GhosterForce IX | TP & CWoA | Trip Reports
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ATTACKHAMMER
Strata Poster
First day over was awesome! Bring on day 2!
ciallkennett
Strata Poster
Yesterday was delightful...until the rain came. The. It was soggy and cold, but I finally got on The Swarm and thus nabbed my 200th cred!
Chessington bound imminently, see you all there!
Chessington bound imminently, see you all there!
nadroJ
CF Legend
I'm home, can't relax, head is buzzing, ears are ringing, feel like I'm still on a coaster AND I'm shattered.
So, Thorpe highlights:
- The amount of people who bothered to dress up (and dressing up myself)
- The weather being *OK* for most of the day
- Thorpe not being vile and busy
- Fancy dress ORPs
- Stealth having a short queue and being amazing <3
- Having a tea party on the rapids
- Playing 'would you rather' in the queue for NI
- AJ turning up <3<3
- The stupid faff quiz XD
- The hilarious looks Mark and Gavin were getting all day haha XD
- Watching Gavin clinging to his wig while his dress was blowing in his face on Samurai XD
- Waffles and whipped cream <3 "MORE!"
- Hilarious ride-op using our umbrella on Detonator
- trail of bog roll on NI
- Tangoing through Swarm's queueline with Neal
- Swarm being **** sensational in the pissing rain <3<3
And today's at Chessington:
- Raybould not having enough sweets
- Le Sac du Fascism
- "IT's JOEY'S BIRTHDAY!!"
- Mitt Vom-knee
- Puddle of separation
- Hilarious Dragon Falls ORPs
- The amazing cardboard restraints <3
- How many CFers can you get in a tuktuk?
- GLOWsterforce! "Don't even GLOW there"
- JIMMY! SAVILE!
- Sue single riding Bubbleworks in the restraint
- Richard's angelic face
Can't concentrate any longer on writing this, I'm sure there's more but basically it's been a really excellent couple of days, can't thank everyone enough for making it awesome!
So, Thorpe highlights:
- The amount of people who bothered to dress up (and dressing up myself)
- The weather being *OK* for most of the day
- Thorpe not being vile and busy
- Fancy dress ORPs
- Stealth having a short queue and being amazing <3
- Having a tea party on the rapids
- Playing 'would you rather' in the queue for NI
- AJ turning up <3<3
- The stupid faff quiz XD
- The hilarious looks Mark and Gavin were getting all day haha XD
- Watching Gavin clinging to his wig while his dress was blowing in his face on Samurai XD
- Waffles and whipped cream <3 "MORE!"
- Hilarious ride-op using our umbrella on Detonator
- trail of bog roll on NI
- Tangoing through Swarm's queueline with Neal
- Swarm being **** sensational in the pissing rain <3<3
And today's at Chessington:
- Raybould not having enough sweets
- Le Sac du Fascism
- "IT's JOEY'S BIRTHDAY!!"
- Mitt Vom-knee
- Puddle of separation
- Hilarious Dragon Falls ORPs
- The amazing cardboard restraints <3
- How many CFers can you get in a tuktuk?
- GLOWsterforce! "Don't even GLOW there"
- JIMMY! SAVILE!
- Sue single riding Bubbleworks in the restraint
- Richard's angelic face
Can't concentrate any longer on writing this, I'm sure there's more but basically it's been a really excellent couple of days, can't thank everyone enough for making it awesome!
Mark
Strata Poster
^Some great highlights Jordan 
.
I promised myself that I would write a proper report for this year and I fully intend to. I am blatantly far too tired to take a crack at it now but I will have some time at work tommorow so yay.
Thanks to everyone for once again, making it a pleasure to be part of GhosterForce.
.I promised myself that I would write a proper report for this year and I fully intend to. I am blatantly far too tired to take a crack at it now but I will have some time at work tommorow so yay.
Thanks to everyone for once again, making it a pleasure to be part of GhosterForce.
SaiyanHajime
CF Legend
I've not long been home. Public transported it back from Chessington after staying with Scarlet for a couple of nights. So, my first highlight is SCARLET'S COOKING <3 and my second is SCARLET'S SOFA <3 Omg it's the comfiest sofa in the world. Maybe she'll post the photo of me snuggled up sleeping on it. <3<3<3
I thought Thorpe yesterday was really meh. I think a lot of it was down to their complete lack of effort to create any halloweeny vibe. I was also a bit gutted about the stupid long Saw queue. Usually, it's one of the highlights, but so many people leave Saw out now because they loath it, so it wasn't the antics fest it usually is. You've got to worry when enthusiasts start leaving a coaster out en masse. With flat rides or water rides, it's normal for only a few people to bother, but eugh. Also, I saw no actors all day. And no fire on Swarm royally pissed me off.
Yesterday's highlights included...
Scarlet's hair of huge and her FACE freaking motorists out en route to Thorpe.
Being on time.
VICKERS!
Jordan's amazing cupcakes!
The stupid quiz.
Gavin's hideous costume.
Stealth not only operating but also not having a stupid queue length!
Seeing Scarlet folding over at the on ride photo booth as I walked down the stairs and knowing that something hilarious was on the screen... Gavin.
Roast and Relish, the money faff that was irritating the staff and those evil ducks.
Waffle AND doughnuts.
Bribing Sarah to stay with hot chocolate.
Not riding Colossus.
AJ's work stories.
The end to the night on Swarm when the heavens opened was really epic. The rain was awful and hilarious and the ride was running SO WELL. Great ending to a meh day.
Chessington was really, really fab. I wanted it to go on for longer. Lots of faff and not a lot of rides, but that's kinda the point at Chessington. Where there's nothing to do anyway...
Highlights include...
Sweets. Sweets. Sweets. More sweets. I felt sick all day. Awesome. This is how GF should be.
Runnaway Mine Train's RIDICULOUS QUEUE WTF
Pigs like Haribo.
IT'S JOEY'S BIRTHDAY... Hatedmylife.
Rancid farts.
Riding Womb Blaster for the first time in ...Forever.
Mushroom and Rebel's dismay when they thought Stone might be serious about dropping their sweets.
Turning Nic on.
The children who were CAGED IN.
Pizza buffet.
Tim coming round the corner wearing a restraint.
Donating an awful wallet to the faffle only to win a WORSE wallet. </3
Sue riding Falls with the restraint.
No one knowing what the restraint was meant to be.
The cum covered restraint.
The faff in Wild Asia. Not sure what happened but I enjoyed myself chatting.
Scarlet and Fraser's tea woe.
Scarlet discovering how much she enjoyed the restraint and consequently wearing it for ages afterwards, accompanied by Det soundtracks.
GLOW STICKS!
Mark being 5 glowsticks wide. Suchafatty! <3
Riding Black Buccaneer for the first time in forever and not feeling sick!
Buccaneer operator being fab. <3
Contributing to Bubbleworks theming.
Vampire's queue in the dark was AWESOME this year.
Vampire actually being a half decent ride because back rows. <3
JayJay making us miss the bus for him then GOING OFF WITH STONE COLD!!!! </3
The restraint lying in the street.
I thought Thorpe yesterday was really meh. I think a lot of it was down to their complete lack of effort to create any halloweeny vibe. I was also a bit gutted about the stupid long Saw queue. Usually, it's one of the highlights, but so many people leave Saw out now because they loath it, so it wasn't the antics fest it usually is. You've got to worry when enthusiasts start leaving a coaster out en masse. With flat rides or water rides, it's normal for only a few people to bother, but eugh. Also, I saw no actors all day. And no fire on Swarm royally pissed me off.
Yesterday's highlights included...
Scarlet's hair of huge and her FACE freaking motorists out en route to Thorpe.
Being on time.
VICKERS!
Jordan's amazing cupcakes!
The stupid quiz.
Gavin's hideous costume.
Stealth not only operating but also not having a stupid queue length!
Seeing Scarlet folding over at the on ride photo booth as I walked down the stairs and knowing that something hilarious was on the screen... Gavin.
Roast and Relish, the money faff that was irritating the staff and those evil ducks.
Waffle AND doughnuts.
Bribing Sarah to stay with hot chocolate.
Not riding Colossus.
AJ's work stories.
The end to the night on Swarm when the heavens opened was really epic. The rain was awful and hilarious and the ride was running SO WELL. Great ending to a meh day.
Chessington was really, really fab.
I wanted it to go on for longer. Lots of faff and not a lot of rides, but that's kinda the point at Chessington. Where there's nothing to do anyway...Highlights include...
Sweets. Sweets. Sweets. More sweets. I felt sick all day. Awesome. This is how GF should be.
Runnaway Mine Train's RIDICULOUS QUEUE WTF
Pigs like Haribo.
IT'S JOEY'S BIRTHDAY... Hatedmylife.
Rancid farts.
Riding Womb Blaster for the first time in ...Forever.
Mushroom and Rebel's dismay when they thought Stone might be serious about dropping their sweets.
Turning Nic on.
The children who were CAGED IN.
Pizza buffet.
Tim coming round the corner wearing a restraint.
Donating an awful wallet to the faffle only to win a WORSE wallet. </3
Sue riding Falls with the restraint.
No one knowing what the restraint was meant to be.
The cum covered restraint.
The faff in Wild Asia. Not sure what happened but I enjoyed myself chatting.
Scarlet and Fraser's tea woe.
Scarlet discovering how much she enjoyed the restraint and consequently wearing it for ages afterwards, accompanied by Det soundtracks.
GLOW STICKS!
Mark being 5 glowsticks wide. Suchafatty! <3
Riding Black Buccaneer for the first time in forever and not feeling sick!
Buccaneer operator being fab. <3
Contributing to Bubbleworks theming.
Vampire's queue in the dark was AWESOME this year.
Vampire actually being a half decent ride because back rows. <3
JayJay making us miss the bus for him then GOING OFF WITH STONE COLD!!!! </3
The restraint lying in the street.
OMG, just reading your highlights is making me really annoyed I couldn't make this Live. More gutted that I missed Chessie than Thorpe because I always find the Thorpe day a bit meh.
I've already seen a pic of the restraint on Facebook and laughed...a LOT. Where did it come from?
I've already seen a pic of the restraint on Facebook and laughed...a LOT. Where did it come from?
Re: GhosterForce IX | TP & CWoA | Trip Reports
There were loads of actors at Thorpe but for some reason they were in the dome and on the bridge going after people coming in and leaving the park. I only found them when I went to the car after Saw.
Was a good 2 days, I preferred Thorpe once again. Lots of laughs and a really relaxed day but rides to look forward to. Swarm at the end of the day was fantastic and a great way to end the day.
Chessington was fun but the park is just a shell of its old self, it's just getting more and more run down as the years go on its such a shame. Not really the topic to go on about it.
Loved chatting to people during the wait in Wild Asia and great spend time in the vampire queue with Joey, Tim, Nic Leigh and Tina.
That fake restraint was fantastic and a real highlight of the days, Sue wearing it on the log flume and bubble works was funny
So yeah thanks to everyone for making it two good and thanks Mark for getting us round the parks.
There were loads of actors at Thorpe but for some reason they were in the dome and on the bridge going after people coming in and leaving the park. I only found them when I went to the car after Saw.
Was a good 2 days, I preferred Thorpe once again. Lots of laughs and a really relaxed day but rides to look forward to. Swarm at the end of the day was fantastic and a great way to end the day.
Chessington was fun but the park is just a shell of its old self, it's just getting more and more run down as the years go on its such a shame
. Not really the topic to go on about it.Loved chatting to people during the wait in Wild Asia and great spend time in the vampire queue with Joey, Tim, Nic Leigh and Tina.
That fake restraint was fantastic and a real highlight of the days, Sue wearing it on the log flume and bubble works was funny
So yeah thanks to everyone for making it two good and thanks Mark for getting us round the parks.
Jordanovichy
Credit Whore 2016
It's been an awesome couple of days, so thank you to everyone for just being awesome and welcoming as this was only my second (or many I hope) CF lives! As I have never done it before I shall write a trip report, at a later date though, I can hear my pillow calling. And there is, of course, the video I want to make.
So yeah thanks again guys, see you all soon!
So yeah thanks again guys, see you all soon!
The awesome restraint! Please share & like! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... =1&theater
Costumes at Thorpe!
Swarm in the rain in the dark with sexy lights <3 < 3 <3 - A whole new different experience <3 <3
Costumes at Thorpe!
Swarm in the rain in the dark with sexy lights <3 < 3 <3 - A whole new different experience <3 <3
ciallkennett
Strata Poster
On the train back to Derby at the moment to catch my lectures, but thanks everybody once again for making Ghosterforce as fab as always!
Was lovely meeting new faces, old faces and "where the hell have you been the past few years?!" faces.
Finally got on The Swarm and thus got my 200th cred. Back right was very dull, but 2nd row on the left was suprisongly forceful and fun. The rain was - aside from making Swarm delicious - horrible. The restraint was fab <3 Well done Tim on making such a fab costume. I (finally) won a faffle prize after 4 Ghosterforce's! Yay! Radaxian is fab, was lovely meeting her. Sue's endless laughter about MITT ZOM-KNEE became funnier than the joke after around 5 seconds - I'm fairly sure she's still laughing now about it. Fraser hugs, as always, were delicious <3 Finally met Scarlet - she's amazing! Cheers for the sweets Mushy/Ian etc, and the donation of the really tacky but fab faffle prizes everybody who donated. I could go on...
I'm pooped xD Can't wait to hear more reports/see more pics/see vids in the coming days.
Was lovely meeting new faces, old faces and "where the hell have you been the past few years?!" faces.
Finally got on The Swarm and thus got my 200th cred. Back right was very dull, but 2nd row on the left was suprisongly forceful and fun. The rain was - aside from making Swarm delicious - horrible. The restraint was fab <3 Well done Tim on making such a fab costume. I (finally) won a faffle prize after 4 Ghosterforce's! Yay! Radaxian is fab, was lovely meeting her. Sue's endless laughter about MITT ZOM-KNEE became funnier than the joke after around 5 seconds - I'm fairly sure she's still laughing now about it. Fraser hugs, as always, were delicious <3 Finally met Scarlet - she's amazing! Cheers for the sweets Mushy/Ian etc, and the donation of the really tacky but fab faffle prizes everybody who donated. I could go on...
I'm pooped xD Can't wait to hear more reports/see more pics/see vids in the coming days.
I had a great time at my first Ghosterforce, thanks to all of you for making me feel welcome
Swarm in the rainy dark was ace, especially when singing Dance Magic before hand; and the Flying Fish was truly exceptional! Black Buccaneer was the first time I've ever enjoyed a pirate ship. Cheers for all the sweets and the cute Everland clock thingy.... and to Ciall for unexpectedly saying my fave Simpsons quote in the Saw queue
Swarm in the rainy dark was ace, especially when singing Dance Magic before hand; and the Flying Fish was truly exceptional! Black Buccaneer was the first time I've ever enjoyed a pirate ship. Cheers for all the sweets and the cute Everland clock thingy.... and to Ciall for unexpectedly saying my fave Simpsons quote in the Saw queue
Mark
Strata Poster
My Full Report. I did promise after all... So here goes... (Sorry, I didn't take a camera so you are gonna have to be satisfied with a couple of smilies instead)
Our journey started out pretty early this year as we had opted not to travel down the night before. The plan was to not dress up and just enjoy the day and stewarding the group around. However, on Sunday morning I had a change of heart and made a mad dash for the local costume shop to set about some kind of outfit - one of a slutty drag nature. For some reason 'Drag' has become a bit of a tradition that I can't seem to shake off. This had a knock on effect and meant that I either had to get up even more ridiculously early or get ready in the car. Now, anyone who knows me also knows I detest mornings so I thought it would be a far better idea in the car... Applying a full face of drag 'hot-mess' make-up while working your way round the M25 is a brilliant game. :lol: Marc was also threatening to tap the brakes so I would smudge lipstick up my face. Oh joy. Thankfully, he thought better of it! :twisted:
Nevertheless, I managed to get everything done on the journey besides some eyelashes and we arrived in good time at the park around 9.45. Unfortunately, Gavin had discovered in the closing moments of our journey that he had not brought his pre-booked printout and so Marc and I lingered around the entrance whilst Gavin got himself all ticketed and everything. He was far from impressed that the Advanced Ticket Booths were actually also selling tickets to those who hadn't actually bothered pre-booking at all. Then he had to go through the arduous task of security because he had two bags. Still, all in all in only took 15 minutes and I was in the loos and helping Gavin get into his costume. Of course, the clientele of Thorpe Park seem to be genuinely bemused to see people dressing up and having a good time in anything other than a onesie and so several obvious, tiresome and boring comments were made "this is the mens toilets ya know"… "Really? Oh crap, I really should have gone to specsavers, thanks for letting me know!"
With Gavin all dressed up it was on to the usual faff around that is the morning meet-up. It is always great fun seeing who has braved the notion of dressing for the occasion and seeing what they have dressed as and after many years of threatening to bless us with an outfit but not quite making it, Jordan graced us with a slightly more vampire styled 'Amy Winehouse'. Everyone looked brilliant and I would like to make a special nod to Scarlett who looked fab as Bree Needles (a mash up of Bree Van de Kamp/Sharon Needles) (I swear one of these days Marc might shock you all and come in costume too)
After I had finished handing out the voting forms and Ian had dished out all of the Quiz sheets it was time to finally get going. Stealth was our first port of call and thankfully the queue time wasn't too severe. The ride itself was another matter however with several of us clinging to our wigs for dear life as we had been daft enough to forget hairpins. As always Stealth packs a punch and also managed to completely rip off my brand new false eyelashes (GASP :-O) so Jordan set up a quick glue job. I think a nod to Gavin’s incredible ORP is due here. It didn’t look as much like clinging to his wig as it did a completely staged scream. It looked FAB!
I figured we might as well get the Rapids over and done with early on since they were nearby but they were pretty much as dull as dishwater although I do appreciate the fact they had turned off the waterfall at the entrance to the tunnel. We had a few giggles, but in general they were certainly more boring than usual. It really is about time that parks learned to theme the sections between 'splash' zones or whatever… otherwise it is just trundling along a stream with no action and nothing to look at.
Upon exit, I was greeted by a few more "OMG! IT’S A BOY!" et al… Yawn. However, something far more shocking, terrifying and actually heartbreaking was about to happen. As I gently descended the incredibly well swept (ok, no they weren’t) steps in seven inch heels, I slipped on a stray lonesome (ok, there were lots) leaf and nearly face planted down the final flight of steps. I did manage to save myself (coz I am simply put, a pro) and also save Jordan from having me collapse on top of her and probably cause a miniature domino effect of fallen CFers. The worst was yet to come though. I thought I had caused the show to unbuckle but when I tried to do them back up I found that the strap had completely come away from the sole of the shoe :-O After about 7 years of faithful and dependable use my heels had given up on me! Few may realize how devastating to me this was. There were no tears but I am planning a burial if I can’t fix them somehow. Ok, that last part is pretty much bollocks but I was a bit gutted that not only had I had my first major slip in them, they had broken too.
Still, the show must go on as they say and we 'minced' over to Inferno. At this point I think it is necessary to point out my utter disgust at the number of CFers who have no idea what it means to mince! I guess we can forgive the first timers, but some of you should be utterly ashamed at yourselves. Even Ian made a show of mincing. If there was an award for the worst mince ever, it would go to Sue. It was totally shameful young lady. I expect this to be rectified by next season and we will be testing you!
Arriving at Inferno there was an appearance from a surprise guest (oh joy, another **** surprise attendee), in the shape of Alex. Actually, given that I think Alex is FAAABulous, it was both a great surprise and massive smile trigger to see him there. Especially after commenting in the Stealth queue that it seemed bizarre without him… Apparently, the evil witch that is Jordan knew about his attendance the whole time but chose to keep it a secret when talking about it.
The queue itself was more burdenous than Sue getting locked into a toilet block. Despite them running a two-train operation it felt that they were only half loading the trains or something. I don't think we were actually in the queue THAT long but it really did feel like it. This is probably due to the fact that they stop admitting 'normal' visitors for every single fastpasser that comes up and therefore managed to split the group too. Call me selfish but I really detest the practice of allowing fastpassers in the moment they arrive at the gate and basically sticking a proverbial middle finger up at those of us who aren’t daft enough to be raped of our cash to get a fastpass. I totally understand why the park charges for the privilege of a shorter queue but that doesn’t really make me feel any better. Bitching aside, I managed to get the back row and Inferno was running really well. Inferno is one of those coasters that I have never really tired of and it did not disappoint.
Clearly we had been queuing a bit longer than I thought though; it was now one o’clock and time for lunchie munchies. The usual split and dash ensued and a small group of us ended up opting for Kebab next to Tidal Wave with its ridiculously placed benches that also get walloped with spray with every passing boat. Meanwhile, Alex was regaling us with stories of his adventures working at the French House of Mouse; if you ever thought that CF could get a bit bitchy or snipy you really have no idea. By the sounds of things, working for Disney in entertainment makes CF look like a virtual picnic of harmony and love. Wha… A whole cast of performers, actors, dancers etc. and they are really bitchy… SHOCKER! Thank heavens I opted not to go!!! I have no worries for Alex though, he can hold his own. Anyways I digress again…
[Clearly you have far too much time on your hands if you have got this far without skipping to the next post]
After lunch we met back up over on the Saw Island and begrudgingly joined the apparently 85 minute long queue. I have never particularly liked Saw but I figured I might as well enjoy the antics in the queue rather than sit and smoke endlessly. The vast majority of the queue was taken up discussing California and Florida attractions (all the usual tourist ones) and bitching about how little we were moving forward in the queue. Alas, the fastpass entrance also had a massive queue and so we mere commoners would just have to wait a little lot longer. After 2 hours we finally arrived at the ride only for me to be told just seconds before boarding that I would need to take off the high-heels but I couldn’t go barefoot either. Damn you heels, are you punishing me for breaking you? I really couldn’t be arsed with a faff trying to borrow some shoes so I head out via the exit. By all accounts I had a bloody lucky escape from an almighty headache though so the heels were forgiven, although I did opt to change footwear to something a little more Saw: The Ride friendly. Thankfully Marc offered to go get my other shoes to save me the hobble. That will teach me not to check every single rides restrictions before entering the queue ay! Whilst we away we had picked up another of our 'hang on, where the hell is…' members in the form of Will. Believe it or not, it is always noticeable when regulars of the CF-Live events are not present and it was a joy that Will had arrived.
It had now come to the time of day that has almost become a tradition in itself. Samurai. Unfortunately Samurai is one of those rides that only half the group can ever be bothered with and true to form, the other half of the group took to the rockery for a bit of social time. I actually really enjoy it though. You can hop around the group and just enjoy each other’s company. When the CFers finally made it on to Samurai another part of the tradition began; laughing hilariously at those in costume who were a) flailing their arms like lunatics and b) desperately trying to cling on to pieces of costume. There is something about seeing costumes on Samurai that is just brilliant and always leaves a lasting highlight memory. Gavin has now joined that list of people who will be remembered for their time on Samurai.
Already, we had found ourselves at the evening break part of the day where those who want to go and get lost in a 'maze' can do so. This year was a far smaller break with only a mere handful heading off for the scares and the rest of us having a short breather before riding Vortex. Sadly, the reasonable weather decided it could hold out no longer and the rain poured… Well, it wouldn’t be GhosterForce if there wasn’t a little rain aye?
Whilst waiting for the Vortex riders we were also confronted with more of the usual commentary from the other clientele in the park. We had a rather amusing discussion about the adults that these people would turn into and I also pointed out my amusement at the strange anomaly of someone so very homophobic wearing their trousers so low that their backside is hanging out. I mean, surely the last thing they would want to do is be so close to the 'gays' that they hate so much whilst offering a clear view of their tight-undie clad arses on a plate??? One of life’s little mysteries I suppose…
After a very kind request/plea/virtual begging from (guess who) we made our way to Detonator. To be fair, I was happy to oblige since I hadn’t ridden it myself for quite some time. The rain continued to drizzle away with smatterings of heavier downpours whilst we queued and all planned on how to get on the side which would offer a lovely view of Swarm in the dark. Ian and Nic managed to get the last two seats on the ride before mine and then we boarded and waited… and waited some more… and waited some more. The ride ops were convinced that someone had queue jumped and despite the other public around them confirming they had queued they were having none of it meaning we waited, with heavier rain. Eurgh. The ride itself did make up for it. I had forgotten how much that thing kicks away from the top.
It was now 7 in the evening and we hastily made our way over to Swarm Island to be reunited with the rest of the group for what was already creating an aura of excitement. After some very brief reunion chat we headed into the queue which was clearly open to its full capacity and began the trek. I swear, half of our queue time was actually spent walking. Marc and I very casually managed to get the back row left (when facing direction of travel – the side over the bridge) which is actually one of my favourite seats. The Swarm + long operating hours + rain led to another fantastic ride that was very forceful and managed to almost totally spite the false eyelashes and wig. Sadly there was no fire which I fear was the fault of the rain, but tbh, it didn’t affect the ride in any way. It was just brilliant. The lights on the trains really add to the atmosphere of the island.
It really says something that several CFers then frequented the shop buying up souvenirs. I rarely see so many buying so much of just rides merchandise. Clearly everyone was thoroughly enjoying the ride and so we opted to go around again. On the second time Marc and I managed another back row but on the right. Again it was a great run and it really cemented just how highly I think of The Swarm.
The rain was pouring a fair bit harder now and so it was decided that calling it a day would be the best course of action. I don’t really like calling time too early but we were all in danger of getting ridiculously saturated and that wouldn’t bode well for day two so it felt right to end there. Besides, everyone seemed really buzzing from The Swarm that it was great to go out on a high with everyone happy at 8pm rather than carry and have everyone cold, wet and miserable…
So yes, that was that and the end of Day 1.
Overall it was a flipping brilliant day at Thorpe and although things were a little slow moving at times it really didn’t overshadow the day. Everyone seemed really happy and the antics (of which I seem to have forgotten most of) were flowing well too. Many apologies if I haven’t mentioned you in this report as I am getting worse at remembering names. It was great to see everyone and brilliant to chat lots with you all too. I don’t really need to list highlights and lowlights because I genuinely and thoroughly and enjoyed the whole day... :--D
Part 2 soon…
Our journey started out pretty early this year as we had opted not to travel down the night before. The plan was to not dress up and just enjoy the day and stewarding the group around. However, on Sunday morning I had a change of heart and made a mad dash for the local costume shop to set about some kind of outfit - one of a slutty drag nature. For some reason 'Drag' has become a bit of a tradition that I can't seem to shake off. This had a knock on effect and meant that I either had to get up even more ridiculously early or get ready in the car. Now, anyone who knows me also knows I detest mornings so I thought it would be a far better idea in the car... Applying a full face of drag 'hot-mess' make-up while working your way round the M25 is a brilliant game. :lol: Marc was also threatening to tap the brakes so I would smudge lipstick up my face. Oh joy. Thankfully, he thought better of it! :twisted:
Nevertheless, I managed to get everything done on the journey besides some eyelashes and we arrived in good time at the park around 9.45. Unfortunately, Gavin had discovered in the closing moments of our journey that he had not brought his pre-booked printout and so Marc and I lingered around the entrance whilst Gavin got himself all ticketed and everything. He was far from impressed that the Advanced Ticket Booths were actually also selling tickets to those who hadn't actually bothered pre-booking at all. Then he had to go through the arduous task of security because he had two bags. Still, all in all in only took 15 minutes and I was in the loos and helping Gavin get into his costume. Of course, the clientele of Thorpe Park seem to be genuinely bemused to see people dressing up and having a good time in anything other than a onesie and so several obvious, tiresome and boring comments were made "this is the mens toilets ya know"… "Really? Oh crap, I really should have gone to specsavers, thanks for letting me know!"
With Gavin all dressed up it was on to the usual faff around that is the morning meet-up. It is always great fun seeing who has braved the notion of dressing for the occasion and seeing what they have dressed as and after many years of threatening to bless us with an outfit but not quite making it, Jordan graced us with a slightly more vampire styled 'Amy Winehouse'
. Everyone looked brilliant and I would like to make a special nod to Scarlett who looked fab as Bree Needles (a mash up of Bree Van de Kamp/Sharon Needles) (I swear one of these days Marc might shock you all and come in costume too)After I had finished handing out the voting forms and Ian had dished out all of the Quiz sheets it was time to finally get going. Stealth was our first port of call and thankfully the queue time wasn't too severe. The ride itself was another matter however with several of us clinging to our wigs for dear life as we had been daft enough to forget hairpins. As always Stealth packs a punch and also managed to completely rip off my brand new false eyelashes (GASP :-O) so Jordan set up a quick glue job. I think a nod to Gavin’s incredible ORP is due here. It didn’t look as much like clinging to his wig as it did a completely staged scream. It looked FAB!
I figured we might as well get the Rapids over and done with early on since they were nearby but they were pretty much as dull as dishwater although I do appreciate the fact they had turned off the waterfall at the entrance to the tunnel. We had a few giggles, but in general they were certainly more boring than usual. It really is about time that parks learned to theme the sections between 'splash' zones or whatever… otherwise it is just trundling along a stream with no action and nothing to look at.
Upon exit, I was greeted by a few more "OMG! IT’S A BOY!" et al… Yawn. However, something far more shocking, terrifying and actually heartbreaking was about to happen. As I gently descended the incredibly well swept (ok, no they weren’t) steps in seven inch heels, I slipped on a stray lonesome (ok, there were lots) leaf and nearly face planted down the final flight of steps. I did manage to save myself (coz I am simply put, a pro
) and also save Jordan from having me collapse on top of her and probably cause a miniature domino effect of fallen CFers. The worst was yet to come though. I thought I had caused the show to unbuckle but when I tried to do them back up I found that the strap had completely come away from the sole of the shoe :-O After about 7 years of faithful and dependable use my heels had given up on me! Few may realize how devastating to me this was. There were no tears but I am planning a burial if I can’t fix them somehow. Ok, that last part is pretty much bollocks but I was a bit gutted that not only had I had my first major slip in them, they had broken too.Still, the show must go on as they say and we 'minced' over to Inferno. At this point I think it is necessary to point out my utter disgust at the number of CFers who have no idea what it means to mince! I guess we can forgive the first timers, but some of you should be utterly ashamed at yourselves. Even Ian made a show of mincing. If there was an award for the worst mince ever, it would go to Sue. It was totally shameful young lady. I expect this to be rectified by next season and we will be testing you!
Arriving at Inferno there was an appearance from a surprise guest (oh joy, another **** surprise attendee), in the shape of Alex. Actually, given that I think Alex is FAAABulous, it was both a great surprise and massive smile trigger to see him there. Especially after commenting in the Stealth queue that it seemed bizarre without him… Apparently, the evil witch that is Jordan knew about his attendance the whole time but chose to keep it a secret when talking about it.
The queue itself was more burdenous than Sue getting locked into a toilet block. Despite them running a two-train operation it felt that they were only half loading the trains or something. I don't think we were actually in the queue THAT long but it really did feel like it. This is probably due to the fact that they stop admitting 'normal' visitors for every single fastpasser that comes up and therefore managed to split the group too. Call me selfish but I really detest the practice of allowing fastpassers in the moment they arrive at the gate and basically sticking a proverbial middle finger up at those of us who aren’t daft enough to be raped of our cash to get a fastpass. I totally understand why the park charges for the privilege of a shorter queue but that doesn’t really make me feel any better. Bitching aside, I managed to get the back row and Inferno was running really well. Inferno is one of those coasters that I have never really tired of and it did not disappoint.
Clearly we had been queuing a bit longer than I thought though; it was now one o’clock and time for lunchie munchies. The usual split and dash ensued and a small group of us ended up opting for Kebab next to Tidal Wave with its ridiculously placed benches that also get walloped with spray with every passing boat. Meanwhile, Alex was regaling us with stories of his adventures working at the French House of Mouse; if you ever thought that CF could get a bit bitchy or snipy you really have no idea. By the sounds of things, working for Disney in entertainment makes CF look like a virtual picnic of harmony and love. Wha… A whole cast of performers, actors, dancers etc. and they are really bitchy… SHOCKER! Thank heavens I opted not to go!!! I have no worries for Alex though, he can hold his own. Anyways I digress again…
[Clearly you have far too much time on your hands if you have got this far without skipping to the next post
]After lunch we met back up over on the Saw Island and begrudgingly joined the apparently 85 minute long queue. I have never particularly liked Saw but I figured I might as well enjoy the antics in the queue rather than sit and smoke endlessly. The vast majority of the queue was taken up discussing California and Florida attractions (all the usual tourist ones) and bitching about how little we were moving forward in the queue. Alas, the fastpass entrance also had a massive queue and so we mere commoners would just have to wait a little lot longer. After 2 hours we finally arrived at the ride only for me to be told just seconds before boarding that I would need to take off the high-heels but I couldn’t go barefoot either. Damn you heels, are you punishing me for breaking you? I really couldn’t be arsed with a faff trying to borrow some shoes so I head out via the exit. By all accounts I had a bloody lucky escape from an almighty headache though so the heels were forgiven, although I did opt to change footwear to something a little more Saw: The Ride friendly. Thankfully Marc offered to go get my other shoes to save me the hobble. That will teach me not to check every single rides restrictions before entering the queue ay! Whilst we away we had picked up another of our 'hang on, where the hell is…' members in the form of Will. Believe it or not, it is always noticeable when regulars of the CF-Live events are not present and it was a joy that Will had arrived.
It had now come to the time of day that has almost become a tradition in itself. Samurai. Unfortunately Samurai is one of those rides that only half the group can ever be bothered with and true to form, the other half of the group took to the rockery for a bit of social time. I actually really enjoy it though. You can hop around the group and just enjoy each other’s company. When the CFers finally made it on to Samurai another part of the tradition began; laughing hilariously at those in costume who were a) flailing their arms like lunatics and b) desperately trying to cling on to pieces of costume. There is something about seeing costumes on Samurai that is just brilliant and always leaves a lasting highlight memory. Gavin has now joined that list of people who will be remembered for their time on Samurai.
Already, we had found ourselves at the evening break part of the day where those who want to go and get lost in a 'maze' can do so. This year was a far smaller break with only a mere handful heading off for the scares and the rest of us having a short breather before riding Vortex. Sadly, the reasonable weather decided it could hold out no longer and the rain poured… Well, it wouldn’t be GhosterForce if there wasn’t a little rain aye?
Whilst waiting for the Vortex riders we were also confronted with more of the usual commentary from the other clientele in the park. We had a rather amusing discussion about the adults that these people would turn into and I also pointed out my amusement at the strange anomaly of someone so very homophobic wearing their trousers so low that their backside is hanging out. I mean, surely the last thing they would want to do is be so close to the 'gays' that they hate so much whilst offering a clear view of their tight-undie clad arses on a plate??? One of life’s little mysteries I suppose…
After a very kind request/plea/virtual begging from (guess who) we made our way to Detonator. To be fair, I was happy to oblige since I hadn’t ridden it myself for quite some time. The rain continued to drizzle away with smatterings of heavier downpours whilst we queued and all planned on how to get on the side which would offer a lovely view of Swarm in the dark. Ian and Nic managed to get the last two seats on the ride before mine and then we boarded and waited… and waited some more… and waited some more. The ride ops were convinced that someone had queue jumped and despite the other public around them confirming they had queued they were having none of it meaning we waited, with heavier rain. Eurgh. The ride itself did make up for it. I had forgotten how much that thing kicks away from the top.
It was now 7 in the evening and we hastily made our way over to Swarm Island to be reunited with the rest of the group for what was already creating an aura of excitement. After some very brief reunion chat we headed into the queue which was clearly open to its full capacity and began the trek. I swear, half of our queue time was actually spent walking. Marc and I very casually managed to get the back row left (when facing direction of travel – the side over the bridge) which is actually one of my favourite seats. The Swarm + long operating hours + rain led to another fantastic ride that was very forceful and managed to almost totally spite the false eyelashes and wig. Sadly there was no fire which I fear was the fault of the rain, but tbh, it didn’t affect the ride in any way. It was just brilliant. The lights on the trains really add to the atmosphere of the island.
It really says something that several CFers then frequented the shop buying up souvenirs. I rarely see so many buying so much of just rides merchandise. Clearly everyone was thoroughly enjoying the ride and so we opted to go around again. On the second time Marc and I managed another back row but on the right. Again it was a great run and it really cemented just how highly I think of The Swarm.
The rain was pouring a fair bit harder now and so it was decided that calling it a day would be the best course of action. I don’t really like calling time too early but we were all in danger of getting ridiculously saturated and that wouldn’t bode well for day two so it felt right to end there. Besides, everyone seemed really buzzing from The Swarm that it was great to go out on a high with everyone happy at 8pm rather than carry and have everyone cold, wet and miserable…
So yes, that was that and the end of Day 1.
Overall it was a flipping brilliant day at Thorpe and although things were a little slow moving at times it really didn’t overshadow the day. Everyone seemed really happy and the antics (of which I seem to have forgotten most of) were flowing well too. Many apologies if I haven’t mentioned you in this report as I am getting worse at remembering names. It was great to see everyone and brilliant to chat lots with you all too. I don’t really need to list highlights and lowlights because I genuinely and thoroughly and enjoyed the whole day... :--D
Part 2 soon…
SaiyanHajime
CF Legend
I just folded over and fell off the bed with laughter. Oh. My. God. AJ.