Mitchada04

A much better video of Time Machine in action. Have to take my hat of to the Adventure Island engineers for designing and building this. They should definately put it on sale because I think they'd be very popular (you'd just have to ask a long time in advance for one )

I'm glad that each weekend is at least 10-6. Sepetember weekends were unusually busy this year so it's nice to see they take note and the whole of summer holidays is 10-7 which again is great as the last week this year was heaving and only 10-6. Like the new green for 10-5 days too. No 9:30 openings though (possible hint of ert?)

They usualy post the map on the website or show it in local papers. Have always loved Winter Wonderland. It's like a theme park to keep you happy during the closed season with construction, opening, closing and deconstruction. Always makes the closed season seem so much shorter and the rides aren't your usual timid funfair rides we usually see in this country.

I believe we will be seing Pinfari's London City Coaster, formerly Grizzly Bear at Lightw@ter Valley. As for Wilde Maus XXL it is apparently parked outside Thorpe Parks. (thanks to Merlin Mania for the pic) Lots of people are saying it isn't Maus XXL because of the green supports instead of yellow that it had when it debuted in geramny but green suits the Christmas theme of the even. Plus, if you compare it to the picture of Wilde Maus XXL packed up on lorries in germany, the trailers look very similar. As for the pricing, you pay £1 for a token. The large rides tend to be 4-6 tokens (depending if your an adult or child (12 or under)). The rides are pretty decent and well worth a visit but it does get very busy due to the cramped layout of it but apparently that is also being adjusted for this year.

I went to Thorpe last night for my 15th and final time for 2012 and for a Friday in half term during Fright Nights it wasn't too busy. Most queues never topped 30 minutes in the afternoon/evening over than Saw which was 60 and Colossus which was only busy due to the other car taking a holiday in Switzerland. Didn't get in any of the mazes but they were around 45-60 minutes. Every ride was open without a single breakdown that I witnessed, however, the effects on rides were awful. No water on Saw's inline, no lights in Inferno's tunnel which was actually quite cool and as for Swarm. The conditions were perfect for the fire but it didn't go off the whole time I was there, no water spray and no mist. One car has the back row of LEDs out and on the other car the 6th row was out. Really don't like the flood lighting in the area and hope this is changed for next year, even if gels aren't added at least turn down the brightness as the area is almost the same in the dark as it is in darkness. It was great to ride Slammer and Samurai in the same day and both in the dark. X:\NWO's cars are falling apart and am not surprised (if the rumour is true) that we will have new cars next year but it will be wierd seeing cars enter and leave the station the right way. Won't be able to have any more confusing conversations eith my friend as to where the front and back is. Overall a great night and a great way to leave the park for the 2012 season. Highlights: Banter on Storm Surge All the rides working well Short queues for Fright Nights Roaming actors following me Lowlights:LeavingRide Count: The Swarm: 2 Samurai: 2 Rush: 2 Saw: 1 Nemesis Inferno: 1 Stealth: 1 Slammer: 1 Quantum: 1 Vortex: 1 Loggers Leap: 1 X:\NWO: 1 Storm Surge: 1 Rocky Express: 1 Rumba Rapids: 1 Total Thorpe coaster count 2012 The Swarm: 50 Colossus: 23 Nemesis Inferno: 19 Saw: 17 Stealth: 15 Thanks for a great year Thorpe, may have been a bit off in the middle of the season but other than that it was great See you next season!

All I have to say is at least are shipping containers look better than that. Now let the speculation that the SW is in there begin...

It sounds brilliant and just what Chessington need, a solid, high throughput (1000pph I believe was stated in the planning permission) ride and a great way to link the zoo and theme park together. We also have a new restaurant opening next March as shown on the Zoo Days map, the Burger Kitchen replacing Burger King. http://www.chessingt...ys-map-2012.pdf So I guess the rumour about Burger King leaving Merlin is true. Lets hope the quality of food at the Burger Kitchen is as high as the other Merlin outlets.

It has finally opened. After almost two years the Time Machine is now operating and a POV has been posted. It looks insane!

So yesterday was my annual trip to Chessington's Halloween Hocus Pocus. This event has always had a spot in my heart as the theming is better than Thorpe's, the lighting is by far the best in the country and it is all fun and surprising, not scary. We arrived just after 1 and headed straight to the new maze, Vampire: The Haunting in the Hollows. It was great fun with a few surprises and makes a nice change from the previous Black Forest Haunt walkthrough. A full review of it can be found later in the report and will contain spoilers. After this, we went over to Wild Asia and rode the dodgems. Some kid wet themselves in one of the cars so this was removed just before we boarded. It amazes me that the parent of this child didn't tell a staff member as someone almost sat in the wet seat. Do love the dodgems, especially when its been raining and you can skid on certain areas where the rain has come in. As Kobra had a huge queue and Monkey swinger was down we moved over to Dragon Falls which was as it always is, fun but not that wet. You get a great view of Zufari's construction and the scale of it. We then followed the path around to Tomb Blaster as you know can't get to Dragons Fury from the area with the wheel and trampolines. The new fencing is horrid but no where near as bad as Rameses Revenge's new staircase. We then thought it would be good to join Vampires advertised 75min queue which could have easily been 60 but turned out to be 90. This was due to one thing and for once its not fast track. Every 5/6th train was being loaded entirely full of exit pass people as there were so many of them they were causing a health and safety issue. The staff were also loading the trains so slowly that they were stacking for easily 30 seconds and this was on 2 trains. Wouldn't like to think how bad it would have been on 3. By the time we were of it was 6:30. Usually at this time I just go where I want as I know I have the time to but with only 30 minutes till closing a logical decission had to be made. This led to us doing Dragons Fury as I had never done it in the dark. The queue was 45 minutes and it is great in the dark as there are few lights around the ride. So now the park was closed but there were still 40/50 minute queues for Dragon Fury and Vampire and loads of people milling around. 7 is way to early to close for a halloween event and I hope the 8pm closures return for next year. Vampire: The Haunting in the Hollows review: For next years event I would like to see Hocus Pocus Hall bewitched changed around as from what I have heard it is now becomming very repetitive. They have also been using the same halloween music for the past few years so it would be nice to see that change. And of course open till at least 7:30 because it is very difficult to fit in a few rides in the dark otherwise. Overall a great afternoon to early evening out. Instantly more theming than Thorpe Park Vampire, you are not cool enough to have red lights like Swarm Believe it or not, their is a car in this picture Thanks for reading

It has to be all about Valhalla for me. The building looks impressive with the waterfall going down it. If you scratch the water element you have an amazing dark ride with loads of effects and fire. You also get soaked on it (maybe more than you do on Tidal Wave). It has everything a water/dark ride wants and in my eyes is on par with Dudley Do Rights.

I'd be surprised if they opened that late because that means their first weekend off the 2013 season will also coincide with the beginning of easter holidays and we all know how that will pan out. Anyway, Chessington opens on Wednesday the 20th and we can't have them having a longer season than Thorpe.

This Saturday is now a strictly advance book only day.

Ocean Kingdom (a new theme park for China next year) has begun construction of their wingrider. The layout seems to focus on the sheer size of these wingriders with a 164 foot drop like Raptors, a huge dive loop, zero G roll and a tunnel. Nice to see another unique layout which all wingriders seem to have except maybe Swarm and X Flight.

So if it's now 2013 why's SW7 not open? It was great to see it open yesterday and great to ride it, didn't seem to be struggling to stop which was good. It was amazing to stand in Samurais queue and watch Slammer going aswell. Well done Thorpe!

It was great to ride this on Saturday in the dark. Forgot how much it pulls your face off. Great ride and really different in the dark.

The fact the park has now officially made a countdown to the opening it must be on shedule to open on opening day otherwise we will see many complaints on the 16th March. But if we have a cold, snowy winter it could quite easily be delayed.

Think you put the same image up twice CD. Something I didn't notice before though, £24 for the Surrey Messenger, that is a paper I won't be buying.

So Chessington is having another AP weekend next year on the 16th and 17th March 10-4. http://www.chessington.com/plan-your-trip/opening-times.aspx

This looks amazing and is really what we need to show Merlin they need to up their game. Really hope it goes ahead and doesn't get scaled down. I also spy a decent looking wooden coaster on the resort layout (hopefully by 2018 Thorpe will have a woodie though)

The sign at the entrance of Samurai has changed. Credit to Xplorer Central

The 2010 one was great with queues no more than 10min (most walk on). However, 2011 was insane, the park wasn't prepared for the huge crowds with hardly any food outlets open. Storm Surge was running 4/5 boats so that was heaving but all other rides were running full capacity but queues were still around an hour. I'm hoping they'll do one next year but use the pre book system like Chessington do so they can limit numbers and be prepared.

Any news on Slammer as I had heard it was expected to open before Fright Nights. I know there's still time but it's looking unlikely.

The park being a penitentiary really is being advertised. If you look on each of the 5 main coasters (I'll let you guess which ones they are ) pages it mentions how you can experience it in the dark at Thorpe Park penitentiary in some form or another. Really hope this means the park will put some effort into park wide theming and add on the trial of roaming actors from last year. 1 week to go!

The problem with the inversion record is they'd need at least 13 to make it possibly the most for a while as I believe someone has purchased one of the Intamin 12 loopers but I may be wrong. Everyone knew Colossus's record would be beaten but being able to say the worlds first 10 looper is quite something where as 11,12 or 13 doesn't have the same ring to it. Its like making the steepest drop, it will eventually be beaten. I think it will be some form of trick track like the track flipping upside down or even being linked up to a motion simulator system. I suppose we'll know it all by 16th March.