HermanTheGerman

To be honest, I wouldn't even expect the park to know what they want as their next big thing. They have a few ideas, but none are really in depth. At the moment, it would appear that Chessington are focusing on solving the major capacity problems, and not just in the ride department either. They want to make sure that the park can handle the numbers it already attracts before they add anything more. Which to be honest, is a very smart move. For the next actual addition, I'd set my sights on 2018, although that doesn't mean that noting will be happening from now until then.

Just because we may hear things doesn't mean they happen. We were literally told Dragon Falls was being done for 2014, look how that panned out. Nothing will be definite at the moment, and I doubt a rapids would be high on their priority list!

They have a heat light on the floor of their cave.

If you read the full statement from Chessington, it does highlight that the panel in question was hit earlier in the day. Perhaps it was kicked?

All their ride videos say that. It won't be anything to do with the effects.

Say what you like about Morwenna's marketing tactics, but you can't seriously be happy that she's gone? The general quality of Alton Towers has definitely slipped since she left.

Well, the non-existence of that has just strengthened my Boxing Day blues.

Good luck!

So they want pass holders to pay extra for an event with half the normal line up? No thanks

I would assume the random safari truck by Trail of the Kings?

It has been said elsewhere in the topic, but the chances of the interior actually looking like a warehouse are somewhat slim. Look at the plans submitted for The Smiler, neither the marmaliser or the station building looked anything like what we have today. The marmaliser in particular looked more like some sort of dark, alien being. Fairly different from the bright and colourful structure we have now. The IP could quite literally be anything.

See, its nice that they're making an effort to open early, but I'm worried about how successful it will be. Haven't the park learnt from their past experiences that FHT doesn't work? Surely they're just setting themselves up for failure?

Firstly, Toadies is pants. Secondly, their throughputs are more or less the same. Remember, there is only three cars on Toadies. And finally, Toadies looks appalling. In out dated, unwanted and overgrown. It's only a matter of time before it gets removed.

It would seem that they just hadn't got round to changing the link, Penguins was indeed the countdown.

How did you know?!

I would just like to point out that the other countdown page (the one with the african background) is still up. Maybe there is something else...

I don't know why, but Saw to me feels like its has the fastest moving queue in the park. Whenever you move, you move on hell of a lot.

See, I like parts of both its designs. I prefer the new colour scheme and paint job, there is just something strangely intimidating yet intriguing about seeing the hieroglyphics on the side of the ride as you enter Forbidden Kingdom. The old logo was far better though, and definitely suited the area more. But the whole, idea of an ancient pharaoh using a machine to 'torture' you I do find to be more fitting. The slogan "Surrender your senses, vengeance is mine" is perfect and really should be used more. And yes, to second what EB said, re-paint Forbidden Kingdom!

I'm not too sure how to feel about this really. On the one hand I'm glad we're finally get in a dark ride, but at the same time, I'm frustrated about the lack of effort. There are so many things the Arena could be used for. Whatever happened to tucking away show buildings behind dense trees and heavy scenery? You never know, this could turn out brilliant, but some how I doubt it.

What I'd like to see is Rapids re-vamp, but to be honest, sorting out the identity crisis would be fine by me!

I'm pretty sure Thorpe have been displaying the MAP like that since the rebrand this year. Not too sure why to be honest, the excessive use of Gill Sans does become rather annoying sometimes.

Lots of fan sites have people that don't like the parks. It's mostly for enthusiasts of theme parks, not of specific parks. Thorpe is a park that I personally struggle to enjoy. Other than The Swarm and Stealth, all the attractions leave me with a 'meh' feeling. Nothing stands out, nothing special, and they're all (other than Saw and the rides mentioned above) in pretty poor condition. Being very local to the park, you'd expect me to visit often, but I rarely go more than once a year. And when I do go, I'm only there for The Swarm, Stealth, Slammer (if it's open) and Loggers. The rest does nothing for me. All the park does is fill me with anger. I.e. Storm Surge, one train operation, Angry Birds Land etc... I love thrill rides just as much as I love well themed, immersive environments. But I'd pick Scorpion Express over Inferno any day. That ought to put it into perspective.

It can't just be the show and Penguin Cove. That wouldn't really justify a whole webpage and countdown would it? Its not as though they can't do it time wise either. Last year they managed to repaint the majority of two areas, build half a hotel, resurface an entire area, fix major fire damage, re-theme an attraction and build a new monkey area. Not to mention other, smaller refurbs. I'm sure altering a stage and adjusting animal attraction wouldn't be too much on top of retheming a ride elsewhere in the park. Its not as though they're lacking in budget.

Well, I have three lists: Rollercoasters, Rollercoasters as experiences and general attractions. For this, I'll do overall attractions. Where the atmosphere, creativity, theming, physical ride and power to entertain are all equally important. 1. Big Thunder Mountain 2. Hex 3. Scorpion Express 4. Nemesis 5. Vampire 6. Oblivion 7. The Smiler 8. Dragon Falls 9. Oblivion 10. Runaway Mine Train

^ Scorpion's application wasn't put forward until May/June. It still hadn't been accepted, but it's pretty much certain to pass. I'm guessing it's likely to the the same situation with Falls.