MikeyT

Happy Birthday Rich and Dan H

^ That's exactly what people are saying though. Telling someone that "you'll go where you're put", is not how people expect to be treated. Yes you tell people in a polite, friendly and sensible manner (whilst being as quick and efficient as you can be), but you don't take the easy option and be rude to guests. It takes a lot more guts and confidence to explain something clearly and treat the person in question with respect.

That I agree with, but it's the way you convey this to the guests. Telling them "you'll go where you're put" is not acceptable. Making queueline announcements and having efficient staff that explain this politely is good customer service.When the guests become rude and start shouting, that's when we can become blunt

And THAT is great customer service

I don't think Steve was telling anyone to go somewhere else, but was just asking a valid question. Gemma is as much welcome here as anybody else, but why specifically a theme park fansite?

Just a reminder that we have an awesome Future section to talk about this sort of thing!

Gosh there are just so many contenders, I'm not sure I can pick! Any of the B&Ms (though I'm not a fan of Sheikra), almost every single dark ride and of course, some overlap.Main contenders are Tower of Terror, Expedition Everest, Splash Mountain, Spiderman and The Mummy. Actually Bilge Rat Barges too. Haunted Mansion as well? Lol.

Put E45 cream on them and it will reduce the appearance quite a bit over time.

Even better, sites like these help to promote the theme park and entertainment industry, there are a lot of people out there who are interested in theme parks, but let's say, aren't as fanatical about them as we are.They see this site, they do some exploring, and eventually they join the forums and become hardcore theme park fans. It all starts from somewhere. Speaking on total general terms here, TPM's news tends to have the basics which the general public may read, yet also there is the opportunity for fans to discuss and debate in more depth here on the forums.

I agree! I love that ride, then again, I think the whole Land of the Dragons area is truly awesome.

I think it's really important to show the loading system for riders during the queueline, considering the amount the general public get in a panic when it comes to finding seats, restraints and sitting next to friends.Anyone who has queued for Whizzer/ Monkey Swinger and experienced that fantastic batching system will understand the frustration and chaos of loading a ride without dedicated seats. People panic. Having the gates would show people how the ride is loaded. People will always want to wait for the row they want though, gates or no gates!

Runaway's track is banked at the start though? The upwards straight before the first helix?

Awesome reports from the two Disney Parks there. I've got to say I agree with you on Dinoland and Fantasyland. Dinoland especially is really a let down next to a truly phenomenal park.Animal Kingdom really does need sorting out though, it shouldn't be in a position where they cannot close one of its main rides for any prolonged period of time. If EE did close, it would be chaos and the park would struggle to cope. Animal Kingdom need another E ticket attraction before they can close Everest for any amount of time IMO! Disney World Orlando really needs shaking up: right now it's something more Akin to a Six Flags park, rather than what you'd expect from Disney.Fantasyland also, even without construction, it still feels a bit dated (also like Tomorrowland). I would love for Orlando's Fantasyland to be something similar to Disneyland California's, that one truly is beautiful! In short, I'm not too pleased with Disney World Management recently. Other Disney Resorts are still doing their awesome thing though!

Yeah, That's the problem with Griffin's really- LoTD wasn't very well designed in the fact that it's tucked away, making it difficult for guests to come across it. This is why many of us think they should get rid of Truckers and open up that end of the area. I do think it's a great little area for children, shame it's not as well known by many of the guests!I can really see Chessie having really defined areas with entrances to each, having 'transition areas' like you get in the Universal and Disney Parks. A good example of this would be the area between Land of the Dragon's and Wild Asia- that's going to really work as a transition area once they develop the areas into their desired continents.

Aww Adam! Sounds like you had an awesome trip! You're making me want to go again so badly. I totally get where you're coming from with the staff from the Disney and Universal parks. On the whole, all the parks have awesome staff, it's just that Disney have a huge reputation and PR when it comes to their Cast Members, so we expect more,I've had wonderful and not so wonderful experiences at every single park I've been to, the best experience being at Epcot. Outstanding Customer Service! But yeah, like I said, awesome trip report so far! Looking forward to Animal Kingdom one!

^ That probably highlights how weak that area of the park is! Needs some definition. I wonder if we'll ever see the return of those loading gates that were removed a few seasons ago? As the park becomes busier, there becomes even more of a reason to bring them back!

I personally think they missed a trick with the two Saw attractions. Wouldn't it have been awesome to have had the Maze as part of the queueing experience? Literally conjoined with the ride, having separate queues for people that want to bypass the scare attraction, in a similar way to how Manta at Sea World Orlando works.Obviously would have taken a bit more thought and some changes to the design but I think that would have literally been a world class experience.

Not sure about Fright Nights, but there is the opportunity to add to the attraction if they want to.

Oh Mark I do agree with you, really I do. Especially a park like Alton which has so much going for it. I suppose the suggestion is that the story could be about anything, but the fact that it is associated with Alton Towers will keep the name floating around. Again, it's not a marketing technique I'm the biggest fan of, like you say, the park should be swinging for the fences and shouting about the brilliant experience Alton has on offer.

Oh my God!Welcome back Charlie!

I think as enthusiasts, who see all of these publicity stunts, we will obviously have a strong opinion on them as it's just one thing after another. Yet the general public will probably see perhaps one or two of these stunts a year via the tabloids (which eat up stuff like this). It creates media coverage and gets the park out there into mainstream pop culture.Whatever our opinions, we cannot deny that it works! Personally I don't mind them as much, I can see the tongue- in- cheek factor behind it all. The only Merlin stunt I haven't liked as much is Thorpe's summer one from last year.

I've watched it quite a few times now. I just can't get my head round the amount of love, effort and care that the Imagineers put into their attractions; it's simply wonderful. Joe Rhode is also a complete legend! Animal Kingdom is one of the most beautiful parks out there in Orlando and is something he should be really proud of. $100M though, whoah!

Any park in the world will market their rides in a way that evokes the most interest to the general public. More people through the gates= more profit which then leads to further investment. I don't personally mind which way a park decides to market their new ride, as long as the experience is good. What I wouldn't like would be a park, say Thorpe, to compromise a ride's overall experience in favour of getting another record breaker.

I've not seen these at the parks unfortunately, though they were absolutely hilarious when I saw them back in February at the Britain's Got Talent auditions! Highlight of the day for me!

I agree, we know that various people from the parks read the forums, it's a great feeling to give positive feedback about the level of service a staff member has given you, and I feel is something that should be encouraged. Plus it's great PR for the parks as well.