TarinMaria
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Everything posted by TarinMaria
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Honestly, I've been on different coaster forums since I was 16, and I would not be at all surprised if far more came out from many different enthusiast groups. I was warned to stay away from quite a few people on my first forum because they were known creeps. The accusations are disgusting, and I hope any guilty parties are dealt with in the most appropriate manner. Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
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Not really comparable, gigs are once in a lifetime, even if you go and see the same band again, they may have new music or change up what they're playing, gigs are also few and far between. Your favourite band might come to your nearest city once every couple of years, Thorpe Park isn't going anywhere. Thorpe also hasn't changed all that much since my last visit in 2016. Also, out of all the gigs I've been to (probably verging on 40 or 50) only 4 have been anywhere near the £80 mark, most of the time they're about £25. 2 were stadium tours by a band that hadn't toured in several years, 1 was a pop act in the O2, and 1 was a resale ticket that cost more than it should have. The last gig I went to cost me £18. I could see that gig twice and still spend less than a day ticket to Thorpe, and I had far more fun at that gig than I ever did at Thorpe. Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
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That is a fantastic idea! However, that would require a large amount of funding, from a government I don't think would spend that. It's not necessary, and old BoJo doesn't really care about theme park queues. It would also rely on the NHS still existing in the not too distant future, but that's a whole new can of worms. Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
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That's kind of what Paulton's have, they send you to first aid and a nurse checks your proof... Anyone with a legitimate need for RAP will probably have multiple things stating that (I have a card that states I have MS, I have a treatment card, I have a doctors letter and I have a blue badge) so even invisible disabilities should have enough proof. Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
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There isn't a lot they can do, but putting in place some kind of sanctions for those who do abuse the system would be a good idea. However, that won't happen unless the staff are trained in the system and how to cope with guests who do choose to abuse it. They could make it so that you need to have 2 forms of proof, but that would cause mass uproar, just as changing it to only blue badges or PIP/DLA would. Actually timing out cards would make it less attractive to those who are simply just using it as a fast track, meaning that only people who need to use it will. I still think, however many people have been overheard in parks *possibly* talking about fake doctors letters, it is a minority who do abuse it, and if it is not, please do provide receipts for this data. Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
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I honestly doubt that as much abuse really goes on as some here are suggesting. The issue is that the RAP rules are not being abided by. Those who do abuse it (like having more than 3 carers) should have action taken against them by the staff. Be that a removal of the RAP or having to reapply with different documentation. On the whole though, I'd say the problem here is the opposite of a "snowflake society". It is still this prevalent belief that if you don't *look* disabled, you can't be disabled. My disability can only been seen in my brain, so unless you're walking around with an MRI scanner in your back pocket, you can't see it. Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
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I won't do a huge rambling post like I just did for my blog, but I will say that the Liseberg Halloween event is incredible and I highly recommend it! All 4 mazes are fab, and a lot of effort has gone into the event. The park is really well decorated, obviously night rides on Helix were a ride based highlight, and Valkyria is fab! The Experiment was short but crammed in the scares, they also sent me round alone. 8/10 Zombie was longer, loads of actors, looked amazing, and the make up was spot on. Not wheelchair accessible as stated though. 8/10 Smittharden Gasten was the most beautiful maze I've ever been in, and I wish I'd had time to do it again, again lots of actors and lots of scares. 9.5/10 Vinden was a surprise, it included a very big and fast industrial lift, and some of the most impressive animatronics I've seen inside a maze. 9/10 There were also a tonne of actors in both the scare zones, and they really did interact with everyone, even children. Probably the best event I've been to at a park, loved it.
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TotT has needed to go for a while now, the issue is that last year it was the best maze Towers had to offer. It had gotten a bit of a refurb a couple of years back, but did feel somewhat stale. Definitely a needed change. Now all they need to ensure is that they're not batching groups of 13 onto the mazes, too many cooks and all that.
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Tornado at M&D's is actually fab. Oh, it's rough, it bruised me, but I went on it again, it's insanely designed, you can only marvel at it's craziness.
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Turkey is easy to do, did a beach holiday there a couple of years ago, apply for the visa online, costs about £10... Also, if you're worried about visiting Turkey, you should avoid London, Paris, Barcelona, basically everywhere actually, lock yourself in your room.
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The first film is a film I would say everyone has to watch before they die, a masterclass in how to make an incredibly low budget film, that balances gore and psychological horror, it is my favourite of the series, but I always end up watching all 7 of them in a row anyway [emoji23]
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The biggest question I have is: there are actually people who aren't a fan of Saw? I mean, the original is great, funny, well filmed, not too gory, still almost believable and has a fab twist. How can anyone not like the first film?
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Thanks, I had someone on Facebook trying to tell me that THERE ARE NO HILLS AT PHANTASIALAND! I would genuinely have had a lot more love for the place if I had found it easier to walk around, like Efteling for example. It's not quite big leagues yet, but it's infinitely better than Thorpe, what an insult to Phantasialand!
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Still trying to work out how you can have any sort of opinion on atmosphere or staff when you've never been to a park... I didn't love Phantasialand, for a few reasons, I actually wasn't thrilled with the ride line up (as I'm not a huge fan of water rides) and personally my mobility suffered there as there are some hills that really upset me. Aside from that, I couldn't fault the atmosphere, it felt far more magical than any UK park, and the only places that really give me a magic feeling are Europa, Disney and Efteling, so that should tell you something. The staff were efficient and friendly, one even giving us a huge laugh because we used the single rider queue for Taron as a two, and he deliberately split us up so we wouldn't be on the same train. It was actually hilarious. PA is probably the closest to a Thorpe vibe I have ever gotten, due to terrible staff and operations.
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I had one actor get very handsy with me in Mine Tours, like grabbing my cheeks and saying how nice and chubby they were and I was in fits of laughter, great fun, but not scary...
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Did Scarefest yesterday What a disappointment. None of the mazes were even close to as scary as last year, the groups being batched were far too big and we ended up bottle necking on Sub Species. Everything was just meh. The Welcoming was a lot of build up to the most anticlimactic ending of any maze I've ever done. Sigh.
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Yet other, better parks, with other, better hotels, charge less? Europa, Efteling and Phantasialand for example. The hotels are a constant source of complaints from guests, rooms being filthy or not ready on time, if they reduced the price, more people would stay, more rooms sold = more profit
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Well, they wouldn't have problems with people staying on site if they lowered the prices so you don't have to take out a mortgage to stay a night...
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She said I needed a higher rate benefit letter, and they wouldn't accept a letter from my consultant... I don't get any benefits because I can walk further than 10 metres unaided most days. However, if she'd looked at the letter, she'd have seen 'Tarin has Multiple Sclerosis and cannot queue'. I'm sure the access was fine, but she wouldn't give me it, and was so rude about it! The food was average, but really expensive.
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I was planning on sending a strongly worded email, especially given the way I was treated by the guest services staff member. It was suggested that it might be a culture or law thing (like in Germany), but we visited Tibidabo and the staff members there couldn't do enough to help me out... I'd expect the larger park to be more helpful, but the staff were terrible for the most part. Is it a lack of planned management? It felt that way to me, ride hosts and ops left to do as they wish, rather than having rules set in place.
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PortAventura has really disappointed me this weekend just gone. It's the kind of place that could be amazing, but isn't. It makes Thorpe's operations look like Europa's, queue jumping is terrible, most of the rides are painful, the staff range from okay to appalling, and the guests, urgh. The lady in guest services was incredibly rude when she refused to give me a disabled pass, as a letter from a consultant isn't enough, she didn't even look, I imagine assuming I was trying to play the system. It was taking them 5 minutes to dispatch trains on Baco. Baco is one of the worst rides I've ever been on. And no one gets out the way of mobility scooters, which I'm sure is something to do with anyone being able to hire them. The scare mazes were an organisational nightmare, no time slots and ticket booths opening around the same time as the maze, rather than an hour before. The mazes also weren't open for long enough. Although, REC was being batched and operated better than any of the rides. The free maze had a 2 and a half hour long queue when we wanted to go on, but guess what, they sold fast tracks for that too! I mean, sure, the place looks nice, and it has Shambhala, but when put next to Efteling, Europa or even Phantasialand, it pales in comparison. I've heard the phrase 'it's missing something' a fair amount over this weekend, but I think it's missing quite a few things.
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I've heard stories of kids who can't prove they're 15 or older being turned away from the mazes this year, so be wary
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Merlin should focus on their current attractions, not on buying new ones. Some of the parks are filthy, I swear only half the food places open at the parks, they're understaffed, and how many rides are sbno? Fix your current parks before you decide to ruin any others
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Usually, if this is the case, I will pull up RCDB or Wiki, just to show them the correct info, but honestly, it rarely happens to me, and you can be an experienced enthusiast (6 years for me) and still get things wrong! Some things that enthusiasts say can really wind me up, it seems some people suffer with being unable to admit if they're wrong. (Talking about Facebook mostly) -
That's probably not the best idea. Tulley's can be super intense, and Towers was one of the scariest things I've ever done, last year. Sub Species was terrifying, and I don't scare easily at all. If you're really that desperate, start with TotT, but personally, I don't think I'd recommend it. Loads of chainsaws at both events. I don't want to sound rude, my main concern is that you'll have a huge anxiety attack which could be really harmful for you. Avoid Sub Species, they can and will split you off from the rest of the group and make you go through alone. Stay safe!
