coaster_monkey

Whoa! Well that was certainly fun to read. I'm not surprised by a lot of peoples comments on here - we are quite frankly moving on from the 50's and it's only the uneducated and jealous that will always feel butt hurt that johnny foreigner lives next to them. At the same time, I applaud Ride_Addict for being so genuinely honest. As long as he knows that his opinions will never get him as far as he likes in life and I feel sorry for that. It's not his fault he's been brainwashed to think this way, it's years and years of that thought process being brought onto him. But incase it looks like I'm feeding the troll... I only work 12 days a month (lucky, I know) yet - travelling into London costs me 280£ a month!!! Where does this money go towards? Also... when are we going to scrap 'Sunday services'? In this day and age a lot of people work on a Sunday - why is it that train drivers, who get 35K+ a year, feel it necessary to start late on a Sunday? I don't mind if they earn a lot of money, **** happens - don't like it get a better paying job - but surely if you do earn this amount you have to be able to afford to make sacrifices?

This is my problem. What is with just putting up with half arsed, mediocrity? The fact is Merlin have come in and introduced cutting at every corner and, because this has been the multi-million £ companies ideology since day dot we've just grown to accept it? Why do we sit here and let this happen? Doesn't anyone, anyone, ever think where has your 35£ entry gone towards? A few shipping containers for a demographic you're not even a part of? Pffft. At least Travelodge will never claim to be Shangri-la like Merlin like to be compared to Disney.

Since when did sleeping in metal sea containers become the 'cool thing' to do? Do I have to be in Thorpe Parks (only) demographic to actually get the big deal? I don't mind the idea of recycling, manipulating and making new uses of 'things' for a quirky workaround [to a hotel]. But we're at a Theme Park you'd expect SOME detailing, surely? This is just unreal - grey, grey, grey. I'm starting to believe RMC have secretly brought back the park... at least they'd be sticking their quarry theme. This could have been so much more – and I’m not talking millions and millions of £'s being spent. Just some love shown, y'know - give the customer the idea that you care for them and their money? Half arsed park. Just to add - I don't want to seem like I have nothing better to do than moan. I see what Thorpe Park are trying (really, really hard) to do, but the execution is poor.

'The Ultimate overnight stay'?

I give a toss. I find it lazy when a park cannot think up their own story/theme and end up with a film based ride. This is unless of course your park is owned by a film distribution company.

^ You know, you've made a point I never quite saw, from my own selfish perspective... and... You're right, I suppose after a few decades of animals being born here they climatise and are used to their surroundings. A forced evolution if you will. But when you point out the compromise of a better life to a colder climate is just what irritates me. But then, I guess you can't exactly help where the UK is based... our hemisphere is what it is.

RideAddict... me being mixed raced, father English and mother Sri Lankan - and having lived in east London for all my life I find your 'views' to be very outdated and something my mother had to put up with in the 70's. Thick views from even thicker people. Please tell me - could it be the fault that your own beautiful motherland went around 90% of the world raping and taking resources - with brutal force and no care that it's high time this so called ''Great'' Britain starts to give back to the world? The problems you seem to point out stem from your own ancestors. So, instead of being just a xenophobic little human why not open your mind and think the world belongs to us - as a human race. There should be no differences on skin colour, sexuality, gender, age but a pulling together a united world. Its views like yours that make me not want to live anywhere outside London as I find generally racist jealous, lazy Englishmen outside London. We as a nation are slowly trying to get rid of the bloody, horrible past by allowing migrant workers live in a better society - only because it's generally the ''Great'' British Empire that caused the worlds problems. If you don't like to be served by another colour I think you should go find yourself a nice little pit and congress with the EDL and BNP and have yourself a little tea party. Only thing is, because the 'white man' is too proud to do small jobs - you'll have a hard time getting anyone to make a cuppa tea. Still. Enjoy yourself.

When does the contract with Lionsgate run out and will this mean either just a name change or certain parts of themeing will have to go?

Those small amounts of Africans are living in hardship themselves and to be fair a lot of poachers are making business selling to the western world. We have a lot to explain for ourselves also. Anyway, that’s beside the point. I know that most animals are endangered, so why not leave it to the warmer climate countries to take care of these species? Why send animals from a tropical climate to ours? Don't you think that's unfair? Like I said, zoo's are educational and can be fun (minus London Zoo... seriously, drop a bomb on it. Smells like children’s piss and fumes) - but there has to be another way 'round for these animals to be kept in a safe environment without compromising their health. Perhaps more indoor structures like the Eden project, a huge greenhouse that keeps in warmth and can be inside disguised as the tropics/jungle. It's expensive, so let us not waste money on half arsed attempts and wait until we can care for these animals properly. It's selfish to just dump them onto flat land just for our entertainment... there's always a compromise and that needs to stop.

Just saying as all. I mean, when you're second in the world to Disney... you'd at least would like to show just that tiny, little, minuscule worth of effort. Tussauds standards slipped after a long few years, but were good to begin with. Merlin came in half arsed and... They just stayed that way. They’ve been spending money on stunts that insult the public intelligence, false advertisements, and general all 'round cheapness. Ever since 2004 the UK has had not much to shout about. ...gosh I'm a moany old man.

....wait.... what? This is the 'work around'? Considering Merlin make around an annual revenue of £600m+ you'd hope that they'd create and work some magic, brining in atmosphere that engulfs you - gives you a sense of being in another world. I'd like Merlin to be renamed 'nation of scaffolding'...Seriously, are Merlin’s contractors Wicks?

I've never quite understood why the English has such a fascination with safaris. Whipsnade is another example of depressed animals sitting in a **** hole and will only see and feel the sun for about 7 days in a year. Zoo's can be cool, but we kid ourselves with these..... 'Safaris'. To be honest I feel like its borderline animal cruelty. Why don't we wait until global warming really kicks in before we start pretending we're living in Africa? Wake me up when Chessington really starts thinking about families and not gimmicks.

Just thought Id swing by to review the Swarm.The area is themed very well, its a little small and I think soon Thorpe Park should really utillize the space and add a flat ride or two, go back to having themed lands as opposed to themed ride areas.The eerie feeling you get when crossing the bridge and the sheer size of The Swarm surprised me. I forgot what a theme park felt like in Surrey, The Swarm brought it all back.The queue line is just... manic. Which, I suppose, is a good thing. You really dont know where youre going.The theming is above par to what I was expecting, few things to look at and keep your mind off queing. The station is the highlight for me (bar the ride, of course), its huge. The fresh smell of paint will fade in time and hopefully the station will weather propperly.The Swarm was great at best. I didnt think it was amazing nor extremely thrilling but in a few places the ride really packs a punch. The pacing is good and the ride totally smooth.On the two occasions I was sat at the back, on both sides. Left hand side is a little more forcful than the right.The trains are stunning! Even without the theme I find wing walker trians to be pretty damn sexy, with The Swarm theming on really gives it a menacing look.The two stand out moments of the ride are the banked turn after the inclined loop (left side) and the barrel roll over the station.I think this ride is something between AIR and Nemesis, but I will never consider this as a 'scary' ride.Second best coaster in the park, after Stealth.

So market research brought us this, is this what the GP like/asked for? ...also, why does everybody on the map have down syndrome?

I was thinking this too. The station music is quite cool and still fits (...well) but I pefere the old station music - a VERY rare gem in Thorpe Park and they still manage to ruin it. Thanks Much appreciated.

I do hope I wasn't making myself look as if I WANTED to crumble Thorpe into 'dust', it just so happens that I did.I genuinely thought *meh*. Genuinely positively think the ride is average at best, if I ever were to return to the park I'll ride it - it's re-rideable but just not thrilling.When I first rode it I thought highly of it, but only EVER felt that once.Garry voices the same opinion perfectly too;' --------- Really did think that about Colossus, going up the lift hill I just wasn't excited anymore - I just came over all... bored. After the first drop I really couldn't care less for the ride. Really it should be drop and then the final inline - that's a great ride in itself.I used to hate it when I heard/read people moan about ''Colossus'' - thought all where childish, and to be honest most still are about it. They complain about the 'roughness' - when it isn't that at all. It's just not thrilling.I'll be sad to see this go, whenever down the line, but the problem is... when is 'whenever down the line'? It isn't coming soon enough for me.At the end of the day I'm being sold this 'The UK's THRILL CAPITAL' bull**** - and I came back with nothing. I was let down and really am dissapointed that marketing has to lie to the general public.

Coaster_Monkey. ...um, that's me. Was an avid poster on the old D:I (ThorpeParkInsider) group, before the site owner died... or got bored of it all, whichever.Not one to post much, but I'll most probably lurk around.

Right then, first trip of 2010 and it'll most probably be my last for a very, very long while.I've never been one to whore out parks, Thorpe Park has only gotten a visit from me once a year for the past decade -(apart from the craziness of 2006 & '09... twice!). I'm a huge theme park fan and I think living in England I'm never really going to fulfill my 'coaster needs'...Yesterday was quiet, ride queues reached 10mins max (30 for Stealth, not a good day for that ride...) there were no children what-so-ever and not even a sniff of white trash. As much as I do enjoy a packed park (atmosphere) I was relieved that it wasn't yesterday.First ride was Colossus, I remember 8 years ago queuing for this - shaking and going white at the face. It was my first big coaster and I loved it... yesterday I felt a bit of nostalgia whilst waiting but once on the ride I soon got bored.The ride is forceless, and this is coming from a guy that's been to what... 4 parks in his life? (3 of which in England) After the first drop I felt I made a mistake by coming to the park... even the bunny hop just felt *meh*...One thing I will say is that I can't complain about the roughness, it felt shaky but not rough at all. However, the last inline is pure sex.Still though, not worth going on ever again really.Samurai... we know the story there. I won't complain as I wasn't expecting much from it.Saw: The Ride, um... I want to be kind and say it was ****, but I really can't. It's a waste of money and considering this place is suppose to be thrill capital? The first drop is the only good thing about the ride... The second main drop is... um, well it felt like it didn't happen? There was no force, not even the sense of rush running through you... realized I was one the break run, did it really happen?The theming, I'll agree is great - the box felt eerie. The box. Elsewhere around the ride jus seems plain.Saw: Live action whatever maze thing, yeah was good. Not great, not scary, bored after the 4th room. But good.Vortex, WTF? No one... NO ONE... made a sound on the ride. It was the quietest ride I've EVER had on Vortex.... It's been around 6 years of dull swings on Vortex.Rush, *meh*Zodiac, filler ride. Hate it.Stealth, break down after break down, It didn't even open until about 3pm - but I'm guessing the rain affects the ride? (correct me if I'm wrong) Still a great ride, however. Love the launch even if I had to put up with a **** ending I'll ALWAYS think it's a great ride. Only managed it once N:I, awesome. Love it to bits. It doesn't exactly thrill me - in fact it's actually quite rubbish. But I just love the freedom you have on it - the station has a new theme tune? Why? :'(Detonator, I love it, love it, love it, love it. Wish it were somewhere else though - somewhere worthy of having a great ride, perhaps?Didn't bother with Slammer & X both are a waste of time.Thorpe Park is a complete waste of time and £37 for an off peak day? Who are they trying to kid? (me obviously) What has the park got that's worth thirty-****ing-seven pounds?! Thank god for buy one get one free vouchers. Even then it’s a rip off.The place looks great, and I think the only reason why I'd EVER visit the park again is just the atmosphere it holds (I'm sure many wont agree with me there) The staff are friendly, apart from Rush... but even I'll be pissed working on a dull ride. But nearly all had a smile or at least treated you like a human - thank you for those that worked yesterday Even with the dull weather y'all were awesome-o.I feel like crap saying negative things about a park I used to love. But I'm only 'dissing' the rides - Thorpe has no adventure or sense of anything when it comes to them. Like I said, I've only three other parks to compare this to and yet I find nearly all rides to be dull and forceless.Do hope I'm not making myself to look like a troll, if any one is from the old Discussion Insider group you'd know that I once loved the place. I'll keep my word and say that I won't be giving Thorpe my money from now on.3/10

I was amazed at the fact that myself and my girlfriend were told to not abuse the actors. We've come to a point in society were people have to be reminded of this? Truely amazing.Overall yes, it isn't the best attraction, but I did jump a few times and was sucked into the maze. I'll admit I did get bored after the 4th room but still managed to enjoy myself. Other half was scared, but that's due to the fact she can't stand being in the dark and people jumping out from no-where. (understandable...)Theming was top notch for me, but I've NOTHING to compare it too really. But it's impressive for what Thorpe has at the park.I doubt it'll be an attraction that'll be around for long, so I'm glad I got on it. I think?