Coaster

I would like to see more props and gruesome sights in Asylum, but apart from that it should stay the same. (Although the sirens should be turned up again, they were very quiet last year!) As for the real cobwebs in Colossus, they should be removed!

Seeing those pictures reminds me how good the park used to look. A real, real shame that they haven't bothered in recent years. Let's hope they do this year.

Yes but it always happens with new attractions (except for The Swarm - but I don't know what happened there). Of course people are going to come to ride it!

People will care about Air being closed as well, but The Smiler is the big new attraction that most guests will be travelling to go on today! Some of these guests have probably held back from visiting at the start of the season, waited until it seems to be working and then arrived to find it closed (and unlikely to open). I think it is quite appauling that they haven't stated that it is closed on the main website - the moment it stalled they should have put it up on the website!

Matt Smith is leaving at the end of the year! About time in my opinion, what does anyone else think? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22741493

Hydro's throughput is awful, but I would hate to see the ride removed as it offers a superior experience to most water rides I have been on (apart from Valhalla of course!) I do think that it is a bit of a farce though. They check the restraints multiple times, then play you a safety announcement which lasts about a minute

Why not have traditional mazes but not in a conga line? Much like Pasaje Del Terror at Blackpool. It doesn't affect throughput too much and it maximises the fear factor of the maze a lot!

^ Agreed, The Passing was not worth the money as the other mazes were better! 10pm would be nice for Fright Nights once again, 9pm is poor as it isn't nights (but I suppose Fright Evenings doesn't sound good ). I do remember at the beginning of the season the opening times said 10:30pm, although they hastily changed it back to 9pm.

Maybe some of the trains still have the soft wheels on them?

Sounds good. Props please Thorpe! Gory ones! And moving ones...

I think that as long as the coaster can run with only a few people in it then they should do so rather than taking a train off.

That's great! Looking forward to hearing reviews later

Judging by those photos I hope for the sake of Alton Towers management that it opens...

Yeah, but a happy medium would be nice...

Yeah I hate wasps as well, horrible (and completely pointless) creatures!I hate moths more though, can't stand the things . Even the small ones!

Seeing as this is a rant topic, I'm gonna rant! I hate moths. No not hate, DESPISE. And my parents think I am stupid and too old to be scared of moths so they just get annoyed with me and, most of the time, won't remove them. It really hacks me off, everyone has their fear and that is mine. (As well as spiders, daddy longlegs and... Yeah, basically all bugs). And we go on holiday camping every year, in a frame tent. It's hell. I love camping, but the bugs are awful. And slugs.

Was open today, indoor section was quite fun without the axes although I hope it doesn't stay like this. General atmosphere around the park today was "CBA" from the staff though

Dispatch times were awful on The Swarm today. Some of those staff need rockets shoved up their backsides!! Honestly, they were leaving it a good two minutes between trains getting back into the station on some occasions whereas others it was sent beforehand. No sense of urgency, it was more like they sent the trains once they had finished their conversations. Also, they all looked so grumpy. One of them was nearly asleep - he literally tapped our harnesses instead of actually checking them. SORT IT OUT!

Yes, that would be good, but what they need to bring into the mazes (especially Asylum) is a lot more props. These could be moving or still, but should be gory and quite nasty to look at. I say this because nothing at Thorpe park's Fright Nights is actually gruesome or scary because it is just people with a mask or face paint. If they brought in scary props and moving anamatronics (cheap ones are still scary) then they would improve their mazes 100% in my opinion.

You seem to be forgetting that Blackpool Pleasure Beach is a family owned business that doesn't have the vast amount of money that a merlin owned company has.Actually, since the refurb (this year especially) all effects have been working most of the time - the fire arch and on the water worked 12 out of 12 rides I had on it at Easter. Anyway, comparing a simple swinging axe and light (which wouldn't take much to fix) to the multitude of complicated spectacular effects used on Valhalla is silly.

^ Because a theme park with that much reputation (and money) should maintain their effects!

^ Yes! I liked it but I do like the new version. Either way it isn't really that good, but I am a fan of dark rides/coasters so I enjoy it, even though there are much, much better ones around.

^ Blackpool isn't that bad! It's the idiots in the place rather than the place itself - yes it is run down in places but the leisure and fun resorts and places (Pleasure Beach, the Tower, Sandcastle etc) are of the highest standard and you don't get the idiots in them (you used to at Pleasure Beach but since the entry fee they don't come in anymore).

That must have been scary to watch Safety standards at Brean are much higher than that of a travelling fair though, they maintain their rides to the highest standard (or at least that was what I read somewhere) and they check the height of people before allowing them on rides like that.

^ It's perfectly safe, there is no way of falling out of the ride.