pluk

First week of Scarefest is dead midweek, that is always my favourite time to go and I do so every year!. All Sacrefest weekends get quite busy though, and one of them usually has a slightly different atmosphere thanks to our travelling friends.

The one thing in favour is that there's a decent size station to stick a dedicated queue line in, as long as they don't try and split it at the entrance. That aspect could work more so than the swarm. But still, just no.

I can believe I'm even saying this, but backwards Vampire. It's a rumour, it's a stupid one. But that is how The Swarm started. Surely not? Discuss...

Springfield is now completely open, which is really a bunch of food places and this... Not a particularly great ride, but I love a lot of the theming...

If that is the fireworks event I'm pretty sure it'll be crazy busy, but you have a long long day to fit it all in so should be OK, especially if you get there early when it will be dead.

Don't get me wrong I think what they have done with the leftovers of Beanoland is really very good, but 2 fairground rides and an impressive circus show is just better than three fairground rides (I don't care for Kobra!). If they'd turned Circusland into Wild Asiat, ie kept a big ass show, that would probably have been an improvement. The whole of the park felt more complete back then I think.

Seems to me to be a case of which is less bad, and for me the Gaga track is. Just. Yesterday Armando Iannucci was on Phil and Alice and chose to play this. They mocked it, but it was the best thing I heard all day...

Went to see The Worlds End yesterday and loved it. An incredibly slow start, and it all goes as weird as hell, but very very funny. I recommend. It was so hard to get to see it though, I get that it's been out for a good few weeks but it isn't exactly old and still seems quite popular. My local huge multiplex has the same couple of films starting every 30 minutes or so in huge auditorium and looking at the ticket booking system they are mostly empty. But they are showing The Worlds End once a day in their smallest 'studio' screen, and it is sold out days in advance. I've had the same thing happen a few times now. Idiots, it's like they don't want my money!

I think it comes from people taking extended weekends off of work/school rather than random days between other working days. So mondays and fridays are a bit busier than the middle days. In reality the weather probably has a bigger influence than this though.

I would hate to see it go entirely, it just needs some love, attention, thought and class to be put back inside. The ride system itself is solid enough and the themes they could go for a pretty much endless. And strobes. It needs strobes.

Taken as a straight then or now, 1990 or 2013, that is a really tough one for me. The park then was much smaller in its ride offering, but what was there was so much more complete. Straight Comparison: Old Vampire > New Vampire Old Bubbleworks > New Bubbleworks Buccaneer then = Buccaneer now More zoo < Land of the Dragons Circus Land > Wild Asia Magic Carpet > Eclipse 5th Dimension > Whatever it is now Skyway (not knackered and over interesting stuff) > Skyway (knackered over beer garden) Big roundabout > Carousel Round park train > no train It is hard to judge Falls and RMT without knowing how things will turn out yet. I'd say the biggest improvement is the zoo itself, especially in terms of the conditions the animals are kept in. I doubt a lot of what there was back then would be allowed now. Looking at that actually it is quite an easy choice! Things have not got better. With the the base they had to build upon then they really have screwed the place up imo.

My biggest problem with the backwards idea when we fist heard about it was how it could be successfully implemented and run, and it seems that it can't. I think the whole thing is much more trouble than it is worth, but if it isn't going anywhere then I agree it should simply split in the station like front row queues do. Would be much simpler. As for the baggage, it can work with a couple of changes. The queue merge person needs to manage it and let through a constant steady trickle rather than huge gluts of people at once. On the exit they need to put in a small queue system to stop it being a bundle that blocks the way for everyone else trying to leave. It still amazes me they give us these manned baggage holds; they cost more to staff than many whole rides and they are missing out on a revenue stream from paid lockers at ride entrances. Considering how tight and money mad they are with some things it is crazy they do this really.

The sun deal started again this week, token collect for free ticket on an allocated day.

What the hell is that last inversion?!! Have I totally missed a flat inline on an inverter before or is that a new thing? This thing looks amazing, and if it does manage to come anywhere near Oz-Iris it will be.

Oh yes.

I know I rode both a fair few times, but with the passing of time they have merged into one in my head and it's all a bit hazy, which is a shame. I don't recall anything being particularly 'jumpy', it was more an overall spooky and atmospheric thing. The ballroom scene, the banquet scene and Sweeney Todd stick in my mind. Watching that video reminded me of that bell that slowly rang and for no reason at all terrified me! Had totally forgotten about that. But my clearest memory is of the ride loading station itself, which felt so grand and complete surrounded by skeletons up in the ceiling with the constant procession of cartridges circling around below before disappearing into the darkness. I remember loving it, I just wish I could remember exactly why!

A few people have said Slenderman, but how could they do it in reality? The thing about Slenderman is it is all long suspense and the feeling of being alone, Slenderman with a group of others chatting and messing about is not in the least bit scary. I'm not sure how that could be achieved with a throughput greater than about 2 per hour!

Excellent! Pleased they've been able to make this work, hopefully it will be built on until longer hours can become the norm throughout the UK.

Also, my morning after face. Oh dear! I clearly needed that BK I destroyed in the park moments later, and the cheeky detonation. Great night, great report. When's the Ministry reunion?...

It's the baggage return on exit that seems the most screwed up / incapable of coping I always think. That is as much due to poor design as poor staffing though.

Obvs. I'd have though it would be in the basic 'la façon de conduire le train' manual that if you lose cartridges you don't stop the engine and just let natural slowing happen? Although with four minor injuries I guess it was going pretty slow at the time anyway.

I think that might be rather a lot of effort with all the seating etc to clear. Is a big ol' waste of space right now though.

DLRP Railroad uncoupling causes minor injury to four. You'd think the driver might notice most of his train had gone and not stop the half he still has control over, wouldn't you?!

Normal, sadly. There was a new queue board system installed this year and I've never seen it work properly, I don't know why they find this so hard but they don't seem to be able to get it right, leading to accusations of exaggerated queue times to boost fastrack sales. Unusual to find a queue board showing a time shorter than it really is, normally the other way round only unless the ride breaks down. They need a turnstyle in and turnstyle out to wirk out the queue time ala Disney. Simple!

I think of any given week Tues/Weds/Thurs will be quietest, but it is weather dependant too. If you spot a day that is forecast to start wet and get nicer later on that could be a good day to try.