planenut

(cannot place this in General Discussion) On the Thorpe Park site now, TP Annual Passes £55.60, that's gotta be good value if you don't envisage going to any other Merlin attraction, or even doing two others at full price....? http://thorpepark.com/prices/annual-passes.aspx?tabnum=2

Great pics. I would love to climb Stealth's top hat. wouldn't it be interesting to see a train totally stripped down, as we only really see the dressed item.

Good news on the home page; I didn't think the latter hold-up was the ride itself, more the H & S side of things.

Seems like they probably tell everybody hoping for a gift each time; that means they will get quadruple the number of anniversaries I had.

I would prefer the original format of sound system, though I think it's about time we had a "second tape". I see what people mean by the illumination in the dark for the Fright Nights, very pleasing.

According to Engineering the future is still undecided.

This darned rain was supposed to have been clear by 0800, now I'm having another cup of tea before I leave, to tackle the hoards.

Some interesting comments there, and considering I am over 40, and some, I can relate to the comment "I'm sure that 40 years ago, types of coasters we have now would have been classed as pipe dreams...", what John Wardley refers to in his book, I.e.the progress he has been involved in, the aims of major groups, and what the future may produce. I love the dodgems, and what I mean by that is they are a very old concept, and cheaper than "rides" but they always have a queue where they are available. The secret of the Theme Park is control of the guests. The dodgems are only under the control of the guest, and up to now, all the rides are not. Perhaps the future rides will become more interactive with the guests deciding, by majority, what the ride will do, either virtually or even in reality?

I was in TP today intending to make it really casual - once inside the park staff were holding guests at barriers just the other side of the dome. the illuminated signs stated that Stealth was closed so decided to try Colossus, but got round there and that had not opened, moved round to Saw, where we were held at the gate for another five minutes. Rode Saw twice and it certainly is a lot smoother. then went to Colossus and rode that twice. Then ventured round the Stealth which was just opening and went on to make full use of that. At times after 4p.m., no queue for Stealth but each boat on Tidal Wave was full, odd how we make our choices. I could see that SWARM was virtually walk-on all afternoon.

Great ride count - at least you had time to take in the view from Detonator.

There were lots of extra bodies today due to the teachers strike; loads of extra adults too, who took their children along. Luckily for me, my particular ride functioned well, as did the team. The queues dropped drastically from about 2.30p.m., and it looked walk on at Nemesis Inferno, SWARM and Stealth for quite a while. The speaker system on the Stealth platform is knackered, or rather the amp. is. Cannot even understand what the announcements are due to the distortion.

Why don't teachers ever strike during the school holidays?

You've got me worried now; it's my intention to be there tomorrow as it's forecast to be the best weather of my days off - gosh and I thought they were supposed to be at school.

They are at Alton, but at £12.99, though as I had suspected I would meet the man himself, bought my copy, and luckily got John to sign it too. Interesting read, and with so many references to people and places with which I have an awareness or links.

I don't do football and I hate spending more than a pound on anything, but how much is it to watch a professional match these days, and for how long are you entertained? I suspect the pricing is almost the same, and we all know the length of a day at a theme park.

Hopefully avoiding any misinterpretations of my comment, I will only say....... "There are currently no Planning Applications submitted for Drayton Manor save for a Garden Room extension to the hotel."

The stinky smell, is actually what it smells like; from where so many people have felt the need to share their lunch with others it has impregnated the softer fittings. Rode it last Saturday; nice ride, but I would not queue for anything over twenty-five minutes for it, which to me seems like two rides joined together.

great stuff. North Wales is beautiful up top, and intriguing down below. (I shall refrain from adding further comment)

Great report; particularly like the idea of the caving trek. I presume that mine was not close to Betws'? Planenut

Interesting this; a line I always use for those in fear of roller coasters - "there are more people killed on British motorways daily, than annually, worldwide, on roller coasters!" this seems to bear that out.

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Whilst having a quit chat to a staff member today on the platform in front of the baggage room, a lady who was standing the "exit" side of the staff gate asked me "if I had wimped out also to not ride", I just agreed, a very short conversation. Just had it confirmed by someone who has his finger on the button, that indeed the smoke is not operated by the ride operator but set up to operate by the mechanics. I must have words with the person to whom I spoke earlier.

I ventured onto SWARM today; that's the oddest way to run a queue-line. One for facing backwards billed as being forty-five minutes long, the other for facing forwards twenty. Went into the forward (the right way) and it merged with the backwards in front of the baggage store, with no staff controlling, then I was putting the bag in whilst about twenty people walked past me in to the queue area. Once I had lodged my bag, I excused myself and passed most of those I could recognize, to then queue (indoors) to make my way to the front row, and to the airgate - no member of staff had been anywhere in all of that. Odd.

Now that would have made a great video to go online with.

Oddly enough today there was a much larger crowd than I expected, loads of youngsters on school trips amongst them. Ride ops. reckoned on some special ticket release. I would have thought that Monday would be a good bet.