Mark9

The graphic Alton are using for the promotion. Fantastic stuff. It's been said a few times but I'm repeating it anyway. This is the kind of marketing the park should play on, it really is sublime and get's people talking about what Alton Towers is all about. The rides.

The way they've treated you Paul, I wouldn't give them the time of day...

I hear you brother. I adore Fury but it really doesn't deserve to be at Chessington anymore. 300 throughput in the rain for a rollercoaster that appeals to every park visitor, it's a recipe for disaster. Why they don't do something about it is even worse. Why have a ride that can't run properly is ridiculous, idiotic and stupid.

Some excellent replies guys, Sheepie as always has made me think more about how we define rides, why we put them into particular categories such as thrill, family, kiddy, water, dark, coaster, flat when surely there so many exceptions to this rule that trying to shoehorn a ride into a category is pointless and defeates the point of rides.Pluk bought up my favourite point actually, how can we live without the other. Parks need all types of rides to satisfy all audiences. They need their high and fast thrill rides, they need the interactive dark ride, their log flume and rapids ride to satisfy every visitor. And there's no reason why rides like Loggers and Monkey Swinger can't be more enjoyable then Rita and Rameses Revenge.

Anyone watching Torchwood: Miracle Day? Nasty stuff, I'm firmly pro death after watching some of the effects in that episode.

Everything is Satisfactual

Ironically, when you say our "pathetic, small little lives", thats probably what these people thought or felt before they decided to commit suicide. I think differently. The action of one person taking their lives in such dramatic ways effects more people then just the driver who had to live through that moment or the people at stations who saw it.What about the tens of thousands people stuck all around Surrey and the South of England because of what to me is a selfish act. All those people have somewhere they need to be, could be something trivial like getting home from work or it could be a mother and father getting to a hospital to say goodbye to a dying family member. The ripple effect of one person taking their own lifes in such a way, for whatever reason, hurts so many others.

Even better, call them.

Gonna go on record here and say Alton have done wonders with this adveritsing campaign.

Oh Oblivion. You are wonderful.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-14137636Aww lucky Scenic Railway

Nemesis 5/5 Perfect ride. After almost 20 years it is the best B&M, the best inverter and the most pure adrenaline pumping thrill I have yet to encounter, Sublime.Oblivion 5/5 Never loses the beat with its trick. It's a shame it's in the same park as Nemesis. If it was at Thorpe it would knock its four mediocre coasters out of view.Air 4/5 not as good as Manta but closer to pure flight.Rita 2/5. LAUNCH INTO A CORNER. That will always work out well won't it Intamin.Thirteen 2/5. All atmosphere, no substance. Shame as it could have rivalled Nemesis at the park.

Who have you voted?!Firmly in the Nemesis camp here.

This new advertising stuff for Alton's best ride ever is actually really brilliant. Finally focusing on the rides and not banning sexy tv from the hotels it asks for what is Alton's greatest ride out of Nemesis, Oblivion, Air, Rita and Thirteen.Great stuff, well done Alton.

So they can't have people blocking a fire escape at Vampire but it's fine at Fury's exit and Runaway Trains batch gate which are also fire escapes..

Hmmm. Do the team know of their mediocreness?

Surely no one has missed the news recently... yes the news is the news. As is described by the New York Times Love it.

Hey Hey, another Alton Towers trip report involving me. Yay Ok, so basically went to Alton Towers on Saturday. Despite the gate figures being apparently the lowest since the dawn of time this season, the park was surprisingly busy.More importantly, I want to start this trip report talking about Hex. That ride is awesome, genuinely excellent. In fact, I'm putting it out there, the best dark ride and themed experience in this country. It is so genuinely atmospheric and grand and just. yeah I know most people know about Hex but it is just not talked about enough. Here is a ride and a story that only Alton Towers can do and it's pure genius. I came off wowed. Takes a lot these days.The next best thing was the breakfast on Towers Street. I love it and for only £4.00 it was well worth the money. Lovely stuff to and I've decided how that is how I want to start every trip to Alton Towers, with a nice breakfast. After my last trip I've decided Alton is a park of two halves. The Forbidden Valley, Gloomy Wood and Katanga Canyon side is fantastic. It saw the best side of Tussauds and has rides that stand the test of time. Runaway, Nemesis, Duel and Air, are wonderful, brilliant rides.And there's the other side, absolutelly dismal. I like Hex and Oblivion but I couldn't give a toss if I rode Rita, Charlie, Submission, Enterprise, Spinball or Thirteen. Each one is just so bland and useless. Queuing 60 minutes for Rita? 70 for Spinball? No thank you. The B&M's really save Alton Towers for me these days. Nemesis is just sex in rollercoaster form. So what can you make of this trip report. I enjoyed my trip but so many rides these days in the park are on my can't be bothered to go on list I'm starting to wonder why I go.

Agred, sort it out Kraft, get your motha fuzzing best flavours out in the UK now. Yogurt, Strawberry Yogurt, Bubble, GIVE ME IT YEAH!

No.

Bitchy people. Come on, put down that facade and say how you really feel instead of pretending you're this really nice person when you're not.

Great report Daniel, and I think those are some excellent pictures.Blue Fire, yep, yep and yep. Truely one of the best rides in the world, Mack with their first attempt captured everything a launch coaster should be and easily left their competitiors in their dust. On my rides I couldn't find a single fault and it turns out neither could you. Agreed with you on Silver-Star. it's a very odd rollercoaster and totally at odds with the rest of Europa Park and yet somehow completely fits in at the same time. Euro-Mir is class every step of the way, wonderful ride.I actually think Euro-Sat is better then Space Mountain (WDW) to be honest. Euro-Sat just feels far more out of control then the American counter-part and I love the funky little trains on Sat. Both are excellent rides though. I don't really like Poseidon or Matterhorn blitz really. Aside from some funky parts, the rides feel a bit to tame and painful to me. That being said Poseidon does the coaster part far better then Journey to Atlantis.Awaiting part two, can't wait.

Someones message on Twitter to Piers Morgan@piersmorgan I'd like to regulate your face. With a train. #bbcqt

I've just re-read the letter and my faith has sort of been restored that maybe Merlin can pull the situation around at Alton Towers. Whilst I never thought the situation was as bad as Towers Times Forum was making out, I did feel that the wheels were not as tight as they should have been. One of my biggest.. reliefs I guess you could say, is that AT management know how important families are to the parks success. If you don't attract them back, you lose a lot of income and interest.. I'll be interested to see what direction the 2012 and 2013 rides go in.. and how high.

One time Nemesis had them on but they weren't fastened properly so as the train went over the first corkscrew... well lets be glad no one was injured