JoshC.

Unfortunately, I didn't grab a photo of it, but there is now a sign in front of Tidal's entrance saying how it closed for the rest of the 2015 season.

ha, this post made me laugh a lot more than it should have for so many reasons. First of all, what's wrong with being "basic"? You say it like it's a bad thing? Not everyone can go to various parks around the continent, or even the country. By all means encourage and suggest that people travel abroad and see what else is out there, but the way you are saying it, it's like you're insulting people for not travelling. Second of all... Yes, you've said that your opinion has changed and that, and maybe you've ridden 10 roller coasters that are better than Swarm in the past 13 months. But think back to when Swarm was your favourite ride and why you enjoyed it; surely you can at least appreciate the fact that other people will enjoy for those same reasons. Swarm sits nicely at the top of my Top 10, for many reasons which I've mentioned on here in the past. I guess that makes me "basic" (even though I've probably got a similar cred count to you, but oh well). I guess I should "actually travel", instead of magicing myself to other theme parks. I guess I should click my fingers, and magically get the time and money to go to the parks where all the great rides frolic freely in the wind. Or I should go ride Shambhala, without "actually travelling". There's certainly a lot of similarities between the two. I definitely think that anyone who enjoys one would enjoy the other. Whether the hatred thing is the case is something I'm not so sure on. Baron gives a very floaty ride experience which feels completely different to Swarm, so a Swarm-hater may enjoy Baron for that great floatyness. --- Anyway, back to B&Ms. I've ridden 7: 1) Nemesis Inferno 2) Nemesis 3) Air 4) Oblivion 5) The Swarm 6) Black Mamba 7) Baron 1898 I'd put them in the order of how much I liked them, but since I'm basic, I don't think it's necessary.

Love that Containment video! I was on park today; Big Top area isn't flooded. No photos as the attractions look no different to last photo update.

I know it's a traffic light system, but people will still feel like their weight is being judged, even if no numbers are involved. And if you get a red, you are essentially being told "As a group, you're too heavy". Not necessarily the greatest thing to experience at a theme park.

Both will be very similar I'd say. Sunday 18th might be better if you're staying till close as more people will leave earlier than on the 10th. But other than that, there shouldn't be much difference.

Trying to find more good words to describe this is becoming difficult. Genuinely can't wait to see trains flying around this thing.

The thing with scales is not everyone is happy and discussing their weight. Even healthy weight people can shy away from the subject. By having a set of scales, people feel like they're having their weight being shown to others and judged (even if this isn't strictly the case). Things like someone's height and cheat size are easier seen and less hidden, yet if you see someone denied a ride because of them, you can see how embarrassed they are. Imagine the sheer embarrassment and upset if a group of people collectively find out "They are too heavy to ride together". Not a nice feeling on what is not a topic which isn't openly talked about enough.

I bet that if we hadn't heard about Containment before this announcement, there would have been pages and pages of discussion about that one image. It comes across as uninteresting and boring because all the details have been released already; this is just the first time Thorpe have publicly advertised it. I'm not saying it's good by any means, it's a bit meh. It looks like it could be part of a video or something though. You're making it out like it's as interesting as watching paint dry though?

There has been a LOT worse. The roller coaster porn video springs to mind. I don't get what's so bad about it? You're paying £15 to experience an extreme maze by yourself. The choosing of a maze was a bonus. I stand by my point that if the choice hadn't been there in the past, no one would complain. I see the points raised by others about why they don't like the idea though. I wonder if there is any way to request that you don't get a specific maze? Serious point: I'd recommend anyone interested in doing FiA but not interested in doing one maze contacts Thorpe (probably by the VIP email); there is a chance they have thought about this I suppose? As others have pointed out, you're asked to not go into details about your experiences. However, you are warned that essentially anything can happen. Last year when I did Studio 13, I spoke with the 3 other people who done it on the night, and one was a girl. We all seemed to have very, very similar experiences. However, in 2013, I had a completely different experience to the other person who did Face it Alone on Saw. I think last year, they toned it down a bit when compared to 2013 in that the actors did similar things each time, as opposed to doing what they wanted. I've heard that, this year, they're upping the intensity again and perhaps making everything a bit more unique again.

I don't get why people think it's a bad idea? Face it Alone is meant to a scary, uneasy experience. Not giving you a choice as to what maze you do adds to that a lot more. Sure, it makes it a lot harder to do all the mazes, but FiA isn't really something that's meant to be done multiple times. If people had never been given choice in the first place, no one would be calling it a bad idea.

-Says they won't give their views on a topic. -Gives views on topic.

For a serious answer, it's hard to say since Fastrack queue times depend on the normal queue time. Further uncertainty about the time is added by the use of RnR. In all honesty, you shouldn't need to buy Fastrack. You'll want be able to do all five mazes if you want to.

*The following post comes from someone is vaguely supports RnR as an idea* -One the biggest issues with RnR is the question of what to do whilst you're virtually waiting. Since RnR usually operates on the most popular and highest throughput attractions, the worry is that many of filler rides won't be able to cope with the new-found popularity. -Another issue is that there can be a real wait after you've done your virtual waiting. The theory, I believe, is that once you've done the virtual waiting and joined the real queue, you should be on the ride within 15 minutes. But a mixture of technical problems with the system, lack of knowledge of the system, and stand-by queues operating mean this can be longer. -Another problem with the idea is that some see it as not answering the problem of sorting out ride throughputs and operational efficiency. Rather than making things better, they've just moved the problem elsewhere. I personally feel like there are solutions to many of the above problems (which I have mentioned in the past), but won't go into them now to avoid heated discussion. Stand-by queues will still be running for the next trial.

This is an excellent point. Tidal Wave is in the centre of the park and is a very memorable thing to look at. It features heavily during advertising and on merchandise, so it's a big part of Thorpe. Of course, the question that Thorpe have to ask themselves is if it's worth keeping it open when they need to minimise loss so much. Everyone will want the answer to be 'Keep it open', but that may not necessarily be what happens. How do you define plenty in this situation? Given there's 17 Fright Nights dates and they'll probably see over 150,000 guests (just a guess, but could easily be a lot more?) over those dates, are enough people really riding it to warrant its expensive running costs right now? At the moment, the thing for Merlin is surely about minimising loss, not making money?

I should have known that a comment about RnR running during FN, something known for a while, would descend into chaos and conversations had a billion* times before. *Possible understatement.

It hadn't been confirmed either way yet. However, it's been confirmed it will be running for all of Fright Nights, including the AP preview night.

I've found that the social media accounts for Thorpe haven't been the best, but they have improved a lot the past few months; being quicker to respond, and usually more helpful. It's entirely possible that they don't have the latest information though, which isn't great of that's the case.

Tidal Wave is one of the most expensive rides to run (because of the sheer amount of water that needs to be cleaned). So it's not surprising that it's closing if cost cutting is the reason behind it. Not great, but if that's the reason, then it at least makes sense.

They probably mean Containment; it will probably be marketed as an Escape maze.

Merlin have recently released their September trading update on their website: http://www.merlinentertainments.biz/results-and-presentations The update says how the UK parks have indeed had a bad year, mostly because of Smiler, and not helped by poor weather and other factors in August. Gardaland have had a strong season so far though. The presentation also confirms that Thorpe are getting a high investment next year, and both Chessington and Heide Park are earmarked for high investments in 2017 (though not Alton Towers, which was widely assumed to be the opening year for SW8).

#14thFrightNightsThisYearForMe There will roaming actors this year, but they can be very hit and miss. Sometimes you can see them multiple times in one night, sometimes you won't see them at all. They may interact with you, may walk past or may perform a short acted out piece. Normally the roaming actors have more humour about them though (I especially think that will be the case this year given Big Top is the new thing). If you're not into the mazes, it will be very easy to avoid all things scare. There will be audio changes after 3pm most likely and there might be some extra theming, though in recent years the extra theming is usually located by the mazes, and not with the rides.

Is a real charmer

Comparisons to Taron are silly. Taron is an extremely major project and Phantasialand's first thrill ride in years. This is, at best, a medium investment for Heide.

Isn't there an area currently being created replacing one of the park's small water rides? I'm pretty sure there's rumours of a dark ride rpelacing that area. It's a bit small though. HTTYD is a good IP though. Shame it is an IP though.