Thorpe Park Trip Reports

[Stealthowl]

Don't forget the SAW queue-line charades. Billy Puppet FTW

How could I forget

[Mer]

So, I am finally getting round to writing this trip report from Saturday 31st!As some of you know, me and Ben went to the ECC trip that day. We met at 9 and entered the park early, being the first to get on Swarm, woop! We did second row, right hand side, love the hangtime!By the time we had got on and off, the park was open to the public. Reer! So we headed over to t'other side of the park, which was of course, dead! Went on XNWO and had the train to ourselves, then we did Colossus, which at that point was only on one train. Slightly annoying as the queue was only starting roughly where the Fastrack merge point is, had it been on 2 trains it would have been pretty much walk-on! Seeing at it was a Saturday and first day of the Easter holidays, I'd like to think that there was a reason why the second train wasn't on, ie it wasn't ready or something, and not just Thorpe being unprepared.Next up was SAW, which was basically walk-on. The jolt at the bottom of the drop wasn't too bad on our car, thank goodness, but that last turn into the brake run is awful!Went on Logger's, again walk-on, and people were even getting to go round again. It also didn't seem as stinky as last time which was nice!Making our round to the other side of the park, we went on Mr Monkey's for te lolz. It actually had a 5 minute queue! It's fun for kids, I know, but Ben was saying how it could be better if it was a bigger pirate ship ride (forgetting the theme), something I have always thought too. But it's not something I really care that much about though.Next up...Detonator! First time on it this season! Loving that the original theme is back and the ride is still as forceful as ever, definitely still one of my favourite flats there.Got some cheeky Fastrack, and our first was Stealth front row, we can't get enough of it! The force in your face, the airtime, I can't help but come off laughing!Next was Inferno, not much to say, it's Inferno! But in a good way of course!After nomming at BK, where else to go but Storm In A Teacup! Didnt have the most spinny cup but was still a laugh.It was then time to meet back with everyone else and go into the Thrills Workshop! It's basically a building full of memoribillia and other geeky things We had a presentation from one of the Rides Managers who was also involved heavily with The Swarm and input lots of ideas into it etc. It was very interesting and we found out a lot of things, I'll list as many as I can remember, although they have been mentioned in chat before but for the benefit of everyone:The LEDs and fire effects are both awaiting a "Final tick in the box" and then they will be on. Not too sure why the LEDs need a final check but at least we know what is happening with them. And it proves those wrong who said "They will only be on at Fright Nights".The reason they decided to swap SRQ for front row was, aside from the fact that it's what the other coasters there have/being consistent, they went to Gardaland and saw chaos with Raptor's lack of front row queueline, people fighting over the front seats, holding up the dispatches etc.The plane wing had to be worked on and had materials and stuff added to it to make it stronger to ensure it was safe enough to be over the track. The blades inside the plane engine are not real, for H&S reasons.The fire engine (on the ride) had been in the staff carpark for a year or so before they decided to use it for Swarm.They are doing great with the throughputs (can't remember the figures, oops), better than Raptor.They may do a follow-up atttraction from it, like they did with Saw. I'm a bit sceptical about it, but then again the Swarm storyline is far better, more original and for me, more appealing than Saw, so if they did do this, hopefully it will be good!They mentioned the possibility of doing a 3 park deal with B&M in the next few years! But as they pointed out, the high quality and reliability comes at a price, so it all depends, but great to hear!There was a lot of other stuff, plus plans for the ride, plans for the woodie, etc. And seeing all the stuff on display in there was pretty awesome too So thank you Thorpe for giving the opportunity and to the managers for taking their time to do the presntation in the workshop :)I feel I should write more about it but like I said there was a lot, and quite a bit of it was from looking at plans etc, and as geeky as this sounds, you had to be there to really appreciate it all. Plus you've probably heard all the stuff from other people over the past few days anyway! I would have posted images along the way to keep people reading but I don't know what ones to post as there are many interesting ones, but I will post the link to them at the end of the report!After the workshop, it was time for Swarm front row. Oh. My. God. It is amazing!! We got the right hand side meaning we got flipped over at the top, very slowly...but then the rest of the ride is so forceul in your face and so eye-watering! I love how you start off going through the elements slowly then as the rest of the train travels through, you suddenly speed off! Or at least that's what it felt like, it was brilliant. It's sometimes easy to think "Oh second row will be pretty much the same for speed/hangtime/airtime apart from the view" on coasters, but on Swarm, due to the large spacing between the cars, it really is different. Like I said, our first ride on Swarm of the day was the row behind but the hangtime at the front and the speed was so much more different. It is definitely worth it, either queue for it or pay for Fastrack, either way, just do it!Luckily our ORP for this came out well with the timing, so we bought it. As I've said before, I love the overlays and the whole photo cover/design on the front and inside.For a bit of light relief, we went flying on the Fish, and this time actually got 3 laps, no people ruining the ride with their phones out!Next up was Vortex. Hmm. Poor thing has had its cycle shortened, I would love to know why as when I operated it, the cycle wasn't exactly long. It only does about 3 swings at full height now, I *think* it used to do 5? It may have been more, I honestly can't remember. Either way, I know they have throughputs and long queues etc but then again, Vortex isn't really a popular ride anymore, so long queues are rarely an issue. So why shorten the ride cycle when it was average enough in the first place? Maybe there's another reason, we don't know, I don't want to slate the park when I don't know the reasons behind something. But it's just a shame to see these things happen.At this point it was getting quite cold, so we wondered around to keep warm and ended up in BK, after I bought the black Swarm hoodie! I wanted to get the green Stealth one but they only had large ones left in the shop in the Dome and the Megastore didn't even have them. Infact, some items of clothing weren't in the Megastore that were in the Dome shop or other shops. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the whole point of the MEGAstore is that everything is in there? It's a bit of a pain/inconsistent when you don't know what shop to go in to find something!At 6pm, it was time to meet back up with the ECC for our Swarm ERT. We managed to get 4 goes on it: back left, back 6th row, right 6th row, then right 3rd row. Each row really is different, but my favourite is still back left followed by front right.The part you have all been waiting for...all my pictures from the day, including loads from the workshop, can be viewed here: http://s100.photobuc...WARM/?start=allI know others have posted from that day but please view them! They took ages to upload because they're in huuuge high quality so yeah, please make the time I took uploading them worthwhile! :blush:And what better way to finish off this trip report than with our ORP from The Swarm!Thanks for reading!

[JoshC.]

Thanks for that astounding report Mer - really enjoyed it, and looking at all those photos. It's nice to see the Thrills Workshop how it's meant to be; last time I saw the inside of it, most of the stuff had been moved elsewhere / out of the way for a Swarm train to be put together. Also good to see that those Storm Surge models are proudly on show; I know a few of the people who put them together for coursework, and they well and truly put months of effort and research into them!As for the thing you said about the fire engine being in the staff car park, I think I got a sneaky snap of it last May: (Sorry for poor quality)Really glad you and Ben had a great trip! Very good to see Thorpe doing all this for us 'geeks', though looking at those plans for the woodie do make me disappointed with Saw, and that's coming from a Saw fan..!

[Mer]

Ooh something I forgot from the Thrills Workshop: They said they want to improve the water effects so that they go higher and get more people wet on the trains

[Marc]

So thats where infernos wheel covers are... Wish they would get them fixed / replaced!

[pluk]

Great report, but I don't want to see any more plans of that woodie - It make me so angry!

[JoshC.]

Popped down to Thorpe today for a few hours, as part of my birthday and to check out the Mash Up event:

We arrived about 15 minutes before park opening, and the sun was gloriously shining. Unlike my trip on Wednesday, it was meant to stay more or like this the whole day! Brilliant birthday weather!

Unsurprisingly, it was busy. This was expected by us, but in a way, it seemed as though some of admissions was a little bit overwhelmed. We joined the AP queue, which was about the length of the make-shift fence they have, where we were instructed to 'fill up all the spaces', which made us packed in more like sardines, as opposed to queueing. There was no one scanning tickets / stamping hands, so I had a bad feeling that we'd be waiting for a while to get in once the gates opened. About 5 minutes before gates opened, it seemed as though someone had the clever idea of scanning APs before gates opened, only to realise they didn't have a stamp to show whose passes had been scanned. After about a dozen or so people had their APs scanned, gates had opened and the queue moved slowly for APs to get scanned, whilst ordinary ticket holders could flood in with the copious scanning machines they have open to them. It is a real bug bear I have - there are only a couple scanners in the designated AP queue, whilst there's loads for normal ticket holders. I understand the difference in numbers, but a couple more can't hurt? Or maybe making sure that tickets are scanned earlier? Admissions has been pretty good so far this season, but today they seemed to muck it up a little...

First ride up was Swarm, deciding to get it out of the way. Despite the slight getting-in hold-up, we got there before the majority of people, resulting in a queue which should only last about 20 or so minutes. Everything was going smoothly, and we were handed back row left, which was good. Then, three rides before we were due to go on, there was some technical glitch. What, not a clue, but a glitch nonetheless. One thing I loved was how there were themed announcements (one for riders on the breaks staying to remain seated and calm, and another saying that 'Due to ongoing investigations, this area has had to be temporarily closed off', or along those lines at least). They did the job. After a few minutes, and a test run, everything was working again it seemed (which led to a loud cheer from everyone in the station and queue!). Then, two rides later, another glitch occurs, leaving one train a third of the way up the lift hill, and another half-way in the station. More themed announcements and another short wait, everything was all sorted again and the ride was operational once more (which didn't receive a cheer from anyone, seemingly as people were not convinced..). Anyways, we got our ride, and it was good to see that the mist and water effects were working in the morning this time. Also, got caught by the water squirter by the fire engine (on purpose; I did stick my hand out of course!), though more on that in a minute..

After Swarm was said and done, we decided Saw times should be had. After 'trekking' all the way to the other side of the park, the queue was closed off and the blades had stopped rotating - it was evidently not operating. Seemed we had a bit of a jinxed touch. Instead, with a half hour(ish) queue, and to help with my quest to have the special 10 rides this season, we opted to do Colossus.

The silent disco at Colossus only takes place at certain times, and we weren't in the time slot, so no disco for us. Ah well, not big issue really.

I assume this was something to do with said silent disco, and finishing touches were being made?

Flying overheard. Despite lack of theming, I like Colossus' 'photogenicity' (made up word, but meh XD)

Bright light, dull paint coaster.

Up the lift hill.

It's been absolutely ages, a good year and a half at least, since I queued for Colossus any longer than the final stretch of queue, so it was nice to see parts of the ride from the queue.

Following my extremely rough ride on Wednesday, which reminded me why I avoided the ride, I enjoyed the relatively comfortable, yet forceful, back row ride I had. Only one small uncomfortable jolt during the ride; not too bad. Gives me faith in the ride, and makes me remember it is actually an alright coaster.

Saw had reopened, with a 40ish minute queue, so we decided to go for it. I noticed how the ordinary music had extended into the Saw Plaza, which certainly made it feel...different. I think it's a ride that benefits from having unique audio if I'm honest. As for the ride it's, we were in front row on the second car. I still enjoy the ride, but one thing which annoys me more and more is how quiet and empty the inside section feels. The theming and sound effects that are there are good, but it just doesn't feel as though there's enough. Even just background music would work. A bit of a shame I've grown to dislike the inside a bit, but I still enjoy the ride, and don't find it rough, which is good. A couple of piccys:

PIGEONS!!

I like the shop sign, it reminds me slightly of the font used for Swarm as well for some reason..

A new sign addition it would seem..?

Lunch was had at the noodle bar, and was slightly disappointing. It seems as though they're using different noodles to previous seasons, and they're not as nice really. A bit of a shame, as I liked the noodle bar in previous seasons, and I'll probably end up eating at the outlets on the other side of the park from now on; Desparados, Kebab or R&R for me! Also, a shout out to thorpeparkjack - I think I saw him headed off to Loggers as I was eating, but it only registered that it was him after 10 seconds after I saw him!

General wondering around occurred, including a quick view of Sunken Garden as well as rides on Rush, Vortex and X:\NWO. Quite enjoy those rides; all add something to the park's line up. Rush was operating on both swings today (yay!) but was incredibly squeaky and noisy (will try and upload a video tonight / tomorrow), whilst Vortex was on a good cycle and X was really fun, as ever. Strange thing with X, after my first go, I found it pretty boring (probably as I was comparing it to other 1.4m rides, which seemed much better), and I only ever went on it a couple of times for a few years. About 2009/2010 my love for it was founded, and I continue to enjoy it!

Sunken Gardens look pretty as ever.

Mash Up DJ or something.

Ministry of Sound merchandise.

Mash Up stuff.

Two-swinged Rush!

Vortex has numbered seats...since when?

A quick peep over to The Swarm to see what the 'Rockioke' was like (it had an hour-ish queue, which we opted not to do to instead check out Mash Up stuff). We didn't actually get there in time for the 'Rockioke', but this caught my eye:

Quite new; the sign certainly wasn't there Wednesday (though I believe it was there yesterday).

Anyone who can guess the important Thorpe Park employee on the right gets a prize or something.. XD You can also see the water splashing towards the plaza; it makes it just past the fence and can get people wet. I guess the effect has been made slightly more powerful (felt it when it caught my hand onride) to reach that far; looks good! I guess this could be what Mer mentioned about improving the water effects?

Just after 2, we headed over to the arena to check out the Mash Up show. It was a 'mash up' of bike stunts and free runners, with an announcer, who was giving out free shirts and bags, commentating it all. Worked really well, and is the first time I can ever recall three entrances to the arena being open at once! The stunts were obviously really good, and the routine was well choreographed; there was even a set piece they called 'The Swarm', which took inspiration from the ride apparently. Well done to them, and to Thorpe for getting them in. No video, but a few photos:

Bike balancing on poles.

The human flagpole.

More human flagpole.

Bike balancing.

The guy with hat and sunglasses was the announcer; he was really good!

Front wheel flew off (planned, of course..)

Invest in a unicycle maybe?

There was also a bit of slacklining going on. Now for those who were like me this morning and had no clue what slacklining is, pretty much, there's an elasticated strip slightly elevated and secured. You then do some freestyle tricks on it; a bit like a thin trampoline if you will. I've got a video of the professionals doing it (again, to be uploaded tonight/tomorrow), and there was a workshop for people to try it out themselves I believe (though I didn't stick around for that, having to leave). For now though, here's a couple of pictures:

Superman pose.

Of course, it's very difficult to balance on this thing. Slacklining was being billed as 'extreme balance sport'.

This guy was the best I think. Did some amazing tricks and was obviously very passionate about what he was doing!

It looks like he's falling, but that's part of the trick..

In short, anyone making the trip to Thorpe this weekend - check out the arena!

Last photo - Ministry of Sound balloons!

So, after about 6 hours on park, had to move on as other birthday things were happening. I'm sticking with my views on this event which I had when I first heard about it - it's brilliant, but I personal preferred the Twisted Carnival / Cirque du Freak thing they've had, but that's my taste. I loved the use of the arena, and those sort of events should take place more often in the arena.

Very good event for the park that's worked a treat; I can see it pleasing all those who go there, and it returning for a good couple of seasons over Easter weekend! Well done Thorpe!

[thorpeparkjack]

Great report Josh, that important looking employee is Mike Vallis isn't it I saw him wandering around?

[JoshC.]

Yep, it was Mike Vallis!

Saw him round the park a few times actually (not that I'm a stalker or anything... )

[Fred]

He's always on park though, bit boring.

[Ryan]

This is just going to be brief points because I'm too tired for a proper TR.

Went to Thorpe today. Arrived at about 9:50, headed straight to Swarm, 90 minute queue with 1 train. Was only on one train for a while too. Rest of the park was fairly busy, waited 110 mins for Saw... Shortest queue was 35 minutes for Vortex. Stealth is still the best ride on park and Storm Surge is a leaking pile of multi-colored turd. Pizza Hut is a shambles at £9 each and a distinct lack of margarita pizza. Not a lot else really happened, got on Saw, Swarm, Vortex, Stealth, No Way Out.

[pluk]

....and Storm Surge is a leaking pile of multi-colored turd.

Never a truer word spoken.

If the country is going all dry and shrivelled can they keep filling this thing up? Seriously, it pisses so much water over the floor I reckon Surrey wouldn't have to bother with the hose pipe ban if they just shut it down.

[thorpeparkjack]

Pizza hut was a nightmare for me aswell Ryan, you can't get any of the pizza you want without queueing for about 5/10 minutes - disgrace. They either need to limit the amount of guests going in or create another service area because it simply isn't working atm.

[JoshC.]

Perhaps the planned extension for Pizza Hut mentioned in the MTDP will mean a slightly changed layout / more service space, making the flow easier?

Plus, £9!? Jesus, the price just keeps going up. Wasn't it like £7 two seasons ago? Just reaffirms my position that I won't be going to PH any time soon and I'll stick with the in house outlets and get my 20% off..

[thorpeparkjack]

I think 9 quid is great value for money if all pizza is readily available.

[Mark9]

I think 9 quid is great value for money if all pizza is readily available.

£9.00 is okay. £6.50 at Pizza/Pasta is even better.

[thorpeparkjack]

So true, but really I don't think 9 pounds for all you eat pizza, pasta, salad and drinks is unreasonable really and it is proved by the fact it is always the most popular place on park to eat.

[Coaster]

Went to Thorpe park today. (TUESDAY 10TH APRIL) Quite dissapointed after waiting nearly 4 HOURS for Swarm because they had sold too many Fast-track tickets and therefore they were letting more people from the fast-track queue than the main queue into the baggage drop off / batching area for the ride.

The park was also PACKED although this is understandable because it is the school holidays.

Was at the park all day (10am - 6pm)

RIDECOUNT:

The Swarm X2 (1st Time 1 hour 30 minutes, 2nd time almost 4 HOURS!!! (This is NOT a mistake or exaggeration sadly...)

Stealth X1 (40 minutes)

X:/ No way out X1 (20 - 25 minutes)

Nemesis Inferno X1 (10 minutes (End of day))

Samurai X1 (30 Minutes)

Quite pathetic for a full day at the park, but nevermind, I am a Merlin annual pass holder so I can go back whenever.

They REALLY need to consider how many Fast - Track tickets they sell in a day for one ride though

[thorpeparkjack]

lol at 4 hours that must be some sort of mistake.

[Coaster]

lol at 4 hours that must be some sort of mistake.

No, I'm afraid that sadly it is not a mistake. Due to them letting in MORE fast-track people onto the ride than normal people, the queue did indeed take very nearly 4 hours.

[HAJiME]

Did you make a complaint? Nothing is going to change unless you tell them you were unhappy.

Fast track annoys me too, but all the while people pay for it you can't blame a company from making money. But it should NOT negatively effect other people's day.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Tapatalk

[pluk]

Did you make a complaint? Nothing is going to change unless you tell them you were unhappy.

Fast track annoys me too, but all the while people pay for it you can't blame a company from making money. But it should NOT negatively effect other people's day.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Tapatalk

One person with a fast track ticket negatively effects my day, I have to wait one extra person to get my go!

Extremes like this should not be happening, to stop it being such a problem farcetrack tickets need times on them at the very minimum.

[JackR]

No, I'm afraid that sadly it is not a mistake. Due to them letting in MORE fast-track people onto the ride than normal people, the queue did indeed take very nearly 4 hours.

I spent roughly 2 hours in the queue at about mid day? I heard after that the times got less and less? Now for my trip report of my visit on the 11^th April:

After arriving to Thorpe Park a bit later than expected (missed my first train) some mates and I got ready to enter the annual pass queue. All but one already had our APs which meant everyone except me left my mate to get his pass alone. After 50 minutes in the queue, my friend finally had his AP and whilst I was waiting for him, I had a nice chat with the lady in the office about employment benefits at Thorpe. Even though the queue was extremely long, I could see staff were trying their best to get passes sorted out as quickly as possible and the woman I spoke to was very polite.

The first thing I noticed as I entered the park was that the grass to the right of the bridge was being cut. I didn't get a picture, but its nice to see the park taking care of one of their only green spaces. The old entrance/exit music was playing in and out of the park at closing time but that's another story. Especially so early on in the season! We headed straight to Inferno which had a 20 minute advertised time and 30 minutes into the queue, it broke down. I did manage to get a couple of snaps in the extension queue however.

As many times as I have been on Nemesis, I've never properly taken into account it passes under the brake run like this...

We then headed over to The Swarm to be welcomed with a 100 minute wait. By now me and my friend had met up with the rest of our group and we entered the queue trying to face the long wait as best as possible. To be honest, it wasn't actually that bad and the time passed pretty quickly, I also got some photos of the area in general.

That incline loop is pretty dang huge in most photographs...

Tall Church tower is tall.

Some lovely vandalism for our brand new £20million B&M coaster...

I think we can all guess what Rob Alveyy would be saying right now...

My ride on The Swarm was rather intense for the inside left seat,row 2. I thoroughly enjoyed it and all my mates came off smiling. I might put up a personal review/in depth review on Monday when I visit again and will hopefully be less busy.

After a Burger King and a ride on Slammer and Loggers Leap, we headed to Saw:Alive. In one word it was ****. I don't know If I'm constantly unlucky with that maze but during none of my visits to horror experiences have I experienced such a shocking performance from the actors. They lacked in decent scares and originality so I consider myself lucky I didn't have to wait anymore than 5 minutes to get on.

We then went on Colossus where I fell through one of the gates in the queueline. Luckily I didn't hit the floor but I stumbled through onto the grass! The ride was not rough at all and I didn't find leg room much of an issue. Probably one of my favorite rides of the day. I also bumped into Ricky whilst he was working at the Fasttrack/Main queue split which was a lovely touch to my day.

I then headed back home with a ride count of 5 in 8 hours and fairly dry from the decent weather. The park was nice and tidy and my experience there was very enjoyable, only thing I would say is that throughput needs to be sorted out! I know it is very busy at Easter time but if there is any way to cut queue times for other peak periods the Thorpe need to do so! Hopefully I will enjoy my experience at Thorpe on Monday a bit more where I may post up another review. I'd rate my day 6/10, thanks a lot for reading!

[Coaster]

In reply to some people I did indeed email them and I had a reply saying they will review the fasttrack system.

[Mitchada04]

Just returned from another trip to Thorpe Park (7th this season). Upon arriving at 09:40 (20 mins before they were supposed to open) they were open meaning the Swarm had already developed a queue of 40 mins. The queue line is really fun to be in as it seems to move really quickly. Being able to watch the ride helps and the fly through the tower is really effective and scared many people. It was running both trains from the begining and most of the time the trains were ready to dispatch whilst the other was just over the entrance meaning excellent throughput. We then headed over to Colossus for a 30 min wait. This ride is easily the best landscaped in the park. The way the path rises and falls just like the ride. It comes so near to the queue at some points it's amazing. It has also grown some nice foilage over the years which just adds to the lost city theming of uncared for. The best way to ride this ride is to lean forwards so you don't bang your head but I've never been affected by the roughness and it is just an overall great ride. We then wandered over to Saw- The headache which had a 90min queue so we passed and did Stealth. The park are really on top of queue jumers this year with a group of 7 being escorted from the queue for doing so. After a slight breakdown we were on. This ride is so simple and effective that you rarely hear the words was that it. We then had some lunch and bought fastrack for Inferno as it is only £3 which I though was pretty reasonable as we didn't want to queue 70mins. The queue line shop looks great and the roof has been done using the same style that's on the entrance signs roof. After putting are bags in the cabinet thing we went to our seats to see disabled people. We told a member of staff who told them to get off as they had just walked through the exit gate. This ride is just simply great and keeps the legendary Nemesis name high (when it's not covering you in rust). All of the wheel covers have been replaced but are flameless at the moment. We returned to the Swarm island after a foot massage on Storm Surge. The queue for Swarm was advertised at 90min thus meaning there was a member of staff selling fastrack. The queue was only 40 mins in real life so we saved ourself £12 (2 front row). As I had yet to do it this season we did Rush. It is still squeaky but now has it roar sound again and seems to be smoking. After seeing Rushes blue cherry picker being used for Quantum we went on Loggers Leap, Rocky Express and Rumba Rapids as it's had it's restriction removed and left.

Photo time.

For an area in dorught these plants look well waterd.

That explains it all. It's leak surge.

Don't hit the shop Colossus.

Don't hit me.

Let's have a look at Thorpe's latest pun.

Oh no it's broken.

Firget what I just said.

Thank you all for reading and I will leave of a picture of some wheels for yoy wheel nerds out there.