Mark9

So not content with being the best park in Europe, Europa have decided to be the best park in the world. Europa Park

You clearly didn't find your laughing place

No, you'd ride Euro-Mir or Euro-Sat!

I think Air's actually a really nice ride. It doesn't have the mind blowing element of Manta and Tatsu which in a way helps it. Air is supposed to be trying to simulate free-flight which it wouldn't do if it was trying to throw you around in all sorts of directions.

I remembered at work today that I made that last post and all I can do is apologise to you. Vodka does indeed make Mark very aggressive.That being said, I still think even if Woolworths had been running Alton it would still be as popular as it was in the 90's because Alton has a very strong brand prescense in the country. Merlin owning it is neither here nor there.To be fair though, with the Air thing, drunken Mark never stated that he likes Air, he just pointed out that the public love it.

It's okay, the project isn't cancelled just because the wing-rider track wasn't heading to Chertsey..

It's also probably down to movement. I refuse to queue for Fury in a 45 minute queue because I know how little I'll be moving whereas a Vampire, Nemesis or Thunder Mountain queue will be easy because you move a lot constantly. That probably adds to my enjoyment even more and I'll notice the time moving less.

Thats fine with me actually. Thorpe can continue down the blind avenue of constant thrill attractions whilst Alton can at least try and innovate with family friendly rides.

There is so much crap in this topic now it's unreal. Where are people coming from when they post this stuff. Firstly:- All the ground work has been done in the last 30 years and has NOTHING to do with Merlin. From John Broome adding a double looping rollercoaster in 1980 to Tussauds throwing in Europes first inverted rollercoaster. Merlin have added pirates, a random cuckoo area and a family rollercoaster with bells and whistles. Merlin, if anything, are sucking off Alton's reputation, and sucking it dry. I mean honestly. Are you for real? Air, to this day remains one of the most popular rollercoasters the UK has ever seen. 10 seasons on it will have the busiest queues of any ride on park despite its large throughput. Yeah, so what enthusiasts don't rave about it? The public love it. And what, Thorpe throw coaster after coaster after coaster at their park and somehow they are better. Quantity isn't everything and Inferno, Stealth and Colossus can't hold a candle to Nemesis, Oblivion and Air in terms of ride quality. Sheepie, once again hits the nail right on the head. Alton Towers, if anything, have been incredibly daring by making their new rollecoaster a family friendly attraction. It's only the advertising that has let the ride down. Family parks will have always have the edge on thrill parks because, to put it simply, rides are there to be enjoyed not just to always scare you silly.

See, this annoys me. Realistically a brand new rollercoaster is going to last another 20 years and will make back its return within the first few seasons. Look at rides like Oblivion, 13 years on and it's still the ride with the most merchandise in Alton's shops. Same with Air, same with Stealth.I know there's a fine balance between getting a good ride out there and having the budget to do it, but when it all said and done, these aren't little things that will last a month, they are million pound experiences which will be seeing the park through at least two decades. Sometimes parks attitudes astound me.

Ok, recently I've been thinking about rides in slightly different terms. It's probably Disney still on my brain but I kind of see the way parks run in different lights now. When I rode Space Mountain I was intrigued and amazed that in that building were two identical coasters running side by side. I'd never seen that before and it got me wondering what they were thinking when it was being built. "This rides throughput isn't high enough, lets build two of them".And it got me thinking further about rides like Spinball Whizzer, Rattlesnake, Samurai and other low throughput attractions throughout the UK. Is spectacle and making an impact more important then just getting people on and off the ride in the shortest time possible.So, to start of us, I'd like to know your views on this.Q1) Is throughput one of the most important factors when parks open a new ride?I don't mind where discussion goes on this, you can take it down any avenue you wish. But I am intrigued on what people's views are.

The ridiculous part is Frog Hopper and Berry Bouncer are 0.9 metres tall at absolute minimum and yet at a metre tall I can go ride and ride a 180 foot Hollywood Hotel Tower of Terror. Our H&S is a bloody joke.

Oh Sweeet Jesus....Why are we stuck with such tripe! It's so frustrating what they are doing over-seas and we get Storm Surge and Thirteen. ARGHHHH

And those of us approaching 23..

Point in hand here; I haven't deleted any banter-esque posts and looking through the waste bin section, there aren't any banter posts, only crap.So I don't think you lot are posting them anymore.

I adore Short term gain, long term losses

I was going to take Michaela and I to Chessington today on the way back from Alton,but knowing how much I despise Rattle and Fury on 2 people per train and all the other stuff you seemed to encounter, I'm glad we didn't bother.

Parks shouldn't contend for the highest low throughput ride. Realistically Thorpe rides need to be at least 1000 people an hour minimum now.

Again, judging by pictures certain rides look amazing whilst others look terrible. Even in pictures the Saw Island looks crap so... meh each to their own.

Are you saying an event that goes on for a stunning 2 weeks is the main reason Merlin are building an eye there.

Inferno will still be quiet though

Okay, finally had the time to read your report properly. The one thing I always get from these small parks is just how every single thing has 100% put into it. There's no thought about pleasing the share-holders or hitting records, it's all about the person riding it having a fantastic time. Fluch looks lovely, it's interesting how varied Gerstlauer Eurofighters seem to be on the finished products. I hate that bell ride though, it just looks hideously meccano like from every photo, 6 people?!

As long as it isn't Drayton Manor's no scream policy then yeah, definite PR stunt by the park.

I feel a bit insulted by this as you seem to be under the impression that I resent talented people. I don't, I resent the way X Factor is shoved down my throat every winter with what seems the bickering between the judges more important then whats going on, on stage.At the end of the day, yeah it probably is hard to get into the music industry. But if you really are talented then you either go through the proper way, working hard and breaking through or you become a one hit wonder and then forgotten about. Some kind of stardom that is..