MattyMoo

Double post but sorry not sorry - are the photo point "decontamination" bits used in the queueline or are they shut off? I found one of the photo boarding passes from last year and was intrigued. I think I know the answer but will ask anyway

You should be fine I can't see it being a problem getting all the rides you want to done!

Yep free entry for WW. The rides... not so free!

Detty moving to Legoland CONFIRMED.

Queue line interaction is fantastic until they put up safety fences and nets

When does DBGTROTD get handed back to to Thorpe Park to be included in their budget? That'll save them a few quid when they scrap any actors There are indeed record numbers of tourists coming into the UK because of the weak pound at the moment so investors quite rightly won't buy that argument. Similarly, I don't believe terror attacks will have had any impact on visitor numbers - they have become (unfortunately) part of life in 21st century UK - and Europe.

Sorry lads for the disappointment. ToT says hai.

Is it safe to assume that Loggers won't be back for 2018? Or at least 2018 opening? I figure the amount of work that needs doing is not feasible over closed season with no visible changes on site so far this year...

I know it's totes early but I'm sure the entire community at large will be pleased to hear that in 2018 I shall be available far more often for all bag holding duties and Stealth breaking at meets.

I bet someone at Merlin HQ is kicking themselves for not getting ahead of the game and obtaining that Peppa Pig IP in the UK. But hey - Angry Birds... guys? Guys?

I'm gutted to miss the charity preview this year - it's definitely worth it. I'm in Japan so am sort of otherwise engaged. Disneyland and DisneySea though woop!

Hocus Pocus with VR headsets coming 2018.

Can't be bothered to dig it out but one of the Towers fan pages on FaceyB posted that Alton Towers had implied SW8 will open in April next year from one of their early bird booking deals for hotels. Now I've got that getting married lark out of the way, and going to Japan in a few weeks on honeymoon, I can finally get back to visiting Merlin parks again next year, hurrah! (I do miss The Smiler though, just sayin)

I spent all my money on Pop Badges on eBay, soz.

Went to Tulley's last night so will be stinking of bonfires for ages ...we forked out for VIP (in advance) - and so glad that we did, 100% worth it. For a start it meant we didn't have to queue for 30 mins to get in. Plenty of roaming actors as always which really set the scene. Chop Shop (x3) Very good as always - so so many chainsaws and it builds perfectly to the finale. Some of the strobes were perhaps on for too long so the ending could've been a bit darker for more scares etc but was still top notch. My mate said "We've lost our friend" to which an actor replies "WELL BOOOO HOOO!" Coven Of 13 (x4) The laser effect at the start is simple but very effective - if this was at a Merlin park, people would be raving about it Definitely improved upon last year, and the two actresses in the house were amazing, the first one was giving it some proper effort (and often reappeared) and the blonde in the next scene before you go through the fireplace was great too <3 So many actors in this maze, very impressed. Horrorwood Hay Ride (x2) Brilliant as always - managed to be sat at the back of the tractor so had a lot of interaction with the actors - the most amazing scene for me was the actor on the swing with the bird-head on surrounded by smoke - they don't even get on the tractor but it was iconic! And they never slip out of character too. The new "nuns" scene is amusing Creepy Cottage (x5) Fantastic. Classic and fantastic. Love the fact the actors remembered us from before so were telling us to "Go Back to Coven!" as we'd been saying we were looking forward to going back to it Love the girl hanging from the ceiling that you have to go underneath. Plenty of jump scares... on the later runs some actors got particularly close Clowns 3D (x1) Didn't really think the 3D effect worked that well with the exception of the chequered coridoor bit. At one point we were suddenly surrounded by 4 clowns from nowhere which was BRILLIANT. The Cellar (x1) Was solid as ever - Cottage was superior, we probably should have gone on this again! The Colony (x3) Forget how HUGE this maze is - like - insanely huge. When you get a good run with lots of actors, it's fab. I could even say that the maze is perhaps... too long? Is that a thing?! Had a couple of parts where jumps/scares were lacking but enjoyed it - not entirely sure about the ending but still - it's a quality maze that seems never ending. VIXI (x1) Awful. The problem is - having a bag on your head doesn't scare me, especially when people up ahead keep stopping so it doesn't flow. It was basically walking around for 10-15 minutes in the dark holding on to a rope, getting narked with the fact that people weren't moving quick enough. Total waste of time - however, the final scenes WITHOUT the bag were good. Overall a fantastic night - as expected! No regrets paying £64 for VIP as it was a great evening. Without VIP, you would have definitely got all the mazes done in time I think, but we wanted multiple runs Love Chop Shop so much - and Hayride is iconic!

Yep, what TarinMaria said. Stop using the "abandoned" theme as an excuse and sort out what you've got already instead of spreading the company funding even thinner.

Credit to TowersStreet - SW8 logo revealed on updated signage this morning. If you pardon the pun, I do wonder if SW8 is going to be a slow-burner and is actually going to be as "world class" as Alton are promising.

When people say that Jart doesn't exist when I know that he does

That's interesting - it does mean that the new tacked on 2nd fake ending for 2018 on DBGTROTD will be a total surprise come March next year.

How long do we think SAW Alive has left? It is certainly in need of a "reboot"...

Yes - as above, it's not easy staying together in Big Top unless you put hands on shoulders! At least those wait times are in keeping with how good each maze is

Would agree on the Sanctum lack of finale - you get to the final scene, turn right into the temporary Herras fencing coridoor of doom - expecting something else, and that's it!

Look forward to the reviews. We found Big Top this year up to Tulley's standard if not better, so we can't wait for the 7th for our visit

I'd queue for Big Top first as the Living Dead mazes will probably have the bigger queues early on I would say the run through vid was very similar to my experience

Went on DBGTROTD last night for the 2nd time ever (my first ever ride was before it got the ROTD) Had a breakdown after 20 seconds in, sat there for 10 minutes or so before it restarted. My headset was glitchy, lots of headsets not working. I liked the dog We weren't rushed into the live action scene so were left to casually walk off the train and open the doors ourselves. The train in tunnel effect still isn't working. 2nd bit of VR is a lot better than before (which isn't difficult) but again my headset was glitchy. Final finale was quite clever, but as said elsewhere - the whole ride just doesn't seem to flow or make sense. Noticed that the hoodies were reduced in the gift shop, £9 down from £20 - there were other reduced items too but we were in a rush as that breakdown had taken up valuable time to ride something decent (Soz Stealth, I missed you)