Martin Doyle

Top 10 European coasters!! 1. Untamed 2. Taron 3. Helix 4. Wildfire 5. Shambhala 6. Expedition G force 7. Karnan 8. Black Mamba 9. Wodan 10. Balder I do regularly find myself swapping around Helix and Wildfire. Both to me have brilliant elements but at the same time have plenty of dead spots. So it's very much a draw between the two. If Wildfire did not have it's awful morning pacing issues, it would be above Helix hands down. Helix in fairness also needs warming up throughout the day but nowhere near to the extent of Wildfire. So very close between the two in my book and that's coming from a self confessed RMC fanboy!!

And this to me is why I personally enjoy Helix and not Icon. Icon to me has the dull launches and in my opinion a poor layout. Whilst Helix also has poor launches in terms of forces and has several moments of it just meandering around, the moments such as the inverted top hat, the Norwegian loop and that final airtime hill make for an incredible coaster experience. It utilises a decent variation of elements to counter it's weaknesses and that's the word that inevitably is why I rank Helix highly. Variation. Though I can absolutely see why it's not some enthusiasts cup of tea.

I agree with this. To me Liseberg is worth a visit because it has 1. One of Europe's best coasters in Helix. 2. The best flat ride on the planet in the form of Loke. 3. One of the finest wooden coasters in Balder. 4. In my opinion, the best dive coaster in valkyria 5. Two solid enough water rides 6. A very well themed horror maze in Hotel Gasten. 7. A brilliant classic coaster in Lisebergbanan Is it my favourite park?? Nope. It sits behind Cedar Point and Phantasia, but to me it's certainly one of the best parks in Europe. Good ride collection, good food options, nice atmosphere and pretty decent operations and staff.

That's just the thing though. Chessington is a family park and knows it's a family park. Their investments have suited that market (As such they haven't necessarily needed a coaster specifically) and they have their direction. Thorpe Park however made a name for itself as the "thrill seekers" park. What appeals to that market? Coasters and thrill rides. However, the issue currently I feel with Thorpes recent investments is the park very much seems to be having an identity crisis as to is it a thrill park or is it a family park. The prime example being going from X:no way out into X and then to Walking dead. I just think the powers that be need to sit down and actually decide who/what is Thorpe Parks market and go with it. If they want to be a family park then I agree that they don't necessarily need a new coaster if that's the specific market they are going for. However if they want to roll with the park being a thrill park, then a new coaster is what would make perfect sense as the "next big thing"

I absolutely agree. It won't fix the more major issues at the park. A new coaster at Thorpe is just the tip of the iceberg. 1. SBNO rides just left there. 2. General cleanliness. 3. The direction as to where the park is heading in terms of what sort of park they actually want to be as right now, they feel like a park with an identity crisis. 4. Upkeep on current rides 5. The running of the park in terms of the stupid wind policy,queue management and how every one and their dog can get RAP. Amongst other things, are all more pressing issues in my opinion. However I do feel a new coaster would be a step in the right direction in regards to bringing back the excitement and interest in the place.

Now I know this is said to death to the point even I am tired of it, but this is where I think an RMC would do wonders for Thorpe. The enthusiasts would absolutely descend on Thorpe and the traction the park would get in the European enthusiast community could very well be big. When I was at Walibi, I encountered many enthusiasts who had travelled from all over the continent to ride Untamed. Hell some even came from America to ride it. Wildfire at Kolmarden was the same story. Enthusiasts from all over have made that trip to the middle of nowhere in Sweden just to ride it. So Thorpe to me would be wise to cash in on the overwhelming popularity RMC has gained in recent times. They may have to act on that soon however before the popularity and hype surrounding RMC dwindles and they miss the boat. I know the enthusiast community is a drop in the ocean compared to the general public, however the general public just want good rides as well which an RMC would almost certainly deliver. Would an RMC boost the gate massively in regards to the GP?? Only time would tell. That's the calculated risk you have to take in buisness sometimes. A good ride will almost always capture the public's imagination. I could sit here and talk about why an RMC makes sense to Thorpe because they usually are amazing rides until the cows come home, but I find it more crucial at this stage that it's pointed out why it makes sense buisness wise.

Which does pose the question, WHY? Why don't they want to spend money at the park??

That would 100 percent confirm to me that Thorpe is indeed bottom of the food chain when it comes to the companies priorities. I maintain that if they don't want to give Thorpe the money it needs to get itself back on track, just sell the damn place. I know that's not happening any time soon but when even the general public are waking up and smelling the coffee as well as the so called "entitled" enthusiasts, it's game over. I don't think asking for the SBNO rides to finally get removed and space developed is too much to ask. It's hardly asking them to build an expedition everest level of detail attraction. In terms of a new coaster, Alton Towers has now been given 2 (3 if you include the Galactica overlay) major coasters since Thorpe last had one. So I agree, a new coaster at Thorpe is really not too much to ask either. Unless the future of the park is indeed just cheap short term tat and IP driven summer events.

https://www.slashfilm.com/disney-ticket-prices/ Now I understand that sometimes to get the premium product you have to pay the premium prices, but holy heck!!

Must say, this looks a pretty good coaster and can't wait to ride it in may. This and Mystic Timbers will make for one heck of a double act. One thing that makes Cedar Fair my favourite park operator is the fact they give their customers/fans what they want!! The Cedar Park fans wanted an RMC for so long - they get Steel Vengeance. Kings Island fans for years have wanted a Giga - they are given Orion. They may not be perfect as no company is, but I've got to credit Cedar Fair with some of their investments across their parks in recent times.

They are getting.......

NOT an RMC or B&M hyper

God I love this ride!! The strong airtime of this damn thing is quite visible in my shirts antics!!

Clearly they want the return of the mighty Bouncezilla to be a surprise!!

I could be mistaken, but I am also guessing that how you use fastrack isn't restricted to one per haunt?? So in theory you could just stand in the regular lines for those that usually get short queues like Cellar, Creepy Cottage and the Circus of horror without wasting a fastrack and then potentially use two on the likes of penitentiary and hayride which are usually full to the rafters. If that's the case then that's not too bad a deal I think. EDIT: just watched the announcement video and that is exactly how you can use fastrack