Mark9

Before this season really gets going (Netherlands in two weeks), these are some current standings. (I'm listening to Klugheim soundtrack for reference) Top Five water rides 1. Chiapas 2. Splash Mountain at WDW 3. Loggers Leap (RIP) 4. Tidal Wave 5. Popeye thing at Islands of Adventure Top five Dark rides 1. Flight of Passage 2. Radiator Springs Racers (who knows what genre this thing really is tbh) 3. Hex 4. Fairy ride thing at Efteling 5. Dinosaur Top five Rollercoasters 1. Nemesis 2. Steel Vengeance 3. Blue Fire 4. Helix 5. Katun Top five theme park soundtracks 1. Chiapas (the thought of being in the Chiapas plaza with an ice cream sandwich in the sun is my idea of theme park heaven) 2. Main Street USA DLP 3. The Smiler 4. Euro-Mir 5. WWTP radio at Amity Cove (pre Stealth)

Yeah, I really like Parc Asterix too. it should gather more interest once the Intamin opens.

It's not my favourite rollercoaster ever but it really is awesome. First ride, I wasn't expecting that experience and was genuinely terrified. Second ride was just wonderful, just full of everything a well paced rollercoaster needs.

Maybe Hagrids should have been built inside then. ?

I'd call Hagrid a glorified, everything but the kitchen sink family coaster myself but we can all be brutal at times. ? Just to clarify, I don't think either approach is perfect, Galaxys Edge at Disneyland has seen a massive attendance drop across the resort because of how Disney overplayed just how busy it was going to be. Universal seem quite happy with everyone piling into Hagrid based on how quiet the rest of the park was on those ten hour queue days.

Not drinking water.

Just to clarify, they could have opened the ride three hours earlier (Disney down the road are opening Galaxy Edge at 7am with Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom also opening at 7am to try and spread the demand and attract People away from a Hollywood studios). But also to add, Universal could have done more to keep down the nine hour queue down. Look at the way Disneyland opening Galaxys Edge, severely restricting access to the area and advising guests on just how busy it could be. I'm not to clued up on the exact ride, however was this ever soft opened? If there was chances of huge downtime, should they have delayed it by just a little bit to soften the impact.. because ten hours is just way to long for an intamin family coaster no matter how you spin it. None of this is a problem and obviously different parks and different situations. Just the approaches for guest experiences are vastly different.

Aww, please don't paint it silver and black. Tedious, boring colours.

I wasn't really getting excited for this but now that its moving, it looks better then I was expecting.

Guarantee it closes because of structural problems.

Maybe Merlin know Thorpe is dead in the water at this point and won't invest properly into the place until they know what to do with it (sell it hopefully).

Is that an unpopular opinion? Do Americans prefer Wodan over Mystic Timbers? Do Europeans prefer Mystic Timbers over Wodan. I've never heard a conversation where the two come up in direct competition to be honest.

I remember when Samurai at Chessington was replaced by some trampolines. Dark days.

If it was more like Magnum, I'd try and be at Blackpool every weekend. That ride was brilliant.

Sounds dreadful.

Deep down, everybody knows Quantum is the best ride at Thorpe Park.

? The more I ride Wodan, the more it cements itself as my favourite wooden coaster. It's just utterly relentless. It's the perfect antithesis to Blue Fire which feels so controlled and perfected.

Is this open yet? I'll only go once they get the greatest ride open again.

Happy Birthday to the big one. Whilst I think it would be more beneficial to the world as scrap metal, one cannot deny the influence and importance of it at Blackpool.

I don't know these people. I'm not fortunate enough.

It's getting good reviews apparently.

In completely unsurprising news, Scandinavia has been delayed. Considering a year ago it was a burnt down mess, any delay is completely forgivable.

Did all the other parks close down?

When I used to operate it back in 2007/2008, I regularly had a recurring nightmare that I couldn't stop the train in the right place and it just went round and round forever. Genuinely the best ride to operate on park. It was second to none on guest interaction, I used to pretend to be parking it on two laps, before whacking it back up to full speed and giving another go.

Are you ever in the country long enough to get to the best regional theme park in Staines upon Thames?