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Attendance figures for 2010 can be found HEREThorpe and Alton both up over 3%, Merlin must be very pleased especially with the current economic climate.

At some point in the late 90s I think lots of rides at Chessington changed their name/brand for no reason at all. For example, Smuggler's Galleon became Black Buccaneer, Dragon River became Dragon Falls and Terror Tomb became Forbidden Tomb. The rides themselves stayed the same, although they probably had a few minor changes made.___________________Pretty much everything in Tomb Blaster now is from Terror Tomb. Here are all the changes:I think the queueline was pretty much the same, except the dimly lit room next to the queueline when it goes indoors used to be Abdab's office, I think. Abdab would be seen sleeping on a chair or something. Can anybody correct me on this? I can't remember myself.On to the ride itself. Firstly, all the animatronics of Abdab (the central character from Terror Tomb) have been removed, leaving a few random gaps in some of the scenes. Also, previously riders would go inside the tomb to search for an ancient green jewel, meeting with Abdab along the way who wanted it to himself. The jewel can still be seen in a few places around the ride, if you look closely.In the opening scene, there is a little ledge next to the track before the train goes up the ramp. Abdab used to be positioned here, holding a lamp, shouting at riders to get out of the tomb because "the jewel IS MINE".That ledge is still there today.Snake scene. Again, there is a gap where Abdab used to be positioned, under a little arch to the left of the scene. He used to be pulling on a rope, lifting the hatch to let the snakes in. Today, the hatch is still there, but now moves by itself without any rope pulling. Magic, I guess?In the spike scene, originally, Abdab would be on the rotating platform holding a metal ring, shouting "Now you're gonna get spiked!" One of the spikes on the floor would move at that point, I think. When he pulled the ring, the platform would suddenly rotate, taking him by surprise and sealing him behind the wall. So it was in reverse to what happens now, if you like. Then the coffin would light up behind the scrim (again in reverse, so it would start in the open position instead of already shut as it is today). You would hear Abdab shout "I think I've found it!", as supposedly he can see the jewel in the coffin. Somehow he then falls into the coffin (I am not sure how this was achieved, I can't remember this scene and the now removed POV video did not show it very clearly). A skeleton then shuts the lid of the coffin on him, holding the jewel in its hand. It all linked together, and made much more sense than the sequence that plays out now. The only things that remain of this sequence is the skeleton holding the jewel behind the coffin. Where Abdab used to be on the platform, the mummy with the laser now stands.The fire pit scene, in which the big statue of Anubis with laser eyes appears, you may notice a wobbling obelisk to one side. Abdab used to be clinging on to this wobbling pillar, trying to reach for the jewel which is now embedded in the paw of the statue. Why does it keep moving to different places!? And how did he get out of the coffin for that matter? Anyway, you can see it in this photo...The biggest change is the finale scene, which has been completely gutted except for the set itself and the moving stone heads on the walls. Now, there is a large snake animatronic that hisses a lot. Before, there was no snake at all, instead a very strange and probably rather amusing 'rock band' sequence. Abdab would be seen standing in an iron maiden with the lid open. Next to him was a mummified guitarist playing a heavy metal song about how they are going to kill Abdab for trying to steal the jewel. Then a shiny strip curtain would rise up behind them, revealing several mummy animatronics that would dance along, which I remember being very scared of! After the song, the iron maiden would shut on Abdab, supposedly killing him, and the jewel would be seen embedded on the other side of the iron maiden, glowing, in a rather ironic moment. Poor chap, he got so close.One last thing, you know that bit where the trains stop momentarily to view the on ride photos on the screens? On the right of that corridor, a "ghost" Abdab would appear holding the jewel, with glowing holes in his body, taunting riders because he did get the jewel in the end, even though he got killed. The trains would then carry on into the offload station, after passing some flying heads on poles (similar to the screaming room in Alton Towers' Heaunted House/Duel). Recently I had a look and the pole mechanisms are still there above the track!Hope that helps! It is all I can remember from when I visited myself in 2002, and all I could tell from the POV that was on YouTube a few years ago (now removed by the user).

Day 4Our last day in GermanyAfter breakfast we headed into the park for our full 30 minutes of ERT, first up again was Blue Fire. Two very quick rides on Blue Fire’s front row and then we went back to the Spanish area to queue up for Atlantica for when it opened at 9am. EP’s Atlantica and Poseidon were the first water coasters we had ever ridden on and we loved them both (although I think we enjoyed Poseidon slightly more). As we were in the first boat of the morning we didn’t seem to get too wet, maybe the water pool was too calm when we hit it, and since there was no queue in the station the ride ops asked if we all wanted to go round again, of course we did! And we did get quite wet on that second go. This turned out to be a bit of a forecast for the rest of the day, it was now time for some serious re-rides!3rd Day on park ride count:Alpine Coaster x4Swiss Bob Run x3Ghost Castle x3Fjord Rafting x2Blue Fire x2Silver Star x2Atlantica x2Poseidon x2Eurosat x2Pirates in Batavia x2Atlantis Adventure x2Piccolo Mondo x2ColumbusTirol Log FlumeWorld of DiamondsCrazy TaxiUniverse of EnergyElf RideEuro TowerSleigh Ride “Snowflake”The Flight of IkarusPegasusCassandra’s CurseEP – ExpressHistorama MonorailAnd for lunch we made a return trip to FoodLoop and the food was just as good as the first visit, however the experience wasn’t quite as exciting after having sat at the looping table but it was still great fun.Leaving the park at 5pm we collected our bags from the hotel and got our transfer back to Basel to start our trip back to Gatwick. It was whilst we were at the airport we saw this amazing pinball machine. “Are you about to board a plane? Maybe you are a bit nervous about your flight? What better time to play a game themed around terrorism!”...As many people have said on this forum before, there is just so much to say about Europa Park that it would take you a very long time to cover it all. Even after writing this ‘full’ report of our trip most of the rides have only been mentioned by name. So to try and rectify this here is some information about our favourite rides at the park.Best Family CoasterHelen: Swiss Bob RunPhill: Swiss Bob Run although it is a close one between this and the Alpine Coaster. Swiss Bob Run was our first Bobsled coaster and we really enjoyed it. It was also fun watching the expressions on some of the other riders faces when they arrived back at the station, especially when you could see how really uncomfortable some guys were when they were sharing seats with their mates.Best Thrill CoasterHelen: EurosatPhill: Silver Star, despite reading bad things about it online it was my first hyper coaster and I loved it, especially the first drop. The intense screaming from some of the riders seemed really unnecessary but quite funny. Eurosat was a great space themed coaster that reminded us of WDW's Space Mountain if it had dropped some E's at a European rave! It was amazing, if a little rough in places. Best Dark RideHelen: Pirates in Batavia and Ghost Castle, I can’t choose between those two.Phill: This park is full of great Dark Rides and that makes it very hard to choose but I think because it is so similar to one of my favourite rides from my childhood (Phantom Fantasia/Wicked Witches Haunt) I would have to say Ghost Castle. But Atlantis Adventure is great too! I apologise for the photo overload from Ghost Castle but I really loved this ride! With this guy at the entrance that spits/sneezes at people as they walk past and this creepy picture in the queue line, one thing is certain this is no Haunted Mansion! A skull chandelier in one of the queue line rooms.Entering this station and seeing the old clamshell ride cars it was almost like the 2000 Thorpe Park fire had never happened...Singing in German these guys were definitely more creepy than the Grim Grinning originals. Best Water RideHelen: Fjord RaftingPhill: Atlantica almost wins just for it’s great use of “He’s a Pirate” from Pirates of the Caribbean, that was really cool. But I think I would have to go for Poseidon for its great theming at the start and also that fantastic second drop. But Fjord Rafting is a great example of how to make a river rapids ride, the best I have ridden in Europe so far. The first day we rode Fjord Rafting the smoke machines in the tunnel were not working so we did not really understand the point of the fire effect in there. However re-riding it a couple of days later it all made sense and we wished Thorpe Park would do something like that with their tunnel. Random Trip AwardsThe ride that made us feel most hungry: Piccolo Pizza... I mean Piccolo Mondo. Mostly a small dark ride advert for the Italian Restaurant next door, Pizza and Ice Cream... I wish the character on the back of the boats/ride cars had been used more though.Most random piece of merchandise bought:A small bottle of the essence they fill the Magic World of Diamonds walk through attraction with, which you also smell every time you go on the Tirol Log Flume or the Alpine Coaster. Now our house smells like Europa Park. In summary we had an amazing time at the park and can’t wait to return. We will definitely be recommending Europa Park to all our friends and family. Thanks for reading our trip report, we leave you with a video we have quickly edited together from some clips we filmed on our trip. Thanks Phill and Helen.

Day 3As this was our second of three days in the park we decided that as well as the rides we were going to try and catch a few of their shows. The first one we saw was the Ice Show “Surpr’Ice”, this was a nice 30 minute ice skating show performed in the middle of a large circular theatre with tiered seating. First on the ice was a great warm up clown guy who not only got the crowd in the mood but also broke down any language barriers by performing most of his set in mime. The ‘story’ of the show seemed to involve a bell boy at a hotel falling in love with a famous lady guest. Quite how a Michael Jackson impersonator fits in with the story I am still not sure but on the whole the show was impressive with lots of tricks on the ice and one act who also performed aerial acrobatics on a ring suspended from the ceiling.The next show we tried to watch was “An English Love” based in the Globe Theatre replica in the England area of the park. Entering the theatre the stage was set out with many stereotypical English bits of theming involving a red phone box. Whilst we were all waiting for the show to begin we were all treated to many Beatles songs being played over the theatres sound system. I suppose this may annoy some British guests as of course everyone in the UK loves the Beatles, but I am a big fan so we loved it. Eventually the music stopped and the lights dimmed, the effects lights started to do a display and then the house lights came back on. After this happened a few times a young lady came on to the stage to announce in German that there was a technical problem and that they would not be able to continue with the show. So that had set us back about 20 minutes so we now had to make up for some lost time.The third show we watched later in the day was their arena show “Der Teufel + Die Königin” (The Devil and the Queen). This show lasted for around 40 minutes and had involved a number of knights taking part in a tournament in front of the King, one of which was the King’s own daughter. Needless to say one of the contenders sells his soul to the devil and is transformed in to the powerful dark knight who seems intent on winning the contest. Who will win? Will Good triumph over Evil? Alongside the stunt horse riding and joust style events there are many special effects including one or two that may come as a slight surprise. We definitely recommend this show, if only Thorpe Park could pull this kind of show off! Afterwards stick around by the side of the arena for a chance to see the riders and feed some of the horses.2nd Day on park ride count:Swiss Bob Run x2Eurosat x2Columbus DinghyFeria SwingPanorama TrainBlue FireAtlanticaTirol Log FlumeAlpine CoasterVienna Wave SwingerPirates in BataviaBritish CarouselSilverstoneCrazy TaxiPoseidonCassandra’s CursePegasusQueen’s DiamondsUniverse of EnergyEuro-TowerSilver StarTeacups (or Koffiekopjes = coffee cups in German)Ghost CastlePiccolo MondoAfrican QueenShows: Ice Show “Surpr’Ice” and Arena show “Der Teufel + Die Königin”We planned the end of the day so that our last ride would be on Piccolo Mondo, a nice relaxing children’s dark ride that has been re-themed this year (it used to be Ciao Bambini) so we could end up in the pizzeria next door for some food before the park closed. Although the pizzas were nice we felt they weren’t quite up to the high standard of the rest of the food at Europa Park. That night we spent most of our time in the courtyard back at the hotel and we watched both of the fountain shows that night, the first one was good but the second is definitely the best.My next entry will be about our last day on the park & in Germany and it will feature a run down of our favourite rides and attractions.

You want a report that delivers?You want one that gives you Fluch?Here you go Day 1 – Hansa ParkA misty morning greeted us on the coastline, and after a quick grab of breakfast we began the 30 minute walk to the park from the hotel... A really nice walk actually to be quite honest, helps save money from the rather dis-regular bus services that do run along the main roads to the park from the area...At 9:30, we arrived at the very grand entrance...Hansa of course used to be a Legoland of all places, but is now a family run park with some real things to say if the last two additions have anything to say about it...After faff getting the tickets due to a distinct lack of staff, we entered, and immediately I discovered my first costumed characters of the tripThe entrance of the park is a very small main street plaza thing, which has some work being done on some of it, but it suits the recent aim of the park for theming and I was very impressed...Ohhhh, I spot coasters in the distance, Nessie and Rasender Roland, a Schwarzkopf Looping and Vekoma Mine Train respectively that interact with each other heavily...Now as Nicky was on coaster #97 before this trip, we decided that Fluch von Novgorod would be #100, so we did Nessie and Roland first...NessieThis is a weird one tbh, I wasn’t sure what to expect from it when we went on, but one thing I definitely didn’t was the excessive CLUNK this ride made at the top of the lift hill... That could have set the scene enough but at least lap bars prevent stupid amounts of head-bashing... Some impressive moments of interaction with Roland and a few strong helixes and small bit of airtime are all that follow after the initial strong loop... There’s just something different about Anton’s loops... Bless him for them as they are so different and forceful... The final plunge into a fish mouth (Krake didn’t do it first) was amusing as well before those BRAKES...It was fun certainly, so a solid 7/10 for me...Rasender RolandA rather winding queue with the first of many animatronic bands in this park led us to this custom Vekoma, and like most of their mine trains, it was just kind of bland without an excessive about of theming supporting the attraction on a whole... Again the interaction with Nessie is there and the water-splash was at least a good attempt to putting some theme to the ride, but it just had nothing around the main area of the layout, and hence didn’t really do anything... Aside from be different to picture...Measly 6/10... Two coasters down so now it was time for Hansa’s biggest investment in the past few years and probably the biggest it has ever made, the Launched Eurofighter epic that is known as...Fluch von NovgorodTo think this opened the same year as Saw... Granted back then it was opened unfinished and they didn’t finish the interior theming until sometime last year, but, the result is nothing short of fantastic...The result this rides gives is the atmosphere of Hex, with theming that would impress Disney, and finished off with a quality smooth ride... The backstory for this ride is... Well complicated, especially if you don’t speak German fluently, but essentially bad things went down and unsurprisingly, we get stuck in the middle of it... Time for some photos, and since I only took photos of the outside queue (as they ask no photos inside) and only a third of the ride actually takes place outside...And the inside got even better, with several interactive elements, including a animated tapestry, finger slicer, talking statue head and falling chandelier, brilliant theming from floor to ceiling and just is generally amazing... The one flaw is that there is a lack of space, as the queue splits into 3 (and is generally split into 2 for the most part) near the station for front, back and single rider, which can be very claustrophobic and involve much elbow bumping and the like... But in the overall grand scheme of this ride, it is a tiny, tiny flaw...So we reach the station, and it is small yet grand, with a single car loading and offloading at one time as there is no need for them to have multiple cars doing so, especially as they were only running two anyways... But regardless, ravens caw as cars return from the ride, screams can be heard from the ride, and the epic chandelier really helps finish this setting and cement the theme... Once on board the traditional Eurofighter cars, the doors open (as the Germans do love their doors on dark coasters) some epic dispatch music plays, the lights go on and off and you leave into the darkness...Now this part will be spoilered as I will be saying what happens in the ride, so if you don’t wanna know, skip, if you do... Read on...
I could not speak highly enough of Hansa’s effort with Novgorod... It is absolutely fantastic from queue to exit shop... Even the exit is an adventure, as you can even use some steps or a slide to descend into the maze of an exit, and then a crystal covered mine shaft leads to the shop... The theming literally doesn’t end and to say that this ride needs more recognition is such a shame...The ride itself is forceful and smooth, no roughness or tearing itself apart, the story is complex and really engrossing regardless that I couldn’t understand it, the soundtrack (which is purchaseable) is also brilliant...I don’t give rides perfect scores often, but this one thoroughly deserves 10/10 for pure adulterated effort and joy...Rest of the park to come in Part 2...

I've always wondered why they bother on a lot of rides. No one physically checks them on vortex - if the light is right they know it is locked properly. Saw also has these lights, so why bother. It just slows down dispatch.

Nice report, oh it takes me back. A very weird and wonderful place. And I spy a hidden Mickey in your photos! Yay!!

Finally, Epcot. Standing for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, it stands as the vision of Walt Disneys utopian vision of the future. Well it's certainly not a conventional theme park by any stretch of the imagination. The rides there aren't rides by normal conventions. One thing that struck me immediately about Epcot is the size of everything. The ball is massive, the buildings are massive, the scenery is massive. Everything is large scale. So as we entered, we headed (as with everyone else) over to Soarin'. Whereas the Californian version is about flying over California, the Florida one is going to California. This was another popular attraction and luckily Disney built two. You're split off and assigned loading areas. A cheesy pre-show is shown telling you where to stow loose belongings and to do your seatbelt up (with that most satisfying click). You enter onto a vehicle that actually closely resembles a flying coaster train. Everything is checked, a screen loweres and the whole thing rises up. What follows is two and a half minutes of wonder. Americans adore this ride. Out of any ride at Disney, this is the ride that most encapulates its audience in the experience. Every swooping moment caused rounds of applauses and sheer delight from people around us. It was rather nice actually. The soundtrack is also gorgeous and fit's the attraction beautifully. It was Chris's favourite thing at Epcot. We picked up a fastpass and continued onto Living with the land. I found this bizarre but amazingly interesting actually. You board a large boat and essentially go off through a short dark ride section and then out into Epcot's greenhouses and past it's scientific houses. All around you are vegetables and fruits that the resort grows itself. Very intriguing and an odd ride to recommend.. but I will anyway. So we left the Tardis like building and headed to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Now I understand why they threw Nemo at the aquarium but it does seem very empty in there with not much attempt to incorporate the ride and characters with the aquarium. Compared to other Disney attractions it seemed to lack an atmopshere. But anywho, loved the dolphins in there who seemed to be having an underwater chat and for a large sea-life (essentially) it does its job well.By this point my camera had finally given up the ghost, so having grabbed a sugar pretzel, we now switch to Chris's camera. off to Mission Space we went. Chose the INTENSE ORANGE SIDE, where we were queued-jumped by a never ending group of Mexicans and into the pre-show. The guy from CSi New York is dressed as a spaceship commander and tells you some bits of the mission. You're all assigned jobs for the flight and you are warned to always look ahead on the attraction and to keep your head against the headrest at all times. Sound advice. So we entered our space shuttle and BANG OFF WE GO. The sensation is.. interesting and I have to admit to feeling that sugar pretzel wanting to re-emerge. I like hyper-sleep, shame it didn't cure my jet-lag. Definitly an experience kind of attraction and I honestly have no idea how I feel about it. Maybe we should have done green side first?NEXT! Testrack. Now I really liked this ride because it attempts something completely different. I'm not sure how percieved wisdom views it but I personally found it very enjoyable. Every 5/10 seconds a car flies past the main building so that gives you an idea of how fast the queue will move. The queue itself is a General Motors showroom showing the different car testing procedures they put their cars through. I really wish I'd been able to queue the whole thing because there's so much to look at and read.You're batched into the briefing room where you are shown what the car is about to go through. I liked this pre-show video, very tounge in cheek, You then go out and see the cars coming in and out. Interesting the cars have three in each row, perfect for the single rider queue. The cars are very comfy, a simple seat belt is the only restraint you need. The tests include a hill, belgium and german blocks, a break test, break test with ABS, putting the car through elements, cornering (avoiding a close collision with a lorry) and then the surprise test. Instead of smacking dead into a wall you emerge outside where the car quickly accelerates. What I really found interesting is that even though it isn't as fast as Stealth or Rita, I preferred the build up to 60 miles per hour, rather then the quick launch of the Intamin accelerators. Right, onto Epcot's quirky attractions, of which there are many. First, Journey into your imagination. Blimey, I mean I can take singing on attractions but the song was slightly cheesy and over the top. I'm not even quite sure what the ride was attempting to do actually. Something to do with looking beyond normal conventions maybe? Captain EO, aww bless it. Showing its age slightly but it's always nice to see Micheal jackson before his controversial days. Interesting film to. Loved the little puppets. Into Spaceship Earth which is in the Epcot ball, was one of my favourite Epcot attractions. I like having Judi Dench telling me about how far we've come and where we are heading. It's a very long dark ride but worth seeing. Wish we'd ridden it more actually.Right, so in my final trip report of the parks I'll cover World Showcase and the excellent Universe of Energy. See yas.

My first ever trip report…. A Bit lot heavy on text and light on pics as I forgot to charge my camera (idiot), but I’ll give it a go.Decided to go to Chessington for the first time in 6 years. I hadn’t realised it had been that long but they’ve given me no reason to go in that time, what with it being aimed at young families (I don’t have one) and there being a grand total of one ride introduced in that time (which I’ve been on elsewhere anyway), but me and wife thought we’d give it a go anyway.Arrived bang on opening and joined the first and only queue of the day. As it was quiet the little huts with a sensible queue line were not in use so instead it was a bundle at what I presume are usually the pre book windows. The hard of understanding kept trying to queue at the sides for the edge windows, what they thought the rest of us were doing queuing in the middle I don’t know, so they had to be re-educated. Only took 15 mins or so, but they should have separate windows for coach load ticket pickups as it kept grinding to a halt.The place was basically empty. The only other people that seemed to be there were every single 10 year old with a skull cap from the south of England, with about 1 adult per 50 children. More on them later. Every ride was walk on, even Vampire front row.Into the park it immediately felt so green, clean, well-kept and just a nice place to be compared to the grey and run down feeling of Thorpe. Straight to Transylvania of course, to relive my childhood on what is one of my fondest memories, and Vampire when it was in its original state. I had forgotten just how beautifully themed the area is, it looks and feels the same as it did all those years ago. Loved the little touches added, like the headstones of past characters and the ghost of Rodeo (shame he is hidden behind caricature man). But then the ride itself just seemed to hit me with waves of disappointment. The horrible bright purple metal queue line, the over lit tunnel into the station (I used to have to feel my way along the walls, now I could safely navigate it in sunglasses), the lifeless organist, the wonderful theme being played too quietly peppered with a shouting ride op so loud it actually hurt and I had to cover my ears, the shiny metal barrier splitting the exit line and worst of all the crazy amount of light coming into the building washing out any possibility of atmosphere. How hard can it be to hang up some light blocking sheeting or something? We took a seat in the middle of the train for what was an uncomfortable jerky flight, it felt like we were constantly shunting back and forth into the surrounding carriages, nothing like the smooth and exciting rides I remember. I got off thinking the trip was a bad idea where I would slowly spoil all my fond memories. Oh my gosh, I've only covered the first 10 minutes in the park and just realised how much I’ve written. It feels like some sort of therapy. Keeping it brief from now. Promise. Then on to bubbleworks. I don’t need to go through all the problems that make this a travesty of its former self, just a soulless, humourless mainly statically themed bore but if they could do one thing just sort out the ‘finale’. The new lights are so bright and constant, and just make the whole thing look cheap and dull. How much did they cost compared to a couple of strobe lights? Without strobes this ride is nothing.To break this up here is an unflattering picture of me taking more pleasure from the bubbleworks than it was ever trying to give me.From then on, though, I pretty much loved everything else. Fury is amazing, so much better than Spinball. Dragon river, with the exception of the horrible cheap great wall thing, was very pleasant and as I remember it. New sponsorship not too bad or intrusive, we’ll never get the full rocks back and the ones that are there have worn down to show the wire mesh underneath. It does need a bit of TLC and was probably the most run down looking of the attractions.Theming in wild Asia is stunning. Kobra is not the best example I’ve ridden by a long way, it’s so jerky and feels like it has some weird vibration issues but a bit of fun none the less.Mine train is what it is, I still like it. Had forgotten how nice the theming on Rattlesnake is, and it’s a whole bunch of fun to ride. Ramesis feels like it is trying to shake itself to bits and I can’t believe it has much life left in it.Big surprise of the day was Tomb Blaster, so much better than I remember it. All the theming seemed fresh and interesting (still strikes me that with the laser guns the fifth dimension would fit a whole lot better), the only thing missing was dry ice which I think would give it a lot more atmosphere.Loved the zoo, seems a lot of effort has been put in to these areas and it shows. Impressed with sealife too, which does not feel temporary on the inside like it looks on the outside.Rode Vampire again later at the front and back which proved much smoother and more enjoyable rides, but it is still a long way from where it should be.So, the kids. It was empty but still the new restrictions on buccaneer and Dragon River were causing chaos, I dread to think what it’ll be like when it’s busy. A lot more effort needs to be put into communicating the adult to child ratios required at the queue line entrance. We even took two boatloads of children round to try and help out. Probably need to increase the adult to child ratios on the school coach trips too.Overall the place is looks stunning in most places, all the staff were great and we loved it. But at some point they need to invest in something new and substantial to make it worth our while to revisit.Sorry for the rambling and length, I’ll get better at this at some point!!EDIT - can one of you clever people tell me how I get pics to show in the text, instead of as a link? Thanks.

For the life of me I cannot deduce the technical names for what I want to explain, but I shall try, so bear with me! :PIf you think of a ball and socket joint in the body. The Ball is underneath each car and as it progresses up the lift hill, it falls into each socket; so if the car were to be stopped on the lift hill, it would be supported by the ball and socket joint. These are anti roll backs. I'm sure you know this already.Basically the "ball" under each car is tested just as it comes into the station, you can often hear it drop. There is a little raised piece (humped back whale I believe it's called?) on the track that lifts the "ball" up and allows it to drop back again. For whatever reason, if the ride senses that the "ball" hasn't dropped back down, the ride operator is notified by a light on the control panel.In this case, they are to send the car around empty as it usually rectifies itself. If it doesn't rectify itself then they would need to call an engineer. It's unfortunate that there were two cars like it during your visit. It sounds as though the ride team were doing what they were meant to though. Hope I explained that well enough.

My first ever trip report…. A Bit lot heavy on text and light on pics as I forgot to charge my camera (idiot), but I’ll give it a go.Decided to go to Chessington for the first time in 6 years. I hadn’t realised it had been that long but they’ve given me no reason to go in that time, what with it being aimed at young families (I don’t have one) and there being a grand total of one ride introduced in that time (which I’ve been on elsewhere anyway), but me and wife thought we’d give it a go anyway.Arrived bang on opening and joined the first and only queue of the day. As it was quiet the little huts with a sensible queue line were not in use so instead it was a bundle at what I presume are usually the pre book windows. The hard of understanding kept trying to queue at the sides for the edge windows, what they thought the rest of us were doing queuing in the middle I don’t know, so they had to be re-educated. Only took 15 mins or so, but they should have separate windows for coach load ticket pickups as it kept grinding to a halt.The place was basically empty. The only other people that seemed to be there were every single 10 year old with a skull cap from the south of England, with about 1 adult per 50 children. More on them later. Every ride was walk on, even Vampire front row.Into the park it immediately felt so green, clean, well-kept and just a nice place to be compared to the grey and run down feeling of Thorpe. Straight to Transylvania of course, to relive my childhood on what is one of my fondest memories, and Vampire when it was in its original state. I had forgotten just how beautifully themed the area is, it looks and feels the same as it did all those years ago. Loved the little touches added, like the headstones of past characters and the ghost of Rodeo (shame he is hidden behind caricature man). But then the ride itself just seemed to hit me with waves of disappointment. The horrible bright purple metal queue line, the over lit tunnel into the station (I used to have to feel my way along the walls, now I could safely navigate it in sunglasses), the lifeless organist, the wonderful theme being played too quietly peppered with a shouting ride op so loud it actually hurt and I had to cover my ears, the shiny metal barrier splitting the exit line and worst of all the crazy amount of light coming into the building washing out any possibility of atmosphere. How hard can it be to hang up some light blocking sheeting or something? We took a seat in the middle of the train for what was an uncomfortable jerky flight, it felt like we were constantly shunting back and forth into the surrounding carriages, nothing like the smooth and exciting rides I remember. I got off thinking the trip was a bad idea where I would slowly spoil all my fond memories. Oh my gosh, I've only covered the first 10 minutes in the park and just realised how much I’ve written. It feels like some sort of therapy. Keeping it brief from now. Promise. Then on to bubbleworks. I don’t need to go through all the problems that make this a travesty of its former self, just a soulless, humourless mainly statically themed bore but if they could do one thing just sort out the ‘finale’. The new lights are so bright and constant, and just make the whole thing look cheap and dull. How much did they cost compared to a couple of strobe lights? Without strobes this ride is nothing.To break this up here is an unflattering picture of me taking more pleasure from the bubbleworks than it was ever trying to give me.From then on, though, I pretty much loved everything else. Fury is amazing, so much better than Spinball. Dragon river, with the exception of the horrible cheap great wall thing, was very pleasant and as I remember it. New sponsorship not too bad or intrusive, we’ll never get the full rocks back and the ones that are there have worn down to show the wire mesh underneath. It does need a bit of TLC and was probably the most run down looking of the attractions.Theming in wild Asia is stunning. Kobra is not the best example I’ve ridden by a long way, it’s so jerky and feels like it has some weird vibration issues but a bit of fun none the less.Mine train is what it is, I still like it. Had forgotten how nice the theming on Rattlesnake is, and it’s a whole bunch of fun to ride. Ramesis feels like it is trying to shake itself to bits and I can’t believe it has much life left in it.Big surprise of the day was Tomb Blaster, so much better than I remember it. All the theming seemed fresh and interesting (still strikes me that with the laser guns the fifth dimension would fit a whole lot better), the only thing missing was dry ice which I think would give it a lot more atmosphere.Loved the zoo, seems a lot of effort has been put in to these areas and it shows. Impressed with sealife too, which does not feel temporary on the inside like it looks on the outside.Rode Vampire again later at the front and back which proved much smoother and more enjoyable rides, but it is still a long way from where it should be.So, the kids. It was empty but still the new restrictions on buccaneer and Dragon River were causing chaos, I dread to think what it’ll be like when it’s busy. A lot more effort needs to be put into communicating the adult to child ratios required at the queue line entrance. We even took two boatloads of children round to try and help out. Probably need to increase the adult to child ratios on the school coach trips too.Overall the place is looks stunning in most places, all the staff were great and we loved it. But at some point they need to invest in something new and substantial to make it worth our while to revisit.Sorry for the rambling and length, I’ll get better at this at some point!!EDIT - can one of you clever people tell me how I get pics to show in the text, instead of as a link? Thanks.

My first ever trip report…. A Bit lot heavy on text and light on pics as I forgot to charge my camera (idiot), but I’ll give it a go.Decided to go to Chessington for the first time in 6 years. I hadn’t realised it had been that long but they’ve given me no reason to go in that time, what with it being aimed at young families (I don’t have one) and there being a grand total of one ride introduced in that time (which I’ve been on elsewhere anyway), but me and wife thought we’d give it a go anyway.Arrived bang on opening and joined the first and only queue of the day. As it was quiet the little huts with a sensible queue line were not in use so instead it was a bundle at what I presume are usually the pre book windows. The hard of understanding kept trying to queue at the sides for the edge windows, what they thought the rest of us were doing queuing in the middle I don’t know, so they had to be re-educated. Only took 15 mins or so, but they should have separate windows for coach load ticket pickups as it kept grinding to a halt.The place was basically empty. The only other people that seemed to be there were every single 10 year old with a skull cap from the south of England, with about 1 adult per 50 children. More on them later. Every ride was walk on, even Vampire front row.Into the park it immediately felt so green, clean, well-kept and just a nice place to be compared to the grey and run down feeling of Thorpe. Straight to Transylvania of course, to relive my childhood on what is one of my fondest memories, and Vampire when it was in its original state. I had forgotten just how beautifully themed the area is, it looks and feels the same as it did all those years ago. Loved the little touches added, like the headstones of past characters and the ghost of Rodeo (shame he is hidden behind caricature man). But then the ride itself just seemed to hit me with waves of disappointment. The horrible bright purple metal queue line, the over lit tunnel into the station (I used to have to feel my way along the walls, now I could safely navigate it in sunglasses), the lifeless organist, the wonderful theme being played too quietly peppered with a shouting ride op so loud it actually hurt and I had to cover my ears, the shiny metal barrier splitting the exit line and worst of all the crazy amount of light coming into the building washing out any possibility of atmosphere. How hard can it be to hang up some light blocking sheeting or something? We took a seat in the middle of the train for what was an uncomfortable jerky flight, it felt like we were constantly shunting back and forth into the surrounding carriages, nothing like the smooth and exciting rides I remember. I got off thinking the trip was a bad idea where I would slowly spoil all my fond memories. Oh my gosh, I've only covered the first 10 minutes in the park and just realised how much I’ve written. It feels like some sort of therapy. Keeping it brief from now. Promise. Then on to bubbleworks. I don’t need to go through all the problems that make this a travesty of its former self, just a soulless, humourless mainly statically themed bore but if they could do one thing just sort out the ‘finale’. The new lights are so bright and constant, and just make the whole thing look cheap and dull. How much did they cost compared to a couple of strobe lights? Without strobes this ride is nothing.To break this up here is an unflattering picture of me taking more pleasure from the bubbleworks than it was ever trying to give me.From then on, though, I pretty much loved everything else. Fury is amazing, so much better than Spinball. Dragon river, with the exception of the horrible cheap great wall thing, was very pleasant and as I remember it. New sponsorship not too bad or intrusive, we’ll never get the full rocks back and the ones that are there have worn down to show the wire mesh underneath. It does need a bit of TLC and was probably the most run down looking of the attractions.Theming in wild Asia is stunning. Kobra is not the best example I’ve ridden by a long way, it’s so jerky and feels like it has some weird vibration issues but a bit of fun none the less.Mine train is what it is, I still like it. Had forgotten how nice the theming on Rattlesnake is, and it’s a whole bunch of fun to ride. Ramesis feels like it is trying to shake itself to bits and I can’t believe it has much life left in it.Big surprise of the day was Tomb Blaster, so much better than I remember it. All the theming seemed fresh and interesting (still strikes me that with the laser guns the fifth dimension would fit a whole lot better), the only thing missing was dry ice which I think would give it a lot more atmosphere.Loved the zoo, seems a lot of effort has been put in to these areas and it shows. Impressed with sealife too, which does not feel temporary on the inside like it looks on the outside.Rode Vampire again later at the front and back which proved much smoother and more enjoyable rides, but it is still a long way from where it should be.So, the kids. It was empty but still the new restrictions on buccaneer and Dragon River were causing chaos, I dread to think what it’ll be like when it’s busy. A lot more effort needs to be put into communicating the adult to child ratios required at the queue line entrance. We even took two boatloads of children round to try and help out. Probably need to increase the adult to child ratios on the school coach trips too.Overall the place is looks stunning in most places, all the staff were great and we loved it. But at some point they need to invest in something new and substantial to make it worth our while to revisit.Sorry for the rambling and length, I’ll get better at this at some point!!EDIT - can one of you clever people tell me how I get pics to show in the text, instead of as a link? Thanks.

My first ever trip report…. A Bit lot heavy on text and light on pics as I forgot to charge my camera (idiot), but I’ll give it a go.Decided to go to Chessington for the first time in 6 years. I hadn’t realised it had been that long but they’ve given me no reason to go in that time, what with it being aimed at young families (I don’t have one) and there being a grand total of one ride introduced in that time (which I’ve been on elsewhere anyway), but me and wife thought we’d give it a go anyway.Arrived bang on opening and joined the first and only queue of the day. As it was quiet the little huts with a sensible queue line were not in use so instead it was a bundle at what I presume are usually the pre book windows. The hard of understanding kept trying to queue at the sides for the edge windows, what they thought the rest of us were doing queuing in the middle I don’t know, so they had to be re-educated. Only took 15 mins or so, but they should have separate windows for coach load ticket pickups as it kept grinding to a halt.The place was basically empty. The only other people that seemed to be there were every single 10 year old with a skull cap from the south of England, with about 1 adult per 50 children. More on them later. Every ride was walk on, even Vampire front row.Into the park it immediately felt so green, clean, well-kept and just a nice place to be compared to the grey and run down feeling of Thorpe. Straight to Transylvania of course, to relive my childhood on what is one of my fondest memories, and Vampire when it was in its original state. I had forgotten just how beautifully themed the area is, it looks and feels the same as it did all those years ago. Loved the little touches added, like the headstones of past characters and the ghost of Rodeo (shame he is hidden behind caricature man). But then the ride itself just seemed to hit me with waves of disappointment. The horrible bright purple metal queue line, the over lit tunnel into the station (I used to have to feel my way along the walls, now I could safely navigate it in sunglasses), the lifeless organist, the wonderful theme being played too quietly peppered with a shouting ride op so loud it actually hurt and I had to cover my ears, the shiny metal barrier splitting the exit line and worst of all the crazy amount of light coming into the building washing out any possibility of atmosphere. How hard can it be to hang up some light blocking sheeting or something? We took a seat in the middle of the train for what was an uncomfortable jerky flight, it felt like we were constantly shunting back and forth into the surrounding carriages, nothing like the smooth and exciting rides I remember. I got off thinking the trip was a bad idea where I would slowly spoil all my fond memories. Oh my gosh, I've only covered the first 10 minutes in the park and just realised how much I’ve written. It feels like some sort of therapy. Keeping it brief from now. Promise. Then on to bubbleworks. I don’t need to go through all the problems that make this a travesty of its former self, just a soulless, humourless mainly statically themed bore but if they could do one thing just sort out the ‘finale’. The new lights are so bright and constant, and just make the whole thing look cheap and dull. How much did they cost compared to a couple of strobe lights? Without strobes this ride is nothing.To break this up here is an unflattering picture of me taking more pleasure from the bubbleworks than it was ever trying to give me.From then on, though, I pretty much loved everything else. Fury is amazing, so much better than Spinball. Dragon river, with the exception of the horrible cheap great wall thing, was very pleasant and as I remember it. New sponsorship not too bad or intrusive, we’ll never get the full rocks back and the ones that are there have worn down to show the wire mesh underneath. It does need a bit of TLC and was probably the most run down looking of the attractions.Theming in wild Asia is stunning. Kobra is not the best example I’ve ridden by a long way, it’s so jerky and feels like it has some weird vibration issues but a bit of fun none the less.Mine train is what it is, I still like it. Had forgotten how nice the theming on Rattlesnake is, and it’s a whole bunch of fun to ride. Ramesis feels like it is trying to shake itself to bits and I can’t believe it has much life left in it.Big surprise of the day was Tomb Blaster, so much better than I remember it. All the theming seemed fresh and interesting (still strikes me that with the laser guns the fifth dimension would fit a whole lot better), the only thing missing was dry ice which I think would give it a lot more atmosphere.Loved the zoo, seems a lot of effort has been put in to these areas and it shows. Impressed with sealife too, which does not feel temporary on the inside like it looks on the outside.Rode Vampire again later at the front and back which proved much smoother and more enjoyable rides, but it is still a long way from where it should be.So, the kids. It was empty but still the new restrictions on buccaneer and Dragon River were causing chaos, I dread to think what it’ll be like when it’s busy. A lot more effort needs to be put into communicating the adult to child ratios required at the queue line entrance. We even took two boatloads of children round to try and help out. Probably need to increase the adult to child ratios on the school coach trips too.Overall the place is looks stunning in most places, all the staff were great and we loved it. But at some point they need to invest in something new and substantial to make it worth our while to revisit.Sorry for the rambling and length, I’ll get better at this at some point!!EDIT - can one of you clever people tell me how I get pics to show in the text, instead of as a link? Thanks.

My first ever trip report…. A Bit lot heavy on text and light on pics as I forgot to charge my camera (idiot), but I’ll give it a go.Decided to go to Chessington for the first time in 6 years. I hadn’t realised it had been that long but they’ve given me no reason to go in that time, what with it being aimed at young families (I don’t have one) and there being a grand total of one ride introduced in that time (which I’ve been on elsewhere anyway), but me and wife thought we’d give it a go anyway.Arrived bang on opening and joined the first and only queue of the day. As it was quiet the little huts with a sensible queue line were not in use so instead it was a bundle at what I presume are usually the pre book windows. The hard of understanding kept trying to queue at the sides for the edge windows, what they thought the rest of us were doing queuing in the middle I don’t know, so they had to be re-educated. Only took 15 mins or so, but they should have separate windows for coach load ticket pickups as it kept grinding to a halt.The place was basically empty. The only other people that seemed to be there were every single 10 year old with a skull cap from the south of England, with about 1 adult per 50 children. More on them later. Every ride was walk on, even Vampire front row.Into the park it immediately felt so green, clean, well-kept and just a nice place to be compared to the grey and run down feeling of Thorpe. Straight to Transylvania of course, to relive my childhood on what is one of my fondest memories, and Vampire when it was in its original state. I had forgotten just how beautifully themed the area is, it looks and feels the same as it did all those years ago. Loved the little touches added, like the headstones of past characters and the ghost of Rodeo (shame he is hidden behind caricature man). But then the ride itself just seemed to hit me with waves of disappointment. The horrible bright purple metal queue line, the over lit tunnel into the station (I used to have to feel my way along the walls, now I could safely navigate it in sunglasses), the lifeless organist, the wonderful theme being played too quietly peppered with a shouting ride op so loud it actually hurt and I had to cover my ears, the shiny metal barrier splitting the exit line and worst of all the crazy amount of light coming into the building washing out any possibility of atmosphere. How hard can it be to hang up some light blocking sheeting or something? We took a seat in the middle of the train for what was an uncomfortable jerky flight, it felt like we were constantly shunting back and forth into the surrounding carriages, nothing like the smooth and exciting rides I remember. I got off thinking the trip was a bad idea where I would slowly spoil all my fond memories. Oh my gosh, I've only covered the first 10 minutes in the park and just realised how much I’ve written. It feels like some sort of therapy. Keeping it brief from now. Promise. Then on to bubbleworks. I don’t need to go through all the problems that make this a travesty of its former self, just a soulless, humourless mainly statically themed bore but if they could do one thing just sort out the ‘finale’. The new lights are so bright and constant, and just make the whole thing look cheap and dull. How much did they cost compared to a couple of strobe lights? Without strobes this ride is nothing.To break this up here is an unflattering picture of me taking more pleasure from the bubbleworks than it was ever trying to give me.From then on, though, I pretty much loved everything else. Fury is amazing, so much better than Spinball. Dragon river, with the exception of the horrible cheap great wall thing, was very pleasant and as I remember it. New sponsorship not too bad or intrusive, we’ll never get the full rocks back and the ones that are there have worn down to show the wire mesh underneath. It does need a bit of TLC and was probably the most run down looking of the attractions.Theming in wild Asia is stunning. Kobra is not the best example I’ve ridden by a long way, it’s so jerky and feels like it has some weird vibration issues but a bit of fun none the less.Mine train is what it is, I still like it. Had forgotten how nice the theming on Rattlesnake is, and it’s a whole bunch of fun to ride. Ramesis feels like it is trying to shake itself to bits and I can’t believe it has much life left in it.Big surprise of the day was Tomb Blaster, so much better than I remember it. All the theming seemed fresh and interesting (still strikes me that with the laser guns the fifth dimension would fit a whole lot better), the only thing missing was dry ice which I think would give it a lot more atmosphere.Loved the zoo, seems a lot of effort has been put in to these areas and it shows. Impressed with sealife too, which does not feel temporary on the inside like it looks on the outside.Rode Vampire again later at the front and back which proved much smoother and more enjoyable rides, but it is still a long way from where it should be.So, the kids. It was empty but still the new restrictions on buccaneer and Dragon River were causing chaos, I dread to think what it’ll be like when it’s busy. A lot more effort needs to be put into communicating the adult to child ratios required at the queue line entrance. We even took two boatloads of children round to try and help out. Probably need to increase the adult to child ratios on the school coach trips too.Overall the place is looks stunning in most places, all the staff were great and we loved it. But at some point they need to invest in something new and substantial to make it worth our while to revisit.Sorry for the rambling and length, I’ll get better at this at some point!!EDIT - can one of you clever people tell me how I get pics to show in the text, instead of as a link? Thanks.

That is true, that sort of thing makes me very happy. If I'd been there it would have meant a lot to me, it shows they are there to keep the punters happy and don't just have the "we've already got their money, so screw them" sort of mentality that Ive seen before (and the car park charges make me feel every time).

My mate Paul is the singer in this bandhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHJOghkc_swI love it, and not just because he's a friend of mine, It's just my sort of thing. But you lot seem to like heavy stuff or GaGa, so I might be on my own with electro here!

As a long time lurker I'd say this is the most useful topic if it's kept up to date, I know it's what I'm alwys looking at the weeks before a visit and is a whole lot easier than trawling through the ride topics to see where the problems are.Anyway, I went the day before yesterday. The only closed ride was samurai which was mating with it's little blue crane all day (as usual. How those two haven't had little mechanical babies yet is beyond me). I didn't see anything else down all day, except for stealth opening a couple of hours late. So not too bad at the mo.

As a long time lurker I'd say this is the most useful topic if it's kept up to date, I know it's what I'm alwys looking at the weeks before a visit and is a whole lot easier than trawling through the ride topics to see where the problems are.Anyway, I went the day before yesterday. The only closed ride was samurai which was mating with it's little blue crane all day (as usual. How those two haven't had little mechanical babies yet is beyond me). I didn't see anything else down all day, except for stealth opening a couple of hours late. So not too bad at the mo.