Hyperia at Thorpe park disabled access ride review

On one half the image is a picture of Iona stood Infront of Hyperia entrance. On the other side of the image there is a yellow background with text saying Hyperia disabled access ride review as well as a cartoon of Iona on a rollercoaster in the bottom corner.
Join me as I find my fearless on the UK tallest and fastest rollercoaster. Of course detailing all you need to know about disabled access. So come on it's time to find your fearless.

Table of Contents

About the ride

Hyperia is the UK tallest and fastest rollercoaster located at Thorpe Park Resort and stands at 263 feet tall it is most certainly a thrill ride. Reaching top speeds of 80 Miles per hour Hyperia has some pretty cool elements for a UK coaster and of course a few inversions. Hyperia is a rollercoaster manufactured by Mack Rides and surprisingly with all the thrills only has a hight restriction of 1.3 Meters. I would normally write about key parts of ride but with the speed and airtime I had zero clue about the layout when going round the track click here to find out more about Hyperia. The message behind Hyperia is to spread your wings and find your fearless!

Image of Hyperia queue line entrance. in the image you can see the Hyperia entrance sign with gold wings eather side. you can also see the track above with a train going around.

Disabled Access

In this part of the ride review I detail what disabled access was available for the ride. Please note: I do not detail all ride restrictions as these are subject to change full ride restrictions for disabled guests can normally be found on the attractions website.

Image shows view of Hypria going around the track from the queueline. In the image you can see Hyperia upside down

Non-ambulant Access

As shown in the ride access pass time card bellow Hyperia is accessible for non ambulate guests. Thorpe park have created a really usual video detailing all about Hyperia accessibility information. The video goes into to detail on what you will need to do in an evacuation as a non ambulant guest as well as showing the ride seats. You can see the Thorpe Park Hyperia Accessibility information video and ride restrictions bellow. The ride access pass/step free queue line is fully level and there is a lift to the station. I detail about ride access pass and step free access in the ‘Using ride access pass’ section of this blog post.

Image shows restriction table for each ride and the restrictions for disabled guests. The table has a Colum down the left hand side with each ride and attraction in. There is 5 Colum across the top of the table with the following heading step-free access, non-ambulant suitable, loud noises and sensory effects, dark confined spaces and live scare actors. In the table each ride is marked with a tick with its corresponding ride restrictions.

Limb Difference Access

Image shows a table titled missing limb guide across the top of the table the headings say ride, bellow the knee, above the knee, bellow the elbow, above the elbow, double leg below knee, through knee, double arm bellow elbow and prosthetics worn on ride. There is then a Colum going down with each ride and attraction at Thorpe park there are tick in the corresponding box for the ride and restriction.

As discussed in the video above you will need to remove any phosphatic limbs before ridding Hyperia. The image to the left shows the missing limb guide witch has the full details on for Hyperia. As restriction differ depending on the location of your limb difference Thorpe Park have created a interactive guide to see witch rides you are able to access by clicking here missing limb interactive guide.

using ride access pass

Ride access pass is a reasonable adjustment for guests how are unable to queue in a conventional queue line due to a disability. You can find out more about ride access pass by clicking here everything you need to know about Merlin ride access pass.

Ride access pass users are no longer limited to one ride per day on Hyperia This means that ride access pass users will now be timed out the length of the main queue line. Your time card will look a little different to the one in the image as there will no longer be the golden box at the bottom. Please see my step by step guide on how ride access pass works for Hyperia bellow:

Step 1: Check ride restrictions and sensory guide

Before going through the ride access pass entrance for Hyperia it’s important to make sure you have checked both the ride restriction and sensory guide to make sure Hyperia is accessible for you. The ride restriction board for Hyperia is clearly located at the queue line entrance there is also a test seat available. Your ride access pass time card also has a handy restrictions table so you check the ride requirements before getting to Fearless Valley. Thorpe Park have created a sensory guide with sensory information for each ride and attraction You can see the sensory information for Hyperia in the picture bellow or on the access sign next to Hyperia entrance. You can see Thorpe park sensory guide by clicking here sensory guide Thorpe Park.

Hyperia sensory levels Touch: Restrained with a lap bar. • High G-Force. • Features prolonged inversions, upside down for seconds at a time. • Quick changes in speed and direction. • Water splash effect during the ride may produce water vapour in some conditions Taste: Slight chance for water vapour to get into mouth during splash effect. Sound: Sounds of mechanical parts of the ride in the station and throughout ride. • Sounds of other riders including screams. • PA announcements and themed music. • Louder music as the train leaves the station. • Music plays through speakers on the left side of the lift. • Sound of water splash jets during the ride. smell: Use of themed smells in the station and shop. Sight: Ride Access Pass queue is alongside other guests which may be busy. • Busy batching area with a lot of guests. • Tall lift-hill at 236ft, views from height. • Large vertical drop. • Smoke effects. • Flashing lights. • Camera flash for on-ride photos. • Flat terrain, except for steps leading to the station. • Water splash effect during coming from under both sides of the train. • Exit through a busy shop and photo kiosk.
Image shows Hyperia accessibility guide with sensory and missing limb information.
Image of hyperia accessibility board and test seat. m

Step 2: Find ride access pass or step free entrance

Now you have found out that Hyperia is accessible to you it’s time to locate the ride access pass or step free entrance. For Hyperia both ride access pass and step free share a queue line which is level and next to the fast-track/single rider queue. In order to find the ride access pass and step free entrance simply look for the golden wings as seen in the picture bellow. I also have a POV of the queue line that you can see bellow so you know exactly where your going.

Image of Hyperia queue line in the image you can see two big gold wings as the entrance portal for the queue line the queue line from left to right are ride access pass and step free access, FastTrack and single rider, main queue line

Step 3: Show your ride access pass ID and time card & Enter the station

Once reaching the front of the ride access pass queue line for Hyperia a ride host will come and ask for your ride access pass ID card and time card. They will check your ride access pass ID card is you and write the time of your next ride on your timecard. for example, if I went on Hyperia at 11:00 and there was a 40 minute main queue then the time written on my timecard would be 11:40. This means I wouldn’t be able to use my ride access pass to go on any other ride or attraction before 11:40.

Image of back of the ride access pass time card. It says date, name, group size (options of 12, 3 and 4), queue entry ride access pass or step free and colour red or yellow. There is then a table for for staff to fill in when you use ride access at a ride. The headings on the table are staff initials, attraction name, net time.
Image of Iona's ride access pass ID card. on the card there is Iona name and photo as well as the word red there is also a barcode with Iona barcode number underneath to pre book her ride access pass for day of visit.

Step 4: Enter the station and board Hyperia

Once your timecard and RAP ID have been checked the ride host will then direct you up to a set of stairs into the station. However, if you are step free them you will be directed to the lift that is located past the staircase and turn right it was very well signposted as you can see from the photo.

Image shows Hyperia stair leading up to the station and a sign towards the lift.
Image shows Hyperia lift with the door closed.
Image of sign step free access right pointing arrow exit here left pointing arrow
Image shows Hyperia lift information

Now that your in the station a ride host will tell you which row to sit on. If you are step free then you will be put on row 9. When the air gates open it’s time to ride the operations are quick so be prepared to be getting into your seat. In the seats your feet are not touching the floor and the seat is quite high up of the ground so something to Bair in mind. Please note: If you are step free exit the station the same side you entered not the side that says exit as this leads to stairs.

Image of Hyperia air gates and you can see Hyperia train in the station
Image of Hyperia train in the station

Sensory information

In terms of sensory, there is a sequence of music, smock and lights that plays every time a train leaves the station. In my experience even with knowing what to expect I found it quiet overwhelming. Bellow is a video of a Hyperia dispatch so you can be prepared.

During the ride it’s self it is very fest and intense this means that the ground will look a little burley. During the ride there is a water fountain effect that can be seen in point of view video bellow. When riding Hyperia I did get splashed by the water effect. During the ride there is a lot of witlessness and air time this means that it may feel like you you are lifting out from your seat the lap bar are secure and you can’t fall out.

In my experience I was allowed to keep my ear defenders on for the ride as can be seen in my on ride photo. A staff member asked if they were secure and could they be removed. Once my carer explained that they were secure and asked if I had to take them off they were more then happy to let me ware ear defenders on Hyperia. I was very grateful for this as I was really struggling in the station with all the effects and wouldn’t have been able to ride if my ear defenders needed to be removed.

Image shows Iona and Dad on ride photo for Hyperia. Iona has her hands in the air and is smiling
In the image you can see a picture of some ear defenders and a green tick

My Review

In my opinion Hyperia is on another level to any other ride in the UK and a ride that is well and truly aimed at thrill seekers! I’ve never felt that much airtime on a coaster before witch as a sensory seeker for movement was perfect for me. Hyperia also has a few unique elements that I found really fun to experience the full coaster just blowed me away. I think that Hyperia is the perfect ride for any proprioception sensory seekers. I was very dysregulated this day but after riding Hyperia I was a little more regulated.

It seems like when creating Hyperia Thorpe Park thought about accessibility I mean the fact that non-ambulant guests can ride Hyperia but not Wallace and Gromit shows just how far access is coming along in the industry. Of course not forgetting the sensory information available for neurodivergent guests both in advance via Thorpe Park sensory guide on the day by the very visible accessibility sign near the entrance to Hyperia. I hope this is a sneak peek of what we can expect with ride accessibility in the coming years.

Final Thoughts

Well, Thank You so much for joining me as I find my fearless! Hyperia is an incredible coaster With great operations and provides the ultimate thrill. Although the satiation can be overwhelming for guests with sensory needs Thorpe Park have provided a well detailed, easy to understand and accurate sensory guide so nice to see. Hyperia is definitely worth the visit and keep an eye out as I’ll be sharing my full Thorpe Park disabled access review soon. I guess I’ll see you on my next adventure, bye for now!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Disclaimer​

The information provided on this blog about theme park accessibility is based on my experiences and the details available from the attractions’ official websites at the time of my visit. Please note that facilities and services for disabled guests may change, and the information may not always be up-to-date. I strongly recommend checking the accessibility section on the respective attractions’ websites for the most current information. The comments and opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of any other organisation.