Mark9

Oh my days....Why did we get lumbered with dross like Saw and Th13teen and Italy gets a fantastic looking rollercoaster that has a sex appeal most human beings could only dream off

It's achievable if you have no guests. But then your throughput would be zero.The problem with trucks is the Trucks themselves as because of the size of the seats, you can't force adults to share the top part of the truck and some parents actually seemed insulted when you even suggest that a kid shares the front cabin. There were occasions on Trucks when you get five groups of two, all in a row and there is simply no way of getting people to share such a confined space for 2 and a half minutes. Then, because of the ride system, the operator has to wait for every truck to stop before leaving the control cabin and its 50/50 on whether the first three trucks have got off and left the ride area by that time. There were occasions when kids refused to leave the seat, they'd slam the doors shut and so you have to try and tempt them out. There were often times when groups, despite being told to go to the red truck at the front, they'd seperate and take two and because you're still loading, you haven't noticed until its to late whats happened.An attendent would sometimes make it better, by pre batching and getting people off the trucks as soon as they'd stop in the loading bay but that would only help a tiny bit. An option that was taken was to send it round once. But the problem with that is the ride time is to short.Truckers positioning in the park really is its downfall. As soon as Carousel ends, everyone comes off that sees the fun little trucks and piles into the queueline. Theres no way trucks can cope with 75 people all at once and fastrack is just going to add a load more complications.

Jack damn it

I blame Facebook.

So what was happening ten years ago?A new logo was introduced.Zodiac, the borrowed Enterprise wheel from a local fair, opened in the Lost City. Plagued with downtime it was up and down more then something that goes up and down a lot.Detonator also opened on the site where Wicked Witches Haunt had been. Unlike Zodiac it was open however it did suffer a little bit of frequent downtime.,Vortex represents one of Thorpe Park's biggest failings as the ride failed to appear in March when the park reopened for the 2001 season. The only thing at the Vortex site was some dirt and a digger. The ride would finally appear in May and would open mid way through June. The park didn't help itself by advertising all three rides as open from the start of the season and the park appeared on Watchdog twice that year.And finally a little known ride was advertised as and would in my opinion the biggest factor in Thorpe's uprising from struggling childrens park to a theme park force.Thanks to Total Thorpe Park for the piccy.

I just wanted to say....HAPPY TENTH BIRTHDAY DETONATOR

Ooh, pretty.

I always found it amusing that the manual said 264 people per hour. As if they pulled that out their arses.

No but it's a start..You know I'm probably more critical of the new Bubbleworks then you, I've described the new Bubbleworks as a rapist of memories and less fun then STD's. But the ride did feel more coherent with the older theme music in the correct places so I don't know.. maybe juding for yourself rather then watching a video will help. Video's don't give you mood or atmopshere as you full well know.

It's good but it's no Storm Surge.

Ok.. I hate to say this but erm..,......Bubbleworks was actually good yesterday. Yeah I know, it has no Professor Burp anymore but the ride seemed to have been touched this year. A few things have started moving again, the lighting has been improved greatly, particularly in the Foutain Finale and a lot of the old music has returned including the amazing station music. So whilst it's still been slightly perverted, it did look like some attention to detail has returned over the closed season, well done Chessie

I'd actually suggest Thorpe staff actually smiled at guests, that would be nice. The only friendly person yesterday was the Fish operator, everyone else looked miserable.

If I'm not working, I'll come

You know Ricky, fan power is actually quite large. Otherwise, you know, the park wouldn't have bothered to contact TPM and make it an official site, they wouldn't have run "behind the loops" a few years back, they wouldn't invite the ECC and RCCGB over for Stealth room tours, the parks wouldn't run Th13teen events, Nemesis X events, managers wouldn't ask for our viewpoints on new attractions, you wouldn't have John Wardley's name thrown around all the time to engage enthusiast opinion or get them interested or Coasterforce walking round Fury's first drop, Vampire's break run.Yes it's all good PR for the parks but they do it because fans, however small our numbers are, do play a part in theme parks. Anyway, Storm Surge. I still think it's awful. When you start the day with proper rides like Tomb Blaster, Dragon Falls and Rattlesnake and then ride Storm Surge, you really do see how crap it is.

Absolutely. I've said it a few times but just so everyones clear. Truckers throughput is 200, Toadies and Jumbos are 250 and Seastorm.. well I think thats about the only ride that could potentially run it and not suffer.

You missed out the first step where you piss people off by having your sister park failing to deliver on its own Annual Pass day. So when it comes to your own AP day, you have to put on heavy restrictions to annoy people before they've even arrived.

Sharing the sentiment there. Adding fastrack to three Toytown rides is still a ridiculous decision and always will be. I'm intruged that kobra isn't on the same fastrack package as Fury and Vampire actually.

The site still says on the Storm Surge page to book for next season.I'm all for forward planning on the B&M but...I think they still have to update all the pages Although Simps says the sign at the park still says 1.2 on Tidal Wave.

I love TPM's write up on Storm Surge. and. Yes, but if I'd want to escape the rising waters, I'd go on Tidal Wave as it's lift is far larger and goes over the sandbags.

It's Friday, Friday, Friday

Oh thats fantastic. Not quite as good as TPM's theme park of the year 2010 of course.. but nonetheless. It just proves what most of us know already. Chessington's a fantastic theme park and Merlin really need to look at what Chessington already does and build and build and invest and invest. Because it deserves it.

Thanks to Ricky (and facebook) for the photo.Quite a tasteful sponsorship there.

Surprise highlight of an italy trip in the making me thinks.

Do you love sponsorship?I certainly do