Tom

Welcome to Thorpe Park Mania!

Tatsu doesn't go over a parking lot. But I accept that it isn't themed! And Air does give a good view of a parking lot.

Fury always seems to be down right after the summer season!

Maxy, I'm not starting an arguement here, I've moved on from all the constant skype bitching so you can move on from that I have no interest to explore this further using this platform, any issues please feel free to contact me either in PM, in person or other social networking outside of TPM where I will be happy to discuss. I guess if over-exposure is the issue then so be it, still no reason to be so outwardly cold to someone you don't even know?! If he's trolling then fair play at creating pointless 'drama', top troller. But if he's just a 12 year old with serious issues hiding behind a computer screen then the response he's getting is overwhelmingly negative Honestly you read newspaper articles about cyber bullying leading to suicide, the fact is the reasons behind it are irrelevant and bullying can always be explained by other things. For his sake I hope he is just a troll.

I just read all this back and cannot believe just how detached everyone is from this member's thoughts and feelings.

Yeah I might just be in a good mood or something, but if he's keen to be a fanboy then let him? We're all getting sour and sick of people who have a genuine interest in theme parks. Doesn't sounds too great from others supposedly interested in theme parks. *awaits backlash*

This will give a weird view of Oblivion when done!

Why is Thorpe so busy? Went to Alton on wednesday and it was empty despite being the busiest day of the week?

The proximity has always been an issue, it had to run on a new setting than other rides of the same type so it raised before it started swinging in order to avoid colliding with the surroundings.

I was going to write a blog along these lines, more focused on the last few lines of the penultimate paragraph. I think enthusiasts are unfortunate in that we seem to enjoy rides a lot less than the general public. As in, the GP come off Colossus shouting about how 'sick' it was, and we come off saying our necks crick and we walk off to the next attraction. But maybe there's a more lasting impact for us? It is very clear that there is no dispute on forums that the 'GP' and 'enthusiasts' are completely different groups. Sorry I'm just throwing things around; great blog, you've got me thinking!

His name is George Dobson and he lives in Garston...

Went to Alton Towers yesterday, not going to be a big trip report but I'll give my opinion of Sub-Terra and Ice Age 4D Woke up at 5:30 and me and Daniel9 dragged our bodies to the car, Dan's Sat Nav said the trip from Oxford would take 2 and a half hours but we left an extra half an hour just in case! - Therefore on the road at 6 in order to be there for ERT at 9. - We seem like keen beans but when a park offers ERT on a late september weekday, why miss out? Also because a trip to Alton Towers is so rare I felt that it was a necessity. Being a Londoner, I knew the way to Alton Towers via the M1, then past the McDonald's near the A something and past the infamous JCB factory. (I think we might've been more excited to see the JCB statue than anything at Alton ) But Dan's Sat Nav took us via the M40, M24, M6ish and all sorts which led to unknown country roads and a huge surprise when we saw the entrance to the resort. After arriving at 8:15 and parking as close to the monorail as possible we took our time before getting on the mutiny bay monorail at about 8:40. Whilst it was bad news I was very happy to be told by the monorail driver that Sonic Spinball would be closed all day, I would rather hear that when passing over Air and Nemesis than when walking up to it and be told later. I don't know why but I was just happy to have all the information needed before planning the day. 9, it opens, straight to Oblivion. Easily the best ride of the day due to being on the front row, and the build up of mist in the tunnel meaning complete darkness and confusion. Just brilliant start to the day, I had forgotten just how forceful it was inside the tunnel. Breathtaking etc etc blah blah. Our photo was embarrassingly number '1' of the day because of just how keen we were. Then onto Th13teen which was pure banter just because of the first un-banked curve and the hilarious trim. I forgot just how crazy and forceful the layout was too. Guilty pleasure ride for sure. A short walk through the gardens as it was only 9:30 we had only the intention of doing Nemesis before 10. Gardens provided a relaxing stroll and entertainment when Dan slipped on some stone steps. I may have fallen into a bush too but whatever. Nemesis was gooood although it was incredibly awkward having to push past a lot of people and get out our annual passes to prove we had ERT, got a lot of jeering from loads of school trip kids because we got on before them... twice. We decided we preffered the old system where you needed to show your ticket to get into the park as opposed to on the rides; this also must create issues for rides like Sub Terra on busier days as queues build up outside the entrance long before the rides start operating! Oh well. Air next which was good, I genuinely left with a 'why is this always 5/5' on everyone's UK B&M lists?' question in my mind because it's unique and more thrilling than I remembered. Sub-Terra review spoiled here but not in the main topic Then the usual Duel, RMT, blah. Short visit to Sharkbait Reef was great as it was fairly empty; the theming is easily missed and I realised just how good an addition such as this is to a theme park (when it's not horrendously busy or in a huge white tent). Ice Age 4D was good although it suffers from not really being in a 4D theatre (just because it looks like it doesn't really belong in my opinion), and the fact that the film is just a cut up version of Ice Age 3 (Dawn of The Dinosaurs). The effects were good and the film quality was really high, like seeing a 3D film in the cinema as opposed to usual 'theme park 3D'. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is genuinely great and I don't know why people dislike it. It's no Toyland Tours but I would rather ride Charlie, an immersive dark ride experience as opposed to Vortex at THORPE PARK. Front row Rita was somehow amazing and me and Dan felt it was less rough than Stealth somehow?! Although due to the cable snapping, the batching of riders into the queue is fairly awkward, oh well it just requires more staff but still fine. There's also only a small passage allowing access between Th13teen and Rita's entrances and the rest of Dark Forest; it must be incredibly congested on busy days. Didn't bother with Enterprise because I live 30 minutes away from Zodiac. Submission is a joke. Ripsaw had water running and it was a cold cold day. Dan wasn't keen for Blade. Only negative was no blood on Nemesis, but oh well, it doesn't impact the experience much at all. Overall great day and just a sharp reminder that despite a few rides like Submission, Alton Towers truly is the best theme park in the UK. The endowment of huge amounts of space makes a clear difference, but the whole park offers a total experience that is missed especially if guests only focus on the roller coasters and main attractions. Ride count Nemesis 4 Sub-Terra 1 Air 2 Oblivion 2 Rita 1 Th13teen 3 Hex 1 Charlie 1 Ice Age 4D 1 Squirrel Nutty 1 Marauders Mayhem 1 The Flume 1 Congo River Rapids 1 Runaway Mine Train 1 Duel 1 Most of the pictures are from another trip, but I hate reading picture-less trip reports for some reason so there you go!

Warning - This post is one big huge Spoilerama Rode for the first time yesterday - Despite not reading this topic I went in expecting the worst, but was really surprised by how good I thought it was! Walked through the queue so didn't have time to look at the video screens or anything but I assumed they were just explaining about what Nemesis was etc, I really didn't care. The briefing room was immersive with a great Phalanx operative giving military style briefing. Good video to tell the story and what we were doing in the building - perfect length by not being too long and explaining the story with correct amount of detail and all of that. I had not known much about the experience before going myself, so I didn't know what the 'lifts' would do. I thought the use of lights was good, and the rumbling floor; what more could you want from the lift portion? The ride/show itself was good and reminded me of alien encounter but maybe even better (?!) due to the drop portion. The rides intentions were well hidden and I was surprised about the depth of theming throughout (I didn't expect another themed area below the Egg hatching?! - I even thought we might drop down another level just because the ride was so unpredictable) The back pokers and leg ticklers were good and the experience would've possibly lacked without them. The pacing of the whole experience was really good, completely different from other really themed rides like Hex or even Tower of Terror, where it ends and you just walk out; I didn't expect a second lift sequence and although I didn't understand the point, the 'scare maze' section really just adds onto the whole package as if the creature escape down below has an impact even on the surface after you've escaped potential harm. After reading the whole of this topic for the first time today I can see how the experience has improved however I don't remember the water or wind effects at all on my visit. Despite this, it felt like the full experience and I'm not sure why it isn't being praised more. I'm not sure about re-rideability as I only rode once, but the experience was so full that I can't remember the drop or when the back pokers kick in etc so I'll be excited and nervous to ride again. Dare I say 9/10 just because the scare maze section lacks story. I honestly think this rivals alien encounter and other disney/universal dark-ride experiences and is the most in depth experience Merlin has ever offered within the UK (I can't comment on Gardaland or Heide Park... And I don't include Legoland.) It might just be the fact that after the ride ends there's MORE and even MORE. Just surprised and pleased about the dedication to the theme and story/plot of the experience.

Not sure where I've seen this on the forum, but every now and then someone mentions that Saw's queue line is horrific or now so much worse than it was when it opened. When Saw opened I remembered thinking just how obvious it was that it had been a whole new island because the queue were bricks on gravel and there wasn't much foliage. Now with the huge reeds at the entrance you can barely see the lake and therefore you feel cut off from the car park or the whole rest of the park. Swarm is praised for being so well themed and I that is hugely helped by the fact it has its own island which may be close to Stealth etc, but when you're queueing you're focused on that one ride. Saying that I hadn't realised how much I like Thorpe Park's coaster queue lines. When you queue in the Inferno extension you're immersed in foliage and B&M roar, Colossus everywhere you look is an inversion. (It sounds weird but compare it to queueing for Samurai where you're shoved between Saw, Colossus, Slammer, and Samurai). Whilst Saw doesn't have interaction in the queue line, this is now made up for by the remote enclosed feeling I get when I queue. Weird post but basically I think Saw's overgrown look is good and that the traps in the queue were designed to look discarded.

Liking the new blogs tab. I'd seen it work on another forum using Invision before but wasn't sure how successful it would be here; really interesting points of view already!

People who complain about their financial situation constantly, possibly are on benefits etc and then splash their cash on stuff like iPhones, hollister clothing and the like. Just a disgusting waste of money for those who use services properly etc. Just rantin!

I think they're closing the park for a year, removing the spectator seating of the aquatic centre, removing the basketball arena and the footballl/hockey arenas as well as the McDonalds' and most likely all of the stuff to do. Orbit is staying I think. But yeah I don't know what they plan to do with the area really.

That was possibly helped by the fact fastrack wouldn't have been sold if it was suffering issues all day!

We can put it allll behind us then. :D

It's fine. But wait.. So if I had been a younger member it would be acceptable to be patronising? :/

Sorry, I might be misunderstanding but your post was quite patronising... I do understand that there is physically still a 'last hour' and do not like being treated like an idiot, thanks.

Except weren't the opening times reduced this year, so the magic last hour isn't so quiet anymore?

Who said it was terrible? Been following it for ages and don't have a bad word! Except maybe that it's a bit of a shame Snow White has been closed because it's a classic attraction.

He said Stealth on the radio but could've just been wrong himself.

Ergh they closed their log flume for this?! Plus the backwards launch just looks like a necessity to get the train over the top hat as opposed to being an actual thrilling feature?