KarlaKoaster

The positive people are putting forward great cases IMHO. Very mature, reasoned arguments, and I love the woman who started her speech with the anecdote about Paris and the Eiffel Tower and the opposition it faced and how it became an icon. Also good on the guy who called out Universal for being bullies (and I'm a huge Universal fangirl) I had to laugh at the opponent who was saying about body bags in the street and police tape closing off the roads... surely such hysteria doesn't do the 'no' camp any favours!

Jeez, that looks amazing! Even a Rocking Tug looks incredible at Europa Park. I shouldn't be surprised really.

I love people's different opinions too I think Kumba was very high for intensity for me, but I think Dragon Khan seemed more intense when I rode it a couple of years ago. I think the Batmen are very intense too, and Black Mamba is one of the more intense coasters B&M have built in the last few years. When it opened it was OK, but it has really matured into a really fantastic ride! The first half of Hulk was very intense, and it will be interesting to ride it when it reopens to see whether they have taken the bite out of the transitions

Sounds great! So many Christmas events at parks etc are the same where people go for the atmosphere, the food, the drink etc and the rides are a walk on. When I was at Tivoli Gardens once I could hardly move for people, but all the rides were a walk-on. It's the same at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park too. I love it!

I think they were evacuating it in a similar way to how I explained my friend was in that they release the foot restraints so that you can stand on a step as they release the overhead restraints

My friend is a member of Screamscape... That's funny, because I am the one who took the pics and I don't know you. Here is the rest of the gallery from the trip. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOwRKU6amGMy8wEDuNY3_GFLZSf26wF-5sIM1DkaM05ThvnEHxw3s_1t0O0c5irMA?key=NlhnTUl4bE4xUi1JaktHN0l0QS1ITG4zOGVONW1n Thanks for the pictures! It's a shame you didn't get the proper credit here for them, but I'm really glad you posted the whole gallery for us to look at

I think all new B&Ms actually have a sign on the lift now saying 'if the last coach is past this point then secure the train prior to evacuation' (or words to that effect). Apologies for the tangent. But yes, they normally evac from front to the back for the reasons above, and also another benefit is that it familiarises those on the train with the evacuation procedure as they'll be able to see it.

It's mainly so that people can enjoy the view, but on inverters it's not actually really a catwalk anyway, it's just mesh and they still use a moveable walkway to evac trains

Oh wow, thanks for the update! Coming along nicely! I should be living out there for a while from next year so am excited to see progress/ride them once finished. Enjoy your day dubaidave, and feel free to post even more pics

It seems this golf course is both holey and holy.

My friend was evacuated from Air on the brake run and said it was really simple. They rolled a step underneath the car, released the leg restraint so that your legs drop down onto the step and then release the main restraint so that you just walk out from underneath. I guess it's similar on the lift hill

Don't forget, if there is a second coaster planned, it might not be opening next year with Taron... they might just be making sure all the evasive groundwork is done so that it can be constructed with the minimum of disruption.

I'm not sure, a lot has changed since they planned to move Ripsaw, plus that would only account for one of the six rides that look to be closed next year. Hopefully the rumours are groundless, but on Merlin's recent form it wouldn't surprise me.

I saw on Ride Rater and Towers Street that Alton Towers will probably be mothballing six rides next year. Six rides! These will apparently include the Log Flume, Ripsaw, Hex, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Driving School and Nemesis Sub-Terra. No great loss with Charlie and the Driving School, but I did always ride the other four, and Hex is such a brilliant ride! Along with weekday closures and shorter opening times, it looks like 2016 will be bit of a weird year for the park.

Thanks for the update! Is there a bit of work going on with the footers, or am I seeing things?

Thanks everyone for taking the time to upload pictures and commentary... I know it's such a long, busy day for you guys so the effort you go to is really appreciated! The GCI stand looks great. Love all the wood detail all over it, such a nice touch. And I see they're still giving away those same tote bags! I've still got mine from when I visited 5 years ago! I think RMC has the most exciting offerings at the moment. I love how they're really shaking the industry up at the moment and almost just doing their own thing.

Thanks for the update, it's good to see a bit of movement, and 2017 sounds like a sensible target date now that Baron has opened. This was originally going to be a Vekoma dark ride wasn't it, a Pandora's Box? It looks like it will now be a trackless ride... is that correct? Really looking forward to it as Efteling's dark rides are just so good. It's a shame Vekoma's Pandora Box idea never took off, though, as I really loved the concept.

190 jobs may go due to restructuring following a poor season: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-34771289

It does look a bit wishy-washy, but it is just a CGI video so it's hard to tell what the actual coaster will ride like

Kanonen at Liseberg. I didn't think it would be anywhere close to Helix, Balder or Lisebergbanan but it was absolutely brilliant. I loved how small, compact and twisty it was, how it was unlike any other Intamin launched coaster I've been on, and how relatively smooth it was despite such a tight layout.

Nice report. I loved how the three mazes were so different to each other, therefore it was hard for me to pick a favourite. The final scene on Molly Crowe is honestly just about the best scene I have ever seen on a maze and that includes Universal's Halloween Horror Nights. I enjoyed Nox Infernus a lot even though one of the scare actors actually knocked me over by accident! Terror of the Towers was really elaborate, have always loved that one I did think the mazes were a bit on the pricey side, but having said that they were very well done. I wish there was a chance to go back and get another discounted ticket as I did want to do the mazes again but didn't want to pay another £20 for the privilege. The scare zones were really disappointing for me. They were just far too small. The actors were really good though and I did genuinely jump a couple of times (normally when I was distracted by an actor on one side, and then pounced upon by someone on the other side). I loved riding the coasters at night as there's not many chances to do this at Alton Towers

Yep, those are definitely Top Scan gondolas in the picture on the previous page.

I don't think anyone thinks it's unprecedented to be honest, I'm sure Space Mountain has even been mentioned in this thread already. I think it's surprised people because Hulk is quite a bit newer, but as has been touched on it hasn't actually had a major rehab, has certainly done a few miles in its lifetime, and I think because it's still popular, they're replacing it rather than patching it up for a few years and then removing it completely.

While this isn't directed specifically at you, since I've now seen this a few times recently in this thread... It's "BRAKE" not "BREAK" brake noun 1. a device for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, typically by applying pressure to the wheels. "he slammed on his brakes" break verb 1. separate or cause to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain. "the rope broke with a loud snap" Sorry, it's just a pet peeve of mine. I feel like roller coaster "enthusiasts" probably should know the difference! It will be nice not to have the mid-course brake because it will no longer mean a mid-course break

I went to Disneyland Paris last year and hand on heart I had an amazing four days there. It was one of the best theme park visits I've had in a long time. I've had some bad visits there before, but the service was good, the Studios park has far, far, FAR improved and although some parts of the park looked worn, they were just getting their teeth into the refurbishment programme. Obviously it falls short of the standards I expect from Disney, though, so fingers crossed they can tidy the place up. I stayed at Newport Bay Club Hotel and they were renovating that, and although I was in the old part, it was still spotless inside. I hope the resort is turning a corner; the signs are promising, especially with the work going on in Frontierland. DLP's has always had a colourful exterior with lots of pastel colours, but I'm really looking forward to see the new colourscheme