First Thorpe Park Trip Ever! - April 2017

[KirstyH]

Hi Everyone,

 

I've never been to Thorpe Park before and I am planning a trip there on Sunday 9 April 2017! I never visit a theme park without doing some research first so I am glad I found this forum. I have wanted to visit Thorpe Park ever since they announced the SAW ride, as I am a big fan of the movie series.

Would anyone be able to give me some advice on how to make the most of my visit? The park seems to only be open 10:00-18:00 the day I am going and I know it will be especially busy on a Sunday...

I am going with my brother and we LOVE big rides like rollercoasters - it would be ideal if we could ride all the best rides at least once. We have visited Blackpool Pleasure Beach plus Universal and Disney in Florida many times so we are used to all the queuing and arriving super early to make the most of our theme park day.

 

Also - I see there are lockers available in the park. Do you need to put your belongings in there or is there a benefit to doing so? I don't mind carrying my backpack around all day however I know in Universal Orlando there are a few rides where you need to store belongings in a locker before riding/queuing...

 

Thanking you all for any advice you can give! If anyone has any suggestions such as in which order the rides should be tackled when the park opens, that would be super helpful. 

 

Kirsty

[Mitchada04]

That day is also right in the middle of the Easter holidays. But Sundays are usually quieter than Saturdays. A lot of the time Thorpe opens at 9:30 unadvertised so plan for that. And assuming everything is ready at opening, you can easily get 4 of the big 5 coasters done in 2 hours. Head to Colossus and Saw first, then walk round to Inferno and Stealth. People still flood to Swarm first thing, but because of that it is usually a lot quieter in the afternoon, or leave it till close if needed. You can join the queue up till 6, as long as you're in it you'll get to ride!

 

All lockers at Thorpe are paid for (unlike Uni which offers free lockers on the rides you can't take bags on) so instead all rides have somewhere for you to place your bags so you can carry it around all day!

[MattyMoo]

In addition to what Adam said - leave Derren Brown's Ghost Train until the afternoon also! Or just leave it out completely?

 

SAW, Stealth, Swarm and DBGT have staffed bag drops where you give your bag to an attendant and give you a wristband to collect it after your ride. 

[KirstyH]

20 hours ago, Mitchada04 said:

That day is also right in the middle of the Easter holidays. But Sundays are usually quieter than Saturdays. A lot of the time Thorpe opens at 9:30 unadvertised so plan for that. And assuming everything is ready at opening, you can easily get 4 of the big 5 coasters done in 2 hours. Head to Colossus and Saw first, then walk round to Inferno and Stealth. People still flood to Swarm first thing, but because of that it is usually a lot quieter in the afternoon, or leave it till close if needed. You can join the queue up till 6, as long as you're in it you'll get to ride!

 

All lockers at Thorpe are paid for (unlike Uni which offers free lockers on the rides you can't take bags on) so instead all rides have somewhere for you to place your bags so you can carry it around all day!

Thank you for the excellent hint about it usually opening at 09:30 - I would never have known that! We will aim to get to the entrance for 09:00. Do you think that is early enough on a busy day? We're getting the bus from Staines Station, so parking isn't an issue and I believe the tickets we are ordering in advance allow us to enter quite quickly once we get to the front of the queue. I will definitely follow your touring plan! Our main priority is to ride Saw and everything else is a bonus, but if there is a way to ride all the big rides in one day I will try my best! 

 

That's excellent that all rides have somewhere to put your bags. I like to bring lunch and plenty of snacks to theme parks so that I don't have to waste time in long lines for food when I could be queuing for a ride so that will save me a lot of time if I don't have to stow it.

 

 

[KirstyH]

20 hours ago, MattyMoo said:

In addition to what Adam said - leave Derren Brown's Ghost Train until the afternoon also! Or just leave it out completely?

 

SAW, Stealth, Swarm and DBGT have staffed bag drops where you give your bag to an attendant and give you a wristband to collect it after your ride. 

 

Thank you for your response. Haha! Is DBGT worth it? I LOVE horror movies and attractions, but I am not a fan of Derren Brown. I am kind of confused as to why he has a Ghost Train in the first place?! If it provides decent scares or is unique in some way then I will try to ride it however at the moment, I am not really sure what to make of it?

 

That's great to know, thanks!

[Matt 236]

Adding onto the sound advice Adam and Matty have given, I'll say this.

 

• Only do DBGT if the queue isn't too excessive. If not it may be worth trying for the end of the day as the queues typically close and not the rides when the park shuts.
• Rumba and Angry Birds 4D are advisable 'after lunch' rides unless you have a strong stomach or join a queue over 30 minutes.
• The big five coasters, X, Detonator, DBGT (if it's your thing), Slammer, Rush and Tidal Wave (if the weather is good) are the must do's.

 

 

[Marc]

2 hours ago, KirstyH said:

 

Thank you for your response. Haha! Is DBGT worth it? I LOVE horror movies and attractions, but I am not a fan of Derren Brown. I am kind of confused as to why he has a Ghost Train in the first place?! If it provides decent scares or is unique in some way then I will try to ride it however at the moment, I am not really sure what to make of it?

 

That's great to know, thanks!

 

DBGT is like marmite around here - that said no one knows what it will be like next year so if you've not been on it defiantly give it a go! As Matt said remember the queues shut at closing time and not the rides so if it has a long queue you can jump into it just before park close time and still get on

[MattyMoo]

3 hours ago, KirstyH said:

 

Thank you for your response. Haha! Is DBGT worth it? I LOVE horror movies and attractions, but I am not a fan of Derren Brown. I am kind of confused as to why he has a Ghost Train in the first place?! If it provides decent scares or is unique in some way then I will try to ride it however at the moment, I am not really sure what to make of it?

 

That's great to know, thanks!

 

Some are confused as to the Derren Brown connection to a ghost train also The ride/experience has had a mixed reception this year to say the least - what I will say, is when I rode it - I was very impressed with the themeing, the preshow, the theatrical and imposing nature of the trains inside and level of themeing - but the actual "ride" itself - not so much at all. But worth a ride if the queue is less than 30 minutes I'd say, and it's being improved for 2017 with a new ending/finale... so maybe this year will be a better season!

 

Also - what Matt said - if Slammer and Rush are operational (the latter has very very little downtime, the former... not so much - she's a stubborn one) then ride them as they are very unique rides (Slammer in particular). Don't overlook Detonator either, a very punchy drop tower - packs far more of a punch than taller towers!

 

Storm Surge is good for a nice view of the park - fair comment everyone?

[JoshC.]

Echoing what others have said, prepare for it to be busy since it will be the middle of the Easter break for kids.  Being a Sunday though, it might be a bit quieter than other days.

 

As others have said, in terms of the coasters, your best bet is to head towards Colossus and Saw first, then make your way towards Nemesis Inferno and Stealth afterwards.  Swarm is best done in the early afternoon (2-3pm).

 

In terms of flat rides, the likes of Slammer, Samurai, Rush and Detonator are always well received.  Slammer usually opens later in the day, and during 2016 was closed between 3-3:30pm most days.  

 

Ghost Train should be done - it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but it's worth experiencing it to at least understand what it's all about!  It's hard to say when is best to do it since 2016 was so temperamental - maybe check back after the park opens and see how it's been doing for the first couple weeks?  

[KirstyH]

22 hours ago, Matt Creek said:

Adding onto the sound advice Adam and Matty have given, I'll say this.

 

• Only do DBGT if the queue isn't too excessive. If not it may be worth trying for the end of the day as the queues typically close and not the rides when the park shuts.
• Rumba and Angry Birds 4D are advisable 'after lunch' rides unless you have a strong stomach or join a queue over 30 minutes.
• The big five coasters, X, Detonator, DBGT (if it's your thing), Slammer, Rush and Tidal Wave (if the weather is good) are the must do's.

 

 

Thank you for your views! Based on the comments here, I feel like DBGT might not be for me however it would be a shame to miss one of the big attractions so I will keep an eye on the queue times and do my best to ride. 

 

Who would have thought you would need a strong stomach for Angry Birds? Thanks for the warning!

[KirstyH]

21 hours ago, Marc said:

 

DBGT is like marmite around here - that said no one knows what it will be like next year so if you've not been on it defiantly give it a go! As Matt said remember the queues shut at closing time and not the rides so if it has a long queue you can jump into it just before park close time and still get on

Wow, so it changes every year? I had no idea. I LOVE when parks let you into ride queues just as the park is about to close! We were at HHN last year in Universal Orlando and they let us into a 2 hour queue (turned out to be 30 minutes..) for a house attraction at 02:00 as the event was about to close. We didn't even enter the house until 02:30! 

[KirstyH]

19 hours ago, MattyMoo said:

 

Some are confused as to the Derren Brown connection to a ghost train also The ride/experience has had a mixed reception this year to say the least - what I will say, is when I rode it - I was very impressed with the themeing, the preshow, the theatrical and imposing nature of the trains inside and level of themeing - but the actual "ride" itself - not so much at all. But worth a ride if the queue is less than 30 minutes I'd say, and it's being improved for 2017 with a new ending/finale... so maybe this year will be a better season!

 

Also - what Matt said - if Slammer and Rush are operational (the latter has very very little downtime, the former... not so much - she's a stubborn one) then ride them as they are very unique rides (Slammer in particular). Don't overlook Detonator either, a very punchy drop tower - packs far more of a punch than taller towers!

 

Storm Surge is good for a nice view of the park - fair comment everyone?

I am glad that I'm not the only confused one! Surely they could have had a ghost train without DB? Or maybe he brings money to the park with his name? I am not familiar with how popular he is.. Well everyone loves great theming so maybe I will be pleasantly surprised!

I am very excited and a bit scared to ride Slammer! I don't think I've ever been on a ride like that in my life.

I've just looked up Storm Surge and it looks like so much fun! I hope it's open in April 

 

 

14 hours ago, BaronC. said:

Echoing what others have said, prepare for it to be busy since it will be the middle of the Easter break for kids.  Being a Sunday though, it might be a bit quieter than other days.

 

As others have said, in terms of the coasters, your best bet is to head towards Colossus and Saw first, then make your way towards Nemesis Inferno and Stealth afterwards.  Swarm is best done in the early afternoon (2-3pm).

 

In terms of flat rides, the likes of Slammer, Samurai, Rush and Detonator are always well received.  Slammer usually opens later in the day, and during 2016 was closed between 3-3:30pm most days.  

 

Ghost Train should be done - it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but it's worth experiencing it to at least understand what it's all about!  It's hard to say when is best to do it since 2016 was so temperamental - maybe check back after the park opens and see how it's been doing for the first couple weeks?  

 

Thanks! I have experienced Disney World in July a few times so I have become used to packing my patience. 

 

Thank you for all this information! I will definitely be on here and reading your trip reports and updates leading up to my trip. You have all been so helpful and I am going to write all of your tips down to reference during my trip.

[MattyMoo]

It's not a Ghost Train in the classic sense of the word, that's all I'll say. Hopefully it's been improved and tweaked nicely for this year and will work as intended. Derren is quite a strong "brand" for the park, hence having him involved!

 

Storm Surge gets a lot of hate due to where it's been placed in the park (it does stick out like a sore thumb!) but it is a good bit of fun, and it is a good view of Thorpe Park from the top - of course you get a better view from the top of Stealth, you just have to look quickly  It will be open from the start of the season unless there are unexpected problems, but Storm Surge's reliability is pretty good.

Slammer is the only ride of that type left in the world now - so ride it whilst you can! The only other Sky Swat in the world was scrapped 4 years ago, but credit where it's due, despite her being temperamental (as she was essentially a prototype), they have continued to keep her slamming year after year.

 

Oh and as to Angry Birds 4D - Matt was saying you should do that after lunch (or Rapids after lunch) instead of other rides, as they are calm(er)

[KirstyH]

Hi Everyone!

 

Just stopping by to let you all know how my first trip went. I had an amazing time! However you may have heard Saw remained closed all day on Sunday (aside from opening for around 15 minutes at lunch time and then closing again!) Colossus was also shut for most of the day and didn't reopen until just before 16:00. A lot of rides weren't ready for opening. Stealth and Slammer didn't open at all.

 

My trip report:

Arrived - gates were pretty busy, but not unbearable!

Ran straight to Saw on opening and was in the queue at 09:30 for a few minutes, then it was announced the ride would not open and would open later...most rides seemed to be shut at this time and we struggled to find something to do... I don't remember the exact timings but I will list below what we did and the order:

 

1. Samurai - amazing ride and so much fun! The way the ride moves I found very relaxing and I love how you get a nice view into part of the Saw indoor ride area from on there.

 

2. Nemesis Inferno - queue time said 20 minutes, made the mistake of queuing for front row which was deceptively long queue (my fault as I didn't realise how much the queue snaked at the loading bay!)

 

3. X - Queued a fairly long time for this (35 minutes I think) and it didn't feel worth the wait. A pleasant rollercoaster and appreciated the theming, but wish the coaster would go a little faster for more thrills..

Came off X and was surprised to find DBGT was actually open and it was 11:30!...

 

4. Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon - I was very impressed by this! Loved the whole facade for the train and the VR surprisingly felt very realistic to me. I was genuinely scared and loved the ending. Something very different for a theme park!

 

5. Rush - loved this ride! Another of my favourites. A ride which looks terrifying and once on not scary at all - just FUN! We waited 20 minutes for this.

 

6. Zodiac - Enjoyed this ride, something a bit different. It feels very strange to be in those little pods with no restraints! 

 

We stopped and ate at unlimited pizza and pasta place. I thought it was an excellent deal as far as theme parks go for £10! I was glad I didn't eat all day as I got my money's worth..

 

7. The SWARM - queue said 75 minutes and only waited 35.. Very fun ride!

 

8. Detonator - waited 10 minutes. I loved this drop! It felt more fun than terrifying which I didn't expect. From the top of this drop I also noticed that Rumba Rapids had finally opened!

 

9. Rumba Rapids - 10 minute wait (more like walk on) and good fun!

 

10. Quantum - a ride which is a lot more fun than it looks! Waited less than 5 minutes.

 

11. Samurai again - Decided to ride this again because we loved it so much! This time the wing we were on seemed to spin upside down constantly and at one point we were suspended upside down for quite some time!! A much scarier ride this time around! It is funny how different the ride can be.

 

12. Colossus - this ride was quite frustrating as it kept closing down and opening back up quickly again. Wonderful ride and was surprised how much I loved it! Especially those last set of loops towards the end. Magical.

 

It was very hot on Sunday so unfortunately the queue for Tidal Wave stayed at 90 minutes even into the early evening and at one point climbed up to 120! The queue for Storm Surge was also very long. I wish I had got to ride Vortex. In hindsight I should have ran to that ride in the morning instead of Samurai when hardly anything was open as the queues for this stayed around 60 minutes all day.. I didn't have time for Angry Birds either, the day just flew in and we only wasted like 20 minutes eating, the rest of the time we were running around the park trying to get all the rides done.

 

I even managed to obtain a free Fast Track for Saw after only queuing for it for 15 minutes and getting close to the front of the queue...but sadly it never reopened not even when the park hours were extended to 18:30..

 

My memory is a little fuzzy as the day just flew in, if I remember anything else I will update.

 

Thank you all again for all your wonderful advice! It was invaluable.  Overall I had a wonderful time and would definitely visit again if I am in the London area. Whilst leaving the park they were handing out apology letters which had a complimentary visit voucher to use between now and September this year plus two fast tracks...shame I probably won't make it back before the year is out... I would love to return and do Fright Nights some day! I am doing Halloween Horror Nights this year in Orlando so probably won't have enough money to do Thorpe too.

 

 

 

 

 

[Paul]

Glad you had a good day! I've always loved Quantum, it's so deceptive. I always missed it out due to it looking too 'tame', but it really packs a punch! Same with Zodiac - it's a really strange sensation but a brilliant little ride!