Mark9

Only problem is that water coasters are rubbish. So yeah, maybe not ey ;-)

Blue Fire got the same response when it opened in 2009. People liked it but compared to other launchers and inverters, it isn't the most intense thing going. Helix has an even harder job as right next door is the punchy Kanonen. In other words, don't worry about what other people think and just try and get on it at all costs .

So went to Chessington today and have to say... was very impressed. Don't get me wrong when I say there are still major problems in the park which aren't so apparent when the park is quiet compared to busy. I'll start with some of the glaring problems then. Falls is terrible after the Dragon cave. It's like you go into this amazing piece of sculpting and re-emerge into the sunlight in a dump yard. Bits of metal everywhere, the backside of Tomb Blaster, the arse of the panning for gold game. It's not great and needs to be seriously improved. Secondly is Tomb Blaster. The middle half of the ride isn't working so it's just some very poor props moving occasionally. Sure that's all it was when it has guns working but at least it distracts you. The other thing is my gun wasn't shooting lasers but I still scored points. Very peculiar. Okay onto the good stuff. I love, love, love the music that has been added to rides like Buccaneer and Seastorm. It makes the ride so much more interesting and its great stuff from the park that they are finally adding this stuff to the older rides. Secondly, the work being done at Rattlesnake is going well. The entrance snake has been polished up and looks all brand new with his little stack of dynamite. Some of the Mexican animatronics also look to have been refurbished and actually look great. Market Square looks absolutely sublime with its new look and the compass is the icing on the cake. Adored its refresh. Vampire's music is also much better with the pre-recorded announcements. Finally no more shouting down the PA by staff. The ride seemed to be running fine as well, our back row ride was very very enjoyable. We took a trip into the refreshed Market Square shop. It looks great and some of the merchandise is much better then what has gone before. The resins are clearly a big hit for Merlin as Kobra and Zufari both had something. And finally the new rides. Zufari is Chessington's No Way Out or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It's trying so hard to be ambitious but just ends up looking silly. The Danger Cave is laughable and its attempt to be Kilimanjaro Safari fails on every level. We actually really liked Scorpion Express though and thought it was a decent enough attempt at redoing Runaway Train. It also seemed to be running very well too so maybe it got a proper refurbishment during its year out. We did take a look around the Zoo and all the animals seemed to be out. Creepy Caves looked the best it has done for years and the new Amazu area should look amazing when it does properly open. So all in all a successful trip to Chessington. I somehow feel that despite all the criticism it has been getting, there is life in the old dog yet It managed to impress both of us massively.

They're back on. It's okay guys.

Mack have just hit that magic spot where everything is falling into place and they are just building brilliant, perfect rides. Further proof then that B&M and Intamin need to step up their game as the Mack rides are just going to dominate.

Picture from Coasterforces Facebook page. My god, its magnificent. :-D. Sweden is so bloody lucky.

Oh my problem isn't with the congestion. It's with our poster forgetting all the problems when a freebie is thrown his way. Classic example of deflecting the problem at ride staff who get far more of a rough deal then a car park attendant will ever receive. His willingness to show off his three free fastracks is about bragging more then solving any issues.

And now do you give a toss about the actual problem or are you so blinded by freebies that cost the park nothing but collectively ruin other peoples days instead. The ignorance is astounding quite frankly.

There are words for people like you.. just sayin'.

Ah, classic. Doesn't solve the problem in the slightest though and just helps make the queues for the rides longer.

Alton would only ever run Rita on one train if there was a problem with one of them. We don't have to make up conspiracy theories or attack Merlin for everything you know.

It's funny you say that as I think Thorpe only has two dark/gloomy themed rides in total. Tidal Wave is very much tounge in cheek for example (takes guts too make comedy out of a natural disaster), Inferno always struck me as quite upbeat too and Stealth is one of the cheeriest major roller coasters in the country. Hell, Storm Surge is the best joke in years! Alton = dark dark dark.

I would love for some European park to just get a lumbering piece of kit like Banshee. Whilst the more imaginative, smaller rides like Nemesis are greatly appreciated, something massive like Katun would be awesome and very exciting. I'm also a bit jealous of American parks doing these epic opening events with free t-shirts and official openings from park managers. Adds a bit of occasion to the day instead of ride just opening with no fanfare.

Oblivion Inferno confirmed.

This is a discussion forum. People are discussing. It's as simple as that.

Ah, the equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and pretending everything is rosy, singing loudly to drown out any sense of reasonable discussion and conversation. Good work insider9150, because listening to genuine concerns is going to help make the park a better, wiser place isn't it. Nice one. I love this notion that the people discussing why Chessington isn't in the greatest place are considered moaners. They probably care more about the park then you ever have, I can only vouch for myself when I say it built a lot of my childhood memories and to see images like this:- (Thanks Theme Park Insider) really makes me sad and hope it works again soon.

All four of the Gerstlauer bobsleigh rides I've been on ranked lowly in the poll. Very unfair as they are cracking rides

Interesting.. Battle of the Dive coasters it is then as Gardaland are also getting one for next year. I'm expecting Eftelings one to be more Krake then Sheikra considering the height and considering Eftelings reputation for theming.

Oh.. So I should be pretending that this is theming of the grandest scale then. That it truly is more then the sum of its parts and that it will go down in History as the greatest themed area of all time. Come on man, at least understand why people think this is a bit iffy, it does strike as the cheapest and easiest thing they could get away with.

Looks fantastic. You definitly can't say it looks slow in the testing video, it looks very quick and snappy. September can't come around quick enough.

I thought that was the general theme of any Merlin park.

Tell you what Ricky, if Angry Birds Land is up there thematically with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the France area of Europa Park, I'll definitly buy you a beer.

The Mitch Hawker poll should be taken with a pinch of salt to be honest. It's good for seeing general trends but never good to any individual roller coaster. In fact the only reliable data will be rides like Nemesis, Bizarro and Expedition Ge Force which manage to stay in similar positions every year. Take the wing riders for example, Raptor has managed to stay pretty consistent in its ranking but Swarm, X Flight and Wild Eagle have all dropped 30-60 places. Even Gatekeeper (which as a Cedar Point ride, has particular fanboy relevance) couldn't over-take Raptor on the poll. Another fact is Theme Park Review. Last year Sky Scrapper wasn't even included but thanks to 11 riders, is apparently 19th best roller coaster in the world. No matter how good it is, that is way too small a sample to be accurate. The same stands for Kawasemi with its 19 riders. So in conclusion, yay for Nemesis. Oldest rollercoaster in the top twenty. Merlin need to get some air time rides in as that is clearly a trend from an enthusiast point of view and a public one.

They might be waiting for a part and therefore can't do any more until it arrives.

No wonder it's taking so long to start the ride then, when the queue line fencing collapsed in 2006, everyone entered via the disabled exit and it was an absolute nightmare when you factor in fastrack and disabled guests. At least back then, there was a valid (if ridiculous) excuse. Also, when it was the old theming, that tunnel and queue line was always pretty cold. Are we saying that the changes done to Runaway have turned it from the Arctic to the Sahara. That's pretty embarrassing if true.