terrortomb

Wake up to that? I'll pass thanks.
 

Legoland on a bank holiday weekend with the opening of a new ride... sure, should be a laugh ?

The next episode of The Making Of Symbolica part 6 has been realised, and goes into further details of the attraction building and design. Not to mention the garden roof on the top which will make for a beautiful sight on the pagoda.
 

The room is for just me at the moment, sorry guys. 

Me and Tomb will be maybes for the time being.

Helloo my dears,
 
It is with some degree of delight that I am here to FINALLY present you with the details of the official Alton Towers meet 2017! The current plan is to visit Alton Towers on both days, however I have heard whispers that some may like to visit Drayton Manor once again too, however they are expected to get a big thing in 2018 so it could be worth the wait! As ever though, that's for you forum lot to decide! 
 
Due to it being a weekend trip, the date for this weekend is remaining fixed at Saturday 17th June and Sunday 18th June.
 
The plans for this weekend shall be as follows:
 
*SATURDAY* 
(Alton Towers)
 
09:30 meet underneath the corkscrew sculpture thing whatever you may call it, the park is due to open at 10am according to the website so this is the time we'll be aiming to get into the park for 
 
10:00-13:00/13:30 we shall be simply going about riding what others wish to ride until we get a bit peckish, at which point we'll split off for lunch, which should last for about an hour 
 
14:00/14:30-17:00/18:00 we'll get back to those rides until park close, some may wish to do the waterpark as has been the case for the past few years, this is stated to be open until 6pm, so please mention in the poll if this tickles your fancy, as then we can get a group of sorts to head off a bit earlier to fit some swimming in, us non-swimmers can find ourselves partaking in a game of mini golf or can hang about the hotel bar area.... I'll definitely be playing golf because I have a mild obsession for it all thanks to a few of the members on this very forum
 
18:00 onwards we'll probably go off for a bite to eat, this will be an UNOFFICIAL part of the meet and will most likely consist of those who are staying the night before we head back to wherever we'll be staying
 
 
*SUNDAY*
(probably Alton Towers again)
 
Should you all vote for us to have two days of Alton Towers, the structure of the Sunday will look very similar to the structure of the Saturday bar the swimming, golf and meal in the evening as people will most likely want to head straight home after park close. 
 
If, however, you all decide you'd like us to visit DRAYTON MANOR instead, this is what that day might look like...
disclaimer: I've never been to Drayton before so it's a very rough estimate ok
 
10:00 meet by the park entrance, the park is said to open at this time however rides don't open until 10:30 so we'll have plenty of time!
 
10:30-13:00/13:30 it'll be time to get on all the rides that people may choose to ride until yet again we all get peckish and we'll go off for lunch for an ho- you know what I'm going to say I'll stop boring you 
 
14:00/14:30-17:00 we'll get back to those rides after lunch and continue going until park close/everyone gets tired and decides its time to go home. It'll be then time for us all to part ways and head home, it's more than likely people will be simply grabbing a bite to eat at a service station on the way home so there again shall be no organised meal on the sunday
 
 
a few little notes for the meet...
 
-if you are late, we will NOT wait! Even we've been left behind before, it simply isn't fair on those who make the effort to be there on time, if you're running a bit late or are Marc then we will meet you when you arrive, whether it'll be you finding the group as we stand in a specific place for you or someone running off to fetch you... you will find us eventually, we promise!
 
 
** the polls on this topic for where we'll be headed will close in one week, at 10pm on Thursday, 20th April 2017** 
 
please read ahead if you are interested in staying over night, be it on either the Friday night, Saturday night, or both (STRICTLY OVER 18s ONLY, we CANNOT take responsibility for any under 18s overnight, but you are more than welcome to join us for the day parts!!) 
 
**from this point, you will have EXACTLY ONE MONTH to confirm your attendance to either myself or @Ryan, so you must have given us a definite yes or no by 9pm on SATURDAY, 13TH MAY 2017, otherwise you will NOT be included in the numbers as we try to work out the pricing for the hotel, location is TBC as we will be trying to find the best deal, but you will know after this date (it's always been the Newcastle-Under-Lyme Travelodge and this likely won't change, but it's worth a look )
 
**we will then price up the rooms and let you all know how much you will be owing if you wish to stay with us on SUNDAY, 14TH MAY 2017, you will then have ONE WEEK to transfer the amount to tpm's paypal, so the payment from you must have been received by us by 9pm on SUNDAY, 21ST MAY 2017, allowing us to make the booking ASAP as neither Ryan nor myself will be able to foot the bill unfortunately 
 
**if you don't get back to us in time, you'll have to book your own room, likewise if you have any specific preferences for who you may like to share with, or if you'd even have another hotel in mind!
 
Once the booking has all gone through we'll let you know, there will be a dedicated group chat to keep you all in the loop as I know this is a lot of information to process. If you have any questions or queries do not hesitate to ask. Sadly I may not be able to get back to you ASAP as exam season is well and truly here so I'll only be about to update meet topics, but I'll try my best! 
 
The Towers meet is always a good one, and this will be no different  
 
 
 
who's coming?? 
 
BaronC.
Doc
>Marc
>Mattgwise
Martin.C
Mitchada04
>Mer
Mr Fish
paige
Ryan
he who shall not be named
terrortomb (maybe)
Timber Creek (maybe)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

nice!! 

Yes - I'm u for this... I might cry after seeing what they've done to bubble works - but oh well!

Me and Tomb for the meal please.

I live 15 minutes away and don't work on weekends... plus I haven't been on Vampire for ages. Count me in! 

I can't give you a definite answer, but can confirm there are variable open hours based on park's busyness. 
 
If the park shuts at 6pm, the park is likely to be reasonably quiet, however if it's closing at 8pm, then the likelihood is it will be pretty busy. 
 
I should also mention, these closing times are often minimum and if the park receives higher crowds than expected, then closing will usually be pushed back. Park close is confirmed around 3/4pm  everyday and you can see the provisional 2017 opening hours here.
 
ridewise, all I can suggest is go around area by area, arrive for opening and don't rush around. Europa is full of impressive gems and details everywhere you look. Europa has some of the best operations of any park in the world!
 
Must do rides I would recommend are: Blue Fire, Wodan, Silverstar, Arthur, Poseidon, Eurosat, Euromir, Geisterschloss, Pirates Of Batavia and Fjord River Rafting. However there are plenty of other amazing attractions out there to explore.

Efteling have revealed what the ride cars will look like..

I can now confirm my attendance.

Me & Tomb have also now booked up.
 
Can't wait for this meet which will probably fly by faster than Ferrari Land.

Hola! I’m excited to finally announce the details for our 2017 European trip to PortAventura!
 

 
The dates for this meet will be Saturday 9th September - Tuesday 12th September. There is not a vote for this meet due to other commitments and trying to make the trip as cheap as possible for all.
 
This is a longer meet than usual due to there being two parks and a waterpark which we will be visiting. PortAventura is a fantastic park and I would recommend a few days to get everything done (plus ride Baco until you break your backo). As this is a trip abroad it is strictly an over 18’s meet I’m afraid. I understand some of you may be disappointed about this, but due to the meet being outside the country it complicates matters too much!
 
This meet is taking a lot of advanced planning and is obviously more expensive than a standard meet, which is why we are giving you plenty of notice to save up/book time off work etc. 
 
I have used Expedia to price up this trip and the cheapest I’ve found it (based on a room of 4) is £223 each which includes hotel, flights, park tickets (plus 1 day Ferrari Land entry) and breakfast each day. Obviously the earlier this is booked, the cheaper it will be. I have just booked a room of 4 for 4 members who have shown previous interest. I can help out with recommendations for booking, but it will be down to yourselves to book flights and accommodation how you wish.
 
You can make your own travel arrangements, but these are our planned flights:
 

 
We will be staying at the onsite Hotel El Paso which is a 4* hotel with onsite swimming pool, 2 restaurants and live entertainment. It is also a short walk to the park. 
 

 
Based on previous experience going to PortAventura, there is absolutely no chance I would recommend visiting this park without using their unlimited fastpass. As onsite hotel guests we get this at a discounted rate and it is valid for our entire stay (I believe it is around 50Euro’s each). This is something we will all be getting so please bare that in mind when calculating costs.
 
Our previous European park visits have been absolutely fantastic and there is no reason why this would be any different. If you have any questions then please do feel free to message me and I will help as much as I can. Let me know below if you are interested in attending! 
 
Booked:
Doc Kerfuffle  Marc Martin.C  Martin Doyle Matt Creek  Mattgwise Mr Fish Ryan Terrortomb 

According to a 'who am I' game, I must attend this meet.
 
Ok Gruffalo.

List looks very acceptable especially Port Aventura.
 
Should make the majority of these I'm sure.

In a word, no. 
 
I'd say the biggest problem with the trains is the lack of weight reducing the swing so it isn't as exciting and doesn't flow properly. 
 
The problem that causes the discomfort is the trains seem to not be solidly coupled which causes them to shuffle back and forth into each other as it travels along the track. This isn't really noticeable at the front or back but is worse in the middle of the train. Swinging side to side softly is fun, jerking back and forth not so much.
 
I wouldn't really say it's uncomfortable in the painful sense though, it's more just annoying. 
 
I've not been for a few years now though,  maybe they've fixed it? 
Doubtful!

The meet in a nutshell:

TPM Failing at dodgeball against 11 year olds is certainly summarises how physically fit most of us are  

Skaters assemble! (Not me because I was watching) 

Malcolm fabulously rocking the bowling alley.

And some funky appropriate names in the alley.

And a slippery Alex to finish!
 
Was a good meet and enjoyable on my first and (maybe) last Guildford meet. Because the Spectrum is getting rebuilt next year apparently.

Hello my fellow keen beans,
 
At long last, I am here to start the topic for the Thorpe Park Open Season Meet 2017! The provisional date for this meet is currently Saturday, 25th March 2017, however you may vote otherwise if you wish, unfortunately the dates aren't especially flexible this time round simply because this is the first and only 'normal' weekend in March, so apologies for that! You will have two weeks to place your votes, and the polls will close on Thursday, 2nd February at 9pm!
 
 
Should you decide to come out with us to the Island Like No Other, this is what we could be doing...
 
09:30- meet in the usual place by the AP entrance/cash machine, so we can promptly enter the park for 10
 
10:00 onwards- we will just be dithering about the park, going on what people want to ride until people get peckish (or hangry)
 
13:00-13:30- it'll be time for lunch! the group may split to go and have whatever tickles their fancy, or we might all fancy the same thing which would work out nicely 
 
14:00/14:30 - park close- we'll all go back to getting on those rides until it's time to head off for the post-meet social! like we've done with the previous couple of meets, where we eat is all down to you forum lot, and there's always room for creams...
 
 
I know that there will be a fair few rides that people won't want to/can't do (I am a veteran at scoping out benches myself by now!), you will of course be able to go off and do your own thing whilst you wait, but try to make sure you don't lose the group entirely  
 
 
There will again be no specific 'extra' meet points throughout the day for the sake of ease and simplicity so those latecomers can come to the group, as Ryan and I will both be running this meet I am sure either one of us would be able to come and fetch you if you're a bit lost! 
 
but remember, if you are late you will be left behind! 
 
 
If you are up for this meet, feel free to contact myself or @Ryan to let us know, and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions below! 
 
 
Hope to see you there  
 
*****
 
Who's coming?? 
 
 
CWOAFanMalcolm (might be working, definitely coming for meal) (plus meal)
Daniel.S312 (plus meal)
David B (plus meal)
Doc (plus meal)
Felicity (plus meal)
Joestar
Marc (plus meal)
Martin C (plus meal)
Martin Doyle
Matt Creek (meal only) 
mattgwise
Mer (plus meal)
Mitchada04 (plus meal)
Paige (plus meal)
he who shall not be named (plus meal)
Ryan (plus meal)
StevenVig
Stuntman707 (plus meal)
special guest (plus meal)
terrortomb (plus meal)
Weronika (plus meal)
 
 
total: 19
 
 
 

It's pointless of me pointing out I know, but I'm guessing it didn't take long for some people to realise where the inspiration for the promo art came from tbh:


The river follows the same meander, both pictures have boats emerging from a hole/archway. Even both have the riders pointing! Very few people would immediately think of the last picture.  

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!

Airhop has been booked up, so no need to worry hopefully.
 
And no TGI cocktails  ? But their Purple rain is amazing, even if it needs a loan to buy one of them  

I'm looking forward to this! Count me in for airhop, ice skating, bowling and meal 
 
What's more, I haven't been ice skating since last year's TPM meet.  I remember it was insanely busy but then again it was Sat 2nd Jan, so this one may be a little quieter.
Whether Dancing on Ice or You've Been Framed on Ice, I'm sure it will be highly acceptable ?