Matt 236

Just seen a tweet from Chessington Buzz saying that all of the Capybara’s have died. Does anyone know what happened?
 
They were one of my favourite animals there so very sad to hear this news. 
 
 

A vehicle being stripped does not confirm a rides closure! In fact a stripped car is more promising than just leaving it as is until the end of the season.

I’m sorry. But if we are going on the tangent of rides like Tomb Blaster and Duel, being restored to their original states of operation, then I see no reason of Runaway Train being exempt. However any man and his dog could easily say this would never happen
 
Burrito Bob is a lie. However the same principal lies around every myth snd rumour, regarding the future of any ride. The mysterious disappearance of the ride on the website is an interesting one. However until we get an official announcement or see the ‘demolition’ vehicles, the closure can neither be confirmed or denied. 
 
I believe we are getting some sort of development plan regarding Chessington any time now, so we shall all have to see what’s happening and whether any of this might affect Scorpion Express. As we know it!

Definitely the right choice for the park, especially as they’ve needed a medium thrill family coaster for some time and this fills the gap nicely. 
 
Not to mention a decent replacement to the obsolete Raft Racers in pretty much every area. 
 
Let’s hope this gets approved. 

Think I’m going to have to go with Skylion.
 
I mean yes, ok it is basically “Lego Avatar Flight Of Passage”, which I haven’t ridden (yet) at time of writing, but I personally love it. 
 
The attraction is thrilling, immersive and really puts you into a whole different world. I’m so glad they went for this setting than the Lego Movie one. The facade looks great and reminds me a little of Vogel Rock at Efteling and the queue line ain’t too shabby either. 
 
Honourable mention goes to Gruffalo River Adventure, which is fun and a decent rethrme of Professor Drunk’s Bubbleworks. Monster Party is another one to shout at too. 
 
Some Merlin dark rides are definitely better then others. The likes of DBGT are generally poorly executed. I’m yet to ride the ones at Garda and Heide.

I'm sure it'll go well with the return of Terror Tomb next year.
 
Maybe they'll bring Toyland Tours back too.

We can only hope Spinball gets removed.
 
Maybe they can move it to Thorpe with a Top Spin?
 
Haven't entered the area since they got Octonauts so I don't particularly have much of an opinion towards it. I'll be reevaluating this in a few years mind, but I think it fits well and is definitely popular. Retheming the stuff there as well gives a bit more difference to it as well I suppose as shows come and go far more regularly. 
 
The Farm was probably slightly more universal but wasn't exactly anything special (unless you grew up with the park). Was less embarrassing for a group of adults to go round there but least the rides actually have visitors now.
 
Shrek would've been an ugly addition to the park. Merlin probably tried to do their usual cheap nonsense but when you have Universal as another option is it any surprise they'd want more?

If you have a frog in your throat, try a Strepsil, not a new thread.
 
🔐 

Mixed bag today, on my second visit of the 22 season.
 
Despite the very warm weather, ride reliably seemed reasonable, with just Colossus experiencing any proper down time. It reopened after a while. Samurai was on form and my ride on Saw was probably the smoothest of recent years. 
 
Carnival seems a fun event, although execution seems a bit hit and miss in places. Breakout at Bozos was surprisingly fun and better than expected. The  themed announcements are a nice touch, although the rear of the event feels largely overlooked.
 
Operations could’ve been better. Rush on one swing, Tidal Wave 2 with stacking and Inferno & Swarm we’re stacking a little too. Colossus had the worst operations by far, so many broken seats with dispatches where having one train wouldn’t have been much slower. 
 
Music and audio was shockingly bleak in many areas of the park such as Amity, Jungle and Lost City. This definitely weakened the atmosphere. Closed F&B units along with ‘thinned’ stock levels in shops was also noticed, a sign of the times maybe? My pizza pasta was one of the weakest I’ve had so far. 
 
What’s more, leaving the park is still absolute nightmare. It took my at least 15 minutes to leave when only 8-12 cars were infront of me. The ANPR setup needs to seriously improve because no one is able to leave without pressing the help button. 
 
May do a Fright Nights if there’s time, but we shall see. 

This was such a fun meet!
 
Besides the car park faff, a highly enjoyable day and great to see everyone again after so long. 

If parks like Tivoli Gardens can replace their old powered coasters with ‘flashy’ new versions which are superior, then Chessington definitely can too. 
 
However they choose not too, so Scorpion will go when it’s literally an operational write off. Which maybe it already is. 
 
Even in the DIC years, Flying Fish got a new train. 

Due to a medical issue, I won't able to go now. Hope everyone has fun, and see you at the next one!

I went to Paultons Park on Friday for the first time in a few years and it really makes you realise how strong they are as competition to Chessington.
 
We started over at Cobra and then gradually moved our way around to the right hand side of the park. Doing this you could see so easily how the park has evolved over time to get more and more detailed with their theming going from Cobra and Edge which are essentially completely plain, to Lost Kingdom and finally Tornado Springs.
 
It’s not just themeing though that’s impressive for a relatively small park, it’s the fact that everything is immaculate that stood out the most. You could tell they work hard on repainting, cleaning, gardening, etc. It’s probably this that makes the biggest difference between here and some of the Merlin parks, like Chessington, where many elements just look tired now.
 
I’m looking forward to see what Paultons have to bring in the future as they’ve got so much potential. I think Chessington have started to see them as a threat and have been gradually improving over the past couple of years but I still feel that if I was recommending a park to a family with younger children then Paultons would be the top suggestion.

But Rocky express is also over 30 years old and you insist on that being relocated! 🤔

So let's talk Carnival, the park's other new event for 2022.
 
The event is split into two areas. There is 'the' "Carnival" area, which is in the Lost City area (where various FN mazes have been) and there is the "Junkyard" area, which stretches alongside Ghost Train up to Trailers. 
 
The Carnival area is the main one, and features a stage, photo op point, some F&B places and a couple of extra sideshows (magician's tent and fortune teller). Things kick off from 12 and there's pretty much always something going on, or getting ready to happen, from then till park close (which is 7pm for the event!).
 
There's a Ringleader show, showing all the acts, a mime troupe show, a set of singers, and also some circus/carnival acts (fire breathers, trapeze artists / balance performers and the like). The Junkyard area features some "carnival rejects", who are basically just a bit more shoddily dressed, treated like outcasts, and a bit more 'crazy'.
 
All in, there's a real good variety of acts, and it's all just light hearted fun. And it does so without being cheesey or corny, which I felt the Mardi Grad stuff did too much of. I'm sure things will get polished up during the event too. The circus acts are external acts too, so are specialists in what they do.
 
One thing I wasn't keen on was the singing aspects of the performances. It would be harsh, and wrong, to say the singing was bad, but it certainly wasn't something I would call 'good'. Obviously this is a difficult thing to do, since as people we can hear amazing singing in a couple of clicks on our phone, but it does mean there's a high bar to meet. I think the performances would be better without singing, but then again, maybe the wider audience disagree. 
In any case, I think if the park want singing incorporated into these acts, they should broaden their horizons and look to people with as much experience as possible.
 
 
Now, onto the thing which I guess people are most interested in: Trailers - Breakout at Bozo's.
This...is a thing. And it doesn't know what sort of thing it wants to be. Is it trying to be a fun and funny attraction set inside a spooky setting? Is it trying to be a scare maze which doesn't take itself seriously? Is it trying to be a scare maze which has been toned down? I don't know. And I don't think Thorpe really know what they want it to be.
 
From what I understand, the plan was for it to be something which wasn't that scary, didn't take itself seriously and something you could have a laugh with. But then when it wasn't received all that well, and senior management realised it wasn't scary, they've tried to tweak that. Which adds to the confused nature of it.
 
There are some fun moments in there, don't get me wrong. But none of it feels very right. And it's all just a bit of a mess, and doesn't quite flow. I also feel for the actors: it's running on minimal numbers, and only one per main scene. When most scenes were designed for at least 2 actors, and almost always had those numbers last year, it means they have a lot to do, and in weirder circumstances. Can't be easy.
 
I don't see it being very popular now the initial enthusiast rush has died down. But with the minimal operating hours and minimal staffing, and being upcharge, I expect it will make money, and so ultimately be a plus for the park there. But still, this stinks of a decision made my people in an office with little understanding of how it would work and the consequences, leaving the Entertainments Team to just deal with it.
 
 
Anyway, I don't want to leave things on a bad note. Carnival is a really cool, fresh-feeling event. It's fun, vibrant and adds an upbeat feeling to the park. At the same time, it doesn't impede on those who aren't fussed: it's a nice, harmless addition. I hope it works out well for them, and that it's something that can continue and be improve upon in the future.
 
On a side note, with these events happening, and being a mainstay, and with shows being a thing at the park again, it's a shame there isn't an arena-like space for them to be housed, and for more work to go into them. Funny world ey.

Looks like even Parm Pap has lost their mind with all this waiting now. That's their most incomprehensible post yet.
 
 
They should go all 2018 and 'Year of the Walking Dead' with it.
Stormzy: The Roller Coaster
Stormzy Surge
Stormzy in a Teacup
Stormzy's Ghost Train
The Stormzy
Stormzy Inferno
The Stormzy Express

Hey all,
 
A while since we last had a meet up in 2019!
 
As noted in the topic title the date has been set for Saturday 13th August 2022.
 
Meet from 9:30am - 10am in the dome outside Vibes. I recommend arriving nice and early if you can as security can sometimes take a while to get through and we will not be able to wait too long. I will be checking my Direct Messages (DM) every 15 mins for the first hour for late arrivals to get in touch and arrange meet up, but be aware we may be in a queue or on a ride.
 
Nearer the time I will recommend a time to book "Carnival in Trailers: Breakout at Bozo’s" so that we can try to get a time slot for the whole group.
 
Other than that a very simple, chilled out day riding the rides and catching up with everyone. Should be fun!
 
The TPM meets are always great fun and the idea is to go round as a group getting to know each other, have fun and spend time with people who share the same interests. If you have never been to a meet before don't feel put off, we were all there once. Once you get there you'll feel a part of the group straight away. If you have any queries drop me a message or comment below.
 
Please confirm attendance below or DM me.
 
 

At this point, they should just go and build Spooky Island from Scooby Doo. Then it would be an island like no other. 

What you on about?? This is true Disney killer quality!!
 
I have actually now decided after careful consideration to cancel my october outing to Walt Disney World. I dont see ANY point paying a small fortune and then flying 9 hours across the atlantic to go ride Rise Of The Resistance or Flight Of Passage when we have the super detailed pinnacle of theme park theming in the form of Trawler Trouble at our very own chessington!

Did....did I just read Drayton Manor AND Europa Park in the same sentence??!!
 
I must be high or something!!

It really has been a mixed bag of news at Drayton recently. 
 
The new additions in the Adventure and Viking areas. Adding and renovating current attractions and the rumours of new ones. Including a potential coaster. 
 
The apocalypse removal is honestly a massive blow for both the park and the UK. But perhaps also not a surprising one given the ride’s reliability issues and potential direction of the park. 

Probably Helix. Ten times or something. 
 
 

Mardi Gras started today, and of course TPM were there!
 
We have a write up here: https://thorpeparkmania.co.uk/news/19-05-2022/Mardi+Gras+Arrives+at+Thorpe+Park
 
I also want to share my own thoughts, and not just a fansite write up review...
 
In short, this is a fun event, and it's clear that a lot has gone into this. It's clear that there's been a solid vision from management that they wanted to deliver. It's clear that the actors involved in the entertainment have put in a lot of effort. It's clear that the park wanted to offer a solid F&B range. It's clear everyone involved has put time and effort into it. It's clear that money has been spent on it too. All of this sounds like a given for a theme park event, yes. But ask yourself, how many times has it felt in the past that these things haven't been clear for a Thorpe event or thing? Now you realise why it's so good to stress these things.
 
I'll start off with my main positive: the food. I'm a bit of a foodie. The one thing which disappointed me the most with the Oktoberfest events at Thorpe is the food and drink options being, frankly, poor. You could get the cheapest bratwursts going, in a dry bun for an extortionate price. You could get some lebkuchen, again for a heck of a lot, and a choice of one or two authentic German beers. But it all felt very meh with effort. 
Mardi Gras feels different. They've got a lot of choices there which feel a bit more authentic, and they're at a reasonable theme park cost (ie not cheap for what it is necessarily, but in line with the rest of the park pretty much).
 
Next, the entertainment. I'll start off with the negative: the actors seem to have instructions when interacting with people to be a bit over the top, cringey and cater to younger audiences, or people who are more outgoing. That's fine if that's what they're going for, but not for me. It made me cringe and crease, and is something I would run a mile from usually. But then again, people enjoyed it; not everything has to cater to me.
 
Now the good stuff. The parade they have is fun; a little basic, but it draws attention to the event. I worry how it will cope on busy days since it goes through some of the busiest pathways on park, but what can you do. The main show, the Crowning of the Krewes, is great fun - the right side of cheesey, whilst also not being cringey. It's exactly the sort of thing the park has missed for so long (and much better than what the park were doing with the Thrillmakers imo).
 
There's also some external entertainment (ie not Thorpe actors), in the guise of drum and jazz bands. They're nice and break things up too.
 
I really hope it's a success for the park, because it ticks a lot of the boxes. There's still things they can improve and grow on, and I do wonder how it will cope on busier (or wetter) days. But as things stands, it does feel like Thorpe are onto a winner!

I honestly don’t think there’s a definite answer here. As others have mentioned it all depends on preference. 
 
If your someone who loves awesome thrilling roller coasters and white knuckle attractions, Cedar point will win. 
 
If you adore themed areas, random attractions/dark rides, Europa will win. 
 
I honestly adore both places, but I guess Europa has it for me, but only just. 

I went on Tuesday and had a fantastic day. I'm so biased towards Chessington though. I completely wear the rose tinted glasses. There's clearly issues across the park but sometimes, just sitting back and enjoying the day means more.
 
+ Four laps on Scorpion. Why did I love it so much?! I have no idea
+ Mexicana looks great with all the new little props in the area
+ I love Grufflalo so much. It stands tall with Wallace and Gromit and Hex as one of the best dark rides in the country
+ Dragons Fury now sits in the under-rated category. What a fantastic rollercoaster
+ Great to see the investment in the park. New rides, more announcements on rides, new music.
+ Croc Drop is fine but doesn't spin anymore. 
+ Bought loads of merchandise because it was the original 1987 logo. Shameless
+ Free food for the Lorikeets now. 
- Blue Barnacle was almost as good Black Buccaneer. Surprised how high it went actually.
 
 
- Very few boats on Tiger Rock. Park needs to invest in new boats now, it's going to be awful in Summer
- Tomb Blaster was rough. I don't like the new story or the guns it uses.
- Queue boards inaccuracy. Said 40 for Fury, was on the stairs, Said 40 at Vampire, was 5 minutes. 
- Lots of the Zoo area closed for refurbishment. Pirates Cove was very loud from construction.
- Maybe its my Disney exposure, but how thin are the queues. Vampire can only be walked single file for examples. it's so tiny!