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A couple of weeks ago I found this in my local garden centre To my massive and usually reliable nose it smells exactly like the scent pumped out in Mickey's PhilharMagic, puts me right back there. Tis yummy.

A water skimming speed boat themed motorbike coaster could be amazing.

I don't like it, it is very obvious and could have been done in a much subtler way (or just designed better in the first place!), but it is totally understandable when you see what it can do to shop sales. For once it is probably something I'd do myself if I was running the place!

I think the land reclamation as outlined in the MTDP is pretty much complete, I'm not sure what in the way of planning or permissions they need to to continue and take more land back. An over water coaster could be pretty spectacular and considering what they are working with land wise it's surprising it isn't something they've already done, maybe the base isn't suitable for development? I'd imagine draining it would be next to impossible so would be a tricky build! As it is not circulated or clean water I doubt the it could be used to interact with riders at all, so that rules out most water rides with any point to them on the lakes. I wonder if they'll go back to the water taxi type boats when the proper hotel opens? Not sure it would really be necessary.

Having a CT scan is proper weird, sliding in and out of a whirring doughnut.

TERROR RIDE! 'Are you girls alright?' they asked Annie. 'We're just bored' she sighed.

For £10 I'd want to ride one home round the M25.

Too many options, wants another option! The very low price of the new offer wouldn't make a pay monthly version worth anyone's while I think. And it is a short term deal, the pay monthly price would relate to the usual £80 charge and therefore be a lot more expensive.

Seem to be hearing this more and more. I find it hard to believe, but makes me excited for getting my turn and deciding for myself!

Sounds like a bit of a nightmare, but good of them to make some provision for those stuck in it.

I'm not so sure, the park should just be open longer as standard not as a paid extra. Sell an after 17.00hrs ticket or something for those who want it, but kicking everyone out then opening again at a price doesn't sit well with me. I'm so certain that if they could persuade many people to stay for dinner as well as lunch, and take in a few more drinks too, it'd be worth their while anyway with the money spent. Even if they have a staggered close for the less popular rides to manage costs. I wish they'd try that first.

How much do they charge for Vertigo? Looks good if you can trust the saturday boys to clip you in!

Just stick the drugs and weapons on your pockets then! (jk. please don't!) I prefer it like this also, but the area is so wide it didn't seem to be working too well last week. Think they need to funnel everyone through a narrow point to ensure it is consistent.

With the Vampire being represented by the bat it makes sense that the other thing represented is the other major attraction in Transylvania. I'll stick with my theory! Shame we don't have a 'questions to Chessington' section!

I can't recall seeing it myself, but from what you describe I'd guess the finale to the bubbleworks, which the whole point of was once the amazing fountain/strobe combination? Now lost to bland lighting.

If you could see through the head rests you'd see I am too. Honest!

When I rode Saw on the meet I found it remarkably smooth. Very small jolt at the bottom of the drop but other than that nothing to moan about at all. I agree it can give a rough ride, and has has to me on a couple of occasions, but I think that is getting less frequent not more. Besides that I find myself actually enjoying it more the older it gets for some reason, the indoor section and drop after the MCBR especially. Fun elements that take me by surprise even though I know them so well.

I finished reading the autobiography a while back and it really is very good, laugh out loud funny in places and full of tales I found fascinating. Wardley manages to to convey such passion and enthusiasm for his work it is easy to see why he has been so successful and how the experiences he gave himself set him up for that success. Others have commented on how lucky he has been to be able to do the work he has done, and to an extent the right time right place factor will always be true, but what is even clearer is you make your own luck. You get out and do it and stay true to your beliefs. When Chessington came knocking he could have told them what they wanted to hear and got himself an easy little job, but he didn't. He told them his truth and they didn't like it because they wanted a quicker easier fix that didn't exist, but he left them with something to think about and sowed the seeds that would allow him to develop the place in a way he knew would work. Persuading others that you are right is the bigger skill than being right in the first place. It is really quite an inspiring read, makes you want to get out there and do something you love. An amendment has been made in later additions giving a little info on the smiler, and that can be found here. It is a little bit cagey on the process but, regardless of how good the smiler actually is, has this slightly heartbreaking passage After a whole career of getting things right why couldn't they have just trusted him on this one? A woodie clearly is the ride he has wanted to build at Towers, and it is the one I wanted to ride. Such a shame.

My first forward X experience yesterday and overall I really like the idea, not so sure about some of the execution, but it is a positive change. It is generally cleaner, fresher and smarter, which is great obviously. The queue line has some neat lighting and is nicely dark, pretty much as it should be. Also very much pleased to see queueing in the building (see H+S lovers, it can be done!). The baggage point is chaos and slow, hard to know if it is actually effecting throughput as you can not see the riders but I wouldn't be at all surprised. I like the music but it really isn't loud enough, it should be thumping through the place. It is OK in much of the queue (some of it isn't so good - sounds like nightclub toilets, like the party is going on on another room), but on the ride it should be double the volume it is, the sort of volume you can feel as much as hear. The lack of brake run shunting pleases me greatly, a vast improvement giving a ride that although quite gentle whips along nicely. I still prefer the backwards feeling though, thought it suited the ride better and made up for the slightly dull layout. Forwards wouldn't be so bad if... ..the lighting was better. This is the big disappointment for me, and needlessly so. The place is sooo light, not a flashing in your face look at the lights kind of light, but just generally light, illuminated. You can clearly look around the place, see the floor, the ceiling and the sprawling track. Sitting at the front no change of direction was a surprise, it is like riding an outdoor coaster at dusk. There were a few moments when the ambient lighting dropped to almost nothing leaving a few pulsating lights and lasers which looked pretty damn good, but then the general light level rose again and it all seemed a bit pointless. When it comes to the lighting less is more, just one or two effects at a time would look a whole lot better than throwing it all on at once and losing any effect it could have to the general glow. The central bright lights need to pulse so even if the whole place does light up it is brief. Smoke also helps, and there was some, but I'm guessing filling a space that size properly is not really an option. It could do with some more either way. Finally, strobes. Strobes are the lighting friend of ride movement and would suit this so well. Where are they? Bring on the strobes! Good effort, but could be a hell of a lot better with a little thought and nearly no cost.

Almost exactly the size of the barely used arena I believe!

Boy headbutts Wild Mouse, Wild Mouse wins. Entering ride areas, what kind of fools do that? A surprisingly sensible reaction and the ride is reopened the next day. Lad that came out of a spinning penny a couple of weeks back doing well. Maurer Skyloop proves to be as reliable as ever... ...I'd rather be stuck on Rameses!

I can confirm that yesterday I got my hands on a Thorpe Park annual pass for the price of the standard entrance ticket. Bargainous. I asked the cashier if she knew how long the offer was on for but she didn't. You don't have to mess about buying a ticket then going to the annual pass office to exchange it, I went straight to AP, asked about the deal and she just sold it to me. Well worth doing.

Towers desire to move is not a TT rumour, it was told by AT themselves in the published MTDP. Doesn't mean they ever will do it of course, but it wouldn't be in there if it was not seriously considered. It did not specify if they meant move within the park or to out of it. The Thorpe link though seems to be just someone thinking out loud. If Thorpe could get a cheap 'decent' coaster in a medium investment filler year I'm guessing they would?

Well that is gonna be a big job to fix in 20 years time when all the rock work has gone rotten! Looks amazing.