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MikeC

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Posts posted by MikeC

  1. Really like the new music played in Lost City - its a tonne better than the shorter Colossus track which was playing around the area previously.

     

    Hopefully we will see more of the audio fixed too, the music used to play in the Zodiac / Vortex queue lines with announcements but don't think that's worked for a few years now.

  2. Do any of the farm buildings still exist? They could go for a haunted farm area. That way they could keep all the mazes etc in one area

    I Like the idea of this, But the railway is a right state, the disused part that used to lead to the farm anyway... Although this would be awesome, I'd rather see the railway used for some kind of interactive ride experience similar to Tulley's haunted hayride. :wub:

  3. It's incredibly loud - could hear it going around from the carpark today!

    Thank god the ropers aren't still in that house! ;)

    I can't find a reliable source, but apparently there have already been complaints about the noise?

  4. I went to Thorpe yesterday on my first visit of the season, and I actually really enjoyed X. The lights was good, the music was great and the fact that the cars just pass through the break sections makes for a far better ride now!

    Was just wondering does anyone actually know the list of songs used in there? some of them were really good! :P

  5. This is going to sound very random, but does anyone have the ambient audio that is played around the the Experiment 10 (or arena) area during fright nights? would be good to have for a project I am working on....

    In my opinion, after visiting the awesome parks in America over easter, having rides play theme music is really a much better choice than chart music, however given the crash pad being where it is, having the upbeat, well known chart music would probably add to the whole experience of staying there....

  6. You might of done - the first week or two is when you shift the most anyway with all the water retension leaving your body - plus I would assume your job is a lot more active than mine!

    The past couple of days has been torture - the first week I was really focused and found it easy to reduce the calorie intake but the last 3 days I keep craving stuff and really fancy eating some crap right now. I haven't but I'm constantly thinking about food at the moment :(

    Peaj, you're going about this all the wrong way my friend. A healthy diet will never leave you feeling washed out or hungry. Fill up on veg, fruit, lean meat and fish, and healthy fats (peanut butter, avocados, nuts, oily fish and olive oil).

    Your body needs calories to actually burn fat. Give it too little, and you'll end up slowing your metabolism down and storing fat. That's definitely not what you want.

  7. *warning, this is long*


    After a brief delay at East Midlands airport, I finally arrived at Hotel Portaventura after 11.00pm at night. Tired and very hungry, we grabbed a drink at the on-site café before heading to bed.


    I wolfed down a quick breakfast the next day before eagerly heading out into the park.


    Straight away you’re greeted by the gorgeous lake, with a lovely view of the B&Ms sitting proudly on the skyline. I just knew at this point that I’d fall in love with the place.


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    So, the first ride of the day was Furious Baco. I’d already heard how terrible this was, so wasn’t exactly disappointed by the awful ride experience (the launch is incredible, I’ll say that). The thing that really struck me was the vile cattlepen queue system – it seems to go on forever. The heat was uncomfortable in the queueing area as well. 5/10


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    My plan was to do the park slowly and take everything in. Unfortunately, excitement got the better of me, and I found myself running up to Shambhala to see what all the fuss is about. One word – wow! You actually have to see this beauty up close to appreciate its size and grandeur. This was my first hypercoaster, and I’ll admit to being a tad nervous due to the height.


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    Gorgeous themeing <3

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    Yay for the splashdown

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    *Ride experience*

    Shambhala rides as good as it looks. The first drop is akin to being on Oblivion, yet without the intensity. You float to the tunnel at the bottom, and what follows is endless airtime. I'm happy to crown Shambhala as my favourite coaster. It just didn't disappoint at all. 10/10.


    Dragon Khan next! I found this to be incredible, too, although maybe a little too intense after the brake run. The zero g is one of the most powerful elements I’ve ever encountered, and is easily up there with the Nemesis helix. The ride just doesn't let up. 10/10


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    China was by far my favourite area of the park. The attention to detail in all areas is incredible. It’s very surreal with the traditional Chinese music and Far Eastern style architecture.

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    I stopped for a bit of lunch next before having a look at Hurakan Condor. Now I love drop towers more than anything, but found myself really put intimidated by the height at first. It took some courage to get myself on this thing, surprisingly. Hurakan Condor ticks the right boxes in every other department, but the actual drop is forceless. Certainly nowhere near as intense as the drop on Apocalypse. Still, not a bad ride at all! 8/10.

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    It was down to the Far West area next, and my first ride on Stampida. Only the blue side was operational for some reason. This is easily the worst coaster I’ve ever been on. I found Stampida to be so rough, that I had a terrible headache for much of the day afterwards. I’m told that the red side is marginally smoother, so I won’t write the whole ride off just yet. For now though…4/10

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    Silver River Log Flume next! There’s not much to say about this, except that it’s a flume and does what it does superbly. The three drops are fun and there’s no pointless meandering. The interaction with El Diablo was great. 9/10


    Next up was Polynesia and Tutaki Splash. This was my second favourite area of the park. The themeing and lush foliage transport you to another world – it’s unreal.

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    Tutuki queueline

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    Tutaki Splash was great fun. The temperature was just over 20 degrees, so it was perfect for a good soaking. It was over to Bora Bora for a coffee and then up to China for another session on Khan and Shambhala.

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    *General thoughts and comments*

    The themeing is absolutely incredible. I’ve often been blasé about it in the past, but this trip really opened my eyes. Themeing MAKES a park.


    The staff were really lovely. The ride hosts regularly engaged in conversation with people in the queuelines. Everyone was helpful and appeared to enjoy their individual roles. That’s what I love to see in a theme park.


    Total ride count:

    Shambhala x10

    Dragon Khan x3

    Silver River Log Flume x1

    Stampida x 1

    Hurakan Condor x 4

    Furious Baco x1

    Tutuki Splash x1


    Merchandise bought:

    Shambhala T Shirt

    Shambhala ORP.

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    Thanks for reading!

  8. Yes. I know I couldn't judge it simply on speed and height but stealth does look much more impressive in every way(including the scaffolding on Rita ;)) this year I am off to europa park to ride blue fire which I heard is really good so I am looking forward to that :) it kinda makes me feel that stealth should be extended with inversions but I don't think that is a good thing to do.

    I have heard about how Rita cracks your neck round the first bend but it is meant to be a good ride- I will just have to wait to scarefest this year to ride it!

    I don't have any problems with Rita whatsoever. In fact, it's my second favourite coaster at Alton Towers. I love everything about the ride: the launch, the hill (which offers amazing airtime), the tight curves... It's such a shame that the hideous cattlepen queue and location let the side down.

    I haven't been on Blue Fire, but Mack launch coasters are regarded as the Rolls-Royce of the coaster world. You're in for a treat!

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