Cal

As you may have worked out from my name, I code stuff for the internet. One such thing that I made, is Theme Park Queue Times, which provides live queue time data for 11 parks around the world(more are being added). You might ask, what is the point, considering all of the parks already have apps, however these apps only display queue times within the park, my website allows you to view queue times anywhere. The site also has some interesting graphs and statistics on each ride, and I am adding more features every day. I hope you find it useful, feel free to make suggestions as to how I can improve it.
 
Park list
Alton towers Thorpe park Chessington Disneyland Paris Epcot Magic Kingdom Hollywood Studios Animal Kingdom Parc Asterix Silver Dollar City Liseberg Gardaland Walibi Hersheypark PortAventura ...More coming soon!

Construction updates from today and yesterday!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dniFM2x30j0

Questions sent.. Sorry for the delay

Most likely, the same reason for samurai. So annoying on quiet days or in the morning when there's no one there.
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Thorpe aren't going to stop reserve and ride because they received 1 email are they? 
On Facebook I saw nothing but good reviews about reserve and ride, people asking if it's coming back and when. If it turns out to be a massive mess and them getting a load of complaints then I'm sure they'll change something.
 
I doubt they'll use it every single date so I'm sure you could go on a date where they're not using it.

Just got back from Chessington after visiting with my girlfriend today... I've been before in September and thought it was dead - but it seemed even more dead today! The most people I saw congregated together was for the Madagascar LIVE! show at 4pm!
 
All in all a very good day indeed - didn't exactly hammer the ride counts (too old for all that) but it's so nice to be able to walk round and go on anything without queuing AT ALL. Everything was walk on all day from what I saw.
 
Staff were good to very good - very friendly though some evidently a little bored (but I don't blame them on day's like today!) We had lunch at the Chicken Shack which wasn't too shabby at all to be honest - plus they had Stowford Press on draught so that scores major brownie points - was impressed with how well stocked the bar was actually!
 
Rides we went on:
 
Zufari
Ramases Revenge x3
Scorpion Express x2
Bubbleworks
Vampire x2
Tuk Tuk Turmoil x2
Kobra
Toadie's Crazy Cars x½
Lorikeet Lagoon
Hocus Pocus Hall
Shrimps at the Sea Life Centre
Dragon's Fury
Dragon Falls
Tomb Blaster x2
Flying Jumbos
Eclip... I mean Peeking Heights
Rattlesnake x2
 
I think that was everything! The park certainly looks in better shape than previous years. Shame Skyway is down but that looks permanent until next year it would seem. First time on Zufari and was quite impressed - Rhinos were very close indeed, and the driver was particularly good as he decided to "accidentally" reverse back into the cave to get us wet. The ride looks far more established now plant wise than when it first opened and was really rather good all in all! The Hotel looks pretty awesome I have to say, and the Wanyama Reserve around it is well presented still with plenty of animals.
 
As anyone on my Facebook will know - first time we went on Tomb Blaster, my gun wouldn't work at all - so 0 scored. We go again later on, and my gun works - but the laser doesn't, which makes it far more difficult! Still, just a grumble really - not fussed when there was no queue whatsoever.
 
Scorpion Express - first time on it. It's OK but I don't like the "openness" of it now. Feels less thrilling/scary. Good effort to rejuvenate an old ride but could've been better. Got a little wet from the scorpion.
 
Vampire and Fury seemed more fierce than I remember
 
We had a really long go on Tuk Tuk Turmoil in the afternoon due to no queue - and due to the fact, one of the bumper cars managed to get wedged/mounted on top of another so they had to push it off - sounds worse than it is, but I'm surprised there's the force in them to do that! That said - they do seem more powerful than Dodgems I've been at at funfairs etc. Lorikeet Lagoon was great as ever, the birds were obviously hungry - one of the birds feeding from our pots was the one with only one eye, as it had been attacked by another bird! Went on Kobra for the first time (I know right? So out of the game...) and I tolerated it...!
 
My girlfriend wanted to go on Toadie's but the op said it was closed as a car had left the track - not sure that's possible but that's what he said - we went on later, and on our go round, it stopped as the power tripped on one of the cars - so we had to walkthrough the circuit - can't say I've done that before!
 
Have to say that Falls really looks poor with no rocks, at least they've tried to jazz it up a bit with the banner at the top before the drop but I can't wait until the ride finally gets the refurb it deserves...
 
Now - my big bug bear for the day - was Ramases Revenge. That said - I was so pleased it was open after recent down time, but it took me 4 or 5 attempts to ride the thing. Why? The 15 guest rule. Apparently it can only operate now when at least 15 people are riding due to weighting issues. I asked a ride op late in the day, when I finally got on if this was a new thing (because I know it is, as I've ridden RR before by myself and no-one else on the entire ride!) and he said it's always been like that. Maybe since he's been there perhaps My first ride on Ramases, there were around 15 people, and after 1 cycle, ride op asked if we wanted to go round again... most people did, but a handful got off. So we then couldn't go round again, which I find crazy. We waited for a good 5/10 minutes but no passing guests wanted to ride, and by that time, the instant re-ride buzz sort of goes! Managed to get on later in the day, and had 2 rides. 2nd ride certainly seemed more spinny/forceful but I may have imagined it... anyone know the true story behind this 15 rider rule? My view is it's probably because Ramases is nearing 20 years old, so they want to make sure it's only operated as and when is worthwhile, but I may be wrong. Anyway - I managed to ride and rekindle my youth again so I was pleased!
 
All in all - thoroughly enjoyable day and I do honestly feel the CWoA "magic" is back to an extent... it's certainly getting there. Also, kudos to the Madagascar penguins for walking over to us to make us take a photo with them Just little things like that that make all the difference. Ride op on Toadie's was a particularly friendly chap, as was the lady operating the chocolate treats stand near Ramases, and we often got asked how our day was going by staff which is nice!

I just fear for the LC post really. That's more frightening then any Fright Night maze or event.

A Friday, not half term... So Friday 10th and Friday 17th I'm presuming would be the quietest, I've also heard the first 2 Sundays and the last Sunday can also be quieter as a late finish isn't always appreciated getting up early the next morning for work... My advice, avoid half term at all costs!

Great, so they are going to ruin Fright Nights sundays...

Having not visited Chessington since last year (which was a very poor visit), I wasn't sure what to expect but the park surprised me in almost every way!
 
Appearance wise, the entire park looks fantastic.  Loads of things have been painted, Vampire's track has been jet washed, buildings look really nice, Market Square is fab and the park audio is amazing!  In this respect, I cannot praise Chessington enough.
 
CLOSED: Rameses Revenge, Safari Skyway.
BREAKDOWNS: Tomb Blaster, Dragon Falls.
 
RIDECOUNT:
Dragon's Fury x2
Zufari x2
Rattlesnake x2
Kobra x2 (Got to stay on as it was the last ride of the day and there were only two people in the queue!)
Tomb Blaster x2
Vampire x1
Bubbleworks x1
Scorpion Express x1
Dragon Falls x1
Monkey Swinger x1
 
TOTAL: 15
 
 
Highlights:
Appearance of the park is fantasic, they really have given it a facelift since last year!  Top marks from me on this! Queues seemed to be moving faster than previous years.  Fastrack queues weren't big though so I imagine this had some impact towards it (if only it could be like that all the time!) Bubbleworks is absoloutely fantastic now!  I know it's nothing huge but it has had a lot of lighting changes, touch ups and is now a really great dark ride!  It's not perfect by any means, and the fountain final needs mirrors back but it is a LOT better than it's been for years! Zufari is a brilliant attraction, now that the issues have been ironed out (I.e. no animals) and all the effects were working, it really is great fun!  Also very bumpy - I actually got airtime!    Also, it's great that you don't have to watch the preshow anymore, as it is now part of the queue. Vampire's operations weren't perfect, but they were a lot better than last year, and as a result the queue actually moved!  Scorpion Express exceeded my expectations. Overall atmosphere on park was the best it has been in a long time! Got a ride on Tomb Blaster with no targets as they were broken, then due to this we were all told to stay on and had another go round!  It's so much better without the targets. Pizza Buffet was much higher quality than the one at Towers, despite it being cheaper.  
Lowlights:
5pm close.  The park was busy enough to warrant at least 5:30pm so this was just poor. Rameses Revenge closed all day.  It had enough downtime last year, and it is so frustrating to see the best ride in the park (imo) closed yet again!  It's just a simple fair ride, sort it out!  Safari Skyway also closed all day.  This is just poor. Breakdown on Dragon Falls, which then reopened with barely any boats on. Breakdown on Tomb Blaster, which then reopened with barely any trains on.  
Despite a few frustrations, overall I really enjoyed Chessington today and the whole park feels as if it has been given a breath of fresh air.  It's a shame that it still has some reliability issues, but then again I can't think of any UK park that doesn't.  Top marks from me.
 
Thanks for reading.

I've just found the full playlist for X! Someone had asked for the playlist on Facebook and they replied with this...
 
Here We Go Swedish House Mafia (Until Now)
Reload Swedish House Mafia (Until Now)
Euphoria Swedish House Mafia (Until Now)
Walking home, Miami 2 Ibiza Swedish House Mafia (Until Now)
Heart Is King, Save the world (knife remix) Swedish House Mafia (Until Now)
In my mind (Axwell Remix) Swedish House Mafia (Until Now)
Antidote Swedish House Mafia (Until Now)
Save the World, Punk (Arty remix) Swedish House Mafia (Until Now)
Greyhound Swedish House Mafia (Until Now)
LadiDadi Swedish House Mafia (Until Now)
The Island Swedish House Mafia (Until Now)
Lights Swedish House Mafia (Until Now)
Blood Rave Blade Soundtrack
Sandstorm Darude
9PM ATB
 
I put together a playlist with all the songs on - http://goo.gl/wjNFyC
 
I haven't gone through it yet so if there is anything wrong with it let me know and I'll edit it  

These scare attractions that Thorpe Park have are supposed to be intense. If you're against people being split up, don't go in the attraction?
It'll say on any signs for an attraction that guests may be split up, so people shouldn't really be surprised if they do.
 
 
Taking people away to "suffer"? It's a theme park attraction, not a medieval prison! 
And about your last point... If people are scared of the attraction, that means it's working

Love how three people answered it at once

When you get to the turnstiles go to the right where pushchairs and hotel guests go as well. You then hand your annual pass to a member of staff who will scan it or you just scan it yourself on a turnstile depending on the day
 
For Fright nights however you will need to buy a annual pass ticket.
 
EDIT: TPJames beat me to it  

Sorry for double posting but everyone take a look at this awesome travelling coaster from spain!

'Cashed in' my Behind the Scenes Tour and Coaster Climb.  Huge thanks to TPM for being able to sort out 2for1 deals and to Thorpe for giving TPM that opportunity and for setting it up the ideas in the first place!
 
My Behind the Scenes tour was of Saw, and was really interesting.  Got given a full tour of the workshop, control room, console as well as along part of the CCR route.  The engineers' knowledge is unreal, and their ability to be able to answer any question in such depth shows that they have real passion for their work!  
 
Of course, I did the Coaster Climb on Swarm.  Being such a nice day, we could around for miles, and it was a really nice being up there.  Photos don't justify how amazing the views are.  Afterwards, I was given a closer look at the helicopter - real nice bit of theming!
 
If anyone wants a look at my pictures, they're here - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10204794539966380.1073741833.1324550230&type=1&l=81b6fdfe9a
 
Again, thanks to TPM, Thorpe, my VIP host, the Saw engineers and the rides manager who took us up the lift hill!  Will definitely be looking into doing another experience next season!

We could just go to Alton and see Nemesis on two trains at 9am every single day of the season to see it can be done with the Merlin machine.

Happy Birthday Mila

In terms of loggers, I say leave as it is. I am referring to baggage and item arrangements which I think changing it would have a massive effect on throughputs.
As for the rest, give it some TLC. Facelift the station, rebuild the tunnel, enhance the landscape, refresh the queue and if there's any possibility, try and make the ride water slightly less lake like (merky).

The wood chips looked pretty good for a simple little bit of theming for a couple of years, but faded away as they obviously would. Why thay haven't bought a few sacks of each colour to top it up every couple of years I don't know. What would it cost? Couple of hundred quid tops.

I'm just going to post ridecounts and a few points as I'm not sure if anyone reads trip reports anymore; 
 
Wednesday 27th August:
Nemesis x9
Th13teen x2
Duel x2
The Smiler x1
Air x1
Nemesis:  Sub Terra x1
Battle Galleons x1
 
Thursday 28th August:
Nemesis x5
The Smiler x2
Duel x2
Oblivion x1
Th13teen x1
Rita x1
Hex x1
Congo River Rapids x1
Battle Galleons x1
 
Friday 29th August:
Nemesis x22
The Smiler x2
Th13teen x2
Sonic Spinball x1
Oblivion x1
Rita x1
The Flume x1
Hex x1
Duel x1
Nemesis:  Sub Terra x1
 
Highlights:
22 rides on Nemesis in one day!  Single Rider Queues.  Without them, I would have got a much, much lower ridecount. Changes in Hex were fantastic! Getting soaked on the rapids!  I'm sure those waterfalls never used to get you. Closing time extension to 7pm on Wednesday and Friday.  
Annoyances/General points:
Not starting the monorail with all the trains on.  This causes a queue to build up as soon as it opens, especially in peak season. Waited an hour in the single rider queue on The Smiler on friday due to two stoppages.  One was to take a train off, and the other one was to change two trains over.  Very annoying to say the least, as it took an hour out of our ride time. The Smiler didn't open until 10:40 on friday, yet it was supposed to open at 9am for ERT. Ticket machines broke on Friday, meaning that nobody (aside from annual passholders and prebooked tickets) could get in for an hour and a half!  Didn't affect me, but I think they used it as an excuse to not open The Smiler on time. Breakdown on Duel resulting in all the lights being switched on - unfortunately we were in the station!  If only I had got there a few minutes earlier I would have seen the behind the scenes of the ride! Thanks for reading.

I think anyone who even thinks about sticking backwards rows on any existing coaster should be subject to an immediate and severe amount of pain. Just no.

They had the old 'X no way out' cars which looks to be in the dome today! Does anyone know why?

(Photo from theme park worldwides facebook page)

Oh, I'm sorry, I just simply tried to turn the conversation into something that was related to the thread title. Did I do anything wrong?

I went to Tullys a couple of years ago, thought the mazes at Thorpe Park were a lot better. For pretty much the same price (from what I remember) at thorpe you are also getting all the rides from 10-9, and Tullys you only get each maze once. There's not a lot else to do at Tullys either and if you do want to do anything else you'll have to pay extra for it. I think Thorpe is defiantly better value for money.
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