SteveJ

You know that nobody is suggesting only the original team from 1990 are allowed to do it, the original station we mean. But putting that aside, the revamp is good, if not as nearly good as it's been originally. It's very DJ, but if youre gonna do that you may as well go all the way with the music as well. The improvements are limited to just the organ area, well that's as much as we're gonna get I guess. The fixed animatronic is the best part, good on them. Remember stuff like this is normal in most theme parks, where it would have never gotten into the state it was in these last few years anyway. But enthusiasts are always hungry for some "changes" to get excited about after closed season!

But but, how are these forum members gonna cynically mock your posts now?

Yeah, if they were changing it for change's sake then it would be pointless, but I think they were right to change it if they're going down this disco route. The original theme suited the original style best. It was a better piece of music for sure, but the new one is still good The best it looked in recent years was definitely around 2012/2013. It looked fabulous then! Although it was static.

What's that great line, "If only you knew how ridiculous that statement was, you wouldnt have said it" Anyway, I'm not saying I dislike the new theme, I am glad they have gone for a transformation than a bits N bobs DIY approach. It's fun. It's meant to be gawdy, very obviously. This new style is just a disco version of the original (which probably people on here are too young to remember before it turned rubbish), with the animation and lighting timed to the music, the spotlighting on the organist and lightning bla bla. But not as nearly good as the original was when it was new.

The change is tacky and deliberately so. It's not supposed to be an "improvement" on some sort of mistake on the old theme, it was BRILLIANT in the past, the scary atmosphere was fun and brilliant. Great. It's just that the old theme had all but vanished in recent years and needed something new. Either restore it (which would cost more money) or go all out disco, including the music. The original music was much better but wouldnt have worked with this new style. I think overall the revamped Vampire comes together... ok? It's more entertaining than it was these last few years and not nearly as bad as Tomb Blaster's revamp few years ago!

He's back to looking his usual self, excellent. The rest the station, well I suppose youd have to see for yourself if it works, they've gone down an interesting route!!

The article isnt criminal but let's be honest, the world record was only there to have something gimmicky to boast about. It actually makes for a boring second half of the ride and always did. So it's the ride's own fault that it wasn't as good as Nemesis Inferno the next year really... Colossus and Inferno were both planned more or less the same time too it must be said. With the water infilling, the biggest knock came much earlier when the queue was filled in and Saw The Ride built so that you no longer felt close to the lakes at any point in the ride. Shame really because it added something—and Saw Alive was rubbish!

I forgot it too, and I was there. It was rubbish.

Painting and dressing used happen as part of normal maintenance. It's nothing new and doesnt make this "the best year" Chessington ever had, Vampire's station has been relit and redressed several times in the past. Nobody's even seen what they've done with Vampire yet so wait and see. But it won't be restored to its original level unfortunately.

Who says it can never move again? I have no idea about the music. Bit strange to change such an iconic track unless it's going to be a reproduction or they have some kind of new vision in mind. Yeah if they don't finally fix the sound in there then a new music track is going to be pointless! Let's be honest though, everything that made Vampire brilliant has long gone. It's just an empty box now with an organ at one end and an average coaster. I loved Vampire to bits but it's had all the fun chiselled away (thinking if I were a kid going on it today).

It's new replacement music I think. The original "mix" was put back, but seemed like the sound system so broken that the station still sounds naff. Sad really, it used to sound brilliant. It wouldnt cost a bomb to redesign the station properly and bring back the beast it was in 1990, or better. But it costs way more than Merlin would ever be willing to pay.

This year for its 30th anniversary Vampire has new music and a refurbished station. Will it be good and finally restore that atmosphere that was lost years ago? Or will it be another terrible DIY revamp

Personally I havnt heard anything to suggest the fire is gonna be removed or that reducing the operating cost is what caused the closure. While Valhalla is expensive and probably didnt make as much money as they predicted with the wristband introduction, dont forget the whole of Blackpool took a massive decline during the 2000s. This probably had a bigger impact than just Valhalla and resulted in many of the things you list like the lack of big new rides in that time

I think the gas is very expensive for the fire effecst but in general it's quite overstated how expensive Valhalla's situation is. I dont think removing it is on the cards. Amanda's tweet about "making it more sustainable" was probably just a nice sounding excuse, they had to close it for maintenance rather than to stop the park going bankrupt

I think theyd known it had age problems for years and they tried their hardest to keep the same ship going until it just couldnt get its certificate. This flogging a dead horse usually means they dont want to spend real money on it and it ends up removed (Skyway, Rameses etc). So it's a fantastic turn around that theyre actually going to get a new ship now (it seems). I'm sure loads of guests will appreciate it! Good on the park

Youre right yes, Dale Air got sold and is now Aroma Prime, theyre all the same products as far as I know.

Aroma Prime have got everywhere and contacted every UK fan, park and designer known to man, to be fair theyre doing a good job getting themed smells used more often in attractions again.

It was quite interesting on one of the backstage tours Thorpe gave to Towers Times (I think) apparently there were still cables for controlling effects on board the train that were disconnected before opening, and would have never been seen anyway considering you had a VR headset over your face. So suggests the VR really was very very late addition and that the original concept was to have a lot more on board effects

"Reverting" to Thunder River would mean changing a few colours and the name. They're hardly going to put Thunder's waterfalls and extra rapids back after recent events with rapids rides. The rumba theme is mostly all gone now anyway, it's just a big brown nothing now.

The recovered popularity of Alton Towers suggests that it's just a few loudmouths online, repeating garbage they read whether they believe it or not

It's not.

I still think "It will completely change what theme parks can do" with that smug face is one of the all time classic theme park moments in this country

How it is today, rushing past the train in a blocky room where you only see the floor beneath you for a few seconds (if you bother to look over the side while you get the chance), is really not the best way the illusion could have been designed. It may not be possible to stand directly underneath, but they designed themselves into a corner with the whole thing really. There's always other techniques when it comes to illusion to give the impression there's more than there really is. With DBGT its the other way round, things are so badly thought through that you actually miss the best bits. For all that effort and an amazing concept, how it turned out is almost pointless in my opinion. Much like the whole ride.

It was the opposite of a superb job, and it was really not what Air needed to improve the experience

Legend has it the new divisional director and marketing director have been fired or quit only 1 season after the previous. They are already hiring for a new marketing director. What's going on with Thorpe?