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JoshC.

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  1. Hyperia

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Was there today. It opened late (about 10.50), ran a couple of times, had to do a couple more test runs, then ran again. It closed again just after 12, with a train stuck at the top of the lift hill. Was about an hour before they were able to send that train again, with the queue line cleared and the announcement that it is now testing for the rest of the day.

     

    With current testing, they are purposefully sending the trains so that they stop atop of the lift waiting for the block to clear. I've never seen a ride test like that, so it's curious.

     

    I have to say, in-queue communication is lacking a bit. They seem dead against doing live announcements / having staff communicate in person, instead going for a pre-recorded "Hyperia is experiencing a technical delay" message, which plays every 10-15 minutes it seems. 

     

    Another thing I've noticed with current operations is they seem dead against batching in any other way that isn't batching row by row. Rows weren't being double batched today, we asked to go for the back row (no one else was in it). Batcher was very insistent we couldn't and sent us to row 6. Second time that's happened for me. No big deal really, but find it confusing why they're so regimented on this, when it doesn't affect the operations.

    Also, still unsure why they haven't built a front row queue in the station as of now, and were dead against opening it with one.

     

    In more positive news: my ride in pouring rain today was lush (albeit stung like a good'un).

  5. Hyperia

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Yeah, I think that since the poor communication to guests at the park during Saturday's closure, they've handled and communicated this in the best possible way. 

     

    Judging by the fact Saw was closed an extra day compared to the original plan, it would suggest they're around 24 hours behind their initial schedule. If testing goes to plan, I think it's not too out there to claim it will be open by Monday. But obviously, anything can happen at this point.

  8. Hyperia

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 5/25/2024 at 3:04 PM, Benin said:

    Yeah this morning didn't go well.

     

    The lack of communication on park is a failure of basic customer service. The socials announcement happened at the same time the plaza holding pens were let loose, and when we got to Tacotaria another guest (from the numbers leaving the queue) told us the news.

     

    That is a lot of space where no staff where located either to redirect or inform, and that is unacceptable given the general consensus on yesterday.

     

    Very disappointed. Especially with the usual "well you have a MAP" response. We are not local or easily able to organise a visit given personal circumstances (especially when they were handing out Fastrack to people lucky enough to be kicked out the "proper" queue).

     

    Thorpe will always be Thorpe.

     

    Real shame this. The organisation and communication was great on Friday.

     

    Obviously things go wrong and rides can break down / have issues at the last minute, but the way they handled and communicated it yesterday is just poor. It highlights a bigger issue of "MAPs don't need compensation" too. It's a pretty narrow view that if you have a MAP, you can just return whenever, so don't need compensating. Even a free drink voucher would be something to make it feel like you're not getting kicked in the teeth.

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    Hyperia

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    So if I don't write my review tonight, I probably won't at all.

     

    Equally, I am very tired and have an early start tomorrow, so forgive me if this is patchy or brief.

     

    I'll preface this with my usual press night statement: I know some people will say "oh, you're opinions are biased, you have a vested interest to be positive" or "you're a Thorpe goon, of course you'll only say positive things. My review will be as honest and truthful as positive, based on my experiences. I've been at pretty much every Thorpe press event since Swarm's back in 2012. In the past, I've told managers to their faces when I think something is rubbish. I've congratulated people for successes. I've said when something has disappointed me, surprised me or just 'not been my cup of tea'. 

     

    I was able to get 3 rides during the course of this evening. All of them were back row, and one of them was a night ride. I wanted to mix it up a bit - especially to get a front row experience - but it's just the way it worked. 

     

    I will say I found the evening a bit frustrating, with the initial opening being a bit chaotic, although I appreciated the effort for an opening ceremony. I'm sure tomorrow will be smoother, as the set up and organisation is a bit different, but tonight was a bit clunky.

     

    So anyways, the ride.

    • The lift hill is quick, especially in comparison to Big One. But it still feels like an eternity going up. And seeing the park beside you and how you tower over it, is really something. And when you're stood very close to it, you realise: this is tall.
    • The drop. My god the drop. It feels like you're being thrown out to the ground at the top. You stay out of your seat during the twist, which adds to the feeling you're just going to die frankly.
    • The non-inverting Immelmann is fab, giving a nice pop of airtime.
    • The outerbank dive is fab. You are genuinely out of your seat the whole time, as you slowly twist upside down. Such a weird sensation, but so very cool.
    • Quickly going into the stall, you're again left hanging (literally). 
    • The water splash effect does have trims which does notably slow you down, but it doesn't slow you down so that you feel like you're going significantly slower. Think of it as a "gentle press on a car's brake" type of trim, rather than a "harsh car brake" trim. Towards the back, if you stick your hands out, you get a bit wet.
    • The outer banked airtime afterwards offers some surprising ejector. After my first ride, this was actually a highlight, for how surprising it was. After multiple rides, it's not the highlight, but still definitely a highlight. 
    • The airtime into the brakes is fine. Maybe not the strongest ended, but still a nice pop
    • The brakes roll the train into the station very slowly

    For me, this is my favourite UK coaster I think. I still need time to digest, and I'd like to ride it in other rows too. I also hear the front row is a completely different beast (a lot "floatier" rather than "intense / aggressive"). But yeah, this is a fantastic ride. It doesn't feel too short, as it packs a lot in, and hitting the brakes is that sort of "omg" moment, as you process it all. Could it have had another element after the water splash, perhaps to negate the need for a trim altogether? Possibly, but it doesn't harm the ride.

     

    I didn't notice a "Mack rattle" during my rides. However, I do think it has the potential to do so, and could end up riding rough in the future. That will come down to how this type of Mack ages, and what Thorpe do to look after it.

     

    There is a neat little dispatch sequence as the train leaves the station:

    https://twitter.com/ThorpeParkMania/status/1793709598886822387

     

    Other bits:

    • Mack employees are naturally very happy with the result, and generally and genuinely all love it
    • The ride warms up a lot during the day. During testing phases, it could be take 42 seconds to complete the circuit in the morning, and then drop down to 31 seconds by the afternoon / evening
    • Operations are good on two trains. They removed one to help alleviate pressure on engineering for tomorrow. There were a few shutdowns this evening, partially due to some issues with gates, and also due to someone flying a drone around the ride. Operation on one train is slow.
    • The plaza looks quite nice. It needs some polishing off, but it's good.
    • The ride area, however, is definitely unfinished. It needs tidying up, planting to go in, etc. But in any case, it was always going to be a couple of years before this really looked nice.
    • There will be an opening ceremony / shows for the first few days as a minimum. It's a nice little thing
    • There's some boards around the ride area telling the story of Hyperia, sort of. They're nice, but the backs of them are plain and easy to see around the area, and stick out like a sore thumb

    https://twitter.com/ThorpeParkMania/status/1793701505725530465

     

    Overall, Hyperia is a fantastic addition for Thorpe Park, and for the UK. It's exactly what the park needed. I really enjoyed it, and it's a "Top 10%" coaster for me. 

     

    I'll leave you with my first ORP (me on the left):

    image.png

  12. Hyperia

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hyperia officially opens tomorrow, ending a 12 year drought of new coasters at Thorpe.

     

    Tonight is the press launch, which means there will be plenty of reviews about. As such, for anyone who doesn't want the station interior spoiled - or doesn't want to hear people's views - we'll have this thread here. We'll keep the other thread for construction / archiving. 

     

    I'll post my views on Hyperia here tonight, and look forward to reading plenty more tomorrow!

  14. Hyperia Speculation and Construction Thread

    in The Past

    Posted

    6 minutes ago, Benin said:

    Thorpe apparently now selling one shot Fastrack separately from the hoops you originally needed to jump through.

     

    Poor decision if true. Guess as the first few days haven't completely sold out they need to make up the expected income streams.

     

    I think they'll make more than enough through merch and food sales anyways in those first few days.

     

    But yeah, a surprise that they've removed those hoops to get the Fastrack. Even if they're confident with the operations and everything, and even if they're limiting the numbers, it just makes sense to have as few Fastrack as physically possible, surely?

    Also, they're not planning to run the front row queue from opening, so it shows they do know how to make operational decisions which could have reasoning behind them.

     

    My biggest surprise is that no date is currently sold out. With Friday and Saturday apparently having a reduced capacity, and it being half term, I'd have thought one day would be sold out by now.

  15. Hyperia Speculation and Construction Thread

    in The Past

    Posted

    14 hours ago, Benin said:

    Better to have all the information than not.

     

    Sensory issues are still fairly new to it all. Given the problems with RAP as well probably something that will be consistent across the board, and guess its no different to the standard safety boards stating the obvious either.

     

    There was also a video for the Accessibility side of Hyperia. Though I do wonder why they constantly told me to scan a QR code when I was watching it on my phone.

     

     

    I feel like there must have been a bet on how many times they could say "scan" in a video.

  16. Ghost Train - NEW for 2023

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I rode Ghost Train yesterday for the first time this season.

     

    Interestingly, there was no Fake Shop scene, but there was an additional actor in the Crypt (in the form of a wraith / hooded creature). The Fake Shop only requires one actor, so this appears to more be a creative decision.

     

    The finale was cool, especially for first-timers, but definitely loses its appeal quickly. And with the Ghost Train shop no longer existing, I wonder if they're contemplating something different for the finale, or just scrapping it altogether.

  17. Paultons Park

    in UK Attractions

    Posted

    There was also a teaser for 2026:

     

    No indication what it could be or where, although with the park planning on redeveloping the Cobra-side of the park, it could end up there.

     

    There was an animation of that version of the park's logo inverting too, so some are speculating it could be an inverting coaster.

  18. Hyperia Speculation and Construction Thread

    in The Past

    Posted

    On Friday, Hyperia took its first non-Mack riders:

     

    Yesterday, significantly more staff were given training on how to evacuate Hyperia.

     

    This is the state of play of the plaza as of yesterday:

     

    The water effect tested for the first time today:

     

    Everything is coming together and, whilst the area might not be the most glamorous-looking, and might need time to bed-in with foliage needing to grow, everything seems on track to open THIS FRIDAY.

     

     

  23. Hyperia Speculation and Construction Thread

    in The Past

    Posted

    I like the advert, it feels reminiscent of the Colossus and Inferno adverts specifically too.

     

    I still find it odd they're not shouting more about it being the tallest UK coaster. That feels like something that would grab people's attention much more. But heyho, they're going a different direction with it and making that a more sideline fact. Hopefully it all works out.

  25. Slammer replacement?

    in The Future

    Posted

    Let's take stock for a moment.

    -The park have said on a number of occasions they will remove Slammer. The most recent suggestion was they would remove Slammer this upcoming closed season. Frankly, I won't believe it until I see it.
    -Whilst I admit Skybound fits in with Hyperia, there's no reason to believe it definitely will be.

    At the same time, the removal of queue line and such is interesting. It's also worth noting that there has been some removal of the interior of Black Mirror too.

    It could easily be space for Fright Nights, and the possible removal of Slammer ends up just opening the area up for picnic area / shop / restaurant.


    But, it certainly makes sense to replace that area with a new attraction, especially since it increases support around the brand the new ride.

    Assuming it is a new ride, and it is for 2025, it needs to be something that can be constructed reasonably quickly. Removal of Slammer plus construction of a new ride (to open no later than May, say) means we likely won't see an indoor ride or a more complicated ride. Some sort of Star Flyer or similar tower-based ride might work pretty well to be fair.
    Equally, if they choose to wait until 2026, they could build something a bit more in depth.
     

    So yeah. Cause for optimism, but cautious optimism for now.

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