Quick Questions

[s_g_k]

I think I'm more worried about the social part of the experience not having anyone to talk to all day etc ha ha do u have a plan or just go for it and start with all Ur favourite rides

I did my first solo visit earlier this year and I felt the same as you.

It was great! I did what I wanted to, had lunch in Just Chicken and took the time to explore the park on my own time.

I would happily do it again. The biggest nervousness for me was joining queues on my own and looking like a loner, but those thoughts were instantly put to bed. Single riders join queues all the time and I quickly realised that no one else on park gives two monkeys if you’re walking around on your own

 

[richr87]

Ha ha that's how I feel so it's good to hear that thanks. I will give it a try then what's the worst that could happen ha ha

 

[Bowser]

Ha ha that's how I feel so it's good to hear that thanks. I will give it a try then what's the worst that could happen ha ha

If yesterday was anything to go by it'll be near walk on all day anyway.

I did Universal Singapore on my own last year which i was equally anxious about but like others have said, nobody else cares and it meant i did everything at my own (accelerated) pace and benefitted from single rider queues where applicable.

Actually just remembered i did Thorpe Park solo a few weeks ago too (my friend arrived several hours later).

Going with other people is much more enjoyable imo but solo trips feel a lot more productive! Did chat with a few people when you got paired with them on rides too.

 

[richr87]

Thanks to everyone for your advice I went and did my solo visit today and had a brilliant time. It helped that it was a very quiet day but it's really isn't as bad as I thought I'd definitely do it again

 

[owenstreet7]

I think I'm more worried about the social part of the experience not having anyone to talk to all day etc ha ha do u have a plan or just go for it and start with all Ur favourite rides

Sometimes people are friendly and will chat to you in the queues and the rides. It doesn't always happen but I am a very introverted enthusiast

Having experienced multiple parks in this country and overseas solo, I'd say go with the flow and enjoy yourself. Decide what you fancy doing factoring in the queue time and enjoy yourself

It is more enjoyable and relaxing doing it solo than groups sometimes.

 

[Shaggy_Dog_]

Does anyone here do solo visits I'm thinking of going tomorrow solo and feel quite nervous about it. Is it as bad as it sounds or is it nothing to worry about?

I haven’t done Towers solo but I have done Thorpe, Chessington, and several European parks solo. For me it’s no big deal because I’ve always been very comfortable going off and doing things on my own. You can just have a day doing whatever you want to do at whatever pace you want to do it at. If you are worried about being bored in the queues then it can be a good opportunity to just put on some headphones and listen to music, browse internet forums, play a puzzle app on your phone, whatever you like doing. I’m glad that you went and had a great time.

 

[George W]

Yea I did Europa park and portaventura /Ferrari land solo this year and had a great time, I hit up Alton towers and thorpe park solo a lot too.

Alton towers when I'm there solo on a quiet day I just enjoy getting a high ride count and taking a stroll through the gardens and when I'm with friends or family then I can take it more at their pace.
Usually I'll meet some good people on a solo day out I think the funniest time was at Chessington on a quiet September day and I got speaking to a enthusiast I sat by on dragons fury, and then we bumped into a few other theme park fans throughout the day whilst our group just got gradually larger.

But as someone who doesn't have a lot of friends who can always come to theme parks the best thing I've ever done was go on a holiday with Coaster Breaks, I went last May and was great to really get to know some enthusiasts and visit some top quality parks without having to worry about transport.

 

[dave___]

I don't mind going solo but am one of those people who is happy with their own company. I made the mistake once of going mountaineering through the gardens path route on a wet autumn day, wont be doing that again.

Always fun when you get sat next to a first timer or a screamer though...

 

[Whacky Worm]

For the fasttrack vouchers that come with the annual passes, does anyone know how you go about redeeming them? Do you have to go to Customer Services? And is it £5 per fasttrack or £5 off each fasttrack?

 

[AT86]

For the fasttrack vouchers that come with the annual passes, does anyone know how you go about redeeming them? Do you have to go to Customer Services? And is it £5 per fasttrack or £5 off each fasttrack?

It’s £5 off. You can use them at the Box Office at the bottom of Towers St.

 

[Whacky Worm]

Will do, thanks!

 

[Bowser]

Has a rollercoaster even been built with staggered seating so everyone has a front row seat view? Guess it would be more viable on short trains like Smiler.

 

[Matt N]

Has a rollercoaster even been built with staggered seating so everyone has a front row seat view? Guess it would be more viable on short trains like Smiler.

Oblivion technically was, although I wouldn’t like to be the judge of how successful they were. The park always says that “all rows offer a front seat view” on Oblivion!

Some B&M Hyper Coasters with the staggered v seating, such as Shambhala, also did something similar to this.

 

[NuttySquirrel]

Oblivion technically was, although I wouldn’t like to be the judge of how successful they were. The park always says that “all rows offer a front seat view” on Oblivion!

This is not really true, if you are on the back row granted you can't see the row in front when you are tipped over the edge but the angle is obviously different as you're not looking straight into the hole.

Not quite the same point but I've found the experience on flying coasters varies very little depending on which seat you have - as you are mostly looking at the ground or the sky anyway.

 

[jibbsie]

Rita also has staggered seating, although it is only the rows (so the row at the front of each car is lower than the row behind)

 

[Secret Weapon]

I have a question regarding Nemesis:

John Wardley has explained over the years that the original plan was to build an Arrow pipeline coaster called "Secret Weapon", but this was changed to a B&M inverted rollercoaster after he rode the prototype pipeline coaster in Utah and found it dull.

My question is: does anybody know why the name of the rollercoaster was also changed as well? Why was the B&M inverted rollercoaster called "Nemesis" instead of the original codename of "Secret Weapon"?*

The only clues that I have been able to piece together are from interviews where JW stated that the pipeline coaster physically resembled a missile, and the B&M track appeared serpentine - but I have heard speculation that it may also have been because the Cold War had ended by 1994 and so the concept of nuclear warfare had become somewhat passe? (by contrast, The X-Files had recently launched, and so perhaps aliens were seen to be more fashionable?)

I remember JW stating that Nick Varney wanted a name that ended with "-is" (e.g. Osiris), although I’m not sure why?

(*Incidentally: maybe it’s just me, but I personally think that "Secret Weapon" would have been a good name for SW7 / The Smiler!)