Marhelorpe

On park right now and have a few updates regarding the park music:
- Colossus is still high pitched.
- Rush's queue line speakers are still silent.
- Saw's queue line speakers are still silent (been like that for 2 years now).
- X has a dead zone in the queue line with no music.
- Lost City is once again playing Chart Music. *sigh*
- Vortex is yet again playing Chart Music, no awesome theme tune.
The thing that I'm confused upon is the fact that in early April and late March, Vortex and Lost City were playing their usual theme music which we all thought "Oh, Thorpe Park have finally fixed it." But now that it's back to Chart Music, what is going on? Can they decide whether to have Chart or Themed music playing?
When I visited on April 2nd, Vortex was playing its themed music and I was very happy that it was, since I hadn't heard it for at least 2 years, plus it suits the ride a whole lot better. But today, its gone again. Not happy one bit.
I don't have a problem with The Noise being played at Thorpe, I really don't. What I do have a problem with is that it plays on the rides, especially ones like Vortex who have one of the best soundtracks Thorpe has to offer.
Keep The Noise to the entrance, dome, bridge and Neptune's Beach. Leave Lost City and Vortex alone Thorpe!

On park right now and have a few updates regarding the park music:
- Colossus is still high pitched.
- Rush's queue line speakers are still silent.
- Saw's queue line speakers are still silent (been like that for 2 years now).
- X has a dead zone in the queue line with no music.
- Lost City is once again playing Chart Music. *sigh*
- Vortex is yet again playing Chart Music, no awesome theme tune.
The thing that I'm confused upon is the fact that in early April and late March, Vortex and Lost City were playing their usual theme music which we all thought "Oh, Thorpe Park have finally fixed it." But now that it's back to Chart Music, what is going on? Can they decide whether to have Chart or Themed music playing?
When I visited on April 2nd, Vortex was playing its themed music and I was very happy that it was, since I hadn't heard it for at least 2 years, plus it suits the ride a whole lot better. But today, its gone again. Not happy one bit.
I don't have a problem with The Noise being played at Thorpe, I really don't. What I do have a problem with is that it plays on the rides, especially ones like Vortex who have one of the best soundtracks Thorpe has to offer.
Keep The Noise to the entrance, dome, bridge and Neptune's Beach. Leave Lost City and Vortex alone Thorpe!

I like Rameses Revenge. Although not being my favourite ride at Chessington, I always ride it every time I go because it offers me an extreme thrill that none of the other rides at Chessington seem to have currently.
Just because 1 person doesn't like it doesn't automatically mean everyone dislikes it. I like Slammer and X for different reasons and whilst most people on this forum don't like Slammer for it's reliability and ride experience, I have no problem in saying that I enjoy it. I respect people's own opinions for rides like Slammer and RR, but what I don't respect is them assuming that only their opinion is valid and anything different from theirs is wrong.
RR is a ride that to me still needs to be at Chessington because not only does it provide an experience for the more extreme market, but it's also there to introduce the bigger and more extreme rides to the younger audience who are still hesitant about riding those sorts or rides.
My 10 year-old sister for instance a couple of years ago would refuse to go on almost every ride at Thorpe due to the shear size, intensity and speed of them. But as soon as she managed Quantum and RR last year, she loved them and because of that confidence that she had from enjoying the slightly more extreme rides, she moved up to Zodiac, then Vortex, then Rush and then everything else thanks to the variety and choice Thorpe/Chessington has to offer. Now, she rides everything at Thorpe except Detonator still (and I don't blame her frankly)!
Plus, this argument about Rameses not being a "proper" thrill ride is just silly. Guests who visit Chessington, Alton and even Thorpe aren't going to judge from appearance whether this ride is classed as a thrill ride or a family ride from the manufacturers website are they? Just because the manufacturer thinks the ride is aimed at families doesn't mean everyone else who visits will think the same. In fact, I'd go as far to say that Quantum for instance could be classed as an extreme ride by some guests as it surprises a lot of people including myself, my friends and even my sister.
Thorpe Park and some people I know class Rush as a thrill ride, despite on S&S's website it is classed as a "family ride". Detonator as another example is classed as an "extreme" on Thorpe's website (and rightly so because I find it a very extreme ride!), despite being classed as a "spectacular" ride on Fabrri's website.
To put it simply - these classes of rides are there for the manufacturer and buyer, NOT the average guest.
So please can we stop this arguing people? As it's ridiculous and there's no right or wrong way of looking at this. Thank you.

My 9 year old loves Rameses, but by some peoples (probably including Chessington's) standards he should be enjoying Jungle Bouncers and have done with it.
Not only has the park changed with it's re-branding in the early 00's but so have the dynamics of Theme Parks and Fairs, once upon a time Rameses was considered one of the biggest thrill rides in the country but let's face it regardless of what the manufacturer says it's not that bad. Children of this generation have grown up with much more thrilling rides than I did in the late 80's early 90's and are more custom to being thrown upside down. My 4 year old won't get off Zodiac yet people say get rid of Rameses it's in the wrong park?
Without sounding negative those without children need to take a step back, they want the thrills they want to be flipped upside down but they also want the ZUFARI and Tomb Blaster too which is a key reason people want to take little ones on a bumpy ZUFARI, Chessington is finally starting to get to grips with this and it's also the reason Thorpe Park won't over take Alton Towers any time soon.
You can bet the next big breakdown Vampire or Rameses get they won't be replaced and I applaud Chessington and really hope they look into removing some of the dead rides and cater like Alton Towers does.

I thought that was Storm Surge?

Is the lift hill also where they put customers they want out the way?

That is absoloutley awful! How could they replace a great piece of music with that horrendous racket?!
Thorpe...

Thorpe isn't aimed at the kids market. Let's get rid of Rocky, and entire of ranger county.
Chessington is aimed at families. Don't you tell me that towers doesn't get thrill-seeking 7yr olds riding ripsaw.
It's your way of thinking that chessington used mid-00s which ruined the park.

It was for a few years. Then it wasn't for another few years. Now it is somewhere in the middle.
But there is no such thing as "the thrill market" really. And I imagine the majority of visitors at Chessington are over 1.4m so there will always be people who can/want to ride it. Not all children are under 1.4m anyway.
And Chessington aren't trying to appeal to "the RideAddict market" so they shouldn't care less whether they have disappointed you by fixing one of their rides.

Oh dear, that was awful.
Whoever thought that might have even possibly been a good idea / replacement for the end of the day music needs their head(s) checked.

Evening Peops. Ssome construction pics for you.
More theming added to the Smiler. Hmm maybe that construction guy needs to be corrected:

Like this guy who is far happier in his Job, but whats that they are using to stick te ride together with?

Zooming in its.. Bathroom sealant?

Ever wondered what the world looks like through the Smiler Operators glasses? Something like this:

The bases of the legs now all have their names on them:
Want a close up of those logos on the bins and barrels? Well you got one:


Whilst were on closeups. Have any of you noticed that the base of the Marmalisor has a sign on it. Ever wondered what that sign says?

There has been some debate on whether the Car Wash (Tickler) will actually spin. I think I can lay this one to rest:

But lets start a new debate: What are these cables for on the satellite dishes?

So on to the theming of the station. This is how the pipes are added. Lots of measurements and funky clasps.

And a few minutes later, those clasps are filled with this lovely bit of pipe:

So the full pipe work added before it started raining today looks something like this:

The HB Leisure unit is coming along swimmingly:

Whilst looking at the HB Unit we noticed this flying piece of machinery. Very clever:

My usual overview:

Ooo I can look into the shop from here:

Meanwhile, back at the top They are.. WHAT CUTTING INTO THE SUPPORTS?

By the end of the day rain was poring down and the top end looks something like this:

Or this (look how much it was raining):

The same towers who are quite happy to open Rita looking like this....

whilst Thorpe are able to somehow fix the problem..
Swings and roundabouts!

Just got back from a morning at Chessie so I shall review Zufari (this post may contain spoilers).
It opened about 30 minutes after park opening which was a bit annoying. We got over to it at around 10:50 to see it had a one hour queue so we decided to queue as this was the main reason we went. The main bridge over to the area is very bland with tall, wooden fencing but I'm sure over time it will look better. The queue is a massive cattle pen but moves quite quickly. The queue offers you a nice view of the Flamingos at the beginning and further on you can just make out the Rhinos through the fencing. Before you reach the batch point for the pre-show you encounter a photo point. It is by far the worst positioning ever and can severely hold up the queue. My favourite comments I herd about it were: 'I'm not putting on that hat, people could have head lice' and 'I haven't queued for my photo to be taken'. Once through this there is another little cattle pen before the pre-show where both the Fastrack and disabled queue join (it's not fair that they get to skip the photo point. The area behind the doors to the pre-show are not large enough for people to wait behind so instead you are mainly fed in through one door regularly being stopped to let in Fastrackers/disabled queue. Once the pre-show is full and doors shut it begins.
The pre-show starts very professionally with your expedition leader, Chase Van-Driver, explaining this new area they have found called 'Zufari'. His lemur friend then pops up on screen and you are introduced to her. He then has to leave so the lemur interacts with the audience. The younger kids seem to enjoy it but not so much the adults who have just queued an hour, especially when they are picked upon to make monkey noises. The lemur then warns you about the cave, makes you promise not to go in there and then you leave to the ride itself. However, you will find yet another queue after this to board your vehicles so move as far down to the other side when entering the pre-show (and back row if possible) so you can be the first out and not have to long a wait for the ride. Once behind your gate you wait for your truck, then push (Chessington don't do air gates anymore, they are to main stream for them) your gate and board. The signs on the truck tell you to place your bag in a metal, mesh wire cage under your seat, however, it may get wet down there so you can keep it on your lap, the staff didn't seem fussed. All buckled up and ready to go, your adventure begins.
It is a very bumpy ride which is great fun as it makes it seem much more like a safari. Each ride will vary but on my ride we got great views of all the animals, especially a Giraffe who stood in front of the truck stopping us from going anywhere. This was great though as it gave us more time to take in our surroundings and the other animals. You then arrive at the fallen branch (with for us Rhinos right next to it) and are told you have to go another way. Of course, the only other way is the cave. Some younger kids on our truck started screaming saying 'go back, go back, we can't go in the cave.' It's nice to see that the target audience are understanding the story line. The cave is better than I was expecting. Lots of loud noises and lights going out scaring a few children. The sudden burst of water is very effective and even spills into the truck through gaps in the door (the reason not to have your bag down there) and the only way out of the cave is through the waterfall. Again very effective and will get the people on the edge seats a bit wet. You then return to the station having completed your expedition.
Overall I was very impressed with the ride and know that overtime it will get better. The only real negatives about it are all with the queuing which does need to be looked at but I'm not sure what can be done. Having been lucky enough to ride Rhino Rally and Kilimanjaro Safari I thought Zufari did quite well and is a great addition to Chessington offering that crucial link between the zoo and theme park.

Erm...

Honestly, after riding it on Tuesday, I can honestly say that I thought it was just great fun to ride. Even though yes, the changes weren't going to be mind-blowing, I do personally think that X is definitely better than what it was before.
I’ve got to say, I did think that the light show was impressive to look at and despite it lighting up the whole of the pyramid, it honestly didn't bother me that much. It didn't take away from the general experience the ride offered. However, one thing that I think could be improved upon that I thought was a little disappointing was (as others have said) the volume of the music. Whilst the music playing sounds good to listen too, it did feel too quiet inside the pyramid and that to me is the main issue I have with X.
Before I rode it, I didn't walk in with the mind of directly comparing it to what it was like before, because since it now goes forwards, it sort-of provides an almost completely new ride experience for guests. With this open-mind, I actually thought it was enjoyable to ride and whilst it does have plenty of room for improvement, its current state is good enough to me to say it's better than X:\ No Way Out.
Plus, since X is now being targeted towards the younger audience, the light show and forwards experience are ideal if this is a type of "introduction" to the larger coasters Thorpe Park has to offer (alongside with Flying Fish).
Overall, as a thrill seekers experience, it still doesn't seem that appropriate. But for the younger aged audience, it seems to be ideal for them and I'm really glad Thorpe is targeting this ride for them instead of us, since it adds to the family ride line-up Thorpe has to offer.
X:\ No Way Out = 4/10
X = 7/10

Slammer update.
Rain, sleet, snow, blizzard, 2C - running all day.

What an advert

It's absoloutley appauling to state a 60 minute queue when there isn't one to promote fastrack sales. In fact, it is downright theft.

Are all the speakers at the top of Detonator working properly now? Becuase when I went on AP day, they were still fairly quiet, but that might've been where I was sitting on the ride as it can be louder in some places than others. Can they be heard on every seat or just certain sides of the ride? (I was sitting facing towards Detonator's entrance last time earlier this month.)
Back in Summer 2011, I remember the staff members having some fun with the riders that went up by playing a little game. One person was given a cup filled with water and they were to hold it still until they got to the top. Once they got up there, the staff would tell them to pass it around either clockwise or anti-clockwise to the person sitting next to them, 100ft in the air. The time up there before being dropped was diffrent every time, as sometimes it was passed 3 times and others about 20 times before the release. But, if a rider held the cup for more than 5 seconds or hesitated giving the cup to the next person, they would drop the riders and the person holding the cup of water would have the water splash all over them once they landed at the bottom. It was essentially "Hot Potato" but Detonator style!

Just to let everyone know, I did my bungee jump nearly an hour ago, and WOW, it was incredible!
I must say, about an hour before my quarter past 4 slot I was feeling deadly nervous. However, there was a long wait (many people were doing it, all for Comic Relief) due to strong wind calling it off in the morning. The waiting seemed to calm me down and I was fine. The jump was just amazing and incredible, and something I definitely will do again at some point. SO worth it.
Now, on to the important stuff. I raise an incredible £213 for Comic Relief, which in the space of a mere few days is just amazing. Thanks to everyone that donated, have said they'd donate soon (the website is still taking donations till 14th/15th April) and to those that spread the word and wished me luck. Every penny is going to a brilliant charity and it's just so worthwhile!
I've got a video from the ground which will be uploaded ASAP (hopefully tonight or tomorrow in my internet connection is good enough). I've also got a DVD coming soon taken from my ankle, which will be great to upload.
Again, a massive thanks to everyone!

Vortex is playing its own music, and it sounds like the park music is back to normal speed

People will be glad to know Stealth, Tidal and Saw had their music back after nothing on AP day.
Lost City is playing its normal music, The Noise (thorpes chart radio station style thing) plays at admissions, dome and the beach

Just a point about the fickleness of enthusiasts regarding Oblivion...
"Waahhhh Merlin are building ANOTHER Black ride!!!"
"YAY Merlin are repainting Oblivion Black!"
Just a thought

It's one of my favourite rides, it offers such a unique experience and I'll be sad to see it leave, sad but definitely not surprised.