Altitude

After my trip this week I've reached that point. Thorpe Park really does have some quality coasters and flat rides, but to me they're like a teenager who buys a flashy iPhone, but then smashes the screen and never bothers to fix it? Rush used to be fab, now one side doesn't even swing 90 degrees either way. Samurai, well... Detonator is still decent but it's just so obviously a travelling drop tower it hurts me when I see it. They have some great coasters like Stealth, Nemesis and Swarm, but like people have already said, the late openings and one train operation ruin some of them, as well as broken effects. In my opinion, if they sorted out their operations, ability to take customer criticism and cleaned up the entire park, it would actually be a very special park with a great selection of attractions.

When I rode the Smiler in May 2014 one of the projections in the queue line wasn't working which ruined the entire room tbh. On Monday when I visited Thorpe, Saw's strobe light on the inside drop wasn't working, none of Swarm's effects worked except for the fire (which went off every 10 minutes or so) and there was no mist on Inferno! Which is why if the reviews for WC16 are good, I'll quickly visit just the once before the entire ride is a giant blue screen with an error message on!

Whoever does it, try and throw in a quick mention of TPM if you can

^^ I can add to this and say during my visit to Heide Park last month... Krake broke down on us on two consecutive days Scream was shut completely for "maintenance" however nobody was ever working on it Colossos broke down three times Grottenblitz was broken for most of the two days, only got to ride it once at the end of the second day Limit broke down after we got out the station Aqua Spin and many of the flats were down for most of the first day It's not acceptable really. I know all rides break down and all, but it's not fair that ticket prices (and parking tickets) continue to rise without any new investment or an improvement in reliability. I hate to mention Phantasialand again, but during our two day visit, Colorado Adventure broke down once and I think that was literally it. I know they have less rides but it does make you think.

Other non Merlin-owned parks I've visited in both the Autumn and Spring/Summer have all (or almost all) of their attractions open throughout the day. I know I can't speak for every park ever, but Merlin and other companies are particularly bad with reliability when compared to others. And if I went to a good park, for instance Phantasialand, I wouldn't be as disappointed if a major attraction was shut because the entire park experience is, for me, a lot more enjoyable and well kept. I know not all parks can have perfect reliability but if the money is there, I don't see why they can't be equal with other parks that set a high standard. That goes for cleanliness and upkeep as well.

Oh are there pre-shows now? Didn't realise that. Ignore my previous post then. I can't see a re-theme being too great unless there's a new paint job, or are they doing that too?

I personally despise Avatar but I think this new area will look spectacular, and I bet guests will love it as soon as they lay eyes on it. It can't be over 200 feet because of the whole red light thing, but I think that's more than high enough to make the flying islands look fab. New Fantasyland looks great, and as Dan9 said above Cars Land seemed a bit of an odd choice too but it turned out very popular!

Looking at the elevation and site plans, it must just be a sponsorship, surely? The new "theming" looks like new advertising space.

I agree revalidating tickets is their only short term fix really. However someone above said Thorpe Park and poor reliability have gone hand in hand for years, which is why I don't have any sympathy as they should have sorted the problem a long time ago if they're not happy about it. Other european parks manage fine...

Yeah the new site is awful! Which is really a shame because I liked the old website, I could see info on tickets and transport in a few clicks and it even offered to translate the website as soon as you enter it! Now as far as I can tell, workers have begun re-themeing the lift tower of River Quest which faces Klugheim. I'm glad this is happening as it's kinda old now and it's colour and texture just doesn't flow with the new theming. It's covered by fences but you can just make out what I think is new theming on the tower! Hopefully this doesn't mean River Quest is closed because I have a feeling it might be down for my visit

There is a small wooden jetty near the helicopter, not sure if that's what you mean. But you're right about the billboard, it looks a bit odd next to a church. About the Smiler, what were the theming elements? I remember the station building was supposed to look a lot better, however they scrapped it for concrete and yellow pipes!

I'm sure he knows. In this context (and on this site) he means non-enthusiasts.

Thanks. Also, am I right in saying this is the first dive coaster to have a dive loop?

Only a tiny update but some transfer track went up a while ago too with some more supports with it!

I really like the layout actually! It looks like it'll really flow, especially the second half with the airtime hill. I look forward to seeing a real POV when it opens to see how it's paced. I'm guessing it's an 8 or 10 seater and not a 6 seater?

Just thought I'd share a little update of Pandora: The World of Avatar, which is being constructed at Animal Kingdom as we speak! Photos from themeparkx.com It's odd seeing such a top heavy structure, but it should look like it's floating when finished! This also gives us an idea of how huge this new build is.

^ In Lost City? I think I just threw up. Luckily they were playing all the right soundtracks throughout the rides and areas, just the awful rap music at the entrance and in the dome ruined the first impression!

I think the way I phrased it was fine. Plus being gay doesn't make you "miss it". I know many "lads" in the world would cross her off just because of her injury, which is sad.

She's a pretty young woman before and after the crash. Did you want me to call her ugly, then? It is interesting that she noticed people taking photos of her after it happened. I know it's exciting for people watching but it is so cruel. I get they couldn't do anything other than alert members of staff/police but it's quite shocking what social media does!

Did you manage to do Forbidden Caves at Bobbejaanland? Nice little report by the way!

^ Nah I think I'd rather have nothing! For me, R&B belongs in people's iTunes accounts, not a "theme" park!

Not sure if it's been posted but the full 10 minute interview is here... http://www.itv.com/thismorning/hot-topics/leah-washington-alton-towers-crash-first-tv-interview I'll echo what others here have said and say it's such a shame. Having one leg doesn't ruin her beauty, that's for sure! (On the inside too it seems)

Agreed. I visited the park yesterday... Storm Surge got stuck multiple times throughout the day Samurai shut Vortex shut Loggers Leap shut Saw shut in the morning Rush broke down twice if I remember correctly Quantum shut the moment we stepped off the ride I know I hate it when people complain about Merlin but it is ridiculous! The whole park has no atmosphere or character whatsoever. You arrive at the entrance to be greeted with R&B music? No thanks. Everything looks dirty and unloved, it's full of chavs (which isn't all their fault) and as said above by multiple people here, the reliability of the rides is appalling. We even had to queue about 30 minutes for Detonator because people had nothing much else available to ride, and it was being run very badly. We had a bloke on the microphone in the booth constantly interrupting the soundtrack to make annoying comments to his colleague and people in the queue. I get that a bit of banter is funny, but it looked so unprofessional and it was more awkward than anything if I'm honest. I won't be visiting again in the near future unless reviews of WC16 are good. Not only because I'd rather not hand over my money to them, but I didn't actually enjoy the day very much because of it.

He hasn't yet I'm afraid (as far as I know) but I will keep this page updated as usual! [Edit] I have however found a different POV which is earlier and not as accurate, but the general footprint and layout are still the same!

Yes but where's the solid source, that's what we're trying to find out!