BooMT
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Sucker for a B&M!
I've not long returned home from an overnight trip to Thorpe Park (Saturday 23rd) & a flying visit to Chessington (Sunday 24th) to finally check out WoJ. This was my first overnight stay & Oktoberfest trip to Thorpe, despite visiting for 20 years, shameful I know! Here's the trip report for Thorpe 
- Click here for a mini Vlog -
Thorpe Park:
We arrived around midday, fully intent on heading straight to Stealth to reinvigorate after the journey
Park was far less busy than anticipated for a Saturday but had a vibrant atmosphere nonetheless. With the RAP, we waited less than 5 minutes to get on, operations were slick & staff were eating through queues. It's been over a year since my last visit & the ascent felt rougher than usual, could just be me - didn't impact the fact Stealth is iconic and just as enjoyable the 100th time as it was the first! Drei, Zwei, Eins is a fun seasonal touch to the launch which seemed to be enjoyed by all! There were a couple of times throughout the day we noticed it struggle to make it over but sadly, no rollback.
We were timed out for about 20mins so I suggested to my long-suffering (non-enthusiast) husband that we take a nice walk to SAW so I could get my dirty thoosie fix of 'Mud, Puddles & Concrete - The UKs Tallest & Fastest Building Site'. We stopped off at some arcade games & had a peek through at Deaths Doors along the way, which looks all but complete - the same can't be said about Exodus However, looks highly likely with lots of the foundations/pins in, a field of supports over by Swarm & execs going in & out of the site all day, that 'going vertical' may not be far off.
I remembered to pack ibuprofen and a cold press to treat the headaches and spinal trauma that can expected from our next ride on SAW... it pays to come prepared really don't enjoy it like I used to, just serves as a box ticking exercise for us. Controversially, I also don't enjoy The Smiler; I personally prefer inversions on floorless/inverted coasters! Despite SAW slipping way down the list for me, its operations were the best I've personally witnessed and it's always atmospheric over on that side of the island. Not a wasted walk!
Heads pounding, chiropractors booked for next week, we staggered back towards the front of the park, admiring the lone new section of Colossus & jumping on a few flat rides (Shout out to Quantum, the first ride I ever rode at TP back in 2003) before we made our way over to The Swarm. Colossus had a couple spots of down time during our visit with chinese whispers of it getting stuck somewhere on the layout heard throughout a couple of queue lines so, rightly or wrongly, we decided to give it a miss this time. (Though we didn't personally see it 'stuck')
On to my favourite! I know some of y'all have nothing but negativity for what, to me, is the most underrated ride in the UK...however, I unashamedly adore everything about The Swarm! The theming, the soundtrack, the ride experience, the merch... I've been enamoured from day one. We took front row right side, almost forgotten how exillerating it was to navigate the drops & near misses at the front, due to sluggish ops over the past few visits making it unviable to wait for front row, this weekend we rode it multiple times up front. Queues were maxing out at about 90, RAP was backing up to around 30+ each time, running on 2 trains. Bought a new tee with emroidery & screen printing from the supply store with my MAP discount, at a final cost of £24 which I think is reasonable.
Post Swarm, it was time to engage in the Oktoberfestivities; there was good selection of food & drink, bustling area, roaming characters, theming & entertainment (we watched the Bavarian Dancers & Yodelling which saw some enthusiastic crowd participation). Despite the wider choice (loaded fries, Apple fries, Bavarian Grill etc) I opted for a single Cinnamon sugar pretzel & Husband went for beer & crisps from the Camden Bar We were saving ourselves for dinner at the (sadly unironically named) 'VIBES Bar & Kitchen' later that evening. It would have been nice to see the dome utilised for the event, it feels like a lot of dead space lately. As part of the gateway to the park, it's the perfect place to immerse & introduce visitors to the theme of a seasonal event. I remember way back when the Dome was hard to walk through because so much was going on! After a refuel, we entered the queue for Ghost Train in a moment of high spirits but I turned around after about 10 steps & left as quickly as possible because I'm a huge wimp with sensory issues ... despite this, very stupidly we went straight to Black Mirror, or as my Husband now calls it: 'Elysia's Mental Breakdown: The Experience'. No, I don't want to talk about, yes, once was more than enough 
If anything, it served the purpose of illustrating why I don't entertain these types of attractions! Anyway, moving on... PTSD fresh, we ticked off Rumba Rapids & Angry Birds land, all of which I am desperate to see completely overhauled. AB feels so out of place - hoping there's truth in the suggestive comments on the passholders group a few weeks ago regarding its days being numbered. The Rapids just look so sad & now have staff stationed all around shouting through the mic at various points (It's been a few years since I've been on). Time to say goodbye IMHO!
Last ride of the day (before re-rides) was Inferno. Ops could have been better but the ride experience was excellent during this trip! Not sure if it was due to riding later in the day (around 6pm) but it felt smoother & speedier than I've known it in recent years! We came off feeling a real buzz to get back on Nemmy next season. It's also the first time in a while I've been to a park without the kids and as someone mentioned on the 'most scared you've been on a ride thread', riding with kids can be unnerving, I'm always holding on to their restraints & feeling on edge about getting them back to the station safe, so it was really nice to relax into the experience this time
Rides done, we checked into Thorpe Shark with low expectations that were fortunately exceeded! Cute theming throughout, smooth check in, comfy beds... although basic, there were nice little touches in the well equipped rooms, including a Thorpe Park Dobble pack, some snacks, plenty of storage - the 'do not disturb' signs are very novel too! The room cleanliness wasn't the best, a lot of wear & tear, dirty door, floor & walls which we did feed back. If we had been staying longer, I'd have probably asked for someone to give it the once over but A) It was just a no frills place to sleep B) This is Merlin... I think we've all come to accept the cleanliness standards at the hotels are not always high...
When it came to dinner, we were wary of VIBES due to poor reviews; thankfully, we had a positive experience and even came second (by one point!) in the quiz, which won us a retail voucher. Of course, we scored 10/10 in the Thorpe Park round I'm a Pescetarian and was really happy with the non-meat choices (especially the diverse potato offering and great salad selection!) I think I ended up going for thirds just so I could try everything?! Breakfast was a winner for us both, everything we needed to fuel up, however, those coffee machines leave a lot to be desired so we opted to get our caffeine fix elsewhere; I can't say we've had a bad experience this season with Merlin Hotel food offering across different sites but maybe we've just been lucky as I know there have been significant issues.
All in all, it was one of my favourite visits to Thorpe, with front row Swarm taking the crown for best ride experience. After our last visit, I came away feeling a bit disappointed, like it had lost its way & everything felt a bit... off? This time, it's like a corner has been turned, feeling positive about the parks future and looking forward to Exodus adding new life to the Island in 2024!
- Click here for a mini Vlog -
Thorpe Park:
We arrived around midday, fully intent on heading straight to Stealth to reinvigorate after the journey
Park was far less busy than anticipated for a Saturday but had a vibrant atmosphere nonetheless. With the RAP, we waited less than 5 minutes to get on, operations were slick & staff were eating through queues. It's been over a year since my last visit & the ascent felt rougher than usual, could just be me - didn't impact the fact Stealth is iconic and just as enjoyable the 100th time as it was the first! Drei, Zwei, Eins is a fun seasonal touch to the launch which seemed to be enjoyed by all! There were a couple of times throughout the day we noticed it struggle to make it over but sadly, no rollback.We were timed out for about 20mins so I suggested to my long-suffering (non-enthusiast) husband that we take a nice walk to SAW so I could get my dirty thoosie fix of 'Mud, Puddles & Concrete - The UKs Tallest & Fastest Building Site'. We stopped off at some arcade games & had a peek through at Deaths Doors along the way, which looks all but complete - the same can't be said about Exodus
However, looks highly likely with lots of the foundations/pins in, a field of supports over by Swarm & execs going in & out of the site all day, that 'going vertical' may not be far off.I remembered to pack ibuprofen and a cold press to treat the headaches and spinal trauma that can expected from our next ride on SAW... it pays to come prepared
really don't enjoy it like I used to, just serves as a box ticking exercise for us. Controversially, I also don't enjoy The Smiler; I personally prefer inversions on floorless/inverted coasters! Despite SAW slipping way down the list for me, its operations were the best I've personally witnessed and it's always atmospheric over on that side of the island. Not a wasted walk! Heads pounding, chiropractors booked for next week, we staggered back towards the front of the park, admiring the lone new section of Colossus & jumping on a few flat rides (Shout out to Quantum, the first ride I ever rode at TP back in 2003) before we made our way over to The Swarm. Colossus had a couple spots of down time during our visit with chinese whispers of it getting stuck somewhere on the layout heard throughout a couple of queue lines so, rightly or wrongly, we decided to give it a miss this time. (Though we didn't personally see it 'stuck')
On to my favourite! I know some of y'all have nothing but negativity for what, to me, is the most underrated ride in the UK...however, I unashamedly adore everything about The Swarm! The theming, the soundtrack, the ride experience, the merch... I've been enamoured from day one. We took front row right side, almost forgotten how exillerating it was to navigate the drops & near misses at the front, due to sluggish ops over the past few visits making it unviable to wait for front row, this weekend we rode it multiple times up front. Queues were maxing out at about 90, RAP was backing up to around 30+ each time, running on 2 trains. Bought a new tee with emroidery & screen printing from the supply store with my MAP discount, at a final cost of £24 which I think is reasonable.
Post Swarm, it was time to engage in the Oktoberfestivities; there was good selection of food & drink, bustling area, roaming characters, theming & entertainment (we watched the Bavarian Dancers & Yodelling which saw some enthusiastic crowd participation). Despite the wider choice (loaded fries, Apple fries, Bavarian Grill etc) I opted for a single Cinnamon sugar pretzel & Husband went for beer & crisps from the Camden Bar
We were saving ourselves for dinner at the (sadly unironically named) 'VIBES Bar & Kitchen' later that evening. It would have been nice to see the dome utilised for the event, it feels like a lot of dead space lately. As part of the gateway to the park, it's the perfect place to immerse & introduce visitors to the theme of a seasonal event. I remember way back when the Dome was hard to walk through because so much was going on! After a refuel, we entered the queue for Ghost Train in a moment of high spirits but I turned around after about 10 steps & left as quickly as possible because I'm a huge wimp with sensory issues ... despite this, very stupidly we went straight to Black Mirror, or as my Husband now calls it: 'Elysia's Mental Breakdown: The Experience'. No, I don't want to talk about, yes, once was more than enough If anything, it served the purpose of illustrating why I don't entertain these types of attractions! Anyway, moving on... PTSD fresh, we ticked off Rumba Rapids & Angry Birds land, all of which I am desperate to see completely overhauled. AB feels so out of place - hoping there's truth in the suggestive comments on the passholders group a few weeks ago regarding its days being numbered. The Rapids just look so sad & now have staff stationed all around shouting through the mic at various points (It's been a few years since I've been on). Time to say goodbye IMHO! Last ride of the day (before re-rides) was Inferno. Ops could have been better but the ride experience was excellent during this trip! Not sure if it was due to riding later in the day (around 6pm) but it felt smoother & speedier than I've known it in recent years! We came off feeling a real buzz to get back on Nemmy next season. It's also the first time in a while I've been to a park without the kids and as someone mentioned on the 'most scared you've been on a ride thread', riding with kids can be unnerving, I'm always holding on to their restraints & feeling on edge about getting them back to the station safe, so it was really nice to relax into the experience this time
Rides done, we checked into Thorpe Shark with low expectations that were fortunately exceeded! Cute theming throughout, smooth check in, comfy beds... although basic, there were nice little touches in the well equipped rooms, including a Thorpe Park Dobble pack, some snacks, plenty of storage - the 'do not disturb' signs are very novel too! The room cleanliness wasn't the best, a lot of wear & tear, dirty door, floor & walls which we did feed back. If we had been staying longer, I'd have probably asked for someone to give it the once over but A) It was just a no frills place to sleep B) This is Merlin... I think we've all come to accept the cleanliness standards at the hotels are not always high...
When it came to dinner, we were wary of VIBES due to poor reviews; thankfully, we had a positive experience and even came second (by one point!) in the quiz, which won us a retail voucher. Of course, we scored 10/10 in the Thorpe Park round
I'm a Pescetarian and was really happy with the non-meat choices (especially the diverse potato offering and great salad selection!) I think I ended up going for thirds just so I could try everything?! Breakfast was a winner for us both, everything we needed to fuel up, however, those coffee machines leave a lot to be desired so we opted to get our caffeine fix elsewhere; I can't say we've had a bad experience this season with Merlin Hotel food offering across different sites but maybe we've just been lucky as I know there have been significant issues. All in all, it was one of my favourite visits to Thorpe, with front row Swarm taking the crown for best ride experience. After our last visit, I came away feeling a bit disappointed, like it had lost its way & everything felt a bit... off? This time, it's like a corner has been turned, feeling positive about the parks future and looking forward to Exodus adding new life to the Island in 2024!
(as big Dobble fans - I was super happy to receive on as thought these were only for first riders of Dobble Tea Party!)
I'm sure they have plenty of them - wouldn't surprise me if some of the younger guests leave them behind too!