JoshC.

It was sarcasm, about the very point you're raising. As for the monks, wasn't there some cloaked / hooded characters back in 2014 who walked around in a large group? They were more just creepy than anything; didn't do any specific scaring. Then after a park walk around they'd take their cloaks off (backstage) and just run around causing 'mayhem'. And alternate between the two styles after every park walk around.

Couple of things to say after my ride yesterday... -Didn't hear anyone complain of glitchy headsets / low volume of noise. -Good amount of time spent in the warehouse with the Victorian carriage. But it felt like it was missing a grander reveal; maybe it's just because I'd already seen it, but it definitely doesn't seem like they're not making as big a deal out of it as they should. -The live action sequence was executed really well. Good mix of story, tension and fear - loads of people screaming and running away, only to be greeted with 'infected' actors chasing them the other way! -Experienced a very long green mist sequence, though staff on the train did a good job at trying to keep things going. Screaming, banging walls, leg and neck grabbing. Anything to try and stop people getting bored. Better than nothing I guess! I still really enjoy Ghost Train, but I must confess that after a few rides now, I've really begun to hate the second VR portion. Previously I was able to go with it, and the novelty of VR was enough to keep me entertained. But now I'm used to VR, that doesn't do it for me, so the weakness of it really shines through. It's a shame, as whenever I hear people speak about it, the large majority of opinions seem to be how they think it's an 'okay' or 'good' ride, and go on to explain how much they love the pre show, the first VR, the live action sequence, but then don't like the second VR. Some major improvements / starting again with that could really change how well this whole thing is received on the whole!

I don't think it's been mentioned, but lately the bag room has been closed. So you take your bags on with you, and just leave very large items outside with a member of staff. An interesting idea, but it didn't have any impact on my ride yesterday (in terms of throughput or experience), so I guess it's quite a natural thing for people. I hope it works long-term, though it'd be a shame to not see the nicely themed bag room again!

Also, looks like we can get a nice Cornish pasty at Fright Nights...

There's wood in the trees, so maybe Thorpe are hinting at a woodie?

No tea either. Coffee for me. No sugar. No milk. Ta.

Looks great fun. Something like this is has been missing from the UK line up so it's nice to see it happening. This is also an investment of over £16m - nice!

I agree it's sad to see Thorpe history not being kept in its original condition, but given that train has set in a shed for nearly 5 years doing nothing but gathering dust and not being seen by anyone, I'd much rather it be given some purpose. I'd be sadder if they had graffiti-ed some of the old Thorpe stuff stored on display elsewhere, since that's actually seen / used.

I still see your point as a non-point. Before Helix, Liseberg's last major coaster investment was Kanonen in 2005. So between 2005 and 2018, they'll have added 3 major coasters. In that same period, Thorpe will have added 3 major coasters (and a large scale dark ride), and Towers wI'll have added 4 major coasters (Th13teen is a major family coaster). So they're all on equal terms really. Only Chessington is behind. Also keep in mind Liseberg gets millions more visitors than Merlin parks, and there is still competition for them. ---- On a different note, is Kanonen being removed this year or sometime next year? I've seen conflicting accounts and not sure what to believe, and too lazy to find out.

Saw, Th13teen, Swarm, Smiler, SW8, Krake, Flug, Raptor, Oblivion... Ghost Train represents a significant investment also. Bit of a non point. The rumours of an invert sounded very exciting, so this feels a tad underwhelming given that is what I was expecting. Only a tad though asLiseberg has a solid natural location to incorporate a dive machine.

I've never experienced anything overtly sexual in Face it Alone. A couple of things, but they've all been in context. The extreme experiences offered in Face it Alone were all well thought out last year and had context within the maze added to them. It's not just "let's get nude and chuck people about" (which ws what Asylum was like at times I believe).

Can't remember if this has been mentioned somewhere, but I've noticed in the Megastore there is a sign saying that Fright Nights 15 merchandise is coming soon. From what I heard, last year's merch was a trial to see if there was demand for it, and they were going to consider expanding the range if it proved extremely popular. Will be interesting to see what they bring out this season - whether it'll be the same sort of stuff (mugs, t-shirts, pens, notepads, etc.) with new designs, or whether they do expand it more / bring out more maze-specific stuff!

I can't find the source, but it has been confirmed as Intamin.

It's not a planned closure, it's essential maintenance. The two are very different of course. Curse you Marc for saying it wrong.

I imagine Creek Tours is a nod to the previous name of the area (and it sounds a bit better than Old Town Tours in my opinion). I think one thing this has really going for it is the location - it seems to start at CCR and finish by Samurai, so you'll be going along next to a heavily forest. Definitely has potential to be very creepy at night!

Some nice back story; image from TP Twitter.

Pretty sure I win the 'Lives Closest to Thorpe Park' award. Usually takes me 10 minutes to get there. By bike.

I can't see this running any more than 3 trains (and that would still have some horrible stacking), so I'd expect it to run two. I guess being a separate park to PA the number of people in the area will be lower anyway, so maybe the rubbish throughput will be sustainable when things die down.

One original name for Containment was 'Breakout' - since you were locked inside a place with a deadly virus and need to literally "break out". I guess Containment was decided to be more suitable, since the idea is something is being "contained" and you need to stop it spreading. Breakout and Outbreak were written on the green and red wristbands respectively given post-maze. But yeah, Containment is an original idea with no IP tie in; just a coincidence. Much like how there's a film called 'The Swarm' about an invasion of alien killer bees!

Kind of surprised we didn't have a Fuji-Q thread to be honest. Not sure if anyone on the forums has been (maybe @Benin or @BenC ?), but of course, it's a park well known for breaking records and just general being a bit over the top insane. One of their most well known coasters is Dodonpa, a S&S launch coaster with a launch of 0-107mph in 1.8 seconds. The park have recently announced, however, that they are going to be retracking Dodonpa, with rumours circulating they they'll be adding a loop. And given Fuji's fetish for records, the world's tallest loop doesn't seem out of the question! The ride will close next month and reopen next summer. Source: http://www.fujiq.jp/special/oyasumi-dodonpa/ Important translation:

Heard a couple of rumours that both Flying Dutchman and Pandamonium are currently closed and in the process of being deconstructed. Can't back this up with any solid proof mind. With rumours knocking about for years that Drayton are looking at a new coaster, could this area be a potential site for one? Or could this just be unfortunately timed essential maintenance?

Just want to elaborate my point a bit further. Here's what Chessington's RAP guide says about who the system is aimed for: Taking this in black and white, the number of people who both should qualify for RAPs and be able to use an SRQ would be very small. If someone struggles with everyday social interactions / follow instructions / becomes distressed after long periods of time, what happens if an RAP holder is on a ride by themselves and it break downs and needs evacuating? It makes the situation more stressful for everyone. Ditto for someone with a physical ability; how could they manage with no one who knows their condition supporting them? Of course, things like this are rarely black and white, and there are plenty of exceptions to the rule if you will. But people regularly complain about the operations of Merlin theme parks, and the large number of RAP users is something which is particularly noticeable at Chessington. I'm not suggesting that the RAP system needs to be made stricter or anything, but if the situation is one where people who have the RAP bands are actually able to get on with their day without them, one has to feel that there's something not quite right with the system. NB: I hope what I'm saying isn't come across as rude, insulting, condescending or anything. I completely understand that every person is different and that no blanket rule will ever be perfect and cover every possibility. But I'm just throwing these points out there. Sorry again for dragging this wildly off topic. If thing discussion continues, I can move it to a more appropriate thread so we can continue to be...uninterested, I guess, by Chessington's Halloween offering.

Fastrack isn't currently been sold on Ghost Train. The Fastrack queue line is being used for anyone who was given a Priority Pass for use on Ghost Train though (they are only ever handed when someone is evacuated from the ride or queue though I believe).

>Needs RAP. >Able to use Single Rider. Forgive my scepticism (and for going wildly off topic), and I understand every case is different, but it just seems a bit...off

Surely having an RAP won't better your chances at getting 3 major rides in the dark done, since you'll be waiting the queue time outside the queues anyway before you can use it again?