Rant

[Phill]

Chessington was much of an *event*, Thorpe wasn't. I mean Chessington had smoke all around the park, witches cauldrons over the place, fire, lights, lazer things at the front of Hocus Pocus, red lighting, green lighting, and most importantly interactive things around the park such as 'Trick or Treat'. Every ride at Chessington also had some halloween music, nightmare before christmas, Halloween soundtrack, Exorcist etc. It was just a better atmosphere! I felt like it was an actual event, and I knew it was one, without having to go on any scare mazes, ala Thorpe.

[Fred]

Thorpes way of making it halloweeny is filling it jam packed full of people (barely any chavs yesterday, was wweeeiiirrrdd), and pumping vampire music around the park. Whoever told me they had different music, blatently lied. Vampire is played almost on constant repeat around majority of the park at night.

[Marc]

All rides do have their own music (unless the link broke again?!). Vampire music also plays under the dome. At the end of the night, Vampire music plays park wide. All other rides have their own individual music.

[Marc]

Following on from my last post, was abit out of it!Both the events are extremely different, and cater for totality different people due to the different target audiences. Do you really think trick or treat doors or something like that would go down well at Thorpe, I don't because its clear the vast majority go to walk through the mazes. You also forget to mention the Circus of Horrors show, which is again vastly popular. Whilst thorpe dont have much or even any general theming around the park apart from the entrance, (Where could it go?!) most rides have there own bits, some more than others, with efforts put in by staff.

[Phill]

Of-course they have different target audiences, I'm not suggesting literally take 'trick or treat' doors and plonk them down at Thorpe, but take that idea of interactivity and apply it to something else. And you don't need theming, not when you have smoke and lighting. It's what MADE the atmosphere. There was one path between Buccaneer and Vampire, that was filled with smoke, and had a bright light at the end so it made sillohetes. Lots of people started acting like Zombies, it made people laugh. It's just small things like that, that isn't an actual attraction, but added that little something to our day and made it that more enjoyable.Thorpe could do so much. Use project link for parkwide thunderstorms, add strobes as lightning. Add roaming actors, doesn't have to be "BOO" actors, just roaming, looking creepy. Re-theme an attraction just for the event (not Time Voyagers), like they did with Duel (Duel Live!). Fright Nights isn't being done to its full potential.

[Marc]

And you don't need theming, not when you have smoke and lighting. It's what MADE the atmosphere. There was one path between Buccaneer and Vampire, that was filled with smoke, and had a bright light at the end so it made sillohetes. Lots of people started acting like Zombies, it made people laugh. It's just small things like that, that isn't an actual attraction, but added that little something to our day and made it that more enjoyable.

I can imagine it did, but the problem is thorpe dont have a path of anything like that to achieve that kind of atmosphere, Smoke is used on Samurai, Inferno and the Bridge, along with the Fire effects at the entrance.

Thorpe could do so much. Use project link for parkwide thunderstorms, add strobes as lightning. Add roaming actors, doesn't have to be "BOO" actors, just roaming, looking creepy.

It all comes down to budgets, actors are far from cheap, its not really worth it.

Re-theme an attraction just for the event (not Time Voyagers),

Why?

like they did with Duel (Duel Live!)

What ride could you realistically achieve that on at thorpe?

Fright Nights isn't being done to its full potential.

Fright nights is an EXTREMELY successful event, this is a case of you, wanting more more more.

[Mark9]

Interesting place to have a theme park discussion but here goes:-Thorpe park relies purely on the mazes at its fright night main events. I mean its fair enough, they are a massive draw for guests and their popularity means Thorpe don't have to do anything park wide. But why shouldn't they? I mean they make a hell of a lot of money at fright nights, it is after there the biggest two weeks the park has all year. So if Cwoa can cater events such as many actors around park, trick or treat mazes, Halloween theming dotted in and around the place and several smoke machines then why do Thorpe rest on their laurels and keep the smoke machines at the entrance, Samurai (that's never been seen before after all) and Inferno where the smoke machine is anyway. They don't need to do silly kiddy theming, they can be far more extreme with the theming considering the target audience of the park.It seems to be that with Hellgate and Assylum, they've got them set to a tee. Both have had great reviews this year and work well. The other two aren't nearly as good (judging by reports from you lot). So it seems to me that Thorpe know Fright Nights are a success, they put not as much effort into the event as they used to.That being said, Halloween Hocus Pocus this year is not as good theming wise as the last three years. Less stuff dotted around and less pumpkins. Still, they've got a smoke machine outside the Mexican diner and I could barely see to park Runaway on Sunday

[Theme Park bloke]

At the end of the night, Vampire music plays park wide.

Does Chessie have the park-wide audio system like Thorpe, the one that can play right across the park?

[Marc]

No it doesn't.

[Will]

Chessie do just fine! They are actually doing a better job than Thorpe. Thorpe however have scary mazes and Curse wasn't that bad. It was loads better than Se7en, which is well something you could do with an 8 yr-old child. Asylum however is scary and Hellgate doesn't do that bad.At least both parks are making an efford whether big or small and we should appreciate that

[iCharlie]

and who are you to establish this?

[Will]

To estabilish what?Everyone slags off Cursed, I found it to be quite good and Se7en wasn't scary in the slightest. I see young kids coming out of Se7en saying that ain't scary and my personal favourite, that guy (actor) was funny.Well I've been to Thorpe fright nites 4 times this year and I've been 2 times in 2007 and 3 times in 2006. I work at Chessie, I see things, know things and talk to people.Chessie Frites Nites have a better atmosphere and better things to offer for the younger audiances but Thorpe have scarier attractions but the atmospere is not good overall due to the massive queue times and the dissatisfied customers.

[Pickles]

This forum as a whole is something to rant about with 2 years ago I would not have done. Do you know why? Because you can't voice your opinion anymore without someone saying something's wrong with it or questioning it. Its called an opinion because you can sometimes build it up by observation, someone can do something etc etc. And the fact that if someones not doing something about your opinion, someones being a sarcastic arsehole. This forum used to be friendly in MY opinion, now if you join and don't understand something you get slated. I can understand if a new member insults someone but just by merely asking about something they get a f**king page of people either being sarcastic or stuck up. Just because your an older member does not mean you can treat new members different cause you were one once remember? Here are some definitions that people may have forgotten about:Friendly:adjective, -li⋅er, -li⋅est, adverb, noun, plural -lies. –adjective 1. characteristic of or befitting a friend; showing friendship: a friendly greeting. 2. like a friend; kind; helpful: a little friendly advice. 3. favorably disposed; inclined to approve, help, or support: a friendly bank. 4. not hostile or at variance; amicable: a friendly warship; friendly natives. Opinion:–noun 1. a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty. 2. a personal view, attitude, or appraisal. 3. the formal expression of a professional judgment: to ask for a second medical opinion. 4. Law. the formal statement by a judge or court of the reasoning and the principles of law used in reaching a decision of a case. 5. a judgment or estimate of a person or thing with respect to character, merit, etc.: to forfeit someone's good opinion. 6. a favorable estimate; esteem: I haven't much of an opinion of him.

[Tom]

I queued 3 hours and 10 minutes for Stealth *Is now in Pole position behind 2 other groups*, and it breaks down *sigh*. 20 minutes later they can't fix the problem so we had to leave... I had a priority pass for Inferno / Colossus, but I had to leave at that point, so I couldn't use it.Can I use it on another day?and yeah, it was fun.

[Marc]

This season I would think so yea, would go to Guest Services to find out though.

[Tom]

Thank you Marccc

[Phyciodes]

I queued 3 hours and 10 minutes for Stealth *Is now in Pole position behind 2 other groups*, and it breaks down *sigh*. 20 minutes later they can't fix the problem so we had to leave... I had a priority pass for Inferno / Colossus, but I had to leave at that point, so I couldn't use it.

Awww poor you Sounds like my experience on air, on my last Alton visit.It was on a school trip a couple of years back which was a really! sucky day. Got on 2 rides! Corcscrew and Congo River Rapids. Queues were harendous! Loads of break downs. We queued about an hour for air and by mistake entered the front row queue, then it broke down and as it was a school trip and their fussy about time we had to leave the queue and return to the school meeting place. What made things even worse was I found out that the group I was originally with who I lost and then had to join onto another group, got on all the major coasters. So yeah very bad day.I still love Alton though

[Cjw]

Not always true. I had a brilliant trip where we stayed till closing at thorpe due to the numerous people who had lost mobile phones on rides.

[Sheepie]

OKay this isn't really a rant as such, but it's definately something I need to get off my chest... and everyone is asleep so this seems like the right thing to do.I am so frustrated with myself right now. I can't let go of someone and it's driving me mad. Relationships and myself don't really mix, they don't go, they just don't happen. They either end badly, or the aftermath is so painful it literally eats me up and takes control of my everyday life. When it shouldn't, because I'd like to move on and get on with things thanks!The feeling that swells up inside, from the pit of your stomach, it tugs your insides and you can feel it going through your veins. A mixture of jealousy, a sense of wanting what you once had, and then the pain. The genuine emotional pain. Here it is, as raw and as real as it was all that time ago. He said he was cute, yeah... I know he is, I thought that everytime I looked at him, everytime I spoke to him, everytime he spoke, and I still do. It cripples me, and as I sit here the tears run down my face.This time last year, I was just about to come out of a relationship with someone, it was awful, he was awful. I went through some dark times... he literally took all we had going, ate it, and then spat it back out for it to be shat on. The consequences of that relationship are still affecting me now. I sometimes don't want a relationship, it's made it very difficult to fall for someone again, I can't trust anymore and it doesn't really bode well for my relationship right now.A few months after that relationship ended I got back with someone who I'd gone out with previously and I fell in love with them all over again. Things went well for a while but there were evident faults with our relationship. I eventually got a message from his friend saying that I should talk to them because he's really not very happy. That day we eneded our relationship. At the end of July I got with someone from work. This brings me to present day. I should be happy right? Well I'm really not.Why do I still feel this way? A road layered with sleeping policeman... The more I try to ignore the fact, the more it becomes more prominent. I can't love him because I still love you. I want to let go but it's so hard. There's a world full of pirates but I only want the one.The pain continues...

[Pickles]

Oh god Mikeyyy that actual almost made me cry. I can pretty much say ditto to everything in that. I can't really say much here so yeah.

[AeRo]

Sheepie, the pain continues every day, for the rest of your life. But it gets a little bit less every day. Love does hurt, and we are mostly fools for love who both can't believe how much of an impact another person can make on our liife or, on the other foot, how dependant some people become on us. So hang in there, trust your new friend a bit more every day, tell him how you are feeling and, if he is worth anything, he will give you the space to heal. If he doesn't, then add him to the scrapheap.

[Fred]

Pretty much what those two have said. I've had those exact feelings and they're only really just going after turning my feelings more into dislike of the person, and just simple flirting with others which wont get me anywhere, but still. Nicer than dying inside.

[Will]

Two things:1) I got sent home early, so I decided to come on park with friends but they were busy, one mate wanted to come on park so I said I would go with her and found out that she doesn't like rides. OMG! I wasted 2 hrs for nothing. I also heard that some of our lot from here (TPM) would be on-park but couldnt find them because 1) Don't have their number obv forgot to ask them for it and 2) No battery. I was incredibly useless and forgot to charge my phone and I feel like kicking myself in the head. OMG I am sooooo stupid. It's been a crap week, a really crap one!2) First of all, I fail at being straight - I am straight, I like girls and couldn't see it any other way. I want to be a father and have a nice amount of kids n have a wifey one day. When I see guys who are uglier/treat girls like s**t/not nice/racist etc all the bad things/qualities that I am NOT and they have girlfriends I wonder wtf is wrong with me? I get really self-concious and paranoid. I think to myself: Am I fat? Am I ugly? What do I do wrong? Am I just not funny even though everyone at in class at college says I am.There are times when I feel like giving up but yet I just think and feel that the best things are worth waiting for, so I hold on for the good things that may come. I feel that my lucky might change and meet a girl that well you know...you get the picture.

Edited November 2, 2008 by Will

[iCharlie]

Shame.Anyway on a lighter note. I can't understand why parents are unable to control their children in stores.

[Fred]

The guys who wander around all bigging themselves up and going "I'd f**k her" blatently to their face.. gets the girls for some reason. Obviously the girls like it!Ahh wells. I'll think of a rant for myself later.