JoshC.

I just can't help but feel that these closures aren't that big a deal. I bet all those rides aren't popular during the hours they will be closed, so won't be missed that much. And in a time where the park is insanely quiet and need to minimise loss, what else can they do? I don't like the fact they're doing this, and I bet Alton hate it too, but it seems to be the lesser of all the evils in my eyes.

I think eB hit the nail on the head (as others have done in the past). This is essentially sado-masochism disguised as a scare attraction. The idea of it is nothing new and is out there if you find it, but this place is very vocal about it. The fact that they are vocal about it, and market it, in this way isn't a great way to go about it though. That offa my biggest trouble with this to be honest.

6:23 looks just like animal abuse surely?

I don't think I could bare that as TPM trip. Would be a eye-opening trip though, especially for newd members.

Be a shame if they just completely gave up on the system like that. The idea could work out in some ways, even if it's just for a Fastrack replacement (make the system digital rather than paper - advertise it as being environmentally friendly or something). Would be interested to hear what the general response to the system from the public was.

Good to see some bits of theming coming about around the park. Hope we can see some more stuff put in, and maybe even some interactive bits and bobs!

If WC16 has any relation to the Big Top I'll eat my hat. Agree with Tommy that this is likely more Fright Nights advertising than anything else, but just chucking in some code cracking for the sake of keeping WC16 ticking along too. Be interesting to see what the third clue is.

But it's not a twisted movie studio this year. Instead, they're going with a park wide carnival theme, and the other mazes are sideshows or something I guess. The Katie Hopkins thing sounds ludicrous though.

This conversation has become rather 'obtuse'......

Have you checked to see if there are any exclusion dates on the Share the Fun vouchers (they might be hidden somewhere in the Passholder pack)? It should say there. If there aren't any, I'd assume you'd have no problem. However, try contacting Thorpe by another social media account or by email for a more definitive answer. I would fully expect the numbers to be low; the event is aimed at a small market at a premium price. However, regardless of whether there is an enthusiast event going on or not, it's good to see it sell out even just once - it shows that there is indeed a demand for it.

I'll be going when I want to go. [/Rebel] As for Face it Alone selling out for Saturday, that's good to hear! I assume it's partially down to large numbers from the TTSP meet, but it's still good to see that it's popular enough to be selling out (first time I think a FiA has actually sold out I believe?).

About blooming time. Good to hear though.

Thanks for the pictures! The plain white van is obviously a massive clue. 10 cookies to anyone who can track down the company that owns it just from the licence number.

To clear up some facts... Stealth's layout is as it was on the plans. The picture holtjammy16 posted was from the MTDP in 2004, which was used to show the council the rough size and location. The Stealth/Rita rumour is a staff favourite on VIP tours it seems. They say that Stealth and Rita were originally one ride, but were split between the two parks because neither could accommodate this super ride. This of course sounds very odd, since the parks choose and design their rides individually. Presumably there is some truth behind it. Given that Rita was a very forced ride and relatively rushed compared to other Alton coasters, I wouldn't be surprised if it was something along the lines of Thorpe were planning a launch coaster for a long time, Towers needed a new major coaster, then the big names at Tussauds were able to wrangle a bit of a 'deal' if you will with Intamin, leading to Rita. Of course, this could be completely wrong, but I expect there's some sort of validity to the rumour..

I keep changing my mind with this one; some pictures make it look like two inversions, some make it look like no inversions. Hard to tell the scale of things from photos, but I wonder if this is the record-breaking 52m loop?

Let's face it - the majority of the general public who won't be going to Towers (and in particular, Scarefest) this year have been put off by Smiler, either because its crash has scared them away, or the fact that they want to be there when it's open so they can ride it. The closure of an old log flume and a dark ride that doesn't attract long queues isn't going to change that. Given the look of this year's scare attractions as well, if that's someone's main reason for travelling to Scarefest, I don't think that the closure of one filler ride will make much difference to most.

This comment made me laugh way more than it should have. I've never done Blackpool, but if a ride only offers a great ride in certain weather conditions, then surely it's not a good ride (or, at the very least, a poorly designed ride, which is almost as bad)?

This basically sums up my fears for any major investment at Chessington. The idea of an SFX Coaster at the park just sounds crazy, and not in a good way. Could Chessington really pull something like that off and have it be a success? I really, really don't think so. Given that Zufari apparently had a budget cut in the region of 40%, and they haven't seen any investment in the park that's cost more than £10 million in goodness knows how long, I just can't hold much hope for any major investment in the park until it opens.

I was meant to be going to Tulleys tonight, but I felt absolutely dreadful before I was meant to leave, and had started being ill. So instead of experiencing all these wonderful-sounding attractions, I've experienced other scare attractions such as... -The Toilet (featuring very authentic smells), -The Sick Bucket (a not so pleasant experience that isn't my cup of tea), -The Nap (a very disorientating experience featuring some awesome special effects that I can't remember) -The Chicken Soup (almost as clichéd as a chainsaw ending) -The Getting Slightly Better / The Post-Sick Semi-Sarcastic Post on TPM (a very enjoyable thing that should signify a turn of better events).

That is the queue line entrance. You will queue on the smaller side of the beach, enter through the red tent (closest to the dome), then into the red and yellow tent (in that picture) before crossing underneath the bridge and entering the final white tent, thus exiting the attraction from the larger side of the beach. From what I've heard, the queue line will be 'themed' to some degree, with signs about the circus (possibly even giving a bit of backstory) and perhaps even some queue line interactivity. Certainly sounds like it has some promise!

The 5 years thing will include a large scope of things, from initial planning about what the park wants, where they want to put it, etc etc. The rides themselves are closer to 2-3 years from first designs to opening. Certainly the likes of Saw, Smiler and WC16 won't have taken 5 years of planning. The sheer thought of Chessington getting a SFX coaster makes me want to cry though.

You're best bet in this case would be to phone the Shark Hotel (I assume they have a number of their website?) and speak to them directly about it, to ensure you get the most reasonable price.

By jove I actually agree with you on something. 'Best' is always a tricky word to use with things like theme parks and rides, since it's always such a personal choice. Thorpe is my favourite UK park and, in my opinion, that makes it the 'best' UK park. However, I think on a more neutral basis, and looking at the parks on paper, if you will, then it is hard to argue that Alton isn't the UK's number 1.

Sorry for never responding to this! I had planned to respond and do some more work to it, but must have forgotten.. FN themed things are something I could definitely do. The project is alive and kicking...just about. I'm not sure if the same thing can be said about Chief Ranger though... It would certainly be nice to finish this and have a downloadable / printed out version to have (I'd totally make sure it makes an appearance at any overnight TPM meets), and it is in the back of my mind. I did design some Chance / Community Chest cards, but never uploaded them here. When some free time crops up, I'll try and get some more ideas posted.

I must admit the closure of IAC during all FN dates has shocked me. Whilst it's easy to suggest it's down to budget cuts, there could be other reasons. Maybe they haven't got enough actors in to cover 7 attractions plus roamers and out-of-hours events? Maybe they don't want people to do it in case they expect a scare attraction? I'm not suggesting that any of those are the only reason for the closure. It could be a mixture. But in all likelihood, budget constraints must be a factor, surely? It's not a good sign when a park isn't opening their new attraction for what is usually their most popular time of year. Tidal is closed for maintenance, for definite. It isn't for budget cuts. Feel like these comments are taking things out of context. After 5pm, how popular are Loggers, Rumba and Rocky Express? What sort of queues do they pull? Next to none I bet. I'm sure as well that Loggers, Rumba and Rocky were on a list of early close rides last season as well, and Rumba and Rocky stayed open later than the advertised closed signs anyways. Those 3 attractions aren't going to affect the queue times drastically in any way. Equally, Tidal's closure isn't going to affect the queues that much. How often does it get above a 5 minute queue after September? I bet it doesn't. Those people that would ride it aren't going to affect the queue times drastically either. IAC has the most potential to lead to repercussions around the park, due to its new-ness. However, don't forget that it's apparently getting around 200pph as a maximum. Not exactly a lot, in comparison to basically everything else on park. So even if it would have gotten a 2 hour queue during Fright Nights, you're only looking at about 400 odd people being re-distributed around the park. On busy days where a gate figure is ridiculously high, that's nothing. So yeah, these closures aren't going to drastically affect the queue times that much. At worst, you'd be looking at 600 odd people who would be using those rides that now aren't, and instead are going elsewhere. Spread that across the park with 15000 other people, and the queue time increases will be negligible. In saying all this, I think it should go without saying that I'm not actually supporting these ride closures in any way (Loggers is perhaps understandable due to lighting issues; hard to say exactly wither way without more info. To be honest, I'm surprised Mr Monkey doesn't close in the evening, given its young target market, but I digress...). But simply put, I just don't think these closed rides will affect the queues as much as some people are making it out to be.