Kerfuffle

Thorpe park apparently have been blocking people who tweet Thorpes twitter about the new ride. (WC16) Even if they are correct or not (about the theme), Thorpe instantly blocks them meaning other viewers of Thorpes tweet are not able to see what the person commented. I just think its slightly unfair, people should be allowed to guess what the new rides about? Without being blocked? People are technically not doing anything wrong... just guessing their opinions of what the ride could be. I just think Thorpe blocking them on twitter seems slightly unprofessional, after all its their own fault that the teaser pictures for the new ride got leaked.

[spoilerS AHEAD]
Now you may embark on reading this thinking it's going to be a crushing article on how disappointed I was with my first ever attempt at fright night mazes, however, it really isn't.
Today, for the first time I braved up enough to actually try the mazes at Thorpe Park. I've been to Fright Nights several times before but have only done 2 mazes once, and that shook my soul, so I wasn't expecting to do any mazes, simply because I was too pussy frightened to do so.
The day was spent as any other day would normally be spent at Thorpe. Paige and I doodled about in the morning, took a look at the new maze and a ceremonial wheel spin for the brave it alone goers of the day, and then we met up with some friends. I had no intention at the start of the day to do any of the mazes let alone all of them, but rather play around with my new flashy camera.
One of our friends, Alex, was kind and passionate enough to persuade me, and Paige, to try at least one maze. After redoing saw for the first time in what, 4 years (?) I finally saw past the silly little scaredness I had inside and was up for trying the whole lot.
We started with Saw alive, apparently a great maze to start off with. The theming was very nice, and as iconic as I remember, I just wish it was slightly better lit. The maze wasn't particularly scary but the costumes in here were probably the best of the evening for me, and the scenes were well executed, however there were no seriously scary bits. The actors are split from you by cages and mesh and none of them attempted to touch me or jump scare me, but rather hiss and bob up to my face then back away. Overall it was a cool experience and reminded me of the dungeons.
We then moved on to the big top. I've already heard a lot of mixed reviews about this, and personally, I thought the experience was very odd. The first tent was rather pointless to be honest, I really can't add anything on to that. The second tent I remember being a little more exciting but besides a clown jumping out at you I don't really remember much of that tent at all, simply because again, nothing interesting happened. The out door bit we encountered the ring master, something apparently only a few groups got in the evening (and also a sad lacking of the fortune teller in the beautiful box). The final tent was fun, I loved the finale and I felt it was well executed with the chainsaw echoing throughout the whole tent. The fact the fortune teller in the first tent tells you about it though helped build up the tension but also ruined the surprise. I was disappointed again by the lack of actors in the final tent, there were so many missed opportunities here, but the actors that were there did a fab job... If only there were more!
My Bloody Valentine was next, my personal favourite of the night. I have heard again mixed reviews about this one, however overall I thought the actors were all terrific, there was a perfect amount of them too and the fact the group got split up like it did and how well the maze unravlled was great. I just wish there was someone wearing a gas mask in there. Besides that the interaction in this maze was the best and whilst there weren't very many open scenes, the walls had been covered up in immense detail that was highly appreciated! (Finally a maze where they weren't afraid to touch me!)
Cabin in the Woods followed, a favourite for the group we were going round with. Overall I thought the actors were good, with the groom being the stand out one. Really creepy to walk into a room and just see his head slowly look up and he maintained eye contact for looooonngg. And then BOOM he jumped at me and he was pretty much the first guy that evening to properly scare me. It was great fun, a shame the control room was out of service along with the forest scene, all the spare actors were stuffed into the final zigzag. I thought the rooms theming was weird but it probably relates to the movie well, I was just very impressed with the impression the groom actor made on me (also the roaming actors in this area were jokes).
Finally it was the blair witch. Didn't think much of it, a couple of the actors made me jump a little but nothing overly creepy like in Cabin, and the discreet injections of theming are nice. The cabin bit could have been executed better however overall it was fun.
In conclusion I truly can now appreciate Fright Nights. Whilst I may have critiqued a couple things the day couldn't have gone much better; I thoroughly enjoyed all the mazes, especailly My Bloody Valentine and Saw Alive. The theming level in these mazes are great and the character roles the actors play are also really nice, and, to me the whole thing was a very new and different experience.
So why does fright nights smell toof?
One thing I noticed throughout the evening is that if one thing merlin does 110% every time, it's the immersive smells they have in their attractions. Cabin smelt like freshly cut timber, My bloody valentine smelt like rot and mud, Big Top smelt like circus and Saw smelt like piss, meat, and that irony smell you get when things go static. It's the same with the dungeons, the smells in there are also great. I think this is a nice little touch as although I have only really visited merlin attractions of this type one thing I have always noticed is how the smells really compliment the experience. I truly think it's a great stand point of merlin and it helps you notice the attention they put into projects.
If I could take anything away for next time. I'd love to see the big top once more as I've heard 'it can only get better from here' from a number of sources, but also I'd like to try Cabin and find the control room!
Sorry for long post, heres a potato

Although we were at Efteling for 2 days and the evening of Baron's opening I didn't take that many photos of the park. And of Bobbejaanland I took like 5 in total, so this report will have a Bob ending. Random fact, the name works because Efteling has a ride called Bob.

We arrived at the village, checked in a walked to the park for one reason. It was 7pm, park closed at 8. Let's ride Baron I guess.

First impressions, it is gorgeous. It's not a ride, it's a piece of architectural art! It looks great.

Was kinda expecting it to look a bit bigger though, but I was open minded to the mini dive machine

Unsurprisingly it had a queue of 60 minutes (as we waited for front too which was nice, they let everyone in that queue ride in that row although trains were going out with just one row being used towards the end)

It was very slow moving. They hadn't quite grasped 3 train op on it so the next two days only ran 2.

But it was pretty

Nearly there! The whole queue is outside with inside all being preshows.

Was alright. Story and experience great, ride just missed some punch.

Detail was ridiculous

Bird invading my photos.

That night we went into Kaatshuvel, nothing was open bar one very nice kebab shop. After we went to the Efteling Hotel because their bar was still open. The guy in there was great and it looked like a nice hotel! We were in the village though, quite a walk but nothing bad.

Next morning we went on the pagoda thing.

Lovely area

Coaster central

I really liked this. Simple yet clever

Vogel Rock entrance, great little indoor coaster with effects and fab music

This show with a huge animatronic!

Lunch at an amazing pancake place! Also had amazing profiteroles!

More dragons

Very rude to keep yawning though.

This is the worlds largest pirate ship. Doesn't matter though, I've done Europes largest the day before so didn't see the need.

Flying Dutchman <3 was really surprised by this ride!

Sploosh

More Baron

Wood

And a bigger fountain show!

So much water

Baron told us we were running late the following morning, especially after Peaj left Bucky in the room and we'd checked out.

It's all I took photos of really

This was the village entrance. Went back after our final day for dinner

Josh loves napkins.
So that night we went to the last hotel place. Had a free breakfast in the morning which was a cheese, meat and bread platter. Better than nothing!

Rode this not so good ride

Was just dragged out after the first loop

Looks a mess too

And here is broken Kong who found Bucky. Wish I'd taken more photos at Bob now as it would have made such a good sarcastic report. Possibly the oddest park I've been too... Oh well, that concludes Belgerand for me. Next up I've no idea, Wales

For a park to stand out to me it has to be really special. Not many parks do that successfully, give such a great balance of fun, imersiveness, magic etc. But Phantasialand is right up there for me with the great parks of Florida (probably my 2nd or 3rd favourite park I've been too). My only tiny complaint, there didn't seem to be a like big impact entrance. But that might just be they only have one and it's at the Berlin park entrance, not the mystery one (so many entrances and car parks).

Not a bad thing to have at the entrance though (this was the only thing we saw over the trees driving to the park)

Crazy rapids!

It's just such a lovely park! Nothing opened at 9 that we saw so we did a bit of wandering and it's so beautiful. This is a madhouse. Yep.

The Berlin street (with a brilliant funhouse in it!)

Was now 9:30 so we went to our first ride, Maus Au Chocolat! And it's amazing!!!! Same system as Midway Mania and just so much fun!!! Highlight of the trip by far!

Not knowing how busy it was going to be on park (8pm close and lovely weather) we did Chiapas.

You don't get soaking wet, or really that wet at all but it's a sublime ride!

Boat travelling the station.

Hidden away in this area is Talocan. A really forceful topspin with brilliant effects, music. It was like a show to watch

So much fire!!!

We headed back through Berlin past this really cool looking chairswing!

Simple but so effective!

To find a hidden boat ride Hollywood Tour with Hitchcock.

Could tell it was old but was still great with all the different sets. This is Amity.

Kong

Can't remember

There's also a coaster up there called Temple of The Nighthawk. All enclosed, quite good but is a bit dragged out.

Now was to try Winjas

Now I won't spoil it but when riding it you think they're quite modern spinners with what they do. Surprisingly they open in 2002.

Fury and Spinball could have been special

Wooosh

They had one of these. We did the one at Plopsa and got the dirtiest looks ever. Plus they're not that good so no thanks.

Josh didn't want to walk under the bridge in the maze because it might get him wet.

There was also an interesting splash battle. Might have been good if the effects worked but yeah. No. It was at the back of the park hidden away, I can forgive them like it almost wasn't real...

It was time for the hyped up ride of okayness.

It looks great with its surroundings. And you can't work out the layout one bit.

But yeah. Even Jack points at it as a "oh I wanted that little bit more"

Definitely not a bad ride. Not at all. Just overhyped

So we had some Currywurst and watched a man through some ming vases around.

Was time for Mystery

With rapids

The drops are ridiculous. If you're unlucky in your seating you get soaked.

Again this looked amazing. Like sooo good!

It's the only imposing thing on park

It was just quite disappointing. Although we've now heard it has two settings and we caught the naf one.

Having done the park we hit up some rerides. Jack and Peaj did Talocan again so me and Josh watched the show

Bucky also enjoyed the show, shame it set his ears on fire

Yes, lower Peaj and Jack into the fire

We made sure we caught this.

So I've now seen the show in English with no effects and German with effects. Wish I'd just seen it at Thorpe jeez

I really like this ride sign! It's subtle, works with the theme and you get a great view of the ride in it!

We went and watched the ice skating show which was pretty good. Was nice to be able to see shows at a park, added a lot more to the day than just rides.

Their mine ride

Again very good. I liked here how everything interacted with something else basically.

More B&M

More Jack

Pretty

Woosh

Lovely view of China

And here is the cake we saved from those mice on Maus Au Chocolat!
This is the only park from the trip I really want to visit again. Was my favourite day, and the 11 hours were so easy to fill, we didn't even do that many rerides. We thought it would be our longest day, nope. Join me next time where we go to Toverland, and then dash off to Efteling to hit up Baron on its opening day

Welcome to the park down a road behind some houses on some grass where we parked next to a tree. Look who's in Jack's bag!

No temple not open yet.

Jack is unimpressed by lack of temple.

Correction- the temple thing that's now a mine shaft is open!

Correction- it's an awesome tomb!

See the awesomeness.

Temple of awesome mineshaft tomb with broken on board audio.

Well I'm glad I tried one.

Really doesn't feel like you tilt much at all on ride.

The excitement!

Look at the fun!

the lion mascot, called Lion approves (although he approves of most things...)

Shocked face!

Probably what we all pulled when we saw this coming.

Must be a shocking life

The local enjoyed it!

He was coughing spreading his Europeness... ewwww.

Oh no.

Aww

Tigers are the best.

The elephants laughed in disagreement.

The Lion probably approves of this, they said it was magic, I think there was a wild animal in their once.

called Houdini. They say he's dead, I don't think he is.

There's Houdini! A real wild one!

"Just you wait till you get round here..."

"We'll move here so you still don't get too close"

Houdini magiced us away to Niagra Falls.

A water ride, of dryness. Seriously, are Europeans afraid of water?

These guys weren't afraid! But they might be imported.

Fire.

This Leopard disapproved of the non natives.

So we went to India to ride the traditional rapids you find there.

The holiday in Mexico had ended when we got back though.

Temple must have taken them. Oh well time for 2.5 hours of driving that should've taken one! Thanks you accident prone natives in your cars!

Toot toot Brussels!

Very nice place

I'd play where's Wally... but it's too hard.

Nice surprise.

Nom nom! Dunno why but people love going to a restaurant to eat guitars.

Till next time where we get stuck in more Brussels traffic!

Causing a bit of a gap to the long speculated trip reports of certain members visiting several new major parks [surprisingly not Benin in this case], you may be wondering what the Creek will be able to provide to contend with this. If you were hoping for reports of new visited parks and the like, you may leave feeling rather disappointed [there are big plans in the works for the near'ish future though], however what I will offer instead will be in the shape and form of unique and different theme park activity.

Having been a big fan/enthusiast of parks and coasters for a long time, there is something I had always wanted to do at a park for a long time in my life; that was walking up to the top of roller coaster lift hill. Following the foreseeable cancellation of my Towers lift hill walk [due to the unfortunate accident of a certain ride], I instantly booked myself a coaster climb on one the coasters at Thorpe [whether it's a good idea to this the day after a heavy night clubbing and drinking is another story however]

Judging from the [poorly quality] picture above you can tell right away which ride I went for; Colossus
After having experienced my chosen ride at the end of the day before closing, I waited patiently outside the ride's exit [as instructed by the details on the email I'd received when I booked it], where I was soon approached by a member of Thorpe's stuff and when clarifying my name, I knew my experience was about to begin.

Being directed in to the Swarm's control booth with others taking the walk [a dad and his son], we were given an informative talk about the ride's generally statistics from basic things such as opening in 2012, being built by Bolliger & Mabillard and costing 20 million to more complex and interesting facts.
When it comes to dispatching the ride, the operator in the control booth must press both green buttons with his hands in-addion to the platform staff pressing the other four buttons. If one of these buttons isn't pressed the ride will not dispatch. Interestingly, there are four positions staff can be allocated to on this ride, control operator, baggage room, front and back of station, where are total number of seven staff are required on two trains operation and six on one train operation.
The ride's console is a lot smaller and advanced from the park's older consoles [inferno's apparently strikes similarities but is noticeably bigger]. Not only can individual rows of restraints be released individually [no need for the recheck all bars here] but the computer system can also calculate how many trains have been running on the system and give a general count of throughput. Speaking on throughputs, one train operation on Swarm allows for about 600 people per hour [pph] whilst two trains allows up to 1200 PPH.
As you can witness from the photo [and the giveaway on the booth] the ride was on just one train at the end of the day, however this was to ensure final checks on the ride's others train which would be checked up through the evening/night and then run on the circuit the next day whilst the existing train would then receive it's inspection. Interestingly whilst the work shop is located on the right to the station building, there is a giant cold fridge in there too [ I forget why though].
Other interesting things the console allows [pictured above] is to open/close gates, stop and start the ride and also stop and start on the lift hill too. The ride was naturally locked down when we were there which only the engineering crew would be able to open to stop any possibility of the ride operating whilst we were there. One of the other proceedures of loading aside from the buttons and thumbs up is all seats must be closed and locked for dispatched regardelss of them being with or without riders.

The second part of the console, this allows the operator to speak to through the tannoy systems, and press automated announcments such as weather closing and reopening. There's naturally a phone too for the operator to contact platform staff.

like all ride's alike, the ride uses CCTV throughout the surrounding area which is to used to ensure the ride is working correctly and that no one has trespassed in the surrounding area [which would result in an e-stop].

Before doing the actual part of the lift walk, everyone was instructed to put on safety harness vests, which involved putting the main part on your chest whilst adjusting and tightening the giant clip and then getting your legs through the holes then adjusting them. This was finalised by the ball hold which would connect to the coaster wire itself.

Then it was time for the walk itself to begin. This gaint bit of machinery operates the lift hill of the ride.
The harness I was wearing was connected to the chainwire at the side, which involved in the positioning of the clip. Every so often, you would need to push the clip through a check point area so to ensure maximum safety. If you folded the clip in, then it would stick you to position. The design of this safety figure has been designed to prevent slip backs, so if you accidentally trip up on the way up or down, the clip safely locks you in place preventing any major accidents from happening.

One of things talked about was the actual meaning of the ride's project name LC12. I naturally put it down as Lez Cougan, however the actual meaning of the acronym was infact Lost Cause. Mentions of other project names such as Project Odyssey [Colossus] and Project Dylan [saw] were also mentioned briefly there too.
And many steps later, we finally reached the top. It was a very nice day so I was able to get some pretty good views of the park and surrounding area whilst I was up there [including Heathrow].


Who Thought Thorpe was so beautiful


I learn't many interesting new facts on my climb which was great to hear whilst taking in the stunning views below. These included,
1/ Stealth & Rita were originally supposed to be one big coaster however due to some difficulties in planning it, this was split in half. So Thorpe got one half [the better half IMO] whilst Towers got Rita.
2/ The reason why Nemesis Inferno was themed like a volcano was because of the fire that took place on the site the ride replaced [Tropical Travels].
3/ If Thorpe were to build something massive on the empty island next to Swarm, they would need to remove something equivalent in size [my tour guide described the park's landscape as being like a Lilo.

I naturally had to ask/enquire about WC16 [Thorpe's new dark ride] during the climb. However unsurprisingly he wasn't able to provide much information except that it would be the first kind of ride to ever exist in the world and that it would be a top class ride. Even facts down to when it would open [spring or summer] could not be provided.
He did mention there would be more interesting in vestments on the way within the park and that Thorpe's target was now all age groups.


When it came to Fright Nights, he said that this years one would be bigger and better, however couldn't confirm completely if there would be any new attractions or face it alone returned [but hinted the former was likely].

On the operational front, the ride cannot operate below 5 degrees or in winds over 35 MPH, there's a wind tracking device at the top of the hill which is sort of in the form of a micro wind turbine.


The main Thorpe hotel is expected to open around 2018/2019. It was mentioned how a spruce up of the entrance would be liked [depecting a very RCT style appearance] and hinted that a redesign in the future would probably happen however the dome would remain for the foreseeable long term due to it's complex structure and helpful functions within the park.


One of the most eager questions I asked I did manage to get an answer for though was the future of the now closed Chief Rangers Caroulsel? When dismantled the ride was stored temporarily in the staff car park for a while, however unfortunately the ride will never be able to return to the park.
This is because it's going to a different park. Which though wasn't said however apparently it isn't close to any major European parks and the country of location is unknown [so tracking of the ride will likely be extremely difficult]. I am happy to confirm though that many prominent items from the old ride have been salvaged including the old ride centrepieces which are apparently now located in the education centre. The other horses on the ride are believed to have been kept to use on the ride's new home.


I asked on what the forseeable future for Mr Monkey might be and he reckons the ride is here to stay as a tribute and lone survivor of the Ranger area that once dominated the park.

When it came to potential rides going, the answer was generally that Thorpe like to keep their rides and that Samurai was closed so that they could give it out the attention it needed to work again as it was still a popular ride at the park.






When it came to Colossus's 'potential' repaint he was unsure on whether it would get fully done and did agree that ride presentations are an important aspect of rides. He did however hint towards the possible return of the railway in the future and the re-theme of Rumba though.

Proof this is real



A pic of me and my guide



I'm a long way up!

After this unique,interesting and insightful experience, I gradually made it down from this giant coaster back to the ground where I thanked my host before grabbing my belongings and making my way.
The Big Question
Was The Walk Worth £50?
Just about,
in this experience, not only do you get to go up and down your coaster of choice, but you are presented with stunning and amazing views of the surrounding area not just in the park but on for many miles throughout the landscape. You also learn a lot of new facts and information on different things in the park from the operational and management side to how the park works as a whole. Seeing the control cabin of one of my favourite coasters was another interesting sight and I enjoyed my time doing this experience where all the VIP team were extremely friendly and helpful and this was no rush or pushing ahead on the experience at any time.
I will probably do another lift walk here at somepoint in the future [not sure when though] on Colossus to see how it compares and look how different the ride works from an operational view, B&M were described as the creme de la creme of coasters when I was there. If you're in to different theme park experiences and wish to experience a lift hill walk, I would definitely recommend experiencing one on The Swarm!

Much like a year of Britain, A Year of Europe looks to expand upon its predecessor by including some European parks (of which I already have gained 7). Aim is to end this around this time next year to start a further, worldwide one (one can dream). So, my first European park outside of DLP when I was 15, Plopsaland.

It was an early morning when we left Dover (5:15am).

To arrive before 9am at a park that opens at 10. Notice the oversized door, yeah we didn't understand why everything was so large until the end of the day.

What do you do when you're early? Go for a mile walk. They have horses in Europe (must be near a Findus factory)

Something the others had never seen were the war cemeteries they have. They are astonishing in size, and Belgium is littered in them.

R.I.P.

Just down the road though it was a birthday. My 15th birthday cake wasn't that big

Lovely entrance area.

Like stunning

European trees.

Apparently this is a ride station!

And this is a queue line

I thought we were invading a house and the owners were going to kick us out.

See, have something protecting your house Anubis! Dragons are the way.

Didn't work though, we still made it in.

Lights were cool too!

Zomg it's like home!

Well half like it.

There was a pedal thing.

A Vekoma Roller Skater called... Roller Skater!

With an oversized washing machine. From a dark ride on a boat we learnt that the Plops (a race of things) are very small people. Fair enough, why buy an already oversized machine? That will surely kill them.

More random house invasions!

Not even a mat for us to wipe our feet on.

Pirate boat of forever. Like a 5 minute cycle.

You could honestly race the boat from this splashing down to returning to the station with the pirate boat. Both took ages.

Start your watches.

Swan boats are faster.

It's a big lake though. Jack and Josh are awful drivers.

This duck agrees.

Time for the Mack watersplashofdrynessthatgoesbackwardsunderawobblybridge.





Sploosh.

So this has a height restriction of 1.2 or 1.3 can't remember. Still, I'm pretty sure the Plops are smaller than that. Can't even ride a ride in their homeland.

Luckily we could, was a very good ride.

yay land of bees.

Was all a bit overgrown if you ask me.


This was good fun though!

This was from the Plops water ride thing. I had no idea what was going on.

Oh look a nicely themed hill.

Wouldn't have even known the Disko was broken, can't even see it.

Minus that... shhhh

Splash battle! Was very welcome with the weather. Again though, the Plops so would not be able to reach the guns.

So Plopsaland, a very nice park, just feel bad for the natives. Might have even stood on one accidentally if they're that small.

Au Revoir Plopsaland, till next year with your GCI (just think about the height restriction yeah?)
And off to Hotel Joly we went (yeah, wasn't Jolly like we were hoping...)

So, as some on here might be aware, myself, scarycoasterboy (Adam), J.S217 (Jack) and Peaj did a bit of a European road trip at the end of last month / beginning of this month. 8 days, 7 parks, 3 countries - it was a big'un. Parks we visited were...
Plopsaland de Panne (27th June)
Bellewaerde (28th)
Walibi Belgium (29th)
Phantasialand (30th)
Toverland (1st July)
Efteling (1st-3rd)
Bobbejaanland (4th)
As we were visiting Belgium, Germany and Holland, we squished the three countries together to get the working title of 'BelGerAnd' for the name of the trip. Unfortunately, that terrible attempt just sort of stuck (much like Stealth's project name ey?). So that explains that.
(PS: Any feedback on the style of this would be great. I do plan on writing up reports from all the parks, so would be nice to do it in a way that people would want to read it!)
Anyway, enough set up, let's get down to TR-ing...
An early start beckoned us - leaving to get the 5:15 ferry from Dover. Naturally, this meant we arrived at Plopsaland - a realtively short drive from Calais - ridiculously before the 10am opening...

The entrance area looks very nice.
We wandered around the local area to pass the time, and about a 5 minute walk away, we found a Belgian War Memorial. It was somewhat surprising to realise that a theme park was so close to a place like. We had a wander around and it really hits home...

With our respects paid, we ventured off to the world of Plopsa. First up was the coaster I was most looking forward to off the day, Anubis.
It's the first launched Gerstlauer I've done, and indeed the first rolling launch I've done. I was looking forward to it, after hearing many good reviews. After a near walk-on through the nicely themed queue, we were on. Simply put, the ride is fab - the launch is great fun, and then the ride that follows mixes pops of airtime, inversions and bits of force nicely together. I found going up the initial hill quite intense too. The ride flows really well and it's very smooth too. It's a little on the short side and lacks any substantial outdoor theming, but at the same time, it doesn't leave you feeling short changed. All in all, a great ride that is really enjoyable.

A somewhat understated entrance.


Couple of ride shots.
We then moved over to Rollerskater, one of the park's family coasters. This immediately caught my eye for one reason - the random theming. From a giant washing machine, bird in a cage to a turtle on a plate, the ride seemed a bit wacky. The coaster itself is fun, but the random bits of theming just make it a right laugh.

Lift hill

The infamous washing machine

Station building
We then ticked off another cred, by doing their powered coaster, De Draak. It's got an extravagantly themed queue line, but it also has a long layout that interacts nicely with the surroundings. Picks up some decent speed and it's nice that it goes round twice too.

De Station.
With temperatures soaring, we decided to cool down on De Boomstammetjes, the park's log flume. It was okay, had a nice double drop finale, but didn't get you wet enough really. By now we had realised something a bit odd - the park itself felt very very busy, but the queues themselves didn't really reflect that. Not sure if that's the norm for Plopsaland given their target market or not, but we weren't really going to complain, as it gave a nice atmosphere to the park, but meant we could try out all that the park had to offer.
With this in mind, we did a few of the filler rides, including Waterfietsen; some pedal swan boats. Was a very nice tour round the lake, though have to admit my legs were aching after a while! Two filler rides that we didn't get done during this little period, however, were their Teacups, which is still being given its awesome-looking retheme, and Rox-Flyer, their Star Flyer. Ah well.

Two rides of spite.
With some flat rides done and lunch out of the way, we moved over to Supersplash, the 'water coaster' which anyone would have a hard time calling a 'coaster'. It was probably our longest queue for the day, at about 20-25 minutes - quite nice that it was indoors too! Following an interesting lift sequence, the ride does a drop underneath a bridge, before coming back up and then giving a nice-looking splash and then meandering back to the station. The lift sequence is nice, but lacking anything substantial really. The drop I found a bit rough in all honesty, but the splash was nice - not wet of course, but was refreshing. I'm a bit unsure on it as an attraction - it takes ideas from a couple of different rides, but doesn't really do anything with them. A bit of a shame.


A shame I didn't get a shot with a boat in really.
We then planned to tick off the two remaining creds on park - Vleermius, the random suspended coaster, and Viktor's Race, the park's kiddie coaster. Unfortunately, it became apparent that Vleermius would spite us - it was closed with no obvious work being done to it. Shame, as it's something I did want to try out, but I'm sure I'll get to try something like it in the future. Viktor's Race, however, was open. Nothing really to say about it, merely one done for the coaster count.

Neither ride was very photo-worthy for me, it would seem.
More wondering round the park was done afterwards, and getting in some rerides along the way. We were planning on heading over the to Wickieland to try out the Disk-o and splash battle over their, but noticed the Disk-o was closed due to it stalling, so we decided to leave that area till later. Instead, we worked our way over to the indoor area Maya Land, near the front of the park.
It's a great area for kids with some fabulous looking rides. The one that caught my attention the most though was De Waterlelies, a Zamperla Demolition Derby. After not getting on the one at Drayton for the past two years, this simply had to be done. Certainly a fun little ride, though it does sort of feel like it drags on a bit towards the end. We also did the slide in Maya Land before leaving to explore the rest of the park once again.

Spinning waterlilies <3
After a couple more rides on Anubis, we then headed over to Het Bos van Plop, an indoor boat ride. I really enjoyed it to be honest, the theming was lovely, the music was catchy and it was just a nice way to relax. Such a simple ride executed so well. We then did the train ride around the park before heading over to Wickieland again...

The Disk-o was still closed, but the car had been bought back to the station-area at least. Instead, we decided to the splash battle - Wickie The Battle. It was very nicely themed, a good length and got you to a good level of wet. Great water ride all in all!

With park close nearing, we dashed over to Supersplash for one more ride (majority vote over-ruled me unfortunately!). We then stayed in the park for a bit longer, looking around the entrance and such, before hitting the road. An hour-or-so drive later, we arrived at our French hotel, and after realising the hotel owners were out for the night and eventually being given our keys by other guests, we were finally in. A quick McDonald's and some French TV bought an end to our first - and fortunately longest - day!
Final Thoughts: I really enjoyed Plopsaland. It's a fab little park, with some nice little gems and great theming. The addition of a woodie next year is definitely music to my ears - one more family thrill coaster would complete the park's line up I think. It's certainly a park I want to go back to soon, and the proximity to me is a bonus!

"Twas on a warm summer night in 2015...when the thunder of suitcase wheels signalled the return of the (not-so) wealthy CoasterDude back to his getaway - Alton Towers. As the journey neared its end, a mysterious force was suddenly present in the road. CoasterDude impatiently demanded at the heavens why his journey had been interrupted. With a menacing demeanor, a thought reminded CoasterDude of work and college. CoasterDude cruelly dismissed his troubles and instructed his family to head back to the Towers. Scorned, the force screamed a curse; "For every branch of the Old Oak Tree that fell, a random turn of events will occur...""
Friday 3rd July was to be no normal trip to Alton Towers. Not for a day, but for a whole weekend! At around 2:10pm we set off and by 4:30pm we were outside Splash Landings...

...complete with its own mine shaft!!!

After checking in we made a break for our rooms...but not before I was distracted by the sight of the hotel's main attraction - the waterpark (which I would later find out that it had far less than my expectations).

"Later that very same night, a ferocious storm raged...and then one mighty bolt of lightning SEVERED a single branch from the Old Oak Tree..."
"...and true to the mysterious thought's prophecy, a random turn of events will eventually occur..."
Day 1:
Following the first night (complete with a pretty impressive thunderstorm), a lift ride to the hotel lobby was made accompanied by the theme tune to none other than Captain Pugwash and we were to cover the few miles to arrive at The Towers...but not on foot. The solution? MONORAIL! *cue the famous song from The Simpsons*

Upon entering the park, there was the beautiful sight before us. Over 150 miles had been covered to get here...and we had made it!

With no reason to take the A route into X-Sector as usual, the B route through Mutiny Bay/Katanga Canyon/Gloomy Wood was taken with one destination in mind - the Forbidden Valley...and its main antagonist - Nemesis.


After two decent runs on this beast (which now apparently permanently bleeds clear blood), I felt the urge to fly away...



Suddenly an unknown force dragged me mid-flight to the north of the park and I plunged into the terror of the Dark Forest! Apparently a certain number has caused mysterious disturbances within an ancient crypt...


I sensed there must be evil afoot. I unwittingly journeyed into The Towers to find out...

...but my findings only brought me to an unexpected occurrence! I found myself falling into the dark pits of Oblivion...



I had to break myself free of this curse! And the only thing for it was to be shaken out of it...literally.


"But the story didn't end there..."
Day 2:
"Legend has it that CoasterDude became so obsessed with the events of the previous day that he returned to the park the following morning..."
...and so I did!

My first guess that the curse had been triggered by me missing out on a few rides...including the likes of...

But then it dawned on me. I had to use the powers of the ride that perfectly demonstrates an intense experience. The ride that was actually heavily themed. The ride...that at 21 years old would always be the top attraction. That ride was...






"Then, CoasterDude became locked into a furious battle...of Nemesis versus the supernatural. Conducting its awesome forces in a desperate attempt to finally banish the evil power of the curse...forever."


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Report of Day 1:
Nemesis: x2
Air: x1
Oblivion: x2 (walk-on both times )
Hex: x1
TH13TEEN: x4 (3x consecutive rides via single rider while waiting for family to get off Rita )
Sonic Spinball: x1
Skyride: x1
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: x1 (total waste of time)
Pros:
- Consecutive rides on TH13TEEN were nice. (The single rider queue was literally empty)
- Hex's new effects were cool.
- Starting the day on Nemesis was great.
- Oblivion's queue was walk-on
Cons:
- Sub-Terra wasn't open this weekend.
- The Smiler was a rather sorry sight...although it'll always look amazing as just a twisted torrent of track.
- Air opened later than usual due to some apparent fallen trees in one of the ride areas.
- CatCF's existence
Report of Day 2:
Nemesis: x4
Air: x2
Oblivion: x1
Hex: x1
TH13TEEN: x1
Runaway Mine Train: x1
Duel: x1
Skyride: x2
Pros:
- Nemesis was as good as ever.
- Queues were very short again (highest queue time being 20 minutes) .
Cons:
- Duel was far too dark in places.
- Having to leave at the resort at the end of the day (all in all this weekend went far too quickly! ).
Hotel Experience:
- Rooms were in good condition (apart from the first one which my parents were in. They were moved to a different room due to the first one smelling of vomit).
- Food was okay.
- Waterpark was far more dull than I hoped.
- Lifts weren't quite what the Alton Towers Hotel have ("Mysterious Lifts")...but the Splash Landings ones having the Captain Pugwash theme tune playing was very amusing.
- General mood of the hotel was pleasant (especially out the front of the hotel), thanks to the heavy Caribbean theming.
Merch Purchases:
- Nemesis ORP
- NEME21S shirt
- Oblivion bag

"Twas on a warm summer night in 2015...when the thunder of suitcase wheels signalled the return of the (not-so) wealthy CoasterDude back to his getaway - Alton Towers. As the journey neared its end, a mysterious force was suddenly present in the road. CoasterDude impatiently demanded at the heavens why his journey had been interrupted. With a menacing demeanor, a thought reminded CoasterDude of work and college. CoasterDude cruelly dismissed his troubles and instructed his family to head back to the Towers. Scorned, the force screamed a curse; "For every branch of the Old Oak Tree that fell, a random turn of events will occur...""
Friday 3rd July was to be no normal trip to Alton Towers. Not for a day, but for a whole weekend! At around 2:10pm we set off and by 4:30pm we were outside Splash Landings...

...complete with its own mine shaft!!!

After checking in we made a break for our rooms...but not before I was distracted by the sight of the hotel's main attraction - the waterpark (which I would later find out that it had far less than my expectations).

"Later that very same night, a ferocious storm raged...and then one mighty bolt of lightning SEVERED a single branch from the Old Oak Tree..."
"...and true to the mysterious thought's prophecy, a random turn of events will eventually occur..."
Day 1:
Following the first night (complete with a pretty impressive thunderstorm), a lift ride to the hotel lobby was made accompanied by the theme tune to none other than Captain Pugwash and we were to cover the few miles to arrive at The Towers...but not on foot. The solution? MONORAIL! *cue the famous song from The Simpsons*

Upon entering the park, there was the beautiful sight before us. Over 150 miles had been covered to get here...and we had made it!

With no reason to take the A route into X-Sector as usual, the B route through Mutiny Bay/Katanga Canyon/Gloomy Wood was taken with one destination in mind - the Forbidden Valley...and its main antagonist - Nemesis.


After two decent runs on this beast (which now apparently permanently bleeds clear blood), I felt the urge to fly away...



Suddenly an unknown force dragged me mid-flight to the north of the park and I plunged into the terror of the Dark Forest! Apparently a certain number has caused mysterious disturbances within an ancient crypt...


I sensed there must be evil afoot. I unwittingly journeyed into The Towers to find out...

...but my findings only brought me to an unexpected occurrence! I found myself falling into the dark pits of Oblivion...



I had to break myself free of this curse! And the only thing for it was to be shaken out of it...literally.


"But the story didn't end there..."
Day 2:
"Legend has it that CoasterDude became so obsessed with the events of the previous day that he returned to the park the following morning..."
...and so I did!

My first guess that the curse had been triggered by me missing out on a few rides...including the likes of...

But then it dawned on me. I had to use the powers of the ride that perfectly demonstrates an intense experience. The ride that was actually heavily themed. The ride...that at 21 years old would always be the top attraction. That ride was...






"Then, CoasterDude became locked into a furious battle...of Nemesis versus the supernatural. Conducting its awesome forces in a desperate attempt to finally banish the evil power of the curse...forever."


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Report of Day 1:
Nemesis: x2
Air: x1
Oblivion: x2 (walk-on both times )
Hex: x1
TH13TEEN: x4 (3x consecutive rides via single rider while waiting for family to get off Rita )
Sonic Spinball: x1
Skyride: x1
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: x1 (total waste of time)
Pros:
- Consecutive rides on TH13TEEN were nice. (The single rider queue was literally empty)
- Hex's new effects were cool.
- Starting the day on Nemesis was great.
- Oblivion's queue was walk-on
Cons:
- Sub-Terra wasn't open this weekend.
- The Smiler was a rather sorry sight...although it'll always look amazing as just a twisted torrent of track.
- Air opened later than usual due to some apparent fallen trees in one of the ride areas.
- CatCF's existence
Report of Day 2:
Nemesis: x4
Air: x2
Oblivion: x1
Hex: x1
TH13TEEN: x1
Runaway Mine Train: x1
Duel: x1
Skyride: x2
Pros:
- Nemesis was as good as ever.
- Queues were very short again (highest queue time being 20 minutes) .
Cons:
- Duel was far too dark in places.
- Having to leave at the resort at the end of the day (all in all this weekend went far too quickly! ).
Hotel Experience:
- Rooms were in good condition (apart from the first one which my parents were in. They were moved to a different room due to the first one smelling of vomit).
- Food was okay.
- Waterpark was far more dull than I hoped.
- Lifts weren't quite what the Alton Towers Hotel have ("Mysterious Lifts")...but the Splash Landings ones having the Captain Pugwash theme tune playing was very amusing.
- General mood of the hotel was pleasant (especially out the front of the hotel), thanks to the heavy Caribbean theming.
Merch Purchases:
- Nemesis ORP
- NEME21S shirt
- Oblivion bag

"Twas on a warm summer night in 2015...when the thunder of suitcase wheels signalled the return of the (not-so) wealthy CoasterDude back to his getaway - Alton Towers. As the journey neared its end, a mysterious force was suddenly present in the road. CoasterDude impatiently demanded at the heavens why his journey had been interrupted. With a menacing demeanor, a thought reminded CoasterDude of work and college. CoasterDude cruelly dismissed his troubles and instructed his family to head back to the Towers. Scorned, the force screamed a curse; "For every branch of the Old Oak Tree that fell, a random turn of events will occur...""
Friday 3rd July was to be no normal trip to Alton Towers. Not for a day, but for a whole weekend! At around 2:10pm we set off and by 4:30pm we were outside Splash Landings...

...complete with its own mine shaft!!!

After checking in we made a break for our rooms...but not before I was distracted by the sight of the hotel's main attraction - the waterpark (which I would later find out that it had far less than my expectations).

"Later that very same night, a ferocious storm raged...and then one mighty bolt of lightning SEVERED a single branch from the Old Oak Tree..."
"...and true to the mysterious thought's prophecy, a random turn of events will eventually occur..."
Day 1:
Following the first night (complete with a pretty impressive thunderstorm), a lift ride to the hotel lobby was made accompanied by the theme tune to none other than Captain Pugwash and we were to cover the few miles to arrive at The Towers...but not on foot. The solution? MONORAIL! *cue the famous song from The Simpsons*

Upon entering the park, there was the beautiful sight before us. Over 150 miles had been covered to get here...and we had made it!

With no reason to take the A route into X-Sector as usual, the B route through Mutiny Bay/Katanga Canyon/Gloomy Wood was taken with one destination in mind - the Forbidden Valley...and its main antagonist - Nemesis.


After two decent runs on this beast (which now apparently permanently bleeds clear blood), I felt the urge to fly away...



Suddenly an unknown force dragged me mid-flight to the north of the park and I plunged into the terror of the Dark Forest! Apparently a certain number has caused mysterious disturbances within an ancient crypt...


I sensed there must be evil afoot. I unwittingly journeyed into The Towers to find out...

...but my findings only brought me to an unexpected occurrence! I found myself falling into the dark pits of Oblivion...



I had to break myself free of this curse! And the only thing for it was to be shaken out of it...literally.


"But the story didn't end there..."
Day 2:
"Legend has it that CoasterDude became so obsessed with the events of the previous day that he returned to the park the following morning..."
...and so I did!

My first guess that the curse had been triggered by me missing out on a few rides...including the likes of...

But then it dawned on me. I had to use the powers of the ride that perfectly demonstrates an intense experience. The ride that was actually heavily themed. The ride...that at 21 years old would always be the top attraction. That ride was...






"Then, CoasterDude became locked into a furious battle...of Nemesis versus the supernatural. Conducting its awesome forces in a desperate attempt to finally banish the evil power of the curse...forever."


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Report of Day 1:
Nemesis: x2
Air: x1
Oblivion: x2 (walk-on both times )
Hex: x1
TH13TEEN: x4 (3x consecutive rides via single rider while waiting for family to get off Rita )
Sonic Spinball: x1
Skyride: x1
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: x1 (total waste of time)
Pros:
- Consecutive rides on TH13TEEN were nice. (The single rider queue was literally empty)
- Hex's new effects were cool.
- Starting the day on Nemesis was great.
- Oblivion's queue was walk-on
Cons:
- Sub-Terra wasn't open this weekend.
- The Smiler was a rather sorry sight...although it'll always look amazing as just a twisted torrent of track.
- Air opened later than usual due to some apparent fallen trees in one of the ride areas.
- CatCF's existence
Report of Day 2:
Nemesis: x4
Air: x2
Oblivion: x1
Hex: x1
TH13TEEN: x1
Runaway Mine Train: x1
Duel: x1
Skyride: x2
Pros:
- Nemesis was as good as ever.
- Queues were very short again (highest queue time being 20 minutes) .
Cons:
- Duel was far too dark in places.
- Having to leave at the resort at the end of the day (all in all this weekend went far too quickly! ).
Hotel Experience:
- Rooms were in good condition (apart from the first one which my parents were in. They were moved to a different room due to the first one smelling of vomit).
- Food was okay.
- Waterpark was far more dull than I hoped.
- Lifts weren't quite what the Alton Towers Hotel have ("Mysterious Lifts")...but the Splash Landings ones having the Captain Pugwash theme tune playing was very amusing.
- General mood of the hotel was pleasant (especially out the front of the hotel), thanks to the heavy Caribbean theming.
Merch Purchases:
- Nemesis ORP
- NEME21S shirt
- Oblivion bag

I just realised I hadn't written a blog from the TPM LEGOLAND Meet! Should have been a quite important one too seeing as I haven't been before...
First impressions of LEGOLAND, it was alright! Obviously designed with little children in mind but it was a fun day all the same. Though I will admit that I fear I'm too much of a thrill seeker and it definitely needs a few more serious coasters...
Still loving the meets though
Lego Bingo... Got very competitive. Got a list of 20-ish questions from Peaj the night before and sent my answers back, and on the morning we were sent a list of the questions and people's answers. Then you have to work out who gave which answer. But some answers apply to more than one person, and some people apply to more than one answer. Ugh. Talking to people.
I'm vaguely ashamed to admit that I came second... Alpengeist killed my winning streak But we were the only two to actually complete the list. He just got it faster than me.
So SCB, you'd better be grateful I gave you my prize.
To the park then, Dragon was quite good, probably the fastest coaster I've been on with only a lap bar (Yeah, REALLY shows how travelled I am that...) and lots of the other rides were quite good. LOVED the Lego theming. Like, really, it was fab Now I understand why the LEGOLAND brand works so well for Merlin. I would love to work on a project like that, building things like that. Miniland was amazing, I could have just wandered around for hours.
This is all really increasing my belief that Scruffy Dog could be my dream job...!

I'm gonna say this straight out, I love my job. I'm so happy to finally have one, it's a massive weight off my chest
But I am way too used to having so much freedom to organise what I do.
For everyone that doesn't know, my air cadet squadron is my life. Completely. Almost everything I do within my cadets capacity isn't for myself, it's for them. I run my squadron's marching band which I have actually built myself from nothing, I have to organise most events, and I help the staff run the squadron on a regular basis. But if they will have a habit of organising events that clash, and they only let us know about a week or two before... Well when I have to book my rota for work like a month in advance it is never going to work. There is no way I can fit in everything I want to do, and planning now for June is the first time I've really noticed that Plus for the first time I went and booked myself onto this drum major course, something that I really want to do for me, but it means I have to miss quite a big marching band performance and I feel awful for it.
When it comes to nerding here with you lot, I have the opposite problem Things here are sometimes organised so far in advance I find myself hesitating in case something else comes up or I get called into work or something goes wrong. I need to be more confident in saying "Right this is what I want to do this day, this is my priority"
Work is brilliant so far. I've been there for a few weeks now and I love it I work for a charity called Challengers, who run play schemes and respite care for disabled children and young adults. I work with the youth group, 12-18 year olds and they're all fantastic.
The thing is, they're horrendously sort staffed. I ended up properly working on what was supposed to be my induction day (I was only meant to be there for an hour or two), and I was asked to book into extra shifts before I'd even had my proper first day. Still, I know it's just because they're desperate and there isn't any real pressure so it isn't a problem, it's just another really important thing vying for my time.
The final thing that isn't brilliant right now is I have absolutely no idea where I'm going to be next year. University if all goes right but I really don't know what to expect and so what I'll be able to do and how much I'll be able to come back. Still, that hurdle will be there when I get to it
To end on a positive note, I love living so near to Thorpe. It was great to turn to SCB one day when we finished college early and say "Shall we pop down and grab a few rides?" PS, the park is really quiet on Wednesday afternoons
If you've stayed on until the end, congratulations, remind me to give you a hi-five at the next meet I see you at But honestly, thanks for listening to my rant
See you at Legoland!

So yeah, my family booked a trip to Marwell Wildlife (zoo) for my birthday. Here goes...
It was in the middle of nowhere, but there was really bad traffic for the last mile or so (reminds me of a certain Staffordshire theme park), but we made it in.

And here we have the main attraction: The man with a pushchair!

Thier Penguin enclosure is a great deal bigger than Chessie's.

'Just smile and wave boys, smile and wave.'

This animal looks like my dog.

It's a pink chicken.

The world's fastest animal did not move at all during our visit. Typical.

Oh look, they seem to have stolen some theming from Zufari....

...And the Smiler, too.

This cow is the best cow in the world. It's ginger.

You could go and see the giraffes at feeding time. How sweet!

Unfortunately all we saw of the world's rarest big cat, the Amur leopard, was this little fluffy sleeping blob.

This zebra was actually in the middle of doing the moonwalk when I took this photo. This is also one of two subspecies of zebra at the zoo.

Meerkats can always look cute.

It's not just the meerkats that like sunbathing....

See? The Amur tiger does too. (These tigers are WAY bigger than the Sumatran tiger at Chessington, but less rare)

Grey Chicken.

This red panda was so high up the tree that I couldn't see him much.

Wow, they have thier own mini Towers!

Along with their own Island Like No Other...

Complete with chavs Macaques!

More stolen theming, now from Wild Asia.

Ginger Lemur is Ginger.

Lemur hug!

Wow, they even have rollercoasters here!

*dies of happiness* Snow leopards are the best.
And I shall end this blog with a picture of some rare Obese Unicorns.

For a few years now Towers has been subject to a mind marmalising force known as the Ministry of Joy and I think it's only time I reveal some of the hidden secrets after we persuaded a few Smile Assistants we want to help correct others. To do so we had to receive a grand tour of the correctional device. Be warned, what you see and read today is top secret and may correct you just by looking at it. It is your own choice to continue reading this...

Before embarking upon the process we decided to analyse the mysterious goings on by the Ministry. Maybe if we could work out their ways we'd be able to avoid correction.
However, it is very difficult to understand this mess.
Some advocates were being corrected as we watched on.

As we approached we were already being told to join them.

We knew from the start, trying to find out how they correct people without being corrected would be difficult.

Here is a vehicle to make you smiling advocates. Did you know, on Smiler they are called vehicles, Oblivion are shuttles, Air are crafts and the other coasters are trains. Random.

It was time to reach the top and try and understand the mess.

It seems to completely correct you it has two halves... must be two rides.

Crazy.

We were informed by the Smile Assistant Matt that this large tree in the middle is the height tree for X-Sector. Back in 1998 when the lord of Darkness was trying to force people to look down, the Ministry of Joy had to make the tree taller so put more ground under it. By doing so they could build Oblivion. However, in 2011/12 a storm threatened the trees existence so they chained it down because without it they may have had to close Oblivion and wouldn't have been able to build the correctional device that is Smiler. It is also 1 metre taller than Oblivion.

Low and behold the device itself! In the background you can see Enterprise but originally that was meant to leave instead of Submission. Engineering got £10,000 to get Submission back to having its two arm working together which the Ministry couldn't wait for! However, some management people decided it hurt too many people and wasn't making them Smile so they got rid of it and spent the £10,000 on Enterprise.

Under the twisted track is the queueing pen. It is made up of 6 areas, area 1 the Optical procedure room, area 2 the one outside that, area 3 has the shop alongside area 4, area 5 being the back corner and area 6 the new extension up to the toilets. Now, there are 3-5 ways of fully optimising the queue but you are meant to do it in order so 6-5-4-3-2-1 as much as possible so people can work out the queue time. Smile Assistant Dave told us of this time he made it do like 6-5-2-3-1-4 or something crazy and no one could work out the queue time... it has also never been replicated as no one can work out how he did it. In total there are as many as 20 possible queue line possibilities in some form.

Here we see the first lift... the secrets lie within the tunnel.

For the geeks.

These arrows help you to know where correction is... not like you have a choice though.

This door <3 There used to be a set of stairs here. The door is in the baggage room and it was meant for Smile Assistants to use in case a vehicle stopped on the brake run before the first lift. However, some staff took the fun too far and were opening it going boo, knocking on it and so on. So, they moved the metal staircase around the corner to which it now leads to nowhere and the door is permanently locked.

The first of 14.

So elegant. (I fear I'm starting to be corrected...)

Ah the glass floor. Smile Assistant Matt told us it works better with the lights on and was meant to help correction. But, due to delays on the Swiss side of things the whole tunnel was rushed to completion. It was originally meant to continue the Optical Procedure but this never happened. They'd love it to get completed but don't think it ever will.

Here is where you leave the station.

If you wave at the Smile Op and they wave back at you with their foot, that is because upon dispatch they have to hold two buttons down for 5 seconds before Correction can begin. And you all thought they were just being weird (yeah they are).

We then went into the pit. Yes, it is mainly made of concrete.

And track.

And muddy arrows.

Confusing.

The reason parts of the supports go into the concrete and others like this tiny one are encased in footers is because the support wasn't long enough (due to the groundwork issues) so instead of waiting for new pieces they used the materials they had (a lot of concrete obviously).

The Marmaliser.
It was all starting to get too much!!! So we went for a walk.

We came across this chained up tree.

On the walk a witch stopped us and said "You will either get corrected or for every geek who comes to visit this tree Nemesis will slowly be destroyed." I couldn't let this happen!
So 7 goes later followed by a further 4...

We were corrected.

And Nemesis keeps going strong!
So remember one thing guys,
Smile. Always.

I went skiing this week with my Explorer unit. (yay)
now, you can stop reading there, or you can continue reading about how everything went.
Day 1.
I spent 14 hours on a train with 3 of my mates, and 16 13 year olds. It was great, because I just sat there, watched movies, and threw food at them, but also bad because they'd throw it back, continue to ask me questions about the scout leader (who was, my mum. Ergh.) and it was 14 hours, on trains, for 700 miles.
Although, in this time, we did pass through several cultural captials, the likes of Burn, Paris and London. I definitely liked the small slice of paris (the walk from Gare du nord to gare Du L'est or whatever)
Now, the best thing on the journey was learning about the new vending machines in french and swiss stations. Its utterly fabulous.
I went to buy a kinder bar, because, well, I was hungry. And then, when it went to eject the bar, it got stuck. So I was standing at this vending machine, as our train pulled in, thinking 'oh bollocks, I'm about to get yelled at'. Then I pressed the change button, and it gave me all my money back. So not only did I get my money back, I got 2 kinders, for the price of one.
My friend looked it up, and it's something to do with lasers in the bottom of the vending machine that sense whether or not an object has fallen. If it hasn't, then you'll get all your money back, rather then running off angrily to the guy in the nearest ticket booth and swearing at them because they are foreign and have no idea whats happened. Absolute logic, and customer satisfaction at 100%
We got to Kandersteg at about 9PM local time. The food we were introduced by was one of the greatest mountain dishes to say hi with, and I went to sleep almost immediately....
Day 2
To be woken up by my little brothers dodgey pop music, and slamming my head against the timber pillar above my bed.
So the first day we were fully in Switzerland, it snowed about half a foot (which is not that much in the terms of things locally, but made most of us go insane.)
We walked up and down for a bit, fell down a 5 ft ledge, and then had lunch looking down at a frozen lake where REAGA (the voluntary search and rescue swiss team) were doing hypothermia training, and it was great fun watching grown men jump into literally frozen waters.
this was followed by piste sledging. So normal sledging, you go 5 miles an hour tops on wooden scaffolding on snow that seems like it wants to bury you and glue you and never let you move. Piste sleding uses metal sleds, down flattened and icey slopes, some up to 40 degrees in steepness.
Yeah, mental. According to our guide we reached about 35km on these things.

Finally, we went curling. We were all rubbish at it and just ended up watching the ice hockey match going on next door.
Day 3.
WE FINALLY STARTED SKIING YaY.
For those of you who don't know, skiing is one of those sports I was actually good at. It's a little boast of a thing I can talk about.
My mum skied for England, and I started skiing when I was 6, and from then on skied almost every week until I was 11. Annually we did holidays to France rather then going away in the summer, and I got into the county race team at some point.
Anyway, a couple years ago I had a big crash racing and it put me off, so I turned to ski cross, where I since have had many more, and far worse crashes, but couldn't care less.

What is ski cross? I hear you mumble. It's like a slalom, where you are given a set amount of gates to go around, but the corners are banked, you are given up to 12 bumps and jumps to ski over, and you race head to head with up to 5 other people.

Aaaand I picked up my first injury, skiing into a tree
Day 4
We went skiing again..! But to a different place.
This one had a really good ski cross, so I was happy. And then it had some nice off piste too, then I twisted my leg a little bit and had to ski 'cautiously' for the rest of the day.

IN THE EVENING we had a massive snow ball fight. This was great because it meant I could pour snow down my brothers back and it be deemed okay. But then the ice started getting thrown.... Injury 3!
Day 5
OMG more skiing woaw.
I hit about 65 km on this day. Which is pretty bloody quick.

Also, there were lots of little jumpy bits so that was fun

SKI CROSS

Evening activity was cooking bananas. I hate bananas, as do one the rest of the explorers who were there, so we had a massive banana fight and then got told off a little.
DAY 6
Final Day of skiing. Nooo D:
But... SKI CROSS.
Here, have a running commentary thingy of me skiing an olyimpic quality one:
and we're off!

Round the first S bend

Round the second and he slips into 2nd place

Round the left quarter turn

Over the 1st air time hill (they exist out of coasters as well you know)

Second & third airtime hills (and into 1st!)

Double camelback and finish!

The only thing that could've made the day better was if the slalom course was open... and if I didn't tare some muscle in my knee.
How?
This:

That's what happens if you get cocky kids.
To finish off the trip, we went night tobogganing. It's super dooper fun, especially when it was as icy as it was:


So yeah my leg is in a rubber thing and I have loads of homework to catch up on.
If any of you read this, thanks for taking to the time to read something entirely not coaster related. Maybe I'll do one of those things soon.

The Castle is full of history. And Merlin.

Welcome to Warwick Castle. Oh, follow these signs for the distances labelled and you can go to Merlin places of magic. Historic.

Don't you just love being ticketed.

Some decent shows. I really like the year round Annual Pass show at the Stables Ticket Office.

So much rich history. First date though... 2015

More NEW stuff! Very historical the year of 2015 is.

Look it's old!

Really old rope fence. 1340 that.

Artsy shot of a thing that's old.

Yes everyone's favourite thing! Merlin just have many of these everywhere.

Is it a bird?

Yes.

Unlike Towers, they don't want stuff to catch on fire like some old skyride stations enjoy doing.

Oh... it's 1100 years. My mistake. Use this old piece of technology that King Henry 8th used to find out more!

I knew the automatic door was an invention of the 1200s!

Merlinism!

Josh and his new friend approve of such things.

Whilst Jack has no idea what's going on (as per usual)

So he is killed.

This guy is trying not to laugh at the death.

Let's look at some rich history.

Firing catapult thingy.

This looks old.

It is 1350!

Like these books. So old they've retired!

This tree has given up it would seem.

"I want to leave. Urgh Merlin"

"Don't even mention Merlin, I'll peck you"

"I'm sworn to like Merlin... Doesn't mean I do"

"I see you looking at me. Please take me home!!!!"

And this is what happens to the birds who diss Merlin. Warwick Castle won't have any left on show at this rate.

Machinery fun!!!

And it's not black.

Towers.

Warwick. There's no difference really. (And yes, Jack is now alive)

Quick suit up!

ATTACK!!!!

Oh no... they've given him a weapon.

He's too happy by that.

Not a partner in crime as well! We are stuffed.

Guess I'll just save the day.

OFF THE EDGE!

No one will find him down here.

Nice view too.

I'll end with this photo because why not.
MERLIN CASTLE! PIZZA PASTA BUFFET OPENING SOON

Welcome to part two of a bored, slightly humorous random blog post on a Sunday Evening!
*PRE-WARNING, THIS IS ALL A-BIT OF FUN, PLEASE READ THIS LIGHT HEARTED*
Last week, I introduced you to The Merlin Rollercoastermatic Universe, (which is like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, just less Iron Man and more disappointment).
There's been two main phases since Merlin's take over in (2007/08), the first one is named, hype, and you can read about it here!
The second phase is called, unoriginal;
The Unoriginal Phase (2012-2015)
The Swarm^ (B&M, Built in 2012) -
The Swarm started off well, the plans showed us that the UK is getting it's first B&M in 9 years and the theming looked incredible, but unfortunately, Merlin had to step in and create an USP for The Swarm, something all new rollercoaster's had to have now, apparently. Thus the tagline 'The Europe's tallest/UK’s first winged rollercoaster' was created.
The Swarm was received well, but didn't bring the guest in, was it because the GP didn't know what a 'winged rollercoaster' is, or maybe The Olympic's being in the same year? No one really knows the answer, but a year later, to try and give this already unoriginal layout and theme another lease of life, they turned two rows of seats backwards and re-marketed it as the new attraction for 2013...
The Smiler* (Gerstlauer, Built in 2013) -
Let's be very honest here... The Smiler's whole planning, construction, and opening was more messy than me after 5 rounds of Tequila. The opening was delayed, not once, not twice but THREE TIMES. The groundwork being so poor, it feels like you've visited the Alton Towers Waterpark, not The Smiler, and that theme song that just haunts you for the next two weeks.
The Smiler USP was very clever, 14 inversions, with most of them being hidden during planning, just a shame 8 of them try to paralyse you. Whats unoriginal about it you say? If I wanted a poorly built ride to disable me, I'd ride Saw The Ride.
Flug der Dämonen^ (B&M, Built in 2014) -
Flug der Dämonen didn't have a USP, that is because it really was The Swarm 2, the ride cars are identical, the theme is identical, most of the ride elements are identical... apart from that cool looking inversion!
It wasn't a world's first, or Europe's first... it was just, a really good rollercoaster, that happens to have ugly white coloured track.
Oblivion: The Black Hole (B&M, Built in 2015) -
Talking of ugly white track, finishing our wonderful unoriginal phase, is the most unoriginal rollercoaster of them all!
Heide Park got a dive coaster, then a winged rollercoaster... Gardaland got a winged rollercoaster... now it's getting a dive rollercoaster, did they get them buy one get one free or something?!
The layout looks fun though! Just a shame the marketing and name of this rollercoaster, is literally two rides from X-Sector, and Oblivion 2.0.
So that brings us to the present day, Oblivion: The Black Hole hasn't opened yet so we're unsure how the story will unfold, so expect an update in April time, but that is our two phases!
What is the next phase? I hear you say...
Well unlike Marvel who have released phase 3, we're really unsure what Merlin is going to do.
2016 is going to be Thorpe Park's & Merlin's next big investment, which we all thought was going to be a rollercoaster, but turns out, to be a dark ride... Alton Towers has rumours flying here, there and everywhere about Wooden Valley Coaster, and our lovely European parks might get a flying coaster called, Air - The Blade.
Who knows?
Thank you all for reading.
Trolley Dolly (Liam T)
Key:
* - World's First
^ - Taller than 100ft
USP - Unique Selling Point

WARNING: High Liam content.
Well, what an amazing day this was! It was a joy to see everyone again and to meet some new faces
(Btw, I got the xmas smilies by googling them, started typing this during xmas, was gonna remove them since but meh, it's a Christmas meet )
After being greeted with hugs and smiles at Waterloo station, it was off to The Eye (and that wonderful 4D experience). It was a clear day so we got some great views, could even see Stealth! Liam was such a tourist (actually, he was for the whole day) and came out with a great response to The Shard: "It doesn't look real! It looks like it's been painted on!"
Seflie time!

Next up was The Dungeons, which were a great laugh as usual, and with it being Liam's first time, we were provided with much entertainment in the form of his vocalizations. Such as: jumping on the boat ride; screaming in the plague doctors scene when the leeches crawl under your bum, and just general camp reactions. The highlight was, of course, when he got picked in the torture device scene Just...perfect! Shame we couldn't take any photos! Although...
Our ORP from Drop Dead with Luke (and some random lady) was quite something...

Luke's face!
We skipped SeaLife and headed straight to Nandos, about an hour before our booking We managed to lose Peaj on the underground, whilst gaining Mark9 and Dan9...but were eventually reuinited in Nandos. Secret Santa was fun as always (but did we actually finish it?!), I think Liam was most impressed with his sexy fireman calendar
At this point, I had intended on going around and handing all my Christmas cards out...not really sure what happened! So instead, I just went to people individually throughout the rest of the day and gave them their cards. But because of this, there were some people who I didn't get round to giving their cards to, so major apologies!
BUT I did bring loads of candy canes And I tried to make sure everyone got one lol!
After this cheeky dessert of candy canes, it was off to Madame Tussauds for most of us while the rest headed to the pub. A few bits (and groping of!) from Tussauds:

Santa Banter!
(In full HD 60fps, as are all my videos)


http://youtu.be/FWs9qD1OAro

I also added some silly/amusing annotations And it appears that our meet organiser was clearly still in shock after becoming seperated from us on the underground, and couldn't even catch a giant box
A few stills from that footage:


W're royal, ya know

Erm, I still have no words...

Aww I do love this photo!

Soon, it was time for The Spirit of London!
Here's some stills from my on-ride footage ...Because the detail in this ride is just brilliant.
Luke popped his head round to tell us something important...

(Watch the video that I have included further down to find out what, I didn't upload them for nothing )
Rebuilding London and St Paul's



#Lad

Hmm, this reminds me of a particular coaster...

Only just realised when watching the footage back that this helter skelter is also Big Ben!

Where did everyone go?!

Plot twist: they were taken by the creepy fireman!

I think it's partly the fact that his right eye just stares straight ahead which makes him creepy (ish).
I thoroughy enjoyed the ride as always, as did Liam!

Why not see (and hear!) for yourself?
http://youtu.be/boytOANK8_E


I was a bit sheepish about being too obvious filming it, hence why the view seems quite low down at points. But it's the things that are said/the reactions (again, mainly from Liam) that are the highlights of the video, really! "WHO'S THAT?!" "Oh my god we're going down...OOOH!" "We're going oop...WE'RE GOING OOP!"
Winter Wonderland
Well, once we'd eventually got inside and shuffled painfully to the Carousel Bar, we could enjoy ourselves (as much as humanely possible). Myself and some others did Wild Maus XXL, which was even more insane, hardly seemed to trim! There's a particular corner which is ridiculously fast - you can actually see people being thrown to the side when watching!
Then while some others did Barrel of Laughs, we did XXL. It was definitely worth it! Far more than just a giant Freakout or better version of Vortex It was fast, pretty intense, had both great force and great airtime, and when I thought we'd reached full height, it still went higher! Pretty sure I shouted "What the f**k?!" a few times!

Winter Wonderland off-ride footage
http://youtu.be/E3htSa9TRvU


At 14-15 seconds in, watch the corner just above the blue sign - that's the corner I just mentioned, you'll see how fast the car flies through! You also get to hear the wonderful operator on XXL, who kept repeating the same things over and over again. OH and watch (and listen) out for my little edit at the end
It was eventually time to say goodbye It really was lovely to see people again, especially people like Liam who I haven't seen in a long time and live bloomin' miles away! Actually had to hold back from crying when hugging goodbye
Although, it was nice to go to the pub after with some peeps and just chill, was a nice way to finish such a good day!
Here is the album with all my photos in for any who want to see the rest of them: Christmas London Trip 2014
Oh and any photos with people in are set to private (the above link is a guest pass, so only those who I share the link to can see the private photos)
So thank you to everyone for making it such a great meet, and of course to Peaj! Last year's meet unfortunately ended up on a very sad day for me and my family, so I don't have great memories from it. And for various reasons, 2014, up until around late October/November, was a pretty awful year for me personally. BUT (cue happy/triumphant music), since November-time I've finally been on the mend, and for the first time in a very long time (a few years perhaps!) I feel back to my old self - if not, better than that! Something must have shone through as I was often the one the actors spoke to at The Dungeons Seriously though, I feel so alive and more chatty, and I was eager to see how I'd be at a meet (especially with so many people), and I'm very pleased to say that I felt amazing!
So here's to 2015 Happy new year! x

Arabian Adventure
 
It's winter: the nights are drawing in, the days are getting shorter, and it's altogether a bit chilly. So what better excuse than to have a quick break away to the UAE; land of sand, sun, Sheiks... and coasters! Thanks to a bargain return BA flight booked relatively last minute, I enjoyed 4 pleasantly warm (28°C) days at the end of November in the Emirates, seeing the sights, enjoying the food, and riding the rides. Read on for the highlights, and lowlights, of my Arabian Adventure.
 
This trip report covers all of the Parks I visited:
 
Sparky's FEC, Dubai Wonderland, Dubai Sega Republic, Dubai Yas Waterworld, Abu Dhabi Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi  
I was based in Dubai for my visit, and all of the Dubai Parks were within easy reach of the Metro. Like most of the buildings & infrastructure in Dubai, the Metro is very new, with the first line having been opened only in 2009, and a second one following in 2011. The city's tram is so new, it was only 2 weeks old when I visited! Dubai is also very easy to get around via the relatively cheap taxis, which are ubiquitous.
 
Yas Island, which houses both Yas Waterworld and Ferrari World, is located in Abu Dhabi, and the only means of getting there is via car. Given that the UAE has a less than impressive road safety record (supposedly you are 7x more likely to have a road accident vs. in the UK), for these Parks I opted to avoid driving myself and got a taxi, which took just under an hour each way.
 

 
So, on with the report. Hold on tight - it's a long one. And the first (mini) Park I visited was Sparky's:
 
Sparky's Family Entertainment Centre, Dubai

Sparky's FEC is a very new addition to the Dubai amusement scene, having only officially opened in March 2014. Owned by Saudi Arabia's Al Hokair Group (who run 55 indoor recreation centres in Saudi and the UAE), the complex is based on the top floor of the Al Ghurair Centre - one of the more modest Malls in Dubai, but still comparatively large compared to anything in the UK. The site houses an ice rink, 5D cinema, dark ride, go karts, soft play area, many arcade games... and a coaster!
 
Entrance is free, and rides and arcade games are on a pay-as-you-go basis. The minimum top-up on the Sparky's card was 50 AED (£8.77), which got me 2 rides on the coaster and 1 go on the 5D cinema (which incidentally was very well done, if quite jumpy... damn zombies).
 

 
The coaster was simply called Roller Coaster, and stood seemingly deserted when I walked up to the entrance gates: I had to ask an attendee tending to another ride to come over and open it up for me! Truth be told, the FEC wasn't busy, so I suspect it makes sound business sense to employ fewer "roaming" ride operators than have more of them all fixed on certain rides for the day.
 

 
Roller Coaster is an I.E. Park Spinning Coaster - indeed, is one of I.E. Park's very first Spinning Coasters. Riders sit back to back on Maurer-style spinning cars, with a simple lap bar to hold them in. Squarely aimed at the family market, the ride features 2 lift hills and weaves its way around the top of the FEC.
 

 
And perhaps surprisingly, the ride was good fun from start to finish. I wasn't expecting much to start with, but Roller Coaster had a good amount of spinning, a few airtime-inducing drops (when sat at the back) and was altogether a very comfortable ride. Not half bad for a new model, so I.E. Park should be commended. It looks pretty good too (pictured here above the ice rink)!
 

 
Sparky's won't take up any more than an hour or so of your time due to the small choice of attractions and even smaller crowds, but I'd nonetheless recommend paying it a visit if you're in the area. Roller Coaster is a decent attraction, and the supporting rides make for a more entertaining visit to a shopping mall than normal!
 

 
Wonderland, Dubai

Wonderland is situated to the north of Dubai city, only 10 mins drive from the airport. Before venturing off to find it, I questioned whether it would even be worth a visit: it was a little out of the way, looked as if it had only one operational coaster (a Vekoma Roller Skater), and the reviews on Trip Advisor were not even slightly encouraging (11% approval at time of writing). But not wanting to judge the place before I'd seen it myself, I took the Metro to the nearest stop, Dubai Healthcare City, and walked up to the Park entrance.
And this is what I found:
 

 
And this is what the car park looked like:
 

 
And there was no activity going on at this Beijing Jiuhua Amusement Rides Spinning Coaster:
 

 
And this contraption looked like it would kill anyone who tried to ride it:
 

 
Undeterred, I walked up to the very-far right booth at the entrance to speak to the attendant, and asked if I could buy a ticket. He was a local Emirati guy in traditional dress, but was a man of few words.
 
"Park is closed today", he said - even though their website stated it was open from 10am to 12am. When I asked why, he said that there was a "big new attraction coming", and they had to close the whole Park to construct it. "What sort of ride?", I asked, somewhat surprised. "A big one which spirals around a lot", he said, gesturing with his hands. I couldn't see any construction going on.
 
"When are you opening again?", I asked. He shrugged.
 
I then asked if I could have a look around the deserted Park to take some photos, but unsurprisingly he declined. The only snap I got was of the view into the Park from the entrance gates (below).
 
"Water park is open today", he said, pointing over to the left. And then he sat back down again.
 

 
But I had a good look at the water park, and it didn't look very open to me. Cutting my losses, I left Wonderland feeling more than a little frustrated.
 

 
Sega Republic, Dubai

Sega Republic is a relatively new FEC located on the top floor of the Dubai Mall. The Dubai Mall is the "world's largest shopping mall", with over 1,200 (count them) stores, including all the luxury brands you could want, along with a Debenhams, M&S, and Hamleys. Annually it hosts more visitors than New York City . So there's more than enough demand for an indoor Theme Park and Sega Republic stepped up to the mark, opening in 2009.
 
Much like Sparky's, Sega Republic operate on both a pay-as-you-go basis, where rides range in price from 15 AED to 30 AED (£2.63 - £5.25), and a pay-once basis, where a "Power Pass" for all rides is available at 175 AED (£30.65). Payment is handled via a Sega-bespoke smart card system, where ride entrances have only Sega-card readers and don't accept cash: Sega-cards must be topped up at designated payment booths prior to riding.
 

 
It's a pretty big FEC at 76,000 sq ft, and sprawls across 2 floors. As standard, the Park opens from 10am to 1am (11pm at off-peak times), so there's lots of opportunity to visit. And the Park's headline attraction is the rather good Gerstlauer custom spinner, Spin Gear.
 

 
As with the rest of the Park, Spin Gear is themed around Sonic and friends, and features an enclosed dark section in the second half of the ride that is not visible from the outside. It's a good length, smooth family spinner - the local riders opposite us in our car certainly seemed to enjoy themselves.
 

 
The standard of presentation is really rather good, with Doctor Eggman goading Sonic / presenting safety information in the queueline videos.
 

 
And the cars are very comfortable too, with a snug lap bar restraint to hold you in. So in all, Spin Gear can be recommended: it's a solid attraction that's much larger than first appears, and produces some good lateral forces. Well worth giving a go.
 

 
A side note on Sega Republic: prior to boarding any ride, riders are forced to stand and read a laminated sheet of paper with detailed instructions / safety information / rider restrictions printed on it. Ride attendants present this laminate to every rider about to board, which was fine given the relatively low crowds, but would be a throughput nightmare if there was any sort of queue.
 
I've never seen a Park do this before - highly conservative, and probably highly unnecessary.
 

 
Sega Republic had a good selection of flats to support the main 'coaster, include Xyclone, a gyro-swing-esq ride, which goes a full 360° and inverts riders over the top. Good fun, although a little painful being slammed back onto your restraint every time the carriage comes down having gone over the top.
 

 
My favourite flat was the innovative Halfpipe Canyon, which rode a little like a standing-up-pirate-ship. Huge amounts of fun, the ride puts 4 riders in 2 teams of 2, who compete against each other on their respective green or orange skateboard. Once the ride begins, the skateboards start to swing much like a pirate ship. Once the boards have reached their highest swings, they also rotate 360° for added disorientation. Teams gain points for stamping left-right-left-right on the plates underneath them at the points where the skateboards reach the top of the halfpipes - the most points wins.
 
Halfpipe Canyon: huge re-rideability - some people were running around for second / third / tenth goes - and very entertaining. If you ever see one of these, hand over your money!
 

 
Yas Waterworld, Abu Dhabi
 
And now onto the Parks in Abu Dhabi, both based on Yas Island. Yas Island is - much like the Palm in Dubai - an artificial block of land, located just off the coast of Abu Dhabi. It's still half completed, but the stats are staggering: the idea for the island was conceived only in 2006, but was built and opened for business just a few years later. The F1 circuit is the main draw, but the island has just opened a large Mall, and is home to both Yas Waterworld, and more famously Ferarri World. Total investment in the project is estimated at US$40 billion - that's 9 zeros - $40,000,000,000 . We opted for Yas Waterworld first.

Yas Waterworld opened only last year in January 2013, and has already been named the second best waterpark in the world, behind Disney's Typhoon Lagoon. Pretty impressive, and it's easy to see why - for me the Park is right up there with any of its American counterparts in terms of number, quality and variety of flumes & rides, and the standard of presentation across the whole Park is top notch.
 

 
For example, I don't think I've ever seen such a glorious mess of flumes as this (below) in any water park I've been to! These snake flumes were all provided by WhiteWater - the company behind our own revered Storm Surge. I think they've innovated a little since the advent of their Spinning Rapids Ride: these 6 slides include both cool new Rattler sections and a SuperBowl.
 
WhiteWater actually provided 12 out of the 14 attractions for Yas, and the Park is great advert for their products. One of the star attractions is the Liwa Loop AquaLoop, which I'm happy to confirm is one of the most heart-in-mouth water slides I've ever ridden. That moment when you're standing atop a trap door, knowing there's a freefall drop of several tens of feet below you and then a loop, hearing a calm female voice counting down "3...2...1..."? Scary bananas. WhiteWater also supplied a Freefall Speed Slide and a 6-lane Whizzard racer, which were both a whole lot of fun.
 

 
Judging by queue length alone though, it was ProSlide who won the popularity contest at Yas with their ginormous HydroMagnetic Mammoth Water Coaster installations that went by the names of Dawwama and Falcon's Falaj. Both slides use LIMs to propel the 6-person rafts up, as well as using gravity to push them down again into features such as this massive 20m funnel.
 
And you can't even blame low capacity for that queue - ProSlide claims a throughput of up to 1,080 per hour on their 6-person Water Coasters!
 

 
Hugely wet, hugely fast, hugely fun. And the uphill LIMs are a big improvement on e.g. Alton's Master Blaster water-propelled method.
 

 
But the real reason for visiting Yas Waterworld was to have a go on their Vekoma Splash Party coaster, Bandit Bomber.
 

 
It's a pretty bold decision by the Park to install a water-based steel coaster in a wet environment, especially given that previous attempts by other manufacturers (notably Setpoint) can hardly be deemed a success - Carowinds and Hersheypark can tell you more. The track layout sprawls across the Park affording riders a good view of the slides below, and the real fun comes when the 4-person trains roll through the "splash zone". In this area, riders on Bandit Bomber can choose to press a "trigger" button attached to the seats to dump a load of water on the queueing guests below. Guests below can retaliate thanks to ground-based water guns pointing up at the track.
 

 
It's a great idea, although unfortunately marred by the fact that on some of the trains, the hardware wasn't working (meaning no water was dumped, even if the triggers were pressed at the right time by riders), and that many of the riders seemingly had no idea that they had a trigger at their disposal, choosing instead to completely ignore the splash zone interactivity.
 
Whilst this was a shame, for those riders who did know what they were doing, and had been lucky enough to get a working train, Bandit Bomber was a lot of fun - anyone who's used the pay-per-use water guns located to the sides of Storm Surge or Tidal Wave will know how gratifying spraying a complete stranger with water can be.
 

 
And for everyone else, Bandit Bomber was still a solid family ride, with a decent twisty layout that afforded some good negative-G-inducing drops and swoops. Extra points to Vekoma for producing a really smooth ride, too - their latest steelies are so much improved vs. their back catalogue (their 2013 suspended family coaster Orkanen is one of the best family rides out there). Guests were running around back to the ride entrance to try it again; a thumbs up from me.
 

 
Yas Waterworld, then, is an excellent Park with only a few flaws (location is a bit in the middle of nowhere, and it's not cheap at 240 AED - £42), so I'd encourage anyone in Abu Dhabi, or even in Dubai, to make the trip over to Yas Island to spend a day there. The themeing and attention to detail is superb, and for my money the range of attractions and quality of the environment makes this a notch above more established local rivals such as Wild Wadi or Aquaventure.
 

 
Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi

Last but not least - Ferrari World. This had been by far my most anticipated Park due to its scale ("world's largest indoor Theme Park") and its speed machine ("world's fastest roller coaster"). As we had only a day on Yas Island, we didn't get over to Ferrari World until 4pm, having spent the morning and a fair amount of the afternoon in Yas Waterworld! Doing both Parks in one day does however have the advantage of being able to use the Yas Park Pass - a snip(?) at 365 AED (£63.87) - which bought us entry into both attractions.
 

 
The first thing to say is that the huge red structure which houses this Park is really, well, huge. It is so huge, in fact, that it's almost too big for the number of attractions that Ferrari World offers - around 15 if everything is operational. Walking from one side of the place to the other takes a considerable amount of time, but it wouldn't be difficult to polish the Park off in just half a day - as we did!
 
It's clear however that the Park are aware of this and are still investing. The 200ft drop tower that sits in the middle of the structure is currently under scaffolding (although it was unclear whether this was for renovation or to dismantle it), and the flume ride was boarded up with large "Coming Soon" signs plastered all over it. Local news suggests that the Park plans to install 7 new rides over the next 3 years, with the general manager claiming that some of these will be "iconic". Gringotts coaster, anyone?
 

 
But let's get straight to business - and the reason most of you probably came to read this trip report in the first place.
 
Formula Rossa is a breathtaking, pant-wetting rocket of a ride, and gave me the biggest adrenaline rush I've had from a 'coaster in a good long time; maybe even ever.
 

 
Made by Intamin, the coaster somewhat trumps sister hydraulic launch rides Stealth and Rita by boasting a launch of 0 to 149mph in ~4 seconds. That's basically Stealth's launch, and then Stealth's launch again. What follows is a 171ft hill, and then one of the longest layouts in the world (6th longest at the time of writing - Lightwater's Ultimate comes in at 2nd), mostly consisting of high hills and wide turns.
 
Although Ferrari World is an indoor Park, their star attraction of course launches off into the desert outside. And the Park provides a great viewing platform for potential riders to assess what they're letting themselves in for...
 

 
Two things happen in the station to keep the ride safe and operational. One: the train wheels and chassis are sprayed with water via automatic misters to cool it down in between launches. With temperatures in the summer averaging over 38°C, Intamin have had to adapt to the local climate. And two: riders are presented with red glasses, to keep any windy desert sand away from delicate eyes when moving at 149mph. All riders are required to wear these.
 

 
This ride is - unsurprisingly - all about the speed. The layout is fun, but with the transitions so wide and the hills relatively tall, not especially forceful. It's just fast. Bloody fast.
 
I rode Formula Rossa twice; once in the 3rd car (of 4), and once in the front row. In the 3rd car, the speed was palpable, with facial features distinctly wobbling and riders' screams literally taken from mouths.
 
On the front row, the ride morphs into an even more intense beast. Words cannot describe the sheer thrill of the launch: it really pushes the limits of human endurance on a Theme Park ride. My face turned into a rubbery mess, my arms - which were over-confidently in the air until about halfway down the launch track - were pinned back down into my lap bar, and my eyes streamed from the speed (even though I had the glasses on). In many ways, I am thankful for the trims on the hill after the launch - if the train continued to career around the track at the launch speed, it would have been a very uncomfortable experience indeed.
 
For me, the rush was comparable only to the huge adrenaline shot I experienced when skydiving over Salisbury Plain a few years ago - with a vertical terminal velocity of about 120mph. I have never experienced a Theme Park ride like it.
 

 
The riders' expressions say it all.
 

 
The Park's supporting attractions are the Fiorano GT Challenge racing coasters, from Maurer Söhne. Located on the other side of the Park, these dualing car-themed coasters use LSM technology to launch riders at a more family-friendly 59mph.
 

 
The trains are themed to Ferrari F430 Spiders, and feature comfy lapbars common to their spinner rides (a la Sonic Spinball). With a launch straight after the station, 3 further launches around the 1km track, and a handful of stop-start magnetic brake sections, the ride was both thrilling and a lot of fun. The ride layouts weaved in and out of each other, with red, yellow and green lights situated to the side of the tracks to inducate the (green) launches, (yellow) hairpin turns and (red) braking sections.
 
The ride ops didn't mind re-riding here, so we had a good 10 goes on Fiorano GT Challenge, on both the left (black) and right (red) sides - the left proved the favourite.
 

 
Other attractions at Ferrari World included the Scuderia Challenge simulators, Speed of Magic 4D dark ride, Viaggio in Italia Soarin-style attraction, newly-installed Tyre Twist teacups ride, and Karting Academy go-karts, which operated on a time-slot basis (we asked for a slot at 4:30pm, but were told the next available slot was at 7:30pm, so gave it a miss).
 
One of the largest-footprint rides inside the giant Ferrari building is Bell'Italia, a tour around a mini-Italy in a tracked Ferrari 250 California car. This ride proved to be a little embarassing, as the majority of "mini-Italy" had either been removed, or was in a state of disrepair. We were just driving around a load of empty green banking; Verona was little more than a sign saying "under renovation". Really quite poor.
 
Unfortunately, the Bell'Italia experience was somewhat reflective of Ferrari World as a whole; the two major 'coasters notwithstanding, the Park is a little in a state of disrepair at the moment. It is badly missing supporting attractions, with the closure of the drop tower and water ride not helping matters. The main Ferarri building is vast and needs more inside it to justify a gate price of 250 AED (£43.75). Although Formula Rossa and the Go Karts had queues, crowds were low (much lower than Yas Waterworld), which did little to lift the atmosphere - it was all a bit empty and flat.
 
I have hope for Ferrari World, though. Its coasters are both of real quality, and they have the infrastructure to build upon and grow. Yas Island is not even finished yet and Abu Dhabi has great potential to capitalise on tourism in the same way that Dubai has done. Fingers crossed the owners can keep the venture afloat and the Park doesn't go the same way as other expensive IP-led ventures such as ill-fated Hard Rock Park.
 

 
Burj Khalifa, Dubai
 

 
OK, so this is clearly not a Theme Park... but you, esteemed reader, may still be interested. This is the Burj Khalifa, and I was lucky to get in a visit to "At The Top" during my trip. Much in the spirit of all things UEA, you may not be surprised to hear that this is the "tallest building in the world". Tom Cruise famously sat on top of it. To put some numbers around it, the Burj Khalifa is 828m tall. That's insanely tall. If Nemesis Inferno's track was stretched out vertically from start to end, it still wouldn't be as tall as the Burj. London's The Shard could be stretched 2.5 times its height, and it wouldn't be as tall as the Burj.
 
In person, it's really quite impressive. It towers above Dubai's already screamingly tall skyline. The building houses 30,000 people, in both office and residental space. And for 165 AED (£28.87), tourists can take the (ear-poppingly fast) elevator up to floor 124 for a simply stunning view of the Emirate.
 
I picked my time slot to visit a couple of weeks before I arrived in Dubai ("At The Top" sells out weeks in advance), so I was primed for a good sunset at around 5pm. It didn't disappoint.
 

 
Watching the sun set over the city, desert and sea, from nearly a kilometer up in the sky, was a very cool moment. And as you might expect Dubai just lights up at night, yielding awesome views such as the below. Magnificent.
 

 
~
 
So, there is a wealth of Theme Park fun to be had out in the UAE, with clear highlights of my trip being Formula Rossa, Sega Republic and Yas Waterworld. The region is growing so rapidly that in many areas you can almost smell the investment being pumped into the place. That's not to say it's been an easy ride, however - the recession in 2008/2009 hit the sector hard, with projects like Universal Studios Dubailand barely making it off the drawing board. Indeed, when I was travelling down to Abu Dhabi from Dubai, I could see from my taxi the entrance arch to the proposed Universal Studios standing alone in the vast desert around it - very bizarre.
 
One large reason to be excited for UAE's Theme Park future is the development of Dubai Parks and Resort, a massive £1.7bn entertainment complex located towards the south of Dubai city centre, slated to open in 2016. Parques Reunidos - operators of Parque Warner Madrid and Mirabilandia - have been appointed to run two of the three Theme Parks due to open at the resort: Motiongate Dubai (a 4 million sq. foot Hollywood-inspired Park, with studios such as Dreamworks already on board) and Bollywood Parks Dubai (a 3-million sq. foot Bollywood-inspired Park, with major Mumbai studios on board).
 
The third Park in the complex is from a more familiar operator: Merlin Entertainments. Legoland Dubai, a proposed 7th Legoland Park, promises more than 40 attractions upon opening over an area of 3 million sq. foot. Construction boards have already gone up and are again visible from the E11 road to Abu Dhabi, so if all goes to plan, I can see many reasons for a return trip in a few years' time. And I haven't even mentioned the near-future opening of IMG Worlds of Adventure, featuring a Mack launched coaster...
 
Thanks for reading!

https://translate.google.com/?hl=en&tab=TT (may be useful. Also any apologies to fluent German speakers, Google translate still doesn't do that well but it copies nicely back into Translate)
Willkommen in der letzten Reisebericht des Jahres. Hierfür haben wir nach Deutschland in London reiste.

Sieht aus wie Hyde Park.

Englisch Wolken. (Nicht jetzt lila und blauen Stuhl, zurück zu Erlebnisinsel)

Auch das Zeichen ist in Englisch. Es ist Winterwunder dumm!

Ach, mein Lieblingshotel. Alpen. Der Barkeeper ist genial!

Nur in Deutschland

große Schaukel Sache. XXL.

Es ist grün und rot, wie Weihnachten

Nachtzeit kommt in Deutschland schneller.

Lieben Sie die Wolken in diesem

Hübsche Lichter. Oh und es heißt Sprungschanze

Fliegen Sie über Deutschland

Fliegen in der Luft

Was ist das?

Leitungen Turm 2

Fantastische

Und hier drüben ...

WILDE MAUS XXL

schauen, es ist die große Schaukel wieder. XXL

hallo dort

Luft. Sogar klingt besser in Deutsch

ich werde verlassen auf einem Thriller. Auf Wiedersehen
Wir sehen uns in 2015!

2014 is almost over, which can only mean one thing...it's time for my review of Thorpe's season! In a way, it kind of feels silly to do a 'season' review on behalf, since I've "only" made 8 visits this year (by far my smallest Thorpe tally in memory!), so there's a few gaps here and there, and my views may not be fully representative of the season. However, I hope this review will end up giving a nice roundup of the season, and my views on what's gone down. If anyone wants to see my reviews of previous seasons, they can all be found HERE (once again, apologises about the pictures no longer working - darn Facebook!). And with all that out of the way, let's "get ready to go...looking good...3 2 1..."
New for 2014 - Angry Birds Land
Rewind a year ago, and I said that for 2014, "There's been talks of a new 4D film, the return of the Canada Creek Railway, the movement of Vengeance to the park and ...at least one of those things should happen." Fortunately, one of those things did happen.
I don't quite know how ABL has been received by the public, but enthusiast opinion is certainly more on the negative side. However, I must admit, I side with the side that, on the whole, it's an okay investment for the park. The 'land' is very small - it seems almost silly to call it an area of a theme park given how small it is. The 4D cinema, whilst a bit over the top with the effects, is a nice break from the bombardment of rides and is certainly a vast improvement on Time Voyagers (though that's not saying much, mind!). The Dodgems are good fun and, whilst nothing special, a nice filler ride for everyone to enjoy. Personally, I think that Detonator is the biggest waste in the area; new audio was needed, and a bit more of a feel around the ride was required. But instead we end up with a new name and cheap logo plus a random bird plonked nearby - still feels out of place unfortunately.
So yeah, all in all, I don't think ABL is a bad investment. I think it will work in the long run (Angry Birds will no doubt continue to be popular, and with a major film set for 2016, I can see a second wind for it coming up), and brought life into what was a lifeless area. Many say that it's destroyed Amity Cove - but let's face it, there's a huge difference between Stealth-side Amity (Amity Speedway) and Tidal Wave-side Amity (the Amity Cove). A divide is necessary really, and this gives a chance to divide the sides further, which would be a good thing. For the future, I'd like to see the Teacups given an Angry Birds theme, since it feels a bit out of place at the moment, and the well-known Angry Birds tune be made more prominent throughout the area - it's something I was looking forward to hearing if I'm honest!

Detonator - needs more work...


These metal plate theming bits are...okay. Not my first choice thematic feature for the area though!

King Pig's Wild Hog Dodgems - a bit bare, but good fun.
New for 2014 - Other Stuff
Though a quiet year on the rides and attractions front, there were a few new and improved things around the park...
The Shark Hotel replaced the Crash Pad, and is Thorpe's own attempt at a shipping container hotel. Indeed, the shark idea was my favourite of the three concepts (the other two being the Pier and crashed ship). I do quite like the look of the shark - it's quirky and different, and likely a nice talking point for people visiting. My only criticism of it is that, on the inside, you can see all the framework - a bit of a shame in all honesty, but I guess there's got to be limitations to everything. Maybe not the most spectacular thing ever, but I have a fond spot for it if I'm being honest.

Bite me.
Then there's the improved entrance. It must surely be a short-term solution, as the whole ticket and entrance plaza needs a big rework in my opinion. Baring that in mind, I think it's an okay solution - the video loops they play do a nice job of showing off the park, and presumably do help build a bit of atmosphere and anticipation for guests. Also great to hear the original Thorpe entrance music being played once again!

Hard to get a decent image of the screen, so here's the best I've got..
The few other touch ups around the park (Stealth Diner and shop, Mexican Cantina extension, etc.) are also welcome additions, now giving more indoor seating, and improved chippy on park - I never really liked the old Fish and Chip place for some reason; maybe the old look of the place just put me off? - and meaning every major attraction has their own sort of shop to some degree. The small things ey!

Stealth shop looks quite nice really.
The Coasters
The Swarm remains top dog for another year. For me, it just had everything I want, and it's just a beautiful roller coaster to me. After being able to climb its lift hill this year and do a couple of behind the scenes bits and bobs, I have no doubt that Swarm will have a place in my heart for years to come... With it looking very likely that I'll be breaking into Europe next year, I somewhat doubt this will be my favourite coaster next year, but hey, I'll let it bask in its glory till then.

Looking up

A pretty sweet alternative view of the ride in general

Pretty helicopter.

Standard picture.
X also saw some changes, with new audio and a new lighting set up. I think the reason why I like it so much is because it's so different to anything else the park offers - it's a bit of fun and a laugh. It doesn't try to do anything special and it's not a serious ride. Something that the park needs more of in my eyes!
Inferno was as solid as ever, and it was nice to see the mist and lights working for the majority of my visits. Also interesting to see the workshop area as part of the John Wardley meet too; geeky moments I guess! I still have a soft spot for Saw, even if it does leave many with a soft spot on their head after riding. Again, got to do a nice backstage tour of it, which was great fun and really interesting. Colossus remained as uncomfortable as ever. Stealth was alright too I guess; I'm not too fussed about it though to be honest.. .

Dear Thorpe, all I want for this closed season is this sign cleaned / replaced. Lots of love, JoshC.

Arty-farty Saw photo.


Put my camera through its paces by taking photos of Saw from the Loggers queue line. Funny results followed.
The Other Rides
Won't really put any specific focus on any other rides now because: 1) too much effort, 2) I haven't visited enough to say that much and 3) I don't want to put you to sleep any quicker.
So yeah, in short... Slammer didn't open with the rest of the park, but managed to remain consistently open (more or less) when it eventually did open. Big thumbs up to all those involved with getting the thing to live again, and to actually stay alive. Personally, I think the ride just needs binning - I don't find it exciting and it just seems to be a waste of resources in my opinion. It seems Thorpe/Merlin think otherwise - as do many enthusiasts - so let's hope for their sakes their faith in the ride lasts for a few years before it eventually conks out. When that day comes, I'll happily be the first to volunteer to take some explosives to the ride.
Rush, Samurai, Loggers, Zodiac and the like all did well during the season, and I think they're all good rides that add to the line up. On the other hand, I've been disappointed by the likes of Vortex, which is showing its ages, Rumba Rapids and Depth, rides which I do enjoy, but really need some TLC to make them look nice again.

A working Slammer - a slightly less rare sight than usual.
"What about Storm Surge?" you might be asking yourselves. I didn't ride Storm Surge this year, and this picture sums up my views on the ride nicely...

I'd much rather look at a building.
The Big Easter
I unfortunately didn't attend this season's Easter event, due to revising for exams. However, by the sounds of it, it was a great event for the park and their new direction. All the reviews of the Brainiac show were great, so I'm glad to hear that's returning for the February Half Term event. I look forward to seeing what Thorpe come up with for next Easter (and fingers crossed I'm actually able to make it!).
Summer Nights
Summer Nights returned for a second season, which is great news. This event is just a brilliant idea from the park and works a treat. I know some say that opening till 10 should be standard for the park during Summer, and maybe that should be the case one day. But right now, I don't think the park would be busy enough to warrant it - making it a separate identity is the best thing for now. The event has definitely gained popularity, and I'd be curious to see if they'd consider adding two trains to the coasters if the event become much more popular.

Teacups are still an addition for Summer Nights - good thing too, since it's relatively popular during the day..
Summer Event - Huh?
Last year, I said: "Despite Sun Scream obviously being popular enough to last many seasons, I think it's time to think of something a little different now". However, when I said "a little different", I did mean they should at least do something! Unless I completely missed it, there was no specific summer event this season that filled the role Sun Scream had done for the seasons beforehand.
The park seemed popular enough from marketing alone and such, but it seems like a wasted opportunity, especially with the family market. Hopefully it's just a one-off, and next season gives us some decent event for the summer. It would certainly help encourage the crowds to visit during what is one of the busiest periods of the season for the park, and a chance to stand out from the crowd a little bit.
On the other end of the scale, I guess they could partner up with MoS for another event. Mash Up seemed good during Easter 2012 and 2013, so why not bring back that back? Speaking of MoS, still haven't been to a MoS night - they're just not my thing! - however, I'm glad to see that they're still proving popular and successful.
Fright Nights
The biggest change for this season's Fright Nights was, of course, the farewell of The Asylum, and the introduction of Studio 13: The Motel. It's been said a hundred times already, but I may as well say it again - last year's controversy over Asylum was NOT the cause of its removal. The park were planning on getting rid of it even for last season's event - let's hope that that myth doesn't become fact to many.
Another thing which has been said a hundred times already is that I wasn't really a fan of The Asylum. It was a maze of strobe lights which gives you a headache, with no apparent story line other than 'you're locked in with scary people' and very repetitive. So I was glad to see the back end of it. Studio 13's premise sounded exciting and very promising, and it was great to see the park come up with a non-IP maze which still fitted in perfectly with the park's overall theme (which I still love by the way).
Personally, I loved the maze. Great nods to the past, good theming, a story which followed through the maze and overall a good idea. In fact, out of all the mazes I've done, it's the maze where I've felt most apart of the story. It's such a simple idea (you tour through a studio where a horror film is being filmed, then all of a sudden, you're IN the film), which makes it easy to execute, yes, but it was executed so well that it just a beautiful maze.
As for the returning mazes, Blair Witch went from zero to hero, which was great. I hope this gives the park more confidence with scare zones and outdoor attractions. Cabin and Saw remained good attractions, though I think Saw needs a bit of an update, as it feels kind of tame compared to the rest. My Bloody Valentine was yet again the worst; no real scares or anything - just dark, cramped spaces all the way. It will scare many, yes, but you can't just simply rely on that! It will be interesting to see what happens to the maze next season now the arena is in use - will it just move elsewhere, move out of the containers and into someplace else, or what?
I also did Face it Alone again this year. I can't sing the praises of this experience enough - if you like scare attractions, it is well worth giving it a try! I'm so glad the park have continued to look into other scare ideas than your bog-standard conga line maze, and here's hoping that things like Face it Alone, the Overnight Experiences and original maze ideas continue for many years to come.

Fright Nights proved to yet again been the most popular time of season.

Me with The Director.
Reserve n Ride
The second season we've seen RnR now and I remain in the minority who like the idea. I'll keep my views here short and sweet since I've argued them to death throughout the year in the appropriate topics - the idea is a nice one and has a lot of potential. The system itself seems to work now; they've slowly managed to iron out technical issues. What the park need to do now is try the system as it was intended - with no standby queues. That way, they see how viable an option this actually is. Make sure there's enough non-ride stuff to do too; that'll help (and, in fact, is a good idea in general!).
Food and Merchandise
As mentioned above, I've gotten into a bad habit of falling in love with the new Fish and Chip place, nice and unhealthy. My lunch of choice usually varies between that, the Mexican Cantina or Bar 360. For the most part though, all of the Merlin-owned food places are good quality and value at Thorpe, which is good. I'll no doubt try the punnily-named Peckish and the new Pizza-Pasta joint in the new season though, because why not ey?
As ever, the merchandise at Thorpe helped empty my wallet. The new resins were all great, and the Swarm billboard is my personal favourite of all the Merlin resins. Then there's the brilliant new clothing items which give some geeky nods (ride opening years and such), which I just love! The new Angry Birds merch is good to see too, even if a bit overpriced in my opinion. Then again, on the whole, merchandise is reasonably priced I think, so I'm not really complaining. Would like to see more bears at Thorpe though - please?
I guess the VIP packages fit into merchandise sort of, so just a quick mention of them. Whilst the main ones are a bit too pricey in my opinion, the lift hill walks and backstage tour are okay, especially if you can get a deal on them (and they do indeed do deals on them at points in the year). Again, really glad to see the park doing cool things likes this!

The Inferno shop has a makeover too. At least I was spending time in shops, and not just money...
Chief Ranger's Carousel - RIP
Whilst no official note has been made, it seems that CRC has left us after 20 years of service. It's sad to see a ride so rich in Thorpe's history leave. However, in all honesty, it's surprising it stayed as long as it did, especially during the years when families were just not in the park's target market. It's not like the ride has a specific appeal the 99% of visitors anyway - time to let go and move along in my opinion!

A Carouselfie.
A Look Ahead
2015 brings us...well, we don't know. Potentially nothing of note. We have gathered that Pizza Hut is being replaced by Pizza Pasta, and that building is getting an extension. I have no doubts that we'll see some touch ups around the place (Canada Creek still has a lot of the old branding about, some rides are in desperate need of TLC and I expect Thorpe know that), and there'll be a few little things to keep us happy. However, it seems like 2015 could be the first season since 1997 where Thorpe don't bring us any new attractions. Then again, Angry Birds Land didn't have plans submitted till January, so who knows?
Of course, we'll all be able to gawp at the construction site for 2016's exciting new development - maybe that in itself will be enough to keep us happy next season?
That's it for me; another season well and truly done with. Thanks if you read it all (and sorry for the length)! As ever, any comments / thoughts / criticisms are welcome!

So Christmas is almost here as 2014 gradually comes to an end in what has been one of the most mixed years for everything [in what could easily be material for a new soap opera]. However here I will only be mentioning the theme park side of things [after all it's a theme park forum).
Unfortunately compared to a number of active members here such as Benin, my theme park collection trip is on a much smaller scale, as someone quoted to me talking about how comparing Thorpe park to Universal & Disney World was a bit like comparing a corner shop to a large supermarket, something which is very much the case here, but carrying on.
Thorpe Park
Total number of visits 12
visited March 2x,April, May July 2x, August,October 5x
In what might be the park's busiest year for a while, Thorpe has had a very mixed season. The park has seen some minor but excellent improvements such as a new map, improved eateries [Amity Fish & Chips & Cantina extension] and the Inferno shop [which has some great touches in there].
Park events this year were also on a roll and the easter event at the park looked very good [although I didn't actually make it this year] and Summer Nights improving further with not just the main coasters open but also opening of rides such as the teacups and Dodgems on top of a park wide DJ. MOS was just as good as last year [maybe even a little better] and Fright Nights delivered once again bringing us Studio13 [a decent replacement to the Asylum], some great improvements to Blair Witch and Face It Alone, which is an amazing experience for anyone who loves scare mazes and wants to experience them on a more extreme setting.
OK, moving on to something [which I appear to be dodging opinions upon] and that is the opening of Angry BIrds Land, perhaps the greatest opinion splitter since Saw, some people seem to love it whilst others hate it like the plague. For me there I love and hate it for different reasons.
I love the installation of the new 4D cinema and Dodgems. The cinema offers a fun,interactive & immersive experience for the park [plus a much needed indoor attraction too] whilst the dodgems offer a decent filler ride for the park with the Bird VS Pig car designs offering some good competition which hasn't been seen since the Beanoland days. The area also gives us a new area dedicated to families [something Thorpe have lacked in recent years] and utilising space that was previously rather wasted.
What I didn't like about the area though was the fact it has divided the Amity area in half [one of the park's best area transitions] and feels a bit shoe horned and Detonator's retheme feels a bit cheap [pun intended] and more could've been done [the ride music is fine by the way]. I also don't like how the flooring and lampposts in the area are very miss mash in comparison and should've been redone.
Whilst the park has made quite a lot of improvements, there is still a long way to go before perfection as the park is still suffering from ongoing problems such as Fastrack, ride breakdowns, Stealth & Samurai in particular were unreliable this year [though the engineer team I know do work very hard [which could do with a few more in numbers] and the continuation of 1 train ops on weekdays and mornings on peak days. There are also a lot of park areas that do look very worn such as Canada Creek which still had no new Loggers tunnel, Ranger County & Rumba to name some.

This year we also said goodbye to yet another classic attraction at the park, the Rangers Caroulse, an attraction which was in service at the park for 20 years which disappears to make way for the highly speculated 2016 dark ride. Whilst just a Caroulsel contained rich history of Thorpe's past, not just being the second to last park Ranger attraction to survive but featuring a collage of former park ride vehicles onboard including Phantom Phantasia, Thunder River & Hudson River Rafters. Lets just hope the park salvage as many horses/models from the ride as possible [if there is no chance of the attraction's return].
Best Year since 2009
Alton Towers
Total visits 2
Visited June
Arguably the most magical theme park in the Uk and our nearest port of call to Efteling, Europe & Euro Disney. during the last few seasons some could argue the magic has been lost a fair bit with three disappointing seasons in a row. 2011 saw one of the lowest number of guests and 2012 featured the then disappointing Sub-Terra ride [amongst still low attendance]. 2013 was supposed to be one the year the park shined as a whole but was trashed completely due to how the park's big new coaster The Smiler was handled overall plus it's poor reliability.

Whilst far from perfect, 2014 appears to have been a better year for the park. Operations seem to be on a roll again, ride reliability is better [bar a few exceptions] and improvements in food and entertainment too.

Whilst having naturally low expectations, I was rather impressed with the new/re-themed area that opened replacing the ageing farmyard. The area is full of life including freshly re-imaged rides, plenty of themed walkthroughs and gardens and lots of friendly enthusiastic staff. The In The Night Garden Ride was very good in particular with it's animatronics and storyline, Postman Pat was a great fun ride full of heavy themed models and the Get Set Go was a brilliant re-incarnation of the random Squirell Nutty [it feels more like an experience now].
As I'm not the biggest fan of IP's in theme parks [bar some exceptions], the idea of brand-name here makes perfect sense and fits in well within the park.
Scarefest proved a mixed bag this year giving us the new Scarytales which looks to have been a good addition however with the loss of one of the former Scaremazes Carnival Of Screams, which was not replaced.
Best year since 2010
Chessington
Total visits 2 [very very nearly 3]
Visited April, May [almost October]
2013 at Chessington [to some] was complete shambles, park falling apart, poor/slow operations, closed rides, disappointing opening hours and also a fire at one of the park's newest outlets. Nothing seemed be done right [even the new Zufari ride].

However for 2014, the park's come it's own again and whilst [stastically speaking] hasn't installed a 'proper' new ride it's improved much of whats there significantly. The hugely retimed Scorpion Express [formerly Runaway Train] whilst definitely being better with the now removed rock face, has a lot more personality now with it's quirky features such as abandoned town backdrops, moving/squirting Scorpion and fire tower plus the overall back story of a town overrun by Scorpions and new soundtrack. Despite losing the Boiler in the queue [which is now in the ride area], the queue line is still nicely themed [for Merlin standards] with interactive elements and the like throughout the queue.

Other additions such as the re-imaged Market Square, Mexica & Transylvania areas also impressed me among noticeably better park operations among having more soul altogether this year. Amazu is also an interesting update to the monkey walkthrough which looks nice and updated compared to it's old form and whilst the Azteca hotel has taken up a fair portion of land that could've been used for new development it should hopefully bring in more guests and customers to the park and also the theming [on top of the retheme of the 1st hotel] should definitely add up to the wild/exciting experience for staying guests.
Sadly I never [quite] made it to the now rebranded Howl'O'ween event which looked very good from the reviews I saw and heard about, but who hopefully this will finally happen in 2015. Speaking on 2015, I'm looking forward to see what more the park will be doing as we will see a big update to the penguin enclosure and a new show [after all penguins are rather popular at the moment plus more updates to the park overall.
Whilst a massive improvement to the disastrous 2013, there's still a long way before the park gets back to it's old 'magic making' days [pre2005] as there's still lots of areas at the park looking old,worn and forgotten. Falls, Tombs, Skyways & Bubbleworks are good examples of this.
Overall
Best year since 2010
Legoland Windsor
Total number of visits 2.5
Visited, April,September, November

Despite it's lack of anything groundbreaking or eye-catching in the last few years, Legoland continues to remain as popular as ever [shockingly receiving even more guests than the nearby Thrill Capital]. Unfortunately, 2014 wasn't the best of years of the park as once again nothing too exciting and worthwhile for those over 10 appeared with the main new addition being a big new play area replacing the ageing Rat Trap and a chunk of the enchanted forest walkthrough.
Unfortunatly the other new attraction for the park this year was the [3rd] re-theme of the Pirate Falls log flume featuring new models, audio and storyline. Whilst the new one features better audio and looks a lot more fresh in appearance I still prefer the original as it featured more charm and humour then.

Aside from a new play area and re-themed log flume, the park also received two further additions which are perhaps unwelcome appearing in the form of Burger Kitchens. Located in the Pirate & City areas of the park, these outlets see the replacement of Burger Ranch & Crossed Ribs [an eatery that has existed since the early park years and did some good BBQ food]. Despite offering more indoor seating for cold/bad whether days these aren't a good addition as the food line up at Legoland has been reduced slightly and Burger kitchens haven't been renowned for good quality [I'm still yet to try one actually].

Despite not being too impressed with the park during main season, I opted out [and paid the perhaps overpriced fee] to visit the park during it's Christmas event which despite the reduced ride line up [and park access] I really enjoyed as I virtually had the park to myself when I went not just getting on rides without queues but getting actually rides to myself and the park was also lit up beautifully with loads of lighting scatted over the park making it feel like a christmas kingdom. It was a truly magical experience there [either that or I'm reflecting on the amount of friends who went to Euro Disney at that time of year ].
2015 was set to be one of the most exciting years for the park for a while, with the addition of a big scale immersive themed Haunted House attraction [giving the park another much needed dark, high capacity and older aimed] ride. However unfortunately this plan was ripped to shreds due to the selfishness of the residents and local council resulting in the rejection of the plans [despite recommendation] and what we will be receiving instead will not just be on a smaller scale but also strongly unappealing too. I just hope the park can send an appeal and get this ride approved in the future instead.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Blackpool for me was the biggest theme park venture for me [at least outside of the Merlin circle] in what proved to be one of the most exciting weekends this year gaining lots of new credits at the famous Pleasure Beach. Whilst it's no Disneyland, it proved to be surprisingly good with some very exciting coasters including Grand National, Steeplechase and Avalanche with each ride holding it's own. I also got to experience the highly immersive Valhalla which is an amazing experience and is the best uk water ride by a country mile.
Many of the other rides also proved to be very good too including Wallace & Gromit which was a very good dark ride whilst Alice [although rather dated] proved to be an entertaining and fun attraction]. The only ride that left me feeling disappointed was Impossible which was just pants.

Other attractions I was able experience included the Blackpool Dungeons which was a very good experience and whilst there were some flaws, some elements were better than the London ones including the Drop towers at the end. The circus show and tower themselves were also very and interesting [the latter offering some loverly views from the top]. Coral Island was an interesting attraction with a cool monorail and ghost train which was sadly ruined greatly by funny and moody staff.
Oakwood
Whilst having a very enjoyable trip in 2013, I sadly never had chance to return to the park in 2014, however by the looks of reports, that was possibly for the better as the park had apparently gone backwards greatly, featuring poor operations of rides, lots of rides closed daily and many areas completely rundown [which make Thorpe's flaws sound almost forgivable]. Lets just hope the park learn from their mistakes next year and finally open the Sleepy Hollow area.
Disneyland Paris
Where do we begin with this soap opera of my life? Well, It didn't happen [at least in 2014].
There were at least five attempts to get to the park in 2014 [no exagerration] but a lot of things down to budget, timing and personal reasons [which I'm not going in to] none of these trips were successful so I never got to see Remy. 2015 however will hopefully break this spell.
Tivoli World

Like the last 5 years, the park has virtually remained unchanged still housing the same ageing/out dated attractions that have existed for many years. The park hasn't gone backwards but it certainly hasn't gone forwards and only receives a mention for being the only theme park in Europe I managed in 2014.
What looks ahead for 2015?
In terms of the uk parks, not much I'm afraid at least for the Merlin parks as so far the only new additions confirmed are glorified log cabins, a retimed area [without any new rides] and a new penguin show and enclosure, meaning we won't get any official rides [as we currently know].
For smaller uk park's though it looks a better year though as we will definitely be receiving some new attractions next year. Blackpool will be getting the Red Arrow flying ride, Paultons will be getting a brand new themed area called Critter Creek, Drayton are getting [yet more attractions] in Thomas Land and Oakwood will finally be receiving it's new Sleepy Hollow themed area.
As for Europe, Efteling will be receiving a new major exciting dive coaster, Gardaland will be receiving a dive coaster, Hansa will be gaining a new exciting coaster whilst parks in Denmark and one of the Walibi ones are expected to also earn new rides too.
And this marks the end of 2014, roll on 2015 I say, a year I will hopefully be getting some new parks and several across sea [that aren't Tivoli World].

Earlier this year I sarcastically explained why Nemesis is king of coasters. This time round I'm going to explain (in a serious-ish way) why Spiderman is my favourite dark ride of all time. (As always these are my opinions, if you do comment at the bottom explaining why you disagree I will hunt you down and get revenge oh and there might be some spoilers on the ride experience, you've been warned)
Islands of Adventure, the park that made Disney have an E-ticket attraction ready to be deployed at each of their parks in case of its success. Okay, this didn't happen in 1999, IoA didn't pull in the guests it was expected too. But it was still a huge leap in the theme park industry with some excellent attractions (especially for 1999). Most notably, Spiderman.

Hidden behind a façade is a ride building that brought to light a new style of dark ride. Simulators were a thing, pyrotechnics were a thing, 3D screens were a thing, but no one had combined these together in one show building until 1999. 3 years of development, a range of companies working together to create a masterpiece. Spiderman was born. A ride of this calibre is still thought of as an amazing technological design today. Just last year I rode Transformers for the first time and thought "wow!" the 4K screens, perfect 3D animation and flow is just flawless. So to have a ride like this 15 years ago shows just how advanced it was and still is. Maybe I'll never be able to change my opinion because of the fact it has been that awesome for so many years. I was only 2 when this ride was built, the industry hadn't even built a 10 looping roller coaster. But Forbidden Journey is a masterpiece is many ways, a huge dark ride that is technologically amazing and immersive. What is it that Spiderman has over the new boy on the block?
Maybe it's because I was a huge Spiderman fan as a kid. I first rode it when I was 5. I thought I was in the action, it was actually happening! It instantly became the ride I wanted to ride again and again, work out how it works, it sparked my interest in rides. Every time I've been to Florida since I've learnt more about how the ride works, the technology, what to expect etc. but it still delivers. When I went to Florida last year I gave Transformers and Forbidden Journey the chance. I knew the basics of the ride system, that Transformers was like Spiderman and FJ was just pure awesome, but nothing more. I went on those two rides like I did with Spiderman many years before, curious as to what was inside. Both of them are great rides, but neither of them had the same affect as Spiderman. I rate FJ second only to Spiderman and Transformers 4th, just not 1st. Spiderman sits their firmly and is unlikely to ever be toppled. Some people would say I never want Spiderman to be beaten. Nope, if a ride can beat the enjoyment and thrill I get from Spiderman everytime I ride it then it will go first.
Let's move onto the ride itself. The queue, it's the Daily Bugle! You're in the offices!!! (see this is my Spiderman love as a kid coming through). So naturally I geek out in it. But, FJ's queue is much more impressive. It's filled with technology, it's a tour of Hogwarts in a queue that never stops moving! Transformer's queue is a walk through the N.E.S.T facility, buttons to press and stuff. I'll admit, the Spiderman queue needs modernising (or at least some painting!) They updated the whole ride to include 4K screens and update the animation, it was closed for 2/3 months so the fact they didn't do anything with the queue is annoying. So nowadays I take a point from Spiderman because of this, but the ride claws it back fantastically!
Anyone who has been on Spiderman and Transformers will know they both use the same system from Oceaneering with Dynamic working on the switch tracks. Both use the Universal patented "squinching" technique for the 3D. But they both offer different ride experiences. Transformers is stunning, somewhere in that ride you go up a lift to the second floor and then back down. I didn't know this before I rode it and still can't quite work out where it happens it's that well done. The action seems more fast paced, the simulated speed in that ride is sublime! This is where it loses to Spiderman though. The story is very fast in Transformers, action packed and disorientating. It relies so heavily on screens that the transition between screens is essentially another screen. There are not external effects, transitions without screens are just simple tunnels or something. This is where Spiderman triumphs!
Spiderman is a ride heavily relying upon screens. No doubt about it. Some people dislike this in a ride but I think Spiderman does balance it quite well. Transition between screens adds to the story, you see the Statue of Liberty head that all the bad guys have stolen, you have a truck flash it's lights at you (with Stan Lee in the driving seat). Since the 4K update, in some of the scenes it's difficult to work out where the screen begins and ends. Electro's lab is the best at this. When you enter you see his lab panel at the back which at first looks so realistic like a set. the transition between scenes also utilises the "scoop" vehicles abilities brilliantly. One part you spin through a tunnel (because Oceaneering made awesome vehicles that can spin 360 degrees, vibrate, tilt, do basically anything). It's just a wonderful experience, with fire. One lovely fireball. Must go off every 20 seconds or so but Universal aren't worried about the gas bill. I think the finale scene on this ride is my favourite from any ride as well, the falling. It's unbelievable!!! Seriously feels like you're falling 400ft (actually it's only 6ft but this just shows how great the vehicles work with the screens to enhance their capabilities).
I think the difference is, Spiderman is a fun action packed adventure. It gives you time to absorb the story whilst continuously developing it. Transformers is non stop, but it is so fast I lost track of who had the allspark at some points! So Spiderman, a ride of pure fun, adventure, excitement, thrill, just brilliant! I want a ride to beat it for the pure fact I want their to be another ride out their that provides (for me) the same enjoyment I get from riding Spiderman many times. Oh, it is also the one dark ride I will ride when it's dark outside (even with a walk on Hulk just metres away and I adore Hulk as a ride).
If Thorpe create even a smaller scale version of a ride like Spiderman that uses screens, excellent transitions, effects and a storyline that can incorporate many characters and the sense of elevation change and just. Actually, no. Only do that if you're going to go all out on it.

Oh, it's also very pretty at night. And to put it in perspective, I put this ride above any coasters I've ridden as well (because dark rides can be more thrilling than coasters).
Any comments are welcome and I'm happy to discuss opinions Thanks for reading a very wordy, quite serious report (it's okay I'm going to WW soon, a classic me style report will be on its way...)

So another year passes and it only seems right to look back on 12 months of fun, thrills and excitement, in a way that only Mark9 can. So where do we start?
January 2014 - Disneyland Paris
Ok, sure, this trip only featured one new ride (Peter Pans Flight fact fans) but it also marked the occasion where I somehow managed 42 hours of consciousness, the trip where I took a nap during cinemagique and where Jamie fell asleep eating food in Hyperion. Yes there was fatigue and short tempers but it was a fantastic way to start a brand new year. From what looked like a flooded ferry to getting more rides on Tower of Terror.


February 2014
And now the season takes a slight down turn. This month featured my only trip to the Towers and this kind of epitomised Merlins year for me. Whilst Nemesis was running well (albeit on one train) and things like Spinball had minimal queues, there was no atmosphere in the park whatsoever. Usually during February there's excitement for the upcoming full season but not this time around. This year marks the first season since 2003 that I did not ride Oblivion and the first since opening that I didn't ride Rita, The Smiler or Thirteen. And part of me didn't even care. If it wasn't for Dan9's company this trip would have been completely forgettable.
March 2014
And then it was Thorpe's turn. Despite multiple rides on Inferno and The Swarm there was little to no energy in the park. The same old problems were occurring such as Slammer and Samurai closed or reliable issues up and down the place. Thank god for the company of the rest of TPM or I would have really despised my day out. And luckily with this month out of the way, the season really began...
April 2014
I had last visited Chessington in 2012, before Tomb Blaster had its queue line incident so had reasonably high expectations. And frankly, this was the star UK park for me. The park somehow looks rejuvenated in places and run down to hell in others. Unlike others, I like Scorpion Express and do think it has breathed life into a ride that was well beyond its sell by date when it closed in 2012. Zufari was rubbish even before I compare to Kilimanjaro but getting on rides like Fury and Vampire sent me into rose tinted glasses land. I do like Chessington in spite of its many, many faults.

May 2014
New Rollercoasters:-
179. Medusa - Discovery Kingdom
180. Kong - Discovery Kingdom
181. Cobra - Discovery Kingdom
182. V2: Vertical Velocity - Discovery Kingdom
183. Superman - Ultimate Flight - Discovery Kingdom
184. Roar - Discovery Kingdom
185. Boomerang: Coast to Coaster - Discovery Kingdom
186. Roadrunner Express - Discovery Kingdom
187. Tatsu - Magic Mountain
188. Apocalypse - Magic Mountain
189. Superman: Escape from Kryptonite - Magic Mountain
190. Goldrusher - Magic Mountain
191. Riddlers Revenge - Magic Mountain
192. Green Lantern - Magic Mountain
193. Batman: The Ride (backwards) - Magic Mountain
194. Scream - Magic Mountain
195. Colossus - Magic Mountain
196. Goliath - Magic Mountain
197. Viper - Magic Mountain
198. Ninja - Magic Mountain
199. Full Throttle - Magic Mountain
200. Big Thunder Mountain - Disneyland
201. Matterhorn Bobsled B - Disneyland
202. Space Mountain - Disneyland
203. California Screamin’ - California Adventure
204. Goofys Sky School - California Adventure
205. Gadget Go Coaster - Disneyland
206. Silver Bullet - Knotts Berry Farm
207. Xcelerator - Knotts Berry Farm
208. Coast Rider - Knotts Berry Farm
209. Boomerang - Knotts Berry Farm
210. Pony Express - Knotts Berry Farm
211. Montezoomas Revenge - Knotts Berry Farm
212. Jaguar - Knotts Berry Farm
213. Sierra Sidewinder - Knotts Berry Farm
214. West Coaster - Pacific Pier
215. Matterhorn Bobsled A - Disneyland
This of course was the flagship trip of the year, a visit that was two years in the making and had a lot too live up to. I can say for sure it lived up to the hype and features some of my favourite rides ever. Starting with the city of San Francisco, everyone should make as much effort as possible to this historic, cultural, awesome city. No one can fail to be disappointed by the Golden Gate Bridge or where history was made in the Castro. To the sealions down at Pier 39 or Alcatraz this place is amazing.

The long, long, LONG drive to Magic Mountain is worth the distance. I know its reputation is low but it has a lot of original, decent rides including my favourite flyer, my favourite suspended and my favourite stand up. With strong support rides like Apocalypse, Goliath and Scream it should be on anyones radar to visit.

Despite my negative comments in my trip report, I really did love Disneyland and California Adventure. From California Screamin' to Haunted Mansion it's really a place filled with such variety and within a stones throw of Los Angeles. Speaking of Los Angeles, despite not spending as much time as I had wished, walking up to the Hollywood sign will be something I always remember. That view is spectacular.

And finally 24 hour day at Disneyland which was some feat. World of Color at 3:30 in the morning. Magical.

A classic Liner

An event in its own right

One too many drinks in the Castro
June 2014
So June didn't see any theme park visits. Instead I decided to be cultural and visit the wonders of Amsterdam. I&#39;m sure if you use your imagination you can just guess what I got up too. From the Red Light District too a club that features people that don't fit into gender brackets. It was a most enlightening trip.


A cultural gin museum
July and August 2014
Ok, so I didn't go anywhere but I did get a mortgage and move into a new flat in the old Olympic village in Stratford.

September 2014
216. Helix - Liseberg
217. Kanonen - Liseberg
218. Balder - Liseberg
219. Lisebergbanan - Liseberg
Set hype levels to stun. This was the month of Helix, Mack's latest and greatest roller coaster. I've always heard a lot about Liseberg and suffice to say I was very happy with my trip. Excellent rides and roller coasters and a great time was had in Gothenburg nearby where I went into a scary submarine.


October 2014
Rather hastily, a trip to Phantasialand was booked, paid for and done just like that. I forgot how much I adored this place and was very glad to be back. I will not be leaving eight years in-between visits next time.

November 2014
And finally, to bookend the trips was Disneyland Paris to come and ride Ratatouille (and to finally get on Orbitron and Autopia) In a few years time, Ratatouille will be recognised as the fantastic ride that it truly is. This is Pixars greatest work since Toy Story 3 screen wise. Go and visit and see for yourself.
And with that, my year in a nutshell. So what is the most notable rides of 2014?
Best Water Ride:- Chiapas
Best Dark Ride:- Ratatouille
Best Rollercoaster:- Tatsu
Biggest Surprise:- California Screamin'
Best Park:- California Adventure
And finally, the best new ride of 2014 goes too....
....
....

None other then the utterly sublime Radiator Spring Racers. In my mind it will take a hell of a lot to top this in 2015. But then Europa Park is just around the corner..
Thanks for reading, in fact thanks if you even made it this far down the page. Please feel free too leave comments below.