Matt 236

Rumba has been needing a refurb really since the Ribena contract ended during 2007. I remember riding Rumba in 2006/2007 and compared to now, the ride then was actually quite good, with the extra water effect, the (lit) indoor tunnel theming and the squirting lizard at the entrance. Sadly it could be a while (if ever) before we see the ride receive some much needed care. Canada Creek and Lost City could also do with some TLC as well.

This advert is effective as the ones you get for Mcdonalds burgers. Your shown a large beautiful burger that's nicely presented on the commercial, whilst in reality what you receive is actually a flat, small, squashed and thrown together burger. Whilst Thorpe's adverts isn't perfect either, at least it shows the park more accurately compared to how Chessington's one has been done.

So far this season, Saw seems to be running rather rough. Despite leaning forwards during the ride, I've still managed to come off with a bit of a headache. Also, the TVs on the lift haven't been working during both my visits.

Really enjoyed the day, great to see so many people attend the meet, old and new. Had a brilliant day out seeing everyone and getting on most the rides (even it did get busy later in the afternoon). Apart from Inferno's downtime, was a great day out and can't wait for the Chessington one.

Though I'm not holding my hopes up currently, this does sound rather promising and hopefully we will see the return of three train op soon which for a ride this popular is needed.I think this year could be Chessington's year, just like last years was Thorpe, filled with park improvements and the like.

The Stealth shop looks a lot better than it did when I saw it last week. Looks like a proper ride shop now instead of a large box.

I also went to the Mexican Cantina on Saturday. As pretty much already mentioned, the food was pretty good (I had BBQ chicken) and fairly reasonable for price, but it certainly needs a bigger selection of food as pretty much as Pluk said, it was just Burritos and nachos available, which just four toppings (I think), BBQ Chicken, Mild a chicken, beef and veggie. The extension though has done very nicely and fits within the area very well.

Bit of an update on the list, as seeing/hearing of many great parks in pictures, videos,TRs and person, my preferences have changed slightly. Europe/ 10/ Mirabilanda 9/ Efteling 8/ Gardaland 7/ Parc Asterix 6/ Heide Park 5/ Liseberg 4/ Phantasia Land 3/ Disney Land Paris 2/ Port Aventura 1/ Europa Park Us and the rest 10/ Disney land Tokyo 9/ Kings Island 8/ Dollywood 7/ Disneyland 6/ Six Flags Magic Mountain 5/ Sea World Orlando 4/ Cedar Point 3/ Busch Gardens Tampa 2/ Walt Disney World 1/ Islands Of Adventure Quite a long list, if I do two of these before 2016, I will consider myself exceedingly lucky.

Looks a great coaster, lap restraints, beautiful track style, faster lift and awesome trains, this looks coasters definately looks like a brilliant update on the Thorpe Colossus model.

I've got a lot of deadlines at uni this week, One of them is a learning diary I've had to do is due on Monday, which I had sorted out perfectly, until I found that something else had to be submitted too, my lecturer until recently has not gone in to full details about and involves marking of attending different music sessions being signed by my music tutor, who I won't be seeing for a while. What makes matters worse is, without this element, the other element of work will not be marked. On top of the other deadlines this week I have coming, feeling rather stressed and despite sending an email of my concerns, I've had as much empathy from the lecturer as a brick wall.

Today wasn't a bad start for the season, Colossus was running very nicely, Mexican Cantina's extension looks rather nice and Inferno shop has had a facelift with some great fire details, posters in relation to the area theme and a former fungle Safari car, which can now be used as a photo spot, which is nice touch. There were a few problems though today. Vortex and Rush ran on poor short settings today (especially Vortex (which I'm starting to not like as much as I used to) Zodiac, Slammer and Samurai were closed Train 2 on Colossus was missing without trace Stealth on just 1 train The area between Tidal Wave and Stealth looks a bit of a mess Loggers Leap still has a patched tunnel area (no surprises there) Stealth store looks generic Amity chip shop looks a bit odd (but still better than that Burger Kitchen in Legoland) Staff seemed a bit slow on most rides, but as it's their first day, I'll let them off it for now. Generally mixed bag.

Went on X today a couple of times, a very enjoyable ride and slightly better than last year. Changes to the ride include, New ride music (expected) which works very well with the ride setting and is very catchy. New lights in the ride with lasers, which changed colour and positions on the lift hill. Baggage area is now located at the entrance (which was very unexpected when I found it). Overall some good improvements on the ride this year.

I think it's something to do with height restrictions I think. From what I've heard, they can't build above a certain height, a limit which Stealth exceeded but was given the green light due to using a white colour which blends in to the sky setting. I would expect they may need a bigger footprint also, were it to be higher than the big one too.

This is quite surprising, considering a new play ground isn't a major addition and doesn't provide much noise or visual pollution, but assuming it was going to be denied perhaps shows Legoland's planning permission process is just as dire (maybe more so) than Chessingtons). The Old Crossed Ribs was brilliant. The food quality was very good there (similar to Calypso BBQ) and you even order Lego fries too. Though perhaps not the best one to eat at during a storm, I liked the feeling of it being kinda outdoors as it gave it a slight pirates feel, plus you could see the falls work nearby (which won't be seen now with that metal wall).It was also one of the few original restaurants from the early years (Knights table, Papa Moles) but still worked well at the park, and now it's becoming a a Burger Kitchen. The Burger Ranch near Squid Surfer is also getting the same treatment. So much for character and originality .

In other news today, Chessington have now released their 2014 map, which can be seen below. http://www.chessington.com/explore/park-map.aspx The map design looks very much the same as previous years with a few changes including the new hotel, redesigned Scorpion Express (unsurprisingly without rocks) and the empty spot for Creaky Cafe. The site has had a redesign too, which looks ok, but I certainly prefer the old one.

In Other news Legoland has opened for the 2014 season being the first Merlin park to (fully) reopen, where some changes have been made. First up, is a shot from the newly refreshed Pirate Falls, which is looking nicely freshened up. https://www.facebook.com/themeparkguide/photos/a.163133660408608.46811.163052343750073/622008857854417/?type=1&theater Whilst I'm rather impressed by the updated Pirate Falls, I certainly can't say the same about the Burger Kitchen. That metal warehouse looks rather hideous at the moment. https://www.facebook.com/themeparkguide/photos/a.163133660408608.46811.163052343750073/622013294520640/?type=1&theater And in a surprise and unexpected move, the park will be adding a Paris area in a Miniland. https://www.facebook.com/themeparkguide/photos/a.163133660408608.46811.163052343750073/622037144518255/?type=1&theater Certainly looks a very mixed selection of changes for Legoland this year and no news yet on the new play area. Photos above copyright of Theme Park guide. Edit- teething troubles with importing photos.

What I like about the new map/ No longer includes those (annoying) heads, I never liked them. Greater emphasis on the park's coasters (as they certainly dominate the new design) More family friendly design which reflects their widened target audience well The appearance of it looking more like an island full of exciting rides, rather than just a landscaped area The colours are more vibrant Has a few similarities with the maps in the 90's and 2005-2007 Tussaud years What I don't like about the new map/ Ride size and proportions are out of scale and inaccurate Some rides such as quantum are missing Difficult to navigate for new guests (which I guess there may be quite a few of this year (even if most of the rides can be seen from a fair distance in the park)) Coasters contain no trains Summary Certainly slightly better than the previous map design we've seen, but size and scale proportions let it down, by making everything out of scale. The 90's maps are definately my favourite ones in terms of design closely followed by the 2008 and 2009 ones too.

Air (3) Hex (1) Nemesis (3) Oblivion (2) Th13teen (1) Nemesis+ Thi3teen -1

That probably makes sense. My post has now been corrected.

Air (1) Duel (2) Hex (2) Nemesis (2) Nemesis Sub Terra (2) Oblivion (2) Rita (0) Runaway Mine Train (2) Th13teen (2) Sonic Spinball (2) + Hex - Rita Reset Air (1) Duel (2) Hex (4) Nemesis (3) Nemesis Sub Terra (2) Oblivion (2) Runaway Mine Train (2) Th13teen (3) Sonic Spinball (2)

Air (2) Duel (2) Enterprise (2) Hex (2) Nemesis (2) Nemesis Sub Terra (2) Oblivion (2) Rita (2) Runaway Mine Train (2) The Flume (2) The Smiler (2) Th13teen (2) Sonic Spinball (2) + The Smiler - Enterprise

Hex is definately my favourite themepark soundtrack, because of the dramatic and immersive feel of the music, how it starts off with a build up in strings and voices whispering and then the main theme entering, which gradually increases in dynamics and intensity and builds up to a climax point and once it reaches full volume, it suddenly dies down with a sudden but dramatic ending. I remember hearing this piece for the first time I went on a Hex, was mad about it for weeks and kept playing it all the time after visiting. It sounds a lot like something from film/television, which is one of the reasons that makes it such a brilliant soundtrack. Honourable mentions, 1/ Colossus theme, the recurring main theme, complex use of different rhythms and influence of urban and eastern music mixed together make for a very interesting soundtrack that also relates to the surrounding theme of a lost city. 2/ Nemesis theme, the sinister melody along with its spiky string and distorted guitar accompaniments definitely work to help to create the tense mood for the ride. 3/ Mystery Of a Hocus Pocus Hall I have to confess, I haven't actually been to the park when this was used, but from the soundtrack available online, it sounds fantastic. Definitely a magical , immersive and atmospheric piece of music that reflects the mysterious story line of the attraction's Halloween form very well and definitely sounds very Danny Elfman like in style, almost as if it came from a Tim a Burton film.

Looks like this park area is taking shape nicely. The theming and attention to detail looks brilliant and could be the best themed attraction in the studios park. Can't wait til this opens.

I think these award bars are an excellent idea. I look forward to seeing how it develops.

Inferno was the first thrill and inversion coaster I ever rode in my life, which I first did in June 2006 with six rides in a row. It may not be the best coaster out there, but for memories and prominence of it's what started boosting my interest in themeparks further, is one I will always have a soft spot for. It was also running beautifully last year I must admit and will hopefully continue to do so this year and many to come.