Well, here we go then (sorry for the delay!). Apologies in advance but this will be a very long read (possibly the longest post I've ever written on TS)!
@rob666 and
@Rick, no we didn't stick to that plan, queues and downtime dictated where we went. (that plan was only a rough guide anyway).
This was only my second visit to the island like no other in 9 years, my first being back in 2013. We left our home in Sheffield at 6:40 am, 10 mins later than planned, but with little traffic (and no service station stop) we arrived in the car park around 9:40. My dad was supposed to drop us off in the drop and collect car park (our parents were going to a party 10 minutes away), but even though we were in the correct lane he missed the turning because it wasn't signed and obvious. Once out of the car we met up with my sister's boyfriend (a few mins from the car park entrance we thought “wonder where he is?”, then “oh his car's behind us!”) then headed to the Accessibility Kiosk to collect the carer ticket and RAP. We then were in the park for just after 10 am.
Below are the rides we did (not necessarily in order as I cannot remember the exact order and forgot to note it down on Saturday), and my thoughts;
Colossus
Now this was, hands down, the biggest surprise of the day. We got batched onto the second-to-back car, so I was really nervous. The batcher did ask if that was ok even though they couldn't give us another car, which was nice. However, I needn't have worried because it was butter smooth! Because I'm tall I had no head-bashing, but there was no roughness either. Given what I'd heard about it before, it blew me away. So much so that we did it again as our last ride of the day!
That ride was in the front row as we got straight through the merge from the RAP queue due to no one being in front of us (so we only had to wait to get into the station, as opposed to waiting to get to the merge point). Anyway, I must have sat down funny or done something beforehand, as when I did and secured the restraint, my hips started hurting (a similar thing happened during Wicker Man at Towers last year), so much so that I got the attention of the hosts before we dispatched and they unlocked the restraints and did the "we are unlocking the restraints as we are assisting a guest” (we heard that announcement whilst waiting for other rides, really good they do that). I adjusted my position in the seat but it didn't help, so I stood up and stretched for a few seconds and that helped. They then re-secured me and all was fine. I even said sorry to the host as I felt so awkward, but they said don't worry, it's fine. I'm extremely grateful to the staff! When we were on the brake run after the ride we saw another guest being assisted. I also liked the fact that they always waved to guests on the train when one was dispatching.
The quadruple barrel roll felt very strange, it will be very interesting to see how the one on Mingo's version feels with just a lap bar when it opens.
Stealth
Yes, you heard that right, I did Stealth!! I am so proud of myself for doing it, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Quite smooth too. I will definitely consider doing Rita next time I go to Towers (although I know Rita is a bit rougher). I banged my knee when climbing out of the train though and have a small scrape. Nothing bad mind. Also, when we were waiting to get on, the operator announced to the riders on the train in the station that they would be having a "blind launch" (with no lights or spiel), and to brace. Has anyone else seen or even experienced this, or have any idea as to why they may have done it? Genuinely curious.
The Walking Dead: The Ride
This was actually really good, and we all enjoyed it. The theming and atmosphere was great and the actual coaster was nice (did hurt my back a bit though). Usefully, our group of three happened to be next to another group of three at the load station, so the batcher put us together. When we were walking through the exit corridor, a lady in front of us stopped suddenly. We wondered why, but when she started screaming we realised that there were actors ahead.
They were very good too. The only issue we had was the music and sound effects were a little too loud.
We were lucky we rode TWD when we did, as it was closed when we walked past not long after.
Derren Browns Ghost Train
I didn't think we would get to do DBGT, but there must've been an issue with the timed ticket system as they were waving anyone in. We had lunch at the tables near the entrance so I asked the staff member on it and they said that they had forgotten to release tickets for the 12pm timeslot so we could ride now. We wanted lunch so when we walked past later we checked and got in, so tickets for other timeslots probably weren't released as well.
I was a bit nervous as I had never tried VR before, but I was fine. Both sections were a good length. None of my group got touched by the staff during the VR scenes but we could hear other guests screaming.
The VR was ok but not great, but what really made the experience was the practical sets, effects and, especially, the actors. The actors were fantastic. Really set the atmosphere! The actress in the room before you go into the train hall was especially good. Also, during the tunnel scene a lady stood beside me grabbed my arm when an actor came up to us.
Black Mirror Labyrinth
Black Mirror was surprisingly short, although it was made longer as our group got lost a couple of times. Even using RAP we had to wait a while as they were only sending groups of 7-8 in at a time. Again usefully, there was a group of 5 from the main queue so they were put with us three to make 8. The actor at the entrance to the maze, who was the AI and talking robotically, was fantastic. Very good. The maze itself was pretty good, and the effects were too. I wouldn't wait too long for it again, but it's worth a short wait.
Saw The Ride
Saw was both good and bad in my opinion. The queue line and station are nice, as is the indoor section with the surprise drop and inversion. We got batched onto the first train (and chose the front) so went straight through. The outdoor section, bar the beyond vertical drop, was not good at all. Very rough and made our heads hurt.
Swarm
Swarm was my most anticipated coaster before my visit, and was pretty good It's short but packs a punch without being too intense. Wasn't butter smooth though, which is surprising for a B&M! We were on the left side (over the bridge), at the back. Unfortunately we didn't get on it till near the end of the day as it had a fair bit of downtime later and opened late, so I'll have to try the right side next time. Had to wait a fair while too, because obviously you have to queue to reach the air gates as well as the merge point.
Rumba Rapids
This was one of the rides I rode on my first visit 9 years ago. Didn't get wet at all, just a few very light sprinkles. Was surprised that they were only loading one group per boat. Only two of us went on it and there was another two behind us, yet we were put in separate boats. Would make the queue go quicker!
Detonator
The operator on this one was fantastic. Genuinely seemed to be enjoying his job, and changed the way he dropped the car every cycle. For us, he said “nice view up there”, sent us up, then started talking to the people in the queue line while we were hanging up there for ages. He then dropped us without warning! While we were waiting he did things like asking those in the queue to do the countdown or dropping the car before the end of it. Was great, and I would have liked to get on it again. Like Swarm though, we got on it later in the day as it had a bit of downtime.
Rush
Interestingly, when we did Rush it only had one arm operating. It was terrifying, but at least it was short! Would've liked to have done it again.
Quantum
Quantum was another one I did on my previous visit. Was a lot shorter than I remember, and not as intense, even at the back. Nice to get back on it though.
Inferno
Inferno looks menacing as you walk up to it, with the track surprisingly high up. When we got to the station we decided to queue for the front row, which moved quicker than expected. Interestingly, the merge host only put 10 minutes on the timecard, when the main queue was about an hour. Could that have been because of the wait to get from the merge point to the station?
Now, I think I still prefer Nemmy over Inferno, but the latter was still very fun. The pre-lift section was very strange mind!
Notes
We left the park at 5:50pm after stopping at the shop in the Dome for merchandise (I got a fridge magnet with all the big coasters on, like the Towers one I have), and my sister's bf drove us 10 mins to meet our parents and we all had a meal together before the journey home. We arrived back in Sheffield around 10:30pm, after a short stop-off en route. It was indeed a very long day!
Conclusion
So, there you have it! Overall, we had a great day at Thorpe. Didn't quite get on everything we wanted, but that doesn't really matter. We had fun on the rides we did do, and it was just nice to be back on the island like no other 9 years later. I can guarantee that it will not be another 9 years before I visit again, especially with Exodus coming in two years. I'm tired, achy and sore though, which shows I had a good day!
Now, I know some of you will want to know what my top 10 coasters list looks like now;
- Nemesis (AT)
Colossus (TP)
Stealth (TP)
Icon (BPB)
Wicker Man (AT)
Thirteen (AT)
Oblivion (AT)
TWD: TR (TP)
Inferno (TP)
Revolution (BPB)
Again, apologies for the long read, and thanks for staying till the end! Also, if you have any questions please feel free to ask!
