Han30

say whaaaaaa?

I thought it said "sported" but wasn't 100% sure - this post has made me laugh though....what delightful sounding articles mentioned

I saw this somewhere a couple of days ago and literally smacked myself round the head. The media are doing anything and everything they can to pull Alton Towers to pieces - they really should focus on more important "news" So, a man was offended when he saw the shirts? Christ on a bike, is there a need to start a fricking campaign? Perhaps he needs a hobby.....

Fab pics

After reading this, I had a look on their FB page - aaaand I have tears in my eyes

^^ This.... If The Smiler reopens under the same name Alton Towers will no doubt be criticized and called insensitive, if they rename it then they will still get criticism - probably accusations of trying to cover something up etc

My first job back in 1998 paid a whopping £3.25 an hour (although bearing in mind this was way back in 1998!) Yes of course staff members are going to get stressed/grumpy - totally understandable considering that some members of the general public are park guests are idiots (to put it mildly) - in general I've found Thorpe Park staff to be happy and enjoying what they do.

I've never been a huge fan of the name "The Smiler" although it did grow on me a bit. I think the advertising they did for it was fantastic and worked well - however, I wouldn't be at all shocked if they were to rename it/rebrand it when it opens again Ah nuts!

This is something I may be interested in if ok? Oh and - why the name change?

I was going to mention about him - that was an absolute p**s take and bragging on social media about getting "free fastrack" #facepalm - you have to love Thorpe Parks response though! The only problem is, how many people saw that and thought they would try it? Now THAT is where the system is flawed - the guy obviously got his disabled band pretty easy from what I could tell - made me angry when I first saw it - the fact he did it, bragged about it....and to top it off, can't spell

Without sounding harsh, if the dude isn't happy in his job, perhaps he should look elsewhere.....in general the staff at Thorpe Park are pretty chirpy though I've had the odd one or two who have come across a bit meh, they might have been having a bad day but in any job where you are in contact with the general public, grumpiness doesn't tend to go down well

I admire his enthusiasm - rather see that than miserable staff. A few weeks back I was lobbed a wrist band from the swarm bag shop - the dude behind the counter didn't even make eye contact with me

To be fair, unless you have experienced mental health problems, either first hand or if you are close to someone that has problems then you can't fully understand the impact that these problems have on day to day life. I wouldn't even try to imagine how debilitating it must be to have a physical disability because I don't have one personally. I think the point being made is that whether you have a physical disability or a mental health related one, people should be treated equally. As mentioned before - the disabled access pass is not a fastrack - disabled people don't get to skip queues all day, they have allocated times to arrive at rides. Of course there are people that are going to abuse the system but sadly, such is life. Queuing might seem like a simple procedure in principal but in reality not everyone is able to stay in a long queue for whatever reason - and everyone has the right as a guest to theme parks, to experience the rides etc.

I'm pretty sure (correct me if I am wrong) that at Thorpe Park (not sure about the others), you are only allowed one disabled person on each ride at a time, I'm assuming for evacuation reasons

I personally know very little about ADHD and how it could affect someones ability to queue but I think, if it does have an impact on them queuing and they qualify for it then I don't see a problem with them getting disabled access. Like Tommy said, you can't visually see mental health disabilities, unlike physicaly ones and there probably are a load of people out there with varying degrees of problems who could get a letter from a doctor to qualify for disabled access. Mental health disabilities can be just as debilitating as physical ones, sometimes more so I think it would be unfair if access was only given to those with physical impairments. I do however see that the whole thing is potentially up for abuse - I mean, (not that I've looked into it) but how easy would it be to forge a doctors note? I do think there are probably people out there who do take the pee and used disabled access when they don't actually need it and could essentially queue with everyone else. The problem is determining if someone can queue or not - for example if I am having a bad day I won't leave my flat due to my anxiety levels, yet other days I can go out without even needing to take any medication. It's not as black and white with mental health issues unfortunately

I don't think anyone can really pass comment on ADHD unless they have it or have knowledge of it - disabled passes are for people who can't wait in queues for long, be it for medical or physical reasons. I've been told I could possibly get a disabled pass but I've never looked into it. I have long standing anxiety problems coupled with panic attacks but I usually tend to visit theme parks on quieter days or I usually find that if I am in a queue I am able to distract myself - also, I always have anti-anxiety meds with me if I get really anxious.

I've not been to any meets for 18+ months and am thinking about joining this one (if okay), would be good to see people again especially as this date is one where I could use the company - only up until 11pm so no clubbing/drinking for me (getting too old for it) and also I would need to leave at 11pm anyway

Woaah that other Topscan looks mental! Not sure I could handle a particularly long cycle due to motion sickness but when you compare the 2 videos, Samurai looks bleedin' awful! I went Samurai last week and whilst standing in the queue it looked like it was pretty tame but then when I went on it it seemed like a slightly longer cycle and I felt a bit light headed afterwards - obviously it is different watching a ride and going on it (also maybe I'm just not great with forces). It's a shame that Samrai doesn't run the way it used to (at CWOA) but, as said before it is probably to stop the ride from conking out - I do hope though that when Samurai's time is up, that it is replaced by another topscan as it does seem pretty popular with the GP and is one of my fave flats at Thorpe

OMG I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so sort of did both

I couldn't agree more - the way that Merlin have handled the entire events throughout has been amazing. Really felt for Nick Varney having to deal with that vile woman on Sky News. You could see he was upset by what had happened, and unless he is a bloody good actor then it shows real compassion where other companies wouldn't. I always thought that Merlin were a bit tight and money grabbing (which, to a certain extent they have to be as they are a business) but my thoughts have changed a lot on that. Not once have they tried to pass the blame or shirk responsibility and as well as compensating the injured which will happen in due time, they have also been generous to the general public (giving away free tickets at Alton Towers to go back another time for example). Credit where credit is due

Whilst positivity will help rather than looking at the negatives (which I agree with), it is difficult for anyone, myself included to even begin to understand how it must feel to lose a limb. Yes we can sympathise but we can't know how devastating it must be - not only is it a physical issue but those involved also are likely to be scarred mentally following the incident - PTSD could be a potential issue months down the line or many other conditions. I don't think anyone here is playing down the injuries caused - but for some it can be possibly construed that way. As for Smiler merch- I don't personally have a problem with people wearing hoodies/shirts etc and certainly wouldn't go up to someone and have a go at them for wearing it - to be honest I find people walking around with their bits hanging out more offensive. My partner got a telling off the other day for wearing a smiler pin badge on his lanyard- he was told he was being insensitive - from a group of 13-14 year olds

This is one of the reasons why I don't think there will be a track repaint- it makes no sense to just plop paint on random places!

Terrible news about the girl that lost her leg - I can't even begin to imagine what she and her family must be going through right now- I am twice her age and God knows how I would cope if I lost a limb. I can understand what Ian is talking about - whilst it is incredibly sad about the young lady who has lost her limb, it could have been a lot worse (yes I realise that both her and her family are probably not seeing things like that right now, understandably so). I went to school with a girl who was in all the sports teams and was very active - about 10 years ago she had to have a leg amputated due to a rare condition- s couple of years after that she had the other leg removed so is wheelchair bound. However she is now a Paralympic gold medalist and I often see her on her customised hand bike. Of course it is terrible what happened and I know I would probably feel very bitter - you don't expect to go to a theme park and end up in a serious condition and having a limb removed. I a just relieved that no one was killed although it is going to take those involved a long time to recover from (not just physically but emotionally). Thought are with all those hurt last Tuesday and wishing them the best possible future. I just hope that they get some peace from the media during this difficult time

Have you seen the skank in the medusa pit? It looks like green bubble bath (not in a good way!) still not holding out hope for a track repaint but I will be pleasantly surprised if it happens

Haha - love it! Seriously do people not realise that the hosts need to get past people to check restraints? Or do they think they have powers of levitation?! Some people you come across at theme parks is pretty funny- certainly makes me feel less stupid at times. Example, was stood out Vortex and a teenage girl points at Zodiac and goes "oh my god that doesn't go upside down does?" (Zodiac was in full motion and had hit the highest point when she said that). #facepalm