The Most Magical Dark Ride?

Thu May 07, 2009 12:26 pm

Gotta agree, the organist in Vampire's queueline is seriously creepy... just the way he moves, it's plain weird...

Thu May 07, 2009 9:45 pm

I voted HEX as it has all the things I like in life (Legends, Castles, History and awesome music).

I haven't been on bubbleworks since it had something to do with a professor(?) but I dread to imagine what its like now Imperial Leather has been in there...lots of ducks and their logos I'd imagine.

[Archive] · Fri May 08, 2009 8:28 am

Hi, everybody!

I would just like to point out that there are a few guidlines for this topic now and can be read at the top. Nothing heavy, but please stick to the rules. I'm glad that my topic has become quite active and it is good to know your opinions!

Sat May 09, 2009 3:06 pm

The vampire queue used to be a lot creepier when I was young...er

It's now, of course, a lot more family friendly - which I can appreciate.

The Tomb Blaster queue is quite creepy too! I like the length of that ride. I don't shoot things when I am on it - I just sit back and enjoy the scenery and theatrics. I like how they include your ride photo as part of the ride... I've never seen that done before.

I didn't know Merlin were planning to change their image for Chessington next year. That's exciting. I hope they add some rides now - and leave the animal part alone

The zoo is so 1980s!

Kidding... I know that the zoo is great for year round business, and especially good for the kids.

[Archive] · Mon May 11, 2009 4:59 pm

What has happened to everybody's votes? The have gone!?

Mon May 11, 2009 5:21 pm

I wish somebody would take the "Merlin" out of this topic title as Merlin doesn't deserve the credit to any of those dark rides, Tussauds do!

Mon May 11, 2009 6:03 pm

[quote=""CoasterCrazyChris""]I wish somebody would take the "Merlin" out of this topic title as Merlin doesn't deserve the credit to any of those dark rides, Tussauds do!

[/quote]

There's Laiser Raiders but that's awful. It's just practically referring Merlin as a park as a whole and Tussauds were not responsible for X./NoWayOut, Thorpe themselves were.

Tue May 12, 2009 6:45 pm

Currently my favourite dark ride is Hex, I've always loved how the park uses local area history for it's theme. It's an excellent story and the only frustrating part of the ride is everyone else's lack of attention when the story is being told.

It would have been Professor Burps Bubbleworks as that was a perfect ride. Fun, well themed and incredible attention to detail. Everything moved, good jokes dotted around the ride. It's now such a shambles of a ride and it really annoys me how barely anything now moves.

Thu Jun 04, 2009 5:06 pm

Hex is amazing it stands out as its plot and theming is great the swing at the end feel realistic and so does the story. Th esecond room will give you a little jump so be warned.........

Thu Jun 04, 2009 10:25 pm

I've voted Hex and Bubbleworks before it was manhandled by Imperial Leather.

Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:15 pm

Hex and X:/

Website · Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:53 am

Hex and CATCF

2 very well themed, story-based rides with fantastic finales.

Sat Jun 06, 2009 1:41 pm

Well i would have voted Bubbleworks until 2006 when they completely desecrated it

Anonymous · Fri Jun 12, 2009 12:48 am

Hex because as soon as you step through that door your completley hooked. Especially with the clever building work sounds in the que, it makes me happy alton go to that kind of effort.

I wish extremis was up there (the tower ride in the london dungeon) I went on it last week and you could see how small it was from the 'que' and yet it still shocked me when it dropped, its amazing how good a ride it is considering its tiny scale. (far better than that naff boat ride which is long winded and pointless)

Website · Sun Jul 12, 2009 12:22 pm

OK, so I've only been on two of those. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Hex.
I voted for hex

I like Hex because of that wierd story and the way it makes you think that your going upside down even though your not.
CATCF is alright for under 8's but it doesn't really do much. Still worth a ride though.

[Archive] · Thu Sep 17, 2009 7:31 pm

I recently visited Legoland for the first time in about five years. It has improved in some placed, died in others (Jungle Coaster... WHAT?). However, I had a chance to ride the new Laser Raiders! I wasn't epecting much, mostly a copy of Tomb Blaster at Chessington, but it was a good ride overall.

The queueline starts off great. Though all the theming is made out of Lego (I find this a somewhat frequent problem at Legoland), there is a lot of it. Artifacts and jems between the queueline fences, mummy coffins and dim, smooth lighting. After a walk around the temple's insides, you are taken out to queue into a...

Yellow tent.

From here onwards, things get worse. As you enter the station, you remember again that you are meant to be in an Eqyption tomb. The cars, equipt with toyshop lasers, certainly look nice. In front of you are two doors, they never open until the car slams into them (what a nice effect!).

Inside the tomb you come across Lego skeletons, Lego people stuck in Lego cobwebs and lots of targets. There is lots of lighting, so hardly a dark ride! The shooting elemetndoes not work at all for me, as it takes seeral shots to hit a target (and they simply turn off instead of turn red like on Duel) and there is no point. None of it is particularly memorable, either. All I remember is the scene where the car speeds past a music band of plastic skeletons, and when a bang is heard, a gauze lights through and there is SAM SINISTER! Well, every ride like this has to have a storyline.

After some more Lego people shout things, only to be drowned out by the loud laser gun sound effect, the cars hit another door and it becomes clear that Sam Sinister, the baddie, has been caught. One of the characters says something like "Sam has hidden ten statues inside the temple, can you find them?". Oh, so it isn't quite over yet... The car smashes into another set of doors, and it is the end.

The ride had a nice level of theming, but nothing exceeded my expectations. It was good fun, just not as good as all the other laser/dark rides that I have been on. It is a shame that the laser sound effect was too loud, and it was a shame the cars moved too fast for you to see everything around you. However, definately not the most magical Merlin dark ride.

Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:55 am

[quote=""electricBlll""]...they simply turn off instead of turn red like on Duel...[/quote]
Actually, though there's a delay of around 2 seconds, they do all turn red, with red giving more points than green.

[quote=""electricBlll""]Though all the theming is made out of Lego (I find this a somewhat frequent problem at Legoland)...[/quote]
I'm sorry, but this made me laugh

- I think you've somewhat missed the point of Legoland...

Dormiens-Dave · Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:52 am

i get a hint of sarcasm from electric bill i think on that one

Fri Sep 18, 2009 1:02 pm

[quote=""dormiensdraco""]i get a hint of sarcasm from electric bill i think on that one[/quote]
Gah, I apologise - I'm ill, and am probably not thinking straight...

Fri Sep 18, 2009 1:08 pm

It's between Hex and Spirit of London for me. I'm guessing that hasn't got many votes because of having not many riders, but it's a fantastic dark ride! Really long, , with really well-thought out scenes that have obviously been invested in heavily, with tons to look at. Re-rideable too, I remember going round a second time and skipping the waxworks just to go on it! It's what CATCF should have been like.

The Most Magical Dark Ride?

Which do you enjoy the most from Merlin theme parks?