MattyMoo

That. Is. Amazing. The VR queue time board is so realistic it almost looks like it's a real manually operated plastic hand on a clockface

Yep that tallies up with what my Stealth breaking buddy @Mitchada04 said a few posts up

Can't justify the price of their cocktails (when I've had better ones down the road in Southsea at our mates restaurant ) And they stick far too much ice in at TGIs Their JD ribs though and JD chicken strips though - oh my. So much need for those again <3 Glad you and Lou are all sorted for AirHop, I'll be along for Ice Skating onwards!

Hope you or your good fellow have pre-booked AirHop! I'm saving up the pennies so I can splash out on some TGIs ribs... sticking to the beer instead of their overpriced watered down cocktails though

I just can't believe they haven't even painted "AFTER" in the Smiler font in the finished article, talk about lack of attention to detail.

Was it a vinyl one, A4 laminate or an actual metal expensive one?

I think Loggers has been rotting for more than just the year it's been SBNO - as I mentioned before, the fact there are acrow props in use in places is not a good thing - these are only every supposed to be a temporary fix to use as support, which implies there are underlying problems with the existing support structure of Loggers in places.

It's not a Ghost Train in the classic sense of the word, that's all I'll say. Hopefully it's been improved and tweaked nicely for this year and will work as intended. Derren is quite a strong "brand" for the park, hence having him involved! Storm Surge gets a lot of hate due to where it's been placed in the park (it does stick out like a sore thumb!) but it is a good bit of fun, and it is a good view of Thorpe Park from the top - of course you get a better view from the top of Stealth, you just have to look quickly It will be open from the start of the season unless there are unexpected problems, but Storm Surge's reliability is pretty good. Slammer is the only ride of that type left in the world now - so ride it whilst you can! The only other Sky Swat in the world was scrapped 4 years ago, but credit where it's due, despite her being temperamental (as she was essentially a prototype), they have continued to keep her slamming year after year. Oh and as to Angry Birds 4D - Matt was saying you should do that after lunch (or Rapids after lunch) instead of other rides, as they are calm(er)

Some are confused as to the Derren Brown connection to a ghost train also The ride/experience has had a mixed reception this year to say the least - what I will say, is when I rode it - I was very impressed with the themeing, the preshow, the theatrical and imposing nature of the trains inside and level of themeing - but the actual "ride" itself - not so much at all. But worth a ride if the queue is less than 30 minutes I'd say, and it's being improved for 2017 with a new ending/finale... so maybe this year will be a better season! Also - what Matt said - if Slammer and Rush are operational (the latter has very very little downtime, the former... not so much - she's a stubborn one) then ride them as they are very unique rides (Slammer in particular). Don't overlook Detonator either, a very punchy drop tower - packs far more of a punch than taller towers! Storm Surge is good for a nice view of the park - fair comment everyone?

Could be worse - you could've spent £33m on the real thing.

This. I've never owned a MAP and I'm proud of it

Only merch I have is Smiler related - I love the Smiler branding, it's genuinely iconic (even before the unfortunate accident) I've got the yellow cushion, remote control cushion, mug, laser glass paper weight, umbrella and key ring charms

On a random note - was in Guildford the other week for the first time in a while (used to live near Guildford all my life until moving to Southsea)... I couldn't believe how many new restaurants there were around, especially near Five Guys Looking forward to staying well away from Wimpy at the Spectrum this year Is Ride Add1ct coming? I need a red wine buddy for bowling... that is, if they can find the only wine glasses in the house again

Own lives should not stand in the way of meet organising, they knew the rules when they signed up

Count me in for Skating, Bowling, Meal. Anyone heading up from Portsmouth, I'll be training up to the land of Guildford!

In addition to what Adam said - leave Derren Brown's Ghost Train until the afternoon also! Or just leave it out completely? SAW, Stealth, Swarm and DBGT have staffed bag drops where you give your bag to an attendant and give you a wristband to collect it after your ride.

I guess the facade of the building(s) in "Wild Wood" won't be too dissimilar to Gloomy Wood at Alton Towers... except Gloomy Wood has a lot of real life bona-fide trees

Start the season as you mean to go on

Guildford is normally a go-er. And will probably do Thorpe opening at least

I miss you pluk, it's been too long

It'll be ripped out before it's spruced up

Cheers for this folks. Fingers crossed MOS doesn't clash with the small matter of me getting married... and no, it's not to Jart.

Christmas trees... does this mean that winter openings are happening?

Call me a cynic but I'm 99% sure that "advert" was never intended for television use at all and the story was just created to try and re-build up some "hype" for the ride

Should be able to make this meet, as is traditional - and would meet at the Spectrum, as is traditional. And would probably eat prior to the Spectrum as not willing to risk another WimpyGate haha