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Definitely! 20180407_213349.mp4

That's partly the problem of why we get left with mediocre attractions for years without any attention in the first place. Most people who don't know any better just think it's a random tomb based laser game. They don't know what the ride used to be. They just think we're moaning because it's not a thrill attraction at a park mainly aimed at younger kids, not because it used to be an elaborate and eccentric British dark ride with the soul ripped out of it and turned into a ****show.

Hi guys, haven’t done a trip report in pretty well over 5 years and it’s nice to be back on the site reading how everyone is enjoying their days out. I felt the need to mention a few things about my visit to the park on Sunday (bit late, I know), as it was my first visit in probably 2 years. First off, the park was clean, well-maintained and very quiet. In fact, I don’t think I’ve had a more chilled day at the park, considering the near-enough 10-20 minute queues all afternoon, and the availability of my cousin’s disability access pass. Having said that, we achieved a fairly average ride count for what it was, a day I could have only dreamed of 5 years ago when most of my visits were dominated by 45-min queues for the coasters. We arrived to a park with maybe half the rides open; Swarm, Saw, Colossus and most of Lost City flats were closed (Walking Dead & Rumba Rapids were also closed all day), so after running all the way to Swarm island and politely directed away by two members of staff, we opted for our first ride of the season on Stealth. Never has a more beautiful sight beheld me: Stealth was operating, with two trains, upon park opening. One exhilarating ride later, I could have gone again at least three more times, but members of our group fancied getting the Big 5 done before lunchtime so we headed over to Swarm, which was ‘Coming Soon’ on the app. A walk-on queue, but as we walked across the bridge and down the left-hand side of the station, the operators had to call a mechanic due to a faulty restraint buckle on the right-hand side (not entirely sure what was wrong with it, but fair-dos, safety first). During this time, the professionalism and courtesy of the ride staff was second-to-none. It was also cool seeing the engineer at work, even though all I saw was just him giving the seats a once-over and sending the train for a test-run. It was also around 30 mins later that a second train was added to compensate for the building queue (which wasn’t a massive one). All-in-all we waited 20 minutes in the station for the fault to be fixed, and the ride was fab - I have realised I enjoy the left side as much as the right. The second near-miss on the right-hand side of the billboard is astonishing. Made me duck! Now, I feel I should add a disclaimer - my cousin is 10 years old, and we considered this in our day’s plans. Walking back to Amity, the next ride we went on was Depth Charge In the dozens of times I’ve visited the park, I had only ridden Depth Charge twice before, and to be honest, it’s quite fun! The queue stairs give you a great view of the northern side of the park, and you pick up a fair bit of speed on the slide. So, it was worth the 15-minute-or-so queue we waited, at a time in the day I usually reserve to getting a half-dozen rides in on Nemesis Inferno. Walking towards Lost City, I took the opportunity to enjoy my favourite flat Rush, which was excellent despite a similar restraint problem to Swarm (they had to release them about 4 times before our ride). When Colossus reached its peak of an 80-minute queue around 11.30, we utilised the disability access pass to enter the short queue at the ride exit. It is at this point where my second appraisal of TP staff comes in: a queue-jumper had reached the station and was being asked to leave the queue by the ride host (who I can only assume could be heard over the tannoy by everyone in the queue line). He must have asked the bloke to leave around 4 or 5 times, repeating the same pre-written request each time. It was at this point where the guy kicked off, threatening the host and demanding he keep his space because he had left his kids in the queue line and was returning to them after taking a much-needed slash. He had apparently waited around an hour by this point. The ride host ceased operation of the ride, and waited for security to arrive, who escorted the bloke out of the queue line (he had calmed down), but his kids were allowed to stay in the queue as they had waited. An entirely reasonable outcome in my opinion. During this time, the engineers also took the rare opportunity to add a second train to the track, which then needed 3 test runs (so 6 test runs including both trains) before the ride continued operation. We had waited around 30 minutes in the exit to use my cousin’s pass, which wasn’t signed by the staff because of the extra time we had to wait. Which we appreciated. As for the ride itself, Colossus has had it’s day. Really uncomfortable, and maybe 30% enjoyable. I would put money on it’s departure within the next five years. After an early lunch, we got a ride each on Nemesis and Saw. I still massively enjoy Saw’s theming, and the dispatches were really good as usual. Nemesis had no effects throughout, but we still had a lot of fun and it was fab that two trains were running. Now... I have a love and hate relationship with Samurai, as the previous time I rode it I was left hanging upside-down for the better part of a full minute. Not fun. This time, it wasn’t the ride that was the problem - it was the queue staff. We had joined the fasttrack queue to use my cousin’s pass when there was probably a ride’s worth of guests queuing in the main entrance. However, when the ride completed its first cycle, everyone was let off at a glacial pace, then the host went to add more people from the main queue into the ride waiting area - ignoring myself and my cousin in the fastback queue. Not great. Although it was partly my fault, we subsequently waited two ride cycles to be let onto the third, when really we could have entered the main queue and be allowed onto the first. Meh. Ride was fab though - went around clockwise & anti-clockwise three times. Ride time must have been more than 4 mins - felt very dizzy after!! Not much to report about the rest of the afternoon apart from that if I was to be left to my own devices, I would have ridden Saw, Nemesis and Swarm at least 4 more times each, but it was not to be as everyone had conked out by 4pm and wanted to go home. Sad Chris. Having said that, we managed another ride on Stealth and Swarm, before Stealth had ceased operation due to the rain that had started to pour down (not fun in crap weather). Nice effects in the Swarm area though, especially in the misty rain fog: Overall, a good day that had been given some stumbling blocks by technical problems and bad weather, but fun nonetheless and will see my return very soon to ride DBGT and The Walking Dead, both for the first time. Stealth x2 Swarm x2 Rush x2 Depth Charge x1 Colossus x1 Nemesis x1 Saw x1 Samurai x1 Dodgems x1 Storm Surge x1

@ChessingtonSam Honestly the drop track on Th13teen is more terrifying and tense than pretty much anything else there is at Alton Towers. Not to mention the burst of speed at the brake run which is a decent stepping stone towards launches. Comparing it to Obilvion, it is similar in the sense that you’re falling downwards however it feels much more gradual and natural on Oblivion. The holding brake actually makes it much less terrifying as it allows your body to quickly adjust to the steepness. Also, I remember you saying you had ridden Dragon’s Fury. In my opinion DF is “scarier” than most of Alton Towers’ rides as the transitions on DF are much quicker and snappy whereas they’re gradual on the “thrill” coasters. I’ve known people to enjoy riding the Swarm but also to absolutely freak out on DF. - I’ve just realised this is the second time I’ve mentioned this Again, I would suggest jumping straight to a biggie like I did with Silver Star back in 2011 (that story has been mentioned in various places amongst the forum) as that will then make you feel unstoppable afterwards but I think Oblivion would act as a good step up for now.

It was off last Friday on my visit It's been on for the majority of the season so far I believe? But it's not a good sign if it's becoming more and more frequently off. I might as well drop a review of the ride whilst I'm here! I wasn't overly excited for Wicker Man initially. I didn't think it looked great in terms of a coaster. I was so wrong! The queue line is probably the best queue in the UK. You get some fantastic views of the rollercoaster in action, and you also get very close to the Wicker Man structure itself, which is absolutely stunning in person! The pre-show was also very impressive. It was different and unique; something I haven't seen in the UK before. The ride itself then... I was lucky enough to be placed on the back row for my first ride, and wow! I was honestly surprised at how intense the ride actually was, and how fast it is. 44mph isn't the fastest for a coaster, but it felt so much quicker. My only negatives would be that the fire effect on the shoulders was turned off as I previously said, which was a shame, but it didn't detract from the ride experience. The reliability of the coaster was pretty poor also. A lot of empty trains were sent around, and it often took long periods of time to send another train out. It's a new ride, so obviously there will be technical issues. I do hope that the operations improve as the season goes on! It's the only wooden rollercoaster I've ever done, so I can't compare it to anything else. The theming, the speed, the intensity, all combine together to make a fantastic overall experience. In my opinion, it is easily the best coaster at Towers. It's definitely worth visiting the park this year to ride it!

Seems like Bush BBQ is being replaced! Is this a Merlin own food brand?

You also get me following you around with a look of disappointment and disdain. Enjoy your day!