Matt A

I really hope they do a lot with this ride over the closed season, so much potential, the first section just needs a few tweeks towards the end to let it flow into the evacuation. And having air blow at you from under the seats (like a 4D movie) would be better than actors touching people's legs). Live action section just needs a PA system for the person speaking, I'd much rather that than trying to make it realistic but not being able to hear what's going on. Second VR section just needs completely redoing in my mind, why on earth they thought the green smoke was a good idea is anyone's guess, they could have put anything in there to make it more intresting. And why on earth are there no sound effects when something explodes or similar things happen, the train's effects don't sound like explosions! Also, more Derren, it is his ghost train after all!

Went to Fright Nights yesterday and managed to get in 3 of the mazes here's my thoughts: Platform 15 - Thorpe have got to be kidding themselves if they think this is good! It was practically just walking through the forest in the dark, nothing happened! The tunnel could have been so good if there'd actually been something to make me scared, but all the tension was lost after 30 seconds. Big Top - An improvement from last year, much shorter though and still a disappointment, very few actors, which did hardly anything. Actual maze itself was good, just not scary, and a great soundtrack! Blair Witch - Never done this before but at least it's honest with its scare rating. I actually found it more scary than Platform 15! I do like how once it reaches 3pm, all the music changes to be Fright Nights themed, with Hello Zepp playing at some points too. Was surprised there was no Platform 15 theming though, was all The Director (didn't mind too much though, since Studio 13 is still my favourite maze by far, first one I went on too.

I'd agree with you if they'd just pump the music up so it actually felt like a "wave of light and sound"!

X! Just kidding, Swarm for sure, nothing beats that first drop

So are all the rides which usually have Fright Nights themed dispatches using the Director/Studio 13 one's this year?

Just down to Merlin Magic Moneysaving isn't it?

The entirety of Thorpe Park is reclaimed land! (Or well reclaimed gravel pit )

Looks more like a tube train without them really! As for the windows, would look a bit odd just seeing white out of them the whole time wouldn't it?

So would one of my friends when he first went on, we'd all told him you never get wet on the ride too!

You got that right! Nearly didn't end up going there because they told me the wrong information, thankfully I phoned Alton and got the right info

Usually about an hour by train and the shuttle bus, only live a few stops away!

Ohhhhh that's what that is! I could never understand why that room was like that!

Might have been removed due to health and safety, heard from one of the staff members that that's the reason most of the queue is done outside instead of inside now. Shame really, interactive queue lines don't really seem to exist anymore

Unheard of isn't it?

Any idea if this was the case the year before? I'm sure I remember seeing a few people taking Go Pro's into Studio 13 but I might have imagined it!

Does anyone know out of all the dates Fight Nights is running, which are the best ones to go for in order to get the shortest queues? Went last year on the second Saturday and the queues were about 1.5/2 hours for each maze! Looking at the area around Big Top, it looks like they still have a lot of space to work with for another tent or an outside section... The red box is where the tent currently is, the blue area is where there is space to use since it can all be closed off (with some of it having been already), and the purple arrows are where the maze could finish.

Ran flawlessly today, had the shortest queue of all the roller coasters and was being loaded and dispatched very efficiently each time

Well I stand corrected! Tbh I can't see that there'd ever be a point of sending the ride off that early since the efficiency wouldn't increase at all anyway. Pretty sure I experienced it waiting either this year or last year (although I think it was at the bottom of the lift hill), it wasn't unsafe before, it was just waiting until the next section of track was clear during busy times I believe

Surely the ride just waits until the train still on the tracks gets back to the station and then starts the lift again? I know Vampire does this on the second lift hill although it is designed to handle 3 trains at once.

Went on Galactica for the first time the other day and I absolutely loved it! Had quite low expectations after reading this forum but I was blown away by how good this ride was and how well the VR is implemented. Gotta say I didn't try it without the headset on! Noticed on the way out of the ride there's posters for other planets to visit 'coming soon', made me wonder if maybe they'll update the VR with something different next year say...

I've only just realised that was there now it's been mentioned on here! Being out of the way of the main path can't have helped its case

That film does not need a reboot! I thought the first one was OK but rebooting it would ruin the entire point of the movie since it will almost certainly have a big budget. But then again they *might* be able to pull off a better one depending on how it's done!

I don't know this but I did hear a lot of people saying £1000/ride/hour on Facebook, and thinking about it, it sounds about right if you factor in all the elements of operating the rides (and obviously Merlin will want to profit)

Which bit has the pepper's ghost? Is it the pre-show? Because I just assumed that was a projector since DB was 2D. Thing is, you've had 3 rides, and so you'll have understood the whole story. Most of us I imagine have only been on once, and if you miss ANY details during the first VR section, then it becomes very confusing. (I missed the first 20 seconds at least because I was adjusting my headset still). Now that you say all that about Sub-Core, it makes a lot more sense since I didn't hear about them on my go and just saw their name everywhere.

For the low, low price of £1000 per ride per hour!