Mark9

Only half true. Hex and Oblivion opened up but Ripsaw was still covered in scaffolding and Enterprise was still missing pods on the last day of Hullaballoo.

It is still the parks second longest queue to be honest (spinball wins because its poor throughput) It does still get queues, Hullabaloo wouldn't really count for a whole season as its quiet anyway.

I really like Southend although it is best not to make it the be all and end all of your trip. Alex, me and a few of our friends normally make a trip down there every December and tend to spend some time on the rides, a few hours in the town and a walk along the Pier.I do like Adventure Island though, Dragons Claw is very very good, as the Scorpion and the big Turtle ride. Yet to ride Rage though.

You do know that is the wrong spelling for allowed don't you

I've probably said this a fwew times but meh:Nemesis Inferno 2004. Was stuck in the break run for quite a while. Wasn't ever told how long we would be or when we would start moving again.Detonator 2008. The best breakdown ever. I hadn't been on it for around 18 months so was very excited to get back on. Winched to the top.. few minutes later still there. Was great particularly as everyone around can see that your stuck up there so they take photos, wave at you and point at this stuck gondola. Eventually we started eating cookies out of boredom before eventually being winched back down. They gave us free tickets which was nice consideirng it wasn't that bad up there. When it eventually re-opened we were on the first ride where it got stuck again. Luckily they were able to send it back down pretty quickly. Love Detty (l)Dragons Fury 1. Block shut-down on Lift 2. Was well funDragons Fury 2. During a test ride, Block shutdown on Break 4. Again fun.Bubbleworks. Shutdown whilst we were in the station. We weren't allowed to get off as we were on the ramp.Dragons Falls. Broke so we were stranded at the bottom of lift 1.Samurai (at cwoa) Wouldn't lower so were moved up then back round again where it decided to lower for us.So yeah.. very fun

MARK AND ALEX WENT TO THORPE PARK, IN THE YEAR 20-08, INMARCHit was well good./ We got there after waking up late and went to prk next to a copra and asrtra in sainsubrys. Tere was a crazy woman who 6kept+ talking to the woman behind baout 1 in front. Then we got to the park and founr marcy in BK LOL/~~AFFFFFFTTERR BK we went to da ridez! EW went to collousu but it was MSIIF so went went to Zodiac and enjopeyed te sensation of having each otger in our croteches, We then saw detty LOL.S working so ran to it. There we saw ricky who was running around limke madthing. We rode Detty. It WAS WELL GOD except for the fact we got stuck in the air. Marc was a puissy and kept screaming DAN BOYD DAN BOYD. Me and ALex decidef to eatur sainsbusyr cookies tbey were in my pocket and were well yum!.Aftrer that we got FREE TICKETS YEAH SUCK OF THAT VBITCHGES WE GOOT FREEBIERS and then went on the legendary INFErNO./ we were on front row. there wete piukeys in the queue that wee like BRAPO u is not going in freont of us ASAFE we were like meh you're obv. gay ort summink.LOLAnyway, it was good. WE THEN GOT WELL BORED AND RODE QUANTUM. it was so good alex gave boirth to babies QLol. Then we did some other crap. ypu've all; been there you know whatys theres. It was well good. OH YEAH thewn we rode etty again and it broke agaiubn OMG MEGA LOLZwe were at the top and got a manual realease it was like LOL mark's first detty ride EVER o r somethingalso we went to BK again at some point and all decided Charlie who we were there with was fit (apart from mark, for he has obsessions with someone else and they know who they are MEGA LOLZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>>>>>>..................) Charlie li9ked Alex's hair unlike SOMEONE so Alex lieks Chalie, who also has nice hair.However, Chalie has driven a FERRARI and Alex is jelous of thisd fact, so is angryy. HOWEV ERT cHARLIE HAS AN IpHONE, SO IS THE best ever blaiiiittsss.(although Mark and Marc gave cars which are worth more)ANYWAY. we rode more crap then went nandos wheere we bhave dhcikend. Narc had half the chickens in the staines area as he dlokes then went for a drive around. Charlie went home cause hes a poor sod and we got lost on the way home from thorpe opark becuase staines is rubbish and sent us in the weong dicrection like the dickehead that it is. SHOWEVER Alex has an iPhone (best thing ever btw, if yuou didn't know,. I jailbroke mine which means it has loads of fit games and s**t YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY)O anywaypoint isI usedx googles maps on it, and it has this cool thin g that te;;s you are, so we found our way to the M25 which is a big motorway that goes around LONDON which is the capital of EVERYWHERE for you SOUTHERNERS like PHIL:LIP CAUDELLPHSaWEFPERHKGFJMB MG SO TO CONCLUDE THORPE WAS AMAZING BUYT NOT AS GOOD AS THIS TRIP REPORT WHICH WILL GET 5 STARS IN ALL THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPERS TOMORROW. ALSO ITS MOTHERS DAY YOU NAUGHTY BIYS AND GIRLS THAT HAVENT BOUGHT YOUR MUM AYTHING, YOU SUCK MONKLEY POLE*we'd still be on the train home if it wasn't for my car. I-phones are one thing, but cars....)Also, we'd just like to point out that Marc simpson is a LEG END and that Charlie is c ool; asAlex, Alex loves Holly and Mark loves MattTHE END

We're do that if you start losing the attitude with your posts. Your constant elitist attitude you show on here is beginning to piss me off.

A hug and a hold is always better then sex. Sometimes theres nothing better then just knowing you're loved. Those two are hot to which is a bonuys. But seriously, lovely

Alton Towers 2008 mapI really like the new map, a vast improvement on the last few years.

But the hotel is an investment for the future just as much as any ride or attraction is. I see your point and I agree full-heartedly with it. Thorpe comes out of its investment over the last eight years fantastically. Who would have thought at the start of the decade there would be 4 new rollercoasters, 8 Flat rides, a water ride and several touch ups and rethemes. We could discuss how worthless it is without an "atmosphere" but the fact is the investment has been there.Alton on the other hand is in second place, again with three new rollercoasters, 3 major rethemes, a dark ride and a flat ride. To counter that however has been the removal of Dynamo, Boneshaker and The Black Hole which had been at the park for some time and not really replaced by anything. On the other hand the resort is starting to take shape with Cariba Creek and the Golf as well as Mutiny Bay which looks to be the best themed attraction since Hex in 2000.Then theres Chessington. It really has taken the brunt of the other two parks invesment with one new rollercoaster, a major retheme which totally trashed Bubbleworks, theming destroyed on Dragon Falls, the continuing decay of Runaway Train, Safari Skyway and Rattlesnake, the removal of Samurai and Rodeo leaving teenagers in the family with very little to do and a poor attempt at injecting life into Vampire. The only real success has been the resurgance of the Zoo and Dragons Fury. To be honest the park that needs something right now is Chessington.

I think one of the main things people need to remember when comparing with ATA is:-1. ATA Has been around for eight years. It has a lot of pictures from the past and such. Because Thorpe is only really properly developed in the last few years its hard for us to have features such as that.2. Dan Ketteringham (and some of the team I believe) are very close with James Paulding the general manager (is that right.. meh close enough) so aare able to get close enough behind the scenes information and first hand info such as the Mutiny Bay retheme.3. The designer behind ATA works professionally around website designs. As far as I'm aware Phil doesn't. The website needs to evolve constantly to make sure it doesn't get outdated. That is what has happened with TPM and the rise in hits and popularity with visitors shows that whilst you may dislike what it is at the moment, it has become more well known than it has before.4. TPM whilst finished has a long way to go obviously. All the team knows this so hopefully over the next few months the fruits will start to bare so to speak. It has to be remembered that we don't spend all our lives doing this website. Marc works, Phill and Alex go to College. 5. I'm a wee bit confused about this over the top thing though.Thanks for the comments though guys.

Yup, was a good day today, made my alton trip report yesterday a bit in-valid to... Inferno was on top form today, its no Nemesis obviously but Inferno beats it in the front row Colossus hurt, Vortex had phones flying everywhere, Quantum managed to thrill again.. and yeah the usualInferno X8 Colossus X2Stealth X3Vortex X3Quantum X2Depth Charge X1Storm X1Slammer X1

STOP PRESS!!!! MARC ADMITS: THORPE ISN'T PERFECT!Marc | says:I dont because at thorpe its not a great dealMarc | says:its the watersMarc | says:and its to wetMarc | says:and few flatsMarc | says:which to be fairMarc | says:could be shut on any thorpe visit:PMarc | says:there a insult:-O

You know your a fanboy when you know a ride is re-opening by the sounds it makes.(Spinball Whizzer today for me )

You know you're a fanboy when.... you ask Rush engineers is it going to be open despite the fact you can see the other swings gondola standing by the exit detatched from the ride, so you are pretending to be mocking a member of the public when in fact you just look silly..

I love how Seb tries to sound all technical in his posts when talking about rides. Pure Gold!

How to compared Thorpe and Alton.A guide to which is the better theme park Thorpe's line up = 9 rides (on the 16th February)Stealth [1 train]Colossus [1 trainNemesis Inferno [1 train]VortexZodiacQuantumX:\ No Way Out [2 trains]Banana RideStorm in a TeacupAlton's line up = 12 rides (on the 23rd February)Nemesis [2 trains]Oblivion [5 Shuttles]Air [2 trains]Spinball Whizzer [5 cars]BladeDuelHexFarm land thing [squirrel Nutty, Doodle Doo Derby, River-bank eye Spy, Berry Bish-Bash, The Tractors]Now on paper there's not much between them. Thorpe has its major rides gunning for it whilst Alton has a bit of varitey in its preceedings. Now when it comes to prices Alton is currently £15 whilst Thorpe is enticing its guests with a £22 entry. So again it looks quite level but then if you take it further it really does feel as if Thorpe is sagging desperately.[I'm going to ignore walk on Stealth today because thats irrelevant. It wasn't walk on last Saturday]Alton let guests into its park at 9:45... Thorpe decided to finally open its doors at 10:15. Difference of half an hour. Guests at Alton are treated to EVERY SINGLE RIDE opening on time. Thorpe's clientele were met with a few rides opening late. Thorpe's ride were on half capacity, Alton's rides were prepared and had maximum capacity on Nemesis, over 3/5 capacity on Spinball and Oblivion and Air at 2/3 capacity.I'm happy to accept all the rubbish that it was Thorpe's first day and all that baloney but then think about this. Alton closed a week after Thorpe (It had an adrenaline week) and opened a week earlier then Thorpe due to half term starting earlier up North. So why are Alton's rides working and ready to go whilst Thorpe is yet again caught with its pants down. So to conclude this fascinating analysis of why Alton is the UK's number one theme park:-1) It has reliable working rides2) Alton offers better value for money and a more diverse range of attractions.3) Alton runs things on as near to capacity as it possibly can.4) Nemesis. A reason enough.Thanks for reading

It is fresh. Its a design that works. Of course if it isn't Thorpe it deserves criticism..I like the site, a lot more info on the Zoo. Boris

Just a few of mine.

OMG Phill we must have come with that joke at the exact same time.. I've just made the same one over on SP. We must be psychologically connected or something..

Now thats more like it. I particularly like the larger focus on the Zoo, specific information on things such as the sealion's in Sealion bay and the Trail of the kings.

Haha yea of course. Favourite ride:- Do the arcades count?

Silly Chaz! Now Marc has a car he will be there every Saturday and Sunday until November.

Nobody knows where it came from, Nobody knows what it wantsThere are theories and then there is the legendNemesis came from another dimension, a dimension beyond our imaginationIts tragedy is that it has no home, it has suffered rejection throughout the solar system.It could not communicate or make itself understood, no civilisation anywhere, in any galaxy could come to terms with its awesome power, its brooding unpredictability. Its Mind.Bewildered and afraid, mentally tortured by not knowing its origins, people turned against it, they fought it. They used everything against it.But Nemesis has no fear.They were mere irritants to Nemesis, to be swatted away like flies.It left to seek sanctuary but it searched in vein. Unwanted, it was jetisoned towards earth two million years ago. It has remained here since drawing its energy from the earths core. For centuries people were drawn to the mysterious place where it was thought to lay buried.They paid homage to the power, they bought gifts.They gave their souls.Its resting place become a mystical place, a place of worship. few pilgrims returned to lead a normal life.Such was their disturbance, such was the gravity of what they felt. Often these Meddlers met mysterious ends. Crazed by their findings, driven mad by the force.Some simply disapeared leaving only their fears.Nemesis was to disturbing, it defied Scientific explanation. It was left to brood in peace.Unexplained, its existance denied. Sanctuary at last... Until todayNemesis was discovered during routine maintenace work in the Forbidden valley at Alton Towers. A group of workmen complained of dizzy spells, of an uncontrollable force drawing them to the place where the shadows of two giant oak trees met. The force was overpowering, they were compelled to dig, to seek the source. What they discovered defies description.The Nemesis had been disturbed, the sanctuary it had saught for so many billions of years broken.It was awakeIt thrashed crazily in the earth, removing all before it. Like a giant excavator it sent trees and small buildings hurtling skywards. Dementedly it unleashed its anger at being discovered, crazily it formed the pit you see today.A security silence fell over Alton Towers while archaelogists and historians nervouslly investigated. Eventually they sescribed their worst fears. This Was NEMESIS.Nemesis had to be controlled.It took 250 tons of steel, and 200 men. Not ordinary men, not ordinary steel. Pinned down by this massive structure it tries to escape, steaming anger. We meerly irritants now ride it, fueling its annoyance. It is controlled but not tamed. When you ride Nemesis, remember its history. It is awesome. There is no comparisonThis is the legend but don't try to understand, don't try to come to terms with it, don't even try to think about it.Nemesis at Alton Towers, sit back. Its fright time.Geek me?