Martin Doyle

Massive part of why Shocktoberfest leads the way in this country as far as I go and that’s without even touching the attractions. Those nurses!! 😍😍 Hell park wide atmosphere and decoration is also something I hope Thorpe improve on as back in the glory days of this event, it excelled in that department.

ITS COMING BACK OK!! *cries in a corner after reality sets in My “sources” let me down!!

Asylum/Freezer was great because it used such a simple design. Strobes, fencing,smoke,sirens. Yet the actors they had in there complimented that loud atmosphere perfectly. I had runs where the actors full on lept over the fences at me and started trying to drag me from the back of the group. They were absolutely crazy in there. It really was and remains to this day the best maze in the history of the event. If this new maze is half the attraction it was then it’s done well.

Freezer/Asylum: “Am I a joke to you!!??” 😛

And there we have it!! “Introducing our brand new district "Wastelands" the home or our brand new attraction Wastelands Penitentiary. The year is 1998, 13 years beyond the moment of “light”, the explosion ripped through our world, bringing an end to civil life. Buildings became ruins, forests became wastelands and to survive humans pulled on their primal instincts. The penitentiary was strong and secure, but since the disaster it has become a haven for all that is bad. The power shift has changed. Inmates once detained are now free, guards that were in control are fighting to survive…will you?” Solid looking line up!! This and Wreckoning look like two very strong additions to the line up potentially.

Hex live was around at 2009’s Scarefest event. Albeit only on 3 dates. Duel also had a run with scare actors during Scarefest at one point.

I can confirm!! Was not Valravn’s biggest fan at all. I warmed to it more second trip but still find it completely average.

More chance of my hairline coming back!!

I think minimum one maze at Tulleys using touch scares would be great. May add some more variation between each haunt. That being said, I do think they do well anyway without the need to touch the guests but I can see how it adds another dimension to a maze

”The Wreckoning” Tulleys introducing a Pirate themed horror maze by the look of it. Man how I love this place 😛

This will probably open before West Coast Racers at Magic mountain actually opens at this rate!!

Another example of how well Europa Park deal with setbacks!! No compromising, no hitting the panic button and no excuses. Just getting on with it and getting the job done. Hats off to them!!

Top 10 dark rides 1. Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror (Florida) 2. Symbolica 3. Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man 4. Harry Potter And The Forbidden Journey 5. Phantom Manor 6. Pirates Of The Caribbean (Paris) 7. Transformers the ride 8. Harry Potter And The Escape From Gringotts 9. Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror (Paris) 10. Ratatouille A lot of dominance from Disney and Universal in this list I know, but that’s just the quality that those two are capable of when in their element!!

And we have a POV!! The drop into the structure looks fantastic and the overall pacing looks flawless. RMC, the gift that keep on giving!!

“And I believe this represents the future for spreading a cold across the world!!”

If that ride was a horse, it would have been put down by now!!

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT THE HECK HAVE YOU DONE WITH MARHELORPE!!???? 😮

Its bizarre because sometimes I’ll go and they will let me wait longer for the back and other times they will not. I would say it’s to do with the queue times but it seems the times I’ve asked for the back has been when the line has been longer then when they don’t allow me!! Guess it depends on what mood they are in!! The back on any GCI is the best seat in the house. Mystic Timbers for example was pretty average in the front row but in the back, it’s absolutely brilliant and the same very much goes for Wicker Man. Any seat other than the back 2-3 rows and it’s pretty naff to me.

Looks to be a wonderful coaster!! (Its RMC so that just goes without saying at this stage) Its very interesting to see RMC move to using the “Ibox” track on their ground up models now as opposed to the “Topper” track you get on Wildfire. Supposedly a major reason for that is the complaints of pacing issues that seem to attatch themself to the Topper track models. Can’t wait to ride this at some stage in 2020!! This and Hyperion look like they could be quite the double act!!

Well DBGT is simply the biggest white elephant project in the history of the theme park industry. The ride will most likely be gone before it hits 10 years of operation whereas a solid coaster would have cost roughly the same (if not less) and guaranteed longevity. There lies the problem with a lot of the parks recent investments. They do NOT have a long term future. Tatty short term investment after tatty short term investment aswell as white elephant projects like DBGT as opposed to solid ride investments are a major reason behind why Thorpe are in the doldrums as much as they are right now.

If this really has cost Flamingoland £20 million then they have well and truely had their pants pulled down. Good to see this park get a new coaster but £20 million for a clone of Colossus is them being taken to the cleaners given you could get a Mack multi launch, a GCI woody or an RMC for that figure. Whoever sold this to Flamingoland is laughing all the way to the bank. Still, this from the same park that thought Hero would be a good idea!!....

Very interesting read up as always Whilst Kings Island to me is not a park to travel all the way to America for on its own, it is most certainly worth a visit when combined with days at Cedar Point. I actually enjoyed the atmosphere at the park when I visited but certainly not an atmosphere on the level of Cedar Point. Mystic Timbers to me was by far the star of the show at this park. Whilst front row on it isn’t really that great, the back row felt utterly frantic and the ride at night is sentastional and as such made it my number 1 wooden coaster (even ahead of Wodan and Balder) I do think Diamondback is probably one of my least favourite B&M Hypers but I was quite lucky to have had some solid rides on it airtime wise. I do agree that that trim is utterly stupid though. Banshee...where do I even start!!?? Can somebody please tell B&M that NOBODY LIKES THOSE DAMN VESTS!! Honestly was it not for those vests, it could have been up there with Raptor and Montu as one of my favourite inverts. Thanks to those vests it’s possibly my least favourite and that includes Nemesis Inferno!! I do think the park desperately needs a true WORLD CLASS/ELITE level stand out coaster to go with the current line up. Hopefully the 2020 Giga coaster will give them that.

1) Intamin 2) RMC 3) B&M 4) GCI 5) Mack

People that complain about Merlin (or indeed ANY park operator) as if they are the Anti-Christ but then rather than voting with their feet and NOT going to their attractions, go virtually all the time and pump more and more money into their pockets. If I went to a Harvester (other restaurant chains in this context are available) and they kept giving me undercooked food every time and I did nothing but complain, guess what?? I do not go back to Harvester. Maybe I’m making something of nothing but I just find it counterproductive to moan about a business as if they are the bane of ones life but then pour more and more money into it.

Agreed!! The “Team Taron or Team Helix” debate being the prime example. How about just appreciate the fact BOTH rides are world class in their own right. If you think Taron is better than that doesn’t make Helix a poor ride and vice versa!!