Coaster

I have to be honest, that looks like absolute hell on earth to visit and not fun for anyone. Genuinely, I think that one fast moving queue-line with RAP access for wheelchair users only would provide a better experience for everyone; both those who would have otherwise been using RAP, and guests in the main queue.

Pleasure Beach have brought back Mr Funshine on the entrance arches! The arches have also been sandblasted and repainted and look much smarter. https://twitter.com/AutoRideCount/status/1380836424350629889?s=20 They've also got flags with Mr Funshine and the 125th anniversary logo on, which I saw on the BBC News report.

Pleasure Beach being adored by some enthusiasts and disliked by others does make sense though, since I feel the same about Thorpe. It's put on a pedestal by enthusiasts but I personally find it pretty awful, the only coaster I really like there is Inferno and in terms of other rides besides the headliners, there's naff all. Blackpool is in my view a much better park than the others in the UK, the ride offering is much more complete and almost all the coasters are thrilling, plus there's the retro rides too. It's also important to remember the nostalgia for lots of people goes towards making a park feel special to them, growing up visiting etc. As a town, I've never really had any issues with Blackpool, every big town or city has rough areas but the tourist areas of Blackpool (and to be fair any area I've been to there) are ace. BPB for me hasn't been on form for a few years now, but after most of last year spent away from the park I'm very excited to go back.

You can hear a snippet of what I guess is a new Pleasure Beach song near the start of this video, I love the tributes to Geoffrey and Doris Thompson.

At a very basic level, a park entrance should be visually appealing, efficient and functional. Thorpe's achieves none of these; the local rubbish tip has a nicer entrance.

How long before Icon goes down to two train operation during busy times. Never seen that before at PB... oh hang on a minute.

In a way, this is sort-of what I mean - if the ride was successful, popular etc. then the drive would be there to reopen it as soon as possible. I don't think there's any dodging the fact that it was an outrageous waste of a large investment, for that amount 10 years of operation would surely be far too short - let alone 5. Covid may have cut its time short, but if there's no drive from the park or IP to get it reopened, I'd suggest that is a sign of a failed project.

I'm not sure about that. Wouldn't it just be like any other attraction (closed when unsafe, reopened when safe)? If it doesn't reopen when it's safe to, we can't blame Covid entirely for that.

Well no-one could have seen this coming. Oh wait.

Lightwater have confirmed that The Ultimate will not operate during 2021, but will remain at the park SBNO.

Sad news coming from Lightwater Valley. The following rides have been removed from the park's website and therefore look to be permanently closed/removed; Raptor Attack Eagle's Claw Rapids Black Pearl Apollo The Ultimate's page hasn't been updated since being marked as closed for 2020, so who knows what'll happen with that.

Vloggers can work from home, many changed the style of their videos over the first lockdown so they could continue providing content from home. There's always stuff for enthusiasts to talk about if they want to, there's no need to go around putting other people at risk. The restrictions (attached below) clearly state where necessary, visiting a theme park isn't necessary work. He can film and upload from home. It also brings the question of whether he should be doing it morally, given that it will encourage others to do the same and add to the problem causing parks to have to close. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-3-very-high-alert#travel In relation to the allegations, are you seriously suggesting that hiding tweets from the victims was an acceptable response?! Many YouTubers at least upload a video explaining what's happened when things like this happen, even if they are proved false, to provide their subscribers with the info. Shawn tried to brush it under the carpet rather than address it, and barely addressed it properly even when he was forced to.

He travelled from a tier 3 area to visit Adventure Island and claimed it under "work" which, IMO, is nonsense. The idea is travelling to a lower tier for work should only be done if essential, not to go and ride a few coasters. It's also setting a bad example to his followers and is one of those things where just because you can find a loophole, it doesn't mean you should. He has also been on a blocking spree on social media with anyone who has dared to question his actions, and has referred to them as "trolls" even though many are just (rightfully) calling out his actions as selfish. Earlier this year when the allegations came to light, he also tried to hide those at first by removing the replies to his tweets. He's awful IMO.

Nooo "the good one" has gone.

It very much feels like Chessington prioritse one feature of theming to look good in marketing material as opposed to a well-rounded product. Tiger Rock for example, apart from the rockwork tiger head, the rest of the ride's theming is now very tired, disjointed and doesn't really flow very well at all. The main tiger head also looks very tired now, it almost feels like as soon as the marketing photos have been taken, they don't really care how things look. It's probably true of Merlin as a whole but it feels really obvious at Chessington. Wicker Man for example focuses on the big theming structure, but there is at least some depth to the theme and it feels like an overall package rather than "just" the centrepiece. Of course, this isn't done yet, but it's more just an observation of Chessington/Merlin.

Amity Beach (3) Colossus (5) Depth Charge (5) Detonator: Bomb's Away (5) Flying Fish (5) King Pig's Wild Hog Dodgems (5) Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride (5) Nemesis Inferno (8) Quantum (5) Rocky Express (5) Rumba Rapids (5) Rush (5) Samurai (5) Saw - The Ride (5) Stealth (5) Storm in a Teacup (5) The Swarm (5) Tidal Wave (5) Timber Tug Boat (4) Vortex (5) Zodiac (5) Nemesis Inferno + Timber Tug Boat -

Yeah I can see why people still get a pass, but it's frustrating to see those who are angry about the price increase still pay money to Merlin instead of supporting independent parks. (I do include myself in this, I used to own a MAP but this year was the first year in a while without a Merlin pass for me and I haven't missed it). In relation to the standard of the parks, I really don't get much enjoyment visiting them anymore; Chessington's Howl'o'ween was a good effort this year, but Alton Towers felt pretty flat and tired on my visit. Thorpe, the less said the better, I didn't visit this year.

I understand the location thing, Thorpe Park and Chessington are the easiest parks for me to get to, but I'd much rather drive further and visit different non-Merlin parks because I find the whole experience much more enjoyable and rewarding.

There are so many independently owned theme parks and visitor attractions in the UK that offer a much better experience than Merlin's, I used to see things differently, but nowadays I just have no interest in the MAP even without this latest price increase. Why not support the parks and businesses that really need it, and visit somewhere different next year? I can't see the logic behind giving Merlin another £200+ for the same old stuff every year? Of course, it's different if you still enjoy Merlin's offering, but those who don't, why pay more for a MAP when there are so many other options?

It'll look nice for a couple of years I guess. See Tiger Rock..

I also have some exclusive genuine news that Room on the Broom will be called Room in the Hocus Pocus Hall next year! The maze will go back to also using its previous name because Nick the cleaner found an old sign from Hocus Pocus Hall and thought of how good it would look added to the current sign. Inside the maze you will be required to wear 3D glasses once again, not because anything is in 3D, but just because they look funky.

Amity Beach (5) Angry Birds 4D Experience (1) Colossus (5) Depth Charge (5) Detonator: Bomb's Away (5) Flying Fish (5) King Pig's Wild Hog Dodgems (5) Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride (5) Nemesis Inferno (8) Quantum (5) Rocky Express (6) Rumba Rapids (5) Rush (5) Samurai (5) Saw - The Ride (5) Stealth (5) Storm in a Teacup (5) Storm Surge (5) The Swarm (5) Tidal Wave (5) Timber Tug Boat (5) Vortex (5) Zodiac (5) Nemesis Inferno + Angry Birds 4D Experience -

Amity Beach (5) Angry Birds 4D Experience (5) Colossus (5) Depth Charge (5) Detonator: Bomb's Away (5) Flying Fish (5) King Pig's Wild Hog Dodgems (5) Lumber Jump (3) Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride (5) Nemesis Inferno (3) Quantum (5) Rocky Express (5) Rumba Rapids (7) Rush (5) Samurai (5) Saw - The Ride (5) Stealth (7) Storm in a Teacup (5) Storm Surge (5) The Swarm (5) Tidal Wave (5) Timber Tug Boat (5) Vortex (5) Zodiac (5) Nemesis Inferno + Lumber Jump -

It's a shame that Wicker Man's lighting package seems to be missing after just two seasons. Surely it would have made more sense to install it on a permanent basis initially? Unless I'm mistaken and it was on during Scarefest, however it definitely wasn't when I visited for Oktoberfest.

I have to be honest, I strongly disagree with this. The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure is, for the most part, very well done and an improvement on the version of Bubbleworks that immediately preceded it, but only because that had fallen into poor condition. Tiger Rock however, aside from the new show-piece tiger head, which already looks tired and dated, they completely ruined the theming after the first drop and the majority of other features now look out of place or in desperate need of a paint job. I much preferred Dragon Falls. Walking Dead: The Ride too, ruins the ride in my opinion. It isn't suited to the hardware at all and it was much more enjoyable and fun to ride as X IMO. Valhalla does not need to become a lifeless bland IP-driven investment, and I thoroughly hope it isn't in any way similar to Gruffalo, Tiger Rock or Walking Dead!