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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/16/2024 in all areas
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Last time I went to Thorpe Pak was in 2010 and it was a hot summers day and everything was a walk on. It's a long drive for us, (200+ miles) so it takes a bit of planning and co-ordination with others so we don't get to go as often as we'd like, Towers is much closer and is usually easier to sync up with others since it's you only need a day and don't have to mess around with accommodations etc.. This time it wasn't as sunny but as a consolation price there were two new credits to collect, Swarm (actually my first wing coaster, too!) and Hyperia. Gutted that the Slammer is no more, I really enjoyed that as a flat ride it was probably my favourite flat there, I'd say my new favourite is probably Rush and it was operating on a better cycle than last time, I believe last time it was 3 full swings and this time it was 5 (I counted). I heard that they are removing the remnants of Slammer in the closed season and it's intriguing thinking what will replace it with it being close to Hyperia and if it will be tied in to the Find Your Fearless [loose] theme. We did Swarm first as Hyperia and a few others were not open till around 11.30am. This was a new credit for me and my first wing coaster. I gotta say, I really enjoyed it. Always thought the wing over drop looked crazy on and off ride when I've watched POV's and was excited to try it out and see how it would feel and I loved it, it offers a great moment of hangtime and is a great build up of anticipation for the start of the ride, kind of like Oblivion but with an actual layout after it and not just a brake run after the drop (Don't get me wrong though, I still love Blivvy) Then onto Stealth, my previous TP #1. It still rides great considering its age (only 4y between it and Colossus), some people say it has a wobble/rattle now but idk, I didn't really feel it. Brilliant, punchy, intense hydraulic launch and airtime over the top hat and then ejector at the end since you slam into that airtime hill before the brakes. If that cup of coffee you just had didn't wake you up, Stealth certainly does the trick. Onto Rush since it's there anyway, barely a 5 minute queue we were on the next one and when we were just about to board noticed the app said Hyperia had opened so after our nice ride on Rush we headed over to Fearless Valley. The area looks great, I know people have said there is a lack of theming or whatever but IMO it doesn't take away from the area and the atmosphere was great. The ride is imposing and very fun to watch dispatching and going around the layout. The app was showing 60 minutes but we queued for single rider (just the two of us but we didn't mind riding separately) but the queue moved very slowly, I'm not sure if there was just a lot of groups of 2's/4's riding or it was how it was being batched etc but it took around 60 minutes anyways idk if it might have actually been quicker to just join the main queue with never having ridden it before didn't have any way to gauge the main queue to know how long it would take from any given point. There was only one member of staff at the merge point and I heard that could make it slower since they can get overwhelmed since 4 queues merge at that point, idk though. First ride on Hyperia I ended up in row 7 on the inside and my sister was in row 5 on the outside. The ride was amazing, I didn't even know what to expect but whatever I was expecting it exceeded it. Wow, what a machine. After just one ride the whole thing was just a blur, like some of the elements you don't even remember taking them you're trying to think how it felt but it's just all so fast and all you know is that it felt awesome. Since we're talking about Hyperia I'll just add my thoughts on our second ride here too. We rode again at around 3.45pm, the queue was showing as 45 minutes so we just decided to get in the main queue since it would probs be our last ride of the day and didn't know if the single rider line would be moving slow again so we just decided we'd do it together this time. We got row 3, I sat on the outside this time which makes the outer bank after dispatch way more fun! Wanted to try and concentrate here for all the elements to try and recall afterwards lol, hands up for the first drop and absolutely ejected out of your seat all the way down, it's SUCH a good first drop. Probably the best, for me. The outer bank element that rolls over into an inverted drop as well, between that and the first drop are my 2 favourite elements. Loved the Stall too, sooo much hangtime. New UK #1 right there. (Sorry, Nemmy) In between those two rides on Hyperia we did SAW and Colossus - I had read about people saying these two (particularly SAW) were very rough and since when I went in 2010 SAW was only 1 year old so I couldn't relate, it wasn't rough then lol, I thought people were overreacting about Colossus too I never thought it was that bad in 2010 but I gotta say, I totally get that now, it's not aged well; let's put it that way. It could do with some new trains, the ones that SIK uses would be great. I heard it might be getting some track work done, idk about that though. After those two we jumped on Nemesis Inferno, which was great (as B&M inverts usually are!) Was an amazing day, and even a blowout on the Motorway on the way home the next day it was still totally worth it. Already wanting to go back again and lap Hyperia. It definitely won't be 10+ years till my next visit and thinking of staying on site next time and doing 2 days.1 point
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It's pretty wild riding it too. Positive Gs at the bottom of every swing. Great sense of the speed as it swings too. And the airtime when it's really moving is great. It's big boy Spinsanity. There's even a fog effect they activate for the final few big swings (that I'm sure will not be maintained for more than a couple years).1 point
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People will make a lot of money on this, regardless if it ever opens or not. Like whoever got the prime demolition contract.1 point
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Day 2 (part 2): Thorpe Park! We also went and did the "Ghost Train" - which I knew nothing about, but had been recommended by several park employees I had talked to. It's not really a "ride" but rather an experience - an interactive show, with some brilliant special effects and a set that "moves". . so it feels like you trapped on a train that's moving as crazy things happen. It was very cool and I loved it so much I bought multiple Magnets from it. . and was looking to buy a shirt for it (but they didn't have anything I really loved). for some strange reason, I don't have ANY pictures of this ride - I'm shocked myself. I know I was incredibly distracted (or as my friends call it "dickstracted") by a cute bear couple that was in the queue with us - which would explain why I have no pics of the outside of the ride. And you couldn't take pics during the experience. but still. . I'm truly surprised I don't have any pics. . LOL I think it was around this time, that (*I think) we got a message from Robb asking who wanted to ride the Tidal Wave as a group, and if so, meet by the ride. So a whole bunch of TPR folks got together, and our park guild got them to set aside a boat for TPR (plus one family who were added to the back row not realizing a completely full TPR boat was gonna be heavy and get a bigger splash) and off we went. COMPLETELY soaked. . like being dipped into a bathtub. . and I loved it. the following pics are all from either Robb or Andy, I believe: the aftermath. . posing in front of the next boat's splash. with time in the day running out, several of us headed to the last section of the park - seemed to be themed to a lost Jungle/ruins, to ride the flats over there: a giant swing, an Enterprise, a Flying Carpet, and a "claw" the swing was ok, but kind of underwhelming to me because a) the cycle was so short, and b) I've been on the tallest one at SWSA here in Texas. it was fun, but not exciting, if that makes sense. loved the theming over here tho. . .very, very green and "overgrown" looking, but with rides just popping up in the center of it. Zodiac is the Enterprise. the Flying Carpet went down while we were in queue for the Enterprise (had to wait for next cycle), so didn't get to ride that - think it was just too close to end of day for Maintenance to mess with it today . . but it framed Swarm very nicely for a picture I thought and the claw was also over here. see? I LOVE Enterprises (Robb just asked about who loves them on the TPR Facebook page) . . . this one didn't run a great cycle. . and it was really quick considering how long it took the one operator to get it loaded. . but any Enterprise is a fun Enterprise. it was so close to the end of night, that Stacey and I hit a store for shopping before heading back to the Pavilion to meet up with the group. no, I didn't buy this. . but I was VERY tempted. LOL.. if it hadn't been at the start of the trip and I was already worrying about suitcase space, prolly would have grabbed it. as we waited for the park to clear (and more importantly the Hyperia line to clear thru), we headed over to Swarm for our 1st ERT. apparently the theming is an alien invasion. . tho Thorpe park does seem to have a thing for wrecked planes (there were several of them thruout the park as theming. . LOL). but I loved this. and I was actually sorry I hadn't gone over here during the daytime, as I absolutely LOVED this B&M Flyer. my favorite ride in the park, and I think I rode every cycle of our ERT. glass smooth with an amazing diving first drop, and an inversion over/thru the station - which is themed to a bombed out Church. the inversion I mentioned, from inside the station the design of the trains is SO good. . this is the back of the row in front of us! Pic courtesy of Elissa, I believe (or possibly Robb) following pics courtesy of Elissa, Robb, or Andy: whee. . . front row! after 25 minutes or so at Swarm (and I think 9 rides), we headed as a group over to Hyperia. HAHAHAHAHA. . and I actually *did* get a pic of the front of Ghost Train as we walked past it. so good on me. . tho all closed up, doesn't look too exciting. and here is the main course. . ERT on Hyperia. after it had warmed up and was running amazing. Edit: D'oh!!! that's Kristen with her Dad (Robb) in the seats behind me in this pic! She looks so much like her Mom! So this pic must be courtesy of Elissa. I couldn't ride Hyperia over and over, as by the end of the day, it was a wee bit too intense for me (I kept having to tuck my shirt back in after riding)! . . . so I didn't do every cycle, but I did ride 2, then rest, then 2 then rest, then 2 - including last ride. so I THINK I got six rides on it at end of night during our ERT? but some in the group ride every dispatch. . . more power to em! and they look like they are having a blast! end of night pic with our park guides, and the crew. . thank you to Thorpe Park for an amazing day! Pic by Robb and then it was time to head back to the bus for the ride back to the hotel. I *believe* this stunning pic of Stealth during sunset is from Brad. and back on the bus. .everyone is happy. . . except for Robb's plushie. getting back to the hotel, several of us headed back over to WagaMama for dinner. . . not really recalling what this is, but I think Firecracker chicken & pasta? and Gyoza. . so good. and after filling up on Wagamama? back to the room to shower, and crash. we had another busy day tomorrow - checking out of Hotel and off to the next hotel. but along the way? Suprise Park! we were gonna visit LegoLand Windsor for a few hours, and ride their brand new "mini figure speedway" dueling coaster. hopefully won't take me a month for that next update!1 point