5 replies to this topic

[Chaos]

Just completed a whirlwind trip through all of the UK's major theme parks! So I thought I'd share my thoughts and YouTube videos here.

 

I was actually in the UK for 2 weeks, but it was mostly to meet with different friends who were also visiting, leaving me just 5 days for the theme parks. Now that it's over, I'm happy to say that I was able to ride every single major coaster I've been dreaming about since I was 8 years old. 

 

To start the trip, I flew into Glasgow to meet with the missionaries my father grew up with as a kid in Ghana (more on that in a later update). However, I also realized CW5X lives in Glasgow, too! So I got to meet up with him, with was awesome.

 

Then I rented a car and drove down to Blackpool, which was an experience on its own. It was very hard to get used to all the round-abouts and speed cameras and such.

 

Blackpool was so much better than I could have imagined. For all the American users on here, imagine Kennywood. Then imagine Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Then mash them together and add Icon and the best water ride ever. It's hard to describe, so just watch the videos below.

 

 

 

[CW5X]

Went on Valhalla as well in the front but had waterproofs on... over everywhere except my feet which got drenched. Such a great ride experience though. Blackpool is a nice balanced park now with Icon there. Little bit of everything.

Edited by CW5X, 09 April 2019 - 02:55 AM.

[rgarner42]

Blackpool's fun and it's got a lot of pretty unique rides. Shame wild mouse has gone because that was always one of my favourites.

 

Valhalla's probably the best ride there. Love the woodies, but the big one has seen better days. It used to be the fun kind of rough, now it just hurts. Totally agree about infusion, but I think flight deck at Canada's Wonderland wins my award for worst slc. 

 

I didn't know you'd gone to Alton Towers too, that's only about 40 minutes from me and I was actually home from uni this weekend. 

[Chaos]

^Dang, that sucks that I missed you! I should have messaged you!

 

So, after Blackpool on Friday, I tried to do Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures in one day. I was mostly successful.

 

Thorpe Park: I was kind of underwhelmed, given the park's large size. There weren't really any standout coasters to me. Swarm is probably the best (it's my 2nd favorite wing coaster after Thunderbird). Everything else was very similar to a ride in the States, only not as good. For example, Saw is like a cheap Mystery Mine, Stealth is Xcelerator but with awful restraints. 

 

The one unique ride was Derren Brown's Ghost train, and while I appreciated the idea, I was very disappointed when I realized it was mostly a VR attraction. The other memorable thing about this park was the dark and morbid themes everywhere. I feel like they don't even have to change anything when it comes time for Halloween.

 

 

Went to Chessington mainly for Vampire, which I only got to ride once due to the enormous crowds and 1 train ops (which was weird since Thorpe Park was basically empty). Vampire might be my new favorite suspended coaster, and Dragon's Fury is a surprisingly top notch custom Maurer spinning coaster. That second lift hill surprised me. But I would not want to go back until Vampire gets its second train back.

 

 

 

 

[Chaos]

So, I did Legoland Windsor and Drayton Manor in one day. It's do-able, as both parks are small (even though they are a 2 hour drive apart). 

 

Legoland was a horrible disappointment. Operations were not good, and it seemed like everything was closed except for the coasters and a couple of their flat rides. I've since heard it's because they are 35% understaffed, but it still looked really bad. Overall, even if everything was working, I'd put it 3rd behind Legoland Florida and Legoland California (although this one is on a hill and has some great views of the countryside). However, the outdoor portion of their Dragon coaster was cool - two lifthills, and some unexpected airtime!

 

Drayton Manor was awesome! The employees were nice, and the park has a nice, peaceful feel to it. I really hope they are able to replace G-Force with something equally cool-looking (but reliable). And, as one of the few fans of stand-up coaster, Shockwave was a bucket list coaster for me, and it did not disappoint. The zero-g-roll standing up is a moment unmatched by any other coaster on earth.

 

 

[Chaos]

So, my first visit to Alton Towers went pretty much as I expected. But here are a few of my notable observations:

 

-This and Blackpool we by far the most crowded parks, but also offered the most complete experiences. I wish I would have had an extra day.

-Going off the crowded thing, a lot of things (like Fast Track and Restaurants) need to be books weeks in advance as they get sold out.

-Nemesis was the biggest disappointment, but only because I'd built it up for all my life.

-Smiler and Thirteen were my favorites. 

-Despite appearing to be more tame, Wicker Man is one of the best GCI's I've ever ridden.

 

Here's the videos: