JoshC.

A nice POV, with stats and all

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Queues obviously look worse thanks to social distancing (if guests do so properly, which tbf seemed to be the case when I went on Saw last week) and reduced throughputs. Saw in particular is a struggle since it's 1 group per row (or even 1 per car if they're a group of 5 or 6). Under normal conditions, that queue would probably not even be reaching the high cattlepen with all extensions open, and would move quicker. I noticed Paultons also are feeling this even worse, with their small queues. Pterosaur, Velociraptor and Cobra all had queues well outside their entrances for large parts of the day during my visit in the Easter week.

Somehow I forgot to share my thoughts here after my visit last week. I guess my thoughts will pretty much echo Mark's. Tornado Springs is one of, if not, the, most complete theme park areas in UK. It has something for everyone - play areas, rides of varying height restrictions and thrills, eateries, etc. It's seeping with detail and theming all around. It is brilliant. Some parts feel a little cheap and bordering on tacky admittedly (the hay bales in particular feel a bit out of place), but that is nit picking. Storm Chaser is a solid coaster. Not as spin-y as the other Mack spinner I've done, but still packs a nice little punch. I think one thing that the area does highlight is the park's ambition going forward. High quality rides, with high throughputs. If anything, it perhaps overshadows the rest of the park slightly, and shows some of the shortcomings even more - especially operation-wise. Storm Chaser with its two trains can power through the crowds, but the rest of the park's coasters trudge on by. That's not a criticism per se, but it shows that the park have used this opportunity to level up. I can't wait to see what the next major development at the park ends up being.

Storm Surge reopened for the first time this season today.

Sounds nice. Will believe it when I see it. A quote from this article reminds us it's still not all sunshines and rainbows ahead:

If the park were to remove / relocate Storm Surge (or pretty much any ride), they would do it during closed season, not main season. Especially a ride such as Storm Surge, with it's location slap bang in the middle of the park. If the park are going to put a ride in the Loggers Leap area, I wouldn't expect they would put one in such a way that the ride's entrance/exit is where the trees are, as it means a lot of permanent paving would need to be built to access it. I know a lot of jokes are made about Thorpe's SBNO list and such, but if Storm Surge was never to open again, I would expect the park to remove it. It is simply too prominent to not remove. Loggers Leap and Jungle Escape are easily hidden. Saw Alive is very much out of the way as most people don't walk down that pathway. Slammer is in a more prominent location, and yet still remains somewhat obscured; many people do not notice it. Storm Surge would be noticed by everyone. As for what is wrong with Storm Surge, no clue. As Marc says, work was done to it over closed season (there's now an extension built onto the the small maintenance shed under the lift hill), and it was testing before the park opened. As no work was actively taking place when I visited on Tuesday and Wednesday, I can only assume that that means something happened and they are awaiting a part to be delivered. Yes, I do think it's the end. I think Covid plays a part too here, as it would have at least come back last year if that wasn't a thing. Whilst escape rooms are popular, and I do think they have a future at existing in theme park resorts if done right, Jungle Escape was priced incorrectly, wasn't that good as an escape room and just didn't quite work. Hopefully we see the space repurposed for a permanent Fright Nights attraction again! Also, a couple of other changes I noticed at the park: -More rides now have new entrance board signage. They look nice, and no longer have the pointless 'Ride Open'/'Ride Close' time card slots -New speed bumps after the barriers when leaving the park. They're pretty vicious!

I'm not all that familiar with the rules, but I believe much of it is set by the manufacturers rather than the parks. The reason that anyone who is non-ambulant would not be allowed on a coaster, for example, is in case of an evacuation. The park is responsible for getting everyone off safely, and that is extremely difficult to do with someone who is unable to walk. Manufacturers are the ones responsible for designing the rides and for thinking of these things, and if they design it so that 'anyone who cannot walk must be evacuated by another person', then few parks are going to take on that risk. I've always been under the impression that European parks are usually less inclusive than us when it comes to certain disabilities. But that could be something I've gotten confused about over time, as I've not got first hand experience of it.

I get the point you're trying to make, but the way your posts read here is that because the park are failing to deliver a suitable accessible system, it should be removed for non-wheelchair users who do need it. Which...isn't right.

I think ultimately the issue is that if Merlin change their policy and changes how they decide who qualifies for a RAP, it will result in backlash. And all it takes is for one person to then to a paper and you have the headline 'Theme park says I'm not disabled' or similar, and it blows up. There was one last year about how a disabled guest was refused access to Smiler and it got a lot of media attention. Merlin ultimately want to avoid that. One thing which needs saying here though, as a few people are saying this, is that I can imagine that many RAP users aren't happy with the situation. Yes, there's people who are using the system who perhaps shouldn't be, but there will equally be those who are using it because it's their only choice. And the system is arguably failing those people. Benin makes an excellent point about ensuring staff are properly trained to use the system. So many staff don't understand how it works. A glaring hole in Merlin's system is that, in most cases, the staff who fill out the RAP cards also have no clue how long the queue is (/ is advertised as being), so they can't actually follow the system correctly themselves. Many probably don't have a watch or pen. I genuinely think if the system was used correctly, things would be better (not perfect, by any means, but better). It also needs better explaining to guests when given to them. I think also that Chessington seems to suffer the most because of the family nature of many rides, and the 'how to count children and carers whilst allowing inclusivity' complications. I don't know what the answers to improve the system. As others have said, staff who are there to ensure the system is used correctly won't do so because they feel it's not worth the hassle. That's a culture which needs changing. Or you need a system which circumvents staff getting involved as much as possible (say, a digital system), but that costs money, time and creates new issues. Changing the policy runs the risk of a PR nightmare (and might only be putting a plaster over the broken system, rather than fixing it). But simply put, the parks need to improve the RAP situation, as it is only becoming more of an issue, for everyone involved.

Nice try, but an indoor top spin would be about 20 years too late to be a world's first... See also Wikipedia

Plot twist: After taking a short trip to the park today, I can confirm that the 5th green light on the station-side IS WORKING! Buuuuuutttttttttt, the corresponding light on the launch track is not lighting up. They surely haven't just moved the broken lights around, have they?

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

And of course, today was the day Tornado Springs finally opened. The whole area looks wonderfully themed, with a perfect mix of attractions for everyone, and should be bang on the money for Paultons. I'm incredibly looking forward to my visit on Thursday! For anyone who wants to see pictures, there's plenty posted by CoasterForce, Thrill Nation and Attraction Source: https://www.facebook.com/CoasterForce https://www.facebook.com/ThrillNation https://www.facebook.com/AttractionSource

Forbidden Tomb is not returning, in name, nature or anything outside dreams.

A look at this year's park map: It's very much a brighter version of the app version of the map which has been used for a few years. For updates from today, follow Mr TPM himself Marc's updates on TPM's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thorpeparkmania