Han30

Not sure on this meet but would be good to go as I'm not able to make it to the Towers meet - my sister gets married on the Monday so if my finances are alright I'll try and make it - would only be for the day part as booze plus my anti sickness meds don't mix well

Sat watching the news - just unbelievable what's going on

My collection is getting bigger - not all theme park ones as I have a couple of charity ones

It was a really good meet and quieter than we expected - Ninjago queue was nowhere near as big as I thought it would be which was good. Pretty good ride count considering how busy Legoland often gets - was fab to see everyone!

Finally got up to Blackpool yesterday and I will do a blog thingy when I've recovered from getting my brain rattled around on Infusion but I have to say.....Valhalla - bloody brilliant. Ok I've not been to a massive amount of parks and only one abroad (DLP) so I don't know what other big water rides are like but I was massively impressed - so much so that I went on it 5 times. I'm not a fan of walking around with squishy wet feet but it is so worth it (thankfully it was lovely weather)

Today at Alton Towers a guy points at Rita and says "shall we go on the runaway mine train" also on Th13teen the bloke in front of me, after we dropped and whilst going backwards he screamed "I WASN'T EXPECTING THAAAAAAAAT"

From 29th May, they are releasing ghost train pop badges for annual pass holders - limited availability and from ghost train shop

Despite melting in the queue, it's a decent ride and a great addition for the park. I love the uniform the staff who work on it have. Also the ride is a mini workout for the arms so you can eat what you like after

If you're at Thorpe before you go to Towers then try to get on at least Inferno - also if you are planning on riding Smiler then it might be a good idea to try out Saw (trust me I know the thought is scary if you dislike drops and heights but it looks a lot worse than it is) Like @ThemeCrafter264 said, once you have ridden a coaster you will wonder what you were scared of - the thought of Stealth and Saw terrified me at first but I now love them - my first ever ride on oblivion I was in tears going up the lift hill (had done Smiler the same day and was fine) then boom! The ride was over and I loved it - so give the rides a go if you can

Yeah I just read about that - that woman has a face I wouldn't tire of hitting....with a brick

Try to get front row if you can - although most seats are the same you get a better view at the front

Been keeping updated with the news all day and it's just horrendous - an 8 year old child is one of the dead - 8 years old. It's just incomprehensible why someone would want to destroy lives - the fact that the majority of people there were kids/teens makes it even sicker. These terrorists are scum - they might proclaim to kill in the name of their God but what religion says it's ok to kill others?! I'm no expert on religions but these monsters are hiding behind it and using it as a pathetic reason to destroy lives. When any attack happens you see the kindness of others and that has been evident in last nights atrocities - people coming together and helping complete strangers. I am no fan of Ariana Grande but I can't imagine how she must feel knowing all those people were there last night to see her sing and some never made it out. It's heart breaking. In times like this you also see just how good our police force, paramedics and NHS are.

It's absolutely sickening - any terrorist attack is - but last nights attack involved lots of teens and kids which just makes it worse - to be taken so young from an utter scumbag out to destroy as many lives as possible is beyond sad. I can't imagine the sheer panic that the people in the arena must have felt hearing the explosion and what they must have witnessed, many at such a young age. Even the ones that survived will have emotional scarring for a long time I would imagine. Thoughts are with those survivors, family and friends of all the innocent people caught up in it, and of course condolences to the families of those who have had their lives taken from them.

Rode Tug Boat today and here is my review - it's naff. Very little theming, zero queue but the kids on the ride seemed to enjoy it and I guess it's nice that it's something for the little ones. Felt a bit sorry for the ride op - he was really friendly but as we were riding I'm fairly sure he was having a good pick of his nose....I won't elaborate further on that last bit

Lots of first time riders when I went on it today who absolutely sh@t themselves at the end which was pretty funny. The live section part where you have to get back on the train I almost got trampled which was nice - but the other riders were genuinely scared and the actors were really good - still love it First attempt at riding we got stuck on the first VR (the train didn't actually move anywhere) so were taken off and given fast track - not sure what happened but jeez it was so hot and sweaty in the train - just like being on the tube - authentic

I've sent you a message

I agree that the name is a bit naff but I remember people saying the same about The Smiler. Guess it's something that you just get used to - was wondering if ICON actually stands for something? ?

Yes - pretty sure it did

It's gonna be HEAVING

I guess because in the very unlikely event that the boat flips then you would have little chance of survival if you are strapped in

Makes me laugh on Tidal Wave when people moan about getting a wet bum when they are soon about to get wet all over! I guess there is a chance the waterfalls won't return - as @Mermite said, people do tend to move when they are heading towards the water but it's such a huge feature of the ride that it would be a shame if they were to never make a return

For some bizarre reason I thought the track was black but I've just found a pic of the original - so yeah it just looks rusty red now

If you are on Facebook I believe there is a page all about pop badges and swapping etc - not sure where you would get a badge at Thorpe as they often come in kids meal deals (pretty sure at places like Burger Kitchen which Thorpe don't have yet) not sure if you can get them in the Stealth fish and chip place but might be worth a try

I've just realised I've noticed staff on a couple of occasions looking at that area - seems odd that there are lots of cameras on the ride - maybe an issue with the tannoy or cameras or just extra precaution following the fatal accident at Drayton