Sheepie

Banned for being a theme park enthusiast.

Health and Safety is the number 1 priority in this industry. It seems the park has not taken this decision lightly but have ultimately come to this conclusion for the health and safety of all their guests. It seems unfair and discriminatory but in this instance I feel a one rule fits all policy is the fairest in an unfortunate situation. As others have said; it sounds temporary until the park can implement other measures.

Banned for having a plethora of links and videos suited to every possible occasion. Also his puns are shocking.

Banned for not allowing my exclusive access to his Privates' Quarters which I hear are very adequate in size. He also has a douchey brother, aint that right Benin?

That scenic work is incredible. I'm not a fan of the Cars franchise but I can't deny absolutely stunning work when I see it; amazing. Radiator Springs Racers looks epic!

This is coming from the guy who went.... "oh that wasn't rough at a....OUCHHHH" on Saw. He's in denial. Too distracted by the Saw IP.

Two out of two successful meets organised by moi.... *celebrates*

Excellent day at Thorpe with you lot today! Can't wait for another meet. Love all of you guys

Some other time Topsy! :)Looking forward to tomorrow. Don't forget to check your travel as some services are a little odd tomorrow due to planned engineering works.

Entrance music was only for Premier Screaming. Chart music is back but sadly is still played in large areas of the park including the Flying Fish and other rides. Not my preference for the park but I actually don't mind it at Admissions.I just wanted to make a comment that I've noticed that a lot of park audio bleeds into other areas now which never used to happen. If I'm being honest I've not properly enjoyed Thorpe's audio since the 2006 season where it was at the top of its game and then has since gone downhill in my view.

Ryan, I have very stern eyes for you. Hope to see you at a meet in the future though. Stuz, that's great news, I'll send you my contact info in a mo. :)For everyone else, do not forget that the clocks go forward an hour on Sunday morning. Please bear this in mind when planning travel/ setting alarms.

If you watch the water containers in the POV you can actually see them pop up at several points. Looks to be lots of floaty airtime!

Evening everyone! Just to remind people that the meet is this Sunday. As expected this shall be a small meet so perfect for any meet virgins!If you don't already have it, I'm going to PM attending members my mobile number so we can keep in contact on the day so make sure you add it to your phone.Really looking forward to this; Swarm is perfect!

I haven't read any reviews or posts as of yet, I'm just so excited to be able to give my views on it!I'll keep this brief. The ride is absolutely fantastic and a genuine pleasure to ride in every single seat. My only real negatives about the attraction is that it is a little bare. I'd like to see a couple more props scattered around the ride area to finish off the experience. Also I noticed that the water effects were totally out of sync for a large proportion of the day and there was no fire. :(Negatives out of the way, the complete show-stopper is the ride station, which is gorgeous, vast and it feels as though it has an air of status and authority; a staple of the ride. The small details such as shards of glass still left in the window are a nice effect. The ride is arguably the best at Thorpe and sits right up there with some of the best in the UK. After each of my rides yesterday I just could not help but smile. The ride is very intense on the left and I think this is my preferred side.I'm trying to wait until I review properly because I get a sense that there is a "test and adjust" phase around the whole attraction. I want fire! ;)Fantastic job B&M and to Thorpe Park!

It might be worth giving them another ring and seeing if you get a different person. If they say this weekend is pass preview only then as Mark said it may be that they've made an honest mistake. But we clearly have superior knowledge and therefore should correct them so they don't make the same mistake with other guests.

It sounds as though they mean they won't be offering any Friends and Family discounts, only the annual pass holder is allowed entry and any other guests have to pay full price/ use a voucher. Funny how things can be interpreted- they could have worded that better to you!

I'm going tomorrow and then Saturday for a second round of Swarm whoring!

Candy has been part of the Studios for a long time. She was made Creative Director for the Studios when we got Saw and Thirteen. I guess she has become the spokes person much like Wardley has in recent years for rides he hasn't necessarily had that much input in.

Cool teaser/ blipvert!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/mar/12/how-we-made-nemesisI see this hasn't been posted on here today. It's a short, interesting article about the creation of Nemesis in the words of John Wardley and Candy Holland. It seems as though Alton are bringing the story of Nemesis back into the minds of the public to make it easier to link Sub-Terra to the attraction. Neat!

I guess it's time to comment on the issue. I first heard this rumour a couple of months ago and completely cringed at the thought of a 4pm closing. I wanted to remain in complete denial and keep every part of my body crossed that it wouldn't happen or Alton would come up with a different plan.It's worth pointing out that operating budgets have been cut for all UK Merlin Attractions. That includes Midway as well. As has been mentioned, this has been forced upon the attractions and even Merlin themselves and comes from higher up within the massive chain of people involved. Merlin is owned by an investment bank and the bottom line is, well, the bottom line. Money, Profits. Turnover. Expenses.In the past I think enthusiasts have given Merlin a hard time by throwing very vague and weak comments such as "they don't care about their guests" and so forth, the truth is, this couldn't be farther from the truth. They know as well as anybody that without their guests they wouldn't be in a job at all. It is within their best interests to keep the largest proportion of their guests happy, smash their KPI targets in guest satisfaction because overall it does mean more profit for the company. Everything that the parks do and I mean everything is seen as a long term/ short term investment to make a profit.Saying that, I genuinely disagree with taking the decision to close at 4pm on a large proportion of the season. If they're looking to cut an hour, I'd seriously cut ERT and offer other perks to hotel guests such as free golf or money off vouchers or half price meal. From what I've seen, Alton are suggesting that on the 4pm closes, the park has very few guests, therefore there will be few guests to displease when cutting ERT. It doesn't take a genius to work out that during this hour, the operating costs far outweigh any potential income. I would love to hear what the park have to say in regards to keeping ERT when considering the benefits of cutting it and staying open until 5pm.I think the main issue here is that, yes, it is only an hour. However, it is has a psychological impact for lots of people. 4pm is considered afternoon and 5pm is often considered evening. Not only that, there simply isn't enough to do in an evening Entertainment wise for hotel guests to warrant kicking them out of the park so early. Others have mentioned it- guests travelling from further afield will think twice about making an effort to visit during off-peak periods as it simply isn't value for money at all!. I'm planning a trip in May and both of the days I'm meant to be going are 4pm closes. It certainly put me off and gave me a sinking feeling that we're going to be bored in the evening. The result? We're now going to be heading out of the resort for food and drink, therefore they have lost out on us spending money in the resort this year which wouldn't have happened otherwise.The core of it really is, I am personally really disappointed. Alton is one of my favourite theme parks actually in the entire world that I have visited and it's gutting that I get to see such a poor show from them. I also just want to point out. It is very easy to throw around figures and statements off the top of your head, in truth, the reality is very different and I think with a little digging, you'll find the people who are the most upset by this are people who do know much more than you think and have seen the evidence to support their view.On the plus side, developments wise, we have two very exciting seasons to look forward to!

I can also vouch for the Ashbourne Travelodge; it's pretty new and only around 20 minutes from the park by car.

I got bored waiting to start work, so I knocked out a wooden roller coaster in No Limits.

That music in the video is also well and truly stuck in my head. Wow I need to go to Europa Park this year. Now I have the time, I may do just that.

For the first time ever, Chessington's operating hours are extremely similar, if not longer than Alton's.My total guess is that since Alton get the biggest budget out of the UK parks, they've had to make the biggest cut as a result. Whereas Chessington arguably get the smallest budget, have had to cut hardly anything. Except a decent addition.