MattyMoo

Queuing to get in through security. I reckon we'll be in in about 30 mins

Tidal Wave was going round happily on Thursday - I'm guessing the cost attributed to running Rumba must be purely a staff thing? It's clear they haven't got enough staff/actors to cover Fright Nights from missing elements on Thursday, so that would make sense...

Middle section had no actors, just a staff member telling us to get back on the train after we'd watched the projector of the Demon on the wall... No idea what was going on with DBGTROTD today in terms of the queue times to be honest - and we seemed to be waiting to enter the preshow for SO long, and it wasn't as if there was fast-trackers jumping in front.

Yes I believe so. Plus points of today was 2 trains on Stealth, Swarm, Nemesis Inferno and Colossus for most of the day, very unlike Thorpe! However, there was no Neagen on Living Nightmare, no chainsaw ending on Dead Creek, no chainsaw in Saw, no seance on Platform 15 and no opening of Fanta sPoooKy thing. Will not be returning for at least 37 hours.

Just completed the ride. Fake gift shop ending was skipped though! Pathetic.

Cracking queue on this as always despite everything else is walk on. Queue advertised as 20. Been here 40 and stuck at the door after batching for a good 15 mins. During our queue time they've announced the queue as 20, 30, 40, 60 and 70 minutes. Standard.

New theming spotted today lads.

Can I just say I feel very proud that Lord Sanbrooke is catching on.

That's awesome... see my Tulley's review for similar experiences ?

Interesting! Think it shows just how much a difference it makes being with a smaller/better group and having more actors per run through.

Sorry for the double post but have some more pictures ?

You must do Chop Shop. Try and see the funny side of the ending It's not too confined at the end and there are certainly darker mazes! I'm pretty sure it does go out further into the fields before and I think they may have rerouted the end part a bit as it seems longer - I could be wrong though as it has been a year!

SENSITIVE INFO PLEASE DELETE AND LEAK ALTERNATIVE NEWS. They are actually going to make a Dr. Who coaster

Quantity over quantity is exactly what I said in the spoilers thread - don't get me wrong, some of the attractions were great for us - Containment - absolutely top stuff, stellar performances by the actors, loved it... but then it is an upcharge! - Blair Witch we loved, Dead Creek Woods was good, Walking Dead Living Nightmare was also good (Chicken liver piece of sh.... ). However, Sanctum (We CBA to paint over the logo) Do Or Die looked particularly cheap and shoddy in parts with the fabric walls, and, again, like I said in the other thread - being able to clearly see P15 upon entry to Blair Witch killed the start of it for me (luckily the story, actors and subsequent setting made up for it!) The consensus seems to pretty clear though - Vulcan Peak is an utter disgrace, even TheJackSilkstone didn't rate it as even slightly "sick". Am awaiting the review from Lord Sanbrooke, but him and Dame Charlotte were not impressed at all from their "socials" ranking it as the worst attraction they've ever done. PS. Not sure I'd say The Curse was a solid maze, but it was effortlessly better than Vulcan. Come back Se7en ?

Maybe one day they'll remove Slammer and Loggers at the same time and create some coaster in that space? I am intrigued as to what the future holds for "Old Town" - you have to wonder if one year they'll just flatten the whole thing, surely that has to be on the agenda considering the hotch-potch of old or second hand rides, plus a SBNO flume. My money is probably on something like 2022 after another few "years of the Walking Dead"

Yes she's ruddy clever is Mrs. Red Haired Fire Lady. She was awesome when I took that photo - she looked truly like an animal/creature going from a normal pose slowly turning into the horror of what I took! ? Yes, Frankenstein's Monster and his wife were great like I say - all the street team are awesome at Tulley's - love the swamp monsters hiding in the queue/tunnel bit too - talk about dedication! Ooops sorry for seeing me in the non-peasants queue Tulley's is the only place I pay for VIP/Fastrack, buying the VIP in February is such a bargain. From memory, my maze tally was: Coven of 13: 3 Chop Shop: 4 Clowns 4D: 3 VIXI: 1 Creepy Cottage: 2 The Cellar: 2 The Colony: 2 Haunted Hayride: 2 Absolutely loved Twisted Clowns 4D this year - I just think it's something a bit different from a maze, and a bit of a laugh as well as jump scares etc. without any chainsaws The 3D effects work very well too, and as well as "the Smiler" ha-ha chanting, there was good interaction with other actors too. Similarly, in Hellements VIXI, the actor Jordan spotted my hoodie and also chanted the Smiler theme at me! Slight niggles of the night were confusion with security at the entrance not knowing that us VIPs don't have to queue and can go straight to the front (soz) and being sent round in a group of TWENTY FIVE on Colony which was ridiculous. Only happened the once but I think they were panicking trying to get the queue down - when we went on a Friday last year, the queues were basically empty after 10/10.30 but that wasn't the case at all on this Saturday... plus there were certainly a lot more "annoying little so-and-sos" out for the night I think the guys in Chop Shop weren't being quite so jumpy and violent due to the weather and the floors being more slippery than usual! That said it was bloody great as always! I liked the new mesh-maze section in The Colony, that reminded me of The Big Top a bit (RIP). The Cellar was a real highlight last year but didn't seem to have many actors in it this year. VIXI had a heck of a lot of actors in (especially versus Vulcan Peak ) and the fire and cold effects worked well but hooded mazes just aren't my bag (HA!) I do like the fake exit and then extra bit after, that's good (that was there last year too mind you!) The Colony is MASSIVE as a maze, it's a proper work out - incredible stuff. Think it's even longer this year! We tried to get a great run through but the groups we were with weren't the best, if that makes sense - it's a precise art staying back from the next group for the perfect haunt experience Still love the laser effect on Colony of 13, and this also had some very strong performances this year. Think my biggest jump of the night came in Twisted Clowns though where an actor managed to get me twice from nowhere in the space of 30 seconds - like I say, really loved this maze this year! This year's Hayride is a bit different - the Thriller dancing made everyone laugh... think I still prefer last years though. I know it's such an ENTHUSIASTS term but Tulley's truly is the IMMERSIVE Halloween event. Shout out too to the smell of bonfires when you have a shower the morning after! Back to Thorpe on Thursday to compare and contrast - am going with a mate who hasn't been for years, and I genuinely love going with newbies to Thorpe/Alton Towers as it's a far more enjoyable day out for me

That may have had something to do with it, but it's pretty clear from acroprops etc. dotted around that the structure itself is evidently past it's best. Since it's now been sitting there for a number of years to rot further, untreated, I can't see Loggers Leap ever coming back now without being completely ripped out and started again!

I was there Saturday also - will do a full review shortly! Think Clowns 4D was my highlight this year, due to the interaction in there - we had paid for VIP tickets (back in February!) so had multiple goes and they remembered me each time, and when spotting my Smiler hoodie, proceeded to sing The Smiler "ha ha ha ha" Towers theme in my face and ears! I love that sort of interaction. Roaming actors are flipping brilliant at Tulleys - love the red headed woman on stilts with horns, Frankenstein's monster and wife were awesome too, the guys with Darren the rat in his box - but big shout out to the three nurses ? Such bloomin' good fun, and decided to give me a "check up" which was packed full of double entendres, making me squat on my knees and being told to make sure I kept eye contact, how they were concerned I looked stiff, and that I wasn't lubricated enough, showing me tongue exercises etc ? I needed a lie down! I think one of them is called Melody from talking to a mate who works there, kudos to her for making me laugh and embarrassed in equal measures! PS. Yes rain wasn't ideal but it was a lot better in the end than the forecast was!

My thoughts from last night's mEDiA pRESs NigHT at the Island Like No Other as follows... Top 5 Celebs I spotted. 1. TheJackSilkstone - was behind him in the free buffet queue so I now know how to create the SICKEST of SICK combos of buffet food. ? 2. The Scottish Man What Won Strictly Last Year 3. Err.... Right onto the important stuff - at approx 9pm the bar bill on just one of the tills in Fins was over £2k already. Oh no wait, I jest, now onto the important stuff... Mazes Ranked from Best to Really Really Really Awful: 1. BLAIR WITCH If you told me I was going to find this the best maze of the night before visiting, I would have said pickle me sideways and call be Shawn Sanbrooke but alas here we are! We had 3 run throughs on this, two of which where we were in just a pair and I have to say, the first in particularly, was ruddy brilliant. The scene is set very well at the start, love ending up "back where you started", some excellent jump scares, was proper dark and you really did feel you were going through the woods - Thorpe have played a blinder with the scenery in the dark, not so sure how it would work at 3pm! One run we had in a group of 8 (C'mon guys it's press night m8) wasn't as good so maybe come proper FN's with large groups this won't rank highly among da fans - but yes, for us it was our standout. One thing I will say - the Heras temporary fencing (Thorpe love the stuff) at the very start should have black plastic or a thicker tarpaulin on it because yellow (?!) doesn't exactly set the scene, nor does it manage to hide the platform of P15 to the left, so you can see the tour guide waiting for guests. I can also forsee the queue of Blair Witch going far far beyond the area they have set aside, it's tiny. 2. CONTAINMENT Cracking run on this in it's tweaked format. We were useless. The actors were most definitely not - the blonde girl doing the doctor intro at the start was fantastic, delivered so many lines as if she knew them like the back of her hand and performed it like she meant it. No actors in first room obvs, but the second room with the clocks - man, the actor in there was losing his sh**, amazing stuff, trashing the filing cabinet, getting up in our faces, muttering about time, freaking out - awesome. Similarly, the dentist room next was equally as hectic and delivered with passion, I was made to sit on the chair and the actor performed the creepy dentist role perfectly - also love how the assistant in the back ground does nothing and just looks creepy - until you get into room 4 where it all kicks off! Again we were thoroughly impressed with this attraction and the actors involved last night should be commended if they end up reading this, they knocked it out of the park. 3. THE WALKING DEAD: LIVING NIGHTMARE We got a Neagen, and Neagen had a proper mic! Impressed with this, as anticipated - top notch theming inside, and I love the intro (even if the families don't like the swears). New little twist halfway through at the car scene which worked well. As I say, love the theming on this, the bus is absolute quality and the rooms prior to that were packed with actors - good scares, breathing on your neck etc. Top tip: don't point out to the girl freaking out on her bed that her bottle of Smart Water is on her bedside table as she'll gesture to you to move away 4. MATT CREEK'S HAUNTED WOODED AREA This isn't actually a scare zone but a legit maze... we had low expectations but again there were some decent scares and everyone loves a chainsaw right? Again, a good intro and set piece (via some temporary fencing and you end up doubling back on yourself) which sets the scene well, a decent amount of actors scattered about. I liked it - some actors followed us out too (as they must have been going on their break!) but continued to scare us outside of the maze which was cool. Good interaction, and good to see the actors progressively more "contaminated" as it goes on. A solid effort if you ask me and we enjoyed. 5. SAW ALIVE Not much really to say about this - nothing has changed, it was OK... seemed to be over very quickly and there weren't too many actors vs. other mazes but it's SAW and it's well themed. 6. SANCTUM DO OR DIE THE WALKING DEAD If you look very carefully at this you can tell they've used the shipping containers from Sanctum in it's construction... We were underwhelmed by this, considerably. Expected good things - again, a good start with the bus and set piece with two actors arguing but after that it deteriorated pretty quickly. The area is too well lit (considering it was 8pm!) so you can see exactly where the actors are... just didn't do it for us at all and it all feels very temporary in it's construction (I appreciate it is temporary but you know) - this wouldn't be so noticeable if the lighting wasn't so bright. Perhaps we got unlucky with our run but for us it ranked about the same as Sanctum last year. 7. PLATFORM 15 Right, whoever's vanity project Platform 15 is at Thorpe Park - please, please, please admit defeat and get rid of it. I cannot comprehend any Youchoober or vlogstar or fan site raving about this. The walk at the start goes on for too long and does nothing in particular, walking alongside a rotting Loggers Leap, still lit up like a Christmas tree. You see the train with some dummies on it, you might get a bit of fire, you find a bride wandering about, then there's a house that smells of human faeces (which to be fair, had like 4 actors in which was random), then there's the never ending tunnel where not much happens and you get told to go back, and then you have to do a seance (and to put some positive spin on it - the actress here was good and felt like she was holding onto my hand for dear life) and then the conductor appears and then you're out, and you wonder - what the hell was all that about? And the answer is, no one actually knows. Maybe if they filled some areas with some smoke machines (although that's an expense) there'd be more atmosphere, but the walk is just too big and any pace or anticipation just goes and then you think "oh look, there's some actors coming up" and there they are. Kudos to the actors involved like I say because they were good, but the maze just doesn't work and we found it more of a chore to complete than a thrill. Sorry guys but I think Platform 15 needs a new timetable in 2019 where it gets taken over by Southern and then just never turns up. 8. VULCAN PEAK Well. Wow. This has to be quite possibly one of the most hastily and cheaply thrown together embarrassments of an attraction at Thorpe Park I've ever seen. Heck, it wasn't even supposed to open last night because it was still being finished, showing as "opening 5th October". The only plus point I can draw from this "attraction" is that they created an introduction video to watch, but make no mistake other than this, this maze is total utter garbage. I find hooded mazes pointless anyway, the original Hellements at Tulleys was poor, but they at least improved it last year by adding a live action section at the end. We must have literally had 1 actor in Vulcan Peak last night, and it was basically 5 minutes of walking round in the dark with a bag on your head. You then have to take off the bag, before walking through the inflatable walled section, and then you're out. Because that makes a lot of sense. Also - and this is possibly a small thing but it's all about the details - why on earth are there blue LED string lights in the bit where you take off your hood? Do they mean anything? Who decided to put them there? Who at Merlin signed that off? It looked like something from Maplins (RIP) and served no purpose - why not have a flickering light or something SpOoKy. Why not green so it's vaguely "jungle" themed? Anything, but that. That detail just typified the maze for me: cheap, tacky and pointless and I defy anyone to find it anything otherwise. This just screamed to me, Merlin wanted quantity over quality this year. I take pity on anyone should this get big queues and people decide to pay for a Fastrack one shot not knowing the horror that awaits. I can't comment on Fanta Horror Thing as it was still being finished (though did look quite impressive), nor Screamplexx. Spotted the Big Top show happening in the dome but didn't bother watching. Terror at Amity High - I assume this just means the roaming actors? I think? Anyway, they were out in force on the entrance bridge and were good! Massive shout out to the awesome clowns and associated freaks too, they are fantastic walking around and then starting their menacing clap before terrorising someone - genuinely top stuff there, was impressed and added to the night. More of this please! Had two rides on Stealth on the dark including one front row (swoon), a nice night ride on the smooth Swarm, a not so smooth ride on Sore The Ride, and my first ever ride on X Version 2.0. Which, to be fair to Thorpe really isn't that bad at all considering what they had to work with in terms of converting a family coaster. However, as expected, whoever signed off the article stating "15 out of 10 on the scare scale" really really needs to consider their life choices ? Total utter hyperbole as I expected but like I say - in terms of slapping on an IP on to X, they've done a pretty good job - I like the nod to X on the trains (at first I thought they'd just left the old logos on, ha!) No actor in the after ride bit though which was a shame. One thing I touched on earlier - being able to see P15 from Blair Witch etc. - those 3 mazes in Old Town are seriously seriously close together, and I wouldn't like to be queuing round there once FN's get in full swing and there's fast tracks and RAPs and what not going on because there is going to be SO many people in such a small place, it isn't going to be pretty. The Blair Witch queue as I say is tiny, assume they can extend out but yes, the quantity of mazes angle they are going for, when you have a finite amount of space like Thorpe has, could make peak times pretty horrific. Congratulations if you read all that. Bit of a mixed bag as you can see. Be intrigued as to how I find it when the general public (shudder) are allowed in when in visit on the 11th and 13th! ? Oh one thing I forgot to say - Thorpe definitely got a great bulk deal on human waste smell pods this year, bleugh! Could smell 'em in 4 different locations.

Agree from FN 2017 - not sure if it's been changed this year...? It was a very anti-climactic end to the maze last year from memory.

I think Dom means being let in before rides open to have a buffet is a rarity!

I didn't know that was a thing, @Marc - that actually sounds really decent! Is that weekends only?

Certainly sounds like a combined number of issues making the problem worse... general conclusion thus far seems to be better staff awareness/checking so cards are signed and secondly reducing the number of helpers per RAP. I think these two factors corrected would make a massive difference Of course what also doesn't help is when guests complain, the normal "compo" (sic) procedure is to give them a Fast-track pass or 5... which compounds the problem. Perhaps try and push some free food or drink vouchers instead if they can instead (and if they will accept them).

Nighttime robbery ?

Another excellent post @Marhelorpe. It's a bit of a "hot potato" to discuss but it's clear the system is broken and/or being abused/flouted beyond what it was intended for - that group of TWENTY people on one pass being a perfect case in point. I understand people have needs and reasons, but I can't help but think the popularity of the internet and therefore awareness of RAP's on groups such as the MAP group means they are being abused for the very slightest reasons purely to maximise the number of rides and minimise the queuing time vs. non RAP users. It wouldn't surprise me if Merlin are scared to refuse a RAP to a guest for fear of reprisals on social media, the press etc. which is a sorry state of affairs but that sums up the grabbing, want-want-want and superiority complex that an increasing number of the population seem to have. Did someone say VIP MAP lanyard? *cough*