Mark9

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

Just a round up of the story:--Authorities are struggling to control the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, where the situation in reactors No 3 and No 4 remains fast-moving and perilous.All 6 reactors at the nuclear power plant currently have cooling issues. Three have already exploded, one has had amajor fire and the remaining two have rising heat levels. Radiation levels have been spiking although it's important to point out that they haven't been stupidly high. Cornwall has higher radiation being emitted then what is currently being emitted.• The country faces an increasingly desperate humanitarian crisis caused by the direct effects of Friday's huge earthquake and resultant tsunami, one made worse by freezing weather.The official death toll has now hit 4,255 deaths, with 8,194 people registered as unaccounted for. Survivors, many of them homeless, are struggling with a wave of cold weather forecast to last well into this week, with night time temperatures dipping to -5C in some places.Considering how many older people die in this country from cold temperatures, the death toll resulting from this Earthquake could catapault massively.• Japan's emperor, Akihito, has made a rare TV appearance to express his condolences to his people and his worry at the nuclear situation.• Following its precipitous plunge yesterday, Tokyo's stock market bounced back nearly 6%. Japan's central bank has injected a further $40bn into the financial markets.The Japan emperor rarely makes a TV experience. The Japanese need some kind of hope in this time and the Emporer has hopefully given hope to people. It needs to be pointed out though that everyday the bank is injecting billions into an economy that been slowly dwindling over the last two decades. The longer this crisis continues, the more likely it will be that Japan will be in financial peril.

We thought Ap day would be quiet, we are completely the wrong people to ask Hell with it, even the park can't predict numbers correctly.THERE IS NO HOPE!

Oh yes.. it's the Japan mind set in practice.

You know, Japan is amazing..If any country will survive this earthquake (structurally) quickly then its Japan.

I thought that was Rich..Ah well..

I thought that, millions of children milling around. I haven't posted a trip report but I will now. wahey After saying all closed season I wouldn't go, my own control gave in and went to Thorpe with Marc, Neilfever, Michaela and Ian.I actually had a really good day and was nice to see Tommy, Dan H, Dan A, Ryan, Kabzy, Adam and anyone else I may have missed. Park was clearly very packed out from the word go. We first went to Stealth and I will always hate their stupid opening loading procedures.. feels so tedious. Went on front row, was the usual horrible sensation that keeps bringing me back.Next was off to Inferno which broke down whilst we were in the queue and broke down shortly after we had ridden. We got a front row seat and the ride is so unenjoyable in the rain. Next we did a few laps off the park because I don't think we could be bothered to go on anything to be honest. All queues were longish, even Rocky Express and Flying Fish. Eventually met with Ian and Michalea and dared to ride the new tube sensation Storm Surge. We moved quite a lot at first, probably because so many people joined and then gave up five minutes later. We queues 2 hours and 20 minutes which is a first for me. We got word that food units in the park were starting to run out of food; as we walked round it became obvious that places which were open were hopelessly packed, at least half an hour queue for things like hot dogs. We decided to give up, leaving Marc in his holy spot and the rest of us went for a pub lunch at the Twynersh. Food in less then ten minutes.Despite only getting on three rides it was a good day and it was almost in spite of the theme park. Management were clearly unprepared, some of the rides had nowhere near the amount of staff they should have had and the rides themselves looked in pretty poor state. But it doesn't matter because this is the pro spin Thorpe Park Mania!

Haha. Looks like I'll have someone to laugh at each Merlin park this year, I feel like Peter stole all my fastrack laugh energy last year.

I'm going this year now just to watch you get attacked by people with fastrack.

I'll get gaga on the phone and get her on the case of ride prejudice...