JoshC.
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Blog Comments posted by JoshC.
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@Mark9 When you said this park needs investment, I'm not sure this is quite what you meant...
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20 hours ago, Inferno said:Such a shame about the last minute re-planning, but I imagine that was a good move?
I don't have any regrets about changing it. At the same time, in hindsight, I reckon I would have been fine if I had stuck with the original plan, albeit more tired. But yeah, for the sake of my own comfort, definitely a good move.
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Two trains on Railblazer sounds like a nightmare; Jersey Devil was running four (and that was 12 seats)! I've heard the original model is too quick for its own good, but it does seem like RMC have learnt lessons.
Hadn't heard much of Gold Striker before, but your review has peaked my curiosity of it now!
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10 hours ago, Mattgwise said:
Great reports, Karnan looks great, shame about its reliability. Where you off to in the states? Il be out there end of May to Cedar Point and Kings Island.
I'll be off over to the East Coast area; Six Flags Great Adventure and Hersheypark, then down towards Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens Williamsburg!
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3 hours ago, Mark9 said:
Flug must be the most marmite wing-rider in Europe. I personally loved it and really liked the different order of the elements and how it uses the hill around it to gain momentum and create a different kind of pacing.
It's certainly unique, and I can see why some people would love it. I did like how it looked in general, and thought it was a really clever use of space.
But simply it came down to how juddery it was. It's not awful, but it was enough to detract from the experience for me.
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A naughty double post...
Here's the extended post I mentioned chatting about Face it Alone:
Looks like my write up from my Original Face it Alone is on my old-old laptop, and I dread to think how long that will take me to find and boot up. But still, you've inspired me to re-write it up...keep watching this space!
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Now this is a proper trip down memory lane - thanks for sharing!
I really enjoyed Face it Alone. It was a cracking experience that really differentiated Thorpe from other scare events in the UK for a short period of time. It was unique, worthwhile and a joy for the niche market it targeted. And most importantly, in my eyes, it was something which let Thorpe justify Fright Nights as a premium Halloween event, which had something for everyone.
It certainly changed over its 4 years of being offered (and some of those changes were for the worst). It's a shame that it stopped, though it would be great to one day see Thorpe try something a bit more extreme again. There's clearly demand for these more extreme experiences, and they can certainly fit it into their line ups imo.
I never did Cabin though for Face it Alone. It's great to hear what exactly happened during your run!
My runs were:
2013: Saw Alive
2014: Studio 13
2015: Big Top
2016: Big Top
All were very different and interesting in their own way. I don't think I ever posted my experiences / reviews at the time (because of how they were asking people not to, to keep the element of surprise). But I did write them up...I'll have to try and track down where I saved them and post them! If not, I can recall parts of my runs, so will share them a bit later.
I also think I did an extended post about Face it Alone a couple of years back on here, discussing some more of the ins and outs of the experience and why it changed and left the line up. And again, if I can't find it, I can remember some details, so will add some more.
Watch this space!
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Nice write up, and a nice trip down memory lane!
It's funny, I don't have too many memories about Sun Scream, aside from it being "a thing". I remember watching the stunt show, and never being as interested or excited by it as some of the stunt shows in previous years at the park.
It was a mix of something and not a lot at the same time. But then, it was an excuse to open late and just create a bit more of a vibe on park, which it certainly succeeded in doing! Sometimes it's easy to overcomplicate things, but Sun Scream was a nice simple event which added a little bit of extra value to the park's season.
I don't know if this happened during Sun Scream or just summer more generally, but I do also remember having people dare you to press a "big red button" with the slogan "What's the worst that can happen?"...where either nothing would happen, or "something" would happen and you'd win a prize. That was a bit of a laugh if nothing else.
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I'd be curious if this is a general feeling you have, or a feeling which is highlighted when you're specifically at Thorpe? I know sometimes I feel old whenever I visit Thorpe, sometimes too old.
Another thing that makes me feel old is that I joined theme park forums when I was 15. If a 15 year old was to join the forums today, there's a good chance they would have been born after Stealth opened. I remember watching it being built, as well as The Flying Fish and Model World prior pretty vividly. Jeez.
I know you say when you visit a park these days, there's a couple of moments where you feel like the odd one out. But that feeling was expanded at Fright Nights (during half term too I think?). It certainly makes sense that the feeling would be highlighted more in that case.
It could also be one of those psychology things. Are you feeling like the odd one out because you think you are, and so are looking for evidence to support that? And so, in turn, you notice all the younger groups, and don't see many people who look a similar age to yourself / are older?
For anyone reading who doesn't quite get what I mean: you don't see many yellow cars on the road these days, do you? But now that thought is in your head, you will be more acutely aware of yellow cars and notice them a lot more, and realise that - whilst they're not common - there's certainly a fair few about!
Maybe during your Towers visit have in the back of your mind to exclusively look for groups of adults in their later 20s/early 30s...maybe you'll be surprised with how many you see?
To stop with the psycho-analysing and answer the more direct question: no, you can't be too old for theme parks. I think there's certain social norms which can be at play (for example, going to a children's park alone can seem suspect in some people's minds...but that's completely different). Theme parks (and moreso rides) are a unique blend of escapism, thrill, story telling and holiday all in one, along with other options - such as the idea of 'collecting' ridden coasters/visiting/number of rides - if you so choose. Few hobbies offer such a blend, along with additional versatility and flexibility.
I don't think you can be too old for any of the things theme parks offer. It's just whether you feel like the combination it offers is what you want, or if you want a narrower focus. One thing I've noticed over the years of being on forums is some people who were (and still are!) really interested in theme parks have similar other hobbies too. A couple of examples...
-Live theatre and similar (escapism and story telling)
-Skydiving / mountain biking / more "extreme" sports (thrill)
-Travelling (self explanatory)
Maybe that's another reason why there's seemingly less people who visit parks? As people get older, they get easier access to / realise other hobbies which share similar traits to visiting theme parks, and focus their attention there a bit more? That diversification then means they spend less time at parks, and then the concentration/percentage of younger people visiting parks decreases.
Another thing which I note as well, is that specific park enthusiasm is much more concentrated with younger people. Unsurprisingly, there's very few 15 year olds which are interested in theme parks more broadly: their focus is on one or two parks, and usually their local park. But after say 15 years of continual visits, that local park won't have the same appeal or interest, and are likely more interested to parks more broadly. Again meaning they spend less time visiting their local park, and instead visiting a broader range of parks (again meaning that the average age of certain park visitors feels very young, and the late 20 / early 30 somethings all feel very old whenever they visit).
I feel like I've waffled an awful lot and not said much. But in short:
-You're not too old for theme parks (and if you are, I only have a maximum of 3 years left before I am...)
-Thorpe Park is probably the park in the UK which would highlight this feeling the most
-I think people's interests in theme parks spreads in one way or another as they get older, which can mean there's a skewed view as to how old park visitors are
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Entering Phantasialand is a weird one as there's actually 3 'main' entrances.
Entrance 1: Berlin. This is the most "main" one in design, but practically anyone who drives won't use it, since there's basically no parking for day guests. You enter with the carousel directly in front, and then look down Berlin street towards Wellenflug. It's small and tight but pretty cool.
Entrance 2: Mystery. Probably the most used one since the car park is accessed by using the road under the park next to the main entrance.
Entrance 3: China. The car park for this is found by driving past the main entrance, turning left at the roundabout (going past Hotel Matamba) and following the road along.
Neither Mystery nor China entrance is great, in the sense that you just go straight into the park. It's a very harsh contrast (like a lot of Phantasialand's transitions between areas). They're practical, certainly not memorable.
Crucially, the park do know these areas all problems. They want to expand the land they own so more people can use the Berlin entrance, and so they can make it a bit grander, but they have experienced issues getting permission to expand.
They don't own the land of one of their car parks (I think Mystery, but could be China). It's owned by a local who effectively leases it to the park and refuses to sell. A couple of years ago he tried building his own train through the car park... So it makes it hard to do work there. And even then, there's limited space to expand their car parks, meaning any work done to improve entrances outside the current perimeter costs valuable car parking spaces.
They do have plans and do want to improve, but their hands are very much stuck at the moment.
On top of that, each hotel has a dedicated entrance into the park (though Matamba's only happened this year). None of them are particularly great either.
I agree about Maus being on the long side. It is certainly an arm workout!
It's probably a toss up between China and Crazy Bats/Hollywood Tour for what sees the chopping block next. Given the investment in Crazy Bats and current rumours, it's more likely going to be the China area that goes first.
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I hated the batching system on Hyperion, so sad to learn it's been adopted on Zadra too. Just confusion and faff for no real reason in my opinion.
A shame you don't particularly rate Energylandia as a park. Whilst it's true parts of it have a fun fair feel to it, I think a good chunk of it is a decent park with enough fun rides and okay levels of theming to be considered on par with plenty of other parks out there. And they're forever improving too, which is great to see.
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12 minutes ago, pluk said:
Sad to hear you didn't like Zeus, I thought it was incredible. Hopefully it's just you having bad taste and not that they've let it deteriorate!
They have retracked large parts of Zeus recently (I think some this past winter, or maybe the winter before, or both). I do wonder if that's made any difference!
Believe me though, I'm just as sad I didn't like Zeus. I love woodies, and a big classic old school woodie in theory is right up my street. But it just wasn't meant to be.
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It really struck me that even if you didn't fork out for the mazes you could still enjoy the event (whether you liked scares or not). The zones provided enough variety that there was something for everyone.
I've heard really mixed things about the mazes. From others who have done the event, many seem to rate Psychoshock as the weakest / 2nd weakest, but ones like Villa and Haunted Holidays as the best. For those normal mazes it's nice to see a spread at least as it would suggest they're all of equal quality. The quality between Clinic and Below is incredible though, and certainly justifies the couple of extra €s.
Belgium's event is the next big one on my list (2021, because Intamin too). They seem to have toned down over the past few years, but last year's new headliner there seemed to be a push back to their well-known intense roots.
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6 hours ago, Glitch said:
Typical Hwelsinki being expensive but definatly expected and guess what it's going to get more expensive post Brexit.
I wonder when the woodie will get the RMC treatment which everyone craves nowadays.
Looking forward to the next blog on Sealife
- How much was entry to that?
I know you're joking, but don't expect them to ever RMC their woodie. It's part of the park's history, is well loved and clearly looked after very well.
I got free entry to SeaLife thanks to some free tickets. Otherwise it was about €14 with a Linnanmäki wristband or €18 without.
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In the park, food and drink prices was on the steeper side. Bottle of drink was around €3.50, a meal would cost around €10-15 and snacks between €2-5.
In Helsinki, things were a bit steeper than I was prepared for. For example, a footlong Subway meal (quite close to the park, so outside the main city centre) cost over €10. Ouch!
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Those Walibi queue times made me wince.
I find Walibi a lot like what Thorpe could have been like if things had turned out slightly differently. And I don't mean that in a bad way either. But I get the 'amusement park' vibe you mention.
I've never quite liked Dwervelwind as much as most; had a couple of uncomfortable rides on it, and never really got amazing spinning on it. But it's really cute and still a decent ride; excited we're getting a Mack spinner in the UK with Paultons now..
It still amazes how small Toverland is in terms of visitor numbers (they're still like 4th/5th most visited in Netherlands) and age, yet it's still got this massive B&M and stunning huge new area. They're really a park that has a hugely bright future, and yeah, can only echo your view of just go!
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^Tbf there's been very good reasons why enthusiasts flock to Europa and Phantasialand.
2 hours ago, Benin said:It's easy to get to from centre of Paris via coach as well; people using going to outskirts as an excuse also need to consider where DLP is in relation to the city
ngl I thought it was much closer to Paris.. #basic #JeNeParlePasFrancais
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I wouldn't say it's underrated? It's got a reputation as a good park, with a good selection of rides which are well themed - essentially what the park is.
I guess it hadn't attracted huge attention because the last major ride they added was Oz'Iris (Pegasus was a family coaster which missed the mark ultimately), and that's what draws the most attention for us as UK enthusiasts. Plus going to the outskirts of Paris is a bit of a pain compared to some of the other nearby European parks.
So yeah, the park is rated fairly, and it'll come into the spotlight more when their big Intamin starts being built sometime next year.
Points for the clickbait title though, fair play...
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^^We saw someone come off Dragon Riders just before us who looked extremely pale. Fairly certain the ride had a designated sick bucket too.. Very much an endurance ride and, yes, horrid is definitely a good word.
Creek - if you're tossing up between 2019 or 2020, you may as well wait till 2020. That's not to say the parks are bad in their current state, but 2020 will be a lot more rewarding tbh
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Congrats Ben! The level of dedication to get something with Thorpe on it is incredible (though it's a shame they couldn't agree to get the official Thorpe logo on the medal, especially after last year..).
Can we expect you to be at the Thorpe Triathlon this September or the Chessington 10k Wild Run in November?
You'll actually get to go through the parks then!
And hey, I might even take inspiration and do the Chessington one myself...though I'll stick to the kids' challenge thanks...
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11 minutes ago, planenut said:
Thanks for that, interesting comments. It's a park that some friends of mine have been to a couple of times, and with their enthusiasm for Gothenburg, I will consider it for the future.
Gothenburg is a nice city too. We spent a day going round it and doing general touristy things. If I'm honest, I'm not that into the whole sightseeing / aimlessly wandering round a city thing, but for those who are into it, Gothenburg is no doubt a good place. And as has been mentioned plenty of times on here, easy to get to too...
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My Symbolica review is here -
The Loonsche Land hotel was very nice. The rooms were huge, beds were comfy, and it had the Efteling feel to it, much like the Bosrijk Village hotel did. The included breakfast was very nice; plenty of variety and all nice quality. The surroundings are very nice (though our room had a lovely view of the waste management area...), and the little animal areas are nicely done. There's also some jungle trial style equipment for everyone to use - great fun for the most part...unless you slip on them when they're wet... The separate huts looked very nice too!
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I had suggested that we change the forum to Movie Park Mania, but alas it wasn't to be.
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Yay Mark.
I have to admit that Baron 1898 disappointed me on my most recent visit. 2 years back it was really floaty, you got airtime on the airtime hill, and it just flowed very well. Now it's aged like B&Ms do and become a bit more 'forceful', which has turned the floaty moments into quite bland moments. It's a real shame. Hopefully it'll continue to age well and might become properly forceful which will improve the ride.
I really love Joris though (especially the Fire side), speedy, relentless and just full out fun. I haven't done Wodan, but I do think it is probably my favourite woodie, and the back row is <3
East Coast USA - Park 4 Hershey Park
in Take me to Disneyland
A blog by Mark9 in General
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I completely agree about the 'auto complete' comment. Sooperdooperlooper is the one that stood out to me the most, but I could almost excuse that with its age. But the likes of Great Bear and even Storm Runner have that feel about them too.
Candymonium is a real grower of a ride too; it gets better every time.
I absolutely adore Skyrush and its "attempts to fling you out of the state" ride experience. But completely get why it's not everyone's cup of tea, and it seems to be one which has a "too intense for me" reaction from the masses.
Having been in the park in both heavy rain and 35C blazing heat, I can also say it's one which shines best in the sunlight (pun totally intended). Wet weather does make the whole place feel a bit...drab.