Matt10

Thought it would be good to note from passholder preview day, that the seat belts have been changed out now to use the same ones as stealth. Through the day they seemed to be very fiddly and affected dispatch times, and from a first experience I think the maximum restraint height has been decreased as the belts make it feel a lot tighter than previously.

Yes, from X the other day in the queue, you could visibly see light seeping through from where the queue passes cabin. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Just came off Colossus half an hour ago after my fifth ride on Colossus today, third in a row, and I didn't bang my head at all once. I still don't find it rough, but on train two, car three, there was a lot of vibration going through it and through your legs, but every other seat, including the back rows on both trains, I still find it relatively smooth, and I actually think the bit of roughness it has, is what makes the ride for me.

I honestly don't see how people are finding it worse this year, for me I've found every of the 11 rides I've had on it this year (8 train 2, 3 train 1) far smoother, but I still actually think that car 4/5 is the worst place in terms of roughness. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Went to Thorpe on Sunday the 23rd and it was a good day. Most coasters opened on time with the exception being stealth opening at around 12ish, on only one train. Every other coaster was on multiple trains. The park really wasn't to busy, with stealth sitting at around an hour all day with the other coasters starting at 45, but being between 10-20 mins for the majority of the day. Dispatches were alright, but on Colossus for example there was a large amount of time being spent stacked on the brake run, with the same going for inferno. Also noticeably rush ran half the day on one swing before the issue was resolved, storm surge didn't open till late afternoon and samurai broke down at around half 12 and didn't manage to reopen, with engineers in attendance until closure working on the issue. Also DGBTROTD closed early at around 3 with a technical issues. Time on park 10am (Would have been earlier if the security checks didn't take so long)-6pm. Ride Count: Colossus x5 Stealth x2 Saw X1 Swarm X1 Nemesis Inferno x2 Rumba Rapids X1 Flying Fish X1 Rush X1 Vortex x1 Quantum x1 Zodiac X1 Detonator x4 Dodgems X1 X x2 Tidal Wave x1 IAC x1 Storm in a Teacup x2 Total: 28 Overall, a very good day, finally getting on stealth at the third visit, and after having been in the queue 11 times before this year. Very happy to finally get two trains on Colossus, and get in some solid rides on it, the main drawback of the day being that I was unable to get on samurai. It was really nice to see the park running fairly well on a fairly quiet day this year, and restores some of my faith in the park to actually be able to reliably operate the rides. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Ramses has definitely declined this year. Firstly, it only does half the cycle on a good day, but the only time I've managed to get on it when it's opened, it failed to complete the full flip, and lowered back down to offload. Normally it would be sent around again from past experience, with minimal fuss, but this year when that happened the engineers just came down, got everyone off and just said its not going to be running again by any chance that day. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Stealth really isn't having a good year. Finally after my eleventh time of joining the queue, and one time of having to get out of the train when boarding, for a test run, for it to not reopen for the rest of the day, I've got on it. Only took a good four visits.[emoji17] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

After another five rides at the weekend, 3 of which being on the back and one in car 5, with the other in car 4, I have to say it feels smoother overall. Although, I actually found it far smoother at the back, mind you that is naturally my favourite place to sit, yes, even over the front row. As well as this, train one also seems to be smoother to me, but I wasn't really sitting in the rough cars of that train. Good to finally see the two trains for my first time this year on Sunday, dodgy operation around the morning, but at the end of the day when it was quieter, operations were good enough to enable the opportunity to stay on multiple times. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

After my last ride at the weekend, yes, I definitely do recognise the jolt your talking about at the bottom of the drop. That and the final inversion, easily the parts that make saw the worst coaster at Thorpe for me. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

My first ride was Colossus in 2009 on row two on the right seat. When I remember that day I think of how oblivious I was to all of the ride and the stupid stuff I thought about it before I knew anything about rides. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I feel like it is too late now to slammer..... But on a serious note, for me Colossus, as I have a soft spot for it, it was my first coaster with an inversion, which somehow I was tall enough to ride when I was eight, and every visit I ride it multiple times without fail. I remember the as well back in 2013/14 when if you went over to Colossus for the most of the year for the last hour, quite often it would be quiet enough for you to just stay on, and I remember racking up 17 consistent goes without getting off on one of these days. In the last five years, I've only ever once not been on Colossus and that was down to closure. If when I'm going to Thorpe and hear the day before that Colossus won't be open, most likely I won't go. So yeah, if Colossus went I really wouldn't enjoy Thorpe half as much. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

If I'm right in thinking, aren't the pods from the old zodiac still in storage at Alton, or weren't they at least for some time. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

May I just ask, as on Sunday rumba opened at 12, how long has it been like this for,or was this a one off, as its always seemed to open earlier on all my other visits this year. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It was good while it lasted. It is a shame really that it's not running this year because although I've only really been going to Thorpe since 2013, last year is by far the year in which I've seen slammer running the best. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Just out of curiosity, what is everyone's preferable row for riding Colossus? I personally always attempt to get back row as the back row, left seat for me is personally my favourite. I also think the sheer number of times I go on it (at least 2 a visit as its my favourite coaster by far), I just know how to sit, as I can easily go the whole ride without my head hitting the restraint once, or even having the restraint come down on me. I personally think the fact that the ride isn't smooth the whole way around and isn't a flat ride, is what makes me enjoy it so much. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

What I enjoyed even more was after that when my mum said that it looks so bare now and then the staff member said, "Well, at least there is a flower there."

The trees were taken down this year, and a member of staff to me said it was because that a branch fell into the trough and it was decided to cut them all down due to health and safety. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case due to Merlin's recent way with health and safety in their parks.

Sorry about the image quality, but I just want to point out that I noticed this on Sunday, but there is actually a birds nest currently in place on the left support on Slammer, around where the locks are.

Anyone saying Stealth is closed, as of yesterday it looks like it will be a lengthy period of downtime. There is a crane in place in the loading platform, over the cable, so looks likely that there is a large amount of work needing to be done to the ride.

I only ever ride it at the beginning of the day, just as its the one coaster that I would never queue a long period of time for. For me, its mostly fine until the mid-course brake run. That final inversion really is a killer, although I can see how people find the first drop bad, and I would have to agree with that bit being rough.

Just thought I would bring this up, as I haven't yet seen anyone else say this. Towards the end of last season people in this thread were talking the foundations of Colossus being it's main issue causing the roughness. If you look between the first and second corkscrew you can see that the supports here have been made so they are surrounded by brick walls, preventing them from being in the water, and have been reinforced. Looks more so at the moment as a measure to prevent them from sinking, and to protect the ride for the future. On another note, this is probably just me, but the lift sounds far quieter to me this year, bar obviously at the top when it releases, and this is probably because its early in the season, it actually felt smoother then it has in past years to me. Finally, does anyone know if it has ran both trains at all this year, or the status of train one? This is as I've only seen train two run, because its only seemed to run on one train at the beginning of the season for the last two or three years.

Having only just been for the first time this season I have to say I am not a fan of the new audio. The entrance music just seems to mystical, and doesn't suit the style of the park in my opinion. I hated the Rumba Rapids theme as it just seemed to bland, and also very quiet. As well as this, on Sunday I did not hear the end of day music playing at all, but that may be to the fact that I only got off Colossus a good fourty odd minutes after ride closure.

I never realised how different I used to be, only being born in 2001, I unfortunately never got to see the old style of it, which sounds far better then what it's like now...

Were the trains not changed in 2001 because it was hard to get parts, as they had to all be individually manufactured, and weren't available immediately?

Just wait until next year...