pluk

Incase no ones noticed - two free Thorpe tickets with The Sun this week, token collect starts today.That's actual free tickets, not buy one get one free tickets. Not bad.I presume it will be done with date bands like Atons one, with a specific date of entry allocated rather than open dated tickets. It doesn't actually say in the paper.

Why? Simply because every major themepark I can think of has a log flume and so should Alton, and I'm not sure your guess that to make it a reasonable ride would cost less than a rebuild (especially when you factor in the decreased maintenance costs it should save in the long term. It could actually pay for itself fairly quickly). I think it really is that broken and gives an awful ride at the moment.A modern logflume can be a totally different ride to a 20 year old one, depending what they want to do with it. No one thinks it is odd when the same is done with a coaster. I'm quite sure as a one off spend they could have got corkscrew running like new much cheaper than building 13, but they didn't. Because it would have been throwing money at something old and knackered that would doubtless needed a ton of maintenance money every year and not provided anything new to promote. Why could exactly the same thing not happen with a flume?Not saying that is happening, it's just a thought. But I don't see any reason why it shouldn't.

Did someone say epic interaction?

The first trailer for the new coaster...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILa-IaxT6Kc&feature=feeduThe words say:Aus den Tiefen der Nacht... - From the deep of the night...Aus dem Dunkel der Zeit... - From the darkness of time......stürzen mächtige Wesen... - ...are plunging powerful creatures…...aus den Hallen der Ewigkeit... - ...from the halls of eternity…...in die Welt der Lebenden. - ...in the World of the living.Die Zeit ist gekommen. - Time has come.Ein Mythos erwacht. - A myth is awakening.

How precisely do you propose a person proves how exaggerations of scale and deviation from the norm alters their own perception of how real something looks?! (now that IS a silly point indeed!!).Too be fair, it would look kinda odd if they had to stick one of the engines out near the tip of the wing to give the clearance. We all know roughly what a plane wing should look like and to deviate well beyond the realms of reality would spoil the point of the effect. Not really that much of a silly point. I think it's gonna look pretty awesome though and would suggest the reason the design includes the outer engine broken and falling away has been done precisely to accommodate the size of the train without making the wing/engine proportions look all weird. Praying for ride sequenced engine fire effects. Mmmmmm, pyrotechnics.

So finally it was time for the trip I had been looking forward to for so long. However the morning was just a nightmare. First of all my 5.30 alarm decided not to go off resulting in a last minute panic with us only just making the 6.36 stopper from Woking to Waterloo. It then went from bad to worse as when we departed the train at Vauxhall, I stupidly left my bag on the train. I went after it but it was nowhere to be seen. Thats a good camera and around 200 quids worth of stuff gone. Then our Virgin Train to Stoke departed 25 minutes late due to 'operational difficulties'. But somehow I managed to pull myself together. I thought to myself - it doesn't matter - I am on the way to the best theme park in the UK, one of my favorite places EVER. My positively minded attitude must of impressed 'god' because our train made up time, our Taxi was already at the station and we managed to dump our bags at the wonderful Malthouse B&B and get to the park by just after 11. Now I'm not going into a detailed 'we did that then we did that' report for all four days, I just want to make some overall comments. Firstly the rides themselves. My favorite still is Air. It is simply majestic, despite it's lack of any theme I still enjoy the experience immensely. However, It would be better if they did open the right handed station earlier in the day before the line got longer. Nemesis. Rose into my number two spot after this short break. It was running pretty great. I had never really appreciated Nemesis before this trip and always thought it was 'over hyped'. Although that is still the case to a certain extent, I do understand where people are coming from now. The theme, the setting, the intensity are all brilliant. And if Nemesis didn't lose speed through the overbank and the last turn, I'm sure it would be my number one. Rita. I have always rated this off the shelf Intamin launcher, and this remains the case. The layout is more interesting that Stealth and the ride really does have some ejector airtime. It 'kind of' fits in with the new area, much better than it did in UG land. Oblivion is a one trick pony, but the trick is still as good as ever and the theme is unique and in my opinion enhances the ride experience significantly. I love the drum and bass in the station and that drop still packs a punch. They need to stop stacking the shuttles though, the wait to get back into the station is about 100 times longer than the experience itself. Th13teen is special. The ride station is a masterpiece (minus the celing) and I love the ride's atmosphere and theme. The outdoor section is fun, BUT PLEASE ALTON REMOVE THOSE TRIMS. The trim on the main drop and just after the carousel turn are pathetic and without them the ride would be improved a million times. The last twisty turn dropy thing is taken so slowly that it becomes a pointless element. Still love it though. Hex just gets better and better. It is one of the best attractions on offer at the towers and it saddens me that so many people visit Alton without riding it. It one of, if not the only experience that still retains that bit of 'Alton Magic' for me. It is a spooky, epic and mysterious tale. LOVE IT. Other attractions I enjoyed during my break were Congo River Rapids, Duel and the Mine Train. Katanga is without a doubt my favorite themed area in the park. It works so well and the interaction between the Mine Train and Rapids is fantastic. Also, with all you can eat Pizza, what more could you want!? The flume is fun, but is really old and decaying now. It needs some sort of investment and soon. I am now going to comment on the park as a whole. To be honest, I think it is the fact that I am now visiting the park more frequently the 'Alton magic' is slowly starting to fade. I think it must be that more than the park itself, unless anyone else has had similar experiences over the past year or two? So although I really did have fun during my visit, I won't be rushing back so soon. Not because I didn't enjoy myself, but so that next time I go I will enjoy myself to the same level. On an additional note I just want to comment on Alton's staff. Just brilliant. Words cannot describe how good they were for 4 whole days. Everyone was so friendly, helpful and welcoming. THANK YOU. If anyone is looking for a local B&B in Alton whilst visiting the Towers I would highly recommend the Malthouse. I can't fault the place. The people were so friendly, the breakfast was brilliant it just had everything you could ask for. Thank you for reading guys.

I think it is safe to say X no longer has a theme. It is a rollercoaster, in the dark, going backwards. They don't pretend to give that scenario any context or justification, it just is what it is.I like its current incarnation tbh, it just being there being a bit of fun is better than a half arsed theme which doesn't work being shoehorned in. It was all too illuminated when I last rode in May/June, if they have darkened it down a bit (or lot) then great. Bit of smoke on the brke runs, bit of laser lighting and get the music more evenly pumped out and I think it can sit there happily for a few more years.

Shooting Stars - by far the best thing on tv.http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b013cx5h/Shooting_Stars_Series_8_Episode_1/

Just point that thing at storm surge and press the big red button, that'd get them some publicity.If that is a fully working tank (as the track marks behind it suggest) and not a dummy that has been towed into place then it would be worth an absolute fortune and I'm sure won't be staying. Love it though.

Just point that thing at storm surge and press the big red button, that'd get them some publicity.If that is a fully working tank (as the track marks behind it suggest) and not a dummy that has been towed into place then it would be worth an absolute fortune and I'm sure won't be staying. Love it though.

Seems that the marketing people are pushing the boat out on this...

Time for some USA style policing. Looting? Shoot kill. That should stop it soon enough!

Spreading even further around London now...Sickening that the police's actions are being questioned instead of the people involved in the riots... Stupid country...

Riots and serious crap going down in Tottenham...http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14434318Bus has recently exploded after being set on fire... All because some people want 'justice' after police shot someone who was shooting at them... I love the lack of logic people have in life now...

I'd have thought they wouldn't be that hard to come by even in the UK. There are loads of shells of planes laying about behind the scenes at airports, used for fire / police training etc. They've got no real value beyond scrap so that plus transport costs should do it. If it is supposed to have just crashed it doesn't matter what state it's in and they'd only need the bits sticking out the ground, they wouldn't need the other bits (like the opposite wing) to bury at all.I'm optimistic, think they would have considered it before going to the trouble of adding it to the plans.

After Knightmare, it was time for something a bit more gentler...Junior Dragon CoasterWe did it, it was rubbish (not so if you’re a child though), let’s move on...4/10Nearly lunchtime and since we had brought sandwiches we wondered back to the car to grab them, (as Nicky said the food was dire, proven by it having TWO Wimpys, though the chips were nice apparently), but first, one last coaster...Caterpillar CapersIt’s a Big Apple... Do you expect anything else?4/10Food grabbed, we headed to the Jousting show (as did the rest of the park), and this was probably the best thing in the park... The fact it wasn’t taken seriously was perfectly done, and was better than any of the shows I’ve seen Merlin conjure up at their parks... Perfect blend of entertainments, crowd interaction, dodgy jokes and action made it an actual must see for anyone going there... Show over, we wandered over to the random farm/zoo/animal area to waste some time before the bird show...Back to the jousting area, which was rather emptier this time round for the random bird show... Rather entertaining and worth the faff, since the park wasn’t going to provide time wasting with its rides (didn’t do anything other than coasters and shows, blergh)...And that was it, we wondered back to the exit and drove away, with me pondering whether or not the park would be worth saving or not... To be honest, if someone was willing to put in time, money and effort and not demand an instant profit back for a few years, it has potential... It’s probably only clinging on just because of its location (stone’s throw from the M6 and about an hour away from about 5 major cities), but it would take a lot of time spent on fixing the infrastructure and bringing in good quality rides (and keeping the maintenance up) so it might not even be worth it in the end...It’s dire, but the shows and Knightmare were good, not worth £22 to get in though (£26 on the day, no wonder it’s in the crappola)...

Hi, I think the oracle that is the amazing Mr Pritchard is best to answer this, but I think (in order)....
*It ran out of CCR station. Queues did not happen, old Thorpe was very different!!
*The whole thing occurred on the train. Once it was a short distance passed Thunder river the train was 'hijacked' and took a branch line to the right, which I would imagine was fairly close to the back of Thunder river.
*I don't remember anything like that, but like I say this is REALLY sketchy in my mind.
*There was only one scene where the train was taken to, everyone sat on the train (except the selected kiddies) while the pirates did their thing.
*I remember it feeling really secluded in the trees, as if you had been taken miles from anywhere.
*I think the driver mainly spoke to express his 'surprise' at the hijacking.
I wish I could remember it more clearly.

It may be a kids program, but horrible histories is flipping brilliant. I am a grown man watching CBBC!

"£6 for parking?! For every branch of the old oak tree which falls, a member of your family shall die for this!"

You left a gaping hole Chessington, you gits.

and a rita one too

Hi, I think the oracle that is the amazing Mr Pritchard is best to answer this, but I think (in order)....
*It ran out of CCR station. Queues did not happen, old Thorpe was very different!!
*The whole thing occurred on the train. Once it was a short distance passed Thunder river the train was 'hijacked' and took a branch line to the right, which I would imagine was fairly close to the back of Thunder river.
*I don't remember anything like that, but like I say this is REALLY sketchy in my mind.
*There was only one scene where the train was taken to, everyone sat on the train (except the selected kiddies) while the pirates did their thing.
*I remember it feeling really secluded in the trees, as if you had been taken miles from anywhere.
*I think the driver mainly spoke to express his 'surprise' at the hijacking.
I wish I could remember it more clearly.

Hex behind the scenes.....

Geek porn!

Many of you guys know; I love Chessington, at one point I even lived and breathed it. The truth is, along with Alton Towers, I have some extremely special memories at these parks and I've sort of grown up with them and seen them develop and change into what they are today. Whenever I talk of these parks, it is from my deepest passion and enthusiasm for them, their beauty and the potential that they have and genuinely, how much I want them to succeed. With that in mind, I'll begin...This rather sexy fellow (below), our friend Kirsty and I, decided on a spontaneous visit to Chessie earlier this week.



Smoking kills. Don't smoke kids.
We spent the afternoon at the park, from around 1pm. So not very long at all, but still, it's not as though we've never done any of the rides at the park a thousand times before and we always enjoy a chilled out pace, taking the day as it comes. We spent absolutely ages just enjoying the beauty and awesomeness of the park. Particularly in Wild Asia, where we spent about an hour chilling by the fountain, observing guests in the area and how much everyone was enjoying themselves. Some of the guests comments were brilliant and very interesting. It's a very humbling and facinating thing to listen to what guests actually think and say. This is why I feel Chessington truly have got Wild Asia spot on in every single possible way imaginable. Excellent.Let me also say, operations from the front line staff were consistently very good indeed all day. Very pleasant and went out of their way to ensure our visit was special. Not once did we feel as though we were just a number in a long conveyor belt of people, but actual individuals. Top work. There was also a lovely girl who offered to take the time (probably coming back from her break and she did not need to offer at all) to take a group photo of us at the Jeep by the Trail of The Kings entrance.Now, if anyone from Chessington is reading this- and I know you are *waves*, then please take the time to pass on the praise, just as she took the time out of her day to make our day great. Unfortunately, I didn't catch her name, however she was wearing black so I'm assuming she was from Pizza Pasta in F&B. I will officially send in the good comments but in the mean time, I just want to get that out there.However, from an operational and guest satisfaction point of view, the health and safety restrictions on Black Buccaneer really put me off from riding this. There was just one ride's worth of guests in the queueline, yet, it took more than 10 minutes to load this ride. Or at least, we had been sitting there for that long- I hadn't seen it go round for ages before that. It's a bit shocking when you think about it. It's ironic, these Health and Safety rules designed for the enjoyment and safety of the guests actually does the complete opposite. I'm pretty sure Chessington do not need to go to such extreme measures on their age restrictions for guests; if the restrictions do not need to be there then for the sake of hindering guest enjoyment, please get rid of them! I heard several guests complain about this, which is a shame because it's such a good ride. I know I'll think twice about riding again. So frustrating!More Wild Asia goodness- it really is awesome. So, getting to the crux of what I want to say; with the exception of Wild Asia and a few other spots, the park is sadly looking very tired and not in the best condition. This is a Merlin- wide comment I suppose. It's all well and good creating themes and investing in scenery, but you need to maintain it please, provide these parks with the money to keep everything looking as though it was built yesterday. By this I mean, keep the illusion going and don't let things deteriorate so much that guests can see the construction methods behind it. It really breaks my heart. Honestly does. A couple of examples:There have been some great improvements across the park this season, which really shows the passion from the park management about this great park. However, you can clearly see that these are low budget additions, I'm clenching my whole body in anticipation that the park will eventually get the budget to properly redo some of the scenery at Chessington. The coyboys that have appeared on the Mexicana facades are great, excellent, but then you take a few steps to Runaway Train and see a faux mountain literally crumbling away so you can see the dated construction method underneath. We know it's been like this for years but it's still there and it hasn't changed.I'll make a few, brief observations from my visit before going into more detail about Vampire:Smells in Bubbleworks are great, music is great (but not when it still doesn't loop), lighting in the lift before the drop is still my fave throughout the ride. Really can't polish a turd though, the ride is still pants, even by UK standards.Falls- station interior I love, station exterior however, looking very tired and needs to be cleaned and re-painted. I'm putting a very critical eye here, but I hate seeing cables for things such as lighting, sound equipment and general infrastructure blatently on show to guests. It seems so silly but these small things really impact my enjoyment. Perhaps this is just a reflection of the "that'll do" culture that we have in the UK though. The landscaping team have done a marvellous job across the whole park and it's beautiful.I got my picture taken with Cinders, she was standing in one spot on her podium. But once I actually approached them for a photo, the ents team were great. It should be them interacting and approaching me though- makes all the difference.Vamp's interactive tombstones are more or less destroyed. You can see the polystyrene that they used to make it completely blown all over the place, huge chunks of it missing, looks pathetic.In fact, going into Vampire in more detail. Well, the good- the music has returned to a decent volume within the station and ride operator was using the PA very well and at a respectable volume, not loud at all. Well done Chessington. I'm sitting on the fence about my next comment:I love that they're changing things with with the lighting and I'm pleased to report that the organist is moving quite well at the moment. However, I am not a fan of the slight lighting change. It does look quite nice but I can't help but think it all feels a bit "discoish" in there now. The green was fantastic, I loved the red and blue combo too. Thought this, in addition to the green and other minor lighting changes makes it feel too colourful and it just doesn't quite feel right. Personal preference perhaps.I'm definitely not a fan of this though....Having worked operations before, I totally get why this has been done. To make the lives of the staff easier, perhaps to try something different, to make things clearer for guests... there are plenty of reasons why and I totally understand why from an operational standpoint, these could be very useful. However, it just looks so unprofessional and tacky. I'm sorry, but I hate them. I hate them on Tomb Blaster as well. In fact, my Team Leader and I ripped them down in 2008 (but have since returned) because, well, it's not very theme parkish is it?I'd love for there to be a budget to get studios to make some proper themed ones, make it all fit in and make the aesthetics flow, but sadly, this is another area where the park have been neglected. Hell, I'd even make them some for both Tomb Blaster and Vampire if they wanted. I've come to the end of my slightly critical report I guess. What I will say is that I still had an absolutely brilliant time at Chessington, this is due to the fantastic staff, interactive family rides, variety of experiences and great atmosphere the park does provide. However I think I'll think twice before visiting any of the UK parks until next season (or perhaps Halloween). I genuinely am very fond of our theme parks, they just need to cash so that it can be splashed!I'll leave you with some yummy food from the Monkey Puzzle and a um, "interesting" photo opportunity. :)Cheers for reading guys.