AstroDan

Tongue in cheek... but it's obviously testament to the parks lowering of the cost that they considered it to be too high. Some people were backing the hike.

Good. They obviously realised £6 for Stealth was shocking. Obviously some people think £6 would have been better, mind you.

In no particular order, here are five of the best for me:Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is the most incredible and immersive theme park ride I have been on. With an unrivalled queue line experience, a great ride experience - it's quite simply, amazing. Kumba. I expected something like Dragon Khan, which is decent but not mindblowing. Kumba put Dragon Khan to the sword. A brilliant coaster - old skool and exciting. With better landscaping than it's brother in Spain, this is a top coaster and one of the very best ever built.There's something about Blue Fire. It's possibly the great theming, it's possibly the awesome trains, it's possibly the fact that a company that had never built a launched or looping coaster before just blew everything out of the water, it's possibly because it's at Europa-Park which in itself is enough. But you know what, this is an amazing coaster. It's not "intense" - but it's unrivalled int erms of "fun" for me and that last inversion... just wow. The dark ride portion pre-launch is nicem too.Troy. Well - it's a cracking coaster. Fast paced, long, exciting. For a park that frankly nobody cared about before to install this - one of Europe's best wooden coasters - is amazing. Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom). It's one of those coasters that you frankly expect nothing of. At all. The closest thing to this is Eurosat - another great dark coaster. But here, a pretty old Disney classic offers a raw coaster experience like no other. There's even airtime. Totally blew all my pre-conceptions out of the water. Sure, Paris' is prettier - but track and train, this was absolutely brilliant.

I noticed someone saying earlier than you spend the extra money on Fastrack to have a good day.Does this mean, without fastrack, you'll not have a good day? I think that's a big shame.

Towers fastrack is similarly priced to Thorpe, although Towers don't have flat rides on fastrack. Last season it was £9 for Air, Nemesis and Oblivion for example. Second to that was Adventurer, £5 for Charlie, Runaway Mine Train, Flume and Rapids. Then Rita, like Stealth, was £5. Some single ride fastrack was available on certain days after 3pm only I recall too. £2-£4 per ride depending on the ride. After that it was all ultimate and platinum, when you start talking about silly money £80 etc.Towers seem to sell less though - perhaps a lower limit than Thorpe.

Ricky, I assure you I am in the real world. I work in public sector, currently enduring a 2-year pay freeze, a rise in my pension contributions and less money in the pot to spend at work. Therefore, forgive me when I see the likes of Merlin rising prices far above VAT/inflation - meaning my spending power gets less. I also apologise to you, who appears to think everything the park does requires universal praise and celebration.Hopefully, as others have said, this will indeed act as a deterrant and the price will soon get to a stage where people will not buy them - I am sure the average teenager arriving at the park isn't going to spend £10.80 on a fastrack ticket. It's a lot of money when a BOGOF to get in makes it only about £20.

Are you totally up Thorpe / Merlin's rear end or do you genuinely believe £6.00 for a Stealth Fastrack is good value? Of course, Thorpe Park is a business like any other - and if people are going to pay it, then so be it - but if you like seeing the UK's best theme parks charging such tremendous figures, and are happy to see a 20% rise in the cost of such a fastrack, then obviously a cut in your spending power is something you revel in!I find it astonishing that you couldn't agree that £6.00 for a one ride fastrack is anything other very expensive?

A lot of new audio has been added to http://www.towerstimes.co.uk in recent days, including:- Th13teen Queue Theme- Th13teen Tesla Room/Station Loop- Cloud Cuckoo Land Theme- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Boat Ride Theme- Pirates of Mutiny Bay Ambient Theme- Pirates of Mutiny Bay End Theme- Old MacDonalds Farm Theme- Towers Street Theme (Waltz Section)- The Wonders of Sir Algenons Attic Main Theme- The Wonders of Sir Algenons Attic Around The World ThemePlus, a new 50 minute documentary charting Alton Towers and John Wardley from 1991 - also featuring a lot of Chessington and Barry Island.Also, on http://freeplaymusic.com/search/category_search.php?t=v&I=922 - download the track "Vampire Night" and it's the Duel:Live theme from 2008 and 2009!I have just had a good old download - and it's amazing what you notice. Loads of quiet whispers such as "help me" on the Th13teen audio, and In The Hall of the Mountain King making an appearance just after 5:45 on the Cloud Cuckoo Theme!

...but like... doesn't Colossus get something shockingly diabolical such as 850 people per hour?Whenever I visit Thorpe (and that's less and less these days), frankly I often miss the ride totally due to the queue length.

Spinning Wing Ride/4D - surely one and the same thing?

Surely if Thorpe got X Raptor with spinning seats, it would become a B&M 4D Prototype!?However, we have no idea for Thorpe yet as has been stated.As for Towers - a B&M would surely make sense - who knows, they could have signed a 4-ride deal with B&M for Gardaland/Heide/Thorpe/Alton, but I doubt it. I think Intamin are more likely now as they seem more willing to push crazy ideas about which we all know Alton love.My money is on the testing phase to take place on a car park in Eastern Europe.

Alton Towers could go for some sort of LSM/Lift Hill combo like Maverick/iSpeed. That way, they'd not have need for the height - as the LSM would help get the cars up to adequate speed.I fail to see what B&M could offer AT - since AT always want a Unique Selling Point - now that B&M have dished out two (presumably) prototypes to Gardaland and Thorpe Park.Alton need out-and-out thrill, and I would say Intamin are best placed to do that even if on the whole I prefer Mack and B&M.

Some rumours / some facts regarding SW7/AT Development at the moment:- Morwenna Angove indicated that they were looking at installing SW7 for the 2013 season, and pre-planning work was to begin in June/July 2010.- John Wardley has allegedly been seen in the car park behind Air, with a team from Intamin.- The ride will be a return to out-and-out thrill for the first time since 2005's Rita.- The 2009 public development consultation showed several areas available for development of large scale rollercoasters.- 2011 is a "small" year in terms of developments.- 2012 is a "medium" year in terms of developments. Morwenna Angove stated that this is a potential year for re-development of the Black Hole site.

World class coasters in the UK for me, which could compete with the very best parks in the world:- Air- Nemesis- Oblivion- Stealth- Megafobia- Grand National- Nemesis InfernoFor me, Stealth, Nemesis Inferno and Air are the only world class coasters built since the turn of the century. Any B&M is, for me, world class. Intamins depend.I have high hopes for the next coaster at Thorpe - a B&M 4D for example would be world class regardless. As for Alton Towers, EVERYTHIN hinges on SW7. After the debacle of Th13teen, I am pinning hopes on them finally returning to favour with an amazing, world-rate rollercoaster for 2013.A world-class family coaster would be likely at Chessington. Sadly, Th13teen just missed the boat due to the general crapness outside.

I am so happy that Thorpe Park is to be nuked! Maybe they can start again and make a nice new park!But seriously, interesting stuff. Although if it looks like X Raptor then I won't be THAT impressed. I expect to be let down as it's Merlin - so whatever does happen hopefully it'll be decent. They seem to be intent on advertising every new ride as the most scary/death defying etc. thing ever these days...

I think Merlin have realised that the cost of the pass has been somewhat undervalued for a while. They haven't really risen prices, certainly not for renewals, for around 3 years now - yet I know abroad parks raise their Annual Passes by a few pounds or so every year.Frustrating, but a Premium Pass is the way to go now.

I see Drayton Manor and Lightwater Valley have facebooked/tweeted that they are committed to free parking for all guests.Love it - the abuse on the AP Facebook page is now running into the thousands.

Josh - based on your argument, the Merlin Annual Pass could cost £500.00 and it would still represent value to me. Technically - because 30 visits based on £500.00 is around £16.00 per visit.But there comes a limit, regardless, on how much people are willing to pay.If I was paying £10.00 per visit in cash as you have said - I would visit much, much less.

How can you say that?When you drive, you will probably say different.Based on £100 for the pass.Based on 20 visits @ £5.00 per time is an additional £100.00!I already spend a lot on merchandise, food, drink etc.Although the pass is good value, if I had to pay £30 or so a time to visit- I would simply visit much less.

I'm sorry, do you have a problem?I don't see anything wrong with fansites pulling together when things like this happen, myself.

I suggest the TPM site updaters get a news article on the front page.It's on the home page on Towers Times - the more bad press the better here - although I know this is an official site, but still.At 15-20 visits to Merlin attractions per year, I am looking at increased costs of around £75-£100 per year...Disgusting way to reward the most loyal customers.

Rita has rolled back on a few occasions, but it's really infrequent. Due to Rita's very high average speed - it would take a massive underpower for it to happen. The speed at which Rita travels over the high point is still quite fast, so even with considerably less speed it would still make it. Stealth on the other hand trickles over the highpoint, so just a slight underpower causes a roll back (or wind).

This is the thing with Alton Towers, though.They are (in my view, and presumably the majority - although maybe not on this forum) the best in the country at the theme park business, and a strong player in Europe. However, all too often do we see good quality new additions that could be made so much more "special" (I will refrain from using the banned "magic" word...) with just a few extra's. Corners are all too often cut because the budget just is not there.For example - had Air been built at Phantasialand, they'd never have left that tunnel the way it is (case in point: Black Mamba's pre-lift tunnel). If Efteling had created Th13teen, then you just know there'd have been some mist-filled headchopper/tunnels in the outdoor section (case in point: Die Vliegende Hollander coaster section). If Europa-Park had built Rita, the station would never have been essentially themeless nor outdoors (case in point: Blue Fire). Alton are always the first to try "new things" and I always will and have credited them for this - but with just a fraction more in the budget - imagine what they could add to the experience of so many of their rides.Th13teen is getting there, it's just a pity that the coaster itself is so weak! Nemesis and Oblivion are pretty much perfect however.

It's a cool effect but like much of the ride, it's confused as to the purpose and way it attaches itself to the whole experience. I just wish Th13teen had been sewn together more coherently, really. Still - an effect is an effect and they are all too few and far between in this country.

Thing is, as much as this is "meh" in the scheme of things due to the fact that loads of parks have 4D attractions already, this isn't just about a 4D. This is Alton Towers continuing their quest for more "year round" and indoor attractions. Following Sea Life and the presumed redevelopment of the Black Hole tent in 2012, it tells a lot about their focus!Hopefully a few spruce ups around the park will go hand in hand with this, too.I hear it will be very well themed.