Mark9

Needs more Merlin put downs.
5/10

Needs more Merlin put downs.
5/10

Love Kumba and SheiKra, Tolerated Montu, thought Cheetan Hunt was a mismatch and instead of excelling at being either a thrill ride or a family ride, ended up being in that awkward middle ground of being neither. Shame because I love the look of it, t's truly one of Intamins best looking rides. It just doesn't ride well enough.

Of course there was going to be a shed, it is a Merlin creation
I don't know if this an American thing or just how Legoland Florida chose to set them but both Wave Surfer and the Rocky Express whatever it's called seemed slower than they are over here. The Dragon; dark ride part is much better as a whole probably because it doesn't look/feel warn out. The tunnel out to the coaster is also a bit clearer with a story of the wizard. Boating school was smaller, Driving School looked bigger. The laser raiders had a few more effects interacting with the car and the audio is clearer but it is essentially a clone. Project X is run much better than Jungle Coaster ever was, even before the lids. They have 3 space towers in Florida which I bet helps the queues and they don't have the stupid seat belts that the operator had to unlock with a key. Their miniland is much better in my opinion but maybe that's because it looks new, has working effects and is of different areas to our one. I preferred it to the one in England maybe because there was more for the older generations to do? Plus the gardens which is a nice place to go from the manic Park. If you have a spare day out their and some money I'd recommend it, especially if you can get the 50% off with a MAP (didn't have any trouble doing this they even gave my ticket half price without my pass).

Juvelen is a gem of a ride, it's a family ride through and through. It's a bit like Fury in that respect. It's thrilling for the kids and a blast for the adults. Cheetah Hunts problem could be the inversion and the fact that it has long bits of track that are un-inspiring such as the drop out of the tree figure eight or the zig zag through the waterfalls. Juvelen does that in a much more satisfying way.

Love Kumba and SheiKra, Tolerated Montu, thought Cheetan Hunt was a mismatch and instead of excelling at being either a thrill ride or a family ride, ended up being in that awkward middle ground of being neither. Shame because I love the look of it, t's truly one of Intamins best looking rides. It just doesn't ride well enough.

I can round up my trip for you if you like.
Shambhala - Awesome, as good as I remember and a proper crowd pleaser.
Dragon Khan - Better then I remember. NOT samey, NOT too American. Just pure class from start to finish.
Furius Baco - Abomination in ride form. Not a single enjoyable moment for me in any row, any seat. Just atrocious.

I can round up my trip for you if you like.
Shambhala - Awesome, as good as I remember and a proper crowd pleaser.
Dragon Khan - Better then I remember. NOT samey, NOT too American. Just pure class from start to finish.
Furius Baco - Abomination in ride form. Not a single enjoyable moment for me in any row, any seat. Just atrocious.

Loving the trip report so far Mark Hmm I still need to do mine I was so overwhelmed when I got home that I couldn't settle down to type it up, then I kept putting it off because there was so much detail I wanted to go into, it felt like an effort. Guess I'll just have to condense it somehow!
And yes, that ending to Buzz Lightyear

You were there year to the day that I was there, this has made me feel mildly depressed realising it's been that long! Need to get back on that Tower.

Shame.. you shouldn't have bothered with Matterhorn Blitz and ridden Eurosat instead. Out of the two, Eurosat is a far superior ride. Hey de ho.

Less talk, MORE TRIP REPORT!

My favourite part of that growth is the jump in attendance at Towers thanks to Nemesis

My favourite part of that growth is the jump in attendance at Towers thanks to Nemesis

Benin:- Goes to the crappy parks so you don't have to

^^^
Euro-Sat is made of pure joy.

Ah sorry.
I can't believe you called Euro-Sat rough.

I actually disagree with a part of this. Back in 1995 Thorpe was competing with Chessington who had not only just opened Rameses Revenge to great acclaim, they also had Legoland opening down the road which would take a significant amount of people away from visiting Thorpe. The park obviously saw the success of thrill seeking rides such as Nemesis and Rameses and decided to test the waters with this route. Enthusiasts don't forget this as such, they just see it as No Way out being a complete failure in advertising and as a ride concept in general. It was too scary for kids and not scary enough for adults. It lies in that dangerous middle ground of not knowing who its target audience is and throughout the noughties, was being pinched and pushed in a number of random directions.

I don't think there is a thing such as a 'Vanilla coaster.' Your example of Silver Star for example, when it opened in 2002 was the highest rollercoaster in Europe as well as the steepest drop. It has become vanilla since but even now it is the highest rollercoaster in Germany which means it retains its gimmick, its cookie dough Ben & Jerry element.

I think my problem with Saw is down to the idea that it's trying to be an immersive experience and fails. It's nothing to do with the inside piece of the ride, to give Saw full credit, the use of darkness and the small drop is one of Thorpe Parks best roller coaster experiences. It never gets tiresome and always takes me by surprise.
It's as soon as the ride goes outside that nothing works for me. The first drop is blase, the inversion boring, the turn around bordering on tiresome, the air time hill has a rattle to it that its brothers don't share, the turn around into the mcbr is randomly jolty. The final inversion is very forceful but it doesn't save the ride for me in the slightest.
I think we compare to other euro fighters because the concept has legs, far more then many other types of coasters. You can have them utterly themeless like Speed and Rage or they can be epically themed stories like Fluch or Mystery Mine. The fact that Saw is not amazingly themed or badly themed put its between the others and means comparisons come quickly.

Love it, Love it, Love it.
This is the beauty of being a coaster enthusiast as you put it. We're all so different and little things make us tick. The joy and love you hold for Antelope is the same that I hold for rides like the Runaway Train and Safari Skyway at Chessington.
You've put it so eloquently, awesome blog Josh. =)

I think my problem with Saw is down to the idea that it's trying to be an immersive experience and fails. It's nothing to do with the inside piece of the ride, to give Saw full credit, the use of darkness and the small drop is one of Thorpe Parks best roller coaster experiences. It never gets tiresome and always takes me by surprise.
It's as soon as the ride goes outside that nothing works for me. The first drop is blase, the inversion boring, the turn around bordering on tiresome, the air time hill has a rattle to it that its brothers don't share, the turn around into the mcbr is randomly jolty. The final inversion is very forceful but it doesn't save the ride for me in the slightest.
I think we compare to other euro fighters because the concept has legs, far more then many other types of coasters. You can have them utterly themeless like Speed and Rage or they can be epically themed stories like Fluch or Mystery Mine. The fact that Saw is not amazingly themed or badly themed put its between the others and means comparisons come quickly.