JoshC.

The press statement mentioned by Dan: http://press.altontowers.com/news-alton-towers-resort-to-launch-world-first-rollercoaster-in-2013-11705 - Link 4 rows of 4 is...interesting to say the least. (As a side note, with the track length being confirmed as 1170m, is that around the same to what was on the plans? Presumably people who've done No Limits recreations know the outside length track, and that may give an indication to how long the inside section is?)

It's not to do with free speech, but I believe it's to do with staff contracts and such. Also, as a side note, the staff member's name is still showing in the quote on Steve's post; still needs removing there. EDIT: See it's been done; thanks!

The fact that it's reopened says to me that it wasn't a fault with the ride, so more likely to be an issue with the staff or the guest involved. By the sounds of it, there's no fault by the park here or anyone trying to play a blame game, so it's probably an accident which has unfortunately led to a woman's foot being injured badly. Nonetheless, wishing her a speedy recover.

If I had 1p for every time I've read this on a theme park forum, I wouldn't have needed to take out a student loan for uni... Seriously, no matter what anyone's views are on Merlin, they know how to run a business. They're making loads of money and they probably still have pretty high satisfaction rates on the whole (I'm sure the general public are a lot more satisfied with things than we are, for example...). There'll be many reason for having an awful year this season, and no doubt some of them are completely out of Merlin's control. If I'm honest, I'm a bit confused about what your point is here. You believe there's a drop in visible security and that there's some actors who have some fears about safety. A visible drop in security is not necessarily bad - just as long as there's enough to keep people in line and act as a deterrence as pluk said. Also, if actors have fears for their safety, I hope they're brought that to the park's attention to some description - all well and good saying it to some person who can't do anything about it, but it doesn't actually help the situation, does it? By the sounds of it, there's always security around, and sometimes it's just that they're well hidden / blending in, which is surely a good thing? Incidents will inevitably happen in the mazes, whether they've just opened or been going for a few hours. It will happen across the country and it's just an unfortunate thing that happens. I believe that the only Thorpe maze which 'needs' to have security outside the maze is Asylum, due to the fact many get freaked out too much by the ending (or something like that, not too sure, but I've heard it's one they 'always' have security by the exit'?). So basically - Merlin know how to run a business, and any changes to security this year have probably been thought through carefully, and if there are serious concerns from actors / staff, they should bring it up with the park and sort it out.

You what? Thorpe have added a new attraction to some description every season since, and including, 1998. In the past ten years, they've spent around £80 million on new attractions (quick guestimate to be honest there, but it seems about right). I really can't think of many parks that have had this level of investment, and if you exclude Disney and Universal parks, I can't think of any (though correct me if I'm wrong here). Thorpe have thrown ride after ride at the park, and realistically, the list of options available to them for 'round rides' (ie non-coasters) is becoming smaller and smaller. Their level of investment does not need to be increased really. However, one year with no new additions would not be a bad thing. There's plenty of things which can be done to attract guests, and rides at the park which could do with a revamp and even be marketed as new due to that. The park has plenty of options open to them, and with their two year marketing strategies that seem to occur for coasters, no doubt next year there'll be some form of Swarm-related pulling power to try and bring in the guests. The introduction of the Snoozeboxes will certainly be an interesting factor. Say what you want about how they look, the troubles it may show with the plans for a hotel at Thorpe or whatnot, but they will be used, and they will attract guests to come to the park (even if it's for longer, as opposed to completely outright). In other words, what I'm saying is that a new ride / attraction is not necessary to bring in new guests / more guests, or to be recognised. The last time the park didn't add anything, 1997, they won awards for being the best family park in the country (or something along those lines), so no new rides never spell doom and gloom necessarily. Meh, I'm probably rambling now, but pretty much - Thorpe's investment is high enough, whether or not there's a new attraction next year, Thorpe will still do things to attract people and all should go to how they plan..

Sorry to nitpick, but you've missed out Asylum on the list of favourite mazes! (Unless that was done on purpose? :S) I'll judge after next weekend, after I've to Thorpe and had a chance to try out the mazes again and Passing. Though as it stands, it's very close between Experiment 10 and The Sanctuary.

So, yesterday I hit Scarefest for the first time ever yesterday. I'd heard many great things about the event in the past few years, and really did jump at the opportunity to go. Being also my first visit of the year, this would be my first experience of the anticipated Nemesis Sub-Terra; needless to say, I was looking forward to the day. After a long coach journey from uni (two and a half hours somehow, even though it should have only taken one and a half!), we arrived at about half 11, and got in at about quarter to 12. I do love the Scarefest entrance! Clowns were greeting guests, and scaring a fair few guests too. I love this view, whatever the weather! The park was relatively quiet, and the weather was nice - things were looking good. According to the Scarefest app, Sub Terra's queue was 15-30 minutes, so we jumped at the opportunity. After a quick Skyride over there, we arrived and made our way over. The queue was relatively quick moving and interesting I thought; the TV loop was very good and very professional. We made our way in, and this is where I'll pretty much leave it there for the time being, as I'll post my full, spoiler-filled review in the correct topic. Just a couple of words though - I really did enjoy it, it left me with a smile on my face, and there were some bit that genuinely shocked me, though I was a little disappointed with the way the storyline ended; a little weak. On the whole, a good, solid attraction which suits Alton Towers perfectly - 7/10. Afterwards, we made our way towards the Dark Forest via Skyride, of course, though a random detour to Cloud Cuckoo Land for a certain costumed character was had... Pretty standard shot. Th13teen times were had as well, though we decided to use Single Rider as the queue was rather large following disturbances in the forest affecting Rita's operational status temporarily, though it was quickly resolved it seems. I absolutely love Th13teen, it is one of my favourite rides on park. In fact, had that first drop not been trimmed and it kept a large amount of pace during the ride, it might have even been my favourite ride! The indoor queue line is a work of art, and the station area sets such a brilliant tone - absolutely love it. The ride itself is enjoyable, but the first trim really does ruin it for me; I forget just how noticeable it is. In a couple more years once more trees have grown more and such, the outside section will certainly be impressive. The indoor section is so much fun as well; it's something which puts a smile on everyone's face. My favourite part of the ride is the end however - pretty much being launched into the station just makes me laugh for some reason.. Once Th13teen was done and dusted, it was coming close to 1 O'clock and Terror of the Towers was due to open, so we made our way over there and waited a short period of time.. I'm aware that TotT gets large queues, so seeing this short length (as the gates had yet opened) made me happy. I do like the queue line and the shots of the Towers you can get. Trying the panorama mode on my phone; pretty successful I think. The Sanctuary queue is to the left hand side. Like with Sub-Terra, I'll write reviews for the mazes in the appropriate topic, but a couple of non-spoiler words to follow. I like the back story to the maze, however, I just didn't feel like it followed through in the maze really, which was disappointing. The length was very good, and I don't think it felt drawn out, however, I wasn't as impressed with it as others seem to be; perhaps all the rave reviews lead me to expect too much, but I wasn't overly impressed with it.. - 6/10 We exited the maze into the X-Sector, and made our way to Oblivion. Again, another ride which many seem to like, and I seem to think is okay at best. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the ride, but it just never blows me away really. Lunch was had in the Fried Chicken Co. - really good place; fast service, tasty food and quite cheap as well. Thumbs up from me! Standard Oblivion shot. Standard Oblivion shot II. My usual nature shot. This duck tried so hard to eat this bread, and failed. We ended up going to Duel, but got lost / sidetracked by the beautiful shots round here: This tower-thing is pretty sweet. Panorama-view from by that tower. Because why not? Now then, this was my first time on Duel. I knew what the ride was, and I knew that it used to be a Haunted House ride, but I didn't quite know what to expect from the ride. I really did enjoy it though; the effects were amazing, the length was very good and the general setting I loved. Much better than Tomb Blaster, and a very good dark ride - would've loved to have ridden it before the laser guns were introduced. Nemesis and Air times were had afterwards, and my opinions remain pretty much the same. I also did Nemesis front row, which was an experience. However, as controversial as it may seem, I still prefer Swarm to Nemesis - Swarm just seems to have 'something' about it which is special, whereas Nemesis, whilst special, seems to lack that 'something'. The thing is, I can't really put my finger on what that 'something' actually is, but hey, I digress... A second go on Sub-Terra was also had, and I enjoyed it just as much the second time as I did the first, proving to myself really that it wasn't a one hit wonder of a ride. After some general milling around and the such, as well as a quick go on the amazing Sonic Spinball, half 5 arrived and it was time for the Carnival of Screams and The Sanctuary. Again, spoilers elsewhere, just a couple of pictures and a sentence here: Love this entrance! <3 I really enjoyed Carnival, a really great attraction, and again, a very good length. There were a couple too many 'obvious scares' for my liking, and I'm unsure if that was the point, but on the whole, it was solid and did what it was meant to do. 7.5/10 Sanctuary 'waiting room'. Everyone Sanctuary patient gets a stamp it seems.. Sanctuary was my favourite maze of the day, and had a couple of real highlights for me. Like all of Alton's mazes, a very good length in my opinion and works very well. A bit like TotT, I found the story is set up very well at the beginning before the maze, but seems to disappear in the maze a fair bit, with just bits and bobs coming through. The ending also needs some work. 7.5/10 Zombies followed afterwards, and there's not a lot I can say about it really. The actors do a good job, the theming is good and everything works well. A good scare and works for all the family, which is exactly what Alton should aim for. The Towers lit up at dusk; very nice sight. That's pretty much it. A bit of shopping was done, but due to Barclays and their silly fraud rules I missed out on a couple of bits and restricted myself (grr, but life goes on..). I didn't noticed the green donuts which were mentioned on the AT Twitter page either, which was a shame, and missed out on night rides as well, but there'll be other times. All in all, I really enjoyed Scarefest, mainly because I enjoy Alton Towers. I noticed that apart from in Towers Street and the mazes, it didn't feel very Halloween-y, with no real changes to audio and not that much extra theming and the like. I guess being the Preview Weekend, the park has a chance to add more, make tweaks and the like, which I hope they do. Really enjoyed the day, and I hope that I can make it to another Scarefest event next season and for seasons to come.

Saw is approx. 100 seconds (for the second car including the on-ride pre-show), which is what makes me think I'm completely wrong with my logic. I guess the throughput will depend on many other things, such as loading and offloading times, whether it's dual-loading, any special elements, etc., so of course it's hard to tell at this stage what it will be. The thing is, I can't see Alton going for a coaster with a (theoretical) throughput of under 1000, but, I dunno, it seems a bit more likely the more you think about it... :S

Unless I'm thinking about this completely incorrectly, 165 second ride plus, say, 30-40 second loading, checking restraints, etc., with 64 (maximum) going around in all the cars leads to a theoretical throughput of about 1100-1200pph? (This is at a complete guess of course, and no doubt there's things I'm not taking into consideration, but I guess we should be expecting at least 1000pph for this with the given information) As for the Tinie's comment, I guess not following the project means you're not aware of a couple of things, such as how the amount of digging done is different to that that's on the plans (I think?), as well as a couple of weather issues. However, it certainly seems behind schedule, with the plans stating vertical construction would begin September time, and then a rumoured date of 1st October floated about, but that also seems to have not happened. I guess we have to bare in mind that Gerstlauers do go up quickly, but it could well still be a push to get it back on schedule, if it is indeed behind schedule!

That particular thing is in Calypso Quay, not Amity Cove where Tidal Wave is. Hence, it's not meant to look damaged.

Images of the actors. They look pretty darn good! Also, The Passing certificate glows in the dark! (All photos credit to TNL, of course) Though I haven't read spoiler reviews of Passing itself, the gist of what I'm seeing from scores or non-spoiler reviews is that it's "okay, but could be better"...

In short - it's the least scary maze because it's the worst. It has a nice setting, but the route doesn't lead itself to many jumps or scares. The actors do less interacting and pretend to be ghost-pirates more. (This is all my personal experience of course). So yeah, a very nice starter maze.

An incident has happened on Storm Surge today: (From Thorpe Nerd Live) This was tweeted by CF, who are also on park today: Looks like Storm Surge could be out of action for a while. Hopefully the person is 100% okay and this was a really bad accident..

The Curse is probably the least scariest, followed by Saw Alive in my opinion. Asylum is very disorientating, and has some real scares. Experiment 10 and Passing seem to be the 'more extreme' ones, and perhaps should be avoided unless you're fine with the other three. Hope that helps.

I doubt that; they're really pushing the idea a lot. I know there was writing on the tunnel, but I thought it was a lot more 'colourful' as well; blood red colours and the like? But likewise - I do hope that it doesn't end up feeling like a second-hand Hellgate.

From the park's Facebook page. This park-wide theme sounds better and better by the day. Sounds like there could be some form of 'show' / high level interactivity going on! Can't wait to go.

A Press Release from the park: Ah, I love these things at times!

I'm going to Scarefest and The Haunted Castle (Warwick Castle) for the first time this year, as well as my regular Fright Nights trip. YAY!

Well, that wasn't what I was expecting... The way I read about the hessian body bag was that it would be put on your head and you would see ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. You would then be guided around for a bit, executed and such, and then left to explore the rest of the maze without the bag, but just in small groups with practically no light. The way those pictures seem is that the body bag is on your head for much longer, though you have some ability to see through it. Interesting, as I say - not what I was expecting. I do like how your 'crime' is on your bag though, which could lead to some potential personal interaction, and it does seem you go through in very small groups. Can't wait to try this maze out.. Also, this has been posted on ScareTour's Facebook page: Basically confirmation of what we've wanted / expected - park wide theme!

With Fright Nights, Scarefest and all other things Halloween drawing ever nearer, I guess it's time for some Halloween-themed blog entries! Dead End was seemingly a one-off scare zone that hit Fright Nights in 2010, and Thorpe's first attempt at a scare zone since about 2002 / 2003, when the event first started out. Located on the pathway next to Zodiac and The Crust, it was perhaps a typical Merlin scare zone, in the sense that it wasn't technically a scare zone, but rather a set route with a very specific entrance and exit. In essence, it was basically a specific scare path, which was possibly one of the reasons for it's bad public response, but more on that later... Dead End had a rather interesting theme, revolving around a ride graveyard where a contagious virus struck, leaving the undead lurking in the shadows. For a scare zone, that in itself is rather in depth, and even when you compare it to some mazes (Asylum and Se7en, for example), the back story is a bit more detailed. Lasting only one season, it quite obviously just wasn't popular enough. The theming used was perhaps inappropriate for a scare zone, varying from an old Zodiac ride car to old Thorpe Farm signs and Miss Hippo Fungle Safari statues. There was also some other bits and bobs, such as Sun Scream theming. As anyone can tell, none of this is particularly scary - yet, it does work well with the whole 'ride graveyard' thing. However, one of the issues with this is that most of the general public probably will not appreciate this. For a guest who walks up to the scare zone's entrance, and sees a sign saying 'DEAD END TERROR ZONE', along with loads of 'keep out' signs and fake barbed wire around, they will not expect to be walking into a sort of graveyard full of old rides. This in turn means that guests may laugh at the idea itself, and when you make guests laugh at and not with an attraction, it spells trouble. Another thing was the idea of it all. This scare zone was not a scare zone; it was a scare path - much more like a very short scare maze. This is something that the UK Merlin parks (I'm unsure about other Merlin parks) seem to not understand - a scare zone should not have a set path! The word zone suggest a form of area, a plaza or extended walkway region, which you are free to explore as much as you like. However, with Dead End, it was not like this. It was very much like a scare maze, in that you get told when you could and could not go in, and there was little chance to explore - you had to follow the very restricted path and were pushed through the pathway. This idea gives mixed messages about the whole attraction. If it is meant to be a scare zone, and that's what you go in expecting, how do you feel when you get pretty much ushered through a pathway like a very short maze? Short changed is the likely answer. This in turn lead to many criticisms that the attraction was "too short". Perhaps it might be me, but surely a zone should never have a criticism of being "too short", but rather "too small"? What I'm trying to get at is that, simply put, Dead End was too much like a maze, and compared to the other mazes and how it was marketed, it never stood a chance in comparison, no matter how much or how little people enjoyed it. Yes, I except the issues with space and fitting in a chicken run and all the other logistical reasons, but Dead End seemed to not bother to try and be a zone, but instead just accept that it should try and be as much like a maze as possible. No doubt that people in general just weren't very impressed with it either. The actual given back story didn't make much sense with the actual attraction (yes, there was old stuff from 'dead' rides and attractions, but there's no virus outbreak it seems, and why would people be there anyway?). The layout itself was just like a cattlepen pretty much - walking from side to side, and turning, which perhaps left itself to be rather samey after a while, and lead to predictable scares. There was no real highlight which everything could say 'Wow, THAT bit was amazing!" after they left. Dead End was just sorta there and didn't have a defining feature which is needed by any scare attraction really. So, I've highlighted a couple of reasons why it may not have been liked, and no doubt critics of the attraction will likely agree with at least one of these points. However, I again seem to go against the general consensus and was quite a big fan of Dead End, despite being very sceptical about it. Here's my original thoughts after going in the scare zone on opening night: A highly positive review. Though perhaps I'd retract the "better than any of the mazes" bit, it was a very enjoyable experience. The attraction utilised LOADS of smoke, especially at the beginning section, making it rather difficult to see to say the least. This meant that the first scare moment was achieved more by being disorientated more than anything else, which is a great way to start any scare attraction in my mind - just look at Experiment 10 for example. There was also a lot of flashing lighting as well; again, it worked incredibly well as it helped create a sense of disorientation throughout the experience, whilst also keeping it dark - which is half the point of the thing. Perhaps it was the fact I had low expectations for this that I rate it highly, as it really did keep me entertained. Even if I wasn't scared, which some may argue should be how a scare maze is judged, but let's not go into that this entry, I did appreciate everything that happened. Also, as said in my original 'review', I had a very enthusiastic actor on both of my first goes, which always helps. The fact that she recognised me on my second go and singled me out does make me think she knew I wasn't particularly scared by any stretch of the imagination, but knew I enjoyed it, and helped make me experience better. This is what a scare zone should be about it my mind - people having freedom to explore, but actors being there to stop you / ensure you only explore certain parts. I remember being at the end of attraction for a good minute at least (perhaps longer than the entire attraction lasted!) on my second go, due to a great attraction with that specific actor, whilst she still did interact with others. Dead End, for me, had two downfalls in the end. The first is the size, meaning it wasn't able to cope with the numbers. Being a pathway, and a small-ish one at that, it wasn't meant to be enjoyed by the masses all at once. It's for a few people at a time. I do think one of my fears came true, in that when it's busy, it just wasn't as affective. Many times during the busier days, people had to wait to go in, which for a scare zone - in my mind - should just not be the case. Again, this perhaps create in people's mind the view it will be more 'maze-like' than anything else. Had it being a literal zone, when people could go in and out whenever they wanted and have been free to explore, it would have been much more preferable. Another downfall, which really disappointed me if I'm honest, was how in later days of Fright Nights, the actors wore cheap-looking monster masks. It added literally NOTHING to the theme, nothing to the story and perhaps made the actors worse - they could try and use the mask to shock people, as opposed to try and scare people. No scare attraction at Thorpe should have to resort to using cheap and tacky masks which look like they can be brought at Poundland, as it makes it feel like zero effort has been put in. Not only that, but it isn't scary, it's laughable. So, when it comes down to it, I really enjoyed Dead End. It had its flaws, yes, but doesn't everything? Perhaps from my over-cynicism before going in, I was setting myself up to be pleasantly surprised, but many others with low expectations felt that they weren't met, which I guess is the way the cookie crumbles. I just now wish that Thorpe would create another scare zone. Dead End was a very cheap attraction; I don't think that can be doubted. I just wish, however, that Thorpe would perhaps not be too scared to do another. Put in the time and effort, and they can create something which will be enjoyed by the majority, as opposed to the minority. Last season, and quite probably this season, there's roaming actors around the park, which is a great touch. Even if they don't scare most, many people enjoy them - for example, the clowns were a HUGE hit last season, and really helped create a nice atmosphere on park. Hopefully this season we can see escaped prisoners and such roaming around, causing havoc and what not. But why stop there? Why not have a dedicated zone specifically where certain prisoners and criminals are lurking around? Why not have a few 'prison cells' together, where we see prisoners get locked away, only to escape yet again? Perhaps some sort of 'base' for the actors as well, it would create a very nice zone where there's lots of interactivity and a good chance for scaring. Perhaps do it near the Lost City flats, and there's some space there which can lead to creating a zone to be explored, whilst giving enough opportunity for a chicken run or whatever else. Perhaps this specific example isn't realistic enough. However, the general idea of a scare zone with some thought in should not be. Mazes are great at a Halloween event, and roaming actors are also brilliant, but a scare zone specifically designed to be explored more in detail than the rest of the park with actors is the way forward to creating a overall, high quality Halloween event at Thorpe Park.

The park has not officially claimed that there's a world first. Hours before the official announcement, a member on here posted this: In the marketing of The Passing, there's been no mention of a world first, but just "Using cutting edge technology never before seen at Thorpe Park", so perhaps it was a case of the person on the phone got confused / said the wrong thing? EDIT: Beaten to it "

I'm completely with Benin on this. It makes me wonder at times how much enthusiasts care about parks. We always complain and comment that parks should make more of an effort in keeping things secret and building up suspense and such, yet the moment we can get a leak, most are like 'OMG let's find everything out NOW and spoil the park's hard work!!' Fair enough if you don't mind the secret being spoiled and that, but there's a difference between knowing the secret after it's been released, but at this stage where it's been leaked, it just feels like everything been a bit ruined. Much like Benin, I'd not want to completely avoid all discussion, as I enjoy following construction and speculating, but now it seems that for the sake of not spoiling the experience the park are creating, I will have to. I was fortunate enough to not find out what the secret was, and hopefully I will not find out until the park reveal so, or until I ride. Meh, rant over.

I have not read this, nor do I intend to. However, can I ask that spoiler tags are added? I am sure there are some people like myself who do not want the secret revealed, and some may not be lucky as myself as may actually read what is in the article. Many thanks. EDIT: Thanks Marc!

That's been floating around for a while now! That particular PowerPoint was posted made in 2010 I believe, when early planning for Swarm was being made. A lot has changed then, so it may or may not happen now. The park have certainly adopted a '2 year marketing strategy' it seems for major coaster - Stealth was 'upgraded' in 2007, Saw had Saw Alive in 2010, so no doubt Swarm will receive some form of attention which will help keep its marketing fresh. Whether that is a bolt on ride or something different remains unknown at this stage.

The Cabin in the Woods Okay, so I finally watched the film (with a midnight screening at a cinema - win!) yesterday / this morning. After reading many brilliant reviews, including ones such as Ryan's on the previous page, I was really looking forward to it. There's a few 'little spoilers' below, but nothing that completely ruins the film, just so people know... However, I just feel a bit disappointed with it all. The beginning was good and created a decent story line, though the idea of 5 people in the woods with zombies around is hardly original really. In general, I found many bits of the first half of the film to be predictable, expected and relying more on 'cheap' scares; loud noises more than actual tension building and such. Again, as with many horror films, there were some bits which you just think 'would someone REALLY do that?', which with the way the film was going, was really a necessity in my mind. The final part of the film is where it begins to nose dive. It is far too over the top, and turns into a gore-fest and moves away from a horror film. Some parts were unnecessarily dragged out, whilst others were obvious. In terms of how the plot plays out, I compare it to Insidious - good at the beginning, some tense moments, then goes completely over the top with monsters and all that at the end. The film was perhaps overly funny to be labelled as just a horror film as well, which in a way left me with a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth; I felt as though I wasn't given the film I thought I was going to watch. Overall, an okay film, and no doubt people will enjoy it highly, but just failed to impress me. 5.5/10