markfranklin

I fully agree with your comments Matt. Quite how Merlin address the situation to restrict the volume of RAP issue is another matter - I can imagine it would be a very difficult task.

Some interesting observations about the increasing use of RAP across Merlin parks. We've been to Efteling three times over the past few years (four days per visit), and I've seen <10 people using their RAP system in all that time. I remember one chap using the exit, and being lifted from a wheelchair on to the Python ride. In the general queues, I saw lots of disabled guests. A couple of weeks ago at Chessington, having waited for a long time, we reached the Vampire gates and asked politely if we could be allocated the back row. The staff member said absolutely not - the RAP guests must use the two back rows only (for evacuation reasons), and therefore people from the main queue can only use the other rows (unless there was no-one in the RAP queue). Later that day, we went on again and were next to ride, waiting for row 7. An announcement came over the speaker to say that as the RAP queue was very long, they would be filling the next train fully with RAP guests, and sorry to those waiting for the inconvenience. So, either it's a lie about RAP customers having to use the back rows, or there was a mammoth Health & Safety infringement that day!

Does anyone know what the additional layer/s of security are, as mentioned by Nick Varney in the Sky interview? I recall he said that the extra steps had been introduced on all multi-car rides, apart from some (e.g. Fury, Rattlesnake) which would be closed for a short while until they could be implemented. So I am guessing that on others (presumably including The Dragon), these extra steps are already in force. Just wondering if anyone involved on the rides was aware what these extra steps actually are? Cheers

I have a real respect and admiration for Nick Varney having watched that. Daft interviewer, kept going round in circles and not listening to the answers. I know NV is paid handsomely, but he's a human like the rest of us, had had a week from hell, and is trying to balance the support to the injured guests and handling the HSE investigations. To keep his composure is a sign of a really gifted person. I get the feeling that among the enthusiast community, there is a general core of support, sympathy and understanding for Merlin. And a nice touch from electricBill to drop a note of support.

Very valid questions Ian.... I think this is the most plausible rationale of all the theories. I guess if the case, there maybe needs to be further system prompts. I.e. once user has pressed the block reset button, a message appears tio ask for confirmation of track clearance, etc.

Thanks for that electricBill A very informative answer. A colleague and I were pondering over the Smiler issue and wondered: Suppose test car sent out, stalls in Block 2. Passenger car sent on it's way, but computer stops it on the lift hill (correctly, because it recognises there is a car stuck within the next block). Car stays stuck on lift hill for 10 minutes (as was reported somewhere), engineer does some form of block reset, so the computer system clears its memory and believes the track is clear of obstructions, which in turn releases the passenger car?

Apologies for my lack of understanding, but I just wanted to ask a question to someone with knowledge of the technical side of things. So on Smiler - and other similar rides - the computer system ought to prevent a train from entering a 'block' if another train is already in that section. My question is, how does such a system work on rides such as Dragon's Fury and Spinball? With these, it seems that several cars are sent in a 'production line', and there aren't defined 'blocks'. So is there a risk that a car on one of these rides could stop/stall, and if so how could the system prevent the next one along from hitting it? Cheers

May I ask how busy it was in the park today? We have tickets for tomorrow and I wanted to know how full it will be.... Cheers

It's an interesting point. Thorpe seem to have been able to get pretty much all the coasters working over the last few days of extreme cold, but over at Chessington, Vampire and Dragon's Fury have not started at all.

I'm wondering how busy it will be this Saturday. One part of me thinks that all the Passholders will be showing up (following the cancellation of the preview days) along with all and sundry with it being the first weekend open. But then again, if it is well known that Zufari is not launching until next week, and also the unavailability of some key rides, will people be swayed into leaving their visit for a week or two.... I wanted to nip in early so that I could get my daughter on Vampire for the first time, and had wanted to minimise the queues. Can anyone suggest a good time to show up? I've never been there before at opening time, so I assume you need to be arriving at 9am to get parked and be near the front of the queue to get in to the park? Thanks all

That's really helpful - thank you.

Hi - I wonder if someone could help me. We have Merlin Annual Passes but I wanted to take along one of my daughter's friends (age 6) for one day to Chessington. I was trying to establish the cheapest way of getting the extra ticket. Looking online, a passholder can book to take a Young Adventurer for £23-ish, which seems to be the same rate as booking a single <12 years ticket anyway. My questions are: Is this the best way of buying the ticket? Do you have to select a particular day for the visit or is the ticket 'open ended'? Once purchased online, do you still have to queue up to collect it on the day, or can you print off and turn up at the turnstiles? Your help would be much appreciated! Many thanks

Thanks for all the info guys - I suspected this may be the case.

A quick question regarding Vampire.... If I were to take my daughter andher friend (both aged 6 and just over the 1.1m height requirement), would they be allowed to sit next to eachother with me in a seat in the row behind them? Or would an adult need to sit next to each child? If anyone knows I would be very grateful. Cheers

I've just read elsewhere about this Zoo Days business - have Chessington made some sort of announcement that they are over? Comment on a different forum is that it was a planning permission condition for Wanyama that it was to be made available to the public all year round - so would they be in infringement of that rule? We tend to go about 3 times a month during the close period / Zoo Days, and it's always a nice trip out.

That's good news, do you know where it will end up after the restoration?

I was at the hotel last night and the 'boardwalk' over the river has been closed along with the walkway to the right of the hotel. It may be that Chessington are closing off all 'wooden bridge' type elements at the moment.

Hi Dan, the discussion seems to be on the last few pages of "General Discussion" topic. There is a bit of news on what the park are doing with the ride at the moment, but no recent news on the welfare of the girl who fell.

Daughter is only 5 years old and 1m tall so she can't get on much. She likes Rumba Rapids, Wet Wet Wet, Rocky and the arcade. Used to be better for her when there was Octopus Garden and CCR, hence we don't go as a family that much these days.

Last year, I went to Thorpe with a few family members and sadly it was one of those days when a number of rides weren't operating and also we had a dire experience at Burger King. I dropped an email to the customer relations, not a complaint as such but hopefully helpful feedback. I got a wonderful reply and they sent me 15 ride exit passes. Since when I go with my wife and daughter, it is only me who goes on the rides, the next visit was amazing! I just zipped around the park going on all of the rides. Rush, Saw, Colossus, NI... all good rides... and then I rode Stealth. Good God. I will never, ever, ever forget that first launch. Totally mind blowing. I think I had about six passes left, and I just kept getting off, waiting at the side and getting on again, and again, and again. Couldn't have cared about re-riding anything else - it was just the most sensational buzz. Every time I go there, I am still mesmerised by that experience. Looked on YouTube and found Kingda Ka at Six Flags - looks like a big brother of Stealth.... Hmmmmm...!

For me, I would like to see improvement to the South grass car park. The grass areas themselves are OK but the rough roadways are awful to drive over, and when I exited recently I went through the barrier and the car grounded with a thump in to a large crater! Just a bit of tarmac here and there would be nice.

I can recall visiting Thorpe Park on a few occasions many years ago, probably early-mid 80's when it was more of the "family park", and had some more gentle things such as the Magic Mill. My favourite was Phantom Phantasia, and I was delighted just recently to find a video of the ride on YouTube (also Magic Mill). Cinema 180 had two films running, IIRC, on alternate showings. There was the fire engine one and also I do seem to recall something about a crash. There were some rollercoasters features, plus a powerboat weaving around moored boats in a harbour. And who can forget the Treasure Island train ride, when it stopped and you watched live pirates who would end up throwing water at the passengers! And the Bronco Bikes that you could try and ride down a line to win a prize - the challenge being they were fixed so it went left if you steered right and vice versa. I went again in the late 90's and enjoyed some of the newer things that had emerged since the 80's, especially Detonator. I have been going there for the last 2-3 years quite a lot since getting an Annual Pass, but it doesn't have the same draw for kids now. I take my daughter (who is now 5) and she used to love the Canada Creek Railway and Octopus's Garden with various little kiddie rides. It wasn't much but alongside the Carousel and the Arcade machines it was enough to keep her entertained. Now that both of those former elements have gone, Thorpe will lose more of my business, which is a great shame.

I have to say that I'm not quite as happy as many other people seem to be about Madagascar (based on reading comments across the web and forums). I think it is "not bad" but on balance preferred the Dragon's Theatre for the following reasons: 1) Huge space being taken up by Madagascar 2) You could watch Dragons even in rain / poor weather 3) You could safely leave very little ones in Dragons whilst having a coffee 4) Based on the feedback from my daughter and her friends who are very regular visitors (ages 3-6) they liked Madagascar but didn't want to watch it again. Compared to Dragons, when they even wanted to go and watch repeat performances on the same day. Interested to know what other regular visitors think....

I had been wondering what happened to the Weather House from Chessington. Last year it was the other side of the pond (ie adjascent to Toadie's Crazy Cars). It was an ex-ToyTown relic where you pressed a button and either a man with an umbrella (+Umbrella Song) or a lady with an ice cream (+Sun Has Got His Hat On) would appear. It needed to shift for Madagascar and out of interest I got in touch with Chessie, they said that it has gone on the basis that it no longer fits in with the theming (I.e. was ToyTown). No indication that it would return. Shame I don't have the space... I could have made an offer for it and kept my daughter amused in the back garden for weeks... My daughter (5) keeps asking me where it has gone!