Is wet becoming too wet!!

[in2ob1ivion]

The splashes are becoming greater, higher and....wetter!! but is there really any need to be completely soaked? I respect the fact that when I go on a water ride that I will get splashed and that H2O will absorb into my clothes maybe a little or maybe alot and thats why it doesnt matter to me how wet the ride is. I love water rides and I always have done, I have been completely drowned on Alton's log flume and merely splashed on Devil's Cascade, yet both have given me the fun I wanted, But, I can see that the newer generation of high soaking water rides can put some people off, to some a good soaking is over the top, not to mention that on rainy day alot of people by bypass them without arguement.
Maybe our water rides should just create (and I quote one of Graeme's posts) 'A Sea Spray'.
How do you feel about it??

[Graeme]

I'd be happy if all water rides were water slides! Instead of rapids we could have spinning rapids (which have rapids sections anyway) and, of course, a 4-lane WhiteWater West slide tower is essential!

[Stu]

Just a sea spray eh?

I can see how some people may appreciate a salty moist spraying . . . lol sorry i'm on one tonight (see urf for further proof)

The thing is the weather is so bad in UK it's a hard one to judge, i can see how Tidal Wave may be appealing on a hot summers day, perhaps the best option is for parks to adjust the wet level according to the weather? Or sell more waterproofing methods?

My last visit to LWV i really wish they had better ponchoes not that the water rides are wet (though i couldn't ride falls of terror as billy no mates aren't allowed by themselves, in early days a ride operator would accompany single riders, you just don't get the service anymore) its just weather was so bad i really needed a diving suit or at least a better poncho to keep dry

A trick i've picked up is to stand / lay down in the hand dryers in the toilets to dry myself (sometimes dodgy inside toilets i know) at toilets at bpb they had staff on last visit making sure people were drying their hands only and nothing else! Obviously that big pay extra dyer at end of Valhalla makes some $ to afford that staff attention!

Valhalla is the wettest ride in UK for sure, but its such an awesome experience i don't mind doing it even if i know when i sit down in the boat, oh crumbs this isn't a good idea at all i'm going to get freeking soaked lol . . . .

Interestingly whenever i ride Tidal Wave at Thorpe i always get that "WTF am i doing?" feeling as i'm coming down the ramp, but its too late! That is an incredible sight the just pure wall of white around you as the boat hits the pool, it seems to take ages before it falls back down onto you, i think its secretly specially trained water from a circus!

. . . back to BPB . . riding Valhalla may be wet but if the staff inside the toilets tell u off for been on hands and knees underneath a blower, take a spin on the flying machines, bluddy freezing but very effective at drying you off esp. if you sit at front of rocket, also i found to dry bottom of trousers off, take a few rides on ice blast and hold your legs out straight! I've been to BPB too many times lol

[Stu]

aghh a funny wet story! This was the time "i went to Drayton Manor with university for a customer care presentation" lol (that old gem)

weather wasn't too bad but very cold wind, certainly wasn't Storm Force 10 weather but the park was empty there was like 30 guests in park max,

Myself and Gaz couldn't turn down Storm Force with an empty queue so had a go, basically stripping down to minimal clothing layers, to try and keep as much dry as possible, i remember it was freezing just been on this thing in a t shirt with winds blowing at us, but it was fun none the less, especially with rest of class stood at side of ride cheering us on! We didn't get too damp and managed to do the hand dryer trick and get dry in no time

so this encouraged Stacey my house mate, who isn't in my class but came with us as Marie (who is in my class) had broken something playing hockey . . . anyway

stacey came on, so there's her, gaz and myself we were sat in boat, we had a row each, avoiding the very front i volunteered to take the back (ooh err!) as that’s 2nd wettest from reverse drop, stacey was sandwiched in middle and gaz in 2nd from front, everything was going to be alright, until who knows where they came from, sorry to be rude excuse me as I aren’t the slimiest of people myself but, two really fat women came into the station the operator put them in the front row of our boat, nooooo!

We were all horrified, why put them in our boat there’s thirty odd empty boats on the track, why in our boat? We knew with this weight in front of boat we were in for a right royal soaking, I’ve never got so wet on Storm Force it was almost Valhalla wet! We were drenched it’s like we’d got into the bath with our clothes on!

I don’t think we ever managed to dried out from that, my shoes are still a little soggy now, lol, oh we still have some laughs about that trip, Stacey has never forgiven me and still holds it against me

[in2ob1ivion]

I'm gonna have to give Valhalla another chance some day, when I rode it (and the only time I have rode it), I remember coming off the ride thinking what a waste of 5 quid....So maybe I didnt get a good day for Valhalla, my wettest experience on a ride was earlier this year on Stormforce and I loved it, but I cant remember getting too wet on Valhalla. I have also heard a few people say recently that they think the effects are the best on a british dark ride...again, I cant really remember seeing anything special....Oh I remember now, I was blindfolded at the time.... ;D