Divv3k Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 (edited) Well the new coaster season is officially upon us, which tends to mean that at least one park in the UK is opening some new coaster. Which means the Brit Crew get another excuse to go get drunk and visit a theme park the next day! (Check out the BAR PHOTOS, too!) This year it's Alton Towers, who have just unveiled the much talked about and hyped Thirteen! A ride thats been in the making since the Corkscrew was removed in 2008. From the looks of things, the combination of raging fanboys and the Alton Towers PR machine has led to some hugely differing expectations for what the ride would offer. For me, when I saw the planning application a year ago I figured "it'll be like Mine Train Ulven at Bakken". Good for me, as I love that mine train and well it would be WAY better than Corkscrew! Well after riding it I have to say that it exceeded my expectations! Not only is it like Mine Train Ulven but it's also got a bit of Expedition Everest in there, too! Plus, this "world's first" element, which is basically a section of track that shakes and drops about twenty foot is really cool! If you've rode Winjas then you'll have an idea of how it feels. But really there's something to be said for being on a piece of rollercoaster track that does something that it shouldn't! So from me it gets a huge thumbs up. It's a fantastic family ride that complements the bigger thrill machines in the park really well. My only complaint is that it's extrememly difficult to get photos fo the coaster after the lifthill! The rest of the park is looking great. Rita has been dirtied up as she's now "succumbed to the Dark Forest" and looks a lot better for it. The Sonic Spinball retheme of Spinball Whizzer is really cool for what it is (and will probably lead to me spending a fortune on Virtual Console games in the coming weeks as my Mega Drive nostalgia has been sparked!). I hope we see more Sonic Spinballs show up in other parks! Even better for us was the crowds - or lack thereof! With it being the opening weekend for the new ride we really feared that it would be rammed and we'd be lucky to get on Thirteen once. After we queued 40 minutes for Thirteen in the morning we hardly queued for anything all day! We even got in a second ride on Thirteen before we left. I think with all the great coasters and space that Alton has it really can control crowds better than a park like Thorpe Park ever could. Okay, enough of my prattling on. Here's the photos... They say DON’T GO ALONE… It’s okay Steve, the Brit Crew are with you! Look at this purple sexiness that now awaits you at the park entrance! It’s a Vekoma that you can’t ride! My favourite kind! I’m only kidding, Erik! Did you know it’s Alton Towers Resort’s 30th Birthday this year? They’ve pulled in the big guns to celebrate it too. OMG, it’s Mr Squirrel Nutty himself! My day has been made!!! Random group photo of today’s Steve-scarers (and Steve!) The prehistoric Ug Land is no more! The Dark Forest is taking over… And I don’t think Steve likes it one bit! Yup, we’re here for Thirteen! One of the most hyped and talked about coasters in recent memory… Keep your eye on the van. Scottish Steve has been working himself up for the Thirteen experience since Scarefest. He really doesn’t do well with scary and sudden frights! Whilst carrying out routine excavation at Alton Towers apparently a load of wraiths got on the loose and Thirteen was born… In 1994 wasn't a massive alien monster discovered after these routine excavations? They really need to stop doing those, bad things keep happening! So after about 40 minutes of waiting we’re finally getting into the station. Looking good so far. STATION! So far it's all looking pretty good! The Dark Forest really is taking over! Okay, moment of truth time… I loved Thirteen! It’s like a cross between the mine train at Bakken and Expedition Everest. So for me – really good, especially the “special” element! A monumentally geeky moment for Anth as he’s just nabbed credit number 213! Did Scottish Steve survive? You betcha! Random Thirteen tat that you can buy. Oh dear. What’s happened to poor Rita? The old queen is succumbing to the Dark Forest! Even her trains have been all rustied up. It’s nice to have Rita themed to actually fit in with the rest of its area! Before the Thirteen queue existed you couldn’t really get Rita shots from this angle! A geeky opportunity has to be taken! Dave's sad that he can't buy queen gear in the Rita shop anymore. Wait, wait, wait! Forget about Thirteen! Not to be outdone by Blackpool, Alton Towers have added a fountain of their own for 2010! Are the old classic Towers fountains still running well? You betcha! Silhouettey Oblivion photo quota – filled! Random group photo! There’s some major X-Citement going on here! The tastiest pancakes ever, Dave? You betcha! Hey, look who else has moved into the Towers this year! Time for all us twenty-somethings to get very nostalgic! Sonic Spinball was an amazing Mega Drive game! Why did no one think to theme a spinning coaster to it before now??? Okay, so it’s just Spinball Whizzer with some new paint. But hey, that means Jeff Johnson gets a new credit when he next comes to the UK! Is the sound of Sonic grabbing a ring the most satisfying sound known to man? You betcha! Anth and Robin are big fans of the Sonic do-over! Time for some more typical Brit Crew shenanigans… ABUSE MIKE! Note for anyone who wants to eat at Alton Towers – go to Pizza & Pasta Buffet! £6.60 (with an annual pass) for unlimited food and drink! Amazing value for any theme park! Rapids rides in March? You betcha! TPRegret. Scottish Steve’s all “mine’s bigger”. This was last time any of us ever saw Steve. We’ll miss you buddy. This photo is scarier than anything I saw in the Dark Forest. Fact. Mike firmly believes that the Runaway Mine Train is better than Nemesis. Yup, mine train… I have contractual obligations to fulfil. C’mon Steve. You survived Thirteen, you can do Duel… Alton Towers were really hoping Matt Damon would visit this year. Look at how extra pink they made the river! Is Nemesis still the best coaster in the UK? You betcha! And Air is still, well, Air. Do not wave-diss this man! Brad can’t visit Alton Towers without hitting up his absolute favourite aquarium – Sharkrape Beef! Russ makes someone happy? You betcha! One last look at the Brit Crew Class of Thirteen. We really do love slimy scaly tentacles wrapping around us. Or maybe that's just me. Was it a great day at Alton Towers? Did Thirteen live up to our expectations? Was Mike the butt of 97% of all our jokes? YOU BETCHA!!! Thanks for reading! Edited March 31, 2010 by Divv3k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPDave Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Divv, I'm pretty sure Mike was the butt of 99% of the jokes, he has many problems... Awesome day guys! we should do that again some time Dave "you betcha!" Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
65skylark Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Great PTR as usual, Divv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Great Photo TR!!! Looks like I'll be hitting up the Pizza and Pasta buffet for sure when we're there in June! Someone reported that the Oblivion Condoms are back in the souvenir shop. With all of your gift shop shenanigans did you happen to notice? I just think they're the most effed up Theme Park souvenir EVER!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPDave Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Someone reported that the Oblivion Condoms are back in the souvenir shop. With all of your gift shop shenanigans did you happen to notice? I just think they're the most effed up Theme Park souvenir EVER!!!! We didn't notice actually We were too busy waiting for a bout 5 minutes for our rider cam videos to come up before realising that our train probably wasn't working! If i'm up there soon i'll have a look! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorkscrewFoley Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I'm glad to see you guys didn't get caught up in the Thirteen hype. I'll be at Alton next year, or so that's the plan, am excited about Thirteen, but am not hyping it what so ever... Myself, if you keep your expectations really low, you actually enjoy stuff (kind of like with Will Ferreell movies) lol. As for rapids in March...even I'm not that mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 £6.60 (with an annual pass) for unlimited food and drink! Amazing value for any theme park! Must. Resist. British food joke. Great job on this TR! We're really looking forward to our first visit to Alton in June. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob.Lloyd Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Great trip report Divv but no photos of drinking fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwm1444 Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Was nice seeing you guys, glad you had a good day too. Mike 'short guy in the hat' Moody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NathP Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Just got home after a long drive, Alton Towers was great today and it was good meeting up with everyone again! All rides were working and running to full capacity. Lines were walkon to no more than 15min with the exception of Th13teen (1 hour) and Rita (30 minutes) in the morning. I liked Th13teen as its very unique with great theming, when I first rode it I didn't notice the drop as much as I did riding a 2nd time in the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecoasterkid Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Divv, I'm amazed at your ability to make fun of so many people in a single trip report. Yes that river does come remarkably close to matching my tattoo. Another great report, wouldn't have expected anything else! Wish I was there as always. Here's hoping that you make fun of Andrew and his lack of ability to hold liquor in the next report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryancrash Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Great TR Divv! Looks like an awesome day all around. You just made me that much more stoked for the UK trip in June. Can't wait to try the "tastiest pancakes ever" - mmm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillerman1 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Another amazing trip report Divv! It's cool that Scottish Steve finally got to meet Gene Simmons. Awesome all around!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traincrossin Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Sonic the hedgehog, you can't catch what you can't see. Boy does that bring back memories! I loved the Sonic series and that retheme looks great along with Rita's. Thirteen really is haunted, am I the only one that sees the orb? Despite the hype, I think that it's a solid new attraction for Alton and the "secret" element is very unique. I'm glad that the Brit Crew had a fun time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyuk200523 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Great Photo TR!!! Looks like I'll be hitting up the Pizza and Pasta buffet for sure when we're there in June! You can also hit it up at Thorpe Park too, gotta love all you can eat! Awesome TR as ever! Andrew "Here's hoping that my mad dash round the UK in April TR is anywhere near this caliber!" Shakespeare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenshinmac Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Awesome trip report... I can't wait to get to Alton again in the UK trip Thirteen looks like fun if not scary and Rita is a ride I have been wanting to ride for a while now. Seriously though Sonic Spinball was pretty mediocre it seems to be one of those odd games everyone remembers as better than it was.. Plus the fact that it has been close to 17 years since it released makes it seem an odd choice to theme to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiger01 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Great photos! it's nice to see some photos of the area and the station instead of the ride. But then half the ride is hidden in the forest so what choice do you have??? I will be visiting int eh summer and i can't wait to ride my first B and M!!!! A rapids ride is normal in march! However, ever tried rumba rapids at thorpe park on fright nights in the dark?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blighter Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Was nice meeting all of you for the first time! As promised here are my photos! Nice decoration for 13! Some people just LOVE Thorpe Park! (Including Dara O'Brien Jnr in the background) 3 stages of hair growth! Sonic Spinball! Some people can't handle a day at the theme park ALL HAIL THE FU- oh wait... ALL HAIL THE FU- oh, not again... something is going on here! Someone went on the Teacups too many times EVIL DUCK No Ant, that isn't how you eat Sherbet!! It's not what it looks like... really! Rest of the photos can be found here! Hopefully seeing you all again soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divv3k Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share Posted March 22, 2010 ^ Nice to see some more photos! Thanks for the nice comments everyone! Seriously though Sonic Spinball was pretty mediocre it seems to be one of those odd games everyone remembers as better than it was.. Plus the fact that it has been close to 17 years since it released makes it seem an odd choice to theme to. I don't really think the ride is being themed to that old game per se. It's more just been themed to Sonic the Hedgehog who is still a very current character. The name and theme "Sonic Spinball" works well whether you've ever heard of the game or not in my view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moinab Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Another wonderfully entertaining report! Thanks, Divv! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milst1 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Awesome report! Thanks! We're looking forward to our first AT trip in just a few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coasterfrk49 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Great Trip Report! I'm glad that Alton Towers has tried something unique with Thirteen that is truly a new technology for coasters. Maybe we'll see some more coasters in the future pop up expanding on this concept of dropping the coaster track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildStangAlex Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I think the ride looks cool. I really hope Intamin really takes off with this technology, I would love to see much larger coasters with the "drop" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad markus 94 Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 love the new ride carnt wait till i can ride it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nln00b Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Great TR! I so want to go there. I need some credits. Thirteen looks fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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