JoshC.

Those views are actually a lot better than I thought they would be; I stand corrected! I wouldn't be surprised if Oblivion and Smiler are the more popular ones though (much like how Swarm is the most popular one at Thorpe) simply because people would expect the best views from them.

The lift hill walks were indeed offered last season - agree about Nemesis and Air; the whole point of the walks is for the views really, and you get little from those two I imagine. Seems strange in that regard that they don't offer Th13teen. I can see the appeal of Oblivion ("no, I actually DO want to look down!") and Smiler (just to absorb the view of tangled mess of track). I don't know if the behind the scenes tours were offered last season though. A BTS of either Smiler or Th13teen in particular sounds pretty cool though!

^You make a very good point - some passholders (regardless of what pass they have) can just be terrible people, thinking they deserve better because they have an AP... One remembers hearing stories about the terrible behaviour of an AP holder / enthusiast at Thorpe's AP passholder preview day back in 2013...

Right, let's throw out some facts: -VIP passes were limited to 1000. There are, at most, 1000 VIP passes out there. -There are 11 theme parks (including LegoLand resorts) that the VIP pass gives access to. -There are also tons of Midway attractions (I really can't be bothered to count how many...) Aside: To my knowledge, VIP passes were only targeted to the British market and there is not a similar thing available in other countries. I *think* Mysterio Ka's point (and others as well), is that there are 1000 VIP passholders out there, and a ton of attractions they can be used at. Last year, Merlin attractions had - in total - 62.8 million visitors apparently (source: Merlin Entertainment's website). So, regardless of how many times these VIP holders visit the attractions, they make up a tiny, tiny, tiny percentage of all visitors. As such, the chances of actually coming into contact with a VIP passholder is very small and won't affect your day. Personally, I'm don't think all the maths of that checks out (VIP holders are based in England, so visit the English attractions the most, they're more inclined to visit theme parks, etc.). But regardless, I think the main thing that should be thought of is this - how often does a VIP passholder affect your day? How many times have you visited a theme park and had the day ruined by VIP passholders? In my personal experience, it's been none. Indeed, I only ever saw one VIP passholder, and that person was actually in my group, and they were actually using Reserve n Ride at Thorpe that day anyway. So I really don't think the VIP is horrendous in the sense that it leads to ordinary guests having their day adversely affected. Of course, there still should be a balance of the system. VIP passholders shouldn't have complete control of their day - allowing them to choose rows is a silly idea, giving them re-rides is silly, etc. From what I understood, the idea was that you got a free unlimited Fastrack at the theme parks, and that was it. I don't have that much a problem with that, given the price people pay for them. The trouble comes when people expect too much from that, or don't follow the rules of the pass. I think that situation is down to advertising of the pass, and the way it's been set out. tl;dr - I don't have much against the VIP pass. It's a high-end product that is targeted to the few. However, I do have a problem if it's abused / not used correctly. I think the name of the pass is a bad idea (call it 'Platinum' or something maybe?); as being a 'VIP' gives the idea of being more important than others, as opposed to just paying more than others.

Naughty me double posting, but oh well... I've got a conditional offer for a Masters course! It's been a bit of a long road to get to this point following a couple of rejections and not being able to find the reasons for them, but I've finally got one from Warwick. So if all goes very well this year, I'll be staying on here at Warwick for another year, before hopefully moving onto a PhD (which I'd actually like to do at Warwick anyway, so staying for another year is a good thing..).

Happy birthday Liam! (Look CoasterDude, other people use this thread too!)

We have a construction update! Pictures from AT's Facebook. Looks nice.

Couldn't help but laugh at "Rattlesnack" on the Chessington list you've posted there...

Fixed it for you both

I think the reason given was that the ride had been called 'Project Stealth' during design and construction, and everyone had gotten so used to calling it Stealth, that the name just sort of stuck (even then Edge and apparently Humdinger were names floating about). So I don't know if it was last minute per se, but it was definitely decided late on in the process, when they had another name in mind.

4 assignments due this week = StressedC.

I bet if you were read Chessington's disabled guide for Hocus Pocus Hall it would give the exact same warning!

^The map indicates that it will have a photo point. I'm fully expecting a green screen with some props that you're meant to hold at some point before you go in the maze. Would love to be proven wrong though!

With regards to the mini... I'm pretty sure a few years ago the mini had relevance to one series, they used to always throw in random vehicles into the campsite (one year I'm pretty sure they had a double decker London bus just in the middle of the jungle...). Adding them is a quick and easy way for theming, yes, but I usually don't mind it if there's some thought put into it, as in the case of Swarm. Saw's is fine too and Storm Surge's car does fit into the idea of the theme; just a shame the theme is very poorly put across.

It used to be a case that Friends and Family day was on the Saturday before the park opened, and AP day was the day after. I *think* it changed last year, and they had the AP weekend and F&F spread out over 2 days. Must have worked out and so they decided to stick with it.

Might be a bit difficult considering the park should be closed by then (unless they've announced on park that they are extended closing time?) But still good that they're trying to open the ride even though there's not long left of the day of course.

I give you Peaj's welcoming face... (Taken from the TPM live feed, where many of the photos are sideways. It's a beta version after all : P )

This thread:

In fairness, this doesn't sound as bad as 2011. Whilst the queue to get in seemed horrendous and unacceptable, I haven't heard or seen many complaints from anyone once they've gotten into the park.

Compare to last year: Looks to be a completely new logo, or at least an on-purpose effect.

From Scruffy Dog's Facebook ADD VEHICLES TO ALL THE ATTRACTIONS

Stealth's sign has been replaced! Photo from Marc over on the live feed: http://www.thorpeparkmania.co.uk/page/livefeed

But surely it would be better to do something special that celebrates Nemesis how it is; how it always has been?

This is what annoys me at times - the park regularly do these little extra things like stay open a bit longer, and yet instead of them getting praise for it, they get attacked when they don't do it. Ride queues close at 4 this weekend. Anything past that is a bonus. Thorpe doesn't open officially until March 12th. Any opening before that is a bonus.