John Smith

Obviously the train is not going to derail. It can't due to the wheels that surround the track.However, I presume that if a train full of people got stuck on the top hat, it would put immense strain on the structure? I mean, the engineers would want to see it down much much quicker than they did when the train got stuck empty on the top during testing.

Ah well it must have been 2006.. I think. I was 15 at the time (so no gambling). We started off in Florida, did Disney and the Florida Quays for a week, then flew over to Las Vegas. We stayed in Las vegas for a week, although we didn't really spend that much time in the city itself.I'd estimate that the Stratosphere is about 10-15 mins walk away from the heart of The Strip? It's just an example of a place that is truly based entirely around excess and money, and totally different from any other city in the U.S. or world probably.We didn't do any of the theme park attractions whilst there, which was a pity (and I was nagging a hell of a lot at the time!)Did you ride Speed in the Sahara Hotel? That's the one that took my fancy. It's like Stealth, only with a loop, and a guaranteed roll-back! Did you enjoy your visit? Nah, we didn't spend nearly long enough in the city- my parents were more into the whole "lets go see scenery" type holiday. One day we drove to Death Valley where the temperature was getting on for 30+, and on the same day we were up a mountain (Mt. Charlstone - you can see it from LV) in a blizzard getting on for -10! That was kind of a cool day. It'd be nice to live in the States, they do really have it all.

I've actually stayed in the Stratosphere Hotel, however we didn't go up to the very top (where the rides are) because it cost a stupid amount of money to go up there.When I go back there again, without parents, then it will be a must!Las Vegas in general has rides and rollercoasters everywhere- pretty much every hotel and casino has its' own. A very weird place indeed...

Thankyou!!

Sorry for my very slow response. Err.. well it's a steel drum track. Does that help?To be honest I didn't realise that there was more than one track for Neptune's Beach, but yes, it's a steel drum track.:PIt's really annoying that you now need a password to access Merlin Media...

Does anybody have the audio for Neptunes Beach (The steel drum track). It's been really pressing on me and a friends' mind (as such an issue does). :)Thanks in advance

I must be one of the lucky ones. I've ridden Saw around 20 (ish) times now, admittadely most of which were on the Annual Pass day, but I have never seen any of the effects not working :)But.. having ridden it enough times to make a decision, I think saw is average in terms of a rollercoaster. The theming inside the building (although apparently unreliable) is, in my opinion easilly the best at Thorpe Park and probably in the country. However, what lets it down is the fact that it hurts so much. The logistics of this would be completely out of the question, but they should re-lay the track where there are the gigantic gaps that bash your head. (particularly at the bottom of the main drop- seriously, watch closely at the people inside a train as it goes over this area. There heads all violently bang to one side.) For me, the pain that is caused at this point kind of ruins the whole experience.Also, I think the coaster would have been a lot better if it had been a vertical drop. As the first drop shows, they are much much more forceful than the 100 degree drop that Saw offers! Again though, this cannot be changed!Oh, and I'd love to get stuck on the lift hill.

I personally am not overly fussed when rides are closed at Thorpe. Yes, it's dissappointing at the time, but having an annual pass means that another trip is cheap and easy. However, the point I was trying to make it that from a guests point of view the park is a shambles. I don't see how anybody could argue with that. When a guest goes to a park to ride "the new ride" aka Saw, and it's broken down, that's not a good start. Then, when their other three main attractions are suffering extended downtime throughout the day I think guests are going to start to get a little hacked off and worried about the state of the place they've paid to visit. No day this season have all the rides been open. Most days multipal rides have been shut (and the "good ones" at that, including Saw). I agree that Thorpe must hate breakdowns as much as we do, but will the average guest paying to get in think they care? No. And that's where the problems will lie for Thorpe unless it gets its' act together.

You are an extremely lucky person! I want a rollback! I was two trains away from one..

It was stuck from about quarter to four until about twenty to five (almost an hour). Strangely, they got it up and running again almost straight away...

I'm sorry, but it is Thorpe Park's fault that there are so many problems. I've been 4 times this season, and everytime it's been a shambles. Maybe the odd day could be forgiven, but so far every day of both Thrill Chill and the main season has been a mess. Us lot that go all the time may forgive, but the general folk who go to TP will not. I was speaking to a couple who'd been on the opening weekend to ride saw, only to find it break down. They were given a free entry ticket to come back only to find it closed again! (and yes, we know to check the website for availability, but I bet the average Joe does not). Unless they sort it all out ASAP before the peak season, they're going to get themselves a very bad reputation from the general public.(The staff were as always very good, and don't get me wrong, I love Thorpe Park!)

Saw opened for a bit today, only to break down almost instantly with guests stuck on the lift hill.To be honest, although I try and stick up for Thorpe Park, it really is getting a bit pathetic now.And what's the point in advertising a ride on TV that is very likely to be closed when a guest arrives? It just means more annoyed guests. Not only did Saw break, but Nemesis got stuck on the lift hill with guests on board for around an hour! Colossus also got stuck on its lift hill. Stealth was frequently rolling back. X:// was closed for part of the day. Slammer got stuck for a while with guests on board. And Flying Fish was broken for a large part of the day. I just don't think Thorpe Park should be encouraging guests to come when it is clearly struggling to keep its' rides working correctly (for whatever reason this is) as it will only lead to its reputation worsening. :DOh, and Saw was not testing after the breakdown, even towards the end of the day, so I can only assume that it will likely not be open tomorrow.

Yep, Stealth was open today, but was fairly frequently rolling back. Forunately it was kept open even with these problems.

Does anyone have any news regarding Stealth?It's getting a bit silly now, almost two weeks into the main season...

Vortex is great when you get top swing, but as others have said, when you get stuck at the bottom it's feels like you've wasted your time queuing.I'll always go on it at Thorpe during a day, but my love for Vortex changes with each ride :ninja:I don't understand why it was designed so that it is possible to get top swings throughout and likewise, bottom swings, surely that's a tad silly?Tornado at Hayling is a lot better as it changes from slow to fast turns, meaning you always get several top swings.

Going by the photos, I recognise one of the guys.I think me and a friend were stood in the Colossus queue line next to you at the end of the day (15th March)!

Yes, Slammer was the first ride I went on of the 2008 Thrill Chill. (Opening weeken- Sunday)It was really frosty meaning that the rollercoasters couldn't open until later in the day, and Slammer was about the only ride that kept going all day without down-time

The indoor theming is amazing, but lets be honest here, once you've gone down the second drop under the spinning saws, there is absolutely no theming.. That's a real shame because of just how good the indoor section is.I'm not impressed with the ride experience because of the fact that it's incredibly rough (for a brand new rollercoaster) and it does actually hurt at the very bottom of the second drop where it feels like they haven't quite put the track together right. I do enjoy going up the lift hill vertically

Thorpe Park just isn't quite the same when Stealth isn't up and running, and it'll be amazing to be sat there on the train watching the red lights turn to green. To be honest, Saw doesn't compare in terms of "Wow" factor (Doesn't even come close IMO) and I think Stealth will remain Thorpe Park's icon coaster for many more years...I reallllyyy hope it's up and running as soon as possible!

Alfonso is amazing, a true asset to Thorpe Park. I was lucky enough to get his signature last October, and it's now nice and safe on my book shelf. :)I agree about Ryan (If we're thinking of the same person) on Rocky Express yesterday; he made a real effort to get everyone on the ride smiling by the time it was over. He does like the Simon Says game a little bit too much though...

But surely it's the loading and unloading that takes the time. It takes, what, 5 seconds at the most for an extra top swing, and in the process make the ride a much better experience? I wouldn't mind waiting an extra 5 mintues or so for a better ride experience.. I think it's really silly, just like an extra turn each way on Slammer would make it much more exciting (presently you only get one turn on max. speed).. when again, its the loading that takes the time.

Rush could be on a much longer setting. It is my favourite ride in the park, but it's so dissappointing how little time you get on there.I think the problem is with the fact that it goes so badly out of sync, right from the start you can hear that it's out of sync, and when the swings are on full swing, because one clearly goes a lot higher than the other, it gets ridiculously bad.I remember a couple of years ago when it worked pretty much perfectly; I think freight nights 2007? had Rush on a setting that gave 4 top swings for each side. Since then, quite frankly it's been pretty bad, and they NEED to fix it because the shortness of the experience is making Rush a lot less "WOW" than it could be.Sort out the fact that one swing goes a LOT higher than the other, and sort out whatever it is that is causing the swings to go so far out of sync, and then we'll be allowed to enjoy the longer ride settings that we once enjoyed.Rush is poorly and has been for two years now!

Yes. It hurts a lot; so much so it ruins the experience, in my opinion of course.The worst part is at the bottom of the first drop. (See previous post)

Yes

Back from Thorpe Park now. It was surprisingly a walk on from about 4 o clock onwards.I have to disagree with people who are saying it is an amazing coaster.The theming is fantastic, far better than any ride I've ever been on.The dark section of the ride is amazing, and I'd rate it 10/10. I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone, but it has surprising twists, turns and effects that didn't get boring.It's just after you exit the indoor part of the ride that it all goes downhill. The drop isn't particularly thrilling; oblivion is far far more thrilling. And it really really really hurts from there onwards! When you go, watch the very bottom of the drop after the lift hill; there's a gap in the track or something, but it jolts you a hell of a lot, and it's really obvious when you watch people on the trains at that point. It continues to be bumpy from there on until the end, and I'd say that it is a serious problem.As well as this you have the restraints, which gradually push down more and more on you during the ride so that whilst waiting to disembark your legs are losing all circulation, and you can't wait to get off.There is also pretty much no themeing after you exit the building, except for the spinning saws, and.. well basically, to sum it all up, the ride is brilliant all the way up until the very top of the lift hill. From there, quite frankly it is not brilliant at all, and I think the fact that this new ride had a walk on queue with people like us (TPM members and annual pass holders) says it all.When asked by a member of staff what he thought of it, some bloke said, "meh". I hope for Thorpe Park's sake that he and I are in the minority on that one.