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| Unless you decided it would be fun to visit Drayton Manor with your eyes closed, you'd probably be wondering what on Earth that huge tower was doing in the middle of the park. No, its not a radio transmitter or a telecom tower. It's actually the mighty Apocalypse.
 Built by Intamin, the creators of Shockwave, this 180ft tall tower is by no means forgiving. Breaking 3 world records with one ride, Intamin have really outdone themselves. Apocalypse is the first Giant Drop tower to have have 5 tracks, however only 4 are open at present. |
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| It also boasts the worlds only standup gondalas which, as if that weren't enough, tilt you forward at an agonising 15 degrees from vertical.
Upon entering the que for Apocalypse, you can't help but laugh at how much the theming on the ride looks like something out of Star Trek. The Apocalypse sign at the beginning of the queue is very bold and somehow menacing. After sucessfully navigating your way through the first part of the queue, (the unsheltered "cattle pen" style section) you can go forth and choose your destiny! This is the part that gives this ride an unusual twist, you must decide whether to sit or to stand. I would recommend sitting first as after you have stooden up, the sitting down will seem tame and less exciting. Both queues run parallel up some steps and along a flat section which enters the base of the ride.  Once inside the queues split apart, sitting to the right and standing to the left. The queues wrap around the tower base and are shielded behind caged fences with Apocalypse's victims on show in the centre. You then drop down to the same level as the boarding area and the music in the station becomes louder. But the music is drowned out partially by the screams of the falling victims; and yes, you will too suffer the same fate as these poor souls if you have gotten this far. (don't worry its a cool ride really!) If you opted for the sitting first, the ride op will simply secure your harnesses, painted a vibrant orange, and then will give the thumbs up and you're off! The car rises slowly at first as it it passes the powerful electro-magnet (you'll be glad of this later!). Soon that irritating music you hated a few minutes ago actually starts to sound quite good compared with what you are about to face. Once past the magnet, the car picks up speed and there is a strange compulsion to swing your feet, probably a sign of fear! Within about 30 seconds, the car reaches the top and you hear a click as the car is locked on to the mechanism at the top. You have about 5 seconds to discuss with your 3 companions if it was a good idea to go on this ride. And then just as you think the ride's stalled *CLUNK* the gondola is released and you fall at an alarming rate. Feeling like you are flying, you can't help but wonder if it's ever going to stop. Luckly, it does and you can feel the whole of body get pushed down against the seat. Entering the tower base is almost embarrasing as the people in the queue look at your expression and smile. Then you unbuckle the harness and stagger back round to the queue to do it all again, or even stand-up!  So, seating too tame for you? Well then you made the right choice to try this one standing as it's a whole different ride. First off, you have more time to get in,and the ride operators are more than helpful in making sure your trip up is as comfortable as your trip DOWN. The seats are like bicycle saddles, concentrate on making sure you are at the right height before they put down the harness, simply push up with your feet if its too low, and if its too high simply pull it down a little. Once everything's in place , the ride op gives a thumbs up and you're off! You start climbing the tower slower than before and you haven't tilted forward yet. When you rise past the magnet, the gondolas start to tip forward, only 15 degrees but it seems like so much more! Nervously shaking your harness to make sure its secure properly is frightenening in itself! But to make things worse you can see right below you down to the ground, and the fact it's concrete doesn't help much. The views on the standing gondolas are as impressive as those on the sitting ones! But somehow the views aren't really on your mind, the fact you are about to drop 180ft standing up is! The dreaded *CLUNK* to lock you in is yet again waiting at the top to greet you. And there's also another one waiting to send you back to solid ground! The innevitable happens and you lift up from the bike saddle floating as you fall, if only there were huge cushions on the saddles to make sure you have a safe landing! Well surprisingly, you stop smoothly and forget about tipping back. This is where you either start laughing at the fact you survived or you stay speechless until completely away from the site. Then you have the choice of what to do next, if you survived it once, then I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to ride it again! |