linnanmaki Untamed, Walibi Holland Helix, Liseberg Nemesis, Alton Towers Lech Coaster, Legendia Black Mamba, Phantasialand Balder, Liseberg Fluch von Novogrod, Hansa Park Troy, Toverland Don't think any of these need any explanation. More Unique Attractions Pulsar, Walibi Belgium. One opening in America this year (Covid-pending), but the original and damn good. Lost Gravity, Walibi Holland. There's another one in Germany, but again, the original and damn good. Vliegende Hollander (aka Flying Dutchman), Efteling. The perfect coaster to capture Efteling's charm, and everyone needs to experience Efteling's charm. Van Helsing's Factory, Movie Park Germany. Not the best, but really damn good fun and - for an American - shows that size doesn't matter. Karnan, Hansa Park. If you know, you know. If you don't, don't look into it. Arthur, Europa Park. Not totally unique, but not in America, and like with Dutchman at Efteling, it captures Europa Park's charm, which should be experienced. Juvelen, Djurs Sommerland. Again, not unique, but from what I hear, damn good fun and something different. Weird European Attractions K2, Karls-Erlebnis Dorf Elstal. This is just a really fun ride with a weird and wacky dark ride section which shows some of the weird surprises European parks can throw up. Tranan, Skara Sommarland. World's only S&S Free Fly. Haven't done it, heard it's a bit naff, but looks quirky, and one to add to the list. Rodelbaan, De Waarbeek. World's oldest steel coaster. If you're an American roller coaster person doing a trip with no limitations, you should chuck it in for the bragging rights if nothing else.

Seeing as there won’t be any meets for a while, I think TPM should have social distancing parties/virtual get-togethers on something like Skype or Zoom 😄 Or even just a big group chat? ☺️

Has to be my first trip to Cedar Point in 2018 The park was on my bucket list for well over ten years and did NOT disappoint. Years of the place being hyped up and it lived right up to it. Then there's the small matter of Steel Vengeance simply blowing every other coaster I've been on clean out of the water. First time to Florida was also highly memorable!!

With the park’s unlikely to open anytime soon, I decided to create a piano medley based off the soundtracks from Thorpe Park Resort. Created the arrangement myself.

Not sure how appropriate it is to post this, but feel it deserves a mention.. Any stock that Thorpe Park had bought that they expected to use during the time they're closed has been donated to the NHS. No doubt plenty of other parks and companies are doing similar if possible, but it's great to see all the same.

So this came around much quicker than usual. who’s looking forward to the 2021 season? 🤣

It’s sad, but I think this was a good step to take. Well done Mattgwise and fingers crossed for the future

My older sister works in retail and someone went into where she works, purchased whatever and then declared she was off home to self isolate as her husband has been tested positive - it’s idiots like that with zero respect or care for others that are making this situation far worse. If the parks open on Saturday I’ll eat both my cats - I mean, that may happen anyway thanks to the selfish gits striping supermarkets bare. Times like this I’m ashamed of how humans behave - pure greed and lack of consideration for others

Thanks to Chessington Buzz for the recorded POV. Wonder if they had permission?

If you have to say that, it usually means it is a biased opinion... Also how in earth you can use a 12 second video of mostly pitch black to judge the quality of the ride's upgrades is beyond me.

This is a completely unbiased opinion, but the music change is fully welcome. I know that we have all grown to love the original theme music, and it holds many memories for us all. But the time has definitely come for the ride to have new life breathed into it. Judging by the below video of this ride, the lighting and sound engineers have done an absolutely stellar job and I for one am extremely excited to get back on Tomb Blaster! https://youtu.be/FQHxO92mm-8

I'm not too sure that there's much competition for "best UK dark ride" these days. Especially when the usual winner is currently closed.

From Monday all six Disney resorts will be closed. Universal Florida has also announced it will close from the end of this Sunday till the end of March. Every country needs to do this to stop this spread frankly. There's no point Europe closing every border and we just carry on saying 'some of you may die'. It's completely irresponsible and risks the spread carrying on for far longer.

It doesn't matter how (un)clean everyone else is, if you touch things like restraints and wash your own hands after riding before touching your mouth or face you'll be fine. How long before Merlin start offering fastrack to the sinks? 😂😂

I'm jumping on this bandwagon. Bottom ten rollercoasters 10. Top Thrill Downtime. I can feel the eyebrows rising at this already. Frankly, it may have been better then sex in 2003 but right now it spends most of its time closed. For something that takes up that much space, is so dominant on the horizon and so famous, its open to close ratio is way off. The ride don't get me wrong is pretty good but it's so much hassle to ride and its just not worth the time it takes for something that short and is so risky. The risk isn't worth it. 9. Blue Tornado. I'm not an SLC hater and even if there was two or three in my worst list, I wouldn't put them all in here because frankly, its all the same thing. Blue Tornado is far and away the worst one just because its slightly longer and has more head banger moments then the others. it's not well looked after. 8. Superman The Escape at Magic Mountain. WHEE YOU LAUNCH BACKWARDS, WHEE YOU CAN'T FEEL THE SENSATION BECAUSE YOU CAN ONLY SEE WHERE YOU'VE BEEN AND CANT TELL THE HEIGHT. It's better when you come back down the tower and back into the station as you can actually feel the speed. But it just misses the original intention of the ride. 7. Saw: The Ride at Thorpe Park. I find this ride pretty grating at times. A lot of my bottom rides have in common the dread that comes before riding. That feeling of 'is it going to hurt me' Rides should not have that and Saw has it in a couple of places. it doesn't help that I feel the layout is pretty lacking and short. 6. Stampida at PortAventura. It's our heroes at KumbaK again, here to wreck a potentially good ride with their awful trains. I'm glad nobody wants there business anymore because they shouldn't be allowed near rides again. 5. Green Lantern at Magic Mountain. I feel like I'm being unjustly cruel as this was more of a guilty pleasure then hate but I have to face facts. Would I feel worried about whacking my head riding this again. Yes I would. Would my fiancé ride it again? No. Has it been closed for ages because of a potential law-suit. Yes it has. Therefore decision made. 4. The Mighty Canadian Mine-Buster at Canadas Wonderland. I probably would have liked this had it not destroy my crotch. It's out and back layout is fine but I did't have any enjoyment as the restraint continued to try and kill me. 3. The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I'm not here for previous record holders and that nostalgic kick they have, I'm here for cold hard honesty. This thing sucks. Airless hills that just go on and on, a first drop that just wrecks your spine, a mid course break run that slows you so much that the following helix is just like an awkward road roundabout. I like the ending where the train swoops through the scenery into the end. But its too little, too late. 2. Rustchebanan at Bakken. Destroyed by Kumbak really, this ride used to have a break-man to control the speed but then our heroes swooped in and added magnetic breaks all over the ride to completely kill the pacing and create this vile thing. The final nail in the coffin is the restraints that get tighter and tighter as it goes. Nah. 1. Tornado at Bakken. Contraption of evil. Rough, vibrating, painful. Restraints that cut into your shoulders and leave scars. Man, this things a travesty. Would you like a launched lift hill into a shed that quickly descends into pain after pain. Definitely my least favourite rollercoaster of all time.

I actually really like what can be heard in that video (33:40 for those who just want to hear it) and look forward to hearing it in person. The darker station is more atmospheric (still nothing like I remember as a kid in the early to mid nineties) but have they already felt its too dark as the start of the UK Theme Parks video has no lights on yet just towards the end one has been turned on already!

MOD POWER. To try and bring this nonsense to an end and stop people moaning about how long it's taking, I'm activating my special mod power and TAKING 2 POINTS OFF EVERY RIDE PERMANENTLY. This means that whenever a round is reset, all points go to 3. This means the leaderboard is as follows: Depth Charge (3)Detonator: Bomb's Away (3)Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride (2)Nemesis Inferno (3)Quantum (4)Rumba Rapids (3)Rush (4)Samurai (3)Saw - The Ride (3)Stealth (3)Storm in a Teacup (3)The Swarm (3)The Walking Dead - The Ride (1)Tidal Wave (3)Vortex (4) I then use my turn (since mod power does not count as a turn) to regrettably kill off Walking Dead: Depth Charge (3)Detonator: Bomb's Away (3)Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride (3)Nemesis Inferno (3)Quantum (4)Rumba Rapids (3)Rush (4)Samurai (3)Saw - The Ride (3)Stealth (3)Storm in a Teacup (3)The Swarm (3)The Walking Dead - The Ride (0)Tidal Wave (3)Vortex (4) Monkey's + Walking Dead - And so we reset: Depth Charge (3)Detonator: Bomb's Away (3)Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride (3)Nemesis Inferno (3)Quantum (3)Rumba Rapids (3)Rush (3)Samurai (3)Saw - The Ride (3)Stealth (3)Storm in a Teacup (3)The Swarm (3)Tidal Wave (3)Vortex (3) Play nice everyone 😊 Kinda difficult to talk about a place that is closed with no sign of reopening any time soon. Rest assured the team behind TPM are aware the forum is quiet, but until we get even a whisper of anything happening with theme parks reopening, there's little we can do realistically do to liven things up. That being said, we have some ideas, so watch this space. Also keep an eye on our social media pages for fun things!

Here goes: 1/ Taron (obviously)- for it’s layout and impressive scenery 2/ Black Mamba- remarkable surroundings and superb layout 3/ Helix- immense terrain and layout 4/ Balder- Ejector machine 5/ Baron 1898- quality immersive attraction 6/ De Vlieglande Hollander (Flying Dutchman)- Quality experience that is a water ride, coaster and dark ride all in one! 7/ Wodan Timburcoaster- ralentless machine with a great theme 8/ Euromir- one of the most unique coasters around 9/ Shambhala- forceful yet elegant 10/ Oziris- underrated invert with a quirky theme 11/ Pegasus Express (Asterix)- also underrated, fun ride 12/ Untamed*- This really packs a punch! 13/ Goliath*- Impressive it is 14/ Lech*- Vekoma have come a long way since SLCs 15/ Zadra*- RMC goodness 16/ Nemesis- there had to be a UK one in there somewhere and this is probably the best example 17/ Smiler- not for everyone, but I overhear a lot that American park fans like the look of it 18/ Taiga*- Another quality looking Intamin 19/ Fenix- quality wing rider with excellent landscaping 20/ Troy- Anothet quality woodie * = not experienced yet so going by reputation.

Here's the must dos in my opinion: Wildfire Untamed Zadra I think the Americans will wanna see how our RMC's compare to theirs. Zadra and Wildfire probably put up a fight with Steel Vengeance too (probably not as good though..) Taron Taiga ISpeed Maverick is considered a top tier ride over there so people will probably have interest in the other blitz coasters Black Mamba Nemesis Oziris Well themed inverts with good interaction with the terrain/tunnels. I think these inverts are really something different from the ones in the US (bar Montu) Smiler Karnan Fluch Von Novgorod Proof that Gerstlauer are actually good (well, just don't ask Six Flags that..) Expedition Geforce Shambhala Helix Piraten Lech Coaster Balder Colossus (Heide Park) Just good rides All of the coasters at Europa Park/EP in general Not the best coaster collection or the best coasters, but the theming and atmosphere is something that has to be experienced. Especially Arthur, that thing slaps. If Baco got better restraints maybe it would be on here, or if Red Force didn't have a shaky a*** launch, whats with Portaventura and rough intamins? Also didn't want to put Stealth or Wickerman on here as both are kinda nothing too special when compared to their american counterparts.

It's OK we can rename the topic to 2019-2021!

Blue Fire 🔥 Wodan Silver star Dragon khan Grand National Nemesis Arthur red force Troy Colossus Stealth dragons fury megaphobia the smiler Matterhorn Blitz Avalanche helix

So due to the corona virus, I thought I would actually post on this blog (for my own amusement as well as others) This blog today will rank every Tulleys Maze ever to exist (bar a few that I did not sadly get to experience) Here is the few attractions excluded from this list: Field Of Screams- this was a maze in the park's former cornfield (where The Wreckoning currently is) I sadly didn't get to experience this or some of the future reincarnations Dr Plagues Trail of Terror- This is the 2012 successor to Field Of Screams Woodshock: Rottin since 69'- Another Field Of Screams incarnation I sadly did not get to experience ItsCurtains- This is one I really regret not being to able to walk through. This was the original Clown Maze that debuted back in 2009. This maze apparently was incredibly confusing with the classic curtain maze being the staple of this attraction. This is now Twisted Clowns 3D. Anyway, onto every haunt I have been through! Ranked from worst to bet, this was hard list! The Wreckoning: (present) Tulleys have done quite high quality attractions throughout the years, this makes finding a 'worst' maze hard. The Wreckoning sadly falls short compared to other Tulleys attractions. It just doesn't quite work. It certainly brought some interesting ideas though, and I think with some extensive tweaks this could be a great maze. Coven wasn't my favourite in its opening year and look at that maze now. If they give this the coven treatment next year I could see this being a highlight attraction for the park, I think this year though it just got a bit upstaged by another new maze.. Pandemonium's 3D Carnival: (2016) The clown maze at Tulleys has always been chopping and changing. Back in 2016 they debuted the 3D element, this element is incredibly cool though the maze only had its second half in 3D, which meant you had a awkward pause in the maze and the pacing kinda didn't work because of that. Silver Scream Drive In Scare Zone: (2014) I think this one gets forgotten about really easily. Silver Scream was located next to the entrance of Twisted (before Chop Shop and The Colony were there) and it was a lot of fun. This scare zone is where the 'popcorn girls' originated from, the girls who walk around with their disgusting flavoured popcorn. It is not higher due to the fact it was pretty short and small, but it still has a left a mark on the park today with the popcorn girls still coming out every now and then. The Tunnel (2014) Before The Colony was the incredibly suspenseful and long, The Tunnel. This maze's first half was just long dark tunnels with short spaces and extended pitch black darkness. The maze at points made you feel the walls to find the way which was unnerving for 10 minutes at a time! The second half was a long Wastelands style strobe maze, it was long and incredibly confusing to the eyes after the stupid amount of darkness. The maze was very fun though I have ranked it this low due to the first half having little to no actors. But when its so dark and claustrophobic, I'm kinda glad they didn't have actors in that first half. The Volt (2015) 2015 was a huge year for Tulleys. With Nightshade, The Colony, Chop Shop, and this maze debuting, it was a big year for them. Unlike the huge highly themed Colony or Chop Shop, The Volt was a very minimalist attraction in comparison, the theming was really not all that good. The maze didn't really focus on theming though, it was a 5 minute pitch black maze meant to create anxiety with the electric shock gimmick. The maze was all about the idea of the shocks with the actors being somewhat of a afterthought, overall The Volt was unique and certainly was a interesting concept. I do think The Dark at The Howl (2015) did this concept better and I can see why the concept was not brought back after the initial year. The reason it isn't lower as it actually was quite scary, like the shock element was very psychological and it meant actors had a very easy job of scaring. Chop Shop (Present) Chop Shop is such a hard maze to rank as on its opening year it was amongst my favourite mazes ever, but sadly over the years it has kinda ran out of steam. I decided in the end to rank it by its current incarnation which isn't bad, it has such great theming in the first half and the maze certainly is enjoyable. Creepy Cottage/Haunted House (present) The Creepy Cottage was my first haunt at Tulleys and I always have had a soft spot for it. Its tight corridors, amazing theming, and good use of a small cast really makes this maze for me. Its not the scariest, its a bit cheesy, but its such a classic that makes me smile every year. It can also pack quite a punch depending on the cast! The Cellar: (Present) Arguably the signature maze from about 2009 to 2012, The Cellar has spanned a very long time at the event. The maze has seen an extension and a cage section since opening, but besides that it is completely the same as it was in 2009. The Cellar remains a long jump scare focused assault, with some theming here and then to compliment the experience. The reason it isn't higher is that I think the event has really grown a lot since 2009, and Cellar in a way has became a little dated. It still is a brilliant maze though that certainly is a classic. VIXI (Present) This is gonna piss some people off, but I like VIXI. I think it was a trailblazer for the industry and its something completely different to any other maze at Tulleys. When you have so many haunts like Tulleys it is so important to have a maze that is so different, Vixi really impressed me last year. The experience seemed to have a good amount of actors and the maze actually made me want to go again! I think Vixi gets a bit over-hated if I'm being honest. Twisted Maze: (2012-2014) Twisted Maze was honestly such a fun time back in 2014. It didn't focus on scares but it had a lot of funhouse elements including a section where you walk through a slanted corridor, a huge check room with actors in matching costumes (this room was a lot bigger than the current check room), many elevation changes, darkness, and a bunch of curtains. This maze was not very scary but it was buckets of fun and honestly it was my fav maze when I visited in 2014 (that is very nostalgia flavoured though..) Though I do admit its future incarnations are superior (barring Pandemonium) Nightshade Circus (2015) This maze was really a push up from Twisted. The maze had severe layout changes along with a new entrance with a themed facade (it is Tulleys after all!) The Nightshade Circus introduced a lot of UV lights into the clown maze as well as refining the classic Tulleys Clown Maze formula with a brilliant layout and a curtain maze or two! The Nightshade Circus also had some new music as well as a really fun finale which is now sadly absent. Twisted Clowns 3D (Present) Very close with Nightshade but ultimately Clowns 3D is probably the best edition of the park's clown maze. The Bungee scare really lights up the first half of the maze and the 3D element being consistent throughout most of the maze makes it very trippy and fun. This is very biased though considering I've worked in here for the past two years 😉 The Colony (2015-2018) The Colony was utterly epic compared to The Tunnel. The maze has so much theming and it never seemed to end. It was easily the most impressive maze back in 2015. I think this maze certainly is missed, it was a absolute monster of a attraction. Coven Of 13 (present) I was incredibly harsh on Coven upon its debut back in 2016. Let me just pull up that review to show just how harsh I was.. Every year since the maze has got progressively stronger for me. In 2017 I lukewarmly liked it, and my run through in 2019 with the new finale honestly blew me away. The maze really feels complete now. It is long, has a great finale, great scares, and a nice variety of inside and outdoor sets. This now makes Coven a maze that I think will be a staple in the lineup for many years, it also is quite unique with its all female cast. Haunted Hayride (present) The heart, the soul, and the lungs of Shocktoberfest. The hayride never seems to get old, even with some of the scenes like the billboard being the same since its debut.. It is just such a brilliant attraction that sums up everything that Tulleys is about. The Hayride is here to stay and easily the most iconic attraction at Shocktoberfest. Wastelands (present) Probably one of my favourite mazes to ever grace the earth, I adore Wastelands. Its not even the maze, its the area around it, the queue, and the show. Its more than a new maze, its a immersive scare zone, show, and a brilliant maze. Wastelands to this date is probably the most epic, the most immersive, and the best attraction to grace Shocktoberfest. Anyway hope you enjoyed this list. Make sure to stay safe everyone!

Interesting opinions there, thanks for the upload.

With none of us likely to visit a park in current situations, I decided to create a new thread to Try and keep things upbeat. What are everyone’s most memorable theme park visits? Where did you go to and what made that place or trip so special? Be as specific as you like, make a list. Was it the circumstances or the atmosphere that made it so? I’ll make a start. 5/ Blackpool Pleasure Beach September 2014 I had just gone through a Bumpy time of family related health issues, so this trip couldn’t have come at a better time. Blackpool was TPM’s most ambitious meet-up to date and the park proved to be my first major non-Merlin Park at the time. many of my Blackpool trips have had somewhat special circumstances, but none more than this one which really pushed the boat out for me on both a progressive and social level. 4/ Cedar Point- August 2018 For years it had been a goal of mine to get out to the states and this was the trip to do just that. Cedar Point is easily my favourite amusement park, from it’s selection of modern and traditional attractions, not to mention beautiful location. But one of the things that made this trip stand out was seeing how remarkably different American culture is. Long roads going for miles, vast landscapes and flags on pretty much every street. 3/ Chessington -April 2013 The trip that started it all, and one of the most important of all time. This was the first trip with the TPM community. The one which would pave the road for future meets and trips to come. Getting to meet so many different enthusiasts was simply amazing and further helped build my already strong interests in theme parks and other attractions. 2/ Phantasialand- September 2016 Any visit to Phantasialand is memorable full stop, especially this visit. Given the circumstances of my personal life then, I wouldn’t be forgetting this trip anytime soon. I was simply blown away by this place and everything it had to offer (excluding Temple and that Wakoblando). Taron was definitely something to remember too, 1/ Disneyland Paris- April 2015 I don’t think any trip ever has (or ever will) reach the Crazy excitement levels seen here. At that point of time I was crazily obsessed about visiting Disneyland Paris. So much, I even made a several part series known as Disney and the Creek. April 2015 was when the dream finally came true, thanks to Peaj (and a handful of TPMers). Everything from the trip was truly memorable, from the ‘chest belting’ singalongs during the journey to that last Earl of Sandwich before leaving. Not only were the parks truly magical, but everything during the whole visit was so memorable. I’ll never forget that.

Stay strong everyone! We will get through these challenging days somehow. I wrote a blog about some suggestions. https://forum.maniahub.com/blogs/entry/931-10-theme-park-related-things-to-enjoy-right-now/

The "revamped" Tomb Blaster is marginally better than the broken down version before, but not as good as when Tomb Blaster first opened and still a dull, naff attraction. The hype this revamp is getting is starting to get ridiculous. The new music is good, shame theres no great theme tune like before but it adds something at least. The 'story' thing adds nothing at all and is not what the ride needed. The whole train looked bored. There's still loads not working and some cringey choices with some moments

Tbh it could go the other way ..... they open but end up dead

My 2020 plan is to survive this year so I can go to some theme parks in 2021.

Thank you Matt for keeping us updated. These are indeed strange and challenging times we live in, but hopefully one day we can look forward to seeing these meets running again soon.

You were three when the original Chessington classic went. I was four. God I miss the Fifth Dimension.

I think Merlin will only close the UK parks if they are told they have to - would be surprised if they did it voluntarily though I’d be happy to be proved wrong

🤔 Think of whether it has been improved on last season not years and years ago! It is certainly an improvement! Animatronics virtually all working for once, targets that do work look neater, it's much darker in the scenes, the audio works and it attempts to tell a story. As for the audio, it is not in any way catchy or memorable but it works for what its trying to do with the storyline being added. I think it's a MASSIVE improvement on recent years. Well done Chessington.

Ordinary influenza takes at least 7000 people each year, and that's only the UK. Stay aware, stay clean, stay safe. If they start enforcing two metre spaces in queues, that means some of us will suffer standing in the North Sea.

I should probably add this because of the message above: children aren’t really being affected by the virus as a whole. yeah, they can catch it, but it rarely kills them. the real threat is to the elderly and those with preexisting conditions.

I am well aware I'm always a moany old bugger but I'll be honest, I think that is actually fantastic. Suits the tone of modern day Chessington at the fun cartoony end of spooky and looks generally great. There's even enough of the old theme in the new soundtrack to keep me happy even if I think a simpler rerecording of the original would have been a bit better.

Been watching POV's of Disney's latest trackless dark ride, Runaway Railway. I have to say that it looks incerdible in terms of the immersion and really blending a 2D cartoon into reality (2-and-a-half D as some call it). The screens / projections are seamless and the whole experience is just magic from the moment you step through the blown hole in the screen to exiting out the other side. This is why Disney are number 1 in this industry by a mile. It feels modern and up to date with technology yet classic & timeless, filled with nostalgia and instantly recognisable characters. I absolutely love it.

Think we need some more Top 10 variations. Top 10 Theme Park Soundtracks: 10/ The Island Theme- Thorpe Park Resort The direction of the park has been heavily questionable over the last number of years, however the introduction of the main theme is one of the few better things that has arguably been introduced. I know this placement will be a mixed-bag to some, but I think the introduction of this music definitely gives the entrance area at least, more of a build up and atmosphere. It does beat the chart music indefinitely. 9/ Main Street USA- Disneyland Paris One of my most exciting theme park memories was visiting Disneyland Paris for the first time (5 years nearly already?), but nothing could’ve helped boost that feeling than the beautiful Main-street soundtrack. Comprising a mixture of traditional songs and ones from shows/musicals, the playlist beautifully helps put together what must be one of the most impressive theme park entrances around. N.B I believe the park use the mix from the original park now. 8/ Valhalla- Blackpool Dramatic and forcefully attention grabbing, nothing pleases the ear more than listening to the main theme of Valhalla. The ride may not be operational for 2020, but least it’s soundtrack still boosts out from the nearby speakers. 7/ Droomvlucht- Efteling 6/ Euromir- Europa Park One of the weirdest (yet wonderful) pieces of mainstream theme park music to exist. The unique soundtrack greatly complimented the ride, whether it’s in the queue line or going up the lift of forever. It works perfectly! 5/ Fata Morgana- Efteling Efteling stride with some truly magical pieces of music, but not many can overturn the wonders of the score of Fata Morgana. Meaning to be a mirage, the music perfectly blends amongst the many rich scenes of the attraction, whether that be the grand palace suite or town scenes within the ride. The attraction is essentially an Arabian take on Pirates Of The Caribbean, but that doesn’t take anything away from the ride. 4/ Klugheim/Taron Soundtrack- Phantasialand PHANTASIALAND real,y know how to master mysterious and whimsical themes in their parks and the music really seems to hit the nail on the head there. What I like about the Klugheim theme is how the music is varied yet developed throughout the area giving enough balance to keep it interesting, whilst also entailing a strange yet uncharted vibe to the area. 3/ Phantom Manor- Disneyland Paris I am completely aware this is a variation and re-work of the original Hsunted Mansion soundtrack, but there is something just remarkable about this theme working. Whilst I’m yet to experience either of the American rides, the theme from the Paris definitely takes the music a step further by giving a deeper more meaningful and perhaps emotional content. This wraps the whole Frontier Land Story together rather nicely. 2/ Chiapas Theme- Phantasialand I adore much of Phantasialand’s music, but the Chiapas theme tops all of it. Mysterious, upbeat and soothing are just some of the words you could use to describe the soundtrack. From it’s main theme to it’s wonderful (yet hilarious) disco room Varient. The Budapest orchestra and IMA score struck gold here! 1/ Europa Park suite, - Europa Park This piece of music is honestly gorgeous, atmospheric, cinematic and makes for an amazing soundtrack. You know a piece of music is great when it gives you a positive vibe and always make you feel better after listening. Tried to give a variety of music here, hence why some things didn’t make the cut.

I can' tell you how much enjoyment I get from people moaning at Chessington for not having enough rides open or being really busy when the February half term event is called Animal Adventures.