JoshC.

Gonna bring this back up... Fastrack. If it's going to be sold for roller coasters, such roller coasters MUST be on full capacity. Seeing Fastrackers being able to skip queues on a busy weekday whilst the coasters are on one train (or 5-6 cars in the case of Saw) is, quite frankly, ludicrious.

Queues were horrendous today for Swarm. The announcements around the area were saying 35 minutes for forwards, 30-45 minutes for backwards. Reality was 70 minutes backwards and something around the hour mark for forwards. The backwards queue system also fails when staff forget to hand out tickets and those who are queueing to go forwards in the station are able to go to the backwards rows and say they weren't handed a ticket... I do dread how this is going to end up on busy days. :/

I heard from a member of staff today that X should open "at the end of March or beginning of April". He also said that Ministry of Sound are involved with X, and it includes a £30,000 light show. (This was heard by a staff member who worked on Swarm, so a different ride area to X I think, so take that for what you will. )

Is it me or do they look a slightly different style to OTSR on Eurofighters? Hasn't surprised me really, would've liked to have had lap bars, but it's not the end of the world, ey? EDIT: Better view here. They look great! http://www.the-smiler.com/latest-news/the-smiler-ride-cars-arrive/

Oooh, looks good. Anyone have any ideas what Images 5-7 are showing? I don't recognise that 'piece' from X:\? I'm heading to Thorpe tomorrow; fingers crossed that it might be open..

Don't see why people are panicking about it just yet - not all trims are noticeable (example - Swarm). Would also be interested to what people would prefer - a trimmed airtime hill allowing for following elements to be taken in such a way that it will smash your head to smitherines or an untrimmed one where following elements smash your head in? Just because Th13teen has trims (like other Intamins) which are painfully noticeable, don't jump the gun and think this will be.

1) The backwards seats are an interesting decision. They're very gimmicky, but create a new and unique experience. However, the backwards rows, to me, are poorer than the forwards rows. So, there's pros and cons to them, so that's a 'Not sure' from me. 2) Billboard is a great near miss. No question about it really. 3) Tough one for me. The billboard is great on either side. However, I think that when on the right hand side, the helicopter (specifically the blades) are very unassuming, and catch you off guard the most. So the chopper is the most effective, the billboard the best all-rounded one. But I'm going to vote for the chopper!

It's only been unused for one whole season.. Last I heard was the interior needed some work due to damp or it being unfit for public usage or something weird like that. I'd have though using it as a storage area, like Tommy says, would be a sensible idea for the time-being though.

Coffee over tea. Cannot stand tea. Coffee is nice, unless it's cheap - then it's pretty bad. With Nicky on the hot chocolate stance tbh.

I live under 2 miles from Thorpe; the weather is currently sleet and 1C, with it being cold tomorrow. Don't see any reason why the meet can't go ahead. Do follow Thorpe's instructions of wrapping up warm, and as Peaj says, take advantage of the free AP hot chocolate after 3pm!

For £20 a night, of course.

It's driving me more crazy than my boot scootin' baby.

This guy's job seems quite crumby...

Oi, I rate Saw highly, does that mean my opinions are invalid too? Shhh, I was speaking hypothetically!

Saw them today. As for the outside appearance, well, they look ugly. However, I'll go back to my original views on this when the plans were first released: In my opinion, it doesn't look too intrusive. When you're on the bridge, you only really see the front (so the blue logo thing), so it does a good job in not drawing attention to itself, even if it doesn't blend in. So yeah, it doesn't look good, but it only looks bad if you go looking for it really. What I mean to say, basically, is if you want to look at it and not go in, you'll see it and see it looks ugly, but if you're not looking for it, you won't see it. Not sure if that makes too much sense, but it's the best way I can describe it. To those who actually use it, yes it will be cramped, but plenty of people won't mind it that much, and will happy to sacrifice some space to sleep on-park. In general, the Crash Pad is not my cup of tea (I would only really stay there if it was the only / most sensible option), and I know many people who would share similar views. However, plenty of people will be happy with what is there, and I'm sure they'll work well for the park. Hopefully we will get a full-out hotel soon.

So, was able to ride Swarm today, and was able to do 5 rides. First of all, the billboard. Absolutely great addition. Good near miss, and good secondary near miss when you're on the left hand side. Adds to what is already a brilliant ride. Some may moan that it's needless or just 'another big thematic element', but it work well. And when you're on a ride with fire, well, it makes it all the better. It just works so well. Now then, the backwards rows. I was able to try back right and back left. After my first go, I wasn't sold on the idea. The first drop was good (because the first drop has been designed to be good), and the corkscrew was a surprisingly great feature, but other than that, I wasn't over the moon about it. It was still a great experience, but that's because the 'track and train' features of Swarm are a great experience. I did it later on in the day, and I think I appreciated it more. However, it loses the key feature of the Swarm - the theming. I don't care if you can see the theming elements after you pass them, you lose the effect of them. There's no way you can add 'backwards near misses' either, so you lose the key aspect of Swarm's experience. And, no matter how well it rides backwards, it doesn't compensate the loss of effect. As for the queueing of it, all I can say is I'm not looking forward to it when it's busy. I think they've handled they queueing outside the station okay, but inside will be difficult. Even with VERY short queues today, it was hard for people to get to the backwards rows with their backwards passes, and some people seemed to have lost the ability to use common sense / listen to instructions. Throw in backwards Fastrack, people waiting long periods of time and whatever else, I fear it could well fail. But only time will tell I guess. A couple more points. All effects were working today (including the mist under the plane wing - first time I've seen that working since May time?) bar the water skin behind the fire truck. The fire effect was going off periodically, not every train, but was catching irregularly. Going backwards didn't make me feel queasy or anything at all; felt fine all the way through.. Also, after my first go (which was going forwards), I was reminded just why I love this ride so much. It mixes elegance, force, theming, effects, everything into one. It's perfectly paced and, whilst a little on the short side, doesn't leave you feeling short changed. It is just pure brilliance. The way the near misses work as well is just phenomenal - from the way you curve into billboard (after being distracted by fire if you're lucky), to the way the helicopter blades catch you off guard as they look unassuming (I think I was quickly desensitised to that last season though!), to missing the corner of the billboard that's been chopped off. It all just works so, so well. I'll do a blog entry about this in a bit more detail soon, with specific comparsions between forwards and backwards, and furhter justifying these ratings... The Swarm (Forwards) - 10/10 The Swarm (Backwards) - 8.5/10

So, made my first Thorpe trip of the season today. Strange really, normally my first visit would come on Opening Weekend (as it has done for the past 8/9 years at least...), but due to uni, that didn't happen. However, a school-day visit had to happen instead, and well, I can't remember the last time I visited the park when it was so dead during open season. Longest queue I saw advertised during the day was Inferno, at 10 minutes, and even then, it probably wasn't more than 5. Slammer opened late, but other than no breakdowns or issues that I saw. All coasters were on one train operation, and even then, some were struggling to fill up trains it seemed. So, after collecting my Annual Pass and getting through the entrance just as the park opened, it was time to head to where everyone was heading - Swarm. The plan was to hit up thr forwards rows a couple of times, let everyone go backwards first, then go backwards later on. It worked quite well, pretty much getting through straight away, and we were on in a few minutes. It was my first ride since September and, wow, I forgot how good it was. I'll post a bit more in the Swarm thread, but all in all, still an amazing ride and the addition of the billboard is great. We then realised how quiet the park was and that the backwards queue was dead, so decided to do that. Got right-hand side, at the very back. Again, I'll go into a bit more detail in the actual Swarm thread, but I wasn't completely sold on it, and found that it was only good because Swarm is good. Billboard of greatness, with added slogan. I got my new refill capsule and we headed to Rush and Vortex. Both rides were dead, with only 4 of us on Vortex and Rush only being half filled. Rush was definitely shorter than before and, as much as I love the ride, the short cycle was a tad underwhelming. Vortex left me feeling a bit queasy, as the first ride in a while always does to me. Colossus pain time followed, leaving my ears feeling painful and my head dizzy. Geniunely was rougher than any of my rides on it last season, and once again was reminded why I dislike the ride. We walked onto Saw (and I do mean literally walked on); I like the manakin in the trap in the indoor queue. As a side note, I've heard some people talk about front row queues for Saw now - well, they're not there.. Saw was as fun as ever really; really enjoyed it and I still don't see how it's rough; oh well... I've got a new camera, so fingers crossed my photos will be of better quality now! Hopefully I can get my timings sorted out though.. XD Went to Loggers to 'brave it tunnel-less'. Dunno what to say really. It doesn't make the experience that much worse, in honesty, but the overall experience has been affected negatively in my opinion. The tunnel as it stands now feels pointless and lacks any worth. I do like the new scattering of the bears do; specifically the one that used to be in the barrel but is now on the grassy bit at the beginning! Inferno followed. Woo, it's amazing! Loved it, and it's shot back up in my rankings. Just as a side, though, was the station music ever used at Chessington recently. When I heard it, I just couldn't help but think Wild Asia? Lunch at the Mexican Cantina followed. It was nice and still has large portions; so much so I still can't finish the nachos... Did Rumba and wandered round Sunkern Gardens for a bit to let food go down. Seems as though some trees have been cut down round Rumba making it feel more open, which is a bit of a shame. Looks like some more plants are to be planted in SG soon as well. Greenery at Thorpe!? Spying on Swarm... New barriers on the side of Stealth's launch track, presumably as a solution to all of the stuff that happened last year? Now then, back to Swarm: Yep, no queue outside! Quite literally, the only queue was for the backwards rows. It was so quiet they closed the backwards queue and stopped issuing passes. Got three more goes in quick succession, meaning I've been able to try the backwards and forwards rows on both sides this season, including front left (to value the billboard of awesome in all its glory), and FINALLY got my first go with the fire working! Couple of neagtives though: -The Crash Pad looks awful. But, at the same time, it sorta hidden unless you go looking for it. -AP refill capsules not being refillable everywhere. I was only able tp get them filled up at the Inferno Shop today. Bar 360, the Mexican and the hotdog place in Canada Creek all refused. Why? It seems ridiculous. Also had different staff members saying different places (some said you could do it at the BBQ, others said you couldn't) or suggesting places which weren't open. It's great that this is avaliable, but I can't see the sense in not having avaliable in all the Merlin outlets? -Whilst 'The Noise' seems pretty good, I don't like hearing it around the park. Heard it interupt ride audio a couple of times, especially around Saw / Canada Creek. Not big negatives really, more just niggles. So, all in all, a great day. The park is looking great and this should signal the start of a good season for them. Look forward to my next visit soon and hopefully being able to try X!

Well doesn't this look good? Wouldn't be a bit surprised if all we see is the removal of the rockwork and all that this season, and (praying to God and all other religious figures...) see them replaced next season. I've heard on other forums (I think it was TST) that Zufari received a £4 million budget cut (and I heard the bidget was £8-10million...), and now the rest of the park is getting a £5million spruce up over two years. Hmmmm.... I've made it no secret that, out of all the UK Merlin parks, I was looking forward to visiting Chessie the most this season. Now, especially with a trip next week planned, I'm not too sure...

Just as a random question, does anyone know if backwards ORPs will be avaliable at all during the year?

As Ryan says, it was no doubt for their film, hence why the rides were closed to the public whilst he was riding them (can't have ordinary guests in the shots now...) In the past, I've noticed that celebs get a sorta 'supreme Fastrack privledge' where they can basically just get on anything fine and dandy, normally with a couple of staff members escorting them around (saw this happen with Stacy Solomon a couple of years back). I guess it's the celeb's choice as to how much 'extra' stuff they get. Do think the celeb thing could be done a bit better really..

Coventry.

Seen the new Swarm advert a couple of times on Channel 5 today. Very similar to last year, with a shot of the billboard and fire, as well as one seat going backwards. The Crash Pad logo appears also.

Sundays tend to be quieter anyways I think. Seems as though this weekend wasn't exactly a popular one to go to theme parks in general..

Whilst that is true, I find comparisons between the front row and backwards rows a bit pointless. The front row isn't marketed. Front rows are always there on roller coasters; they're nothing too special. However, people want to go on them for various reasons, hence why front row Fastrack make sense. But the backwards rows are marketed (and relatively heavily this season as well). It's something that people are solely queueing the whole time for, and it's something with a low throughput. As I've said before, it's like the backwards rows are 'like a separate attraction', whereas front row isn't. So yeah, the way I see it, whilst there's similarities between the two, you can't really compare them, especially for things such as Fastrack...