JoshC.

It seems that there's some support work going on with the ride. Whilst it's nice to see park-wide stories and the like, to close down a major coaster for a whole week (at least) just to advertise a maze / keep it secret is overly extreme, and would no doubt annoy many guests who visited on those days. Imagine the uproar if Alton Towers were to supposedly do that with rides in the X Sector this season due to SW7...

With thanks to Thrill Nation's Facebook, of course.. Nothing special; just simply the logo printed on some form of block. Did anyone expect less really?

SW7 could still be a world's first. After all, Th13teen was marketed as 'The Ultimate Roller Coaster'; I can't remember the world's first thing being pushed that much even. So I guess there's still a chance.. I wonder if this'll spark more rumours of 'most inversions on a coaster', with the 'world beating' motto...

http://silverdollarcity2013.com/milestone-reached-last-piece-of-track-set-in-place/# Outlaw Run at SDC has now had its track completed and there's some very nice photos on there! Hybrid, woodie, I don't particularly care what it is, it still looks like a good, fun ride!

I think that a fine line needs to be reached between people's opinions on the person and the views of their site. Many people will no doubt have judgements of Theme Park World / Confuzzled as a member (and perhaps by extension, as a person), and will expect his site to mirror such judgements. As I said in Chat last night, an increasing number of younger teenagers are having a go at these sorts of things (heck, even I had a go at one a couple of years back, which was a waste of my time really, but ah well). Being the generation brought up with technology that we are, these sorts of thing are common not only with theme park fan sites, but also in general. The trouble with some of these sites is that they go for ideas which are perhaps too broad in aim (I won't name other names, but Theme Park World for example; suggests ALL theme parks, which no doubt this member - nor anyone really - can achieve). Yet people will try and ultimately fail and be criticised harshly. Then we also have sites claiming they'll get exclusive after exclusive, high quality media and so forth - again, something which cannot be achieved by a teenager by themselves on a free-hosted site. Some sites also steal other's works without credit, don't list sources or just make stuff up, which again is something criticised largely and gives these sort of sites 'bad names', if you will. Again, I will use the example of Theme Park World's recent 'Facebook Problems' topic, which seem to more be a less-than-subtle way of trying to get his Facebook page promoted even more; a simple 'Oh, sorry guys, this link is no longer working, I don't know why, can anyone offer any help?' in this thread would have been better, but oh well, live and learn and all that. I have no problems with these such sites really, as long as they are run responsibly and to a good standard. If such a site steals others' works, spam other forums about their site, or whatever else, I will lose respect for it - which goes for all sites really; theme park orientated or not. After all, where would sites such as this one be of it didn't start off small? No doubt the people who run and make these sites enjoy doing it, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. Perhaps it's a way of showing their enthusiasm or knowledge of the park, or just 'something to do'. Personally, I'd much rather not see these dozens of sites (most of which probably won't expand beyond an okay Facebook page) and instead see more good quality conversation and discussion in the 'major sites' that we've got, with new ones that are set up growing well due to them being well thought out and have a dedicated person / peoples behind them. Of course, that is an idealistic scenario, but I think it would in general make theme park sites better in the long run. Perhaps if major sites and their communities were more welcoming to newer members and 'n00bs' (NOTE: I am not saying that everyone on every major theme park site is unwelcoming here, but there are certainly members across the majority of forums who almost go out of their way to be unnecessarily unwelcoming for no apparent reason) and gave some members a chance instead of ignoring them just because they are n00bish, some may not feel the need to create such sites, and in turn discussions such as these would not be happening. Another thing worth remembering is how everyone is of different ages, different maturity levels and so forth - every new member isn't going to be a theme park expert who knows the best way to post and such; going back to the live and learn thing I talked about earlier. Okay, I'm rambling a lot here, but I will continue nonetheless. Constructive criticism is the best way to go for these sort of sites. For example, I'm currently confused about Theme Park World - is it a Facebook only site at the moment? Is there any particular focus of the site / page; all parks, UK parks, Merlin parks? Also, I think it is perhaps over-zealous to say the site brings "the latest news before anyone else"; especially when the site has yet to achieve that. Perhaps the page could serve as some sort of 'information check point', which can round up the news for the past however many days / weeks, and has a variety of sources, complying all the news into an easy to reach point? But then you have to ensure everything is accurate, there's a variety of sources so you're not just posting what another site has using different words, etc. I do unfortunately think that this site / page will be another which fails to make it past the 'okay Facebook page' stage. However, there's no need to strike people down for it; after all, we all have a common interest and should support the like-minded as much as we can in continuing their enthusiasm. When people make mistakes, help them out. Perhaps with this specific member people may feel they have given him chances and helped him out enough and have decided that they've had enough. Whilst this opinion is more than fine, rather than making every chance to have a dig and such, help keep this particular forum as friendly and nice looking as possible, and try and keep quite. Take any issues to moderators and Private Messaging, try and get all of this sorted, and just help everyone get along. Okay, I'm pretty much finished now. I understand that this is completely off topic, perhaps a little unnecessary, and what I am saying will not agree with everyone. I was going to write a final word to moderators / admin on what I think should be done to help this issue, but as I had a fair bit to say, I've posted it in the 'Feedback' topic here: http://forum.maniahu...140#entry141340

(It might be worth checking out my post here, which may give further explanation as to why I'm positing this! Sorry if some may feel this was more appropriate to be posted in a PM) With regards to Theme Park World as a member has had an account banned previously, for reasons I do not know. This new account is in effect a constant advertisement of his site / page; perhaps a polite suggestion to him to change his username to something more suitable / related to his name, nickname or something quirky is in order. This would no doubt please members who have issues with the site (and perhaps the member) and also help the person be more inline with the rules, which I do believe state a member's username must in some way relate to their real name? Secondly, on a slightly related note to the post I made in Theme Park World's thread, forums should be welcoming and encourage people to talk about their enthusiasm. Whilst this site does do this rather well, I do think the 'Tips for New Members' thread (http://forum.maniahu...rs/page__st__20) could perhaps do with a bit of a clean out; after all, the arguments that are in the middle of the thread are hardly a good example for new members, also considering two members there have been banned, and such members there have high post counts (I'm all for freedom of speech, worth pointing out, but I do think that such topics should be kept as simple as possible). Also, is there any way of setting up an automatic Private Message for when a new member joins, welcoming them to the forums, and pointing them to important introductory threads, such as the 'Tips for New Members' and 'Introduce Yourself', and perhaps a link to the forum's rules? It would be a nice touch and help members out, help continue the growing community that is here and also help ensure that younger members and potential, so-called 'n00bs' are helped out as much as possible. Sorry for the completely random points; just something I felt I needed to get off my chest!

The Thorpe Park Annual Pass currently stand at £85 (though could go up in the new year) - source: http://www.thorpepark.com/prices/annual-passes.aspx?tabnum=2 In theory after two visits, if you pay the full £43.20 (which will no doubt go up next season), the pass has paid for itself. However, if you use BOGOF, half price vouchers or book in advance, then the price goes down, as you probably know. According to the official site, if you book online, you can get tickets from £25.92, which would mean you'd realistically have to go 4 times for the Thorpe Annual Pass to be worth it. If you also ever consider buying Bounceback (which this season are £15, £18 for Fright Nights or £6 for the next day..I think), then there's plenty of ways to save money. The benefits of having a standard Thorpe Annual Pass are that you get 20% off food, drink and shopping. There are no Early Rider Times like Alton Towers, or any other benefits. However, with the Snoozeboxes next season, it could be a case of there being ERT for 'hotel guests' and AP holders - though no one really knows about that at the moment. Another benefit would be not having to worry about when to go, booking tickets, etc. Personally, I think you'd be better of not buying a Thorpe Park Annual Pass unless you make at least 5-6 visits next season. Having it may give extra incentive, yes, but it's no guarantee. I think it's possible to book online and then use your ticket to get a Bounceback (though you may want to just check with the park beforehand just to be sure, or someone on here may know), which would mean you'd be looking at about £41 to have had 2 visits. Do that again, it becomes £82 for 4 visits and so on. It may be a bit of a hassle and require a bit more forward thinking than with an Annual Pass, though. If you're planning on possibly getting an Annual Pass in the new year and can afford one in January, it might actually be worth getting a Standard Merlin Annual Pass, surprisingly. At around that time of year, they're big on doing special offers for the Annual Passes as it's just after Christmas - the past couple of years in January time, you've been able to buy a Merlin Annual Pass for half price, so around £78! That would give you much greater freedom and choice for less money, so it would be worth keeping an eye out for those offers (like the Merlin Annual Pass page on Facebook if you have; best place to keep track of the special offers). Of course, they may not do such a thing this year, or may do it at a different time, but it never hurts to keep an eye out. Hope that helps!

Toverland's latest coaster, d'Wervelwind (translated as Whirlwind; shock horror!) is set to open to the public tomorrow; serving more as a soft opening in a way as the new area it is a part of doesn't open until next April! The Mack spinning coaster had it's media event yesterday; a few photos... The swamp themed station. Station and cars. (Sources: http://themepark.nl/...417#Post1912417 and http://themepark.nl/...518#Post1912518) The Magic Valley area will be completed for April and the area looks absolutely brilliant! Really must get myself down to this park!

You have a topic in the 'Site Adverts' subforum for your site. Why not inform us about the Facebook page for your site there? Pretty sure this topic is more a way of advertising your page as opposed to a genuine topic for Facebook issues. Take it back to the correct topic, please?

The thing with the mazes is they can have electrical faults, which could cause closures even if they're minor. If a prop or piece of scenery breaks or falls, it has to be sorted so it is safe. If an actor gets hurt, everything can have to stop for a while. If someone has a panic attack or gets an injury, it holds everything up. Etc. Etc.

The thing with the preview day is that it's not 'technically' a preview day, despite the fact that most people call it that. The day is open to guests whether they have Annual Passes or not, its simply that Standard AP holder do not have to buy the £5 event ticket. The day happens the day before Fright Nights officially starts, hence why it's seen as a 'preview'. Being usually held on a Thursday during term-time and the fact that it's not as heavily advertised as the rest of the FN dates. It's not the end of the world if it doesn't happen I guess; it's certainly a shame, but I guess it's to be expected, as it will help with the cost-cutting.

There's now a tent with the Snoozebox logo on it set up in the staff car park. I would assume that more 'pieces' have arrived. A bit early for these to be arriving isn't it? Considering they're not going to be physically built until February and planning permission hasn't been granted yet (I would think that being something rather out of the blue and not mentioned in the MTDP, the granting of the Snoozeboxes would not be as concrete as rides and coasters?)

It is unconfirmed whether The Passing is a totally alone experience, or whether it's a partially alone one like Experiment 10. It is, however, confirmed about the Hessian body bag. Perhaps it might have been worth looking at the park's site with a bit more detail to read what they said about The Passing before booking?

I think this is for Slammer. There is a fence here and another by the other side of the toilets, which makes Slammer completely inaccessible. There is also a fence near the lockers which blocks the walkway which is has a sign about The Passing; I think that's more being used to advertise The Passing than due to any work. I believe that where The Passing is (the old Hellgate location) couldn't be reached when the Slammer area was opened was there was a fence which prevents people gaining access.

I guess if the problem is found and resolved quicker than expected, then anything's possible. Even if Thorpe knew it would be a few weeks out of action, it's probably better of them to say it's out of action for the rest of the season (ie about 6-7 weeks) instead of saying it's "unavailable today" constantly / saying it will open in a few weeks time and have that backfire. I guess some could even see it as a bonus that a ride which is meant to be unavailable until next season opens this season (though, really, it isn't a 'bonus', but just shows how well the engineering team is working..). To be honest, the rumour of Samurai moving near Swarm is more unbelievable - where exactly could it go, why would they do it and what would take Samurai's position? I certainly think that that rumour had no legs and was a false lead. As for Slammer, work is seemingly going on from what members on here have said. Also, some new, blacked-out fencing has gone up near Slammer, which I think happened the last time work went on before it reopened following an extended period of downtime...

2009/2010 I think. I dunno what it is about Vortex, but I do enjoy the ride. Just hate the music and the think the length does need to be longer, like back in its good days..

I don't know how long the information has been live, but this year's HHP lineup is on the website: http://www.chessington.com/plan-your-trip/halloween-hocus-pocus.aspx Last year's new maze, The Krypt, has gone and it seems replaced by nothing? Quite surprised by that, as I heard pretty much all good reviews about it. Black Forest Witch Haunt (or whatever it was called) has gone and is replaced with 'Vampire: The Haunting in the Hollows', which looks to just have a different story to the previous one? There's a new family show and Hocus Pocus Hall Bewitched returns. All this with the 7pm as well..exciting stuff?

This ride now successfully doesn't spin, doesn't get you wet, and yet still manages to have an inch of water at the bottom of the dingies after less than an hour of operation? The ride leaks, the audio doesn't work / can't be heard and is just generally useless it seems. Last season, the ride wasn't actually that bad, though went a bit downhill towards the end. This season it's been bad, and is now just stupid and pointless. Though 2 years later, our fears about this ride have come to fruition it seems...

I'd love to read a blog like that Rattle, would really make a great read. It does seem that enthusiasts are much more critical of rides than the general public. I think that to this day, people will still criticise Th13teen due to the poor marketing, lack of back story as well as many other things, whilst the general public have completely forgotten about it and love the ride. But as you said, maybe it there's a lasting impact for us. By considering the so-called 'quality' of rides, it may end up that the judgements we make can help us notice when lesser-noticeable improvements are made, which could well be a good thing. However, is this nit-picking perhaps still distracting from the bigger picture? More things thrown out; this really should be a main blog topic rather than just a couple of off-the-wall thoughts!

Few more Fright Night things going on now... Pretty much confirmation that The Passing will be in Hellgate's old location. Funnily, that is the only fence there - it is literally just blocking the pathway. Seems to more be a way of somewhat advertising it on park.. Experiment 10 has also been built up: One thing which I've noticed is how the exit is in a different position to last season. Last season you exited to the right of the barrier (so, the left hand side from this picture, just to be clear...), but this season, it is directly in front? That's not just perspective, there really isn't much space between the exit and the barrier. I also think last season that the exit was ramped? I dunno if it's just they mucked the positioning up a little bit (it does seem as if all the maze is shifted to the right a little bit) or what, but I guess they're not particularly easier to move..? Only thing I can think of is that they're removing the barrier but just haven't got round to it yet?

I also think it's always been left - followed by a long corridor, then a right into 'the Asylum' with all the mesh-fencing, flashing lights and so forth?

Am I right in thinking that, although Thorpe said it was due to 'improvements being needed', the reason for the closure was due to declining popularity / cost of attraction? The Entertainments budget seems largely to go to FN - Sun Scream must surely have a big cash injection from Dr Pepper, and the club nights (at least the over 18s one) and the Mash Up event at Easter are due to Ministry of Sound a lot? So I'd have thought that the majority of the budget will go towards FN, as using this logic, the only event(s) Thorpe would have done was the 'Premier Screaming' of Swarm (and the under 18s club nights)? Do feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here by the way, but this is how I've always thought it has worked out. Anyway, back to the point, as there's a large FN budget regardless, and the ride's teams are being 'given' mazes this season (so that they do the batching in effect?), I'd expect there to be more money for actors. Even if there's roaming actors, no doubt there'll be plenty for the mazes as well. So really, I'd only expect more actors in Saw Alive than there usually was, and possibly the odd new effects / audio - though I'd love to be proven wrong.

Back when I was about 8 or 9, I visited Gulliver's World (Warrington). The trip was unplanned really, and only lasted a couple of hours (well, from 10 til after lunch). However, the one thing that has always made me remember this trip is The Antelope - one of only 2 wooden coasters to be built in the UK in the past 50 years. At the time of riding, I'd never heard of Antelope before (heck, I'd only heard of Gulliver's Warrington a couple of days before my visit!), nor had I heard any reviews of it. I literally knew nothing about it, other than it was made from wood and "looked fun". I was given the front row, which excited me. After coming off, I must have had a huge smile on my face, as I really enjoyed it, and still remember it fondly to this day. Hey, it's even featured in my top 10 roller coasters in the past (though, bare in mind my roller coaster count stands at 22, all of them from the 4 UK Merlin Parks and Gulliver's...). Now then, recently I searched the coaster up on Youtube, to find a POV of it. Seemingly I've been in luck, with Coasterforce very recently adding a front row POV: (Credit to CF, of course) If you watch that, and have never been on it before / haven't been on it for a few years, you'll probably have the same reaction as me - "what on earth is that!?". Even if you appreciate the fact that POVs don't show rides at their best, and that this is a family ride, the ride still looks rather poor. It's poorly paced, has an uninspiring layout and in general seems a bit weak. As the video description says, there was meant to be a water splash effect at the end, but the ride would not have completed the course, which to me suggests the ride as a whole was somewhat poorly designed as well. So, why did I enjoy this ride so much? More importantly, why did I continue to rate this ride so highly for so many years? Firstly, I guess you could say the circumstances were one reason for enjoying this. I was young, and went to a theme park unexpectedly. Being a fan of theme parks even then, it was a huge excitement for me. Not knowing anything about the ride, and being quite small, it looked so big, so intimidating and so exciting. Needless to say, I was going to enjoy everything I went on, regardless of the quality. Furthermore, it was my first wooden roller coaster. I personally think that a person's first wooden coaster will always hold something 'special', as they are so different to steel coasters, and have a completely different experience. Had this layout been exactly the same but made from steel, I probably would have been, like most, unimpressed or, at best, disappointed. Also, as this to date remains the only woodie I've been on, I really have no comparisons to make between this and other wooden coasters. Perhaps this is the worst example of a woodie ever, but because it was a different experience which I'd say no steel coaster I've been on can replicate for me, I have a fond rating of it. This could quite possibly be why I've rated it highly for so long. Finally, despite the uninspiring layout, from when you first look at it, I remember there being a small drop which you couldn't see from off ride; needless to say, it took me by surprise. Much like many coasters that use surprise drops you can't see, Antelope did have one of these. I remember talking about *that* moment after the ride, and it being the highlight of the ride. Now, I can't actually remember where exactly this was on the course, which is a shame, but at the same time, interesting. Another thing I'd like to bring up now (and probably will mention in other entries / dedicate an entry to) is perhaps how this is an example of 'enthusiast snobbery'. Though I haven't ridden many coasters, or been to many parks, I would still consider myself as a theme park enthusiast to some respect. What that means exactly will be different to people, but to me personally, I see it as having an interest not only in riding rides and attractions, but an interest in the operations and running of them, the development of projects, manufacturing and designing rides and the quality of rides. This last point raises the issue which I perhaps worry about - rides are very subjective things; people enjoy different things and hence one person's good ride may be another's terrible ride (something which to a degree was highlighted in my previous entry about Saw), yet as an enthusiast, judging 'how good' a ride is is the norm it seems. As I said earlier, the Coasterforce video shows a "ride...(which) looks rather poor. It's poorly paced, has an uninspiring layout and in general seems a bit weak.". These are the words of an enthusiast. However, from the eyes of the non-enthusiast child of me, it put "a huge smile on my face". Whilst I cannot pass any further judgement on the ride until I ride it again (if I ever get the chance, that is), it strikes me that as I've become more of an enthusiast, I've perhaps lost the very thing that made me an enthusiast in the first place - the innocent enjoyment of a ride. If this is the case, can I really say that all the views about The Antelope are in any way valid, or even worthwhile? I won't leave you with a rating of the ride, due to reasons outlined above, but instead just that thought...

Nice idea, having them lead up to X Sector; I do love Towers' subtle and cryptic marketing for Sanctuary and SW7. Agree with what Liam said hoping that this turns up as a logo used on merchandise; it's a great look.