Han30

Random but I can barely ride Swarm these days which is naff as it is my second fave coaster there - I literally have to breath at certain points because other parts of the ride I actually can’t breath on (sounds weird I know) - I don’t think the vest restraints help the situation. I’ve also greyed out a couple of times which I’d rather have happen than stop breathing ? - if I do ride it I have to go left hand side and near to the front but even then it’s not a pleasant experience. I get the same thing happen (but to a lesser extent) on both Nemesis and Nemesis Inferno but have found that keeping my legs completely out straight weirdly helps with the breathing. Samurai can affect my breathing if it spins quite a bit - it’s literally rides where my legs hang - am absolutely fine on everything else so I know it isn’t anxiety related as my GP suggested. It’s kind of frustrating as it has only been an issue for the past 2 or so years

This one was from back in March in the batching area for DBGT a group of 4 lads in front of us (complete pain in the butt all of them) were moaning about waiting - they had RAP so hadnt even waited the full 75ish minutes. When the people in the other batching area went through they then tried go through but were stopped - their response? “THATS RACIST” - I laughed out loud, as did the people who were nearby - they then started getting lippy with the poor ride host who moved them to the other batching area (meaning they’d have to wait longer) - when we were called through it was like karma when their faces dropped

When I first saw BounceZilla my immediate thought was “dear God that looks awful” - awful in that it’s at a theme park where you don’t expect bouncy castles. That said, as previously mentioned it is in a space which would otherwise be empty and although I highly doubt anyone would travel to Thorpe purely to go on it, it does give something extra other than rides and the pile of cack that is DBGT. Yes it seems popular and I would rather them have something like BounceZilla there than another bloody hang man challenge thing - it’s also something that kids can do who may not be tall enough for the larger rides so it gives them something else. But looking at the bigger picture, there are no new attractions (as in rides) this year, Logger confirmed as not returning but still rotting behind bamboo fencing and Slammer is still sat there SBNO. It doesn’t reflect well IMO. I just hope they don’t turn BounceZilla into a fright night maze with actors in it with chainsaws because frankly that would for sure kill me off!

It’s bizarre - the same has happened to me where I’ve gone on and it’s just meandered around not doing much but later on it will give a few decent flips and spins - I know it has different settings but unsure why it would go from one extreme to another ?‍♂️

Was watching Samurai today just after necking half a ton of pizza and pasta and the cycle looked so bad I think I could have easily gone on it and kept my lunch inside - weirdly the next cycle was more intense so I’m glad I didn’t make that decision. Just thought it odd that there was a noticeable difference in the 2 cycles or I need to go to Specsavers

Had no intention of going on this but got persuaded by @Marc - cheers by the way! People seemed to enjoy it but honestly it looks so daft having a big ol bouncy castle shoved in a theme park. Onto the thing itself - by the end of it I felt like I was a contestant on Gladiators - the inflatable stairs at the end were a joke - I got to the top and fell completely backwards off of it and had a mini break/breakdown. This thing is tiring - I felt like I was dying halfway through and I was struggling to breath and needed my asthma inhaler after. Then my legs were numb and both my niece and I felt faint - thankfully eating our weight in pizza pasta helped with that. I recently did a 2 hour 6 mile power walk and wasn’t as tired as I was on that bouncy hell hole! I wouldn’t do it again but it was kinda fun in between struggling to breath and younger kids seemed to love it. I guess it’s better than nothing ?

I would suggest drinking plenty of water because I know from my own experience that dehydration can lead to migraine. I always without fail take headache pills to parks because I usually get one. Could it be motion sickness related? If so I can’t recommend Cinnarazine highly enough (you can get it over the counter called Stugeron 15). If none of the above are sounding any good then I’d avoid Zodiac, Saw and Colossus, - the latter 2 have crazy head banging moments which I’m sure have killed off some of my brain cells in the past

I’ve been a few times by myself when my ex worked at the park - felt really self conscious at first but then thought “sod it” - people are too busy to probably even notice if you’re by yourself (though going on Loggers (RIP) alone can be a tad embarrassing. Join in the discussions here and get to some meets - I’ve made some amazing mates through this site and at meet ups. I first went to meets aged 32 and my age never felt like an issue (maybe cos I’m a big kid) - I’ve not been to a meet up for a while for personal reasons but hope to get back to it soon. The guys and girls here are lovely and very welcoming

I need to get to a meet soon as I miss you guys! I may bump into you on Saturday as I’m likely going to be at TP with my niece and her friend. If it’s too busy/loud, you’ll probably find me propped up in the smoking area by Inferno talking to myself ? Have a fab day

I had Merlin Membership (standard) when it first came out and it was really handy as I wasn’t able to fork out a lump sum in one go. I’m guessing in the past, people signed up for it (which was meant to be minimum 12 months) and maybe cancelled after a couple of months of lots of park trips They never had the sign up fee before so I’m thinking perhaps this is to deter it happening again? I do think it’s a great idea for people on a budget - especially families who can’t afford to whack out a few hundred quid on passes in one go

I know he can’t see this but happy birthday to Roodie who would’ve been 40 today ?

Christ - I’m not on Twitter so only just seen these - it’s like a 12 year old has been given the reigns over their account ?

Inflatables and bouncy castles can be dodgy at times - read many horrible accidents relating to them - of course most are safe but things like not being properly tied down or over crowding can lead to injuries (and sometimes worse). Years ago my sister was on a bouncy castle at our local park and the damn thing decided to deflate as there was too many people on it - thankfully it was rectified before it rolled into the river. Really hope the kids involved in the incident are ok - must have been pretty scary

I once had such a naff cycle on Samurai that it went so bleeding slow and when it stopped I thought they were going to whack it onto a decent cycle. This year I’ve only done Samurai twice - once earlier on in the season and the second time last Sunday - last Sunday’s was the most intense I’d experienced (have ridden it a fair few times in the past few years). Had so many flips and the cycle lasted longer than any previous rides - I was screaming and swearing throughout but had to stop as I thought I was going to pass out or puke. Getting off the ride I felt drunk ?. What might have added to it is that I always sit on the furthest inner seat but on Sunday I was one away from the outside (only ever done that once) so it felt a tad intense. Am yet to venture onto the outter seat - it just seems too exposed and I can just about cope with the tamest seat ?

Maybe it’s just brocolli ?‍♀️

Scrap Dead Creek Wood and make Blair Witch longer BRING BACK BIG TOP or create an original concept maze or 2 - big top, asylum and Studio 13 were brill and didn’t rely on IPs Relocate Do or Die to original Sanctum location Get rid of or at least half that frigging long tunnel on Platform 15 and have a better storyline/ending Roaming actors throughout the park but permanent ones in Stealth and Swarm areas for FN, such as the amity high actors who I thought were pretty good. Thorpe need to look at quality over quantity and value for money for their guests. I’d rather see fewer mazes with higher quality than what we got this year. Reduce fast track sales to make queue times more realistic (that won’t happen) or maybe have allocated time slots to reduce queue times. As said before, individual audio on flat rides would be nice to give a distinction that you are at a FN and not just another day at the park. Improve park lighting to give a better atmosphere - Chessie have done this so well and I can’t see why Thorpe can’t follow suit. And finally - decorate the place better. Don’t just have hunks of theming in random places (the bridge, as you go onto Swarm island) - make it park wide. I won’t hold my breath....

Slammer really needs removing since it’s been dead for almost 18 months - I hate seeing rides SBNO....speaking of which - would be nice if TP finally let people know that Loggers won’t be making a splash back - if it does return I’ll eat my cats. Realistically I can’t see much being done which is remotely high investment but it would be nice to see a general tidy up or jet wash in certain areas - and removal of chewing gum in queue lines. Also a repaint of certain queue line fences (such as Rumba) - also repaint of the numbers in the Rush batching area which have faded to nothing. Some more benches would be nice - I’ve lost count of the times I’ve just sat on the floor.

Can’t really say more than what has been mentioned but....well.....fright nights? Sh1te nights more like. It’s not ALL bad but just a combination of things and bad management/fast track over selling. I skipped a few rides tonight with RAP because the queues were horrific - the Colossus queue was halfway through the damned shop ? and the dispatching were slow (going by the times the trains went up the lift hill - I actually thought for a while it was on one train). Thorpe have really lost their sense of direction and I think for a lot of people it’s going to take a lot to entice them back. It’s just a shame when ride staff get abuse because of naff decisions higher up. I’ve seen so many staff this year looking fed up and on one occasion saw a girl working on Saw in tears. Usually this time of year I’m gutted that the parks closed season is approaching but this year I’m relieved ?.

Jeez that is insane!!!

Went to Howloween on Weds and (I never thought I would say this) but it ???s all over Fright Nights. The Park is well decorated with loads of skeletons and various spooky displays. Curse of the lost tomb was better this year and I actually got a good jump scare in there at one point - obviously this one is aimed at younger audiences but it’s well worth doing and the actors were fab. Didnt bother with Trick or Trear Woods because I did it 2 years ago and ended up having to do star jumps and that just felt like effort ? Creepy Caves Unearthed - Sorry Thorpe but I find this maze far superior to any of the offerings at Fright Night this year. We had a brill male actor at the beginning and there was only about 8 of us in our group so it was the perfect size. This maze has a clear story, is well paced and a decent length and honestly I did get scared a couple of times ?. Would highly recommend to anyone - only criticism I have is that I think the age 10 recommendation is probably too low- I would personally say 12-13+ but then again some kids are ok with scary stuff and others not so much so it’s more based on the individual and what they can handle. The rides were all working though I didn’t venture to Black Buccaneer, Sea Storm or Monkey Swingers because.....?? We caught the show at the arena just before it got dark - was expecting it to be ? but I really enjoyed it and it’s a nice way to have a break/snack and watch some entertainment - the dancers were brilliant and I envied how much damn energy they had as the show was approx 20 mins - I got tired just watching them Park lighting was nice when it was dark and highlights were doing Dragons Fury, Vampire and Tiger Rock in the dark. Have to say in general I’ve found the staff at Chessie this year to be happier/friendlier in comparison to Thorpe (not ALL Thorpe staff mind you). Would love to see Chessie get more investment - yes it’s not in the same league it was in the mid-late 90s but it has so much potential

Been reading the Facebook post about the child that has run away and hoping he is found safe and soon. The parents must be worried sick but from what I gather, Chessington have done everything they can. Regarding the actors, when I went to Howloween last year I saw a couple of them that looked pretty terrifying and if I was a kid I’d probably ?. For Chessingtons target of families I don’t think scaring kids to tears is a good step. Fun scary is ok but if a kid is visibly terrified then back off.

That’s the best part ???