Fleetwood_Mack
Mega Poster
Myself and a friend had booked to go to Thorpe Park earlier in the month, but as that date drew closer we both admitted that we couldn't be arsed and rescheduled for yesterday. As THAT date drew closer we grew more and more apprehensive about the incoming monster heatwave and discussed pushing our trip back again... but this time we both actually really wanted to go... so we went and endured Thorpe Park in almost 40 degree heat. "This might kill us", I said as we walked across the bridge into the park, around midday. I was internally raging at my friend for being two hours late to pick me up, but 6 hours at the park in that heat turned out to be the absolute limit for us anyway!
The park was very quiet, save for a couple of small school trips who inevitably had gone home by 3pm. The park was mostly dead after that. Everything except Hyperia and Tidal Wave ranging from 5-10 minute waits to walk on. Rush, Samurai, Zodiac, Vortex and Ghost Train were closed most of the day (Ghost Train, Vortex and Quantum all seemed to open for short spells later on in the afternoon but we didn't get around to them), Stealth and Nemesis Inferno both opened in the afternoon, and despite the fact Inferno was walk on they were firing both trains out of that station like they hated them! Operations on Stealth and overall were quite relaxed, but in that heat it was easily forgiven!
Hyperia was one train all day and had the longest queues, regularly 45-55 minutes... with a couple of spells of downtime. That was the case with almost every ride during the day. Again - understandable. I was so happy to finally get on Hyperia after two years of failed attempts! It's a beautiful, genuinely terrifying and fun coaster. Despite running one train the staff were incredibly efficient and on the ball. We got second to last row on our first ride, then later on third and fourth. I think I preferred it towards the front.
The park was also so dead for the last couple of hours that we were able to ride Stealth three times in a row as the staff were letting everyone back through from the exit platform. This also lead to me getting my first ever front row ride on the coaster! After 20+ years of accepting that people using RAP must always sit at that back - that rule seems to have been completely thrown out the window! I even went over the bridge on The Swarm and tried the left side for the first time! The new RAP app works a treat, too! Not having to faff around at guest services at the start of the day is fab. You just 'check in' on the app as you're entering the park and you're off! I thought it was going to drain my battery but I left the park with 40% battery still! Not bad at all considering I use a knackered 5 year old android!
Towards the end of the day the staff barely glanced at it as so many rides were walk on.
Also big shout out to the mist fans that are dotted throughout the park. We ended up starting a mass water fight at the water bottle refill station by Colossus and SAW with a bunch of people. Given the park has lost two of its major water rides in the last decade - it was needed! Later on we did Tidal Wave, but didn't bother with Storm Surge... because why would you on a day like that when Tidal Wave is right there with the same length queue?! Water rides are definitely something the park needs to build back more of in their line-up. Rumba Rapids may have been pants but it would have been the perfect post-lunch filler ride in that heat. It's left a hole in their line-up. Instead we did TWD and were the only ones on our train!
All in all - no regrets. Even if I do feel like and resemble a baked potato today, and am suffering with the absolute mother of all "disabled person overdid it in a heatwave" fatigue. Worth it.
List of rides for the day (as best as I can remember! A couple are deffo out of order)
The Swarm (It's become tradition for me to start the day here! Dethroning Depth Charge)
Hyperia
Stealth
Detonator
Colossus
SAW
Tidal Wave
Nemesis Inferno
Hyperia
The Walking Dead
The Swarm
Stealth (x3)
Hyperia
The park was very quiet, save for a couple of small school trips who inevitably had gone home by 3pm. The park was mostly dead after that. Everything except Hyperia and Tidal Wave ranging from 5-10 minute waits to walk on. Rush, Samurai, Zodiac, Vortex and Ghost Train were closed most of the day (Ghost Train, Vortex and Quantum all seemed to open for short spells later on in the afternoon but we didn't get around to them), Stealth and Nemesis Inferno both opened in the afternoon, and despite the fact Inferno was walk on they were firing both trains out of that station like they hated them! Operations on Stealth and overall were quite relaxed, but in that heat it was easily forgiven!
Hyperia was one train all day and had the longest queues, regularly 45-55 minutes... with a couple of spells of downtime. That was the case with almost every ride during the day. Again - understandable. I was so happy to finally get on Hyperia after two years of failed attempts! It's a beautiful, genuinely terrifying and fun coaster. Despite running one train the staff were incredibly efficient and on the ball. We got second to last row on our first ride, then later on third and fourth. I think I preferred it towards the front.
The park was also so dead for the last couple of hours that we were able to ride Stealth three times in a row as the staff were letting everyone back through from the exit platform. This also lead to me getting my first ever front row ride on the coaster! After 20+ years of accepting that people using RAP must always sit at that back - that rule seems to have been completely thrown out the window! I even went over the bridge on The Swarm and tried the left side for the first time! The new RAP app works a treat, too! Not having to faff around at guest services at the start of the day is fab. You just 'check in' on the app as you're entering the park and you're off! I thought it was going to drain my battery but I left the park with 40% battery still! Not bad at all considering I use a knackered 5 year old android!
Towards the end of the day the staff barely glanced at it as so many rides were walk on.Also big shout out to the mist fans that are dotted throughout the park. We ended up starting a mass water fight at the water bottle refill station by Colossus and SAW with a bunch of people. Given the park has lost two of its major water rides in the last decade - it was needed! Later on we did Tidal Wave, but didn't bother with Storm Surge... because why would you on a day like that when Tidal Wave is right there with the same length queue?! Water rides are definitely something the park needs to build back more of in their line-up. Rumba Rapids may have been pants but it would have been the perfect post-lunch filler ride in that heat. It's left a hole in their line-up. Instead we did TWD and were the only ones on our train!
All in all - no regrets. Even if I do feel like and resemble a baked potato today, and am suffering with the absolute mother of all "disabled person overdid it in a heatwave" fatigue. Worth it.
List of rides for the day (as best as I can remember! A couple are deffo out of order)
The Swarm (It's become tradition for me to start the day here! Dethroning Depth Charge)
Hyperia
Stealth
Detonator
Colossus
SAW
Tidal Wave
Nemesis Inferno
Hyperia
The Walking Dead
The Swarm
Stealth (x3)
Hyperia
