Mark9

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.

*sighs* It used to only get those length queues on the busiest of days and even then, it was at max, 45 minutes. I suppose that is what happens when you dress something up as new, market it as such and then tell staff not to bother being efficient.

If you had read any other PortAventura trip repots, all that you said pretty much goes with the territory. PortAventura could be one of the best theme parks in the world but so much their works against that. Out of interest, how many trains was Khan and Shambhala on?

I liked Sub Terra at first but I do find it a ride of increasingly diminishing returns. For a start, it really bothers me that immersive acting equals staff shouting at you for no particular reason. We're members of the public (the video makes that clear) so why are the Phlanax staff treating us like Soldiers. Secondly, the ending maze really is unnecessary. I know some fan sites think it improves the attraction but I find it really irrelevant and works against what has gone on before. Egg hatches so the staff lose their minds? I know people are drawn to Nemesis but they don't attack each other. Jeez.

Yes, let everyone build up the bile instead. I mean come on really, this is just papering up the cracks, the equivalent of painting a decrepit fence in bright neon colours (oh Cbeebies land, I'm sorry to offend you). The entrance as it stands is poor. Full of cobwebs, dark colours, temporary fencing surrounding the payment kiosks, a portacabin annual pass building. The entrance to the car park is far more interesting and dynamic then the entrance to the theme park. I really wish whoever manages this sort of thing would stop pussy-footing around and just give the parks the investment they are crying out for. Thorpe's entrance could be fantastic but it's just so uninspired and tired. Once you get past the entrance that wonderful skyline is a fantastic visual image. But you have to get past the 80's to get too it.

Currywurst. Sauerkraut oder Frankfurter?

Runaway when I worked on it was using five of its ten motors.

Before the camera was installed, you got three circuits on Runaway. But now, any more then two and it messes up the camera cycle. Therefore you can thank Photos for the shorter ride cycle. As for taking an age for it to leave the station, thats just the knackered ride system. It's supposed to go as fast as Fish does. When I worked there it wasn't running on all ten motors.

It was atrocious when I first started working on it in 2005. It just needs something more then the odd repaint.

Paultons is one of the UK's premier family parks Matt, it's a fantastic place to visit and feels like it has a soul. Thanks for the trip report, I love Paultons. =)

I only hope they decide to run more then one car on Speed if they must insist on going down the fastrack route.

I've always thought that coaster looked cool.

It's all very well but it doesn't explain why Merlin have gone for three wing riders. There is literally nothing attention grabbing about Heide's new one for example. It's theme isn't special, it's not the tallest, it's not the fastest, it's not the worlds first or even European first.

Most of the original props were either recycled for the current incarnation, chucked in a skip or salvaged by enthusiastic managers. I for instance own this:- so the likelihood of the Original Bubbleworks ever returning in some form is really, really unlikely

According to RCDB, Piraten is 101 foot tall. I'd really be up for Thorpe getting something like it, maybe even the Mack version. The ride just packs such a punch for something so little.

1. Thorpe Park, Annual Pass day 2011. Park ran out of food, very very busy and had for some reason queued 2 and a half hours for Storm Surge. Never again. 2. Thorpe Park, Saw open day 2009. Stealth, Saw (open for an hour), Slammer, Rumba and Loggers closed all day. Poor Inferno having to do all the work. On both occasions left after about an hour. 3. Bakken. Miserable amusement park with terrible rides. Lasted two hours.

The Red train.

Being essentially a Piraten clone, I'd expect nothing less. With Mack trains though..

No thank you.

Hanging with my Oscar friends

For Toby that's quite a low number actually Love your Avatar by the way Toby, Katun

They should just stick with aiming to be number one for attendance. They will never match the quality of a Disney product if they continue building things like Angry Bird Land or Scorpion Express. Hell they can't even match the majority of quality parks in Europe, they haven't a chance of catching Disney.

Luckily, no one on heres considers Thorpe a world class player. The thing is right, for the majority of people they go "I don't like the hotel" and move on their thoughts to things they do like. When it comes to the Crash Pad and the Thorpe Shark Hotel, People get deep feelings of hate over it, like it personally offends them. You've already said that there's loads of other places to stay near by so what is the point in getting so worked up over it. Of course, the only world class players I see you've listed is Disney and Universal. PortAventura runs their park dreadfully, Alton Towers needs serious work to get it to any good standard and Six Flags... well is Six Flags.

As a few people have said there did used to be targets at Chessington but it was rarely ever enforced. I can remember in my first season working at Chessington, there were quite a few park competitions. Fury used to compete with Spinball on an hourly throughput, same with the two Runaway Trains. Unfortunately it's all gone with the wind now, but it used to really get staff motivated to work efficiently.

I'm one of those exceptions that really likes floorless rides. I don't think Thorpe need it particularly. There's definitely enough looping coasters at the park now for sure. (There's also Dæmonen at Tivoli and if we were being really pedantic, Krake at Heide has floor less seating)