senna

Everyone is going to think different about the ride, no one is right no one is wrong. The problem is the advertising there was no need to make the coaster out to be anything but a family coaster, we all knew what it was. People would have still gone to ride it as it's at Alton Towers the largest theme park in the UK and the best known. All they have done is left themselves open to the types of comments that have been posted all over the internet. What worries me is the more people think this is a great coaster etc the more Merlin think they will get away with putting in 2nd rate coasters. Yes it is a good family coaster, no it is not a good thrill ride. And as for the area, it just has Rita and 13 they need more in the area some flat rides or something. The problem is the queue lines for Rita and 13 take up so much space there is not much room left for anything else. Can not wait to see what is made of 13 on the TPR Uk trip.

From what I was told by a friend that works there the trims are needed as the train goes 10mph to fast over the hill and causes to much airtime that the trains are not designed for. The trims seem to be there to stay . The trim on the drop is needed as it went round the corner to fast.

I rode the coaster twice at the weekend, the 1st time the drop did not work properly and just lowered us the 2nd time it worked. There are 2 ways of looking at this coaster, 1st I will go by what Alton sell it as and thats the Ultimate coaster. It is know where near that. The coaster section is very lame and just well does nothing much really. I was at the front and all I could feel was the trim going down the hill and then the trim going up the hill, yes you really can feel it pull the train back. The theming inside the building, I failed to notice much other than green lights. At no point is the story told so you really have no idea what the coaster or the building is really about. The coaster then drops once and then again, both times worse than a Frog Hopper tbh. The backwards part is ok, but again no theming and not on par with the Mummy or Everest. As the Ultimate Coaster it simply does not work, it ticks no boxes for me. As a family coaster, its the best in the UK by some way. Alton should have sold this as a family coaster and cut out all the rubbish it has been coming out with. Had they done that people I think would think higher of it. So overall I feel very let down by the coaster, but mainly let down but Alton Towers and their stupid advertising. Good coaster for the park and a good family coaster, thats if younger kids have not been put off by the adverts and some have been. The public seemed to be mixed on it as well, some came off and loved it some said it was to short and done nothing. Our views were very mixed as well, some liked it and some like me that did not see what the hype was about. I can think of at least 10 family coasters off the top of my head which are better around the world. The throughput on the coaster was outstanding though, we were told they were getting 1,200 through an hour. We queued 70 mins and that was from outside the main queue the 1st time and 20 the 2nd time at 3pm, the park was empty. If you go with an open mind and not seen the video and like family coasters you will like it, if like me you like larger coasters with force you will feel let down. Oh if you want a small amount of airtime sit at the back so I have been told

A few years back I done a Carnival cruise from Tampa and I loved it and would 100% do another one, but probably a Disney one as I am a DVC member so get it cheaper and get asked on special events. The food and tours were fantastic and it was great to feel that I was away from everything whilist on the ship. Falling asleep sitting on the deck looking at the stars was The only problem I had was getting sun burnt, I thought as it was not sunny I would be ok but I was wrong.

Good report glad you had a good time. You should have let me know you were going I would have met up with you, I live a short walking distance from the park. We were down there the week before you I think, it was so cold. It does make me laugh when other UK parks say they can not run their rides in the cold yet Adventure Island is near enough on the sea with the wind cold and everything and yet they open and run all their coasters. Over The Hill is a great 1st time ride, one of the better dark rides in the UK. It is a fun little park with enough do to there for a few hours.

There is an update on Coasterforce with regards to the new area and future plans. http://coasterforce.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27766

Thanks for the video Robb.

I am sure they will do a better job with Saw than Thorpe Park managed. The problem for me is I dont see Saw as horror, its more a thriller than horror. I think they are pushing Saw every where they can as the last few films did not do that well. I went to both this and and the one in Tampa 2 years ago and they were both amazing. I could not get over how the park is transformed, it's done so much better than what we have in the UK, I was scared just walking around the park.

Can not wait to go to Hansa in 7 weeks Did you guys have the park to yourselves, it looked dead.

Which is why I think this news is wrong. There is more things against it than for it. Who knows but until Alton give the news I am just taking it as gossip. They are going to look very stupid if they have it wrong as they said if "official".

I did not look at it like that, from a public point of view. I would have just expected a statement from Alton confirming these stories thats all, no one has given information as to where the new has come from. 2 weeks ago the 2 web sites that have now said Intamin 1 of them was saying B&M and other makes. I do hope its true, but until Alton say I am not taking anything as the truth. I have to say as well I do not think it will have a backwards launch, many would say that is not a worlds first. Even some of the public that have been to Orlando would say the Mummy does that.

I still do not think this coaster will be an Intamin but I guess we will just have to wait and find out. If they have confirmed it to a fan site I am a bit supprised they have not made it public.

Yes been chatting to people that went on Monday and today and Saw has been fine. Would be the days I have not been lol. Thursday broken I was there. Friday worked I was not there. Saturday it broke, I was there. Sunday broken I was there. From Monday all ok. I am happy they have it working now though, the problems were not Thorpes fault.

Dave, I also took a day off work and travelled over 200 miles that day so yes I also put effort in, I know some people came down from Scotland for it. But yes I agree I think its all about how people speak to the parks, which is why I feel let down by the people I went with. I wish I had spoken to memebers from tpr on the day as well as it would have been a good chance to get to know people. But it does not matter now I will get on it soon.

Am glad some of you got on Saw and well done to Robb for getting you the passes. I just wonder why they did not give them to everyone else that went there on Thursday, I guess not everyone asks the right questions and speaks to the parks in the right way which is why tpr gets so much for their memebers. I was there on Thursday and Saturday and Sunday and have still not got on Saw, maybe I sould have gone with tpr and not the group I went with lol and I bet there are a few others that think that as well. Good trip report, I spent the day mainly chatting to people and speaking to some ride ops who explained what the problem with Saw was. As much as I do not blame Thorpe for the problems with Saw I just wonder what testing they done and why the problem was not found, something that major should have been noticed. Anyway I agree with what Tom said, yes Thorpe know they messed up and thats why they gave out passes and return tickets all in all its a big PR fail for them. I can forgive them for Saw just not everything else that went wrong. I have spent £100 to ride Saw and still not got on it

It was just one of them things, I was there with a different group and we all just made the most of it. It was funny when Rush broke down as well with us all on it No one really went mad we were all just a bit down about it, but at least they open up 2 other rides and we still rode them for free so it was not all bad. What upset most people was the fact that no one from Thorpe even spoke to us, no one said sorry or anything.

Yes good point there I suppose as we like theme parks we tend to know about the other parks such as Six Flags, where as holiday makers just know of Disney etc. Before I joined coaster groups I had no idea of half that theme parks that were around. But you can bet a lot of people know about Magic Mountain, when I was 10 its was always the place that was on tv and in films. But thats like 1 park out of 20 or whatever the number is.

Its going up in the uk as well, from 83p to 88p in a week. Sorry just one last thing about Six Flags. In a way if they go bust it will have an impact on the economy for the reasons I said before. People will not visit the areas and this will have a knock on effect. Look how many people from the usa and other countries just do theme park holidays, many areas will suffer if the parks go. I still dont know how they do their pass so cheap, Merlin in the uk chrage £150 for theirs.

Oh ok, sorry I have no idea how it works in the usa. In the uk we have local councils but it seems to be the main country fund that helps out a company that needs help. As I said though the knock on effect from Six Flags going would be bad, to many other small firms that need them would fail. Think of all the hotels that would shut. I do think they will be ok. They might have to close some of their smaller parks and keep the main ones open. Most countries at the moment have this top 10 list of firms expected to close down, even where I work was on the list and we have been told to ignore it as its rubbish. But 5 firms on that list have already gone bust.

If they are in that much trouble why are that painting their rides and building a new one? sorry if that sounds like a stupid question. I personally think the government will step in to help if it gets that bad, the parks bring people into the local areas so if they go a lot of shops will go.

Cool report. What did you think of Tower of Terror and have you been on the others? I thought it was the worst one simply as it was to bright, you could see the all the walls. Seeing as its the same as the one in California I did not even find it as good as that. We also found Space Mountain really rough and I dont know what they have done to Thunder Mountain but it was running so slow when we went in October.

TPR TV as its not just coasters in the videos.

For me as well its not the theming I am worried about, its all the brakes. As soon as the coaster picks up any real speed it hits a brake. But it will be cool the way it goes through the building and close to others. The public will love it thats for sure, and the park needs something.

From my understanding this coaster is meant to simulate what an F1 car feels like at the start and how it slows down. Yes its a coaster but its not meant to be a coaster if you get what I mean. There has been alot of talk about it in F1 papers. Years ago when Rita opened an F1 driver who went on it was asked what he thought. He said that in order to get a real feel for an F1 car it had to include slowing down, this is what we have with this. Yes they have used a coaster, but they have just used a coaster type ride. This coaster is not about turns or anything like that, the track owners wanted a ride to show acceleration, speed and braking. As I think Robb said the coaster company probably wanted some turns and the track owners agreed to this, but its not what this ride is about. Hope you get what I mean. I will try and scan in the pages later when I get home.

Cheers for making this available, and thanks for your hard work. I really do not know how people complain when something is free.