Thorpe Park Trip Reports

[JoshC.]

Wow, haven't done one of these in a while. :DGot to the park at 20 past 9ish where I met up with Andrew H. Park was very quiet looking and, for a good while, was quiet - which was of course good!After hellos and that, we went towards Stealth which was actually working at the start of the day (don't die of shock people ). Nice front row ride followed by another. T'was good. Then headed to Inferno for a good as usual ride. Good to see the mist is still working. Wandered over to Loggers, after which, it aptly rained a little. The ride photos were rather out of time though, couple of seconds early I think. Shame, especially considering we'd pulled some nice poses. At this time, Saw Alive was practically a walk on, so did that, for a very 'scary' experience. It's true to say, we were shaking in our boots, and didn't want to go any where near the dark. So we headed to X. Very short queue inside the building which was good. Novelty of the lights on has well and truly worn off now for me now.Park started to get busy now. Think we wandered over Colossus and headed onto Slammer for an okay-ish ride, though loading is TERRIBLE for the thing. Then wandered over to the Flying Fish, taking the Cool route round. Rumba and Teacup times were had; Rumba is a fail of a water ride, Teacups is just brilliant. Wandered back over to CC for a quick pop on CCR - which has been ride of the season for me so far. Wandered back over to Amity for a spot of Burger King; were going to eat in Sunken Garden but Stealth had decided to close down. Afterwards, we saw Sam and Matt for hellos and then popped into GS so Andrew could see Morwenna (I think ). Left just after one. Considering that, I think this is a good Ride Count...Stealth x2 (x1 Front Row)Inferno x1Loggers Leap x1Slammer x1Saw Alive x1X:\WTF x1 (x1 Front like Row)Rumba Rapids x1Teacups x1Flying Fish x1CCR x1Cheers Andy

[Deleted Users]

Andrew and I got a really spinable (?) cup a few weeks ago, felt pretty sick after that..

[Mark9]

Went yesterday with Marc and had the best trip I have ever had to Thorpe. One of the biggest niggles with Thorpe has always been its reliability issues. Anyone who was at the open day last year would have encountered Rumba, Loggers, Slammer and Stealth closed all day, Samurai opening at 12pm and Saw and Colossus having queueline evacuations at the same time leading to Saw being unavailable for the rest of the day. That was the moment when the park finally stood up and noticed that Thorpe had to change. Gone was Thrill Chill and up went the maintenance budgets. And you know what? I have been rather a lot then usual to the park this year and not once has a ride been closed all day. To think that this was a park that everyone decreed as having a damaged reputation, has picked itself up and has become over one closed season, a world class park.And I am bloody impressed. There are still technical problems, but they are so minor these days and sorted out so quickly that I can only be impressed. So yesterday, we arrived at 10:30 and headed straight for Stealth. The queueboards declared Saw at 75 minutes and Colossus at 90. What makes it overly stupid is that Inferno was at 30 minutes. Stealth was 10? The park really is odd actually and so uneven and it actually became a recurring theme throughout the day. Next was Rumba, god its got bad again. We took a wonder over to the Fish and taking on other attractions in the park. Had a meal at the Glasshouse before going to Vortex. We were there for about 5 minutes when some kind of medical problem occured with a guest. We were given an exit pass which covered Vortex, Samurai, Slammer and Rush. I think it's great that Thorpe have narrowed down what rides you can use exit passes on. Having operated Fury for years and having people use exit passes from rides such as Runaway Train and Black Buccaneer to gain access, they've really wised up this year. The oddest thing is Vortex's queue was walk on so really they could have just told us where to stick it. But they didn't so another plus for Thorpe. We used the exit pass on Samurai for another random spin. Samurai is so weird these days and I never know what to make of it anymore. Next was Saw where we queued about 90 minutes including a breakdown. Was a laugh though. It's nowhere near as good as Speed at Oakwood but it is still a good ride and doesn't deserve the bashing it gets from some people. So we then headed over to Rush and Zodiac. Rush's queue board said 45 minutes wait when in reality the queue was about 10 minutes. Zodiac's queue was 45 minutes whereas it's queue board said 00 minutes. Thorpe need to get on top of that pronto as it can create really bad experiences. Inferno also said 40 throughout the day but its queue was more like an hour. At around 6 the park died down and the good times really happened. We rode X:\ No Way Out twice and it's such a bad ride and yet I do not see how people fail to have fun on it. It's laughably bad and yet so entertaining. The operator at Rocky Express was class, playing Simon Says with the guests. We took on our final rides on Stealth. I haven't ran to a ride for years and I'm not ashamed to say I ran for a second evening ride yesterday.I hate being gushing but it was a genuinely good day, far better then all my Alton trips this year thus far. They've got their acts together on so many levels and with the onset of the 2012 B&M, I can hardly wait.

[Ryan]

Went yesterday with Marc and had the best trip I have ever had to Thorpe. One of the biggest niggles with Thorpe has always been its reliability issues. Anyone who was at the open day last year would have encountered Rumba, Loggers, Slammer and Stealth closed all day, Samurai opening at 12pm and Saw and Colossus having queueline evacuations at the same time leading to Saw being unavailable for the rest of the day. That was the moment when the park finally stood up and noticed that Thorpe had to change. Gone was Thrill Chill and up went the maintenance budgets. And you know what? I have been rather a lot then usual to the park this year and not once has a ride been closed all day. To think that this was a park that everyone decreed as having a damaged reputation, has picked itself up and has become over one closed season, a world class park.And I am bloody impressed. There are still technical problems, but they are so minor these days and sorted out so quickly that I can only be impressed. So yesterday, we arrived at 10:30 and headed straight for Stealth. The queueboards declared Saw at 75 minutes and Colossus at 90. What makes it overly stupid is that Inferno was at 30 minutes. Stealth was 10? The park really is odd actually and so uneven and it actually became a recurring theme throughout the day. Next was Rumba, god its got bad again. We took a wonder over to the Fish and taking on other attractions in the park. Had a meal at the Glasshouse before going to Vortex. We were there for about 5 minutes when some kind of medical problem occured with a guest. We were given an exit pass which covered Vortex, Samurai, Slammer and Rush. I think it's great that Thorpe have narrowed down what rides you can use exit passes on. Having operated Fury for years and having people use exit passes from rides such as Runaway Train and Black Buccaneer to gain access, they've really wised up this year. The oddest thing is Vortex's queue was walk on so really they could have just told us where to stick it. But they didn't so another plus for Thorpe. We used the exit pass on Samurai for another random spin. Samurai is so weird these days and I never know what to make of it anymore. Next was Saw where we queued about 90 minutes including a breakdown. Was a laugh though. It's nowhere near as good as Speed at Oakwood but it is still a good ride and doesn't deserve the bashing it gets from some people. So we then headed over to Rush and Zodiac. Rush's queue board said 45 minutes wait when in reality the queue was about 10 minutes. Zodiac's queue was 45 minutes whereas it's queue board said 00 minutes. Thorpe need to get on top of that pronto as it can create really bad experiences. Inferno also said 40 throughout the day but its queue was more like an hour. At around 6 the park died down and the good times really happened. We rode X:\ No Way Out twice and it's such a bad ride and yet I do not see how people fail to have fun on it. It's laughably bad and yet so entertaining. The operator at Rocky Express was class, playing Simon Says with the guests. We took on our final rides on Stealth. I haven't ran to a ride for years and I'm not ashamed to say I ran for a second evening ride yesterday.I hate being gushing but it was a genuinely good day, far better then all my Alton trips this year thus far. They've got their acts together on so many levels and with the onset of the 2012 B&M, I can hardly wait.

Who are you and what are you doing on Mark's profile? :DBut seriously, this sounds very promising. Might have to take a trip to Thorpe myself pretty soon!

[Marc]

Agreed, best trip to Thorpe ive had also, better than any Alton or Chessington trip ive had this year.Ride count:Stealth 3X :\ No way out 2Inferno 1Colossus 1Saw the Ride 1Vortex 1Samurai 1Rush 1Detonator 1Quantum 1CCR 1Rumba Rapids 1Slammer 1Saw Alive 1Storm In a Teacup 1Flying Fish 1The park was pretty busy yet still got on pretty much everything, I do fail to see how people manage to visit and ride hardly anything.

[A-Kid]

I went on the 17th and the park was dead. Like Walk-on dead. Even for Saw partly. It only busyed up at mid-day for a short while. RC:Stealth - 9 (1 Front)Inferno - 3 (1 Front)Colossus - 5 (1 Front)Fish - 1X - 1 (Lights on)Saw - 2 Rush - 13Samurai - 2Vortex - 2Quantum - 1Saw Alive - 1Loggers - 1Slammer - 1Det - 1Rumba - 1Tidal Wave - 145 attractions. Thats more like it. Not many breakdowns to talk about. Effects were working everywhere. Saw runs much better when cold and nice to see boxes around the UV lights. All effects worked here including the strobes on the little drop.Plus I rode Rush with Sheridan Smith from Two Pints :DStaff were/seemed happy. Great day to be honest.

[James6]

Good TR and glad to hear they have got there acts together :DBUT, a world class park? No matter how good a day you had, IMO it is huge leaps from being anywhere near a world class park.

[Paul]

Yesterday was one of the best days I've had at the park. To be honest I was very surprised at how busy it was during the day in spite of the rain (100 minutes for SAW, 80 for Colossus etc), which was far busier than a sunnier day I had last week. However, the best part came at 6pm. The park just seemed to suddenly empty out pretty much, and for the last two hours of park opening we didn't queue more than 5 minutes for anything. We first found the empty queue at Inferno at 6pm, and got 4 rides on that with no queue. Then we headed to Stealth, and got 2 rides on that with the queue starting on the stairs. Then we headed to SAW, where we got 4 consecutive rides with a less than 5 minute queue each time. Originally we were planning on leaving around 6pm to catch an earlier train, but we are so glad that we didn't!As I said, in spite of the rain it was a fantastic day, although it was very busy during the early hours of the afternoon. Staff were friendly and happy, and for once in my life I have to say that the staff yesterday on the whole were actually friendlier than during my visit to Chessington earlier in the week. Thorpe Park have really improved a great deal in my eyes this year, and for me, what was once a million steps away from the standard of Chessington, based on my past few visits to Thorpe I'd say it's now on a par with Chessington if not better at providing an overall experience. I'd seriously reccomend another visit if you've been put off visiting the park in recent years, it seriously has improved a great amount.

[James6]

Thanks for that Paul Interesting, but still, definitely going to be a while before my next visit, it's going to take a lot for me to go back.

[themeparkmad]

Hmmmm after hearing a CWoA fan say that about TP - Think a TP trip is in order if I cba to go

[Paul]

Lol you must make a trip up there soon!

[JoshC.]

Wow.I'll completely agree that Thorpe have upped their game, suit their target market and are on great form, but I still see Chessie being miles ahead.The staff at Thorpe are good; there are some that are fantastic. Thing is, Chessie's staff are mostly fantastic, with a couple of 'good' ones.Thorpe are doing well, but just how well I'll judge when I visit in a few days.(Also, I think comparing these two parks is a tad out of perspective. They are very different and are more incomparable than comparable. )

[Paul]

They are very different and are more incomparable than comparable. )

The only factor that I am comparing them on is overall customer service and guest experience. And for that, Thorpe Park is winning in my books.

[JoshC.]

The only factor that I am comparing them on is overall customer service and guest experience. And for that, Thorpe Park is winning in my books.

Fair enough. :lol:But I still see, in my eyes, the staff and customer service at Chessie better, but hey-ho.

[Paul]

I think it all depends on certain periods, by the end of the year I'll probably be back over to the Chessington side again

[Ryan]

It's not everyday you get to sumo wrestle with the top dog of tpm Blue: Marc Red: RyanThe video

[thorpeparkjack]

Love this lol.

[Mattgwise]

Busy day at the park today as expected. All rides except Samurai open, good atmosphere on park with stealth/Tidal Wave/Vortex and Quantum area playing chart music (other areas usual ride music), Dancing going on by Stealth and most staff working hard and being cheerful. Lots of rides were going down throughout the day but were all back up and running in no time - Ones I saw go down included Stealth, Rumba Rapids, Nemesis Inferno and Rush (went down to one swing for few hours).Longest Queue I saw on a board was Nemesis Inferno at 2 hours due to being on 1 train for half the day. Second was Saw at 90 mins. This was on 7 trains until they decided to put the eigth on at around 12:30pm (took 15 mins to add the train). Fasttrack queues were busy too. Even Quantum managed to get a full queue line (first time I have seen this in about 3 years)Rumba Rapids had only the wave machine working (nothing else not even the waterfall inside the tunnel). I asked if the effects were broken or just off and the women on the platform said "errr I'm not sure I just think its too cold so I think they haven't put them on" That is crap because was not cold. All Saw, Time Voyagers, Tidal Wave lights and Colossus effects were working as was Nemesis Inferno effects including the Geyser which was great (although the mist in tunnel is slowly dying) Shame about the rapids though!Getting out of the park was an absolute nightmare and took a good 25 minutes to reach the ticket barriers. They really need to look at this over the closed season as 4 barriers is clearly not enough with the amount of congestion I witnessed today.Ride Count (10:15-8:00)Loggers Leap x2Rumba Rapids x1 Rush x1Vortex x1Nemesis Inferno x2Detonator x1Stealth x1Colossus x1Rocky Express x1Quantum x1Vortex x1SIAT x1Slammer x1X No Way Out (lights on still) x1Time Voyagers x1 (great to see water and vibrations working as I haven't seen this for a while)

[Rich]

Was a good day today!! Not as busy as I thought! And nice socks Ryan!

[tobyld]

Went to Thorpe Park today with my brother. Was a fun day, got to the park at 12:30 and stayed till close at 8:00.The bad thing was that the queues were very long; the park was much more busy than when I went around two weeks ago. Started day by going over to stealth but broke down right in front of us; the the train stopped partway down the launch and it took over 15 minutes for them to get the train back to the station. So we ate lunch on the grass in front of it until it started working again. Queue was around 45 mins, but then around 20 mins into the queue we saw it brake down again with the same problem, but this time when they got the train back to the station stealth had to close :lol:We waited around 10 mins after this to get a priority pass and decided to use it for Colossus. As the main queue was 90 mins we decided to go in front seat but that combined with the large number of people with priority passes meant that it took 30 mins. So around one hour and a quarter we had gone on one ride. By the time we had gone on Colossus stealth was working again, but we decided to go on single rider and not go on front seat. It took around one hour for us to finally go on the ride. We then waited 40 mins for Slammer, and walked around the park because all the queues were so long. A while later at around 5:30 we went on vortex after a 30 minute queue. That was 3 rides in 5 hours!After vortex we went on slammer again. After this we decided to go for stealth front seat which took around 45 minutes.After this we just had enough time to go for another ride on front row stealth which was the last of the day and sun scream 2 front row on stealth made up for no rides on nemesis or saw, but only 6 rides in total in 8 hours!One thing I noticed about today was that the queues did not get a lot shorter towards the end of the day. Last time I came nemesis had a 20 min queue at 6:00 but today it was still 90!At least I learnt never to go in sun scream or late august again!Longest queues I saw:Quantum: 45 minsZodiac: 45 minsDepth charge: 45 minutes!!!!! (wtf do people queue so long for this?!?!)Rumba rapids: 30 minsTeacups: 15 minsFlying fish: 45 minsLogger leap: 60 mins Tidal wave: 60 minsX-No way out: 45 minsSaw alive: 60 minsRush: 90 mins! (was on one swing)Vortex: 60 minsSlammer: 45 minsDetonator: 45 mins Saw the ride: 90 minsColossus: 90 minsNemesis Inferno: 90 minsStealth: 80 mins

[Mark9]

My only real comment is if you come at mid-day, technically the parks busiest time, then inevitably you will see queues at the highest they are going to be. I also get the feeling that if you were walking round the park avoiding queues because of the wait then, yeah, you aren't going to get on much. I'm not sure what other rides you went on as your trip report only mentions Slammer, Colossus and Stealth (albeit, both front rows which makes up for lack of other rides) but if you had gone on things like Fish, Storm in a Teacup, Quantum, No Way Out then you would have got on far more..

[thorpeparkjack]

But the queues just did not die. I still had a good day though.

[JBdaWonderLlama]

I went on the 31st and the queues just wouldn't die, the only one that did was X/:NWO.I can't be bothered doing a full Trip Report so I'll just do my ride count.Time at park: 10 hoursColossus - 2Nemesis Inferno - 1Saw - 1Detonator - 1X/:NWO - 1Storm in a Teacup - 1Loggers Leap - 1Saw Alive - 1Overall - 9

[JoshC.]

Flat Won't DoTook a trip down the park yesterday. Was only meant to be till about 1:30 / 2, but left a 12 due to other stuffs. Anyways, get to the park just after opening time. Rather quiet to be honest. To my surprise, all four major coasters were running! Yes, all four opened on time. I think that's a first for me for this season. Anyways, headed over to Inferno as per..Oh, running on one train I see. Lovely. Did mean that rerides weren't possible. It was like that on my last visit as well. WHY? I don't care how quiet it is in the morning. It would be easier and more efficient to get both trains on when the park opens! Moved onto Rumba Rapids. It well and truly is a travesty. No waterfall. The sprinkles were barely squirting. It was a fail of a water ride. I did it twice to get my 30 rides for this season; I seriously need a brain check for that one. Then did Teacups. First riders of the day. Operator was amazing. Spun us, used the PA exceptionally well. Must say, I was very impressed. Detonator was next. Was alright; but the Countdown has gone back to 5.. *cut out*.. 1. Ruins the effect of the countdown. Headed over the Loggers, which, as per usual, was still a walk on. T'is good, though the slightly sickly smell after the tunnel has returned. Did think of doing Saw, but rejected the full queue for a near empty Alive one. Has got worse. And I don't mean just because I know what's coming worse. It is worse. The second room wasn't vibrating, the third room wasn't cold. The Carousel went off later than usual (as in, when the front of the group were at the exit). In fact, the only good room was the fifth one - my least favourite!Headed over to the flats of Lost City. Rush had a full queue. Zodiac's was nearing on half full. Vortex looked about 20mins, so opted to do that. The thing is, from all the flat, I didn't hear themed music. Oh dear god no. I heard the dreaded pop music. Now, I'd understand if I was in Sun Scream or something, but I'm not. I'm on a ordinary day. The thing is, as much as people will say "it suits the target market", it just doesn't work. It can't be heard that well from the queue, and the lack of announcements ruin any atmosphere created. And the music itself, well, from the top of my head, I can remember:Lady GagaN-DubzScouting for GirlsTinchy Strider There were a couple more, but Gaga was on about 4 times in the 35mins I was in the Vortex queue - now that is just plain old gaga. Had to leave after Vortex which was a shame; no Glasshouse lunch, no CCR and no Rocky. :)You can probably guess what I'm about to say: Flat won't do. The flats have gone downhill in their overall quality, and other rides are just slipping in standard too. Samurai and Slammer were down. Slammer had two scaffolding trucks in the area. Samurai looks nearly fixed. The park has done very well this season, but it's going downhill yet again...

[Aliice.]

Lady GagaN-DubzScouting for GirlsTinchy Stryder There were a couple more, but Gaga was on about 4 times in the 35mins I was in the Vortex queue - now that is just plain old gaga. Had to leave after Vortex which was a shame; no Glasshouse lunch, no CCR and no Rocky.

And don't hate on the gaga