Everything posted by Matt 236
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Vampire
Having ridden Vampire yesterday, I certainly didn’t find it too rough or comfortable, although I think rows, weight and time of day may be contributing factors. I just wish they were able to return/restore the chandelier lights. They used to help so much with the atmosphere of the station. However now it just looks like a terribly lit school disco and will probably continue to do so for the forseable future. Restoration of the original soundtrack would be nice too whilst they are at it.
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2018 General Discussion
Finally got round to visiting a Love Island late and apart from the very unfortunate power cut it was generally an enjoyable night. Managed several night rides on Swarm, Stealth and Saw There were a few breakdowns However they usually can’t be helped Operations were particularly good on Stealth and Swarm Tidal Wave was on three boats which was great to see The Love Island activaties seemed more popular than expected The Park was neither busy or quiet, but had a good balance between the two I personally think Thorpe has a better atmosphere during the evening/night but that might be me. I hope they continue more of these events in the future as evening/nights openings are definitely a good thing in U.K. parks, even if the majority of joe public arrive and leave between 10-6pm. Also got round to trying Sticky Sisters, nothing amazing really and quite expensive for what you get. The chips on the other hand are delicious!
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Merlin Name Mania!
Hotel World- the world’s first area dedicated to hotels,
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Rameses Revenge
Whatever replaces it is better than nothing.
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Park Operations
I’m going to be controversial here and say that as much I love the themes music, there. Are definitely times in the season where the use of chart/general Music on the rides wouldn’t go a miss. For example the Ministry Of Sound and Love Island lates where it would give a different vibe to the park/areas and perhaps be advantage to both guests and staff.
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Blackpool Pleasure Beach
As much as I’d be tempted to buy one, I can’t really warrant over £1500 (as of 23:20 30/07/2018). It may have been one of the last Wooden Mouse coasters, but would much rather spend that on other trips. I struggle to warrant £50 for a Mouse Wheel, let alone that for a ride car. I’m sure someone will buy though.
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Chessington General Discussion
I think you should put your feet in a job, in when something goes wrong and isn’t your fault, people are short tempered, confrontational and intolerant regardless of how helpful, empathetic and apologetic you could ever be. There are are people who work in these parks that receive a considerate amount of abuse and threats, just because they are trying to do their jobs.
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Fright Night Ticket Enquiry
Standard and Thorpe Pass Holders will need to pay a fee for each visit per pass. Premiums don’t need to pay, but do offer a £1 prebooking fee to guarantee your slot. It is usually £10 each per pass for each time you visit Fright Nights, however prices do vary depending on busyness. I would advise booking up at the soonest opportunity to avoid disappointment.
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Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Went to Blackpool with the TPM lot and here’s the key things I got from my visit: Admissions staff friendly and efficient Most ride operations either good or excellent Ride staff seemed noticeably more friendly and efficient than last time (except Nash) Several vehicles on everything except Grand National, Streak and Flyer (the latters excusable) Grand National staff were awful, they only ran a train each side and then suddenly made everyone leave the queue without an explainable reason Big Dipper felt noticeably rougher however Infusion wasn’t as bad Big One felt very painful and somewhat less enjoyable this time, to the point I was happy to get off the ride Valhalla was still mightily impressive despite some effects being broken, Alice and Caves were in an adequate state for classic dark rides, but not sure I’m keen on the green LEDS for the Cheshire Cat The revamped Coasters looks a lot more classy, modern and bigger than the original. My Quesadillas were delicious although the Mac N Cheese others got was less acceptable. Do miss the Disney music though. Seeing the empty space of Mouse was saddening but the area didn’t look as lifeless as expected Oh and they’ve also opened some new ride. They call it Icon. Despite the mixed reviews coming across I actually strongly enjoyed this coaster a lot more than I expected and am proud to call it my second favourite U.K. coaster. It doesn’t beat Helix but is higher than Blue Fire (as far as layout is concerned). Regardless though, I’m very happy the UK now has a ride like this and I hope it only brings greater things to the Macks and Thompson’s.
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Top 10's
My Turn: Uk Only Top 10 1/ Nemesis 2/ Icon 3/ Wickerman 4/ Nemesis Inferno 5/ Stealth 6/ Thirteen 7/ Swarm 8/ Steeplechase 9/ Megafobia 10/ Grand National
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Kennywood
Curtains down on the name, it’s not like they’ve tried to copy someone’s homework and not making it too obvious. This project is round the bend.
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Liseberg
Better sort another trip to Liseberg. What a beautiful looking coaster. Judging from the looks it should be ready for opening very soon now.
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Alton Towers General Discussion
Sounds like an average day from the looks. Building an upcharge Dungeons attraction is clearly going to help more than actually spending the money on maintenance and hardware then.
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2018 General Discussion
Port Aventura is just one of those parks where getting express pass is essential to have the best time. I certainly don’t fancy waiting several hours only for Spanish guests to push past me every so often. Thorpe Park’s certainly have their pros and cons but generally aren’t as bad as P.A’s. £400 annual fastrack certainly sounds obscene at first glance, but there are clearly people willing to pay that price.
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Tidal Wave
This is a normal shutdown procedure, so nothing to worry about. A staff member will walk to the top of the lift to explain to guests what’s happened and to reassure them. They won’t evacuate the ride unless they absolutely have to. They have safety procedures in place to avoid injury. If the ride is back on 3 boats now, this is excellent news.
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Europa Park
In all fairness, not many attractions open beyond July/August time (unless there’s major setbacks). This however seems to be in that minority. I cannot remember the last time a major park to open an attraction in September or later. Legoland’s Rapids is the best example that comes to mind, but that was still late August 2007. At the end of the day I’m visiting Europa largely on the basis of it being an amazing resort and destination that puts care, effort and dedication into everything they do. Heck, they’ve even opened a new eatery mid season ontop of the ones relocated after the fire. Getting the CanCan coaster would have been nice but looks like it wasn’t meant to be, unless it soft opens (which is unlikely). I feel more sorry for Tomb who never did the original Eurosat.
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Scarefest
Quite a surprise announcement considering TOTT has been part of the lineup for a number of years now, however it was probably due to be replaced in the future. Honestly expected to see the maze revamped, but will be interesting to see what they do with it’s successor.
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Europa Park
After weeks/months of speculation, we finally have a provisional/approximate opening date for the Eurosat CanCan coaster and Madame Freudenreich Curiosities. Wednesday The 12th September. Source-Europastreet. Feels somewhat strange (if a little disappointing) for the resort to open their new attractions two thirds into the season. Apparently it’s been a long, major and difficult process, largely due to site access and removing/replacing ride track. As far as we know, the fire has not affected the schedule of this project. To think this will probably open the day after I finish my next trip is nothing short of a punch in the face!
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Phantasialand
Looks great as a main entrance for the new area. There is no opening date yet.
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Liseberg
Well it certainly looks like they have strict gold with this one. I really like the pacing of the layout too.
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Vampire
At least an Emoji is better than nothing though
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Park Operations
I’ve certaibly heard much worse horror stories with fastrack allocation, where a whole train had been allocated just to fastrack. 7 minutes dispatches aren’t great though, even with the poorly planned stacking layout and terrible trains. The sooner this ride gets Taron style trains the better.
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Chessington General Discussion
Well, that’s Summer ruined and a potentially disappointing park event then. ’goes to Love Island lates instead’ ’
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Lightwater Valley
Ultimate may have it’s ups and downs, but without it, Lightwater would not be the park it is and would probably go bankrupt in a couple of years without a major investment or owners with noticeable financial stability. Shame the park has seen little in terms of recent investment, but who knows what the new owners can bring.