Mitchada04

(Orlando Informer) Opening date confirmed for 8th July for all muggles, wizards and witches. Guess press people have their own category. Oh well! One of the best ride entrances ever? Definitely!

Colossus would have a fairly high throughput to be fair if it wasn't such a pain to load (not helped by the layout and size of the station). The belts are mainly for the ride staff to know that once they are buckled the bar is locked and can be dispatched without question. That's why they jump on people's seats to get the belt in, because once it's in the system is happy. They can manually release rows of bars at a time if there is an evac so the belts offer no added safety really (that's why Saw doesn't have them because they're just an added cost). As for queue times, in Stealth's console the operator had an Ipad with all the rides on and what looked like drop down boxes to select queue times so I believe it's easier to update them now as they can do it from the console instead of having to relay it through control or something? They also had a map of the queue line on one of the screens which showed how long the queue roughly is from certain places on one or two trains so I'm guessing most of the rides have these reference map things to decide the queue times. As for Fastrack, it's a pain but must make the park so much money. But it is wrong, the fact you can complain about Fastrack and get some for doing so? Wrong. It's lost it's "privilege" feel and does sometimes feel like a necessity. Double the price, halve the number sold and the people buying it will receive a more premium service. (Thorpe aren't the only place to sell lots of fastrack, Universal sell loads, but their rides have the capacity to deal with it plus Forbidden Journey doesn't have it (or even a queue for it) and I've heard it'll be the same for Gringotts). You know it's bad when instead of running to a ride at 9:30 or 10, people run to get their Fastrack tickets sorted.

If it's 2 trains then that's quite busy, 1 train not so much. Hardly surprising as it's beautiful weather and all year 11's in the area have finished school plus there will be more trips in place.

At least they're not trying to pass that one of as a wooden coaster! Does look like a lot of fun with some interesting elements.

Popeye is brilliant much much much better! I'd have that any day over Rumba!

The thing with the font is, it's nice. But so generic! The Disney font for example is well known and easily recognised. Whilst nice, these simple blocks won't create a large enough identity. It gives a very same feel, that everything at Thorpe is the same style which isn't the case. Why not use the Fright Nights logo? That has the biggest impression of them all as it gives a sense of what it is through colour and style. It's difficult, because if you start throwing a load of ride logos into one video which uses the same typography throughout it could be quite messy. While it works in this video they have to be careful not to overdo it and end up more corporate (the Summer Nights banner on the roundabout outside the park looked nice though). I like the fact that all the shots used are real of the rides (minus ABL). Only real complaint, the Shark Hotel section really doesn't fit in at all. The music change is too much and we go from live action shots to stills. Not a fan. Other than that, nice bit of promotional image which sells the park. I'd like to know why they haven't just made a long version of the track used in the first 20 seconds of the video. As that is the music used in the advert and what I've essentially associated with "An Island Like no Other." I really hope they haven't just brought back the use of the entrance music to shut enthusiasts up, as the new parts (first and last part plus a section before Fright Nights) is fresh, new and doesn't bring back memories of when Thorpe was in decline. I know we all love the entrance music, but I'd much rather a whole new track which they seem to have made for this new tag line and use that with the new branding.

WJEC CBAC should obviously have been the previous answer? Original Star Wars trilogy or the prequel trilogy?

Spinball and Sub Terra also have single rider queues

I was in Kingston the other night. Didn't realise they had a Creams Was a pleasant surprise Addlestone here.

Those pictures don't do it justice either! It looks brilliant in those pics and bloody amazing in real life (and this was with the walls still up around it!) It really is a beautiful sight from Springfield and adds so much secrecy to Diagon Alley as you can't see a thing apart from London! The double yellows area great touch too!

Did the park open at 10 as advertised though? If so then the triathlon event which they also held last year didn't effect what paying guests would have known as it is only advertised that the park opens at 10. The entrance music does play but maybe that was off due to the triathlon. Who knows. Good to see Slammer still working though

Well they did used to be open till 8 in the Summer, but Summer Nights stops that happening (as they can't extend the length of Summer Nights later into the night due to council restrictions). Out of all the parks in this country (minus Pleasure Beach but that's different, much like Adventure Island), Thorpe do have the best opening times. And they will often extend opening if it is unexpectedly busy (like the strike day earlier this year and other random inset days schools have). Plus we did see the return of 10pm Fright Nights with little closing before this time. They might continue the thing they did last summer and have a few rides open till 9pm to help avoid the car park crush. The fact the park is now open till at least 6pm every weekend is also a step in the right direction, and hopefully with the Shark Hotel they might start operating a few rides for longer (like the Lost City cluster or the coasters for an extra hour).

Of course they're going to give priority to the Reserve'n'Ride people. If you don't want to use it then you have to wait for those who are willing to give it a go instead of completely writing it off. They are trying to promote it and make it the done thing. It's a trial. Let them trial it, if it doesn't work they'll have a look at it again and try a different approach. If places never try new things we just end up in a monotonous cycle. Yes it's worrying that Disney spends over $1 billion and struggle to get it work to begin with, but technology that enhances peoples days are the way forward. It's only trials, for all we know they may not plan to completely roll it out across the whole park for a few years in which time they can improve the entertainment provided outside of rides and so on. Everywhere has a goal, sometimes they can wrapped up in trying to achieve it, but if it's going to fail they'll find out. They are doing this to try and benefit guests, not spite them. After all, they want happy guests that will come back and spend money and tell their friends to go. Not angry guests.

As part of the 2-4-1 deal TPM was given for the new VIP experiences, a group of us went down to go behind the scenes and ascend 127 feet. We began our day going into Stealth's bunker where the launch system sits. The size of it is ridiculous! There are a few photos of Inatamin accelerator hydraulic systems around the internet but they don't do it justice! It also makes the coolest noise ever when it launches unfortunately, no picture were allowed down here so here's one of everyone's favourite Stealth element. I also really like this photo Next we headed up to the console where we saw people press buttons and how the system registers where a train is at any one time. For anyone who loves codes, Code Bronze is where it doesn't launch (because the dog is out of the 3mm tolerance on the 3 tonne catch car), Code Silver is a rollback and Code Gold is a stall at the top of the ride. We were however allowed out onto the platform thingy of the station to take pictures Yes, we also got to wear fancy hi-vis jackets alongside our steel toe capped boats. Still amazes me that this thing is 3 tonnes! We then headed under the station to watch a launch and here the dog fall into the catchcar (that's what the lovely ping noise it makes while moving back and forth before launch is) and then down the metal path to the warehouse. In the workshop we were lucky to see one of the trains that is operational this season (don't ask me why it was in there and not operational, surprisingly that wasn't a question that came to mind). In here we saw them drop the dog and realised how little actually touches the catchcar to launch it. There was also a cannibalised train which they rebuild over the season so over winter they only have to strip down one train as the other is done during the season. We were then meant to head to Saw but we overran at Stealth (2 hours we were there for ) so were given The Swarm's workshop before our lift hill walk. Wee! With 10 of us around this hatch taking pictures, people soon began to wave and shout at us We waited around for it to close and then watched the magical transfer table move! Although it may look slow, you have to remember it's carrying a ridiculously heavy train and it is moving as fast as possible as this was requested by the park and B&M set it to the fastest safest speed. The track locks into place We all ran away And in it came! Like other B&Ms, the wheel bogeys are left completely open making it easy to inspect and change without having to move the train (like you have to on those wretched Intamin rides) so the train runs on a set of wheel in the middle and two rails where a slot between the seat runs along. And out we went To the control booth Sun setting To ascend this! Still going Higher And we made it And what a view it is! Quick panoramic of the park And it was time to come down Few things, the park went to B&M and asked how they'd go about making it backwards. They considered alternating rows, one whole train backwards and the other forwards and in the end when with what we have due to the queueing situation. B&M supplied four new chassis for it and they do still have the other four for when it went forwards so it may return but for now it will remain as it is as it's still proving popular. The engineers do try and keep the theming in working condition and even want to replace the sign as its peeling away but budgets say other things and it's not always possible for them to fix effects such as the water spray and fire as their job is to get the ride operational and often by the time they've done that it's open and they can't get to the effects. The gas tower was also mentioned and they are looking into bringing back the fire especially with ABL now open but again budget and time says otherwise. Was a great day and the view from Swarm's lift is amazing! Goodnight Swarm.

Well if you can use the main queues as normal like it sounds, go straight to Saw and Colossus, then head round to Inferno and Stealth. Assuming the normal queues are open you should be able to do them easily in the first hour. Then go on Reserve 'n' Ride, book your time for Swarm and do a few things whilst waiting for your time slot.

Because that was the only thing on the system and everyone reserved it from the word go. With all the coasters on it that won't happen. And I'm sure if they did decide to turn the system off you could still show that you were waiting virtually and they'd let you in the Fastrack queue or something.

If the system goes tits up they can quite easily turn it off and open the normal queues.

I think what everyone's waiting for is how long until Magic Kingdom reaches 20 million guests in a season! The bad publicity for SeaWorld hasn't done them any good with all their parks in the top 20 having less visitors than in 2012 whilst Disney and Universal grew nicely (especially Universal Studios Florida in trying to combat the Harry Potter effect at Islands). Both the French Disney parks lost visitors compared to 2012 whilst the Merlin ones all rose unlike in 2012 where they all decreased bar Legoland from what I remember. Great to finally see Chessington in the top 20 European parks which I don't think it's ever featured in! And Thorpe returning to the 2 million figure. But only 100, 000 extra guests at Towers, not brilliant considering Smiler opened (but maybe it's unreliability and late opening caused this and Swarm did lead to a decrease of guests at Thorpe when you look at investment alongside guest numbers). All in all quite interesting but Asia is the one to watch!

In 2010 one of the trains had an English flag on the front during the world cup. It was just a marketing thing really which they might do again this year.

We were told on Saturday by an engineer that the track for Swarm (what B&M did) came to £9 million. Which in comparison to Gatekeeper which is probably £15 million for the track as there's pretty much no theming makes sense.

The fact that the third train is having its parts tested and being slowly put back together shows its not a parts train, it's just the process they've chosen to do and unfortunately this time round it's not brilliantly timed but that's how it is. If it only has two trains this problem would still have happened and technically if Rita had 3 trains they could send the 3rd down to Thorpe, change the theming covers and no one will know. And if Rita had 3 trains I'm sure this process would be done at Towers. Maybe that's why the 3rd train on Vampire has been rebuilt so they can do this alternating process.

I'm sure they will divert there attention to getting a second train out (it might be quicker to finish the annual maintenance on the other train and get that one out we don't know). They might have to wait on a part, it could be a whole number of things. Only when you walk through that workshop and look at all the components that they have to test, inspect and check every morning do you realise that this could take a while. Yes it will have been done over winter but that doesn't stop a problem. Just because your car's passed its MOT doesn't mean that in a few months its engine won't blow or something. And whilst all the engineers will be working on fixing the train, they still have to do the checks on the whole ride in the morning and get the other train out on track.

Replace it with Submission.

They do the annual strip down on the third during the season. So if there's a problem with the second train they can't simply stick the third out as it's in pieces (we saw this Saturday, it can't just be put together in one day). Depends what the problem with this train is. If they're not waiting on a part they'll be working on it but even this can take time. It takes them 6 weeks just to strip down and do maintenance on one side of a Swarm train.

At the end of the day this will be a great system to replace Fastrack as it is limited and saves people having to walk back and forth to the two Fastrack booths. They seem determined to make it a queue less Park though with one of the screen shots on the tutorial section showing Detonator and Flying Fish on the list alongside the Fastrack option so this is obviously what they are ultimately heading towards. But if all the rides are on this system then there is nothing for guests to do apart from spend money (which not everyone will do). Yes they have Thorpe Live now but that's only twice every Saturday. Apart from that there's the 4D cinema (assuming that's not on the system) and the beach. Queue lines are designed to hold people and when all those people are on the main paths it will become awfully crowded. It might work but probably won't. The only thing I'd like to see this used for is Fastrack and maybe at Fright Nights for the mazes as those queues are horrendous.