JoshC.

So TPM's FB say that there's a new maze for 2012. Let speculation begin - will Hellgate's old location be used again, will we see an old maze kick the bucket or a new location altogether? Personally I hope they finally lay The Curse to rest - darn awful maze. Swarm-themed maze would be nice as well.. EDIT: It appears I can't read, as it's actually a new 'horror attraction'. Maybe Thorpe will have another go at a "scare zone"...

The trouble is, this leaves the first (and maybe second?) Friday of FN, due to dates they choose. Try and do the AP day if one arises, which is on the Thursday before te event starts, or the first weekend - this is when FN will be the quietest.

Where did you find that?

I guess the birthday thing played a part (clowns make appearances at birthday parties, etc.) and the fact that clowns are a phobia for many people. Not really fussed as to the reason the reason, they really did add to the atmosphere and were a true highlight of last season's Fright Nights for me! (PS - no harm in using the edit button, your comment would still be seen! )

Ah, but there were. A few clowns wandering round the place is what I saw, though I didn't see the birthday cake. I think they stayed around Asylum and Calypso Quay area actually. They were dressed differently to the ones above - they were wearing ripped masks and did act a little bit more creepy than the ones I saw later in the event. (My beautiful face returns again! )

Don't worry Sid, you weren't going mad, roaming actors were around a plentiful last season. They were mainly clowns, and they were regular seen with a birthday cake celebrating the 10th birthday of FN. Whether they were a one off for the 10th birthday thing or not is a different matter - hopefully they'll return as they were amazing. I noticed many lurking around The Asylum's exit, which gave them an extra fright! They weren't all necessarily scaring everyone all the time, but they really did make a very good atmosphere. There were also actors around the Experiment 10 queue line and entrance to the arena, mainly 'employees' doing 'surveys', and there was the odd hazmat suit actor lurking around, though they're not particular roaming actors I guess.. Some photos of the actors: (Both of the above from Total Thorpe Park). And a couple of photos featuring me, as a plug for my 'beautiful' face... (This one was my particular favourite - he had such a high pitch voice :'))

The way that you say that, it sounds like you think AT aren't Number 1 at the moment - is that what you feel? Or have I just misunderstood what you said? Personally, I think the whole 'question' if you will of 'Which park is number 1?' depends entirely on what criteria you use to judge how good a park is. If you use the simple facts of attendance figures, then Alton will be number 1 and will be number 1 for the foreseeable future. AT get around 3 million guest a year don't they? Thorpe and Legoland are each getting around the 2 million mark, and neither can expand much more to cater an extra million guests a year. Thorpe specifically mentioned in their MTDP that they only expect a slight increase in attendance figures, to around 2.3-2.4 million guests a season (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, plucking these figures from memory), so there's no way Thorpe will catch Alton up. If you're judging it on the rides the park have, it becomes much more difficult. For someone who has a bias towards hardcore thrill rides, the rides at Thorpe on the whole are generally going to be rated higher than Alton's rides on the whole. For someone who feels a number one park should cater for everyone, Thorpe may well not even fit in the top 5 parks in the country on that criteria, and AT win pretty much hands down. So yeah, there's no real 'safe' way of objectively saying which park is number 1 if you base it solely on the rides; it just comes down to which park has your favourite rides pretty much. Maybe it should be about how well a park is received by it's target market. Here, Thorpe would do extremely well - their target is young adults, and the majority enjoy thrill rides, being 'scared' and like the 'rave' atmosphere, all of which Thorpe provide. Alton also do well, as they target families, and have the near-perfect blend of children's rides, thrill rides and rides for all the family. However, having that larger target means that they won't necessarily please everyone all the time - it becomes a lot more difficult. Then again, Thorpe are perhaps targeting a certain type of young adult - I won't use the word chav, as that's not it - but it targets young adults with a certain taste and style in things (which, you could say, chavs fall under). There's no definitive way of describing this 'type' of young adult, but they aren't technically targeting the whole of the young adult market, which again means it becomes difficult to please everyone in their target market. No other park in my opinion, however, comes as close as 'hitting the nail on the head' for this as Thorpe and Alton do, but I do think that Alton are just a little bit better at this.. Then you could just judge it on the experience and atmosphere a park provides, which goes to what Sheepie said earlier. Again, I think Alton, especially the staff on the whole, provide a much better atmosphere for the park than Thorpe do. The experience of doing to either of them are pretty equal. Again, both are pretty much better than most of the UK rivals, but Alton do really just pip Thorpe at this stage, tl;dr? Alton are better than Thorpe in most departments, though Thorpe are in some cases, a close second...

I didn't realise that! I guess that makes the rubble on top make a bit more sense now, but still seems a bit overkill. Still, great to see such attention to detail!

It's an interesting point you make Alex. Really and truly, the only thing Nemesis and Nemesis Inferno have in common is that they are B&M Inverts. However, that's the point in a way. From a general public perspective, as soon as they see the name (and perhaps even recognise the logo), it knocks the memory for anyone who has been on either of the rides - 'Oooh, it's similar to that one at Alton Towers!' It creates a connection between the parks and did wonders for marketing. Granted, enthusiasts literally labelled it as 'the next Nemesis', and were left bitterly disappointed by the goodness (but not brilliantness) of the ride. However, ask yourself this - how often do you see members of the public leave the ride disappointed? In my experiences, very rarely. So, this means one thing, regardless of the name, it's still a popular ride. To be honest, whether it's called Nemesis Inferno or Inferno, it won't make a blind bit of difference. Enthusiasts would still draw comparisons to Nemesis because they're the same ride type, The public would still lap up the ride as well. So yeah, the name choice doesn't bother me - either of the two fit the ride just fine. If you really want to look for some way to connect the theme of Inferno to Nemesis, the awakening of the Nemesis monster caused tremors all around the world, which lead to a volcano erupting on a tropical island - simple! As for the back part of the station, that's seemingly the equivalent of the Air tunnel. There's nothing specifically wrong with how it is, but it could just be much better. Nonetheless, it's really the only other piece of theming they could add to the ride, and it would be good if they did...

I'll assume many have seen this on TPM's Facebook page, but more theming has been added to Swarm - a telephone box! Looks quite nice, even if it feels like it's been pushed out of the ground with the rubble on top! Great to see more theming being added to the area. Just requires a bit more theming at the end of the course (near the brake run / final turn, which hopefully will turn up when Island A is in use) and it's perfect. No doubt some people are beginning to think 'Why can't they do this for the other coasters?' - but I'd ask the question, what small-scale theming pieces would you add to the likes of Colossus, Inferno and Stealth (in particular), and where could you put them? (Saw is the exception, as there's no doubt they could add more, and have the space to do so)

Well, this is a bit difficult, everyone giving different advice... Being a Bank Holiday, be prepared for it to be busy, of course. Today, both Chessington and Legoland were at capacity, and although Thorpe have been having troubles with attendances and lower attendances than expected, I expect they were very full today as well. Don't be surprised if the park does reach capacity tomorrow if I'm honest. Make sure that you and everyone you're going with has their tickets before arriving (being a regular at Alton, I assume you've got an Annual Pass, but if you're going with anyone who doesn't have one, it's best to make sure they've printed their ticket at home) and you arrive a good 10-20 minutes early, so you've got your choice of rides. As for what to do first, I don't think it matter too much. I find Colossus tends to get very long queues for most of the day regardless of how busy it is, so that's one option. You could then do Saw and Samurai quickly afterwards, then choose between heading to Nemesis Inferno (or Loggers, then Inferno, if you want), then do the likes of Stealth and Detonator. Then brave a queue for Swarm (it WILL have a queue, unfortunately). As Sidders said, have lunch later, between 2-3pm, as lunchtime queues are a bit shorter. Hit the water rides after lunch, as they're the most 'relaxing' things on park at the moment, then you can stay in the Lost City area and get X:\ No Way Out, Rush, Vortex, etc. sorted. Then there's smaller rides which you may want to do, as well as rerides. Your other option would be to RUN LIKE MAD to Swarm and hopefully have a very short queue. You could then work your way to Stealth and Nemesis Inferno, which will have short queues, and basically go in the opposite direction to above, head to Saw and Colossus, lunch, water rides and the flat rides. Let us know how you get on though, whatever you do!

All about supermarket's own brand Cherryade tbh. Tesco's version is better because it's 3p cheaper than Sainsbury's brand, and there's not a bit of different between them. 57p/60p for a 2 litre bottle - win. Seriously, love the stuff. Also 'Fizzio', a mixed fruit one Tesco do, is pretty darn good. Quite like Shloer too, mainly the White Grape, but no drink is worth over £2 a litre in my opinion, so only really go for the stuff when I see it for a pound a bottle.

The only way in and out of the hotel is to walk across the boardwalk which connects the reception area to the bridge. Presumably the reception area will be staffed all the time whilst guests are in there, which stops people wandering in without a card / wandering out when they shouldn't.

Right, I've had a nose through the plans, and if I'm honest, I think some people have been very quick to judge with this. First thing first. Thorpe are wanting to add this Snoozebox for three reasons: -Delays in construction of the main hotel. -"The current economic climate". -To determine the success of a hotel at Thorpe. The proposed coaster on Island E was one of two locations, with the second being Island A (next to Swarm). It seems much more likely, and sensible, to use Island A before E, as Sid said, but just in case people fear this could ruin potential development on the island, it won't. The plans repeatedly state that the Snoozebox will not "prejudice the coaster's development" and that the long term plan for the spot is for a major ride / similar usage. However, one thing I notice is that it says "The coaster on Area E now may not be built until 2016". This, to a degree, concerns me - as it could be implying that is the "2015" coaster (the plans do put 2012 and 2015 in speech marks when talking about them..), if it was planned for Island E, may now not be built until 2016, and thus not open until 2017? Unless Thorpe have some VERY big plans for Island A which they wouldn't be able to get granted for the 2015 coaster / under the approved MTDP, then we can't really see them waiting an extra 2 years to add a new coaster, can we? Of course, it would be nicer to see a coaster on that island than a temporary hotel, but it seems that at this stage, we would either see a temporary hotel or nothing occupy the space for the next few years anyway. As for the look, one thing which I think people forget in general about Island E is the size - it is very big. The actual Snoozebox is to be on the part of the island furthest away from any part of the park currently opened. Being only 7-9m in height (I think), it won't look too intrusive. Granted, it won't blend in, but hopefully it should only really be part of the background and won't draw attention to itself. Having a boardwalk connect it to the bridge will probably be the thing that draws the most attention to it. What I find quite humorous, in a way, is how people are quite happy to say that the marquee on park (which is more in the way of the park in general than this will be) is really no problem at all (as discussed shortly after Swarm opened), yet are moaning about how the appearance of this will turn out to be. Big white tent - fine, large, shipping container-like hotel - not fine. Strange really when you think about it.. I still wonder about this, though. They've had problems with the hotel (what exactly, is not specified) and are feeling the need to test the water with the idea. After so long of planning for a hotel, are Thorpe having cold feet about the idea? Have they thought that having a thrill park aimed at 16-30 year old may not lend itself to having a hotel at this stage? Is money holding them back? All of these are completely plausible, and have been said by fans for a while now. Another thing I find interesting is the date on these plans - 17th August. Unless I'm mistaken, it's very soon to be seeing these plans online? The plans for Storm Surge for example were drawn up in April 2010, and weren't submitted until July (and then the queue line was later changed). So, for a park to submit plans so soon after they were dated is, in my opinion, unusual. Is it just a case of they'd redesigned the plans at the last minute, but had been happy with it for a long time, or is this a bit rushed? I've heard for a long time that Thorpe wanted to get a hotel for 2013, and the plans do mention about how this enables them to push forward their long time plans of overnight stays and make the park open for longer, without necessarily keeping the rides open for longer as well. So yeah, very much on the fence about these plans. They're certainly a surprise and do seem a bit quick and rushed in a way, though it does help the park develop, create more jobs and give them a chance to prove to themselves a hotel is the right direction. Even if this has been quickly shot down, this should be a good thing for the park, though it does seem a bit risky. EDIT: Having just read the above comments, the plans state about keeping the dome open for guests, such as the Bar 360. I guess they will try and get added entertainment in for the evenings as well. I do agree that there will not be a lot to do however, especially as the room are pretty much a 'bare necessity' style.

I think the theatre is labelled as P4D for all council-submitted plans. Almost certain it won't return. However, on the topic of how the park looks in those plans in general - the Thorpe Belle isn't shown in the location of Saw Alive, though it has been in previous plans showing the entire park. Curious... My first reaction is just 'lulwat?' - but I'll give my full views when I've had a good nose around the plans on my laptop and not a quick look on my phone.

Do Chessie need to add another roller coaster? Of course they do. The centre focus of a theme park, arguably, is its coasters - they are pretty much the highlight of your average person's day, and the more they have, the better. With Vampire and Dragon's Fury as the two major family coasters, there's not that much throughput with them, which makes long queues even worse. What sort of coaster Chessie needs is a different matter - though I really don't care as long as it's for all the family, has a decent throughput and is worthwhile. Zufari is most definitely a major investment - I've heard costs of between £8-10 million for the entire project. Zufari is a perfect addition for a park like Chessie, as it combines the ride and zoo aspect into one; I also believe they're classing it as a 'ride', so I guess in a way that's a good thing. But yes, there needs to be another coaster at Chessington added, and sooner rather than later.

Well, it's his birthday, so he's th13teen today.. jeez Sidders! But yes, questions of is this right, sexualisation of children, etc. etc, do spring to mind, of course.

I believe that the marquee is staying exactly where it is. http://planning.runn...&DAURI=PLANNING Thorpe applied for a 'Permanent retention' of the marquee last year, which was approved by the council (I assume it was constructed with temporary permission or something?). It post-dates the MTDP which stated the area could potentially be used for a round ride or themed experience; so it is staying. As Benin said, there really just is not enough room on Swarm's island to have a ride underneath the Swarm. Include into that a queue line and such, it would be pretty much impossible.

(Aimed at the picture, and not Liam, for the record..)

By lock, I mean won't become any looser, sorry. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but with most rides, isn't it the case that you can tighten restraints half way through rides, but not loosen them, due to the nature of the locking systems?

The black vests lock as soon as the train starts to move, I believe. I've yet to experience this tightening of restraints on Swarm; never actually had a problem with them whatsoever..

Swarm would be an interesting one to try out, but not sure how long you could last over and over again... Th13teen would probably be my choice - enjoyable, smooth and rerideable to this extreme. As a side, a survival challenge on Colossus at Thorpe would be good 'fun' as well...

I have 35 points. Is that good? I really have no clue as to how this works / what I'm doing, just making it up as I go along..

That happened a few years ago with the likes of Inferno, Colossus and probably a couple of others that I can't remember. It created an awful amount of congestion and did not really work. With Swarm, it would be even worse, as there's no where safe for guests to wait and for staff to be made aware of single riders - it would be logistically speaking, near-on impossible. I don't think a SRQ would work for Swarm's station design anyway. Would probably end up like the front row queue, being given a pass, expect you'd have to wait inside the station by the batcher to get on.. The front row system will probably end up obsolete soon too; confusing and not that necessary really..

Well I've joined, for some reason...