MikeyT

Always good to hear trip reports! Keep them coming. This makes me even more jealous that I'm not going this year!

People seem to be missing the main point. The point isn't about running one- I'm pretty sure people can understand why attractions would be running at a reduced capacity if there was a minimal queue. The issue is having one train out when there is a queue in excess of 30 minutes.I agree the general public may not know how many trains can run on a track at any given time, but what they will know is the amount of time they've been queueing. It's a psychological thing with one train operation as well- a 30 minute queue with one train involves standing in the same position for an extended period of time, or not actually moving very far at all. With two trains with the same amount of queue time, you move a lot more and is a much more satisfying experience!

I would say that through various marketing materials and promotions, the message has probably reached a lot of people that Thorpe Park probably isn't very suitable for anyone under 12. Though that's not to say that under 12s won't visit the park, some "families" (using the word as a group of relatives and not a word thrown out to describe parents and young children) have no choice but to take their younger children with them, for whatever reason.In cases like this, it does make sense to offer something that would entertain the younger members of the family. Let's be honest, next year's attraction is hardly an adrenaline pumper is it?This is why Alton Towers will remain on a par with Chessington as the UK's best theme park for me. Adding rides and attractions that cater for everyone- thrillseekers, young children and rides that people can all enjoy together. It's not just about things like "themeing", it's about shows, restaurants, retail, park facilities. I think we should try and remain on topic from now on, remember this topic is about Alton Towers and whether you think it will remain number 1!

Hey Ben, welcome to the forums.

Just to back Ryan up here, what I've read this evening has annoyed me a bit- this is not the place to post petty insults to each other; it's not big, it's not clever and you manage to make yourself look like a fool all at once. If I see anyone posting stupid, immature insults to other members again then I will make it a personal obligation to warn you like there's no tomorrow. And breathe!

As a final thought from the overall impression I got from people....I'd like to just point out that whilst it can feel as though you cannot voice your opinion here about anything; be that in the Thorpe, Chessie, Alton or other sub-forums across the site, it shouldn't be that way at all.The whole point of discussion and debate is that people are entitled to challenge other people's opinions in the correct way. If you're arguing your point in the correct way (taking the word argue as a civilised way of writing) then you are adding to the discussion that's constructive and can be really interesting to read the different opinions, even if it can be frustrating if people don't always agree with you. It can undoubtedly become heated at times but it's important to remember that they are people's opinions and ultimately we must respect them, as much as it could pain for us to do so.Also, although it can seem that way, we're not here as a marketing tool. Everything that has been said has been our own personal opinions and honestly not connected to the park in any way, shape or form. Some people prefer to voice their negative comments elsewhere; ie- via formal communication with the park.

If I'm being honest, it's probably people that have similar views to Ricky that are running Thorpe Park :)Nah, in all seriousness, yes, the parks make money and if you strip everything back to the bare bones of business, everything boils down to money and they're there to make as much profit as they can.However, you need to keep your guests happy; you need to provide an excellent service so that people return again, recommend a visit to other people and ultimately spend more money at the parks. I would totally accept it if there was a 10/ 15 minute wait with one train, any more though, it does get frustrating for guests. One of the big KPI sectors that the parks seek to improve is "queueing spoilt my day". As a nation we really hate queueing, even though we're good at it, and even a short wait can become tiresome for many people. Annoyed guests will be much less likely to return and recommend the park to others; this means less money in the long run.I'll use Chessington as an example- back in 2007, a few of the smaller rides were "dual operated", which meant that one operator would work one ride for a short time, then close it and move to another ride close by. This was obviously a budget cut enforced by Tussauds back in the day. When Merlin reviewed the operations in 2008, they realised that they were actually doing more harm than good, so they gave the extra budget to have the extra staff.Getting people to visit the parks is one thing, getting them to return and keep visiting is another.

Agree with much of what you're saying Josh! Especially about queueing for 20/30 minutes when it could be halved into 10 minutes. I would say if the queue is longer than 10 minutes on one train, then a second should be added!

I went yesterday, had a fantastic day. Rode Colossus for the first time this year and loved it; extremely shaky and looking a bit worse-for-ware but it still remains one of my favourites. Shame to see a slight slip in effects maintenance (Colossus' Cobra Roll pit, no water vapour on Inferno)- things seem a bit random as a few things have been improved but in a lot of other places have gotten worse.It was really interesting going through the X queueline, smelling the different scents used in Hellgate, and also smelling the smoke used for Asylum in Inferno's exit, I imagine they were testing a few things before the event kicks off.Yesterday was very much about riding the rides though as I haven't been for ages, with minimal queues we got a lot done!

Hey guys, please try to stay on topic of discussion. I've deleted a number of posts which were irrelevant to the meet. By all means discuss it with people and get excited about it but personal questions that are being asked to specific people should be kept off the forums. That's what the PM function/ MSN is for!

Went on Saw Alive yesterday afternoon; I thought it was much improved from earlier on in the season. The actors were great, except for one who thought it'd be scary to tickle me. We were in a group of eight, four of whom were absolute wimps and screamed at every little thing, was very funny to watch!

Just to quickly make a post, I know it's been ages but I'm incredibly busy at the moment- I don't think you were offensive at all Josh. If I'm being honest, I think people have totally over reacted and mis-interpreted some of your posts.

Just deleted a large number of posts. I'm not having this topic being a battle of egos, having a tiff about theme park music, it's just not worth it. Any further posts on the matter will be deleted.All I will say is, if you have music, then absolutely post it if you're allowed to. If you've been asked to keep it for personal use then I'd suggest you keep it that way, but we cannot stop you from posting it, it's a choice that you make!

Prepare yourself for a Big Brother related post, I'm afraid. :)You can say what you like about Big Brother; love it, hate it, but no matter what, everyone has strong opinions of it. In my opinion the people who say it's rubbish are the people who've never watched it, or have watched a very small amount of it over the years. There's a lot of snobbery surrounding the program that I think is undeserved.A program that has literally sparked the UK's obsession with reality TV and has completely changed the way TV is experienced by the viewers and producers alike. It became the first show in the UK to introduce the idea of sister shows and spin-offs and introduced interactivity to the television market that was unprecedented.Creativity wise, well you've really got to take your hats off to the task team and producers for this, coming up with so many different house themes, tasks, props and series twists is no easy feat, especially when you consider there have been 21 series of the program in this country. The "twisted carnival" theme for this year was brilliant I thought!There have been mistakes along the way, that's for sure, some inexcusable. And now when we hear of ex- housemates wanting to take their own life, even I have to question my passion for a program that does that to people. There is a lot of cynicism about the editing process, suggesting that they favour edit certain housemates in a particular light. Ask yourself this though, what actual benefit does this give the people that make the program. They have nothing to gain from so called "chosen ones" and the like. Whilst there have been a few times where the editing has been questionable over a few situations, it must be hard condensing 24 hours of footage into one hour.The whole psychological aspect, the interactions with each other and how emotions can be manipulated in the context of their environment. I love people and it's the main thing that interested me in the show, I love knowing what makes people tick. The mix of people in there; you have genuine friendships form in there, people who realize that it's a game and play it to its full potential, and then obviously you have a few individuals that stand out. It's all social interaction and I think it's brilliant.The same things that interested me in Big Brother also apply to theme parks as well. I actually loved the viral advertising that they did each year, it works and it made me really excited when I saw Thirteen's advertising was taking a similar avenue. The whole hype of each series was amazing.... you had the 3 second eye flashes, then the 6 second ones, then you'd have the full promotional advert. It's a brand that if you showed a BB eye to someone, they'd be able to tell you what it was for.I will miss it, but I do think it was the right time for it to go. I'm glad the series went out on two successful ones rather than the lacklustre ones from 2007-2009.Anyway- worst show I've ever watched? The Farm, used to be on Channel 5 years ago.

Wow, thanks for those pictures ElectricBill, it's amazing what something so little can add to an area. Looking forward to my next visit!

Cheers Benin. That looks gorgeous already and loving that amount of detail. I forget how beautiful Mystic East really is!

Time for a rare rant from me.Theme Park Music. If you have it, then congrats to you, please feel free to share it if you're allowed to, but please don't even acknowledge the fact that you have it if you're not allowed. I don't understand all this business with it really. I'm not in the slightest bit interested in how many people you have blow jobbed your way through to get it but really am happy for you that you have it!I've never liked hierarchies or people who feel they are better than others, and frankly to think so over a piece of theme park music is pretty insane. To think that you're better than anyone else in any situation is just beyond my level of understanding, we are all equal, every single one of us and I'm sorry but I will not suck bum holes to please the likes of people who deem themselves above it all.Entertainment industry is the worst for it. And yes, scare actors, I'm looking at you

I'd love to go to this... we'll see what's occurring a bit closer to the time. Has been ages since I've attended a meet

The park are now advertising £15 entry when you book online in advance for weekdays in September. Should hopefully get more people going in the week.September Deals

Just because people do not reply directly to your posts, doesn't mean they overlook them, that's just how forums work, people will comment if they have anything to say.I merged the similar topic recently made with this one just to make things a bit easier for everyone .

Agree with you totally. For me, Colossus is still Thorpe's most iconic coaster. Brilliant atmosphere around it and everything just compliments each other. All it needs is some lovin' (perhaps some new trains) and it'd be right back up there on the popularity scale with enthusiasts.

There'll be more than one I reckon- we've still got the whole "silence will fall" arc to complete, along with what actually caused the Tardis to explode in the first place.Big rumours that a major character will be killed off, though I dunno, seeing as we had both Rory and Amy die in the last series (and Amy come back to life).I love Doctor Who, though I'd be lying if I said I didn't have difficulty getting into the new series. Matt Smith is awesome, something didn't quite click with Karen for me, though some of her performances were awesome; I love Karen Gillan in real life though- us ginge's have gotta stick together you see :(Series 5 lacked something for me, even though it had some absolutely fantastic episodes. I suppose I feel like it lost a bit of heart and soul from it. Still absolutely in love with Murray Gold's music though.

This is great news and an awesome step forward for Chessington :blink:Plus more money for staff

Have an awesome time Taz

We all know that the ride has some overlooked aspects and flaws, I'm the first to admit that some aspects of the ride disappointed me on my first ride, though I urge all of you, if you have any younger brothers, sisters, cousins or whatever, to ride with them; just for a laugh, if nothing else!