Picto81

I love that they have tried to make it look like a shark by adding the gills on the side, They were starting to build this coaster whilst I was visiting back in November. Is it going to be like Shambhala at Port Aventura?

I love that they have tried to make it look like a shark by adding the gills on the side, They were starting to build this coaster whilst I was visiting back in November. Is it going to be like Shambhala at Port Aventura?

I'm a little disappointed, you would kinda think that when you re-brand a ride, you would make it aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Give it a nice paint job and new cars at least. I'm still looking forward to giving it a go, but I was also looking forward to feeling like I was queuing or riding a new coaster. Although if the rumours of a planned closure of 6 rides in 2016 is true then I won't be traveling the 400 mile round trip just for this anyway.

It doesn't look like the cars are changing at all, notice the dirty head rest on the empty seat...

I'm not so sure Merlin would do this, what with Hex still being in operation...Oh actually ......

Sorry I'm new to this site so probably didn't search as well as I should have done before starting a new thread, but to be fair most things have probably already been discussed at one point or another. Original post is 10 years old too by the looks of it.

A good point actually, As much as Oblivion is shorter than Shiekra, the build up is pretty awesome, also the view. Having said that I have now ridden Oblivion to death and only ridden Sheikra once, and I have to say the drops on Sheikra are amazing. So I would have to go with Sheikra. I was on the back row of Sheikra too and somehow it seemed like I was still riding at the front.

As a Derren Brown fan I am probably looking forward to this ride a lot more than I am Galactica (Air Revamp) at Alton Towers. Derren Brown's stage shows are brilliant, and I also enjoy his specials on TV, I hope this ride doesn't disappoint (Much like Subterrra previously). Lets reserve judgement until we've given it a go. You never know it could be the greatest ride Thorpe Park has to offer...(tin helmet now firmly on ready for a backlash).

Cautiously optimistic is a great way of describing how I will approach this coaster. Give that girl a high five I didn't plan on visiting AT this year what with The Smiler being down, but might have to make the 400 mile round trip to test this and the new restaurant out, but only when The Smiler re-opens.

So it looks like its been confirmed then, VR to be installed on Air. What are your thoughts? I actually liked air the way it was, but I'm not opposed to change so I look forward to riding this in April. Does anyone know if they have added a launch? Is it possible to add a launch? and is the VR optional?

Agreed, although a close second for Dudley Do Rights.

I remember queuing for The Smiler for 3 hours and listening to that "wah wah wah, wah wah wah, wah wah wah wah wahhh" over and over and almost going mad. I don't think i'll ever forget that tune. Not sure it will be back when it re-opens next year. Definitely the most annoying in my opinion. The ride more than makes up for it though.

Some great drops there boldikus. That Phantom's Revenge one with the head chopper at the bottom looks awesome. I wish I lived in the US just to experience these beasts.

Wow this post alone has made me realise how many awesome coasters there are that I haven't seen. I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't know about El Toro, I'm from the UK and have visited most parks this side of the pond, and have only recently returned from my first trip to the US where we had our honeymoon in Orlando. The only other "foreign" park I've done is Port Aventura in Spain. I've not experienced many woodies either, only the Blackpool ones and Stampida (Port Aventura). I was disappointed when I got to Busch Gardens and realised Gwazi had closed. Some cracking photos on these posts too. Love the Behemoth one posted by JohnLloyd. Shaun

Wow.. The drop on El Toro looks immense. Would love to give that a go. Which theme park is it at?

So what is your favourite drop on any rollercoaster in the world that you have been on? You must provide a photograph for this one too. This is by far my favourite drop of all, Shambhala (Port Aventura, Spain). I took this photograph on the opening season in 2012, and have been proud of it ever since.

This one... Nemesis (Alton Towers UK).

This is a major annoyance of mine to be honest. People who feel the need to film their ride on any coaster. There are now so many POV films on Youtube of almost every coaster out there, that you really do not need to do another one. We were in the line for Oblivion this year and when we finally got to the loading bay we asked the operator why the ride had stopped about 3 or 4 times whilst we were in the queue. The reason was people taking video on their phones etc, every time this happens the operators have to "harness up" and climb up the lift hill and remove the camera from the person responsible, slap them on the wrist, walk all the way down and then continue the ride. This just causes unnecessary waiting time. Just queue, get on the ride, and enjoy the ride. Rant over..

The Wild Mouse was scary as hell, you do think you are going to fall out and the turns are immense, however due to the bruises and sheer roughness I wouldn't be quick to ride it again. I do appreciate the nostalgia though, In my old age (34) I think I'll stick to the newer coasters Nemesis is probably the coaster I have ridden the most, Believe it or not its not normally the busiest coaster in the park. It's a great B&M never the less.

Some great responses so far, but really, why all the love for the wild mouse at Blackpool? Nemesis really is a great coaster I have to agree. I need to get back to Blackpool again soon too.

Hi cfc, Nemesis is an awesome coaster, I remember queuing for what seemed like a week for my first ride in about 1994. Nowadays the queue is much shorter, and the ride a lot rougher. They used to have a red stream running through the valley and queue line but they stopped pumping the dye through recently which is unfortunate. Apparently a worker accidentally let the dye run into a nearby stream or something, so they put a stop to it. A good choice though. I've only been to Blackpool once, and Steplechase wasn't working that weekend so I can't comment on that.

I am really interested in what people from across the pond think of our coasters here in the UK. Let me know which coaster you would love to ride (If you haven't been to the UK), or your favourite if you have visited the UK. My favourite as you can probably tell by my avatar is The Smiler at Alton Towers, I'm also a big fan of Saw at Thorpe Park, even though I don't consider Gerstlauer as the best manufacturer. Shaun

I would say The Smiler at Alton Towers, the suspense in the queue line with the cars racing over your head, and then the 14 inversions on ride are just amazing. Shame the ride is closed at the moment. I've just got back from a 3 week honeymoon in Florida and I've got to say I think I found the most fun to be The Mummy at Universal, loved it. Shaun

Hi everybody, I have been a silent viewer of Theme Park Review for around a year now, I am from Norwich in the United Kingdom. I have been visiting theme parks in the UK for 25 years and have always had a love for roller coasters. I starting looking at this website after we booked our honeymoon to Florida, I knew I was going to be visiting some great theme parks and wanted to get an insight before we arrived. This site was by far the best one. I didn't stop at just looking at Florida theme parks, and found myself visiting this site over and over for the whole year. We had such a great time in our 3 weeks that I thought about writing a review, then I thought why would local Americans be interested in what I had to say, so I didn't bother. Got some great photographs though and we had a wicked time at Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, and Busch Gardens. If any of you are ever thinking of visiting the UK for theme parks and need any advise please do let me know, and if I can help I will. Are there any UK coasters in particular you guys would really like to ride? My favourite UK coaster is The Smiler at Alton Towers, although sadly its had a lot of bad press this year, and is currently closed as you know. It would be good to hear from you all, and keep up the fantastic work on the site. Shaun