JoshC.

1) Oblivion
2) Nemesis
3) Air
4) Hex: The Legend Of The Towers
5) Duel - The Haunted House Strikes Back
6) The Gardens
7) Nemesis: Sub-Terra
8) Runaway Mine Train
9) Th13teen
10) The Flume
11) Congo River Rapids
12) Battle Galleons
13) Skyride
14) Marauder's Mayhem
15) Rita
16) Ripsaw
17) Ice Age: The 4D Experience
18) Sonic Spinball
19) Enterprise
20) Sharkbait Reef by SEA LIFE
21) The Towers
22) Riverbank Eye Spy
23) Old MacDonald's Singing Barn
24) Heave Ho!
25) Squirrel Nutty Ride
26) Haunted Hollow
27) Driving School
28) Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
29) The Blade
30) Frog Hopper
31) Galloper's Carousel
32) Doodle Doo Derby
33) Berry Bish Bash
34) Twirling Toadstool
35) Wobble World
36) There's Something In The Dunheap
37) Submission
Well done Oblivion. Well done Submission for being the worst ride in the park. Well done B&M for confirming their supremacy by being 1, 2 and 3. Well done Intamin for being comprehensively beaten by nature.
If I wanted grass I would go to a garden centre Alton Towers!

This could well come in handy at some point in the future..

Swarm - The Evolution?

This could well come in handy at some point in the future..

This could well come in handy at some point in the future..

You should all be ashamed of yourselves

I think that the way Alton's planning permission works is they have a General Development Order (not entirely sure if that's right?) so that they don't actually need to apply for planning permission for any coasters in the main park, as long as they meet the pre-agreed conditions in the GDO. The planning permission was more for the construction of the station building and large theming, I think.So, in theory, it is possible that the layout we've seen on the plans could differ to the layout we get. There are a couple of things which lead people to think this is the case, such as the track crossing bits of theming / itself on the plans and the rumours that what we've got was not the original plan for SW7. Personally, I don't think the track will change dramatically / at all, but the hole for the interlocking batwing / cobra roll is a lot deeper than shown on the plans, so possibly the track is too?
There's been the rumours of the 'actual' SW7 being pushed back till SW8 due to technical issues or something, hence why we've got this unexpected coaster. I've heard rumours that trick track was meant to be involved, possibly what TT had mentioned, and then that had issues, which has resulted in the delay we've got now. Really and truly, this project is a complete mystery, and my goodness I'm loving it..
Personally, I think that SW7 is the first coaster to feature invisible track, and most of the coaster has already been built...

The Swarm backwards rumours said that only the back two rows would be turned backwards. Hence, it could reduce throughput because many people would want to go backwards, but then there's only 2 rows, which can cause huge complications. A bit similar to how Single Rider Queues can reduce throughput if they're not run properly I guess, except to a greater extreme. It just seems so ridiculously unlikely I don't know why we're even considered it.. (Then again, whenever I say something like that, I've always found that thing actually happens, so I have no idea what to think.. )
As for this big announcement, would it really be the return of CCR? I mean, they're announcing it on Facebook (and likely Twitter) to their millions of fans - would they take that opportunity to advertise a ride re-opening that doesn't directly fit their target market? Personally, I don't think so - they're going to use this opportunity to announce something bigger than that, and something that hasn't already been announced (ie - it won't be The Crash Pad, though I guess it could be something special about them).

Air (5)
Duel - The Haunted House Strikes Back (5)
Hex: The Legend Of The Towers (5)
Nemesis (7)
Oblivion (5)
The Gardens (3)
Nemesis +
Gardens -
Aww, no Sub Terra any more. Could have at least kicked Duel out before it..

No, the original plans, plans we have never seen and the first to be tagged SW7, were for something else, probably on Air carpark and probably by B+M. The plans we've seen from Gerst replace that coz it wasn't ready or something, those original plans are likely to be revisited in the future and may well become what will be known as SW8..
So they are building to the plans we've seen called SW7. Roughly. Because the coaster plans don't have to be exact and the groundworks suggest it is at least a little different to plan. The high points, station, and large themeing objects will be as planned though, as that is what the permission was actually for.
That, in theory with a lot of (reliably sourced) speculation, is SW7 in a nutshell.

I think that the way Alton's planning permission works is they have a General Development Order (not entirely sure if that's right?) so that they don't actually need to apply for planning permission for any coasters in the main park, as long as they meet the pre-agreed conditions in the GDO. The planning permission was more for the construction of the station building and large theming, I think.So, in theory, it is possible that the layout we've seen on the plans could differ to the layout we get. There are a couple of things which lead people to think this is the case, such as the track crossing bits of theming / itself on the plans and the rumours that what we've got was not the original plan for SW7. Personally, I don't think the track will change dramatically / at all, but the hole for the interlocking batwing / cobra roll is a lot deeper than shown on the plans, so possibly the track is too?
There's been the rumours of the 'actual' SW7 being pushed back till SW8 due to technical issues or something, hence why we've got this unexpected coaster. I've heard rumours that trick track was meant to be involved, possibly what TT had mentioned, and then that had issues, which has resulted in the delay we've got now. Really and truly, this project is a complete mystery, and my goodness I'm loving it..
Personally, I think that SW7 is the first coaster to feature invisible track, and most of the coaster has already been built...

I think that the way Alton's planning permission works is they have a General Development Order (not entirely sure if that's right?) so that they don't actually need to apply for planning permission for any coasters in the main park, as long as they meet the pre-agreed conditions in the GDO. The planning permission was more for the construction of the station building and large theming, I think.So, in theory, it is possible that the layout we've seen on the plans could differ to the layout we get. There are a couple of things which lead people to think this is the case, such as the track crossing bits of theming / itself on the plans and the rumours that what we've got was not the original plan for SW7. Personally, I don't think the track will change dramatically / at all, but the hole for the interlocking batwing / cobra roll is a lot deeper than shown on the plans, so possibly the track is too?
There's been the rumours of the 'actual' SW7 being pushed back till SW8 due to technical issues or something, hence why we've got this unexpected coaster. I've heard rumours that trick track was meant to be involved, possibly what TT had mentioned, and then that had issues, which has resulted in the delay we've got now. Really and truly, this project is a complete mystery, and my goodness I'm loving it..
Personally, I think that SW7 is the first coaster to feature invisible track, and most of the coaster has already been built...

Damn you all to hell. I don't want to play any more.
:-(
AND THIS WAS MY THOUSANDTHS POST APPARENTLY, WHAT A DISAPPOINTING WAY TO BREAK A MILESTONE.

So as the new year is getting along I'm sure many of TPM are looking at their calenders and budgets, so where are you going this year? Perhaps a jaunt to the well visited Florida and Orlando, or expanding the horizons in Europe... Or maybe even going to a non-Merlin park in the UK (the HORROR)...
So my plans so far for the year are:
- DLP in March
- Denmark in June (Farup Sommerland, Djurs Sommerland, Legoland, Bon-Bon Land, Bakken and Tivoli)
- New York in August (Coney Island)
And potentially more, but these are the definites (2 are indeed already booked)...
What about the rest of TPM?

Going to AT is quite a big deal for me and people who live as far away as I do, requiring a significant amount of planning. I would be genuinely annoyed if I had planned a visit around an advertised opening of a big new attraction and it wasn't ready in time, and I wouldn't consider myself a hater! I'd view this very differently to it having been opened but closing for an unforeseeable reason. Luckily I've made no plans at the moment!

So, new year, let's try and make use of the TPM calendar a bit more (this is said every so often and never works out, but let's try.. ).
A happy birthday to scarycoasterboy, aka Adam, who turned 16 today! Hope he's had a great day.

Unlikely that it would ever get any integrated lighting, as this would mean more would have to be changed than it would be worth. (You find that most KMG rides with integrated lighting systems have about 1/2 of the control panel for lighting control and only a small portion for actual ride functions.)
I think the only time we'd see any variation from what Vortex is now would be if they ever decided to have the ride retro-fitted with the new Lap-Bar seating arrangements, only 1 Afterburner has ever been fitted with them to this day so I'm unsure of the cost... They look great though! Some images below from KMG and Theme Park Review; these lap bars are so tiny, I think they would greatly improve the experience!

Sunken Gardens and Nature
Another thing I quite like is nature. Unfortunately, as we know, there's not a lot of quiet, green spaces around the park, yet it always interests me just how much wildlife survives around the park (probably scrounging from food which is just chucked on the floor and such, but meh, still interesting). So, here's a nice little section dedicated to the park's only real green space, Sunken Gardens, whose days could well be numbered, and random wildlife I've seen...

Pwetty flowers (think these were by Vortex actually).

The tranquillity of Sunken Gardens. Even with the loud launches of Stealth, and the roars of Swarm in the distance, it always feels really peaceful.

Sunken Gardens II

Sunken Gardens III

DUCKS!

Nature-y, I guess. I believe under the bridge in the distance is where there's a arm with a sword poking out, relating to something from the 80s? One of the older members who visited the park back then may know more information if they have a clue what I'm referring to..
A Look Ahead
2013 sees the introduction of The Crash Pad. I am in the minority in thinking the look of them won't be that bad, especially as once you're inside the park, you really just won't see them / pay attention if you do catch a glimpse of them. I also remain hopeful that, like most Merlin shipping containers, that they'll be well-styled. Despite the high prices (at least, I think they are), I believe that they'll be a success - especially for the club nights. It will be interesting to see just how popular they are however, and if this testing of the water shows that Thorpe do need a proper hotel. It seems highly likely that there won't be a new attraction (as in, something brand new installed) next season, with the only rumour circulating around being Vengeance moving into the old 4D theatre. Personally, I hope it doesn't happen - the ride doesn't have the throughput to cope with the park, and just wouldn't be a worthwhile investment in my eyes; I'd much rather a 4D film put in place. There's also the rumour of X being refurbished hugely, with new, forward-facing trains. Whilst I hope that there is a fair bit of money injected into the ride, I'd personally prefer it to stay facing backwards - why take away the thing that is most special about the ride? Apart from that, I'd like to see some spruce ups here and there; just generally improve the park's appearance a bit more.
And so, that is more or less it - another season down. The 2012 season for me has been a bit quieter Thorpe-wise for me, due to illness over the summer and moving to university in October, which has been a shame, as with the introduction of the world-class Swarm, the park is really improving. Hopefully the 2013 season at Thorpe for me should see me on park a little more, and show everyone how the park doesn't need to add big, new attractions left, right and centre to draw guests in. To round this all off, like this last season's review, I'll post my 2012 Thorpe Ride Count:
The Swarm x15
Colossus x14
Vortex x8
Nemesis Inferno x6
X:\No Way Out x6
Saw - The Ride x5
Flying Fish x5 (16 laps in total)
Rumba Rapids x4
Rush x4
Samurai x3
Loggers Leap x3
Zodiac x3
Detonator x2
Stealth x2
Storm Surge x2
Depth Charge x1
Quantum x1
Slammer x1
The Passing x1
Experiment 10 x1
Thank you for reading; any comments / criticisms would be greatly appreciated! Look out for my PTRs and reviews next season!

http://www.chessington.com/zufari/behind-the-scenes/
Don't know how long this has been around, but there's now a sort of Developer's Diary for Zufari on the main page. Notice how they also refer to Zufari as a 'themed land', and the attraction as 'Zufari: Ride into Africa'. Probably reading into that too much, but possibly this could mean that this African theme could expand, possibly seeing a retheme of Forbidden Kingdom into a more Zufari-style African theme?
Also, this was posted on Chessie's Facebook page a couple of days ago:

Gyasi and Kanty.
Seriously, Chessington are hitting all the right notes with this project!

Theme UK have released a few more images of the vehicles today.



I love the detail that has gone into these and hope this level of detailing can be seen throughout the whole of Zufari.

The date has now been confirmed - Really looking forward to this!

So, here's my view on the next Big Thing for Thorpe.
In the past 10 years, Thorpe's big additions were Colossus, Inferno, Stealth, Saw and Swarm. Each of them added something unique to them - inversions, inverted-ness, speed and height, (beyond-)vertical and winged coaster. In a park of Thorpe's size, with the number of attractions it has, it would be pretty silly really to have something which mimics these experiences. Immediately, in my mind, this rules out any coaster which would focus on any of these things, so any sort of multi-looper (by which I mean, the key focus is the number of inversions, not any form of coaster which has a large number of inversions), any inverted coaster, any launched coaster, anything with vertical drops as a focus (Euro Fighters, Dive Machines, etc.), or another winged coaster, or a flying coaster (as I believe it is thought that flying and winged coasters are 'similar experiences').
That knocks out quite a lot of options - the two stand out remaining options being a (steel) airtime monster or a woodie. There are of course other options, such as mega coasters, spinning coasters and such, but I don't think these would fit the bill. A mega coaster is something which I think could possibly be the 'big thing after the next big thing', as I think at this stage, it wouldn't suit the park appropriately - they have a maximum height barrier of 50m, and can only exceed 30m once or twice I believe, and their coasters must not exceed 850m (all due to the MTDP). Due to those restrictions, a mega coaster just won't fit the bill at this stage in my mind. Spinning coasters are likely to have too low a throughput, and other ideas probably aren't popular enough.
Now then, a steel airtime monster. It is something that Thorpe lacks - airtime. It could realistically be done in the constraints they have, and given the opportunity, it would work perfectly as a step up coaster to the bigger coasters - another thing that Thorpe lacks. It seems like the perfect way to fit everything which the park is missing, as plenty of others have said. This also goes back to Benin's point earlier - a ride with no gimmicks, which is just great quality. Such a ride would no doubt be a cheap ride system as well, meaning that Thorpe have the option of installing a somewhat cheaper major attraction than normal, if they need to save on money, or have extra budget for theming or sprucing up the rest of the park. You can just imagine it on the island next to Swarm and working perfectly really. The only thing I can think of against it would be - is this what the public wants? Will a ride with no gimmicks, no inversions and such draw in the crowds, especially since the UK has been 'spoilt' by gimmicky coasters for so long now (even Swarm comes here, what with the wingrider concept). I guess that's something which only market research can tell...
Then, there's a woodie. Again, this fits the bill of giving opportunities for airtime and a step-up coaster to the bigger ones. The fact that one was seriously considered just a few years ago shows that there would definitely be interest in - after all, despite what Merlin's research tells them, the park wouldn't have gotten as far as they did with the plans under Tussauds if the ride wouldn't have been popular. With the whole thrillseeker / experience thing Thorpe have going, surely a woodie is a great idea - there's not too many around the UK right now (there's only been two installed in the past 50...), and it can be marketed to be very appealing. I've heard rumours of RMC being considered, with even a 3 coaster deal for Merlin being possible(!), and that would suit Thorpe well - has the appealing gimmick, can fit in what they'd want in the length required and such. No doubt RMC can develop their hybrids / woodie (whatever people want to call them) further, and if they prove to be a success, the type will naturally develop. Then, there's the tried and tested woodies, any of which could provide something to suit Thorpe. The problems I could think of here are marketability - if Merlin's findings really do reflect the general consensus of the public, is it worth the risk? Then there could be practicality issues - the whole new engineering team required (at least I think that's true, or is that whole thing just a load of rubbish?) and other possible issues.
But why does the next big thing have to be a coaster? Alton have apparently said that the Secret Weapon project code isn't necessarily restricted to just coasters now, meaning one of their next big things could be something like a dark ride, so why can't it be the same for Thorpe? Thorpe lacks a dark ride which isn't a coaster, so would be a welcome move in the park. Invest in one instead of a coaster, so spend at least £10 million in today's money, and then there's loads of possibilities to create an amazing dark ride which creates a brilliant atmosphere, and have a great ride system to go with it. I can't think exactly what could come from it, but with the correct ride system and the though put into it, it could be phenomenal. A couple of issues I can think of though - would the next big thing not being a coaster work in the long run? Even if it is a huge hit, I'd say the general link to theme parks is roller coasters - would 6-7 years be too long between coasters to keep the public continually going? Personally, I think this wouldn't be a problem, but it is still something to consider. Another problem is the location. If X is kept as it is, the park would need a large building would need to be created to house the ride. With Thorpe, it would be hard to create such a building in a suitable location (ie, one where it naturally fits in), as I personally think plonking a random building would ruin the skyline and look an eyesore in general. If X were to be removed, then this probably wouldn't be as much of an issue, as it could be housed in the pyramid / have a new building replace it, but otherwise, the location could prove to tricky.
So, really, I have no idea what the next big thing could be, or what I even would like it to be. Every idea I can think of has its own flaws / problem, so I seem to think that it just wouldn't happen. So, whenever the next big thing is planned for, I await the surprise of finding out what it is!

Thought I'd bring this back up - especially as a few people seemed to not be aware of all this in Chat last night1
There are currently New Year sales for the Thorpe Annual Pass and the Merlin Annual Pass!
-You can get a Thorpe AP for £58 online at the moment; the offer ends January 2nd.
-You can get a Standard Merlin AP for £99. You can visit any Merlin attraction to collect this (even Thorpe - the AP office is open for a few hours each day during January for some reason), or if you have a current MAP, you can still buy one, and use it as a 'renewal' when your pass runs out in affect. This offer runs out at the end of January.
So, LG95, if you can afford one now, definitely get an Annual Pass! Depending on how you feel about visiting other attractions and how much money you've got, I'd say go for the Merlin one; it will pay for itself and gives you more flexibility. Hope this has helped.
To all who are thinking about taking advantage of this, make sure you've 'Liked' the MAP Facebook page - the most recent sale (ie, the one in Jan 2012), they announced via Facebook that the offer would end a week earlier than planned. They then announced, again through FB, that if you sent an email to customer services, you could still take advantage of the offer till the end of the month. So yeah, keep your eyes peeled if you don't want to miss out.
Goodness, I feel like a Merlin advert now..

How about they just build a ride that is quality, no stupid gimmicks, just an attempt to create a ride that creates fun and enjoyment that essentially advertises itself by being a quality attraction...
Basically, Swarm... Again and again...

I thought it was common knowledge now that the 2015 coaster won't be built until 2016, owing to Thorpe's attention shifting to their "accommodation strategy", starting next season with Snoozebox next season and finishing with the completed hotel in 2015. I think it was Josh that pointed this out to me; it was buried deep in the proposed plans files for the Snoozebox application under a section called "Background". I took a screenshot for y'all:
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee432/OddOne93/THORPE2015.png
(Can't appear to be able to use .png on this community).
So it seem these hotel plans have also delayed out next coaster by a year! I'm hoping for a Mega-Lite á la Piraten at Djurs Sommerland, a Blitz like Maverick at Cedar Point, or a decent Woodie like El Toro or Outlaw Run.