JoshC.

Banned for being a Facebook stalker!

Popped down to Thorpe today for a few hours, as part of my birthday and to check out the Mash Up event: We arrived about 15 minutes before park opening, and the sun was gloriously shining. Unlike my trip on Wednesday, it was meant to stay more or like this the whole day! Brilliant birthday weather! Unsurprisingly, it was busy. This was expected by us, but in a way, it seemed as though some of admissions was a little bit overwhelmed. We joined the AP queue, which was about the length of the make-shift fence they have, where we were instructed to 'fill up all the spaces', which made us packed in more like sardines, as opposed to queueing. There was no one scanning tickets / stamping hands, so I had a bad feeling that we'd be waiting for a while to get in once the gates opened. About 5 minutes before gates opened, it seemed as though someone had the clever idea of scanning APs before gates opened, only to realise they didn't have a stamp to show whose passes had been scanned. After about a dozen or so people had their APs scanned, gates had opened and the queue moved slowly for APs to get scanned, whilst ordinary ticket holders could flood in with the copious scanning machines they have open to them. It is a real bug bear I have - there are only a couple scanners in the designated AP queue, whilst there's loads for normal ticket holders. I understand the difference in numbers, but a couple more can't hurt? Or maybe making sure that tickets are scanned earlier? Admissions has been pretty good so far this season, but today they seemed to muck it up a little... First ride up was Swarm, deciding to get it out of the way. Despite the slight getting-in hold-up, we got there before the majority of people, resulting in a queue which should only last about 20 or so minutes. Everything was going smoothly, and we were handed back row left, which was good. Then, three rides before we were due to go on, there was some technical glitch. What, not a clue, but a glitch nonetheless. One thing I loved was how there were themed announcements (one for riders on the breaks staying to remain seated and calm, and another saying that 'Due to ongoing investigations, this area has had to be temporarily closed off', or along those lines at least). They did the job. After a few minutes, and a test run, everything was working again it seemed (which led to a loud cheer from everyone in the station and queue!). Then, two rides later, another glitch occurs, leaving one train a third of the way up the lift hill, and another half-way in the station. More themed announcements and another short wait, everything was all sorted again and the ride was operational once more (which didn't receive a cheer from anyone, seemingly as people were not convinced..). Anyways, we got our ride, and it was good to see that the mist and water effects were working in the morning this time. Also, got caught by the water squirter by the fire engine (on purpose; I did stick my hand out of course!), though more on that in a minute.. After Swarm was said and done, we decided Saw times should be had. After 'trekking' all the way to the other side of the park, the queue was closed off and the blades had stopped rotating - it was evidently not operating. Seemed we had a bit of a jinxed touch. Instead, with a half hour(ish) queue, and to help with my quest to have the special 10 rides this season, we opted to do Colossus. The silent disco at Colossus only takes place at certain times, and we weren't in the time slot, so no disco for us. Ah well, not big issue really. I assume this was something to do with said silent disco, and finishing touches were being made? Flying overheard. Despite lack of theming, I like Colossus' 'photogenicity' (made up word, but meh XD) Bright light, dull paint coaster. Up the lift hill. It's been absolutely ages, a good year and a half at least, since I queued for Colossus any longer than the final stretch of queue, so it was nice to see parts of the ride from the queue. Following my extremely rough ride on Wednesday, which reminded me why I avoided the ride, I enjoyed the relatively comfortable, yet forceful, back row ride I had. Only one small uncomfortable jolt during the ride; not too bad. Gives me faith in the ride, and makes me remember it is actually an alright coaster. Saw had reopened, with a 40ish minute queue, so we decided to go for it. I noticed how the ordinary music had extended into the Saw Plaza, which certainly made it feel...different. I think it's a ride that benefits from having unique audio if I'm honest. As for the ride it's, we were in front row on the second car. I still enjoy the ride, but one thing which annoys me more and more is how quiet and empty the inside section feels. The theming and sound effects that are there are good, but it just doesn't feel as though there's enough. Even just background music would work. A bit of a shame I've grown to dislike the inside a bit, but I still enjoy the ride, and don't find it rough, which is good. A couple of piccys: PIGEONS!! I like the shop sign, it reminds me slightly of the font used for Swarm as well for some reason.. A new sign addition it would seem..? Lunch was had at the noodle bar, and was slightly disappointing. It seems as though they're using different noodles to previous seasons, and they're not as nice really. A bit of a shame, as I liked the noodle bar in previous seasons, and I'll probably end up eating at the outlets on the other side of the park from now on; Desparados, Kebab or R&R for me! Also, a shout out to thorpeparkjack - I think I saw him headed off to Loggers as I was eating, but it only registered that it was him after 10 seconds after I saw him! General wondering around occurred, including a quick view of Sunken Garden as well as rides on Rush, Vortex and X:\NWO. Quite enjoy those rides; all add something to the park's line up. Rush was operating on both swings today (yay!) but was incredibly squeaky and noisy (will try and upload a video tonight / tomorrow), whilst Vortex was on a good cycle and X was really fun, as ever. Strange thing with X, after my first go, I found it pretty boring (probably as I was comparing it to other 1.4m rides, which seemed much better), and I only ever went on it a couple of times for a few years. About 2009/2010 my love for it was founded, and I continue to enjoy it! Sunken Gardens look pretty as ever. Mash Up DJ or something. Ministry of Sound merchandise. Mash Up stuff. Two-swinged Rush! Vortex has numbered seats...since when? A quick peep over to The Swarm to see what the 'Rockioke' was like (it had an hour-ish queue, which we opted not to do to instead check out Mash Up stuff). We didn't actually get there in time for the 'Rockioke', but this caught my eye: Quite new; the sign certainly wasn't there Wednesday (though I believe it was there yesterday). Anyone who can guess the important Thorpe Park employee on the right gets a prize or something.. XD You can also see the water splashing towards the plaza; it makes it just past the fence and can get people wet. I guess the effect has been made slightly more powerful (felt it when it caught my hand onride) to reach that far; looks good! I guess this could be what Mer mentioned about improving the water effects? Just after 2, we headed over to the arena to check out the Mash Up show. It was a 'mash up' of bike stunts and free runners, with an announcer, who was giving out free shirts and bags, commentating it all. Worked really well, and is the first time I can ever recall three entrances to the arena being open at once! The stunts were obviously really good, and the routine was well choreographed; there was even a set piece they called 'The Swarm', which took inspiration from the ride apparently. Well done to them, and to Thorpe for getting them in. No video, but a few photos: Bike balancing on poles. The human flagpole. More human flagpole. Bike balancing. The guy with hat and sunglasses was the announcer; he was really good! Front wheel flew off (planned, of course..) Invest in a unicycle maybe? There was also a bit of slacklining going on. Now for those who were like me this morning and had no clue what slacklining is, pretty much, there's an elasticated strip slightly elevated and secured. You then do some freestyle tricks on it; a bit like a thin trampoline if you will. I've got a video of the professionals doing it (again, to be uploaded tonight/tomorrow), and there was a workshop for people to try it out themselves I believe (though I didn't stick around for that, having to leave). For now though, here's a couple of pictures: Superman pose. Of course, it's very difficult to balance on this thing. Slacklining was being billed as 'extreme balance sport'. This guy was the best I think. Did some amazing tricks and was obviously very passionate about what he was doing! It looks like he's falling, but that's part of the trick.. In short, anyone making the trip to Thorpe this weekend - check out the arena! Last photo - Ministry of Sound balloons! So, after about 6 hours on park, had to move on as other birthday things were happening. I'm sticking with my views on this event which I had when I first heard about it - it's brilliant, but I personal preferred the Twisted Carnival / Cirque du Freak thing they've had, but that's my taste. I loved the use of the arena, and those sort of events should take place more often in the arena. Very good event for the park that's worked a treat; I can see it pleasing all those who go there, and it returning for a good couple of seasons over Easter weekend! Well done Thorpe!

Banned for not liking Ant and Dec.

Only trouble with that is...it's 230ft? The MTDP outlines 'round rides' won't exceed 25m in static height, and 30m when operating (ie, about 100ft). And they can't very well dig a hole, can they? Unless I've missed something there..

Banned for having a food product in his signature; especially one which is not very nice!

I voted no. Simply put, Thorpe Park have a wide array of flat rides, and a topspin just doesn't add that much to what they've already got. It's a ride that usually gets you wet - Thorpe have 5 water rides as it is, so another water-based ride would have to be a bit special, which topspins are not. To not add water effects to this sort of ride would be wasteful, though. Also, it's just not that unique - many, many theme parks have them, and it's not really a ride to scream and shout about in honesty. It would have to be extremely special for it to be of any worth to the park. As said, Thorpe have a wide array of flats, some of which are quite unique. If Thorpe decide to get a new flat ride, they should add something which further adds to this line up, not be a ride that makes other rides seem better. (As a side note, I'd love to see Thorpe go for an enclosed ride of some description - would work a treat if given the correct thought!)

Though, no music was playing on Depth Charge when I went on it, which was a shame, as I like DC's music..

Banned for having an unnecessarily bright and colourful signature makes me think of Skittles and Curly Wurlys at the same time. Also for having a member name that looks like 'meh' (am I allowed to have two stupid reasons? )EDIT: Grr, beaten to it. Smidget is banned for jumping the virtual queue and stealing my spot!

I think minor Swarm issues should be expected for the first month or so in fairness. I'm not defending any breakdowns, but little blips will happen. I think that, bar Rush, the season has started off relatively smoothly, and hopefully the general reliability will improve in the next couple of weeks..

Double post - the anarchy!!!Loggers Leap was down all the time I was here today (probably was down all day). Some work was being done near the top of the main lift it would seem. Rumba Rapids and Stealth opened a bit late, with bits of work happening on Stealth early morning. Swarm and Tidal Wave had a couple of little blips too; they both got stopped on the lift hill a couple of times during the day. Didn't last longer than 5 or so minutes, which is good of course!

Annoying blend on sun, rain, wind and cloud down at Thorpe Park today. Kept guest numbers down a bit I guess, but it made dressing for the weather rather difficult.. XD

Getting my Stealth one Friday; will complete my Thorpe collection of them. :$In other news, I noticed today that there's Swarm snow globes!

I guess it's a case of what floats your boat then. :PPersonally, I'd slightly prefer it to open on 2 trains on time than on 1 train early, but that's more because I prefer not to feel like I'm stuck in a non-moving queue. Tbh, whichever situation happened, probably would've got on Swarm at the same time, so it's not like it ruined further course of events.

Today seemed strangely quiet. Swarm did reach a 90min+ queue near the beginning of the day, but had died down by 2pm to about 40mins. Colossus started off big, but was 5/10 mins for a fair bit of the afternoon. Saw and Inferno never really peaked about the hour mark either, with most flats and water rides never really getting above 20-30mins. For Easter, pretty good. Not sure whether any other day this Easter break will be like that mind..

Yeah, park opened half an hour early. I've no problem with that, but if they're going to, may as well do it properly, no?

Swarm's effects were a bit off today. No water or mist in the morning, though the water had returned by the afternoon; good to see that they got it running eventually. Also a bit disappointed that in my previous 2 visits the mist has gone off, and the second fire engine has lacked any sort of effect. I hope something gets sorted soon.Another small grumble was how Swarm only started with one train this morning. Personally, unless the other train has a technical issue (which seemed doubtful), then there's no excuse for the brand new roller coaster to operate on one train during the Easter break. It turned what should have been a 10-15 queue into about a 30 minute queue, and we were unfortunate enough to be right at the front of the queue when they decided to add on a second train, adding more waiting time. I do hope there was a good reason for starting on one train operation, otherwise I'm disappointed. On the other hand, when they have two trains running, the team are doing incredibly well, and that should be applauded!

Thanks for that astounding report Mer - really enjoyed it, and looking at all those photos. It's nice to see the Thrills Workshop how it's meant to be; last time I saw the inside of it, most of the stuff had been moved elsewhere / out of the way for a Swarm train to be put together. Also good to see that those Storm Surge models are proudly on show; I know a few of the people who put them together for coursework, and they well and truly put months of effort and research into them!As for the thing you said about the fire engine being in the staff car park, I think I got a sneaky snap of it last May: (Sorry for poor quality)Really glad you and Ben had a great trip! Very good to see Thorpe doing all this for us 'geeks', though looking at those plans for the woodie do make me disappointed with Saw, and that's coming from a Saw fan..!

'Xplorer Central' have uploaded copious photos of a Behind the Scenes event of Swarm, which was held for the ECC: http://xplorercentra...uk/?page_id=400Here's the cream of the crop (all photos used with permission, and with thanks to XC):Roughly proposed queues, and their lengths. Though cut off, the main queue line is 450m and can hold 90 mins worth of queueing time. Nice shot of the helicopter in the making.By%20the%20looks%20of%20it,%20if%20you%20are%20putting%20your%20arms%20up,%20you%20are%20a%20mere%20couple%20of%20inches%20away%20from%20some%20thematic%20elements.<a%20%20data-cke-saved-href=The accessible rickety jetty was omitted from the plans 3 days before the council accepted them. Could this mean the council weren't too keen on the idea?Love how casual the presenters look in this mock up.. XDInteresting proposal. Very interesting the original concept was 'alien machines', and we've ended up with 'alien life forms'.Comparison between the two.The meaning of LC12 - revealed!More story stuff. Love the teasing 'in the UK... for now' bit. Original plan to have bits of theming in the actual lake.So yeah, all very interesting stuff. Explains a couple of bits and bobs too. Of course, there's more photos in the link above; mostly very good!

Thanks for that brilliant TR James - really enjoyed it! :DAbsolutely jealous of the fact you got on a quiet day too - those rerides! Glad you had a great day, and it really makes me want to visit Germany and their theme parks all the more.

Ah, I didn't know that these experiences are similar sizes to round rides! I more just thought it could be classed as an 'experience' as it has flashing lights and smoke, and it away from the general ride area..

Love those statues - first time I saw it, I just had to get it... :wub:They need to make a Swarm bear though. Would be amazing.

As for the idea of Swarm replacing Alive, I think it could work, just won't happen. Saw Alive's hours have been cut, which either shows lack of interest or cost cutting (I don't know, nor really care that much tbh). If they replace Alive with a Swarm themed maze / attraction, then it could create a story of how 'The Swarm are spreading' (which they sorta are really) and such, which I think adds an extra dimension to the story, and would be easy to portray with TVs / audio / whatever. It would certainly be a nice addition, if they did it well.Why don't I think it will happen? Too close to Saw, too much theming would just be wasted, and it would seem pointless to keep replacing a full time maze every 2 seasons just to keep up with the latest coaster.. I think something a little bit closer to The Swarm's home - the marquee (if it does become redundant from the hotel and such..) or the larger side of the beach; both places have been outlined as potential spots for rides in the MTDP.As for the 'experience', it is possible it is the fire engine besides Depth Charge - the MTDP is hardly set in stone after all, especially for smaller things. I've always assumed the fire engine to be said experience, but meh. I'd love the idea of some bolt-on ride for Swarm. However, I won't be too fussed if we don't end up with one (or with a new ride at all really)... Anyways, it's all about the wait for Nemesis Inferno Sub Terra!

I read it as he knows of no one in the GP who find it thrilling, as opposed no one in the GP likes it full stop. :SIn honesty, with a bit of effort, X could be pretty decent.

The replacement of Saw Alive for a Swarm attraction (not necessarily a maze, though probably) could work with a theme of how 'The Swarm is spreading' and such. After all, we've got an attack at a theme park, and it will surely spread - an alien race isn't just going to attack one small area. Okay, not the greatest idea in terms of where the attractions are, and I personally think it is doubtful, but it is certainly feasible. As for the bolt-on ideas, I like them - if they're executed correctly. What's wrong with extending attractions to have support rides just for them? It creates greater continuity in themes; bit like having a themed land, expect just around a specific ride brand. Just as long as parks don't get too dependent on one ride's idea, I see no problem in it. As for a 2013 location, I've heard rumours the MHFS is doubtful, and it's actually somewhere else. Where, I do not know, and how true these rumours are is of course a different matter; guess it's a case of the waiting game!

I'm still in the weird position where I slightly prefer Spinball.. :SI like the theme to Fury much better, but I find Spinball's layout and that more fun. I put it more down to riding Fury more, but Spinball has to strange slight edge. Though my mind changes a lot; they're both good rides I'd say..