Mitchada04

Sounds as if Critter Creek will be an area then! Professor H Stanley Blast liking roller coasters is obviously going to link to the retheme of Stinger (and the colours sound like they'll work well together from what you've described Rich). Maybe Wind in the willows will become an interactive creepy cave sort of thing? Either way it's great to see the park continuing to grow and improve from the success of a pig! Paultons is in my eyes the best park in this country to have used an IP well and added to the park in different ways since! Just love Paultons!

But there's no "cutest couple" award!!! Me and Jack are not impressed. Jadam was going to own you all but no. I'll just have to claim any awards Jack gets instead.

I'd like the benches in Sunken Garden to be given a touch up. They're lovely to sit on and eat your packed lunch with Stealth launching through the trees in front of you and Swarm roaring behind you. Done it many times when I'm a bit short on money. Cheese sandwhich, some crisps and a chocolate bar all from home. Yummy!

At least Penguins of Madagascar will be an in thing at the time. Plus they were my favourite characters from the stage show anyway. Penguin Cove revamp has been needed for a while so nice to see it's being done. This isn't the announcement of the elephant replacing the skyway though so we still have that to look forward too (I can't find the other countdown page, chessington.com/2015 just leads to the Penguins page now with the countdown on that page)

From all the stuff that's been said before it sounds like Burger King and KFC signed a further 10 year contract in 2007 before Merlin took over which mean those two are still running under the terms set by Tussauds (I guess that's how it works as Merlin wouldn't just be able to kick them out or change their contract conditions). Pizza Huts contract just ran out earlier and Merlin probably didn't even negotiate terms for them to stay as they are all for in house. Why would Pizza Hut want to leave, it's supposedly and unsurprisingly the most profitable one in Europe. Even if Merlin took half of that I'd be surprised if Pizza Hut wanted to leave. Always an interesting conversation. And yes, I'm sure the exciting announcement was the discounted VIP packages.

But Thorpe doesn't need a tacky haunted house. I'm sorry but the one at Blackpool as quirky as it is isn't exactly high quality. Haunted Mansion is a high quality haunted house ride. The park shouldn't invest in an outdated thing, they don't need to take steps, that'll take forever! They lept into the thrill market with a 10 looping roller coaster! Let's get a high quality modern dark ride in the first place and build on that, not go back on ourselves. There is just no place for a ghost train at Thorpe, it wouldn't pull the guests in, it would look outdated if it were like the one at Blackpool etc. By all means build a haunted themed ride around the Headless Monk or something but put some money into it! Not just a quick job ghost train.

Thorpe would advertise a ride retheme as new and fair play, Legoland have done it multiple times with their areas. All Pirate Shores saw was a delayed updated play area and some decent effects added to a water ride but that has done them well. A ride retheme is better than nothing and in many of the rides cases desperately needed! Food for thought, the majority of the park has had all the big head branding removed apart from one little area, Canada Creek. Both Wild Wongs Noodle Bar and the hot dogs there have the big heads. It's clear Loggers could do with a nice little touch up as well so maybe that's what they'll do (would work in favour of the families as well!) Not getting this ghost train vibe though. Don't see why Thorpe should get one (assuming we're talking about ghost trains and not rides like Duel). A fun fair esque ghost train just wouldn't fit into the park at all (okay not much these days does but still), would take up room, really wouldn't pull in the crowds "oh look we've opened a ghost train you can ride for £3 at your local fair" just seems unnecessary. A proper styled haunted house would be nice like Haunted Mansion or Duel but not a ghost train as the public see them. Although I'd still rather Thorpe did something unique if they were to get a haunted ride and do something more mysterious like Mystic Manor or something, not a standard haunted house style. Plus, we'd have seen planning permission for one by now. Rethemes don't generally need planning permission (depending on what they're doing) and any permission they do need they still have time to apply for.

According to Winter Wonderland unofficial on FB, XXL reopened this evening at 9pm.

The Hunger Games IP won't die. Harry Potter was over when they built it at Universal but look at the success of that! Just because the film series ends does not make it a dead IP. The fact Lionsgate are talking about a Hunger Games theme park and stuff they know it's a huge IP that won't just die because the film series has ended. Isn't Shrek long dead but Merlin are making a whole bunch of midways out of that. Because Shrek is globally known (like Hunger Games) and just a massive success and won't die out; like Harry Potter won't and with the right marketing and planning of its future neither will Hunger Games.

Just having a nosey through the opening times for next year and there are a few things worth mentioning. Annual pass weekend is currently on the 14th and 15th March 10-5. Again it says it will be prebook only but it's not available at the moment like previous years. The park opens fully on Wednesday 18th March with 10-5 opening times on weekdays and weekends that aren't around school holidays. 10-6 opening for things like Easter and May half term. From 22nd July through to Tuesday 1st September the park is currently down as 10-7 opening. Nice to see they're extending summer opening times a bit (maybe Thorpe will go back to 8?) Halloween runs from Friday 23rd October to Monday 2nd November again with 10-8 operating hours. So while this could and probably will all change, it's nice to see Chessie trying to have some extended hours over summer.

Yes an hour queue would have more people in the queue but it's less likely to hit an hour due to the demand it would need. Even on ultra busy days at Islands of Adventure Forbidden Journey is unlikely to top 90 minutes due to the fact that's nearly 3000 people in the queue. Sonic Spinball gets crazy long queues due to low throughput, Nemesis rarely tops 50 minutes due to its throughput though. Anyway, all that under "covered queue" will be a cattle pen, 369sqm of it. If the throughput is high enough that queue will hardly stop moving (much like Forbidden Journey's more procession style queue than standing still for periods of time). I'm sure Thorpe will have worked out how much space is needed for the queue. They don't just go "yeah that'll do." And anyway, guests will either queue or not. They just see the "90 minute" sign not whether there is 2000 people in that queue or 1000. Or they'll do something like Universal do with Transformers and Despicable Me, have queue fences that pop up out of the ground when it's exceedingly busy. I hope the whole building is just a queue line now with Vengeance at the end.

I don't expect there to be much of a queue inside as the Fastrack queue merges with the main queue just outside the building by the look of it. Plus that outside queue is long enough we haven't seen the entirety of the cattle pen that they can stick under the canopy it'll be enough. And if it's got a high enough throughput then it won't be bad at all. Some of Universals queues are vile outside. Transformers has a long winding cattlepen out the back, Hulk has a horrid one out the front of the building, Spiderman has one around the back etc. Has it really got that depressing this closed season we're discussing how long a queue the queue line will hold etc.I'm just happy iit's under cover.

It's only 45 days till Christmas and it hasn't snowed yet. Have some snowy pics from 2010 gotta do something with this closed season. What a great closed season. We knew what we were getting for the new season and there isn't a Storm Turd in the way. And we still had speculation about the 2012 coaster. Couldn't tell Colossus needed repainting. Inferno's volcano looked decent. And this was still here. Oh how I miss that closed season. And while you're at it, vote for Jadam as cutest couple on TPM to avoid all controversy

It has been like that on the Thorpe site since the rebrand like Ben said, not a new design for the passes. Just the way Thorpe are showing them using their branding style.

Tadah.

Well I can't use the Florida excuse again (wish I could) so I guess I'll have to put up with you guys. Count me in (I know I'm not wanted that's more the reason for me to go )

Some people went to Thorpe. Some to Towers to watch some fireworks. Some to Blackpool to ride some things at a time rowdy youths should be in bed but are instead in Blackpool riding things (interpret that how you wish). Last year my season ended at the last night of FN (we'll ignore Florida as that never closes) and it has been that way for many seasons. This year I decided to do something different, Kempton Park Fireworks! A lot of other people did too. Just a sea of heads. But it had a different atmosphere to a theme park. Funfairs always do. It was lively, fun, just pure enjoyment! As we weren't scared of standing on the wet mud we got a lovely clear view! See. Flash Boom Fizzle Just look at them. TADAH! There were more but I was enjoying it too much to take loads of pictures. The display was good with the theme being superheroes so many superhero themes were played. It all worked well, only thing was the finale where no one actually knew it had finished as it just ended abruptly but the music still played. Other than that a great display! But... that wasn't all. Obviously there was a fun fair in place and many rides which I hate had to be done. Although I love these. I'm talking about the Ferris Wheel. OMG A DUCK. Oh and a KMG but meh. This was running really meh for normal people which was great for me as I hate Twisters Saving my Funhouse money for Alpen thanks. Extreme (Funfair people probably know the technical name, tristar maybe?) Much better than Vortex. Extreme again. It's like Time Machine but less quirky. Where'd all the people go? Oh Body Count must have taken them (again don't know the technical name, it's kinda like Dragons Claw) Fun. Now as the season draws to a close I leave you with the most amazing thing ever. Didn't ride it it was so awesome. FOGT!!!!!!!!

It closed at 5 today and yesterday (once it was dark).

Well Legoland California announced a Lego Friends thing for next year on their FB yesterday. This is the concept art for it. Could easily cram all of that into the Digger site and surrounding area. Joy.

So the smallest of the Universal chain, popped out of no where really almost like Hong Kong Disneyland. Opened to only have its major coaster seriously unreliable and overall closed for what looked like they were going to remove it entirely. But, after filing to the government new documents to reopen the ride and after Vekoma have done some magic work Battlestar Galactica is now testing! The blue side (inverted) has had its trains reduced from 4 a row to 2 making the trains look horribly like an SLC on so hopefully not. The sit down side is rumoured to have only 3 a row instead of 4 (rumours say the ride was closed as it was placing far too much stress on sections of the track so much so it's had trims added and reinforced joints). http://dejiki.com/2014/08/uss-update-2014aug/ (Great blog to keep up to date, lol at the Zamperla error as well) Speaking of Zamperla... OOOOOO A GREEN ROLLER COASTER Spiral life= Volare. At a Universal park? I hope not. At least they're covering it up. See theming. So this is the Puss In Boots coaster being added to Far Far Away. Doesn't look much as just a normal coaster so hopefully the majority will be enclosed. It is family orientated as well. But.. Enough said.

If this is a technological dark ride with screens and a complicated track system etc the building structure will be complete I'd say to allow them to install the ride hardware itself. I know the ride being built at Islands is likely to be much more complex and expensive but the building for the suspected Kong ride in 2016 is flying up as we speak. If they could leave the tree cutting till the end of season they would have done but it has to be done now to keep with timings. After all they have to remove the whole concrete seating structure and stuff, lay the foundations, build the massive building before there is any form of ride in place. Why do you think MBV was originally not going in The Arena? Maybe because they wanted to start work on it sooner.

Pretty sure that blue coaster is the spinny coaster they had in the dark last year (if it was Ice Mountain then yeah that ) Funky looking Quantum thing. Yellow is Thriller not sure what the grey is. Ghost train? Guessing this confirms this. I'm sold Trains. Yeah this is back. OMG YES!!!!! All photos from Hyde Park Winter Wonderland Unofficial on FB, just nice to see some photos of the build.

The travelling rapids don't get you that wet actually, it's the same as the one at West Midlands or Lightwater both of which are good fun and hardly get you wet! It's something different to the event which is always great to see! Excited to see Thriller back as well as I really enjoyed that coaster last year

Was watching Gotham on Monday and the gate to Arkham Asylum in it reminded me of something and it looked a bit like the gate that is in the plans for the dark ride. And with the asylum style that we can currently gather I thought maybe a batman ride? Six Flags own the DC rights in America but not globally so maybe. Also, with the gate details shown but details for the entrance feature not (other than the floorspace and dimensions) maybe they don't want to release the actual design to the council as it would give away the theme/IP. Just a thought.

Towers closes at 4pm this week as well! Plus it is on the website and the scroller bar so they are informing people.