Sheepie

I got the impression that Benin was playing up to the idea of the park that they must build World's First Attractions.

I heard very mixed reviews on Thirteen Live. When the actors were there it seemed to be very good indeed... though that's where the problem seemed to lie, the actors weren't there enough of the time. I heard reviews where guests had spent over an hour in line, not to encounter a single actor. That's not a very good show is it.I also heard about numerous instances regarding actor Health and Safety due to people being a bit silly as usual. This is one of the reasons why we don't have Haunted Hollow Live any longer. If they can find a way to make it work then I'd say go for it.It also seems as though the coaster itself benefits from night time riding!

Could it not be that they're removing the current "uncover the truth" signs because they're gearing up in preparation for the next stage of their marketing?

^ I don't think people are being harsh on Alton at all- it's winning in the poll! And also, me and several other people on this page agree with you Dan.

Great report Nicky. Although I am shocked by your thoughts on Splash Mountain! You've got to love Haunted Mansion, such an epic ride!

Why hello Dan....*pokes* ;)Edit: One for Holly to appreciate.

it depends on which perspective you're coming from. When designing a new ride, throughput should definitely be a major consideration throughout the process. Questions such as can the ride and operations department really cope with fastrack, disabled guests and their standby line once the ride is fully open, need to be honestly answered. Major rides should have at least 1000 an hour. Even better if it's pushing over 1200 (for the UK). I feel that this is an acceptable figure and would allow the ride some breathing space, as well as the guests!However, if you've got a story based ride, that's capable of getting large numbers of guests an hour, but a problem occurs that affects the audience's experience of the ride then I believe in this case that ride show is more important than the efficiency, or throughput an hour. If the ride is of a good quality, then people don't mind the wait.

A reminder that personal insults are not acceptable on the forums. Such incidents are taken seriously and appropriate action will be taken.

I don't really like the idea of chart music inside the park itself. When it was first introduced around the turnstile area, I backed up the idea because it provided a good atmosphere to an area of the park that has no apparent theme and therefore nothing to clash with.Then it spread to the Dome, which whilst I wasn't happy with, I could cope with it and it didn't bother me too much. But now, with it playing out on park, I feel really disheartened by it all. Chart music does not belong in a theme park where it clashes with established themes. Bring back the themed music for the themed areas of the park.

I heard back from Broadditch Farm this morning. I've been invited to their auditions! ;)I'm surprised to hear back from them so promptly. Merlin take note!

I loved the TR Holly. I'm glad you lot had such a great time. I can't wait for the next meet. Although sadly I can't go to the Lego one.

It's very easy for us to sit back and call the shots to how the business should be run. You know what, I'm sure Merlin themselves know exactly what you have suggested. Merlin have to 100% guarantee that their money will see returns and profits, for shareholders and for Blackstone.To prove to Blackstone that they can make a profit from their investment I would imagine that they need to carry out such research in order to get the capital released to them. Even though Blackstone do have theme park experience, I'm not so sure these big investment banks truly realise just how unique a business a theme park really is. They're special and needed to be treated differently.

It just makes you think how in touch with their audience the Studios and development team were in their time, and Pearsons/ early Charterhouse period knew this and completely trusted the creative input from Wardley and the team.I can understand during this economic climate why businesses are ever more cautious about investing money unless they know that they're going to see a return, hence the surveys and extensive market research. Although it'd be nice one day to return to having a bit more faith in your creative and development teams.

I remember looking at those SW6 wooden coaster plans and feeling very underwhelmed. I think people were so for the project because of the fact that it was a wooden coaster rather than the quality of the attraction and layout.I think having the project cancelled may do the park a favour if they ever get round to making such a ride appealing to the public. Wooden coaster design has progressed so much since then, and any coaster designed for the park now will surely benefit from this.GCI could do some fantastic things if let loose on Alton's landscape.

AHA! Love it Benin!

Ohh you so would! Come round and let me do your makeup. You'd love it. Ohh I'm getting shivers already!

I applied to a local farm today for their Halloween Event, Hauntfest.Auditions are 30th June. fingers crossed and all that.

I recently read an article regarding the fate of Beastly Kingdom. For the life of me I can't remember where I read it, but then I found it on Orlando United a couple of days ago. I'll quote it here- it's very lengthy but I promise, a great read if you're interested in Disney and Imagineering.Let the marathon commence!

Themed Developer Check out this photostream from this guy. He's worked with a lot of parks including Alton, BPB, Islands of Adventure, Terra Mittica, and Chessington.What I find most interesting is the work on Squirrel Nutkin Nutty and the installation of Kobra's snake. Take a few minutes to check it out though, it's pretty interesting!

I don't know very many people who watch Dexter, which is about to air its 5th season on FX, from Friday. It's an absolutely fantastic show and I strongly recommend everyone to watch it. For those that don't know, it's a drama about a serial killer who has been brought up to put his dark "needs" to good use, by choosing victims that have committed unforgivable crimes and have slipped through the American justice system.My description doesn't do the show justice. Let me tell you, it's dark, it's emotional, it's thrilling and it's also full of deliciously dark humour all in one show that makes you question your own morals on what is and isn't right. The soundtrack for the show is also goosebump-worthy.Here is a snippet of the end of the first episode of the 5th season below. Although if you're thinking of watching any previous seasons if you haven't and don't want to be spoiled, you may want to skip the video.

Like Benin said, it depends on what you want from the park.I love the Scare Mazes so Thorpe is definitely a contender here. They offer the best value for money in that respect, having four on park mazes all included in your entrance fee. The park looks its best at night with all the different lighting and there tends to be a good atmosphere around park, unless it's a super busy day during half term. :lol:Alton... well I haven't been to the previous two Scarefests but last year's looked amazing, I have to say. They also have a good mixture of other attractions for Halloween including Skelvin's Adventure (Duel Live), Thirteen Live (although I doubt it'll be returning after the faff they had last year), halloween shows and walk about characters (the ones at the hotels are actually quite good as well) and I have to say, Alton really raised the quality of the event last year, from reports, photos and reviews I've seen. However, Alton possibly provides the worst value for money, having only 1 on-park maze. There are the ever circulating rumours that the park are looking at bringing another on-park maze this year, along with Hex: Live.Chessington- I had a well good time at Chessie last year. It was the last day of the season and technically the Hocus Pocus event was over but they kept it running for the guests who visited. Wils Asia extra themeing was great, as were rides in the dark. The Vampire especially, was just truly epic in the night time and really set the mood.Even though it's the worst value for money, I would probably still vote for Alton for having the best Halloween event. It's the mixture of the mazes, entertainment and other unique attractions, (I forgot to mention the scare rooms) that easily set the event above the rest. Plus Alton is at its best at this time of year. The atmosphere of the grounds and the landscape itself just really lifts the event to something very special.

HAHA! Gay years?! Thanks, that means a lot to us "old" gays at 21 or over...

Could you give a specific example Holly? PM me if possible! :lol:I'm sorry I haven't responded to your rants yet. I have certainly noticed how repressed you've become. There are a lot of very strong personalities on here and they will clash. Just look at BB5/BB6/ BB7....

I do agree with you Holly to an extent. I've been blunt to people in discussions when they've told me their problems, including asking the very same questions you've just brought up. I'm going to leave your question there, in the hope that James has the opportunity to answer if he wishes. Just as a reminder for everyone, the rant thread is a place where people can vent and basically get whatever they need to off of their chest. It is up to members whether they wish to respond to posts but I would advise that if you don't have anything supportive to say, you kindly ignore it and not take away their right to have a moan. The same way someone may have the decency to do the same for you one day.Holly is right though, no matter how bad you think your circumstances are, there are hundreds of people who are worse off than you. It's about how you deal with whatever issues you're facing and picking yourself up from them.Happy ranting!

That's the scenery finished then. (waits for posts about double standards)Nah in all honesty- how exciting! Well, it might not look much, but it's the start of a new project. It's awesome to follow progress.