JoshC.

Owing to the 'Exactly 2 people per row' rule, only groups with an even number can ride Walking Dead when it reopens from Monday: https://www.thorpepark.com/explore/theme-park/rides/the-walking-dead-the-ride/ Obviously before Covid, if there were odd-numbered groups, they would just pair them up or, worst case scenario, an actor would fill the space. That can't happen under their social distancing rules of course. I expect it will work in the same way Storm Surge works (which has a minimum of 4 per boat rule), with someone outside the entrance stopping odd-numbered groups entering the queue. Will be interesting to see what level of social distancing happens. I'd imagine the pre show will be cut, but it will be interesting how they batch people in. Presumably they'll also be leaving a row between each group, which could see as little as 6 people per train, rather than the usual 10. Bit of a hit.

Much like with Derren Brown's Ghost Train, Black Mirror will also require a timeslot, of which a free ticket can be booked by scanning a QR code at the entrance: https://www.thorpepark.com/explore/theme-park/rides/labyrinth/ There is no Fastrack for the thing, and RAP users also need to pre book a slot. Hotel guests do not need to pre book a timeslot, but simply just turn up between 10-11.30. Unsurprising really, but if done right, at least means potentially shorter queues for it. It does mean that the park now has 2 time ticketed attractions though, which does somewhat change the dynamic of a trip.

Apparently this does have that ability, but they currently aren't using the the 'dampers' to control the spinning yet. There have been test riders now too, and the plan is to see what feedback is from them - and probably from the masses when the ride opens - to see how dampened / controlled the spinning will be. In that case, it might mean that the ride experience is very different to how these comparatively early tests look.

They haven't broken it as much as you did a few years back...

Annnnnnnd Thorpe won one of those awards: 'Best Original Concept and Design'. They might not have been the very best to have ever existed, but I don't think it should be understated how good a job it was of them to go from zero to what they did when it came to scare zones. Hopefully this is a really solid foundation for them to build off.

Another cool video: If you look round the 2:20 mark, you see that the cars get an induced spin on the first launch track section, and it's quite a starting spin! Time Traveller at Silver Dollar City has this as it leaves its station (into a vertical drop), and apparently these Xtreme Spinning Coasters are capable of having this induced spin on any straight sections. Something to remember in case any more of these rides pop up I guess

Well we have some answers now: https://www.thorpepark.com/explore/theme-park/rides/derren-browns-ghost-train/ You have to book a timed ticket (for free) to experience Ghost Train. Can only be done on the day, either at the entrance or by scanning a QR code outside the ride. Interesting to note that VR is still very much mentioned on the ride page as it stands.

On a serious note, I believe that they were cleaned whilst you were in the show scene between the first and second VR portion. They may also have been a quick once between a group finishing and a new group starting, but there were certainly times I went on it and you would be waiting to board as a group left, leaving a very short period of time for anything to be done. One would also wonder if any cleaning could be done quick enough. I imagine it's not out of the realm of possibility, but it just seems so difficult to execute. You have to ensure everyone has the app, everyone presses play at the right time, people will have reliable signal the whole time, etc etc. For the amount of back end work it requires, plus the operational faff, I just don't see it happening. I do wonder how the park will operate it. Merlin are still social distancing on rides. Thorpe in particular still leave empty rows between groups on Colossus for example. So how on earth will that logic work with Ghost Train? Surely Merlin can't say "people can't sit a row behind a stranger on an outdoor roller coaster, but it's fine to sit opposite one in a train carriage". And if you can't have people sitting next to each other, that takes a hit too. A lot of the experience needs to be reworked to be suitable in my opinion, but I genuinely wonder how much they will (or even can) do.

I thought this too, but seems odd when Alton Towers have been pushing Gangsta Granny quite hard for a good couple of weeks now. Obviously very different situations and different parks and all that, but it feels like a weak reason to not be actively promoting it. Or even a mention on the website that doesn't require one to dig around. Given it's *checks notes* 10 days until opening and they now have all the confirmation that it can open, one would assume something will happen soon. How effective, we'll see.

Bobbejaanland is bit rubbish (although it's 6 years since I visited, so can't comment on Fury), although it's convenience within that trip is hard to deny. Walibi Holland isn't too much further away from anything you're doing really, and with the likes of Untamed, Lost Gravity and Goliath, you get a huge bump in quality. Another one worth looking at is Bellewaerde - not huge and no must-do big rides, but a nice little park with a nice zoo to at least do once at some point, and again, not far from that route. In any case, that's still a very solid trip with some very good parks and rides. Just down to taste (and cred counting if that's what you're into) whether you include or ignore the likes of Bobb, WalHol and Belle. As a little aside: that's a bit of a weird route for a road trip, no? How are you planning on getting to/from mainland Europe? If you're getting ferry/tunnel, you end up having a long drive from Germany back there.. Might be worth considering turning it into a loop to make the drive times smaller?

The park reopened this weekend. Ride to Happiness isn't scheduled to open until the summer (likely July 1st), but we have a closer look at the ride now. A good video: It gets surprisingly close to pathways, and in its own right looks fantastic. Still not convinced this is the best thing for Plopsaland, as it really does completely change the dynamic of the park. Presumably that's the point, but I'm not quite sure it works for me.

I think that's the first B&M Invert to having such a lighting package, yes. Every time I see this coaster I'm still awe struck by how they've managed to fit it into the park. It's a marvellous feat of engineering to have pulled this off.

It's very much a newer trend in steel coasters. It's off the back of some of the crazier-looking elements you find on RMCs. And that ultimately boils down to advancements in engineering. From my experiences with that type of banking and elements, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Untamed has an outer-banked moment which, though fun, feels very forced and not as 'crazy' / 'out of control' as it looks. It's nice still though. On the other hand, Taiga has a similar piece of track which provides sensations I've not experienced anywhere else. But yes, in theory, it can add to the out of control nature some coasters give.

And a nice graphic showing the layout and elements (posted by the ECC, original source unclear):

A nice POV, with stats and all

Even back in 2019 Thorpe were running 2 trains on the coaster most of the time - I think there's been a definite shift in philosophy there. It doesn't always mean the rides run better though (Colossus and Inferno sometimes have less hosts and so struggle, for example). Saw usually runs less cars on off peak days, but that's rarely noticeable. Currently Rush is running one swing, but I think (/ hope) that's more a short term problem and not standard for off peak days this year.

You - sorry, the hypothetical person who would go on opening day - should indeed be fine. It might be ever so slightly busier, but I can't see it being much busier than how any other weekday has been during the pandemic. I look forward to seeing your review. I'm just sad that Jart hasn't been about lately to give us more information.

The Mine Train, which is going in the new Sweet Valley area of the park, will be called Choco Chip Creek. Some more photos: (Images from FOMO Coaster's Facebook) This is expected to open in 2022, as the park are planning on doing a fair amount of theming to the ride, and some sort of surrounding area. The aerial photo only shows 2 trains, but it will in fact have 3, each seating 32 people. We do have the 2021 park map available to us now, which helps show it's location a bit clearer: There's some confusion about what the coaster-looking like thing below the sign saying about Sweet Valley could be. I'd expect that whatever it is, it is coming next year. We can also see other new investments, including a new, separate, aquapark, as well as the new hotel below Formula (which I think will be styled in a Venetian way). On top of that, work is still ongoing in parts of Aqualantis. I believe it's largely done (at the very least, Abyssus is ready), but there was a new theming feature built around part of Light Explorer, the Boomerang: (again, from FOMO Coaster) It's a very weird thing. It looks pretty cool in its own right, but it looks far to clean and neat for what should be a a ruined underwater city. All very odd. Obviously it's great to see the quality of the park's theming improve again, but it's a shame that the feel of it misses the mark. The park hope to be opening up again some time next month, which could finally see the Aqualantis zone open up.

I would agree it's highly unlikely that we'll see a new major investment (akin to a large coaster) in 2022. We could still see a new ride or similar quite easily though - plans for Angry Birds Land, which was when the last 'flat ride' (Dodgems), were submitted in December 2013 I believe. With bigger 'other rides' (Storm Surge, Flying Fish, Rush, etc), those plans were submitted in late summer / early autumn. Nothing can be ruled out for 2023 yet in theory. Hmmm, I'd disagree here. There were 6 years between the addition of X:\No Way Out (1996) and Colossus (2002). The in between years featured Wet Wet Wet, Pirates 4D, a short-lived set of dodgems, Tidal Wave, Zodiac, Detonator and Vortex. Some of those are bigger rides, yes, but arguably nothing major. But the key difference now is that the in-between years have been, errr, rather lacking. A Rockin' Tug, Frog Hopper, coaster retheme and a walkthrough, so far. Obviously there's the events and short-lived stuff like Bouncezilla and Jungle Escape, but the point stands: it's very different. And given the lukewarm reception to Ghost Train, it feels even longer between major investments. The issue with Thorpe at the moment is that, whatever the next big thing is, it by itself won't sort out the park's problems. There have been small steps over the last year year or two to sort out some of the park's problems (branding is now more streamlined, operations are no longer getting worse, etc), but there's still many other problems. I'm sure there's plenty of people who will argue that another thrill coaster is one of the last things the park needs at the moment too. In saying that, I do think that a thrill coaster with a lower height limit (1.2 or 1.3m) would help kick start the park again. Something simple, reliable and fun would bring attention back to the park with the public, and help improve the park. Something like a Mack sit down coaster or a woodie would be high up on my list. RMC would be great too, but is it the right time for that? I'm not sure.

It's funny looking back over this thread and seeing the luke-warm response to rumours about the (then strongly rumoured) Gruffalo retheme of Bubbleworks. And it ended up being a pretty decent retheme, which seems to have captured the attention of a wide audience. It's not the best thing ever, but I think you'd have to argue pretty obtusely to say it's been a bad investment for the park. Anyways, news of this. It's good to hear that this idea is still alive and kicking in some sense. I think we'd be kidding ourselves if we said this had been in the works for a long time, as it certainly feels like this idea was shelved at one point, and has now been brought back to attention. I do wonder how much Paulton's continued success is affecting Chessington's plans, but in any case, if the park build a new coaster, that's only a good thing in my books. I'm still cautious with the optimism that it will happen. The previous consultation was 5 years ago now, and many things will have changed. As I say, I very much feel like the idea was shelved at one point, changed at another. I imagine the ideas from the concepts in 2016 will be much changed too, if they even were a true reflection on what was genuinely being considered. Going on face value of 'What would I like if Chessington get a new coaster', my answer would be 'Pretty much any family thrill coaster'. There's an abundance of coaster choices out there which would suit the park... -Family launch coaster (either like Juvelen, or a more standard sit down experience) -Mack water coaster -Wood -Vekoma mine train -Even any coaster with a single inversion for a 'My first loop the loop' type experience would be cool Not fussed on theme or IP really. The right IP can do wonders for any park, as we've seen. I do think Chessington's zoo-park intertwining means they realise the importance of in-house stuff though. I wouldn't expect to see it any time soon though... 2024/5 feels most likely at the moment.

I believe that Steel Vengeance, for the purpose of that claim, is classed as a hybrid

It's no secret that mainland Europe are a little behind us when it comes to vaccines and general case numbers, so most parks out there are still closed. However, Heide Park has won a legal battle which allows them to now open, and they will do so this weekend! https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/lueneburg_heide_unterelbe/Heide-Park-Soltau-startet-am-Wochenende-in-die-Saison,aktuelllueneburg5562.html The reason for the legal battle is that zoos have been allowed to open, and the park argued that they could open as safely as a zoo could. The ruling means that the park can open, but could be forced to close if infection levels go above a certain point. This ruling is only in relation to Heide Park, but other parks could equally make challenges. However, the way Germany's government is set out, it's likely only parks in the Lower Saxony region could be reopening any time soon. There are further rules for entry. Everyone over the age of 6 must either show a negative test that is at most 24 hours old, or you have been vaccinated for at least 15 days (not entirely clear if they mean fully vaccinated or minimum of one dose). The park have a lateral flow test centre, and any resident of the Lower Saxony region can use it free of charge (once per week). For those who live outside the region, and wish to use the park's test centre, you have to pay 18€ for a test. Ouch. If you do not wish to use the park's test centre, that's fine, but you have to use a test centre and provide documentation you attended a test centre (ie: you couldn't bring an at home one). tl;dr - Heide Park opens this weekend, people have to show they've tested negative in the prior 24 hours to visiting or be vaccinated. It's interesting seeing how parks abroad are tackling the situation. The Netherlands have had many ideas for trying lateral flowing tests for access, but that has been met with a lot of opposition from the parks. It'll be interesting to see what this summer ends up being like.

Kondaa is opening May 8th, which is when the park is (currently) allowed to reopen. The ride now has it's own mini-site, which features some nice background audio: https://kondaa.walibi.be/nl/ There is also going to be a short Behind the Scenes / Making Of series in the build up. Episode 1 is out now: (Sadly only available in Dutch or French) And a reminder of some of the key stats: Height: 50m Length: 1200m Max speed: 113kmph (~70mph) Airtime moments: 15 Max positive G: 4.3G Max negative G: 1.3G This will be the highest and fastest roller coaster in the Benelux and France upon opening. (However, Asterix's coaster will take the highest record by 1m when that opens in 2023) When this was first announced - way back in late 2018 - it was also said this would have the most airtime moments of any steel coaster in the world. Whether that's still the case I don't know, but in either case, it's still got a lot... Fingers very much firmly crossed that a chance opens up this year to make the trip to Belgium for this!

BUMP A little video giving some views inside Gangsta Granny The Ride, as well as the new area: The ride opens May 17th (or, presumably, whenever indoor attractions can reopen)

ha, I disagree (quite strongly) with at least 2 of those. 1. Haven't done or seen Gator Dive yet, so can't comment. I've heard the cycle is considerably shorter than Magma's (not that longer necessarily means better), but if the theming for Magma is better, then...ooft. 2. I prefer the Accelerator layout to the Rebound (Velociraptor) layout tbh. Raik is best for overall theming and experience, but probably has my least favourite layout. Agree with Benin that they're all quite meh, though I'm intrigued to try the stretched out layouts (see Volldampf and Saven/Light Explorer, and the one going to Tayto Park). 3. I agree with Benin that Vekoma SFCs are solid coasters, especially the much-cloned Orkanen layout. But I don't like Pterosaur that much. Don't get me wrong, it looks good, interacts with the land well, etc. And it's perfect for the park. But the layout I find very weak. Kind of just meanders round the whole course, not really doing anything that interests me. I much prefer Cobra, even Storm Chaser. Given the choice I'd probably even do Velociraptor over it. I guess that's my (actually unpopular) opinion right there.