Mark9

If they didn't on Colossus how exactly do you not ride if you're stuck in the seat?

They do check on Vortex now for some reason. Our H&S is so ridiculous sometimes..

I'm going to reply in three parts here.- Point 1, basically, I know that. However the show is made up of 95% talentless idiots who want 5 minutes of fame, not an interest in the music industry.- Point 2. So if you don't have modern tastes you won't win. How utterly ridiculous is that. Music is more then just the last two months.- Point 3. You list the successful two winners and two others from the last series. What about Steve Brockenstein, Shane Ward, Leon Jackson, Joe McElderry who have dissappeared of the face of the earth.- Point 4. Nice blanket statement there except not everones dream is in the entertainment industry, it's to get money and be adored. Not the same thing at all.

I really, really hate the X Factor. Get off my TV screen you talentless harpies.

No you weren't but the thing is, there were so many fan theories flying around that I chose to ignore them all and let the series do the talking. One theory was Rory is Amy's baby. I don't really know how that would have worked out to be honest.

Haha. Yeah same I really hated last season, but this one has been much more enjoyable to watch. I'm going to go back to Silence in the Library because A Good Man goes to War has changed the way I view River Song. Moffatt, seems to be the master of surprises and you really have to keep watching or you'll miss the smallest hint of whats happening.

You do Europa Park a great diservice by comparing it to Chessington, like comparing Tesco finest to Tesco value!I'd love to know what you thought of Euro-Mir Phill, thats always one of my Europa Park all-time faves.

Thats entirely up to you. Dark rides depend. Revenge of the Mummy is a rollercoaster, Duel is not for example.

:D Wishes, how I miss you

I wouldn't go to a park just to get a credit and I won't go wandering around clown coasters, big apple coasters and all the family coasters just to improve my coaster count.(I do know what my coaster count is though )

See for me, Inferno benefits from the music playing only at certain moments, not all the time. It's like modern day TV, everything is drenched in music trying to tell you what emotion you need to have. Inferno in it's first few years had the balance just right as the theme went and you felt the rumble off the train travelling below you. Now it's just another Thorpe ride with a soundtrack.

Last I heard it was open. To avoid the disappointment if it is closed, Topbuzz 2, an ultimately better run, more thrilling and better looking top-scan is currently in \Epsom this weekend.

Definitly would suit X..

Oh Europa Park, I adore and love and cherish your German charm. Lovely start to the report, isn't Colosseo just amazing. The reception roof is just so gorgeous.

Dragons Fury is a fantastic ride, absolutely brilliant and fun and the best spinning rollercoaster.But I rarely ride it becuase it's queue is ridicuously long because of its throughput. I will ride Everest over and over and over because it has an awesome experience coupled with a throughput that would make most Merlin rides faint. Throughput is important but obviously not the most important thing.Agreeing with what Sheepie said, at one point Nemesis was a gimmick and look how that turned out. Same with Oblivion and Air. Back in those days, Tussauds were so focused on the ride being a complete experience. Should have known once we saw that Air tunnel that things weren't the same anymore. What I would love is for a ride to have a gimmick that the ride doesn't focus all its attention on. Because, for instance with Thirteen, that drop is everything to the park and the rest of the ride is half baked and a bit meh.

Just passed his driving test.

I would love for Inferno to go back to 2003 days when the station was completely silent whilst it loaded and only when the train moves does the dispatch theme play. I feel that having music on in a loop and then having no dispatch music at all kills the atmosphere dead.

Haha. You have a fair point. However, as Thunder Looper hadn't been in the Uk for 9 years and Rita uses a somewhat more technical launching system, I now standy by my last comment

It's for the same reason that people buy Vauxhalls and Fords instead of BMW's and Audis. B&M's are premium range products and what you lose in money, you gain in quality. Colossus has had restraint changes, is considered rough and pops bolts left right and centre.Inferno runs and rarely has technical faults.The example you use of Maverick, that ride was so EXTREME, the inline it originally had was destroying track and train and had to be removed for an S-curve. (Colossus cost 10 million)

First launching rollercoaster in the uk. It was very unique when it opened in 2005.

This. The reason Alton is the the current number one is because the park has a character, a charm of its own that came purely by accident. It's so fondly seen in the public eye because it dared to be different with Corkscrew and continued this success with Thunder Looper, Nemesis, Oblivion, Air, Rita and Thirteen.I would love to see Alton go for a traditional, no gimmicks coaster.. but they never have so why break tradition now?

Oblivion :)I've been having a think about Oblivion, and you know what? It's a darn sight better themed then I ever realised. Alton Towers could have easily just built a dive machine and let the ride do the talking, but no they went for an idea that really works. Oblivion is something special.

The actual quoted cost for Inferno was 12 million.