JoshC.

I'm not saying that at all; perhaps maybe I shouldn't have even mentioned about the park being busy. But surely if you're prepared to wait an entire hour to go to guest services to simply complain, you can be prepared to queue 2 hours to go on a ride, which is a much more satisfying experience? Maybe the park did 'oversell Fastrack' and it made the day more difficult to enjoy, but queueing for an hour to go to guest services isn't exactly the way to try and make the most of a day out. Totally accept that complaining in person is the best way to do it, but I just can't see people's logic in queueing in a ridiculously long queue so that they can complain. Unless of course, people do it in the knowledge that they'll get Priority Passes and sparking the never ending cycle of long queues.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/29/armed-police-halloween-event-guns Halloween events can be very realistic it seems! Just trying to imagine how I'd react in that sorta situation!

You see, this is what confuses me about people. You go to a theme park for a special event during half term, so you're going to expect queues. Having not visited the past week, I don't know just how bad it was. But, if you're having that terrible a time on park, why would you join a ridiculously long queue / wait an hour just to complain? If your day is that terrible and there's so many people waiting at Guest Services, I would just give up and go home, and then email the park (whilst emailing is less efficient, if I was having such a terrible day, I'd rather be at home then waiting in a queue to complain...). And if you are prepared to wait that long to complain, then surely you'd be happy to wait a bit longer and actually experience a ride/maze? Almost feels like people are complaining just so they can benefit from it / to make their day better...

Sounds fun. Being attacked by dogs is a bit of a scary thought, but it looks like you're wearing enough safety gear (and that the dogs are trained enough) to ensure you won't get hurt. Just like an interactive horror maze by the sounds of it. Would love to give it a go to be honest!

All AP tickets are now sold out for Thursday to Saturday:

I'm not quite sure what you're expecting though? It's half term during the park's busiest and most popular event. Queues will be long!

Wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being just a new Madagascar show...

I'm pretty sure nothing he's doing is illegal. I dunno much about (American) law, but I imagine that if they sign a waiver, they accept whatever terms are on that waiver, and that it should be as clear cut as that. If simulated torture or whatever is on there, then there we go. I guess one could argue at what point does this simulation stop, and it become genuine torturous ordeal? But then, isn't that the point of simulated torture - to feel like you are indeed being tortured, but just with genuine, safe back up on hand if needs be? It is a bit of a fuzzy line, but there you. Illegal or not, the 7 hour tour must surely just be beyond physical and mental human limits.

It's worth remember that McKamey Manor has operated for several years, though of course no where near this level of intensity. Indeed, at times, it was simply a 'very extreme haunted house'. This year, the new 7 hour tour was introduced and (by the sounds of it) was only tried by a few people, before being scratched for a shorter version. People have survived the older MM tours (just check Youtube), but it seems this one was a step too far. So yeah, clearly a step too far and surely no one could survive it. Maybe the older versions of the place were the physical human limit? A link to the Youtube account - https://www.youtube.com/user/McKameyManor WARNING - SOME OF THE VIDEOS ARE DISTURBING, CONTAIN BAD LANGUAGE AND WHATNOT. (EDIT: If link doesn't work, just Youtube McKamey Manor...)

My time machine worked! We've got the exact same conservation as we had two years ago, almost to the day! - http://forum.maniahub.com/topic/9845-park-operations/ (but seriously, there are some good points from either perspective there ) Thorpe are pushing Fastrack as a way to make your day better, not as a necessity, from how I read into it. It's not overly surprising, really, but not something you normally see parks do in fairness. Do agree that it probably adds to the perception that Fastrack is a necessity though, which is a shame. Also worth noting that for the Maze Fastrack Package (£25 for all 5 attractions) doesn't save you any money than buying them all separately (£5 each), whereas it did in the past. Good thing in my eyes!

If Thorpe chucked more mazes to the line up, I'd worry about a potential dip in overall quality. Yeah sure, it means people spread out more and there's more to do, but is it worth risking quality for quantity? I'm not too sure. Also remember the park are trying to move away from sticking mazes in tents. Up until about 2010 I think, Thorpe did run Fright Nights for about 3 consecutive weeks, but the weekdays were just so quiet if I remember correctly, so they just cut them away. Given how the event is growing though, it would be interesting to see if it's popular enough to sustain enough visitors for it to be worthwhile now. Nahh, don't think so. Very few people will turn up on the gate after 12pm just expecting to buy a ticket easy peasy. Most of those who turn up after that time will be AP holders (who have to prebook) or people who have prebooked. Certainly won't be the same number of complaints either way.

Yeah, it is worded a bit badly! I think most people are under the assumption you need the park ticket anyway, and it's just there to cover the park.

It means you have to have a valid entrance ticket to be able to go to the Grotto. The Grotto is an extra on top of park tickets, for use one you're in the park, not a way of getting, essentially.

It could also be that loads of people have prebooked but haven't turned up just yet.

Just to say, that's always how Fastrack operates. When the park isn't insanely busy, it normally works 'okay' (by which I mean, okay for a Fastrack system...)

Given that yesterday the park was the busiest of this season (and probably last season), that a couple of rides were down and other reasons, I don't think throughputs are the thing that needed improving!

Rita (even if I haven't ridden Baco, but meh). FRIGHT NIGHTS or FRIGHT NITES?

Image from Theme Park Guide's FB page This is what confuses me about people and the Fastrack culture in general - people are happy to queue THAT long (which is surely a good 30-40 minute wait), just so they can skip a slightly longer queue, and pay for the privilege of doing so?

Storm Surge - July 2010 The Swarm - February 2011 ABL - January 2014 Those are the dates when the plans went online.

Depends what you mean by announcement I guess. Thorpe may "tease the geeks" again like with the LC12 mushroom clouds like Jack says, and that could happen as early as the end of this year. The park also sometimes have a small press release when plans are submitted/accepted for a major attraction, and that normally makes it way into local news. They'd probably also mention it on the park map (New attraction coming 2016, etc). An official announcement on name/theme/etc could happen at any point after plans are approved I'd say though.

If the Inferno shop does go, they will of course redirect the exit. Given the on ride photo booth is also housed in the Inferno shop, they will need to find a different place for that as well. Remember, it's still a big if at the moment. There's been no planning application to extend the Inferno workshop? It was mentioned on the MTDP, but it seems very unlikely to actually ever happen! If the Inferno shop goes (and personally, I'd be very surprised if it does!), then I'd expect the exit will simply be the same, except just last a little longer and take you round just past the Mr Monkey area.

I want a dark ride, but I can't magic up several hundred pounds to go to Universal to ride one. Just because something is elsewhere, it doesn't mean Thorpe (or indeed, anywhere in the UK) can't make something that's good in its own regard.

Loggers Leap, Rocky Express, Rumba Rapids, Teacups, Dodgems, Angry Birds 4D, Depth Charge, Zodiac and Quantum are all family rides, and are under no rumoured threat. Carousel and Mr Monkey are very old rides which have very little appeal any more. It would be a shame to see them go, but there are plenty of other family rides and attractions... Success is a funny word, especially how Merlin use it. 2012 was a quiet year for the park, quieter than expected most probably. That doesn't mean Swarm wasn't a success. I bet it is one of the better received attractions on park now, so looking at in the long term, it's clearly been a good investment. Saw is very well received, but remember that it is nicely themed around an iconic film series which is due a new film in the next couple of years. So I do think your comparison is a bit unfair in honesty. A dark ride would be a bit of a risk, yes. However, I'd expect that Thorpe have done a lot of research and if that whatever they add in the future will respond to public demand.

In fairness, I doubt Mondial would do any more than say "It's old" and recommend a replacement, or supply any required replacement parts!

In fairness, we've known for a couple of years that the "2015 coaster" has been delayed. From there, it's still natural to assume the next big thing would be a coaster. But it could well be possible that the park decided then to have delayed that for a few years and get a non-coaster major investment before then. It's nice that whatever is happening, we have no real indication what it could be. (Unlike Swarm, where we basically knew what we were getting from 2010). So it's nice that that's happened at least!