Matt N

Interesting review @Mark9; thanks for posting! Out of interest, does Genie still require the same amount of advance planning as FP+ required when I last visited? I seem to remember us planning our days about 2 months in advance when we went in 2019, so I'd be intrigued to know if Genie has removed that extent of planning. I didn't personally mind it too much, but I know many don't like it.

Sorry to bump a thread that's been inactive for 2 years, but seeing as I'm currently a first-year uni student, the thread title did catch my eye. As it appears that there are quite a few people on here with previous uni experiences, I was just wondering; is there anyone on here who didn't take to uni straight away, and for whom it took quite a bit of time for them to properly settle in? I only ask because if I'm being totally honest, I'm not 100% sure that I feel fully settled into university and the way of life it brings just yet, even 5 months on from initially joining. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't say I hate my course by any stretch, and the people and environment are lovely, but something still feels like it isn't quite clicking for me, and I can't place my finger on what; if someone asked me whether I was loving my course, I'd honestly be hesitant to say yes at this point in time. If I'm being honest, I have found adjusting to the study style quite difficult, and doing the assignments often makes me quite stressed (although it must be said that I did find that things seemed to fall into place a little more towards the end of Semester 1). Even though I have no issue with doing independent study, I have found the transition to more unstructured time and less clear expectations quite challenging, and I have found the general style of study a bit tough to get my head around. Apart from one module which I failed (I got a 35 in one assignment, but I know that that was down to me misinterpreting the brief slightly, and also making blunders in formatting; I know what to do to solve that in the reassessment), I did OK in the other 3 in my first semester (my other grades were 58, 64 and 68), but I have found the transition (from sixth form) somewhat jarring. Sorry for the little ramble, but I only wanted to ask; is it normal to not fully settle in for a while after you've joined university? Or have I made a mistake, and is it only going to get worse from here?

It could well be for a layout change; I do think it would be nice if they were able to add in a few straight airtime hills, as much as I think the layout is very impressive already given the site and Merlin’s tight budget! And Merlin may well have listened to some of the enthusiasts complaining about the length and lengthened it slightly! However, there’s one thing that puts me off the prospect of a layout change, and that’s the wording and level of detail they’ve chosen to justify this change. If this was for a layout change, surely it would say something like “an alteration to the scope of the ride” that would have been spelled out to the planners in more depth (for instance, I imagine they’d have to outline any new footers being poured or whatever, as well as any new high points in that area), as opposed to “cut and edge landscaping”. That to me suggests some sort of more minor work away from the ride itself; I did notice that the new area encompasses the entirety of Loggers’ former plot whereas the old area didn’t, so perhaps the “design development” is that they’ve decided to demolish the remaining bits of Logger’s that weren’t covered in the initial scope? Also, the original layout doesn’t quite fill the originally outlined area, so surely a layout extension could in theory be done within the current boundary if they wanted one? Don’t get me wrong, it could well be for a layout change (I don’t know much about how planning works for that type of thing), but something tells me that the planners wouldn’t be happy if Thorpe tried to pass off a layout extension as “landscaping”… I’d expect them to have to go into greater detail for something like that, or at very least specify “an extension to the scope of the ride”. It’s worth remembering that the wooded section of The Flume was technically considered part of Wicker Man’s site during the planning process, but this was only due to the removal of the wooded section of The Flume; Wicker Man did not ultimately end up using the wooded area at all. To be honest, I don’t think Exodus really needs a layout change, personally. Yes, it’s not the longest coaster, and it doesn’t look to be a straight airtime machine in the way that many were hoping for, but given the site, the budget and the brief, I think it’s already pretty impressive myself!

Sorry to bump this thread after nearly 5 years of inactivity, but I was just wondering; have Towers done something to Rita in recent years? I only ask because I had a period of 4.5 years without riding Rita (between 2016 and 2020) because of how rough it was and how little I liked it, but when I rerode it in 2020, I thought it was brilliant, and way, way smoother than I'd ever remembered. I've had 4 rides post-2020, in both the purple and blue trains, and none of them have been overly rough at all, which I find really interesting. I would even dare to say that my most recent rides, in September 2021, were really quite smooth; my front row ride was honestly hardly any rougher than Icon at BPB, with only a very slight rattle, and even the ride I had in row 8 straight after only had a touch more of a rattle to it; nothing that majorly detracted from the ride at all. The ride literally didn't hurt in the slightest, and I'd have happily gone round a few times! And while I still wouldn't say they were a favourite of mine, I also didn't mind the restraints too much, in spite of remembering hating them years prior. Most interestingly of all, I rode Rita and Stealth within a week of each other in September 2021, and I would have said that my 2 rides on Rita were considerably smoother and more enjoyable than any of my 3 rides on Stealth; whereas Rita only had a slight rattle at worst, Stealth was really bouncing about quite horribly going up and down the top hat on all 3 rides, and I came off it with somewhat of a headache all 3 times I rode. Given that Rita is far more notorious for roughness than Stealth, I find that really interesting... Not to mention that while Stealth's launch is more forceful and the airtime on the top hat is fantastic, Rita has a more extensive layout which is surprisingly exciting in places; I'd never noticed before, but there are a couple of surprisingly strong ejector moments on Rita that really throw you out of your seat! Even though it's so hated, and even I once hated it, I've really been enjoying Rita lately, and I'd also say that while I prefer Rita of the two, both of the Dark Forest Intamins are rides that I enjoy more than most. Does anyone know if Rita's had anything done? And do you agree with me about it?

I think it can operate without the water effects, yes. While I don’t know about the speed question, I seem to remember hearing that Drayton Manor turns the water effects off on Captain’s Sea Adventure (their Zamperla Watermania) during the Christmas event.

Legoland Deutschland has announced that they are building a new €15.5m coaster in 2023, that will be the first of its type in a Legoland park: https://www.themepark-central.de/legoland-deutschland-neuheit-2023/ The ride will be located in a new themed area between the holiday village and Land of the Pharaohs that will also contain another attraction. Nothing else has been said other than the budget, the fact that it’s part of a themed area, and that it’s the first of its type in a Legoland park. There are no real rumours, but interestingly, I’ve heard both an SBF Hamster Wheel (suggested within the above article) and an S&S Axis (a European park was said to be building an S&S Axis for 2023, and nowhere else is currently showing any obvious signs of being the park for this) suggested. I wouldn’t have initially gone for either of those, personally, but given we’re seeing Chessington and Legolands in China building B&Ms, I think just about anything is possible! I’ll admit that my mind initially leapt to a launched B&M like Chessington’s and the Chinese Legolands’, but would they call that “the first in any Legoland park” given that Legoland Sichuan is also due to open in 2023? What do you guys think it could be?

Welcome @Vampire*! (Apologies for not seeing your post earlier…)

The 2016 ride was rumoured to be a Zamperla Watermania, wasn’t it? Also, I think they provide essentially the same ride experience for all intents and purposes, so it wouldn’t really make much difference.

It would appear that Chessington is installing 2 new rides in Pirate’s Cove for 2022, according to Chessington Buzz: https://chessingtonbuzz.com/news/two-new-rides-for-2022/ The planning application was submitted today, and the two rides are: A Zamperla Watermania (basically a mix of a teacups and a splash battle) that features water guns around the outside and a nautical feel, with a lighthouse tower operating console. The ride is to be named Bobbing Barrels. A Zamperla Rockin’ Tug, thought to be Timber Tug Boat from Thorpe Park, that is being named Trawler Trouble. Some of the artwork has also spawned a rumour that Pirate’s Cove is being rethemed to more of a nautical theme as opposed to a pirate theme. That would make sense given the general aesthetic of The Blue Barnacle compared to its predecessor, in my opinion. Isn’t this interesting! What do you guys think? It does certainly appear as if the level of investment into Chessington is stepping up somewhat, with these new rides now and Project Amazon in 2023!

I’ll digress to being quite shocked at just how drastically IOA’s coaster lineup has seemingly improved since my last visit in 2016. I didn’t think it was by any means bad back then, but I’d say coasters were one of the park’s weaker links (certainly compared to dark rides and water rides, anyway); I liked Hulk, but didn’t love it, and I found both Dragon Challenges quite average. I also found Hulk, bizarrely, to not be that smooth for a B&M coaster that had just reopened from a huge retrack, but that might just be me. However, the 2 new rides built since then look quite mesmerising; Hagrid’s looks like a stunning family thrill coaster with phenomenal theming, and VelociCoaster… what else really needs to be said there? These rides look to have strengthened IOA’s lineup quite considerably, and given it’s already my favourite theme park in the world as of right now, that bodes well for when I next visit! Glad you enjoyed VelociCoaster @Mark9; I envy those who are able to get out there and ride it, as it looks stunning! It’s a shame you didn’t particularly rate Hagrid’s, though; it was always reviewed very well in a lot of previous reviews I’ve read. I guess it is (or looks to be, at least) more of a family ride intensity-wise, though, which might not be for everyone.

I guess Lumber Jump was probably the easiest one to move. Glad to see it being retained, though! And is it me, or do the name and graphic imply that it might be themed around one of those fairground strength tester-type things, where you hit a hammer and it goes up a certain amount dependant on the force of your hit? That could just be me being completely weird and making that up, though… I’m also curious as to where in Amity Cove this might go, as I’m not sure there’s a huge amount of space in Amity. Although I guess this won’t require much space, in fairness.

Hi guys. The 2022 season is just beginning, with BPB starting to reopen its gates, so I thought I’d breathe some life back into TPM’s trip report section (which hasn’t been updated for over a year by the looks of things) and make a 2022 Trip Plans thread! So, what parks are we all planning to do this year, now that COVID’s effect on the theme park industry is seemingly beginning to ease? Personally, I have a variety of plans for 2022. Much of this isn’t set in stone, as it’s only February, but here are my tentative 2022 trip plans, split into categories of their status: Locked In Plans Europa Park (26th-30th April 2022, on park 27th-29th April 2022) - After months of planning, this is finally locked in! We’re staying in Castillo Alcazar for 4 nights and have 3 days of park tickets to Europa Park, a bucket list park I’ve wanted to visit for a good 7 or 8 years now! I’m absolutely buzzing about it; it’s slightly surreal to think that after years and years of wanting to go, I’m only a little over 10 weeks away from finally stepping into Europa Park, the Golden Ticket Award winner for world’s best theme park and a place that many hold in extremely high regard, and I’m going to be riding coasters like Wodan, Silver Star, Blue Fire, as well as seeing other esteemed rides like Voletarium and Piraten in Batavia, as well as seeing what the park in general has to offer… my, this is so exciting! I know a lot of you are probably quite blasé about a trip to Europa by now, but from my personal perspective, I can’t believe that a trip I’ve dreamed about doing since I was 11 or 12 is finally happening! Almost Definite Plans Solo Train Trip to Drayton Manor (Weekday in June 2022) - After my successful pilot of solo theme park visiting at Thorpe last September, I want to take my newfound ability further in 2022 and take the train alone to a theme park in 2022. And where better to begin with that than the easiest park to reach from my location by train; Drayton Manor! I’ve mapped out the route from Wilnecote train station (reachable by direct train from my local train station), and everything looks nice and walkable the entire way, and I’d also like to get back to Drayton even excluding the stuff about my solo park visiting; I haven’t been in 4 years, there’s still some significant(ish) stuff there I haven’t ridden, and I would like to give Apocalypse a good send off before its rumoured removal at the end of 2022! In terms of when I’d like to go; I’ve decided on a weekday in June, as I’m headed to Europa in April, and this is also when I’m off uni and the kids are still in school keeping park crowd levels low, so it’s win-win! I obviously haven’t booked anything or concluded anything for this yet, but I am quite set on doing it at some point in 2022, so I’ll file it under “Almost Definite”! Possibilities Brean Theme Park/possibly Weston too (Unknown) - In spite of having been a theme park enthusiast since I was 10, I still haven’t visited my nearest theme park; Brean Theme Park! My dad has said to me that me and him could remedy that at some point in 2022, though, and he also raised the possibility that we could do Funland at the Tropicana as well, so excluding the kiddie creds at either park, as I don’t generally do kiddie creds, this could be a very easy +4! Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Unknown) - My parents have said we might be able to get back up to Blackpool for a short break at some point this year, and I’ll admit, I am keen for a revisit, what with new Valhalla and retracked Big One, Grand National and Big Dipper all having happened since my last visit, and I’m gagging to get back on my #2 coaster Icon after 3 years away! To tell you the truth, I was originally planning to do BPB myself on the train in one day, but from the South West, the trip was quite an epic one compared to anything I’ve done before, and practically everyone around me thought it sounded like quite a poor travel-to-park-time ratio (I totted it up to be around 8-9 hours of travelling for around 4-5 hours of park time, with me needing to get up at about 5:30am), so my parents said to me “if you want to go to Blackpool, I’m sure we could go up and stay there at some point this year so you get a full day in the park!”, which sounded like a far more pleasurable, less bold idea to me… That’s all I can think of at the moment, and as I say, much of that is not set in stone, so the year could turn out totally differently; it’s only February at the moment! In terms of the Merlin parks; from having talked to my parents, I’m led to believe that after quite a Merlin-heavy 2020 and 2021, our visit frequency to those will be considerably lower in 2022 due to us no longer having MAPs (my parents aren’t buying themselves new MAPs after being angry at the way Merlin treated passholders during COVID). I could in theory buy an MAP myself (my last MAP, the Premium MAP I had during COVID, was one I bought myself), but if my parents don’t get them too, it’s probably not overly worthwhile. But what 2022 trip plans do you have?

Interestingly, it appears that ParkVibes isn’t returning for 2022… I wonder why that is? Was it not hugely successful or something? I’ll admit I didn’t notice a huge difference when I visited during ParkVibes other than the themed flags and some slightly altered audio in places, but I heard other people who seemed to enjoy it. This lineup sounds really solid, though; I’m particularly interested to see what Carnival ends up being like, seeing as I’m assuming that Mardi Gras will be fairly similar to Towers’ one, whereas Carnival is unique to Thorpe!

That is a sound suggestion that makes a lot of sense… I didn’t think of that.

I know this is going to sound slightly random, but I have a question to those who’ve ridden Sky Lion this year in terms of their thoughts on the ride, if you don’t mind me asking. Warning: Minor spoilers for those who haven’t ridden. Is it only me who felt that the ride could have used a bit of feedback to what was happening on screen through the use of physical effects? For instance, I’m talking about things like it squirting you with water when you travel through water on the film, or blasting some hot air at you when you travel through the hotter environment. Personally, I did feel like some of this would improve the ride, and my parents both agreed with me; it was one of the first things they said to me when we got off. We all expressed feelings that there were points where we were expecting a water squirt or whatever and it didn’t come. Don’t get me wrong, I thought Sky Lion was a great dark ride (one of my favourites in the UK) that’s really fun to ride, and I overall thought they did a great job with it! That is literally the most picky of flaws I could find in it, but it was something I did personally notice. Spoilers ending Does anyone else think this? Or am I literally the most petty reviewer ever?

Most interestingly, Merlin is now lobbying for the London Resort application to be withdrawn, as the developers have demonstrated “no tangible progress” in their eyes: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https://riderater.co.uk/9543/merlin-calls-for-withdrawal-of-london-resort-plans/&h=AT3eBNkY3S5WaNCU0eZHzFAQjQoxQim2zJqQZvPKyriSNm9kvksbrO2CS8rLs_-r_vAlBNRLLH21oUoOfx_16VbKSaDcmHCbcuS9K8qL_gZ0VFyUq-9M9TczYIk8ciA&s=1 Merlin invites the developers to resubmit an “application-ready” planning application “in due course”.

Hi guys. As technology advances, screens are growing ever more present within dark rides. Initially, it was Universal and Disney who pioneered the use of screens on rides, but regional parks eventually cottoned on, and most new dark rides built nowadays have some form of screen within them. However, screens are somewhat of a contentious topic among enthusiasts, with many complaining that their use has killed creativity within dark rides. So my question to you today is; how do you feel about screens on dark rides? Do you hate them? Do you not mind them? Do you like them? Or are you undecided? Or does it depend on the context? Personally, I don't mind screens at all. In fact, when fused with physical theming as part of a more varied ride experience, I really like them, and I do think they can add a certain something to a ride when used well! Now I don't rank dark rides to any huge extent, but if I did, I'd say that a big percentage of my top dark rides use screens to at least a certain extent. To be honest, off the top of my head, I'd probably say my top 5 dark rides are Tower of Terror, Gringotts, Spider-Man, Transformers and Forbidden Journey, in that order. 4 of those 5 use screens to at least some extent, and 3 of those 5 are quite heavily 3D-based, although they do have a lot of physical set pieces and effects as well. I love a traditional dark ride with physical sets & animatronics as much as the next person, but to be honest, I do think that the 3D element does add a certain level of dynamicness to those rides that I really like! However, I do think that for me to really love a screen-based dark ride and rank it in that top tier, it's got to be a tracked ride system of some form that fuses both screens and physical theming; I don't think a ride that is literally just a screen and nothing else (I'm thinking of things like Simpsons, Star Tours, Sky Lion, and Flight of Passage amongst others here) is really something that would be able to rank in my top tier of dark rides, as much as I do really enjoy some rides of that type. I personally prefer the tracked ride systems that have a bit of physical theming in there alongside the screens, and they're the screen rides that rank among my top dark rides. So basically, I'd actually say that I like screens on dark rides on the whole! Don't get me wrong, I love a good physically themed dark ride with physical sets and animatronics as much as the next person, and a dark ride certainly doesn't need screens for me to like it, but I don't personally identify with the hate towards screen technology that some harbour; I do think screens can really add something to a ride when used well! But what's your opinion on the contentious topic of screens?

Personally, I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see Colossus go before the end of the 2020s, and I'll be stunned if it's not the first of the big thrill coasters to go. It's not an especially popular ride (among enthusiasts, at very least, and none of my family especially like it), it's lost its original USP even within the UK, it takes up a not insignificant amount of land within a park that will soon be tight on space for new rides, and correct me if I'm wrong here, but isn't subsidence causing issues with the ride's footers? However, I would counter that by saying that I don't think coasters necessarily have a set lifespan. For every ride getting removed at 30 years old, there's a similarly specced ride still hanging in there for decades afterwards, and I don't think that a ride hitting a certain age is necessarily an indicator that "[x ride] is due for removal or retracking". I think it's more nuanced than that, personally.

Hi guys. Europa Park and Phantasialand are Germany’s biggest, and arguably most revered, theme parks, and both of them get a high amount of praise from enthusiasts. But I’d be intrigued to know; which of the two do you personally prefer? I’ve visited neither, although I am rectifying that in April with my first visit to Europa Park, which I’m very excited about! But which park do you prefer? A similar thread done on another forum I’m on is currently seeing Phantasialand emerge victorious, but I’m intrigued to see how things play out on here!

I’ve done 2 Madhouses, but I hope to possibly be doing 2 more at some point in 2022 (Fluch der Kassandra at Europa and Haunting at Drayton Manor). I’d rank the ones I’ve currently done as follows: Hex - Alton Towers: Yes, I rank this first just like everyone else does, but possibly not by quite the same margin. With that being said, however, I do absolutely love Hex; it’s easily my favourite non-coaster at Towers, and it might be my favourite UK dark ride (it’s a toss up between Hex, Sky Lion and Ninjago for me)! I think the way they used the Towers Ruins was a true stroke of genius, and one of the finest examples I’ve done of “simple but effective” ambience building, in my opinion; the whole thing has a rather eerie, ambient tone to it that I think is wonderfully done! The story is also very well explained, it’s immersive, and I think it has a rather wonderful sense of drama and spectacle throughout! Overall, I think Hex is a stunning dark ride, and definitely a worthy contender for #1 in this list! Haunted House Monster Party - Legoland Windsor - While I don’t personally rank this quite as highly as Hex, I still think it’s a really strong dark ride! I’m also not sure that comparing it to Hex is entirely fair as it’s a totally different type of experience with different strengths; while Hex hones in on drama and raw ambience, Haunted House Monster Party has a rather endearing sense of fun and whimsy about it that does put a smile on my face! And there’s many things I do like about it; the story is fairly well communicated, the room itself is used very well (I particularly liked the disco lighting that was going off while the ride was going round, the screens on either end and the projections on the bottom at the end of the ride), and I absolutely love the soundtrack! I also think it’s a rather original and fun take on the spooky theme, which I really like! Overall, while it’s not quite Hex for me, I did really like HHMP, and it’s definitely worth a ride if you’re ever at Legoland Windsor!

According to Jack Silkstone's latest closed season update from Thorpe Park, stuff is now happening in Old Town: The things that have happened include: Lumber Jump has disappeared, and Timber Tug Boat may possibly have gone as well. Fences have gone up and minor work is beginning around where Creek Freak Massacre was located. Deconstruction work on Platform 15 has commenced. Slammer is currently still intact, and Rocky Express' theming also remains intact at present, but the status of the hardware itself is unknown.

Interestingly, Alton Towers have today submitted a planning application "seeking to confirm the lawfulness of maintenance works to the "Nemesis" ride, an existing roller coaster at Alton Towers Resort", according to TowersTimes: https://www.facebook.com/towerstimes/posts/10159970979863185 Could this be for, or at least relating to, the heavily rumoured Nemesis retrack? And if it is, could it be for the ride's upcoming 30th anniversary in 2024, perhaps?

Out of interest, have we heard anything new about the new coaster as of late? Is it testing or anything yet? I find it really interesting how much it's flown under the radar given its significance; yes, it's a Colossus clone, but it's the tallest coaster built in the UK since Swarm 10 years ago, as well as the biggest ride at Flamingo Land (I think?), so it's pretty significant for the UK coaster scene in that regard! On a side note, Flamingo Land is going to have a pretty epic coaster collection by the time this opens... they're going to be joint with Towers & Blackpool for most coasters in the UK according to RCDB, and they're going to have 5 thrill coasters! That's nothing to be sniffed at, in my view... it must surely put them in contention for having one of the strongest coaster lineups in Britain, possibly even one of the strongest in Europe?

Promisingly, Lightwater Valley was singled out by Brighton Pier Group as having performed “ahead of expectations” in 2021: https://riderater.co.uk/9522/lightwater-valley-ahead-of-expectations/ No specific figures were given, but the group singled out Lightwater Valley as a star performer in their recent results reveal, where the group also revealed that their total sales were expected to be £22.7million, which is up by 177% on the same period in 2020 and even up 31% compared to pre-COVID levels in 2019. Promising stuff, no? While it may not be the future that some desire, I do think Lightwater could have a promising future ahead of it within the next few years as they forge their new path of appealing to the under-10s!

Hi guys. You may remember the other day that I created a thread about parks you like more than most and parks you like less than most, and as a follow-up to that one, I thought it might also be fun to tackle that topic from the perspective of roller coasters; so, what are some roller coasters you like more than most and roller coasters you like less than most? I’ll get the ball rolling with some of my choices for each category… I could pull up quite a few nominees in both categories for this, but to keep it fairly short, I’ll stick to 5 coasters for each category. Coasters you like more than most Wicker Man, Alton Towers - To most, this is seemingly an average, disappointing woodie that doesn’t live up to the cross valley plans. For me, though? My favourite ride at Alton Towers, my favourite UK and favourite all-time woodie (I can sense some controversy there… more on this below), and one of the most fun coasters I’ve ever ridden! Yes, it might not be the most intense coaster on the planet, but I think Wicker Man delivers a lot, personally; it’s fast paced from start to finish, it has really fun twists and turns, it has really comfortable trains, it’s fairly smooth in wooden coaster terms, it’s developed some surprisingly excellent airtime in recent years, particularly towards the back, and overall, in spite of most seemingly finding it a poor woodie, I think it’s the pure pinnacle of fun, and a coaster I could literally sit on all day without getting bored or feeling any unwanted side effects! Icon, Blackpool Pleasure Beach - The second of the 2018 UK duo also makes it in here for me! Icon is a ride that seems to have few strong fans, and many who are apathetic towards it, but one that I personally have a lot of love for! Yes, it isn’t the most intense ride on earth. Yes, the launches aren’t the strongest. However, it is the UK ride that puts the biggest grin on my face! There’s a huge number of things I like about Icon; there’s a plethora of excellent airtime moments, including some that really surprise you, the ride always feels fairly exciting (even if it’s not the fastest in sections), the trains are gorgeous, the inversions are lovely, the twists and turns are profiled to perfection, it’s really smooth, and overall, I find Icon a hugely fun coaster that puts a huge smile on my face every time! In spite of many people’s general antipathy towards it, Icon is my favourite UK coaster, and my #2 coaster of all time behind only Mako at SeaWorld Orlando! Rita, Alton Towers - Another Alton Towers staple, and I’ll admit that this is one I would never have included in a million years a few years back, but since getting back on it for the first time in 4.5 years back in 2020, all of my recent rides on Rita (4 separate rides across 3 separate visits) have been really quite excellent, with no real roughness issues, brutality, sore ears or headaches at all; even the worst recent ride I had only had a mild bit of bumpiness to it! My September 2021 rides in particular were really fab! I got my first front row ride, which was really quite smooth, and even my back row ride straight after only had a very mild rattle to it, which while it did make it marginally less smooth than the front row ride, was barely noticeable whatsoever; I’ve had rougher rides on Nemesis! And even notwithstanding anything to do with Rita’s smoothness; man, it’s really been putting a smile on my face lately! That launch, while not quite there on Stealth’s, admittedly, is still a rush like no other, and I actually think the ride doesn’t have a bad layout after the launch; I’ve experienced some legitimately brilliant pops of ejector on Rita, and although the drawn-out turns aren’t the most inspired, admittedly, and do partly hold it back from ranking higher for me, I think the euphoria of the launch and the airtime pops are enough to make it a really enjoyable ride that I certainly enjoy more than most! Overall, I like Rita a lot; I often feel quite sorry for it, what with how it’s seemingly become the unloved stepchild of Alton Towers’ coaster collection! And perhaps controversially, in spite of the two rides’ reputations, I notably prefer it to Stealth (more on that later…)… Rock’n’Rollercoaster, Disney’s Hollywood Studios - Even though most enthusiasts seemingly view this as pretty middle-of-the-road to poor, I’d had this ride hyped up to me a fair amount by my dad and sister prior to riding (they’d done the Paris version many years before and absolutely loved it to bits), and while I perhaps didn’t revere it quite as highly as they did, I must admit that unlike most enthusiasts, I most certainly see where my family were coming from on this one, as I thought Rock’n’Rollercoaster was certainly a pretty rockin’ ride (pun intended) myself! For starters, the launch felt really intense for an LSM launch; had I not known any better, I’d have presumed it to be hydraulic, and it’s easily up there as one of the most intense-feeling launches, if not the most intense-feeling launch, I’ve ever experienced! Also, I thought that the ride seemingly hurtled through the layout at fair pace, packing a thrill around every corner; those inversions and turns felt awesome! And while it had a bit of a rattle which took away ever so slightly, I didn’t think it was overly rough at all (although sitting in the front row may have helped with that)! Overall, I’ll admit that I liked Rock’n’Rollercoaster a lot; certainly more than most seem to, anyway, and it’s controversially my favourite Disney World coaster (more on that later…)! Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Universal Studios Florida - Most seem to think of this as complete and utter rubbish, but based on my most recent rides in 2016 (admittedly 5.5 years ago now, so my opinion may change when I reride)… I didn’t dislike it at all! Yes, it’s not one of my all-time favourite coasters as it was when I first rode in 2014 (on my first ride, HRRR really blew me away, becoming my then favourite coaster in Florida and 2nd favourite coaster of all time behind Swarm!), nor do I regard it quite as highly as some of the others I’ve mentioned in this category, but I like it, and I hold it as a solid top 25 (out of 79) and 7/10 coaster! I think the ride seems to pack a tangible sense of speed and exhilaration throughout, and I seem to remember the non-inverted loop being a really excellent ejector airtime moment, with a couple of other (admittedly notably weaker) airtime moments sprinkled within the layout too! I also don’t remember it being particularly rough, in spite of its reputation; it rattled a little, but I don’t remember it feeling overpoweringly rough by any stretch, and I have a fairly low roughness tolerance. I’ve certainly ridden many rougher coasters than HRRR, from memory! I’ll admit that HRRR perhaps doesn’t have the most interesting or eventful of layouts past the first element, and I would rank it a little more highly if it were less rattly, but on the whole, I remember quite liking it, and I certainly seem to enjoy it a lot more than most based on all the trash talk directed towards it! Coasters you like less than most Nemesis, Alton Towers - Starting with a big, controversial one! Don’t get me wrong, I like Nemesis a lot, and I fully understand why it’s so coveted and iconic to so many people, but I don’t place it on the same godly pedestal that most enthusiasts seem to; it’s not my favourite UK coaster, and perhaps controversially, I (narrowly) prefer Nemesis Inferno. I think it’s more down to it not really being my absolute favourite type of ride more than anything else. Stealth, Thorpe Park - Another big, controversial UK choice! I used to love this coaster, and don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to like (the launch is sensational, the top hat airtime is excellent, and even the bunny hill into the brakes can really deliver sometimes), but my last few rides on it have been really quite bumpy, and had me coming off of it with a bit of a headache (although it’s not unbearably rough by any means; certainly smoother than Colossus). I also find the restraints dig in quite a bit by the end of the ride. As I implied above, I’ve been finding Rita noticeably smoother and more enjoyable than Stealth as of late, and I’ll admit I find it surprising that Rita has the reputation as the “rough” Intamin Accelerator in the UK! In terms of Stealth; most covet it as their favourite Thorpe coaster and among their favourites in the UK, but I’d genuinely say it’s 4th out of the big 5 at Thorpe for me based on my last visit, purely due to the increased roughness and headache factor (it’s below Inferno, Swarm and Saw, in case you’re wondering) Megafobia, Oakwood - Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some enjoyable rides on Megafobia, but like Nemesis, I don’t personally place it on anywhere near the same pedestal as I know many do. For many, I know that this is easily their favourite UK woodie, one of their favourite UK coasters, and one of their favourite woodies of all time, but I don’t personally hold it in that regard. My favourite row is the front, and up there, it does have some fun airtime pops, but I’ve honestly felt like Wicker Man’s have been feeling stronger lately, and that ride also has really consistent fast pacing, fun transitions, and a consistently fairly smooth ride experience, which Megafobia lacks. While Wicker Man blitzes through the layout, Megafobia feels like it has numerous dead spots throughout, and notably loses pace towards the end. I also find Megafobia pretty temperamental; on my last Oakwood visit in 2019, I had 4 rides, with 2 in the front, 1 in the middle, and 1 on the back, and the ride experience wildly varied dependant on what seat I sat in. In the front, there were some fun airtime pops and the ride wasn’t especially rough (although still perhaps a touch rickety for me to fully rate it in places); this was my favourite seat. In the middle, the ride was still not particularly rough, but just felt profoundly average, and didn’t really have much of anything sensations-wise. In the back, it had 1 or 2 more intense pops of airtime (the first drop and drop out of the turnaround in the back are some of the strongest airtime pops I’ve yet experienced), but the back was actually my least favourite row, because I found it a bit too rough for me to enjoy; to paraphrase Fawlty Towers, back row Megafobia “[gave me] a damn good thrashing”, and the roughness was considerably more overpowering in the back than in the front and middle to an extent that I didn’t expect. Overall, I don’t dislike Megafobia by any means, but I don’t personally hold it on the same pedestal among woodies as most do; of the 7 woodies I’ve done, it places 3rd for me, and a notable peg below the top 2. Controversially, Wicker Man reigns supreme among UK woodies for me by a considerable distance, even when excluding the theming! Expedition Everest, Disney’s Animal Kingdom - A lot of people absolutely love this, and while I do enjoy it every time I ride it, don’t get me wrong, I don’t seem to like it to the same extent as most, and it never fails to leave me feeling slightly cold and underwhelmed for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on. I’ll admit that I’ve always found the long wait for the switch track to move itself on Everest to kill the mood slightly (I personally think that Thirteen executes the backwards trick far more slickly, and I dare say that ROTM at Universal does too), and for such a long ride, I do think the actual “proper coasting” section feels surprisingly short and lacking in dynamic manoeuvres compared to even other Disney coasters, but those are extremely harsh criticisms on my part, as Everest is a Disney coaster aimed at families after all, and a Disney coaster built before switch track technology was commonplace, at that. Don’t get me wrong, Everest is a fun family coaster that I enjoy, and has spectacular theming and cool tricks, but something about it always leaves me slightly underwhelmed, and I can’t quite place what. Olympia Looping, Travelling - I’d heard a hell of a lot of hype for Olympia prior to riding, so that may have killed it slightly for me, but I’ll admit that I was pretty underwhelmed when I finally rode it at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland in January 2020. I won’t deny that the ride is an absolute masterpiece when you take into account its travelling status, and I feel honoured to have ridden such an influential piece of coaster history, but even though I was hoping for something that would rank pretty highly (it was almost my sole reason for visiting HPWW), it wasn’t really my cup of tea at all. I won’t deny that the ride lived up to its billed intensity, but it provided this in a very different way to what I was anticipating; it didn’t make me black out or even grey out, but it was a very weird, dizzying kind of intensity that’s difficult to describe. It wasn’t particularly enjoyable at all for me, and I felt quite nauseous and dizzy getting off. The second main con was the trains/restraints, which I wasn’t personally keen on at all. The trains are very tight legroom-wise (even for me, who isn’t especially tall at 5’9.5”), and the shoulder bars really dug in during the ride to a pretty painful extent; on my second ride, I was wincing in pain going around due to how much the shoulder bars were digging in. Overall, I get why people like Olympia, and I fully appreciate its iconic status and history, but it didn’t live up to the hype for me; when combining the weird, nauseating intensity and the painful shoulder bars, it’s not a coaster I’m especially keen on at all from a ride experience perspective. I just don’t think it’s really my kind of ride. But what are some coasters that you like more than most and less than most? As ever with this type of thread, I apologise if there’s anything controversial in my list, and if you need anything clarifying, don’t be afraid to ask!