KarlaKoaster

I can't blame them that they don't have enough staff. It's been a problem for years and with covid it has been the perfect storm. But I can absolutely blame them for their terrible communication and promising the world when they can't even deliver the moon. Hopefully anyone who has booked accommodation etc has free cancellations, I'm not booking anywhere that doesn't at the moment.

I can think of a pretty big one, and it's been the top news story for 14+ months.

I think the 'Intamin rides are unreliable' trope is generally pretty outdated now, just like when people say 'Vekoma rides are rough'. People judge Intamin's reliability on rides like TTD, just like people judge Vekoma's smoothness on their SLCs. Hagrids was a mess, but the opening of that was really rushed and honestly with seven launches, three (?) switch tracks, two drop tracks (and a partridge in a pear tree) it is maybe the most technologically advanced coaster in the world, especially when you factor in the number of trains, conveyor loading etc too. Air at Alton Towers was hilariously unreliable in the first year and that's B&M (which, like many Intamin rides was a world first full of technology).

Thanks for the honest review. I am always a bit when enthusiasts declare a new coaster to be perfect in every way, so I'm really glad you took the time to tell us what left you wanting more as well as what you loved.

Big Thunder Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland which was 6,659 miles away as I think I was living in Valencia at the time.

It's such a great locker system because at least people can still keep their belongings with them in the queue, and only have to put them away at the last minute. They are a pain in the posterior to retrofit to existing rides though because it relies on having the ride exit basically next to the queue because the lockers are double-sided. Obviously unlike the lockers on Forbidden Journey for example they can't have incoming/outgoing riders mixing otherwise people can skip the entire queue.

This looks so good. So much packed into the layout, and the ending looks so chaotic. I cannot wait to go to Belgium and ride this. I really hope you get to ride it soon and give us a review!

Thanks for the review, your thoughts definitely seem in line with my expectations of this being a ride of two halves. It's nice to see that with two decent coasters in such a short amount of time that Universal are restoring a bit of balance to their line-up too after several screen-heavy years.

I guess it's easier said than done, but even if Dolly wants to step down it would be nice if they were able to continue using her name like they do at Bobbejaanland.

Oh wow, that's pretty high to be fair. Blackpool do actually do Big One lift walks, so knowing them they charged the riders for the walk down.

So that's half of Skyline's operating Skywarp coasters possibly removed after just a couple of years. How does Sea World's version compare to this (experience and reliability)? To be fair I think these would be decent filler rides if they used LSMs instead of their clunky tyre-drive system and used a nicer train design. But they don't, so they aren't.

Yes, the park has a super-strict height restriction but they are also really focusing on the family market now so it was always going to be a family drop ride. The dividers I believe are just due to covid.

It's not something I'd do, but if you're a local I can see the appeal of going for a ride opening. So long as you accept the early morning, possibility of disappointment though breakdowns etc, then I can totally understand why you'd want to go - it must have bit of a festival-like atmosphere and at least you can enjoy the ride before over-exposure to all the reviews and everything. I'm definitely not going to look down on someone for wanting to be a part of it.

I think they're trying to make the best out of a bad situation - partly of their own doing as they seem to have got rid of all their support rides. The choice of rides seems pretty crappy so well done to the marketing department for making something out of nothing. Hopefully the park in the meantime can do a bit of soul searching and perhaps consider investing in support rides. It's pretty bad they even need to do this.

Yes, it should be a lot better aside the usual teething problems. The amount of technology on Hagrids is pretty mindblowing even ignoring the eleventy billion launches that it has.

Amazing video as always, thanks for sharing. How slick do those trains look in black?! Great to see seven car trains too, I did wonder whether they'd be six car. I also really like the profiling on the first drop. The twist looks really snappy and kind at bit of an unnatural angle half way down so I hope that converts into some interesting forces.

I hope I don't get banned for saying this, but I think Boomerangs with the new trains are actually OK.

This is probably the least-flattering concept art I have ever seen and makes the area look like an incohesive mess, but I'm really looking forward to trying this out as it's been a while since I last visited. Really happy to see all the large-scale Lego statues and figures too

The only update I can give is to say the ride opened three years ago

I've not ridden, and it's hard for me to get my bearings from the photo/POV footage, but they have removed the horseshoe turn after as well, right? So instead of going straight on, it turns 90-degrees to the left and the new drop to the left takes you straight into the turn into that set of brakes?

It looks slower than I expected but there are so many factors at play that I find it hard to judge a coaster from off ride footage, let alone when it's testing. I'm sure when there are bums on seats and the ride is warmed up after running for 10 hours straight it will be quite a bit faster. Having said that I've not been quite as excited about this layout as some of you guys but I think as an all-round attraction it looks great regardless of the speed or perceived lack thereof.

Has anyone heard anything about the planned 2022 coaster? I did a bit of digging around today as I figured with a budget of $36m construction could be starting soon but couldn't find anything. I wasn't sure if it had maybe been delayed by covid.

I think this might end up being pretty well timed for Universal. There's quite often a boom after a bust, particularly at theme parks, and Universal will have an oven-ready park ready at maybe the very best time - it could be bit of an open goal for them. We just have to hope the budget hasn't been slashed to the point it will look at bit like a new Fun Spot park. The initial plans and concepts looked really good!

I'm not sure we'd see much discussion anyway I think even at the best of times western forums are an echo chamber and there is never normally that much discussion about parks in the east compared to those in America. International borders are closed, Osaka is still in a state of emergency, the land isn't even officially opened and so I am not sure from where else we'd be hearing about it. East rarely meets west in the world of enthusiasts and the few Japanese forums/channels I follow seem to be loving the land. I can't bring myself to ignore all that and dismiss the land as a wet fart.

In the UK, things are going in the right direction and Boris today announced a pretty slow and steady route out of lockdown. In terms of theme parks, the earliest they can open is 12th of April, but indoor dining not until at least 17th May. Mixing of households indoors is also not allowed until 17th May, so it seems like Thorpe Park's penchant for not putting roofs on their most recent coaster stations will give them the last laugh.