March 10, 201213 yr comment_133702 Videos of The SwarmQueue line Actors And station Credits to ThemeParkNerdLive for uploading these!
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133703 I WANT THOSE MUGS! <3What about the shirt selection? From the updates I've seen, this is a stunner and unbelievably good...Sign of things to come under Merlin additions? As long as Sub Terra is as fab as this then the future will hopefully be a lot brighter than it has been (as long as the OTHER issues such as opening times and the like are sorted)...And lol, breaking down... I do hope it avoids doing that next weekend...
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133705 I am so excited I can taste sick in my mouthNoice. Glad I'd finished eating my lunch when I read that!I'll be brief as I'm on break: Swarm looks fooking epic, merchandise also looks epic, the whole thing looks epic :DI did laugh when I read that it broke down though Oh Thorpe... :')
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133706 The Swarm scream sounds freaking amazing! And the ambient noise of machine guns and helecopters flying around is just superb! What an attraction!
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133707 It's amazing. Absolute stunner. Went down a couple of times but only for 5 mins each time.Uploading pics when I get home
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133710 Bit off-topic but does anyone know if Alton or Chessington have these 'rehearsal days'?
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133711 Why could they not have done a proper preview day? such as the th13teen preview weekend (which never happend properly)I am going to the Chessington AP day, but I am wondering whether to go to Thorpe first and get a ride on the swarm then leave at lunch time to go to Chessie or whether to enjoy almost a full day at Chessington then arrive at Thorpe about an hour before it closes! Any thoughts on what to do!?
March 10, 201213 yr Author comment_133712 Go to Thorpe Park first and head to Swarm.You'll love the area so much you'd have more fun staying on the island all day then you would at Chessington. Trust me.As for the breakdown and mini evac... SHOCK HORROR, a new roller coaster has a small problem!!1! How people can slate the park for one small breakdown, on a REHEARSAL day, is beyond me...
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133713 ^ And the rest :POn another note, the ride area is amazing, really outstanding! My favourite part was definitly 2 or 3 dedicated speakers at points around the ride, where when the train is approaching & passing 'The Swarm' noise plays out at a deafening tone, most effective in the tower.
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133716 They were actually giving out flyers at opening saying they would be doing them during the day as well, to test the procedures or whatever. Things are not always as they seem!
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133719 I don't think Thorpe were planning the brakes to be buggered though
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133720 Quick summary. Definitely one of the best rides I've ever been on, it even rivals the likes of Nemesis and Black Mamba for me. It's an absolutely perfect mixture of face-pulling intensity, and just pure fun. I had fairly high expectations but it probably even exceeded those. Massive, massive congratulations to Thorpe, they're onto a definite winner here. On another note, the ride area is amazing, really outstanding! My favourite part was definitly 2 or 3 dedicated speakers at points around the ride, where when the train is approaching & passing 'The Swarm' noise plays out at a deafening tone, most effective in the tower.This. Scared the life out of me on the first ride, so simple but so very effective. The little things like that are what makes the ride experience so much more enjoyable. Something to bear in mind though, it's easiest to hear towards the back of the train.
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133721 Work on Friday is going to go really slowly:( can't wait until the 17th
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133722 I will be blunt here.The reviews are, to me, both surprising and greatly satisfying.I thought the reviews would be weak, I thought the layout looked weak and I thought the short duration would leave riders disappointed.I am now very excited to be riding it - I am trying to ignore the "up there with Nemesis and Black Mamba hype" as when I got off Rita for the 1st time I thought it was the best ride ever, but I am really, really looking forward to my visit next weekend.Seems like a job well done for Thorpe Park!!
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133723 I really hope this isn't the next generation Nemesis Inferno, the area itself looks incredible, I just hope the ride lives up to the hype. From the reviews so far it is hard to tell what sort of experience we are going to get.
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133724 Right, now home and must echo Dan's comment that Thorpe really deserve applause for what they've accomplished with The Swarm. Starting with the ride itself, I must say it's the biggest example ever of the 'video gives you no idea' rule. I hit it 8 times today so managed to try front, back, left, right, inside and outside seats on various occasions. I must say the front is eye-watering, and the back has an intensity that's completely unimaginable from just looking at it. Also, I didn't feel like it was short at all.On the theming and queue / area front, it's even more impressive. The plane has wonderful bits of wreckage littered around it, and with the mist in there as well it looks excellent. The general looks of the area is exceptional - it has a wonderful atmosphere, is very detailed and feels much more spacious than it looks in pictures. Audio and video really complete it - the ambient and instrumental tracks fit the feel of the area perfectly and the news reports on the screen really add a depth and believability to the situation. It isn't cheesy or contrived like Saw's radio voiceovers, but rather makes you feel like a part of the action. And as has been said, the Swarm noises at various locations really add.Station and queue themselves are also great. The station has a nice feel inside and the queue isn't as overbearing as all the metal might suggest; it actually feels quite open with the wood used on the interior of it. Interaction is good too, with the inline over the station providing a very exciting distraction.Finally on the 'Premiere Screaming' side of things, I was very impressed by the actors and props around the place. Now a few pics I snapped for your viewing pleasure (quite a few, actually) All I can say to Thorpe is wow. Thank you so, so much
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133725 I am now very excited to be riding it - I am trying to ignore the "up there with Nemesis and Black Mamba hype" as when I got off Rita for the 1st time I thought it was the best ride ever, but I am really, really looking forward to my visit next weekend.I'm not claiming it's as rip-your-senses-apart intense as Nemesis, but for me it was easily just as fun as either of those two. That said, there are definitely two or three very intense moments, some of which are less obvious than others. (I greyed out on two occasions, both of them just as we were exiting the pond turnaround into the corkscrew.)I couldn't feel much of a significant difference between inside and outside seating either, the outside is probably slightly better but it's not really something to make a big fuss about.
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133727 It's better than Furius Baco, right? *Baco is truly terrible in every sense of the word.
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133729 I actually only read the second line, after leaving and re-entering the page . I think we are on to a keeper with The Swarm, my stepdad turned round to me and said they are at strong competition with Universal, coming from a GP I'm impressed!
March 10, 201213 yr comment_133730 Adam, your photo taking skills and camera put mine to shame.The ride itself is excellent, even if it is somewhat disappointing that Merlin avoided a longer layout on a coaster once again. It's a lot of fun and due to the nature of the seats, every one offers a great ride. The leg guards are completely unnoticeable, unless you are sitting in the front row where they curve around.The actors around the area were all very entertaining with soldiers jumping out and screaming at people, while also not being afraid to walk up to groups and stare them down. The absolute standout was the minister roaming around the station though. He would sneak up behind you and whisper tag lines of the coaster, dance around the station, etc.Whether things like the front row system run smoothly in peak times will be interesting. Also, a long queue could be pretty painful in the summer as it offers little shade and is very compact.
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