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It has got to that time of year again! First Year Legoland is getting this game as I think it deserves to take part But otherwise same as ever: +1 and -1 each turn you must wait three turns or 24hrs before your next go, whichever is the sooner ride removed on 0 and all others reset to 5 List is the rides that are advertised on the Legoland Website to avoid over lengthy un-fun voting Will be interesting this year to see how all these rides place! What will be the best ride this season? To start us off I will be doing: +1 Laser Raiders -1 Thunder Blazer On your Marks, Get Set, Go!!! Aero Nomad (5) Atlantis Submarine Voyage (5) Balloon School (5) Boating School (5) Desert Chase (5) Digger Challenge (5) Dino Safari (5) Dragon's Apprentice (5) Duplo Train (5) Duplo Valley Airport (5) Fairy Tale Brook (5) Fire Academy (5) Hill Train (5) Jolly Rocker (5) Kinght's Quest (5) Laser Raiders (6) Lego Star Wars (5) Loki's Labyrinth (5) Longboat Invader (5) Miniland (5) Orient Expedition (5) Pirate Falls Treasure Quest (5) Pirates of Skeleton Bay (5) Raft River Racers (5) Scarab-Bouncers (5) Squid Surfer (5) Spinning Spider (5) The Dragon (5) Thunder Blazer (4) Vikings' Rivers Splash (5)

It has got to that time of year again! Same as ever: +1 and -1 each turn you must wait three turns or 24hrs before your next go, whichever is the sooner ride removed on 0 and all others reset to 5 List is the rides that are advertised on the Alton Towers Website to avoid over lengthy un-fun voting Will be interesting this year with the new addition of Cbeebies Land & the removal of Submission from this year's line up! Will Nemesis keep it's Title of the 2013 Best Ride at Alton Towers? To start us off I will be doing: +1 Th13teen -1 Frog Hopper On your Marks, Get Set, Go!!! Air (5) Battle Galleons (5) CBebbies Land (5) Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (5) Congo River Rapids (5) Driving School (5) Duel (5) Enterprise (5) Frog Hopper (4) Hex - The Legend Of The Towers (5) Ice Age The 4D Experience (5) Marauders Mayhem (5) Nemesis (5) Nemesis Sub-Terra (5) Oblivion (5) Ripsaw (5) Rita (5) Runaway Mine Train (5) Twirling Toadstool (5) The Blade (5) The Flume (5) The Smiler (5) Th13teen (6) Sonic Spinball (5) Skyride (5)

It has got to that time of year again! Same as ever: +1 and -1 each turn you must wait three turns or 24hrs before your next go, whichever is the sooner ride removed on 0 and all others reset to 5 List is the rides that are advertised on the Chessington Website to avoid over lengthy un-fun voting Will be interesting this year to see how the retheme of the Runaway Train to the Scorpion Express will put it in the rankings! Will Rattlesnake keep it's title from 2013 as the best ride at Chessington? To start us off I will be doing: +1 Zufari: Ride into Africa! -1 Sea Dragons On your Marks, Get Set, Go!!! Black Buccaneer (5) Bubbleworks (5) Carousel (5) Dragon Falls (5) Dragon's Fury (5) Flying Jumbos (5) Griffin's Galleon (5) Hocus Pocus Hall (5) Jungle Bouncers (5) Jungle Bus (5) Kobra (5) Madagascar Live! (5) Monkey Swinger (5) Peeking Heights (5) Rameses Revenge (5) Rattlesnake (5) Safari Skyway (5) Scorpion Express (5) Sea Dragons (4) Seastorm (5) Tiny Truckers (5) Toadie's Crazy Cars (5) Tomb Blaster (5) Tuk Tuk Turmoil (5) Vampire (5) Zufari: Ride into Africa! (6)

Good afternoon all of you wonderful people! It's got to that time of year again and I'm very excited to officially announce plans for our traditional end of year meet in LONDON! The event will be held on Saturday 20th December The Outline of the day will be as follows: Meet under the Waterloo Clock between 09:30 and 10:00 am. If by any chance you happen to miss this meet point due to travel arrangements or just plain lateness you can either a) phone or text so we can arrange to meet you or meet up at the second meeting point later in the day. This first part of the day we will make the most of all the Merlin attractions based in the area by going to London Dungeons, Sealife and the London Eye. Please bear in mind we will leave without you if you are late as it’s not fair on time keepers! A couple of members have found out this on previous meets. We will stop for a bite to eat around Lunch, which could be Nando's but we will see what people think nearer the time. At lunch we will once again partake in Secret Santa as it was highly popular last year and caused much amusement. After the Waterloo attractions we will head off to Baker Street to see the wonderful Madame Tussauds before heading back to Hyde Park at the end of the day to go Winter Wonderland. (The dates available to vote for is so we can get actual christmas music ). I'd imagine we will have another eaten snack in the day and will be finishing it off with some drinks down the pub and/ or possibly a curry! I will be handing out my phone number for everyone who is attending the meet that day, should there be any problems. We aim to stay together as a group for the day, going from one activity to the next, enjoying getting to know people you share very similar interests with, the idea is to just go with the flow and enjoy the day with some awesome people. There will be many photo’s in the day being taken I’m sure and the possibility of a few video clips. Whilst we cannot force you to stay with the group, it is the general purpose of these meets! You will have my number (and some of the senior teams) if you become split so by all means use it. The meets are a fantastic laugh and everyone is invited, even if you’ve never posted before or been to any kind of meet at all. If it's your first meet, I understand it can be nerve breaking - but we were all there at one point so know how it feels, please don't let this stop you from attending. Look at previous trip reports (of last year - I am seriously behind) to give yourself a taster - Once there you'll be part of the group in no time! Once again, everyone will have my phone number so please use it on the day If anyone has any issues or concerns or even nervous about coming, feel free to post here, or PM myself and I will get back to you as soon as possible. If you feel like my response is taking too long another member of the team will be more than happy to help. We will all try and help you out as much as we can. Please PM me or post here to say if you’re attending. If you are bringing a mate along with you, please also include who they are otherwise they will be known as ‘Thing 1/ 2 etc.’ The events with TPM have been fantastic this year, so that's finish this amazing year of events with a bang. Names will be added to the list once the date for the trip has been confirmed. Attending (29) Alpengeist Coastercameron98 (Winter Wonderland) CWOAfanMalcolm DaddysLittlePrincess Dan9 (From Lunch onwards) GladiatorFanKyle (Winter Wonderland) Iannem Jason Jaymiee (Winter Wonderland) LG95 Liam_T Londoner Luke_A Marc Mark9 (From Lunch onwards) Matt Creek Mer Michelle Mr. Fish Peaj Phill Pritchard (Until Nandos) Pluk ScaryCoasterBoy Smidget Stretchy Styles The Director (Until Nandos) Tommy Toofpikk

Well first of all I would like to say, if you ever decide to go to PortAventura via Barcelona, once there, get the train!!!! We had a large proportion of our day cut in PA because we were waiting for the shuttle bus to arrive, which was an hour late, we then waited an extra 25 minutes so that the bloody grump that was the driver, who wanted a fag break then proceeded to have an argument with someone on his phone... yeahh wasn't exactly pleased but yeah rant over and onto the trip report!! This will be more of a what I thought of things rather then what exactly happened as we were there for 4 days it would have gotten pretty boring you to read haha!! waiting waiting waiting... 20 minutes into the fag break... But yeah eventually when me and DGC got to PortAventura finally, we just ran straight into the park, to the nearest ride we could find and since we were staying in the Hotel PortAventura, this was the nearest ride... Now I had heard a LOT about this ride, some saying that it is the worst thing ever created, some saying its the best thing ever, and because of this this was the ride that I was most eager to try out, all I can say is nothing can prepare you for what this ride does, I can honestly say you need to ride it before making any presumptions of it because this ride is just fricking horrid... BUT amazing at the same time, I don't know how but this ride I like because the launch and the inline twist is just something else but the ride is by far the roughest steel coaster I have ever been on, in the front as it isn't that rough I can easily give it an 8/10 for the launch along, dat launch doe but the outside seats on anywhere else but the front row and especially, (which was really odd ) the 3rd row, were just horrific, to the point where I came off the ride and I literally had to go back to my room and sleep it off as I was in so much pain (migrane, bruises, ringing ears) felt like a zombie, but I don't know I just kept on getting drawn back to it, which was odd, but yeah the inside seats were fine, Colossus rough nothing major, but the outside seats were like getting KO'd by a boxer, but yeah for the rest of the trains outside seats I'd give it a 5/10 because I still sort of enjoyed the ride and on the inside 7/10 not bad but not good either. Here are some more pics of it in action Lets face it, it is a beautiful ride to look at Looks so calm over the lake, anything but on the damn thing!!!! #BACOFACE So yeah after that ride the second coaster we did was a little bit of a trek into Polynesia No joke it was so humid in this part I was sweating like a rat in a gym sock but we soldier on!! Entrance in sweat shop central AKA Polynesia! What's that peaking in the distance I wonder?? SHAMBHALA AND DRAGON KHAN!!!!! These were 2 rides that I had been waiting to ride for years and now they were the right in front of me !! Kid in a candy store was a good cliché to describe how I was feeling when I saw these two . Me and Dean decide do save Shambhala for a little while to try out Dragon Khan. This is an imposing ride to be under and look at despite being dwarfed by Shambhala, does and did intimidate people, so we decide to hit middle row just to get a feel for the thing and this is what I think about it... It is an awesome layout, and one which was quite intense and that Zero-G roll is amazing BUT this ride is ruined by the incredible rattly trains, which for me ruined the overall ride for me, as the further back on the train we went the rougher it got to the point where on the back row, I came off with an almost Baco bad headache! At the front like Baco, it is raw and a little rattly but no problem and was an awesome ride, any other row though and it was quite uncomfortable to ride, made Smiler and Colossus feel smooth, no joke! Which was so unfortunate as I really wanted to love it but it was let down by those trains. So like Baco again, on the front row, I'd give it an 8/10 but for the rest of the ride I'd give it a 6/10 as the trains were way too rattly for me to enjoy on the other rows, but dat B&M roar doe!! So now onto the big boy himself, I had heard a lot of great things about this ride, and lets cut to the chase but this ride is without a doubt the best roller coaster I have ever ridden!!!!!!!! Its SMOOTH, its fast, it has amazing airtime floater AND ejector! The water effect was absolutely amazing the themeing around the area was just fantastic, I just adore it so much the ride is just amazing and special and makes up for the disappointment of the first 2 rides completely, so Shambhala.... 10/10!!!!! Just perfect Now onto this thing! Hurakan Condor, I have to say that this isn't as intense as Detonator, no where near in fact! But the shear terror I had for it and the fact that I actually enjoyed the drop (well maybe not on the standup seats) meant that this is my favourite drop tower, great ride! 9/10 Next was El Diablo... For some reason I only took a picture of it's station... ! But this ride is ok the first part was the most fun for me with the rest being incredibly meh... +1 4/10 Here is a internet photo of the ride if anyone is even bothered... But yeah enough of that on to Stampida!! Yeah, one thing I have to say is It was a god send having the unlimited fastpass, as the queues were huge for rides that weren't the best, but onto the review of this ride. This was another ride I had heard bad things about and it wasn't till I had gotten onto the ride for the first time (blue side) I understood why people say it lives up to its name... The blue side was absolutely horrific, easily the worst coaster I have ever been on, just all it was, was 2 minutes of just pure pain getting launched into the horridly uncomfortable restraint at every twist and turn, it was just horrid, and my dad (who was on the trip with us as he'd wanted to go to Spain for a while) said and I quote " It was the worst f***ing ride I have ever been on "... and he had only come off the back row of Baco's outer seat about 30 minutes before! :excl: Kumbak have ruined what was probably a decent ride on the blue side it has to be a 1/10. However the red side was quite decent but the 2nd half was incredibly dull, like really dull!!! Which was a shame as it has a good first half as its a lot smoother then Blue. For the Red side I give it a 5.5/10. I had taken strong painkillers so it didn't feel as bad on my poor head! The rides best asset was that it was a great sun umbrella, thats the only positive... Next up are the 3 big water rides that were in the park before 2014! The Rapids ride, called Grand canyon rapids, were great, easily the best themed one I had been on and for me was the 2nd best after Fjord rafting at Europa park! Despite the fact I literally knocked my self out for like 10 seconds after hitting the side very hard which launched my head into the hard plastic corner of the back rest (I really don't know how I managed to do that but it happened!) but over then that minor blip it was a great rapids which I will give 8/10 for! Next was the silver mine log flume which all in all was a good little flume but unfortunately it meanders a lot like Alton's which is a bore and the final drop doesn't get you that wet other then that its quite good and well themed! 7/10! Now finally was my favourite of the water rides Tutuki Splash!! This ride is amazingly themed for the area has 2 awesome drops and gets you absolutely soaked, for me much better then Tidal Wave at Thorpe Park and Drenched at Oakwood. The themeing that this ride had was perfect and really just makes the ride look lush! Tutuki Splash gets a 9/10 for me Now for the new for 2014 attraction, on the 2nd day of the visit we rode Angkor, which had a 3hr queue we completely skipped... hehe got to love the fasttrack package! And its good we did because apart from amazing themeing this was a disappointment for a splash battle as we didn't even battle with anyone till near the end because of its layout which completely defeats the point of a splash battle! Its a 6/10 for me mainly because of the epic themeing! This up next was one of the last coaster creds we got on the trip, quite tucked up and if you didn't walk right past its entrance you wouldn't have known it was there due to it being nestled up to Stampida, for this coaster was Tomahawk a tiny, quite unassuming woodie that actually packs quite a punch for a ride of its size, it was smooth for a woodie, which was quite good and I think it was a cracking little ride that for me was better then its bigger brother for me it was a 7/10. Only downside is the trains are ridiculously small so it was quite awkward fitting my legs into the ride, Dean had problems as well as he is taller then me haha: The final proper ride I will talk about is in this area Sesamo aventura ( I think that's how its spelt...), which despite it being completely different to any other part of the park, by not encompassing a country or ancient time as a theme, this area holds its own well. It is a really nice area to look at and was always one of the most busy as it was always packed with families, so I think job well done PA! Tami Tami! The final cred in the park and one that looked really pretty with the lush plants and with it being situated mostly over a little pond it was a really nice ride to look at. Its a +1 but its a really good +1, its a nice little ride which its train looked like it was designed by a guy tripping on weed, what's not to like about it! 7/10. The final thing I have to say about on this trip is Templo del Fuego. Its basically a walk in show with special fire effects and what not and has a special finale which was quite good. I would have probably enjoyed it more if I could understand Spanish, but it was a good show, but one I think you could only do once on a trip as it can get a bit monotonous, but for this ride I would give it a 6/10. We also did, as it was part of the Halloween event there at the time, La Selva de Miedo, basically forest of fear and I can straight up say it was much better then any Thorpe maze hands down, it was a very long maze and a good atmospheric one at that, whist it didn't scare me as such, it scared dean which was a mission accomplised! Like Blair witch it only takes place after dark to give it the atmosphere but it was a good maze I think so for this, it's a 8/10 Here are a few more photos we took of the trip On the final day, we waved goodbye to PortAventura with one last ride on Furius Baco and Dragon Khan, (Shambhala doesn't open till 11am... the spite!!!) and we set off on our journey to Barcelona!! Here are a few photos we took in barcelona! One of the many Gaudi-designed buildings in Barcelona! The Barcelona tubes were like London's but worse, basically miles of tunnels before you even get to the platform!! And the tickets are ridiculously priced compared to the London Underground!! The trains were nicer though Where could we be going I wonder?? To La sagrada Familia!! The Unfinised church that, on one side looks brand new and on the other looks ancient!! La sagrada Familia is an architectural marvel, such a beautiful building with lovely parks to the front and back of it. Its only marred by the tacky shops and fast food restaurants to the side of it but none the less was a beautiful building. The dog looked a little unimpressed by it We got lost... many, many times... Weird dildo sculpture thing We thought this was a theatre at first but we actually found out it was a... Huge shopping centre! It doesn't look it but that top floor is high up!! It did make my knees wobble La Sagrada in the distance from the shopping centres observation deck, which I forgot to mention it had! Great views though! This was an Art Gallery, we didn't go inside but it is a majestic looking building, almost looks like a palace! The Barcelona Olympic park in the distance. Such a beautiful view from the Art gallery walkway. After this we left for the airport as our journey had ended. Not sure what Dean was doing here... Overall it was a fantastic trip, Barcelona although filled with tacky shops, is an amazing city from the parts we saw and a city I wouldn't mind visiting again! Salou was great, the beach was lush the pubs were actually quite decent and the final stage of the WRC Spanish rally was in Salou at the time as well so we saw a bit of that as well which was awesome This was my first visit to Spain and I hope it isn't my last Here are a few pics of Salou What we really came to see and do was Port Aventura. A park that I had wanted to do since I became really interested in roller coasters ( which is a long, long time!) so I was revelling in the chance to go last year in 2014. And I have to say its one of the most beautiful parks I have been to just everything is just lush and I really, really like it! Sure there are some humb dingers there but that is made up for the fact that it has the best coaster I have ever been on, Shambhala!! The only ride that has ever truly scared me, Hurakan Condor. And a ride that got me stupidly soaked when I most needed it Tutuki Splash! I love PortAventura, and I hope to go back soon! Here are a final few photos before I round off the report The best view of any theme park I have ever been to!!!!!! Finally some pictures of my hotel, Hotel Port Aventura. This hotel is amazingly themed and is one the nicest hotels I have stayed in. The service was great, the rooms were lovely and clean, and the beds were nice! Also the food was great and decently priced I think this last photo sums up PA for me, the place has its ups and downs, can leave pained expressions on your face, and ones of surprise, but overall it will be and was an amazing experience, and one I will remember for a long while! Once again, thanks for reading my report

It has got to that time of year again! Same as ever: +1 and -1 each turn you must wait three turns or 24hrs before your next go, whichever is the sooner ride removed on 0 and all others reset to 5 List is the rides that are advertised on the Thorpe Park Website to avoid over lengthy un-fun voting Will be interesting this year to see how the new attractions in Angry Birds Land, match up to the existing attractions and where Chief Rangers Carousel will be placed in it's last season! Will Slammer keep it's title from 2013 as the best ride at Thorpe Park? To start us off I will be doing: +1 Angry Birds 4D Experience -1 Storm In A Teacup (These cups seriously need Greasing!) On your Marks, Get Set, Go!!! Angry Birds 4D Experience (6) Chief Rangers Carousel (5) Colossus (5) Depth Charge (5) Detonator: Bombs Away (5) Flying Fish (5) Loggers Leap (5) King Pig's Wild Hog Dodgems (5) Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride (6) Nemesis Inferno (5) Quantum (5) Rocky Express (5) Rumba Rapids (5) Rush (5) Samurai (5) Saw: The Ride (5) Slammer (5) Stealth (5) Storm In A Teacup (4) Storm Surge (5) The Swarm (5) Tidal Wave (5) Vortex (5) X (5) Zodiac (5)

Good Afternoon all of you wonderful people! I'm very excited to officially announce plans for our Alton Towers & Waterpark TPM Meet 2014! The date of the event is the weekend of Saturday 28th - Sunday 29th June 2014 as voted by 85% of you so a strong win! As you can see it's the whole weekend! Which gives you a choice - come on the Saturday, come on the Sunday or stay the whole weekend! Please take note if you plan to stay with us overnight, it will be your responsibility to book your own rooms and unfortunately if your under 18 we cannot help you with this! If you were to stay the night - under no circumstances will TPM get involved and take responsibility with how you stay overnight, as for the overnight section of the trip will be an over 18's event.. We will however like to see you during the day at the park Also this meet Towers Nerds are more than welcome to join us for the event. This is a fantastic opportunity to socialise with our northern counterparts and to show that the enthusiast community spreads further than one forum. The Outline of the day/s will be as follows: Meet by the frog jumping fountains at 09:00 am just inside the entrance if you wish to take advantage of the park's ERT. We will hover for 5 minutes whilst everyone gets together but then going off for ERT, if by any chance you happen to miss this meet point due to travel arrangements/ Cannot participate in ERT or just plain lateness you can either a) phone or text so we can arrange to meet you or meet up at the second meeting point later in the day. This first part of the morning we will make the most of the quiet park and churn out those rides. Once the park starts to fill up a little we will get to the Nemesis Egg outside Sub-Terra in Forbidden Valley, so if for whatever reason you could not get there for opening you can meet us at 10:30 am if you had not arranged to meet beforehand via phone. Please bear in mind we will leave without you if you are late as it’s not fair on time keepers! As members have found out! We will then continue visiting the attractions and it will be arranged beforehand that we will try our best to get on all the attractions.. I know not everyone will want to do some of the rides at Alton Towers. If you decide to not come on please be polite and wait for everyone to come off and chat to other members whilst you are waiting. Or go off and do another attraction as long as you’ll be back after the group has finished riding the attraction. Please respect other people’s wishes who wish to ride certain things that you yourself may not be too keen with. During the day, around half 1, we will stop for a bite to eat where you can go and eat where you like and we will arrange where to meet after everyone has finished eating. (Who knows we might all want to eat the same thing anyway ) After lunch we will group together for the Official Group Photo for the meet and continue going round the park and riding the attractions people want to do until the park closes. I will be handing out my phone number for everyone who is attending the meet that day, should there be any problems. We aim to stay together as a group for the day, going from one activity to the next, enjoying getting to know people you share very similar interests with, the idea is to just go with the flow and enjoy the day with some awesome people. There will be many photo’s in the day being taken and the possibility of a few video clips. Whilst we cannot force you to stay with the group, it is the general purpose of these meets! You will have my number (and some of the senior teams) if you become split so by all means use it. The meets are a fantastic laugh and everyone is invited, even if you have never posted before or been to any kind of meet at all. If it's your first meet, I understand it can be nerve breaking - but we were all there at one point so know how it feels, please don't let this stop you from attending - Once there you'll be part of the group in no time! Just look at the past trips this year! I will soon be posting up a separate post on possible accommodation locations which you can use to help you decide where to sleep (If your staying for the night.) If however you know where your going already by all means book it up when we confirm the dates this time next week. I know for example I will be staying at a Travelodge in Newcastle half hour away as it has some good night life around there Once again, everyone will have my phone number so please use it on the day If anyone has any issues or concerns or even nervous about coming, feel free to post here, or PM myself and I will get back to you as soon as possible. If you feel like my response is taking too long another member of the team will be more than happy to help. We will all try and help you out as much as we can. Please PM me or post here to say if you’re attending. If you are bringing a mate along with you, please also include who they are so they are not known as ‘Plus 1.’ The events with TPM have been fantastic this year and this one will be no different! Attending (16) Alpengeist Coaster Crazy from Tower Nerds J.S217 Londoner Marc Matt From Tower Nerds Matt Creek Mer Mr. Fish Myk Peaj Ryan ScaryCoasterBoy Stretchy Styles TopsyTurvy15

2014 is almost over, which can only mean one thing...it's time for my review of Thorpe's season! In a way, it kind of feels silly to do a 'season' review on behalf, since I've "only" made 8 visits this year (by far my smallest Thorpe tally in memory!), so there's a few gaps here and there, and my views may not be fully representative of the season. However, I hope this review will end up giving a nice roundup of the season, and my views on what's gone down. If anyone wants to see my reviews of previous seasons, they can all be found HERE (once again, apologises about the pictures no longer working - darn Facebook!). And with all that out of the way, let's "get ready to go...looking good...3 2 1..." New for 2014 - Angry Birds Land Rewind a year ago, and I said that for 2014, "There's been talks of a new 4D film, the return of the Canada Creek Railway, the movement of Vengeance to the park and ...at least one of those things should happen." Fortunately, one of those things did happen. I don't quite know how ABL has been received by the public, but enthusiast opinion is certainly more on the negative side. However, I must admit, I side with the side that, on the whole, it's an okay investment for the park. The 'land' is very small - it seems almost silly to call it an area of a theme park given how small it is. The 4D cinema, whilst a bit over the top with the effects, is a nice break from the bombardment of rides and is certainly a vast improvement on Time Voyagers (though that's not saying much, mind!). The Dodgems are good fun and, whilst nothing special, a nice filler ride for everyone to enjoy. Personally, I think that Detonator is the biggest waste in the area; new audio was needed, and a bit more of a feel around the ride was required. But instead we end up with a new name and cheap logo plus a random bird plonked nearby - still feels out of place unfortunately. So yeah, all in all, I don't think ABL is a bad investment. I think it will work in the long run (Angry Birds will no doubt continue to be popular, and with a major film set for 2016, I can see a second wind for it coming up), and brought life into what was a lifeless area. Many say that it's destroyed Amity Cove - but let's face it, there's a huge difference between Stealth-side Amity (Amity Speedway) and Tidal Wave-side Amity (the Amity Cove). A divide is necessary really, and this gives a chance to divide the sides further, which would be a good thing. For the future, I'd like to see the Teacups given an Angry Birds theme, since it feels a bit out of place at the moment, and the well-known Angry Birds tune be made more prominent throughout the area - it's something I was looking forward to hearing if I'm honest! Detonator - needs more work... These metal plate theming bits are...okay. Not my first choice thematic feature for the area though! King Pig's Wild Hog Dodgems - a bit bare, but good fun. New for 2014 - Other Stuff Though a quiet year on the rides and attractions front, there were a few new and improved things around the park... The Shark Hotel replaced the Crash Pad, and is Thorpe's own attempt at a shipping container hotel. Indeed, the shark idea was my favourite of the three concepts (the other two being the Pier and crashed ship). I do quite like the look of the shark - it's quirky and different, and likely a nice talking point for people visiting. My only criticism of it is that, on the inside, you can see all the framework - a bit of a shame in all honesty, but I guess there's got to be limitations to everything. Maybe not the most spectacular thing ever, but I have a fond spot for it if I'm being honest. Bite me. Then there's the improved entrance. It must surely be a short-term solution, as the whole ticket and entrance plaza needs a big rework in my opinion. Baring that in mind, I think it's an okay solution - the video loops they play do a nice job of showing off the park, and presumably do help build a bit of atmosphere and anticipation for guests. Also great to hear the original Thorpe entrance music being played once again! Hard to get a decent image of the screen, so here's the best I've got.. The few other touch ups around the park (Stealth Diner and shop, Mexican Cantina extension, etc.) are also welcome additions, now giving more indoor seating, and improved chippy on park - I never really liked the old Fish and Chip place for some reason; maybe the old look of the place just put me off? - and meaning every major attraction has their own sort of shop to some degree. The small things ey! Stealth shop looks quite nice really. The Coasters The Swarm remains top dog for another year. For me, it just had everything I want, and it's just a beautiful roller coaster to me. After being able to climb its lift hill this year and do a couple of behind the scenes bits and bobs, I have no doubt that Swarm will have a place in my heart for years to come... With it looking very likely that I'll be breaking into Europe next year, I somewhat doubt this will be my favourite coaster next year, but hey, I'll let it bask in its glory till then. Looking up A pretty sweet alternative view of the ride in general Pretty helicopter. Standard picture. X also saw some changes, with new audio and a new lighting set up. I think the reason why I like it so much is because it's so different to anything else the park offers - it's a bit of fun and a laugh. It doesn't try to do anything special and it's not a serious ride. Something that the park needs more of in my eyes! Inferno was as solid as ever, and it was nice to see the mist and lights working for the majority of my visits. Also interesting to see the workshop area as part of the John Wardley meet too; geeky moments I guess! I still have a soft spot for Saw, even if it does leave many with a soft spot on their head after riding. Again, got to do a nice backstage tour of it, which was great fun and really interesting. Colossus remained as uncomfortable as ever. Stealth was alright too I guess; I'm not too fussed about it though to be honest.. . Dear Thorpe, all I want for this closed season is this sign cleaned / replaced. Lots of love, JoshC. Arty-farty Saw photo. Put my camera through its paces by taking photos of Saw from the Loggers queue line. Funny results followed. The Other Rides Won't really put any specific focus on any other rides now because: 1) too much effort, 2) I haven't visited enough to say that much and 3) I don't want to put you to sleep any quicker. So yeah, in short... Slammer didn't open with the rest of the park, but managed to remain consistently open (more or less) when it eventually did open. Big thumbs up to all those involved with getting the thing to live again, and to actually stay alive. Personally, I think the ride just needs binning - I don't find it exciting and it just seems to be a waste of resources in my opinion. It seems Thorpe/Merlin think otherwise - as do many enthusiasts - so let's hope for their sakes their faith in the ride lasts for a few years before it eventually conks out. When that day comes, I'll happily be the first to volunteer to take some explosives to the ride. Rush, Samurai, Loggers, Zodiac and the like all did well during the season, and I think they're all good rides that add to the line up. On the other hand, I've been disappointed by the likes of Vortex, which is showing its ages, Rumba Rapids and Depth, rides which I do enjoy, but really need some TLC to make them look nice again. A working Slammer - a slightly less rare sight than usual. "What about Storm Surge?" you might be asking yourselves. I didn't ride Storm Surge this year, and this picture sums up my views on the ride nicely... I'd much rather look at a building. The Big Easter I unfortunately didn't attend this season's Easter event, due to revising for exams. However, by the sounds of it, it was a great event for the park and their new direction. All the reviews of the Brainiac show were great, so I'm glad to hear that's returning for the February Half Term event. I look forward to seeing what Thorpe come up with for next Easter (and fingers crossed I'm actually able to make it!). Summer Nights Summer Nights returned for a second season, which is great news. This event is just a brilliant idea from the park and works a treat. I know some say that opening till 10 should be standard for the park during Summer, and maybe that should be the case one day. But right now, I don't think the park would be busy enough to warrant it - making it a separate identity is the best thing for now. The event has definitely gained popularity, and I'd be curious to see if they'd consider adding two trains to the coasters if the event become much more popular. Teacups are still an addition for Summer Nights - good thing too, since it's relatively popular during the day.. Summer Event - Huh? Last year, I said: "Despite Sun Scream obviously being popular enough to last many seasons, I think it's time to think of something a little different now". However, when I said "a little different", I did mean they should at least do something! Unless I completely missed it, there was no specific summer event this season that filled the role Sun Scream had done for the seasons beforehand. The park seemed popular enough from marketing alone and such, but it seems like a wasted opportunity, especially with the family market. Hopefully it's just a one-off, and next season gives us some decent event for the summer. It would certainly help encourage the crowds to visit during what is one of the busiest periods of the season for the park, and a chance to stand out from the crowd a little bit. On the other end of the scale, I guess they could partner up with MoS for another event. Mash Up seemed good during Easter 2012 and 2013, so why not bring back that back? Speaking of MoS, still haven't been to a MoS night - they're just not my thing! - however, I'm glad to see that they're still proving popular and successful. Fright Nights The biggest change for this season's Fright Nights was, of course, the farewell of The Asylum, and the introduction of Studio 13: The Motel. It's been said a hundred times already, but I may as well say it again - last year's controversy over Asylum was NOT the cause of its removal. The park were planning on getting rid of it even for last season's event - let's hope that that myth doesn't become fact to many. Another thing which has been said a hundred times already is that I wasn't really a fan of The Asylum. It was a maze of strobe lights which gives you a headache, with no apparent story line other than 'you're locked in with scary people' and very repetitive. So I was glad to see the back end of it. Studio 13's premise sounded exciting and very promising, and it was great to see the park come up with a non-IP maze which still fitted in perfectly with the park's overall theme (which I still love by the way). Personally, I loved the maze. Great nods to the past, good theming, a story which followed through the maze and overall a good idea. In fact, out of all the mazes I've done, it's the maze where I've felt most apart of the story. It's such a simple idea (you tour through a studio where a horror film is being filmed, then all of a sudden, you're IN the film), which makes it easy to execute, yes, but it was executed so well that it just a beautiful maze. As for the returning mazes, Blair Witch went from zero to hero, which was great. I hope this gives the park more confidence with scare zones and outdoor attractions. Cabin and Saw remained good attractions, though I think Saw needs a bit of an update, as it feels kind of tame compared to the rest. My Bloody Valentine was yet again the worst; no real scares or anything - just dark, cramped spaces all the way. It will scare many, yes, but you can't just simply rely on that! It will be interesting to see what happens to the maze next season now the arena is in use - will it just move elsewhere, move out of the containers and into someplace else, or what? I also did Face it Alone again this year. I can't sing the praises of this experience enough - if you like scare attractions, it is well worth giving it a try! I'm so glad the park have continued to look into other scare ideas than your bog-standard conga line maze, and here's hoping that things like Face it Alone, the Overnight Experiences and original maze ideas continue for many years to come. Fright Nights proved to yet again been the most popular time of season. Me with The Director. Reserve n Ride The second season we've seen RnR now and I remain in the minority who like the idea. I'll keep my views here short and sweet since I've argued them to death throughout the year in the appropriate topics - the idea is a nice one and has a lot of potential. The system itself seems to work now; they've slowly managed to iron out technical issues. What the park need to do now is try the system as it was intended - with no standby queues. That way, they see how viable an option this actually is. Make sure there's enough non-ride stuff to do too; that'll help (and, in fact, is a good idea in general!). Food and Merchandise As mentioned above, I've gotten into a bad habit of falling in love with the new Fish and Chip place, nice and unhealthy. My lunch of choice usually varies between that, the Mexican Cantina or Bar 360. For the most part though, all of the Merlin-owned food places are good quality and value at Thorpe, which is good. I'll no doubt try the punnily-named Peckish and the new Pizza-Pasta joint in the new season though, because why not ey? As ever, the merchandise at Thorpe helped empty my wallet. The new resins were all great, and the Swarm billboard is my personal favourite of all the Merlin resins. Then there's the brilliant new clothing items which give some geeky nods (ride opening years and such), which I just love! The new Angry Birds merch is good to see too, even if a bit overpriced in my opinion. Then again, on the whole, merchandise is reasonably priced I think, so I'm not really complaining. Would like to see more bears at Thorpe though - please? I guess the VIP packages fit into merchandise sort of, so just a quick mention of them. Whilst the main ones are a bit too pricey in my opinion, the lift hill walks and backstage tour are okay, especially if you can get a deal on them (and they do indeed do deals on them at points in the year). Again, really glad to see the park doing cool things likes this! The Inferno shop has a makeover too. At least I was spending time in shops, and not just money... Chief Ranger's Carousel - RIP Whilst no official note has been made, it seems that CRC has left us after 20 years of service. It's sad to see a ride so rich in Thorpe's history leave. However, in all honesty, it's surprising it stayed as long as it did, especially during the years when families were just not in the park's target market. It's not like the ride has a specific appeal the 99% of visitors anyway - time to let go and move along in my opinion! A Carouselfie. A Look Ahead 2015 brings us...well, we don't know. Potentially nothing of note. We have gathered that Pizza Hut is being replaced by Pizza Pasta, and that building is getting an extension. I have no doubts that we'll see some touch ups around the place (Canada Creek still has a lot of the old branding about, some rides are in desperate need of TLC and I expect Thorpe know that), and there'll be a few little things to keep us happy. However, it seems like 2015 could be the first season since 1997 where Thorpe don't bring us any new attractions. Then again, Angry Birds Land didn't have plans submitted till January, so who knows? Of course, we'll all be able to gawp at the construction site for 2016's exciting new development - maybe that in itself will be enough to keep us happy next season? That's it for me; another season well and truly done with. Thanks if you read it all (and sorry for the length)! As ever, any comments / thoughts / criticisms are welcome!

**AWARDS ARE NOW CLOSED, RESULTS TO BE RELEASED SOON** Another year another season, and that means another TPM forum awards! After the success of previous years, we will keep much the same format although we’ve gone high tech by using SurveyMonkey! Due to our new(ish) awards badges we will make sure people can treasure their awards forever and have them on display for everyone to see! These are the award categories PARK AWARDS • Best UK Park • Best International Park • Best UK Coaster • Best International Coaster • Best UK Flat Ride • Best UK Water Ride • Best UK Dark Ride • Best New Attraction for 2014 • Best Themed UK Experience • Best Themed International Experience • Worst UK Ride • Most Uncomfortable Ride • Most Disappointing Merlin Moment in 2014 • Best looking New Attraction for 2015 • Best Manufacturer In the case of international parks and coasters we realise that some members may not have ridden many international coasters or been to many international parks. If this is the case for you, feel free to vote for a park you would love to visit or a coaster you would love to ride. FORUM AWARDS • Best Member • Best Administrator • Best Moderator • Most Knowledgeable Member • Funniest Member • Biggest Fanboy/girl • Sexiest Male • Sexiest Female • Best New Member • Best Quality Posts • Most Dedicated • Most Sarcastic Member • Best Official TPM Meet • Storm Surge Award • Most Likely To Be Banned In 2015 For the new member nominees, they need to have signed up after January 1st, 2014 – Here's a link The Storm Surge Award - Vote for the member who you think reminds you of Storm Surge or should be awarded a Storm Surge for their efforts in TPM. VOTING We have moved up in the world and now I’ve opted to use SurveyMonkey instead of having to manually collate all the awards Remember to only put one thing for each answer and make it clear who/what it is; please use forum names and not real names You do not need to vote for every category if you don’t want to EDIT - NOW CLOSED Voting closes on 20th December 2014 at 8pm. Votes after 20th December 2014 at 8pm will not be counted. PM me (Tommy) if you send your survey in more than once

Good evening all of you wonderful people! I'm very excited to officially announce plans for our Blackpool TPM Trip With an Exclusive behind the Scenes with Scare Kingdoms Manormortis! The date of the event is the extended weekend of Friday 12th - Sunday 14th September 2014. As you can see it's an extended whole weekend! Which gives you a choice - come on the Friday, or the Saturday, or on the Sunday or a couple of the days or stay the whole weekend! I would imagine though the bulk of us will do Sat/Sun. Please take note if you plan to stay with us overnight, it will be your responsibility to book your own rooms and unfortunately if your under 18 we cannot help you with this! If you were to stay the night - under no circumstances will TPM get involved and take responsibility with how you stay overnight, as for the overnight section of the trip will be an over 18's event. We also owe a big thanks to Myk for getting this behind the scenes but we will also need to know if you are interested in attending for us to be able to take up on this offer as we will need 20 people! Plus this event will rely on you wonderful kind drivers or which your help will be much appreciated. But based on past success's I'm sure this will be no problem. A breakdown of what to expect of behind the scenes is shown below The Outline of the day/s will be as follows: On Saturday, Meet outside the entrance by Pasaje Del Terror at 08:30 am opposite the ticket gates to have a small social before the park opens, and then we will enter the park. Please bear in mind we will leave without you if you are late as it’s not fair on time keepers! As members have found out! If by any chance you happen to miss this meet point due to travel arrangements or just plain lateness you can either phone or text so we can arrange to meet . This first part of the morning we will make the most of the quiet park and churn out those rides. We will try our best to get on all the attractions. I know not everyone will want to do some of the rides at Blackpool Pleasure. If you decide to not come on please be polite and wait for everyone to come off and chat to other members whilst you are waiting. Or go off and do another attraction as long as you’ll be back after the group has finished riding the attraction. Please respect other people’s wishes who wish to ride certain things that you yourself may not be too keen with. During the day, around half 1, we will stop for a bite to eat where you can go and eat where you like and we will arrange where to meet after everyone has finished eating. (Who knows we might all want to eat the same thing anyway ) After lunch we will group together for the Official Group Photo for the meet and continue going round the park and riding the attractions people want to do until the park closes at 8. During the Evening we will relax and watch the Blackpool Illuminations. On the Sunday we will start on the Merlin Attractions meeting outside the Blackpool Tower at 09:45am. We will explore the Tower and during the day go to the Blackpool Madame Tussauds/ Sea Life & Dungeons just like our London Meets. During the afternoon we will have a little breather in the Blackpool Ballroom for a couple of drinks and if you are lucky me and my dance partner might go off and do some ballroom and latin on that famous floor whilst you socialise over drinks. For those who do go up on the Friday we will most likely go along the piers and arcades and try out the Waterpark and plus we will have our Tour of Manormortis at some point in the weekend. As it's quite a big event the way the weekend is run is subject to change but due to the distance I know you and I will be in regular correspondence so everyone knows what is happening. I will be handing out my phone number for everyone who is attending the meet that day, should there be any problems. We aim to stay together as a group for the day, going from one activity to the next, enjoying getting to know people you share very similar interests with, the idea is to just go with the flow and enjoy the day with some awesome people. There will be many photo’s in the day being taken and the possibility of a few video clips. Whilst we cannot force you to stay with the group, it is the general purpose of these meets! You will have my number (and some of the senior teams) if you become split so by all means use it. The meets are a fantastic laugh and everyone is invited, even if you have never posted before or been to any kind of meet at all. If it's your first meet, I understand it can be nerve breaking - but we were all there at one point so know how it feels, please don't let this stop you from attending - Once there you'll be part of the group in no time! Just look at the past trips this year! I will soon be posting up a separate post on possible accommodation locations which you can use to help you decide where to sleep (If your staying for the night.) If however you know where your going already by all means book it up when we confirm the dates this time next week. I know for example I will be staying at a nice B&B near the Tower, right in the centre of it all to enjoy the nightlife. Plus some really good deals on Laterooms.com Once again, everyone will have my phone number so please use it on the day If anyone has any issues or concerns or even nervous about coming, feel free to post here, or PM myself and I will get back to you as soon as possible. If you feel like my response is taking too long another member of the team will be more than happy to help. We will all try and help you out as much as we can. Please PM me or post here to say if you’re attending. If you are bringing a mate along with you, please also include who they are so they are not known as ‘Plus 1.’ The events with TPM have been fantastic this year and this one will be no different! Attending (16) Alpengeist J.S217 Luke_A Luke Houldsworth LG95 Matt Creek Mer Mr.Fish Myk MysteryPackage Peaj ScaryCoasterBoy Stretchy Styles TN Jonny Toofpikk Attendees

The traditional annual Fright Night Meet is upon us. Always one of the most popular events of the year! I can only apologize over the EXTREME delay of announcing this trip and that was due to some unsuccessful corresponding away from the forum. However in the knowledge of some new details we will be better equipped for next year which I hope will not disappoint and I will assure you next year's Fright Night's meet will for once be announced in plenty of time rather than the traditional last minute as you have grown accustomed to over the last 3 years. Date Sunday 19th October 2014 Time 9:30am (Please be there on time) Where - Outside the Entrance As it is a long day and you wish to come to the meet later in the day there will be additional meeting points. As you will have my contact details we will arrange the most convenient place for you and the group that is already in progress. We will not wait if you are late! If you are unable to attend these meeting points you will all have a contact number so you can arrange to meet us in park. I will be handing out my phone number for everyone who is attending the meet that day, should there be any problems. We aim to stay together as a group for the day, going from one activity to the next, enjoying getting to know people you share very similar interests with, the idea is to just go with the flow and enjoy the day with some awesome people. There will be many photo’s in the day being taken and the possibility of a few video clips. Whilst we cannot force you to stay with the group, it is the general purpose of these meets! You will have my number (and some of the senior teams) if you become split so by all means use it. The meets are a fantastic laugh and everyone is invited, even if you have never posted before or been to any kind of meet at all. If it's your first meet, I understand it can be nerve breaking - but we were all there at one point so know how it feels, please don't let this stop you from attending - Once there you'll be part of the group in no time! Just look at the past trips this year! For the older members after the park has closed we will be arranging for those who want to go to try out Brave It Alone. This is a fantastic experience to which I would highly recommend. If you would like to take part in this please contact me so we can arrange to experience it at similar times. Tickets are £20.00 but it's OVER 18'S ONLY. However if you do not wish to take part or too young and want to know the reactions of those poor fools you are more than welcome to join us after in Bar 360 for a social drink before we head home. Attended (12) Alpengeist Coasterdude Darkadder312 Iannem J.S217 Marc Matt Creek Peaj Phill Pritchard Smidget StevenVig TobyNBZ

So with 2014 not too far away, it will be interesting to see what takes place next year and whether it will be a more successful one than the last few we've seen or whether it will be another disappointing year. What we will see at Chessington in 2014/ The hotel extension (which I hope they do well) Monkey And Bird Gardens 2.0 The return of Ramesis Revenge (which hopefully won't break down big time) What we may see in 2014/ Runaway Mine train returned (either looking nice and fresh or a complete eyesore) Dragon Falls looking more impressive than recent years Plans of an apparent future coaster unveiled (it's only a rumour I've heard currently so who knows) More rides temporarily unavailible such as Skyway, Bubbleworks & Toadies. What we probably won't see in 2014/ Vampire on three trains (I can't see this happening, not until they improve 2 train op atleast) Some form of new ride (that's quite certain now) Burger Kitchen made to look more impressive indoors Vampire & Fury re-painted Haloween Hocus Pocus returning to 8pm closings Significantly reduced fastrack selling Safari Skyway rerouted (as it doesn't really give as much scenic ride as it used to)

Good evening all of you wonderful people! After a very close call in the poll Thorpe Park eventually came out top at 14 to Paultonn's 13 and Oakwoods 12. Sorry if your favourite did not win but we will make sure these trips are incorporated in the future as I know there is demand for is there. I'm very excited to officially announce plans for our Thorpe Park Summer Nights Meet! The date of the event is Saturday 2nd August 2014. There will be 2 parts to this meet - Thorpe Park during the day and trying out the summer activities and summer nights event itself! The Outline of the day will be as follows: Meet by the annual pass entrance at 09:00 am by the cash machine just on the off chance the gates could possibly open earlier than advertised such as last year. As soon as the gates open we will go into the park, if by any chance you happen to miss this meet point due to travel arrangements or just plain lateness you can either phone or text so we can arrange to meet you or . This first part of the morning we will make the most of the quiet park and churn out those rides. Please bear in mind we will leave without you if you are late as it’s not fair on time keepers! As members have found out! We will then continue visiting the attractions and it will be arranged beforehand that we will try our best to get on all the attractions.. I know not everyone will want to do some of the rides at THORPE PARK. If you decide to not come on please be polite and wait for everyone to come off and chat to other members whilst you are waiting. Or go off and do another attraction as long as you’ll be back after the group has finished riding the attraction. Please respect other people’s wishes who wish to ride certain things that you yourself may not be too keen with. During the day, around half 1, we will stop for a bite to eat where you can go and eat where you like and we will arrange where to meet after everyone has finished eating. (Who knows we might all want to eat the same thing anyway ) After lunch we will group together for the Official Group Photo for the meet and continue going round the park and riding the attractions people want to do until the park closes. There will be another meeting point at 7 pm on the bridge for those coming to Summer Nights If you can't handle the park during the day I will be handing out my phone number for everyone who is attending the meet that day, should there be any problems. We aim to stay together as a group for the day, going from one activity to the next, enjoying getting to know people you share very similar interests with, the idea is to just go with the flow and enjoy the day with some awesome people. There will be many photo’s in the day being taken and the possibility of a few video clips. Whilst we cannot force you to stay with the group, it is the general purpose of these meets! You will have my number (and some of the senior teams) if you become split so by all means use it. The meets are a fantastic laugh and everyone is invited, even if you have never posted before or been to any kind of meet at all. If it's your first meet, I understand it can be nerve breaking - but we were all there at one point so know how it feels, please don't let this stop you from attending - Once there you'll be part of the group in no time! Just look at the past trips this year! Once again, everyone will have my phone number so please use it on the day If anyone has any issues or concerns or even nervous about coming, feel free to post here, or PM myself and I will get back to you as soon as possible. If you feel like my response is taking too long another member of the team will be more than happy to help. We will all try and help you out as much as we can. Please PM me or post here to say if you’re attending. If you are bringing a mate along with you, please also include who they are so they are not known as ‘Plus 1.’ The events with TPM have been fantastic this year and this one will be no different!. Attending (16-19) Coastercameron98 DaddysLittlePrincess GladiatorfanKyle? Iannem J.S217 Kinnaird with Pyro Sam Luke_A Marc Michelle? Mr Fish Peaj Phill Pritchard ScaryCoasterBoy Smidget? Styles Tommy TopsyTurvey15 Turtle

Good evening all of you wonderful people! I'm very excited to officially announce plans for our Angry Bird's Ministry Of Sound Meet at Thorpe Park! The date of the event is Saturday 5th July 2014 Marbella Sessions. There will be 4 parts to this meet - Thorpe Park during the day and trying out the new Angry Birds Land and a picnic afterwards that can be enjoyed by everyone and the clubbing event & Overnight stay to try out the Shark Hotel in the evening which is unfortunately over 18's only! (Or if your me T5 Travelodge ) We will also be extending our hand to the Towers Nerds, in the hope of another great joint meet, by coming down south to join us for the event. This is a fantastic opportunity to socialise with our northern counterparts and to show that the enthusiast community spreads further than one forum. The Outline of the day will be as follows: Meet by the annual pass entrance at 09:30 am by the cash machine just on the off chance the gates could possibly open earlier than advertised such as last year. As soon as the gates open we will go into the park, if by any chance you happen to miss this meet point due to travel arrangements or just plain lateness you can either phone or text so we can arrange to meet you or . This first part of the morning we will make the most of the quiet park and churn out those rides. Please bear in mind we will leave without you if you are late as it’s not fair on time keepers! As members have found out! We will then continue visiting the attractions and it will be arranged beforehand that we will try our best to get on all the attractions.. I know not everyone will want to do some of the rides at THORPE PARK. If you decide to not come on please be polite and wait for everyone to come off and chat to other members whilst you are waiting. Or go off and do another attraction as long as you’ll be back after the group has finished riding the attraction. Please respect other people’s wishes who wish to ride certain things that you yourself may not be too keen with. During the day, around half 1, we will stop for a bite to eat where you can go and eat where you like and we will arrange where to meet after everyone has finished eating. (Who knows we might all want to eat the same thing anyway ) After lunch we will group together for the Official Group Photo for the meet and continue going round the park and riding the attractions people want to do until the park closes. There will be another meeting point at 8 pm on the bridge for those coming to the Ministry of Sound If you can't handle the park during the day I will be handing out my phone number for everyone who is attending the meet that day, should there be any problems. We aim to stay together as a group for the day, going from one activity to the next, enjoying getting to know people you share very similar interests with, the idea is to just go with the flow and enjoy the day with some awesome people. There will be many photo’s in the day being taken and the possibility of a few video clips. Whilst we cannot force you to stay with the group, it is the general purpose of these meets! You will have my number (and some of the senior teams) if you become split so by all means use it. The meets are a fantastic laugh and everyone is invited, even if you have never posted before or been to any kind of meet at all. If it's your first meet, I understand it can be nerve breaking - but we were all there at one point so know how it feels, please don't let this stop you from attending - Once there you'll be part of the group in no time! Just look at the past trips this year! Once again, everyone will have my phone number so please use it on the day If anyone has any issues or concerns or even nervous about coming, feel free to post here, or PM myself and I will get back to you as soon as possible. If you feel like my response is taking too long another member of the team will be more than happy to help. We will all try and help you out as much as we can. Please PM me or post here to say if you’re attending. If you are bringing a mate along with you, please also include who they are so they are not known as ‘Plus 1.’ The events with TPM have been fantastic this year and this one will be no different! Attending (18) CoasterCameron98 Jaymiee (MOS & Travelodge) J.S217 (How to Train Your Dragon 2) Kinnaird (Coming with Fireman Sam) Matt Creek (MOS & Travelodge) Mr. Fish (MOS) LePaigeHalil Luke_A (How to Train Your Dragon 2) Peaj (MOS & Travelodge) Phill Pritchard (MOS & Travelodge) Rocket (MOS & Shark Hotel) (Coming with Lady of the Thrills) Ryan (MOS & Travelodge) Scarycoasterboy (How to Train Your Dragon 2) TN Jonny (MOS & Travelodge) Toofpikk (How to Train Your Dragon 2) TopsyTurvy15 (MOS & Travelodge) Maybe (1) StevenVig

After accomplishing a sufficient amount of work at uni, I thought it was time for a visit to Legoland Windsor. Supposedly my home park (as this is where my pass is sorted), this would be my first visit to the park for 2014 to see what changes had taken place and to check out the new (re-themed) attractions at the park. In the near distance lies Pirate Shores, the re-themed Pirate area of Legolañd and also the area's 3rd retheme since it's existence. I was rather impressed with the parks recent additions such as the hotel, Star Wars Walkthrough and Duplo Valley and hoping this years updates would continue that good standard. After entering the park, here is the entrance to Pirate Shores (formerly Pirates Landing). The sign looks bright, striking and an improvement of the pirate landings one. The support structure remains the same though. Apart from the slightly changed sign, the first change to notice in the area, is a new selection of models located just in front of the Jolly a Rocker. They're ok I guess, nothing too striking however a pretty good addition theming wise. And now it's time to try out the first re-themed attraction, Pirate Falls- Treasure Quest (formerly Pirate Falls), the 2nd re-theme of the park's log flume ride (however not much actually changed on the 1st). First we are welcomed by This bright new sign welcoming us to the entrance to the ride. The queue area for the ride. This section has seen a number of changes including the rebuilding of the queue shelters. Whilst having a similar design to the original ones, these make look nice and fresh compared to the old ones which did look a little worn. That being said, the empty area in the middle of the queue looks rather dull at the moment, which used to be home to building blocks for kids previously and despite some theming being added, it just looks a mess, dirty and unfinished. The shaft above the drop has also been completely rebuilt in the same style of the original, which was good to see (as the old one was starting to look pretty worn). And finally (it's difficult to see from here), some new models. Almost every model on the ride has been replaced for the retheme, making the ride almost new again. But Here's The Big Question, How does it compare to the original theme? Despite being re-themed in 2010, most of the ride remained the same and though many models were looking rather worn and some effects not always working, the ride was still very entertaining with its humour, creative storyline and animated figures. Unfortunately, I cannot really say the same for the new one as what's been delivered in the new one compared that above can only be described as dry and bittersweet. The ride's new storyline is less amusing, diverts off to pointless characters and situations which don't add to the storyline and lacks any kind of humour. The animatronic side is just as disappointing as there are few things animated in the ride compared to the old one which in comparison to the ride now was flooded with them. Scenes such as pirates mistreating a monkey being replaced with the (apparent) protagonist and antagonist of the new story fighting, which whilst sound effects are included, not a single movement is included in this scene. Whilst there are numerous new water effects on the ride such as squirting skull heads (after the squirting mice) and frog fountains at the drop (Legoland love their water) plus a new piratey soundtrack and improved audio around the ride, this sadly cannot make up for the disappointment in the rest of the ride. It's almost like they had loads of ideas for the re-theme for the ride to start, but then suddenly lost motivation and effort to finish the ride, gave up and just plonked everything in, Compared to Fairy Tale Brook's re-theme, the ride is quite a let down. The only good points are the new audio and sound system and that the ride now looks fresh and new (except a few areas). Overall rating, 3/10. Moving on disappointing Treasure Queuer, it seems Burger Kitchen has now invaded Legoland. Gone is the Crossed Ribs BBQ, an awesome restaurant that sold food similar to Calypso BBQ and existed at the park from day one. Seeing that it looked little more than a metal shed when being built, the facade they've used to conceal it isn't bad and makes it fit in the surrounding area much better. Which is a pity they couldn't hide it from above, even painting it brown would've done the job. The inside isn't any better either. Whilst Crossed Ribs was never (what I call) heavily themed, it was at least more related and coherent to a pirate setting. This interior and design though, has as much coherence to pirate shores as much as Tesco or Primark does. Whilst the area so far isn't that great, let's take a look at the new play area they're building, which doesn't appear to be open yet. And is still under construction. Not a single part of the new area has even been constructed, plus there's still some leftovers from the old (and removed) Rat Trap still in existence. Apparently the play area was supposed to be open for April. However by the looks of things, that will probably be closer to June. Meanwhile in Lego City, Burger Ranch has also been replaced by- (wait for it), another Burger Kitchen. Personsly I think it looks horrible outside, it ruins the character of the area, doesn't connect the remaining rock theming and just sticks out like a sore thumb. Whilst the indoor section is perhaps marginally better than the interior of Pirate Shores, I'm not that impressed by it, although I suppose the fact there's more undercover seating is good for when's there's heavy rain at the park. Amity Fish and Chips at Thorpe (in comparison) looks much better than either of these though and that isn't perfect either. Elsewhere in Lego city, the Xbox gaming zone has had a makeover. Whilst I've never been a fan of the gaming zone (and never will), I can say this a slight improvement over the old one. A big improvement would be to rip it out and bring back an awesome walk through similar to the Magic Theatre! We finish this update with a look at the miniland area of the park, one of the few parts of Lego that are still magical and done right. Miniland is such a nice place to visit whilst at the park, the buildings and creations the model makers have built are excellent. It's a shame this area doesn't always get the love and attention it deserves. However, hopefully those years of neglect will be coming to an end, as part of the area (now completed) will become a brand new Paris area in miniland (although it looks like it has replaced a former area). The attention to detail is incredible and it looks very well done. So far this looks like the only thing the park has done right this year. Hopefully it will look very nice when completed. Overall, although I had a good day when I went, I felt rather let down and disappointed by all the new changes to the park this year except the Paris miniland. Pirate Shores has replaced all the soul and character of the area with bland generic pirate settings, the burger kitchens just don't fit in and the Xbox zone is still an a X box zone, if I wanted to play on an Xbox, I'd just play on one at home instead of using it at a themepark. Legoland was always a park I associated with good theming and upkeep in it's years open (though far from the likes of Disney) and the park always had a 'mostly' well kept look at the best of times. However this appears to have changed for the worse in 2014 with many effects not being fixed and repaired and new outlets with little to no theming appearing. It's saddening to see one of your loved childhood parks ripped of soul and character and not just blandly themed burger kitchens and life-less theming replacing once amazing theming on one of your favourite rides, but also things like the giraffe model being removed from the train just for a marginal increase in capacity and the toilet signs (previously Lego figures) replaced by a more simple and generic design replacing them (m for male f for female). "]http://s798.photobucket.com/user/mattthemepark/media/DSCF1274_zpsaed4990e.jpg.html] Overall unless you have an annual pass and/or live within less than an hours distance of the park, I would perhaps not bother visiting Legoland, for 2014 at least. I've always been a big fan/supporter of the park, but most of he changes at the park for this year are just so disappointing and the park sadly at the moment is little more than a corporate money pit and not really worth entry at half price (forget full price). If you're thinking of going to Legoland, visit Chessington instead as it's much better!

Good evening all of you wonderful people! I'm very excited to officially announce plans for our meet at Chessington! This is generally a good relaxed fun day out and it means we will hopefully get to try out the new Scorpion Ride & Treehouse. The meet is on Sunday April 27th 2014. As voted by you! The Outline of the day will be as follows: Meet outside Hocus Pocus Hall between 09:30 and 10:00 am opposite the entrance by the green. As soon as the gates for the rest of the park open we will go into the park. If by any chance you happen to miss this meet point due to travel arrangements or just plain lateness you can either phone or text so we can arrange to meet you. Due to the success of this ice breaker game last year, this meet will once again get to play Empire a very popular and strategic game that really got everyone involved. Please bear in mind we will leave without you if you are late as it’s not fair on time keepers! A couple of members have found out this on previous meets. We will then continue visiting the attractions and we will try our best to get on all the attractions people wish to ride, which will be arranged before the meet. One thing that has been annoying in the past is the decision making on where to go next and then the group changing their minds if a queue is above a certain level. This just ends us up in the past riding less as we spend a lot of the time deciding where to go. I know not everyone will want to do some of the rides at Chessington but most of the things on offer cater for all. If you decide to not come on please be polite and wait for everyone to come off and chat to other members whilst you are waiting. Or go off and do another attraction as long as you’ll be back after the group has finished riding the attraction. If you are going I will be talking to you beforehand to see what attractions you are most keen to do so I can make sure I can arrange the day so that everyone gets a chance to ride what they wish to ride. Please respect other people’s wishes who wish to ride certain things that you yourself may not be too keen with. During the day, around half 1, we will stop for a bite to eat where you can go and eat where you like and we will arrange where to meet after everyone has finished eating. (Who knows we might all want to eat the same thing anyway ) After lunch we will group together for the Official Group Photo for the meet and continue going round the park and riding the attractions people want to do until the park closes. I will be handing out my phone number for everyone who is attending the meet that day, should there be any problems. We aim to stay together as a group for the day, going from one activity to the next, enjoying getting to know people you share very similar interests with, the idea is to just go with the flow and enjoy the day with some awesome people. There will be many photo’s in the day being taken I’m sure and the possibility of a few video clips. Whilst we cannot force you to stay with the group, it is the general purpose of these meets! You will have my number (and some of the senior teams) if you become split so by all means use it. The meets are a fantastic laugh and everyone is invited, even if you’ve never posted before or been to any kind of meet at all. If it's your first meet, I understand it can be nerve breaking - but we were all there at one point so know how it feels, please don't let this stop you from attending. Look at previous trip reports to give yourself a taster - Once there you'll be part of the group in no time! Once again, everyone will have my phone number so please use it on the day If anyone has any issues or concerns or even nervous about coming, feel free to post here, or PM myself and I will get back to you as soon as possible. If you feel like my response is taking too long another member of the team will be more than happy to help. We will all try and help you out as much as we can. Please PM me or post here to say if you’re attending. If you are bringing a mate along with you, please also include who they are so they are not just known as ‘Thing 1 or 2.’ The events with TPM have been fantastic this year and this one will be no different. Names will be added to the list once the date for the trip has been confirmed. Attending Full Meet (20) Alpengeist Coastercameron98 J.S217 LePaigeHalil Londoner Luke_A MarkC Matt Creek Mer Mr Fish Myk MysteryPackage Peaj Phill Pritchard with Orchid Director Ryan ScaryCoasterBoy Styles Toofpikk with Pip Squeak Maybe (1) DaddysLittlePrincess Attendees will be shown once date is confirmed

Good Afternoon all of you wonderful people! I'm very excited to officially announce plans for our Open Season Meet at Thorpe Park! The event will take place on Saturday 22nd March 2014. The Outline of the day will be as follows: Meet by the annual pass entrance at 09:30 am by the cash machine just on the off chance the gates could possibly open earlier than advertised such as a couple of seasons ago. As soon as the gates open we will go into the park, if by any chance you happen to miss this meet point due to travel arrangements or just plain lateness you can either a) phone or text so we can arrange to meet you or meet up at the second meeting point later in the day. This trip will have the return of the popular Ice Breaker game called Spooning. Those who have participated last time had great fun and if you do not know what it is everything will be explained on the day. The prize for the winner is an Easter Egg . This first part of the morning we will make the most of the quiet park and churn out those rides. Once the park starts to fill up a little bit more we will calm down slightly and then have a chill for 15 minutes around the stealth rocks so if for whatever reason you could not get there for opening you can meet us at 11:30 am if you had not arranged to meet beforehand via phone. Please bear in mind we will leave without you if you are late as it’s not fair on time keepers! Punctuality has improved dramatically in the past year so long may this continue. We will then continue visiting the attractions and it will be arranged beforehand that we will try our best to get on all the attractions people wish to ride. One thing that has been annoying in the past is the decision making on where to go next and then the group changing their minds if a queue is above a certain level. This just ends us up in the past riding less as we spend a lot of the time deciding where to go. I know not everyone will want to do some of the rides at THORPE PARK. If you decide to not come on please be polite and wait for everyone to come off and chat to other members whilst you are waiting. Or go off and do another attraction as long as you’ll be back after the group has finished riding the attraction. If you are going I will be talking to you beforehand to see what attractions you are most keen to do so I can make sure I can arrange the day so that everyone gets a chance to ride what they wish to ride. Please respect other people’s wishes who wish to ride certain things that you yourself may not be too keen with. During the day, around half 1, we will stop for a bite to eat where you can go and eat where you like and we will arrange where to meet after everyone has finished eating. (Who knows we might all want to eat the same thing anyway ) After lunch we will group together for the Official Group Photo for the meet and continue going round the park and riding the attractions people want to do until the park closes. I will be handing out my phone number for everyone who is attending the meet that day, should there be any problems. We aim to stay together as a group for the day, going from one activity to the next, enjoying getting to know people you share very similar interests with, the idea is to just go with the flow and enjoy the day with some awesome people. There will be many photo’s in the day being taken I’m sure and the possibility of a few video clips. Whilst we cannot force you to stay with the group, it is the general purpose of these meets! You will have my number (and some of the senior teams) if you become split so by all means use it. The meets are a fantastic laugh and everyone is invited, even if you’ve never posted before or been to any kind of meet at all. If it's your first meet, I understand it can be nerve breaking - but we were all there at one point so know how it feels, please don't let this stop you from attending - Once there you'll be part of the group in no time! Once again, everyone will have my phone number so please use it on the day If anyone has any issues or concerns or even nervous about coming, feel free to post here, or PM myself and I will get back to you as soon as possible. If you feel like my response is taking too long another member of the team will be more than happy to help. We will all try and help you out as much as we can. Please PM me or post here to say if you’re attending. If you are bringing a mate along with you, please also include who they are so they are not known as ‘Plus 1.’ The events with TPM have been fantastic this year and this one will be no different Attending Meet (25) Alpengeist Chris89 Cornflakes Dan9 DarkAdder312 EC! JoshC J.S217 LG95 Londoner Luke_A Marc Matt Creek Mer Mr. Fish Myk Mystery Package Peaj Phill Pritchard Ricky Ryan ScaryCoasterBoy Slender Man Jake Styles ThorpeLaw Let's make this meet great - and people spread the word!

Good morning all of you wonderful people! I'm very excited to officially announce plans for our Guildford Meet 2014! As usual you have the power to vote and change the date of the meeting but for the moment the provisional date is on Saturday 25th January 2014. Here is a link so you know how to get there http://www.guildfordspectrum.co.uk/content/view/14/31/ The Outline of the day will be as follows: Meet by the stairs outside the Guildford Spectrum between 11:30am and 12pm as shown in a cheeky helpful picture below (in case you don’t know the area). This then gives us time to go into the Spectrum and get are skates and lockers ready to hit the Ice as soon as the session starts at 12:30. Price’s are yet to be confirmed for 2014 but at the moment they are approximately £5.90 for the session and £1.90 for the Skate Hire (10p more than last year ). During the skating session those who do not want to skate can be a spectator to all the comedy you’ve been framed moments of us falling over (and maybe get the cheeky video clip ). The session will finish at 2pm where those who have not come to Skate and only want to show up for the meal and bowling can meet us within the Ice Skating arena. From here this is where times become approximate. We will then go to eat within the spectrum which currently offers a Wimpy (Burgers), Trattoria (Pizza), The View (Like the 360 Bar), Costa Coffee (Coffee )& The Strikes Bar (Drinks), so this should cater for everyone’s different tastes. After we have eaten and before those skaters leave who do not want to bowl we have The Return Of The Group Photo so you can all have a picture to remember your day. Then we will get to play 2 games of bowling which is priced at £5.50 each which should provide a good amusing end to the day. The event will approximately finish around 6pm if you want a rough estimate and after which you will be free to do whatever you please . I will be handing out my phone number for everyone who is attending the meet that day, should there be any problems. We aim to stay together as a group for the day, going from one activity to the next, enjoying getting to know people you share very similar interests with, the idea is to just go with the flow and enjoy the day with some awesome people. Whilst we cannot force you to stay with the group, it is the general purpose of these meets! You will have my number if you become split so by all means use it. The meets are a fantastic laugh and everyone is invited, even if you’ve never posted before or been to any kind of meet at all. If it's your first meet, I understand it can be nerve breaking - but we were all there at one point so know how it feels, please don't let this stop you from attending - Once there you'll be part of the group in no time! Once again, everyone will have my phone number so please use it on the day If anyone has any issues or concerns or even nervous about coming, feel free to post here, or PM myself and I will get back to you as soon as possible. If you feel like my response is taking too long another member of the team will be more than happy to help. We will all try and help you out as much as we can. Please PM me or post here to say if you’re attending (and which parts your attending). I’ll update the lists where appropriate! Meeting place is around these stairs outside the spectrum. Attending Meet (19) Alpengeist Chris89 DaddysLittlePrincess Iannem J.S217 Londener MattyMoo Mer Mr. Fish Myk Peaj Phill Pritchard Ricky ScaryCoasterBoy Sidders Smidget TobyNBZ TopsyTurvy15 TP1214 Let's make this meet great - and people spread the word!