coasterverse

Little update...
 
 

So unique there's a ride at Grona Lund with the same name 😉
 
 
Would be weirdly on brand with Thorpe to push some Egyptian stylistic theme and promptly name the ride after a Greek myth instead.

Does anyone know when Mr Monkeys Banana Ride will be repaired? The ride has been non operational for the whole 2023 season.

Where could a Single Rider Queue on Stealth go, out of interest?
 
In terms of removing Stealth; there are plenty of other development plots that the park could fill before touching Stealth, so unless the ride develops maintenance issues any time soon, I think we should be good for now!

In short - the park has far bigger issues and/or redevelopment areas before tearing down (beloved) Stealth.

I don't think Exodus is in the limelight at the moment. The park have simply made a clear indication to the masses that they're building the UK's tallest coaster. For most people, that's huge news, and enough to spark interest. The park don't need to do any more advertising on that for a while yet, really.
 
Whilst it's true that this time last year we were half way through the Fright Nights reveal, in previous years, reveals / announcements usually happen in mid-to-late August or early September.
 
Perhaps a bit of a controversial opinion, but I think last year's slow burn announcement wasn't quite on the mark. The videos were great, don't get me wrong. But they didn't do a good job at showcasing each attraction, or communicating what each attraction was. Yes, they built up the story around the attractions, which was great for a small portion of the audience, but they didn't tell you what each attraction was (maze/scare zone/show) or accurately depict what to expect from it. Equally, the park only revealed new attractions in the last week of August. 
 
This year, the park could just do one big reveal for the entire event.
 
 
Yep, I think another thing is they didn't want the Exodus video in the middle of any Fright Nights campaign. Could send mixed messages. 
 
Oktoberfest is, comparatively, a small event. Almost the forgotten child of the park's event line up (which I personally think should be scrapped, but that's another topic). They can focus on FN advertising whilst Oktoberfest is being prepped / starting.
 
 
Yep, Jack and Kieran have done the videos for Fright Nights (and the Exodus video from Wednesday). I don't think that they've necessarily focused on Exodus over Fright Nights; it will be a creative decision from the park to not do any Fright Nights promo work yet.

And here's an issue I have with the park at the moment.
 
They have been great at sharing updates geared towards geeks and those who are interested. The collaborations with Jack Silkstone over the years (pre-season videos, for example) have given a great insight into what to expect, some of the park's thinking, etc.
 
But they're almost being too open.
 
We go back to Tidal Wave's fire effect returning. That was announced for, what, 2021? And yet here we are, no fire effect in sight.
 
Their communication about SRQ has been good. They trialled it on Saw last year (after a push to trial it from a Rides Team Leader), and expanded it to a couple of flat rides. They've said they intend to put it on Stealth too. But that was many months ago, and the official line has just been 'it's coming soon'. How long does it take to set up? I genuinely cannot understand why it is taking so long, especially since Stealth was designed to have a Single Rider Queue, which still exists.
 
If they hadn't have said anything until it was confirmed and all but in place, it wouldn't have caused any issues. Even if they said "We're looking at putting it on more rides if possible - watch this space", that would be fine. But by announcing it, with no clear idea of when it could happen, it's created this situation which frankly could have been avoided.
 
Hopefully they've learnt from that, and choose to be more selective with what they talk about. And they get SRQ up and running.
 
 
I don't see Stealth's life as limited.
 
Hydraulic launches are fine. Yes, Top Thrill Dragster had issues, and that's why they've changed that. Hydraulic launches are still not the most reliable and parks do still have issues with them. And yes, hydraulic launches are old hat now, with LSMs the launch of choice now (and rightfully so). 
 
But at the same time, Thorpe have got Stealth down to a tee. Yes, it's had a bit of downtime recently (a few days I believe). But aside from that, it's been reliable, rarely has a rollback, and is incredibly popular still.
 
Okay, it's not going to be the tallest ride on park. But that's not big issue, when the tallest ride is only a bit taller and faster, and on the other side of the park. It still has a huge selling point and draw. People still lap it up.
 
Thorpe aren't short on space, so don't have a need to remove it yet. And frankly put, there's other coasters which would be higher up on the list to be removed in my opinion.
 
Doing a Top Thrill feels a bit unnecessary at the moment. It would have to be turned into a swing launch in all likelihood, which would require a significant rejig of the station. The whole process would be incredibly costly at a point when, again, that money could be better spent elsewhere.
 
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Stealth SRQ is the new Tidal Wave fire effect.

I think most of the Fright Nights teasers do come from Jack Silkstone and because he is so focused on Exodus we haven’t really seen any construction updates as of yet. I agree now the promotional video is out we should see something soon, especially as they wanted to release it on national rollercoaster day. 

As someone who's never been, Pleasurewood Hills looks broadly comparable to somewhere like Oakwood, but with weaker major coasters.
 
Don't get me wrong, I do have a soft spot for Oakwood, but I wouldn't like the park nearly as much if it didn't have a great major coaster like Megafobia at its centre and a decent-scale unique thrill coaster like Speed. It's a little hidden gem of a park, but it is definitely made by its coasters for me.
 
I could be being overly presumptuous, but to me, Pleasurewood Hills' coaster draws look vastly weaker than Oakwood's (the main draw I can think of is Wipeout, as I am mildly intrigued to ride a traditional Vekoma Boomerang, but I can get the same experience at numerous parks in Europe and ride numerous more compelling headliners in the same park). And when the park is a 4.5 hour drive away from me on a good run, it does make it a tough sell, unfortunately.

We went to Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, which is essentially just down the road and had a much better time. 
 
That place had atmosphere, a great variety of attractions and a lovely atmosphere amongst some standout rides. Even with the flume gone it was very enjoyable. 
 
Even in just eight years PWH has really become so dilapidated with so many areas rundown, closed or abandoned. Including the high dive show. It may be the most rundown uk park and to be fair quite a lot of our parks are. 

Up until yesterday I’ve never seen that trademark page.
 
Icarus is a weird name but at least it’s unique.
 
Hyperia reminds me of Hyperion and Energylandia and also very basic 

The name not being firmed up would explain why the teasers have been non existent.
 
Might have to go to option 3 at this point at call it The Golden Boi.

Probably stock music which is a lot more widely used than you would think. Just like many thinking the old Katanga Canyon music was Graham Smart but was in fact stock music which is the first track from this album... 
 
https://www.universalproductionmusic.com/en-lae/discover/albums/67/action-heroes

The park confirmed 81mph in response to someone’s tweet:
 

It'll be called Big Bird.

😂 I thought we were going to get a LITTLE more than that haha
 
 

7:39pm... #ProjectExodus
🔺👁️

Is there a particular reason people are angry about a non compulsory add on? It's not even fastrack which actively impacts everybody's visit.
 
It's literally a 'you have too much money' tax. So why is this angering so many?

I think it’s a nice colour, ultimately depends on the lighting. It’s not tacky, it could have been very tacky and cheap. This colour also hides dirt a bit better considering it’s over water.
 
 
Just to update this, the park have since said this:

Another construction update from the park...
 
 

Being world roller coaster day tomorrow, I wonder if that's when Thorpe are planning to pull the trigger on their first proper piece of marketing on the ride. 

I’m quite partial to a bit of Rage (adventure island)

Chessington are now selling ERT slots, for £20pp: https://www.chessington.com/explore/extras/#selected-rides-and-attractions-included
 
It's the same ERT that hotel guests get (which is still included for free):
- Mandrill Mayhem
- Ostrich Stampede
- Mamba Strike
- The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure
- Elmer’s Flying Jumbos
- Room on the Broom – A Magical Journey
- Treetop Hoppers
- Jungle Rangers
- River Rafts
- Tiny Truckers.
 
You still need a standard day entrance ticket / Annual Pass on top of this.

Dear God, I appreciate that when you have props etc. it makes sense to use them, but Merlin are obsessed with passing off old toot as "Easter eggs" and such aren't they?! It always screams "What rubbish do we have kicking about that we can make look old and abandoned, throw it all together, new attraction innit"