Benin

New news about the lodges! Resubmitted a planning permission application with some slight changes: Apparently one of the reasons it initially failed was a local group worried about JCB noise pollution reaching the lodgings and hence would affect their manufacturing processes, shows how much JCB affects the local area...

Special delivery!

Arthur - The Ride has been delayed, and all traces of the original opening day have been removed from Europa's PR... Now it's only fair that they get an equal amount of abuse to what Towers got when Smiler got delayed, especially given Europa have been spending a much longer time building it...

Yes, yes she is... What did she expect bar a full refund when the park has chosen to do this at the behest of the local police? It's a shame that this has escalated to such a poor turn of events for the park, where those involved in getting the event cancelled will see it as a win against those 'immigrants who come here stealing our jobs and give us cancer' (Source: Daily Mail)... Their FB page is full of OUTRAGE because people seem to be rather self-centred about their life instead of the big picture... Not that I understand why people are staying there this weekend unless they were going to the event, since it would be shut on Saturday anyways...

Then tend to open midweek as well, especially more likely in June..

If anyone cares/is interested, there will be no Towers Live event this year, confirmed via Twitter... Shame, but such an event hinges of having a decent line-up of 'popular' acts, and budget... Considering most of that is going on fencing, looks like Towers can't afford anyone good to turn up...

T'Ultimate is probably one of the roughest coasters in the country... It's also one of the most (strangely) enjoyable though... But it is as said, a marmite coaster, just go for it with open expectations... Raptor Attack is pretty good as well considering it's an indoor Pinfari...

If it's quiet I'll have done everything I want to by 11 tbh... Bit random though it's opening earlier than anticipated... Maybe the uptake hasn't been as good for the days, hence saving money on needless levels of staffing?

That bottom 10 is <3 Though I'd have thought Caligostro would be in there over Bobbahn...

http://elblogdedream.com/2014/03/03/angkor-visitamos-las-obras-en-portaventura/ The theming on this is (like most of PA) top class... Why don't we get this sort of stuff?

Let's not forget Towers also has a few dark rides which are good throughput machines (particularly Duel and Hex), which to a degree can make up for the lack of flats... Also, Twirling Toadstool exists, and the Teacups, and Heave Ho... Which takes the flat ride offering to 6, which isn't that bad... Could do with something back in Dark Forest mind, and they'll probably replace Submission next year (we hope) with something... But it's hard to judge whether Merlin would actually go for a flat ride because of their obsessive USP ideals...

The simplest thing would be to replace the stonework tbh, I'd say that would be easier than erecting a fence...

What rides at Towers haven't actually opened when they were meant to aside from Smiler? Cos, Thirteen did (by the skin of its teeth granted, but it was still open), as did Sub Terra (whatever people say, I enjoyed the original version of it, though I missed out on the apparent nothing was working day) and Ice Age... Same question extends to Chessie as well, though that of course only extends to Zufari as the only ride they have built in the same time frame we are looking at...

Aside from the fact he was asking how long would it take to build, you clearly quoted the wrong thing completely, as it was related to the Air Race construction... And if Drayton could afford an Intamin, they can afford a Mack...

I dunno, it drips so much we DO have the waterfalls over the side

Bit needless no? This won't take long to build at all, assuming it's gonna be extremely basic and simple... Probs a month or two if that? That's for everything mind, the ride system itself will probably take a month tops... It'll still open in June though... Cos Drayton... Do they still open rides with a C-List band?

Ricky's covered it, but I await your reply as my point has been explained (did it really need explaining? I mean it was pretty clear that it was in reference to having someone who was in the concession price-range had a distinct desire to ride everything until she was prevented to for medical reasons, oh well)...

I think we're still waiting for the quality aspect of Storm Surge...

That pic actually shows WHY it's been fenced off, the state of the steps there are in no fit purpose for anyone to use that walkway because of the height difference between it and the path... That of course doesn't mean the fence is ugly as sin... Are Towers allowed to touch up things like this I wonder? Or is it just a case of a dire fence being cheaper than replacing the stonework?

Same amount of time Chessie has been drowning in a pit of despari and non-investment... If not slightly longer...

My Nan used to go on the rides until the doctors forbade her from doing so... As Marc said, it's a difficult one to implement unless you bring in a wristband system, then things just get burdenous...

I would say the restraint wobble is an age thing tbh, 15 years is a long time for ride advancement or improvement... Mondial probably looked to create a fully locked restraint when they realised this issue... Doesn't effect me mind, as it's clearly safe and has been for longer than the lives of some on this forum...

Problem lies with the ability to invest, remember a year or two back when Lightwater couldn't even construct a Tractor Ride, so had to wait a year to do so? Slippery slope of life, the smaller parks can't afford to build anything decent, no one visits... Although of course now there are plenty of rides available on the cheap, you have to wonder if these park's budgets even stretch that far...

God... Just... God...

Budget gets given to others that are deemed as 'unsuccessful'... It's the way Merlin have decided that all parks give to the one big pot so it can be distributed 'accordingly', and so parks that do well in their own right (Chessington/Towers) can hold up the parks that let the side down (Thorpe)*... Of course it does mean that if a park needs more money for some reason (perhaps, a massive delay on your big coaster), the others will lose out completely... It certainly wouldn't cost Chessie £4 million on crews to destroy classic theming, so why else did Zufari lose a lot of the budget? Because others in the pot needed it... To me, who knows nothing to nothing about business, that doesn't seem sensical... It seems more damaging and unrewarding to those doing well, whilst the ones doing badly get given a slap on the back for trying and given a grant to improve themselves, which they promptly spend on lights and speakers and call it a day... *PLEASE, bear in mind that this is from the financial side of things rather than an 'attack' on the park... It's well noted how bad the performance was of Thorpe in 2012, hence the change of budgeting...